Darkening Skies
Chapter 1: Lessons in Mind Over Matter
My feet were planted firmly in the cold ground --well, no colder then my own skin, I guess—in the middle of the hotel's courtyard. I was supposed to be paying attention to Carlisle and the words streaming from his mouth, but unfortunately I couldn't tear my eyes from the little red pouch. Not only couldn't I turn my eyes from the blood in Carlisle's hand, but I was having a dilemma in my mind, thankful that Edward couldn't hear a word of it.
I could dart across the courtyard and tackle Carlisle again, I thought, No, I couldn't. They would…
The package disappeared from my physical eyesight behind the good doctor's back. With the bag out of sight, but not mind, I looked up to Carlisle's stern face. Did I miss something?
"Isabella,"
Uh-oh. "Yes?" the words came out cautiously.
"Have you heard a single word I've said?" Carlisle asked, trying to be stern; after all, I did ask him to help me with my self-control.
"Umm…does 'Let's work on your self-control today' count? My eyes flickered from Carlisle's face to the frozen winter ground of our Alaska winter hotel. Edward said that the reason why they rarely used this location was because the daylight time was long in the summer and the sun found its way to the ground. I personally couldn't help but remember the colors I was already associating with the places I've been.
A sigh from our father figure was my answer; nope, the starting words of the day didn't count at all. The wind shifted a bit and I could pick up the faint scent of the blood that trickled out of the pours in its container. I looked up and closed my eyes, fighting the thoughts back again.
"Love, stop thinking about the inner struggle. Remember when I first met you? It's all mind over matter," Edward's velvety, angelic tone came from my left, near the outer wall of the courtyard.
"Mind over matter, easy for you to say that now," I teased, remembering when he first ever said those words back in Forks.
"Hey, I'll gladly be your role-model for inner strength…"
"Do we all really have to listen to this? You keep distracting her from going after Carlisle again," Emmett grumbled.
Turning my head from Carlisle, and the blood pouch, I glared at Emmett, though he only cracked a smile. "You're not going to get to hog tie me again, you large bear eater."
"Hey, you still need to find your own favorite animal; you keep taking the best bears."
"Well then stop hoping to constantly restrain me; after all that is probably the reason why Rosalie is mad at you," I retaliated smugly, and Emmett just looked to the door going into the hotel.
I could only imagine what he was thinking to Edward, because I saw that famous smile of my husband's. However, I suddenly noticed that Emmett seemed to have came up with another retaliation to my snide comments.
"Bella, just remember the last time you said you had everything under control." My jaw clenched and I turned my face from my mini-audience, just as Carlisle seemed to be clearing his throat.
"Alright gentlemen, I said you could be out here and watch. Now stop distracting Bella, for she is going to need all her wits about her," Carlisle stated, looking towards me, but I could already tell that he was thinking very clear instructions to Edward.
"Jasper, refrain from doing your part in the calming her down process," I heard Edward whisper, just as Alice skipped out to stand beside Jasper.
Alice came out every now and then, mainly when she wanted to watch the newest step in my lessons. Steps she had already seen forming in Carlisle's decisions and never gave me a heads up. If the outcome was god-awful she would have Carlisle cancel it out. So now I was preparing myself for anything, and this included the fear of turning into Alice's doll since she wasn't allowed to take me shopping yet; one thing that being a new vampire had a perk of.
Carlisle pulled the blood out from behind his back and I fought the urge to go into a hunting crouch. However, something in Carlisle's eyes scared me, and then I heard Edward speak very low, too low for either I or Carlisle to hear, which bothered me even more now. I heard the wind shift in the evergreens that encircled the courtyard; I stiffened in my troubled state.
Carlisle glanced from my face towards Edward, I saw a small nod, and then watched the doctor's lightening fast hands. I jerked at the sound of the blood pack's tube top being ripped open. The next second my copper eyes lit up, and the salty, irony, and ever so incredible stomach lurching scent assaulted my nose.
Edward, obviously hearing the instantly concerned thoughts of Alice and Jasper, darted before me in my direct path of Carlisle and the fresh blood. However, a few feet from Edward, I found myself thrashing against a bear tight trap. My arms were pinned to my sides; the only thing I was able to move was my head and feet.
"LET ME GO!" I heard myself screeching, mad for that blood. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins and I found myself working on prying free with the last bit of new blood strength that I had. I might have been a near seven month old vampire, but I was told the strength stayed until all my human blood was flushed out.
When no one spoke back, that was when I, somehow, concurred that the only ones breathing were Carlisle and myself. Emmett was like a molded torture statue holding me with constricting anaconda-type arms. Only if I was sane and not demanding to be let go would I have also realized that Jasper wasn't working his calming presence just yet.
Edward appeared to take a struggled moment to pull himself together, and then he took his first breath in minutes. "Bella, look at me," he instructed.
I was too busy fighting against Emmett with everything I had to pay too close attention to Edward – sadly, I must confess that. The sound of a cautious second breath tapped somewhere into my mind, but I was kicking like a steroid pumped mule and now muttering incoherent profanities.
"Bella," Edward spoke over my voice, "Look at me; mind over matter!" he now growled at me.
Now that he was growling at me, I growled back, in my unmovable position, "Let me go! Get out of my WAY!" I was really getting thirsty. My dry throat was such a nuisance and was making me more stubborn than normal. All I wanted was the blood that wasn't any further then six yards from me.
Edward shook his head. I was a lost case on this day it looked like, and my thoughts were proven the moment that Jasper forced an overbearing, urgent sense of serenity into the courtyard. Right then I was glad to no longer be a human, this brutal wave of calm would have knocked out even an outraged elephant.
As my breathing seemed to slow, I felt Emmett release his grip and Edward snatch up my wrist. I scowled at the sudden movement, but then I looked up to see Carlisle move past us and into the hotel. The sound of Emmett walking back to the hotel told me that he had had enough wrestling for a little while, as well.
I looked at Edward and grimaced. He was just so…so good at everything. I leaned into his chest, and he pulled the rest of my frame towards his body. I was such a shame, months of good and honest hard work all wasted upon me. I knew this would happen. Well ok, I didn't know; Alice was supposed to know.
At that thought I looked towards Alice, who was frowning a bit, but as her and Jasper strolled over I knew something else was up. Pulling back, I looked up into Edward's face asking for some explanation with my eyes. What was going on?
Edward looked from my face towards Alice and Jasper, and then back again, "Alice wants to kidnap you for a hunt."
"Oh," I mouthed, and then looked towards her face to see a smile in the place of her frown. "Why were you frowning?" I had to ask.
"Observant, as always," she commented, "I was frowning because you're going to give me grief over leaving Edward for the first time since your turning." She said very nonchalantly.
I blinked. Was she for real? "Where are you leading me?"
"On a simple hunting trip with you, Rosalie, and myself; kinda like a girls' hunt," Alice explained and did her soft dancer like steps back towards the hotel, Jasper in tow. "Bella, be ready in ten minutes. No grief, Edward has already agreed."
"WHAT?" I turned to face Edward again, "Why?"
"It was this or an alternative; I personally think you would agree with this option a lot better.
"What was the alternative?"
"Oh, having you get mad at me somehow. Alice thinks she can get you …" he grimaced and then sighed, "I can't tell you."
Pulling back more, I looked at his face full on, "And why not tell me now?"
"You don't want to hear the thoughts she just threatened with."
"Oh, she is threatening with thoughts again. Really, truly, I wished that you didn't hear everyone's thoughts. No wonder you have so many CDs, trying to drown them all out," I rambled and saw Edward's chest move in a silent chuckle.
"I have all those CDs because I like music. You know that, Love. Besides, don't wish something that can't be. I've heard thoughts for a long time, something that is only second nature…"
"You still turn your head every time someone thinks the name Edward," I stated in a dead end argument.
"Love, what are you getting at with this?" curiosity shimmered in his bright orbs.
"I don't know. I guess I was trying to figure out if I even have a special gift. Maybe I'm just like Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle and Esme," I thought my concerns out loud for once.
"Oh, you have a special gift, Bella. Aro has high bets on that.…Alice is getting impatient, and if you try to rush into the hotel, I'm afraid you'll trip on something."
I rolled my eyes. "We go from the topic of my special gift to my ever cursed state of clumsiness. Maybe that is my specialty: tripping over air as a vampire," I dryly joked; Edward didn't laugh. Instead he frowned at me, and rolled his eyes. "Are you rolling your eyes at me or Alice?"
"Honestly? Both of you," he answered, giving a smug look towards me.
At this news, I rolled my eyes at him. "Some husband you are," I muttered, looking straight ahead and into the small sitting room of the hotel.
Spinning me around to face him, however, Edward couldn't help but trap me in his arms. "I'm the best husband you could ask for, considering you were hard set upon never marrying before meeting me anyways." He glorified himself and kissed my lips with some heated passion –even if we didn't have any body heat between the two of us, there was still electricity there.
I tangled my hands into his hair and a felt one of his hands rest on my cool cheek. For a moment, I almost felt like there should have been the presence of warm blood flushing into my cheeks, but nothing happened and I remembered why: no blushing for vampires, not ever. Then the worst thing happened; my hunger came back up into the itchy spot of my throat and I involuntarily groaned.
He pulled back his head and opened one eye at my sound, and then, as if struck by lightening, or another nagging Alice thought, a smirk came up to his face as his other eye opened. "You really should go get ready, before Alice decides to try and flail me," Edward kidded, and, using his hand to dislodging mine from his hair, he kissed my forehead.
"I wouldn't allow Alice to maul you," I proudly stated with an upward tilt of my chin. Placing his index and thumb against my chin he just continued to smirk, before turning around and snaking his arm around my waist.
"Of course you wouldn't," he finally stated in a proud voice, though his face transformed into its guarded form.
God, wouldn't everyone just leave Edward ALONE! I mean, I am a member of the family now, I could fight back. Why did Edward have to hear everyone's thoughts but mine? I fumed silently; Edward paused beside me and looked around, suddenly confused.
Raising a brow, the words came out of my mouth before I knew what I was going to say. "What's wrong?"
His brow furrowed together in concentration. "Mom... Esme?" he called out.
"What Edward?" Esme spoke back from her location somewhere in the hotel.
"Think about something."
"Edward, I'm reading a book," she said confusedly, walking into the lobby where we were standing on the stairs. "What's wrong, Edward?" Esme's face transformed into pure concern as her eyes became wide at his bewildered look.
Alice had appeared all gruff, but now suddenly she smiled. "Bella does have a special talent."
"Special talent?" I whispered hoping for an explanation. Looking between all the faces of the suddenly appearing family, it looked like even Rosalie was interested in this news.
"Well?" Rosalie pressed.
"It looks like Bella can block minds, like how hers is blocked from mental-effecting powers," Alice rambled.
Edward scowled. "Yes, nice, but I could've had some warning before being blindsided with silence besides my own thoughts."
"Awesome! That means Edward can't read our minds, right?" Emmett excitedly asked.
Looking around, I was still a bit lost. "Hold on, what is going on here?"
Edward gave me a sharp look. "Looks like Alice was constantly irritating me, and irritated you enough to wake your gift up."
"But…how?"
"You got mad at me for rushing you, so in turn you basically got upset at everyone and set a block in Edward's mind," Alice tried explaining again.
"Can Edward read my mind if I blocked someone else's mind?" I had to ask, just something didn't always need to be shared, even with the significant other, and right now that was my need to get something red to drink and soon.
"No, you're mind is still yours," Alice stated firmly.
"Can she unblock my mind?"
"Bella you have to try and see. I think so, but it is her power so I don't know."
"Ummm…I'll try," I tried to remember what I had been thinking before Edward stopped. Uh, something about wanting everyone to leave Edward alone…ah, this was difficult already.
I pushed a piece of hair back behind my ear and just let myself calm down from all the returning frustration. I was trying to coach myself through dropping whatever it was that seemed to be my so-called gift. With the thought of thirst encroaching again, I sighed and just dropped the thought of protecting Edward's mind. Running up the stairs to get dressed for the trip was suddenly my number one priority.
Even while running down the hall towards Edward's and my room, I heard a sound of a sigh of relief, and then a disgruntled sound.
"Oh…she dropped the block thingy, didn't she?" were the last words I heard come from Emmett before the sound of two sets of fast legs bolting from the hotel.
"Boys!" Esme could be heard yelling out the door.
A/N:
I have returned, sorry that it took so long to get this up. College drained the life out of my muses and so this kept getting pushed further and further back on my priority list. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, sorry if it is rusty too.
BW