Chapter 1: Light
I was pregnant.
That statement was still not something I was used to yet. Even as I felt the rock-hard bump between my hips as I leaned against the railing of the balcony. I folded my arms across myself loosely, leaning them onto the railing delicately. I wore nothing but a thin black silk spaghetti tank and matching boy shorts. I looked out onto the ocean, taking in the black water of the crescent bay, the bay in which I had grown up. I remember, as a baby, that I could not believe there was anything outside of those crescent curves, that the world ended there. The deep blue ocean made it seem that way, but Mother always assured me there was much more. She finally took me out there when I was about three; she was strong enough that she could hold me on her hip in one arm and tread water with the other. She had let me slip beneath the surface and, still gripping her firmly, I could see the ocean for the first time. The teaming score of life had been incredible; I had never seen so many different creatures at once. I could even see a glimpse of the ocean floor, nearly two miles down.
It was my first glimpse at how big the world really was.
I sighed, part of me wishing I had never learned how massive, and cruel, the world could be. My thoughts were distracted; I heard his approach before I felt it and I straightened my posture as his arms encircled me, his hands inadvertently going to my abdomen.
"Please stop," he murmured into my shoulder. I stretched, arching my back and pressing into him deeper.
"Stop what?" I inquired, though I knew.
"Stop doing this. Blaming yourself, hating yourself. I can't stand it," he pleaded, his amber eyes looking up from under his lashes. I sighed again.
"None of this is your fault," he said firmly. I didn't respond. He pulled me tighter to him.
"Come on, let's get you out of this heat," he insisted after a moment, pulling my hand to guide me inside. I let him, following him downstairs to where the rest of the family was. Emmett and Jasper sat on the couch with Eli, teaching him the finer points of their immensely complicated chess game. Esme was assisting my mother cook dinner for her and me, while Carlisle quizzed her on anything and everything. As we entered, he was insisting on her elaboration of the surgical tactics she had used back in Ancient Greece. Rosalie and Alice, on the other hand, were on the computer, ordering baby clothes. My mother had gotten rid of most of mine after I outgrew them, as they were markers of my existence that could not be left on the Island. The clothes would be delivered to one of the safe houses around the globe and then transferred by the Order, via Cylis, to the Island. Not that he knew what was in them. Nobody knew, outside of the family.
I approached the kitchen, absentmindedly helping myself to the beef and pasta that had been prepared and began eating. My mother joined me, her peripheral vision always on me while she answered Carlisle's string of questions. We ate without incident, but when we had placed our bowls in the sink, my mother turned to me, placing a hand on my cheek, a gesture she used to get me to look at her head on.
"How are you doing?" she asked and I could feel every pair of eyes in the room on me. All of them were on edge, all the time, because of me. As if I was a ticking bomb ready to explode. I half-sighed, mumbling an "I'm fine", my tone annoyed, my eyes flickering to the many witnesses. Her expression hardened slightly before she pulled me to another room. Edward and Carlisle followed. This room was one we use if there had ever been an attack on the Island; almost like a bomb shelter with 12 foot thick walls on all sides. Closing the sound proof door behind her, she turned to me again.
"I'm okay, really. Just…" I said. Her eyes softened.
"coping," she finished. I nodded, my body leaning into Edward subconsciously.
That was true. My pregnancy was not normal by any standards. I was progressing fast, much quicker than anyone expected. Though I was only four months along, I was already well into my third trimester of development. In addition, even though I was well past the stage where termination was likely to occur, I was still waiting for it. She sensed it.
"You're not going to miscarry, Ila, you're far enough along," she promised me.
"Even you don't know everything," I countered bitterly, then immediately regretted the decision.
"Sorry, Mom, there's just too many factors. The difference in the chromosome number should have never made this possible," I said.
"I know. But that's what makes this even more incredible. That the baby and you can cope with that."
"The baby could still be stillborn," I argued, "it would explain why he or she hasn't been moving." Which was true; I hadn't felt any movement from the baby at all throughout my pregnancy. She put her hand against my cheek again, but this time her expression was ambivalent.
"You sound just like I did," she mused, her half-smile amused. "But you barely moved either." That was new to me, and I felt slightly comforted. I leaned back into Edward as I felt his hands slide gently over my abdomen, his lips at my collarbone.
"You'll both be fine, love. I swear to you that," he vowed. I smiled meekly, touched by the words but knowing that he could never really guarantee that.
"Stop it," my mother said, her eyes narrowed at me fiercely.
"Sorry," I muttered. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. I sighed.
"Even you can't deny that everything has been coming at us from all sides," I insisted. Her expression hardened; she knew she couldn't deny that. A wave of fatigue overcame me and I reached for the chair to my right. Edward helped me sit carefully, kneeling besides me and wrapping his arms protectively around me, one hand at my belly while the other slung over my shoulder and I gripped tightly with my free hand while my other joined his on my abdomen.
"No, I can't deny that, but that doesn't mean we give up," she countered.
"I know, Mom, and I have no intention of giving up on this baby. But we all have to stay realistic; the probability of this baby surviving is very low, even if I can carry to full term and deliver before the Vercrian find us." I said. Edward squeezed me tightly in response to my words.
"If you want to stay realistic, then let's be realistic: no one has found out and no one will. We can last in hiding for a little while longer until you give birth. As far as the baby, I am going to do my damnedest to make sure he or she survives. Just as I did for you," my mother said, her eyes piercing sapphire in determination. She reached out and pressed her hand delicately to my belly, rubbing there. I couldn't help a small smile; she always knew what I needed, whether from blood to encouragement, which was why I had asked her, instead of Carlisle, to deliver the baby. Not that I didn't trust in him, but this was a time I needed her, in more ways than medically. We had decided there would be as few amount of people present as possible: only she, Edward, and Rose. The rest had to stay away, unless they were needed. It was a difficult decision; Emmett, Jasper, and Alice were not thrilled that they were being left behind. However, their disappointment was from the fact that they wouldn't get to watch the birth of their niece or nephew. It was odd, because maybe, in a different time or a different world, that would have been the most they would have been missing, and the only reason I would not have wanted them was because of embarrassment or the fear of yelling at them. It was comforting, to a degree, that they acted the same way as if the vampire world was resting on our shoulders, as if we weren't on the edge supernatural Armageddon.
Edward acted the same way, for the most part. He doted on me even more than before, if that was possible. Because now I could hurt both me and the baby, and natural pregnancy ailments affected me when normally my supernatural body would have shrugged them away, I appreciated his help, knowing it was from his love. He was ecstatic when I told him the news…
"Love, where are we going? Should we really be so far from the safe house?" he asked, worried for me, as always. We were on the north shore of the mansion, walking quietly over the sand dunes as the sun was just disappearing behind the horizon. I was nervous, afraid of his reaction to my life-changing news. He sensed that and stopped, pulling on my arm to get me to turn to look at him. I allowed him to, giving to his inferior strength. He put his hands on my shoulders, moving them upwards to my neck so I would meet his gaze. His own topaz eyes were smoldering with emotion, both physical—which I could not stop the slight smug feeling which caught me—and nonphysical. I swallowed nervously and shifted. I cupped his arms with my hands and nuzzled the inside of his forearm.
"I have something to tell you; but first: promise to love me, even if this isn't what you want," I mumbled into his skin. I looked back at him and his eyes were confused and alarmed. I remembered that the last time a conversation like this had occurred, I had threatened to wipe his memory.
"It's not anything like that," I answered his nonverbal panic, and he calmed slightly, "quite the opposite, actually." He was confused again. I took his hand and pressed it to my cheek, turning and kissing it lightly before moving down to press against my lower abdomen.
"Edward, I'm pregnant." No sooner than the words were out of my mouth then his lips were on mine, his other arm wrapping completely around me while the hand I held was pressed firmly to my stomach. He hugged me fiercely, lifting me up off the ground. I laughed breathlessly in relief as I saw his smile, knowing his eyes would be tearing if he could cry.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
I nodded, "I'm positive; I took two tests." He knelt down on his knees in the sand, pressing one hand to either side of my belly and touching his lips just above my navel delicately.
"Hi, baby," he murmured softly, drawing a line up from my navel with his nose before standing up and kissing me again.
"You're not mad? Scared?" I asked, confused. He crushed me to his chest.
"Of course not. Why would I be?" he countered.
"As amazing and wonderful as it is, this…this is logically the last thing we need. With everything else that is going on—" he stopped my words with another kiss.
"We will handle it," he promised, "this baby is a miracle, a blessing, and the light in all this darkness."
Hey everyone! Long time no see! My fault, of course!
This is the first chapter of "Amethyst," the sequel to "Neverland" that everyone has been waiting for!
I'm sorry for taking so long for posting this; I had actually started it a few weeks ago but I did not like the tone so I left it to give it some thought. Ila's pessimistic mindset was not what I really intended for the beginning of this story, but after I came back to it, I found that that was what I needed to start it. I promise she won't be like this the entire story.
Speaking of the story, this plot will go much deeper into the Sanralae and the ongoing mayhem (which I will explain in the next chapter or two) and how the Cullens and Ila deal with being so close to death and vampiric anarchy. Please stay to see Ila's story through to the end! :)
Also, thank you those of you who have come with me to Amethyst to finish the story :)
ONE LAST THING: Part of what has taken me so long to update because I have now finished reading Life and Death (I know it's way late but leave me alone) and I was toying around with the idea of posting a story with Edythe in the Twilight universe (only Edythe). I have an interesting idea for a backstory for her that integrates into Bella and Edward's story that I think would be cool. There aren't that many L&D stories published yet so tell me if that is something anyone would be interested! DM me or review to this chapter! :)
Love you guys! Please review if you want! I love your comments and I can't wait to hear from my favorite reviewers (down below)! :)
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~Melinda :)