The Window.

Edward, Bella

Rated M

Chapter One.

It was raining, again. Every night for the past week all I had heard was the soft drumming of the large drops hitting the trees, the earth, and my god damn window. Every night was the same as I awoke to the sound tapping against the cold, hard glass. I had started to notice it didn't seem to bother me too much anymore, other than the wakeful nights I was having, and I groaned realising my body was slowly becoming accustomed to the familiarity of it all.

Three weeks and two days I had been stuck in this hell hole. Pretending everything was ok and trying to convince my mother that this was what I wanted. I knew she wanted to travel, see the world before she became too "old and decrepit" as she had put it. I told her that was a long way off, but she just shook her head and I flinched at the sad look upon her face as she realised she wasn't getting any younger. Obviously while I was still in high school she couldn't swan off to Egypt or Peru with me in tow, so I offered to move in with Charlie, my dad, for a while...just till she got back.

So here I was. Stuck in Forks. The wettest, coldest, greyest place I had ever known. Here I was listening to the rain while snuggled up under the comfort of my huge purple duvet.

I tossed my head to the side and rubbed my eyes. Realising I was never going to get back to sleep, I stretched my body out across the bed and slowly sat up, tucking my knees under my chin and letting out a sigh. My bedside clock read 2.30am,

Jeez was I ever going to get any sleep while living here?

I threw back the bed covers and pulled at the band holding my hair back. I let my long chocolate brown waves fall down my back and shivered as they tickled the soft skin there.

I rose out of bed, taking care not to trip over the many books that lay scattered at my bedside, and made my way over to the window. Looking out, the world looked black. I could barely make out the tips of the trees against the midnight blue above. I put my hand to the glass, feeling the chill of the air from outside and glanced up trying to spot even the hint of a star between the thick rainclouds that gloomed over the sky. It was only a light drizzle tonight, which made a change from the usual heavy downpours we'd had the previous three nights.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flicker of white flash past the edge of our yard, just on the edge of the trees. I turned to look and saw it again, clearer this time. It appeared to stalk through the front line of the trees, hunched over in a sort of crouch, appearing and disappearing between each trunk. Suddenly, it stopped. It turned what looked like its head and looked directly at me. I gasped, it was a man.

I fell to the floor, hiding under the sill of my window. My breath hitched and I started to panic. Why would a man be stalking through the woods like this, at this hour? I waited for my heart rate to slow slightly and, holding my breath, I turned to face the wall and peeked up over the windowsill.

Nothing.

I glanced left and right and found no movement. I stood, pressing both hands to the glass and peering into the darkness trying to find some kind of proof that what I had seen was real.

Great, I'm going crazy now too.

Just as I was about to turn and head back into bed with one of my books I saw someone step from behind the largest tree at the edge of the wood. I stared, unable to move as the figure walked forward towards the house. I could hear the screaming in my head, telling me to go, hide, get Charlie. I felt all the muscles seize in my body as I watched the man stop in the very centre of the grass.

I had never seen anyone so beautiful in all my life. Even from this distance I could see his thick bronze hair styled into perfect disarray. I could make out his perfectly chiselled features, his jaw strong and sharp, and his nose in perfect symmetry down the centre of his glistening white face. He looked like an angel, fallen in the night and seeking refuge in my yard. As I followed the lines of his face, I marvelled how his hair flopped into his beautiful red eyes.

No, that can't be right. Must be the light reflecting from the lamp at the back door, that's all.

Still, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease as I found myself caught in his stare. I gathered the strength to close my eyes, just for a moment, trying to break the spell that seemed to be holding me, causing me to have no control over my body. I felt a rush of wind and my stomach flipped and when I opened my eyes only a second later I was stood, out in the middle of the yard....alone.

I looked around and could see no one. Realising I could move my limbs again, since I was no longer trapped in his gaze, I turned to make a run for the back door, all the while freaking out about how I got from the sanctuary of my bedroom to the harsh, wet weather outside.

As I turned I hit a cold, hard wall. I held my hands out to cushion the blow and as my fingers searched the source of my obstruction I heard a sharp intake of breath which did not come from my own lips. I dropped my arms to my side, eyes down, I saw two brown leather boots on the floor in front of me. I froze, realising now who those boots must belong to. As I studied the boots, too scared to even lift my head the slightest, I realised I had no shoes on, my toes brushing against the cold, wet grass beneath them. My eyes travelled up my own body as I instantly became aware I was still wearing the clothes I had slept in. My dark blue boy shorts and white vest....and that was it. I began to notice how the rest of my body was starting to glisten as the rain fell down my skin and began to soak through my clothes.

"Who...who are you?" I whispered not looking up from the boots in front of me.

"You...your scent...your mind..."

It came out so quickly I could hardly make out the words. The voice from the man in front of me was like velvet, so musical, I wanted to sink into those words and wrap myself around them.

I stole all the courage I could muster and slowly trained my eyes upwards. I noticed his dark grey pants moulded perfectly to his thighs and hips. He wore an ivory button down shirt with the sleeves un-cuffed and rolled halfway up his forearm. I saw the pale white skin pulled taught over his toned arm and longed to reach out and touch it. I could tell he was in good shape as the buttons on his shirt pulled ever so slightly from the hardened chest I could faintly make out underneath. As my eyes travelled past his neck and over his perfect lips I stopped in dead shock at the colour of the eyes that stared back at me.

RED.

His eyes were a deep, rich red holding me in a trance that made my stomach twist and my body shiver. I was everywhere and nowhere. I sensed nothing but him as I fell deeper into those eyes. My mind was spinning and my heart was racing. I couldn't tell if it was fear or want but something inside me burned as I heard him speak.

"I can't read you. Tell me what you are thinking?"

That voice, which sang right into my soul, pulled me from the depths and brought me back to the present. Edging ever so slightly closer to this angel before me, I breathed out the truth,

"I was wondering who...or what...you are?"

He looked at me with such concentration I thought his head might explode from the sheer force of it.

"Your name?" he sounded frustrated.

"Bella." I replied.

"Bella...." he repeated, softer now.

At that moment I knew I would give him whatever it was he came for. Hearing my name on his lips sent a fire burning through my body straight to my core. I almost lunged at him, this strange and amazing creature before me, right then and there. He must have sensed my feelings and he cocked his head to the side and gave me the sexiest grin I have ever seen. My knees weakened beneath me and, just as I sensed myself beginning to fall, I felt a very cold hand grab me forcefully buy the arm and swoop me up. He cradled me in his arms and suddenly I felt us flying through the air towards the trees. I looked down to see the grass blur beneath us and realised we weren't flying, he was running, he was so fast I couldnt make anything out around me. Everything merged into one, the ground into the bushes, the trees into the sky, me into him. It was terrifying yet exhilarating and I couldn't stop the giggle that escaped me as we came to a stop.

I reached out my arms to steady myself on the tree next to me unsure as to where I was or why he had brought me here. As I caught my breath I turned my face upwards and noticed there was no rain as we sheltered under the canopy of the trees. I shuddered from the cold and looked around.

"Where are you? Please?" I wasn't quite sure what I was begging for. I wanted him to appear, to move close to me, to hold me. I wanted to hear his voice and sink into him, though why was still baffling me.

Without warning I felt a cold breath on my neck and a blanket wrap around my shoulders. My body stiffened then relaxed as I leaned back into him. The rational side of my brain was still telling me to run. I knew I should get away, escape from this dark stranger who my head feared, but I couldn't. My heart, soul and body wanted me to stay and touch that cold white skin, to run my fingers up his torso and into his hair which looked as soft as silk.

"You are different, Bella." He whispered, so close to me his breath tickled my ear. "You should not be here. Were you the same as everyone else, I would have taken you before now."

As my brow creased in confusion, I turned my head up and to the side to look at him.

"What do you want from me?" I stuttered, fear creeping up into my throat and sticking there.

"You, Oh my dear Bella, I came for you, to...taste you...but now... how can I?"

I felt him run his index finger slowly over the pulse point in my neck as he took a deep breath in. I tilted my head to the side allowing him further access to me and heard him swallow heavily. The sound caused my heart to race at a speed I didn't even know was possible. I could feel the heat rising up my body and knew my face must have gone a deep shade of crimson.

"You are so quiet." He cooed into me. "I have never...tell me, what are you thinking...right now."

His tone, though forceful, had a hint of encouragement to it. I succumbed to my desires and turned to face him. Hugging the blanket into me I looked up at him through my lashes and took half a step forward. The rubies that were his eyes bore into mine and I almost lost my thoughts right there. Taking a deep breath I reached my hand out to feel his chest as I told him,

"I think you know what I want. I don't know why but I need to...feel you."

I closed my eyes as my hand landed on his shirt. I ran my fingers between the buttons and flipped one open exposing some of his chest. I placed my hand under his shirt and my eyes flew open. Not only was he as cold as ice, I could feel no heartbeat under the muscles beneath his shirt. My mind couldn't focus on what was in front of me. I shook my head as I tried to understand what that could mean.

No heartbeat? What is he...dead?

As our eyes met he tipped his head to the side and the grin that plastered his face was almost evil. He started moving, closing the space between us further causing me to step back. As he stalked forward, hunched slightly as if ready to pounce, I turned and started running. My body now catching up with what my instincts already knew. I was in trouble.

As I ran I felt the stones and branches beneath my feet scrape and cut into me. I hit my toe against a jagged rock and fell forward into the foot of a tree. Scrabbling up the coarse bark I turned just in time to see this fallen angel bound up into the air and land with a soft thud right in front of me, backing me into the tree. As my back scraped against the bark I realised I had lost the blanket during the chase. I closed my eyes and tried with all my might to fuse myself into the tree, merge and disappear into the rough flesh of the obstruction behind me.

"Hmmmm...I thought you wanted this, my Bella. I thought you wanted to feel me. Oh, you have no idea how I can make you feel. Don't you see? I owe you. You have given me the greatest gift. I could not lose you now. The silence...it's...you're...perfect."

The awe in his voice was oozing into me and I slowly opened my eyes to see him smiling, a warm, inviting smile that eased my tension a little. He raised his hand and traced his fingers over my forehead, looking into me with fascination and something else, I wasn't sure what, but it made me feel so...special.

"Maybe I should get back. My dad might notice I am gone." I pleaded, hoping he would turn us round and take me back.

"He is sleeping." He replied.

"How do you know?" I asked him, wondering how he could possibly know that, we must have been at least a couple of miles from the house.

"I can hear him breathing. He is deep in sleep Bella."

He gave me a smirk as though he had just told me something really clever and I scowled back.

"You can...hear him?"

Then it dawned on me, his speed, his cold skin, his eyes, his lack of a heartbeat. It all came crashing down around me. The trees started to swirl around me and the earth beneath my feet suddenly felt spongy and uneven. I couldn't see clearly, everything looked fuzzy as I felt myself begin to fall, letting the darkness envelope me.

xxxxxx