Red Eyed Edward Contest
Title: The Twisted Games Children Play
Penname: Entry #1
Word Count: 7,453
Rating: M
Summary: Beware of the games that vampires play, but humans can play games too.
Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.
She dug her toes deep into the hot sand. She discovered years ago when her mother took her to Florida to visit her ailing grandmother that this is where you found the relief from the heat scorching your feet. Young Bella wasn't much of a fan of making sandcastles and collecting shells. It was only used as an escape from the constant noise of her grandmother's disapproving whining at her mother.
Life was strange the way things work out, she now realized. The seashore was now a place of solace. The sun was her savior.
"Girl, you need to come and join us over at Jamie's," Alec told her as he leaned back next to her. His blistered feet were propped up on his surfboard. The boy's dark hair was twisted in little dreadlocks all over his scalp. "My man got some good shit from his buddy on the mainland. You need a break."
"Tempting," she sang. It was her job to appear chill. They would never believe her anyway. "I have to work tonight."
A light breeze came from over the pristine waters. Her whole body shivered. Everything was not all right in this little piece of paradise.
Paradise? She was kidding herself. Hopping from beach resorts to tropical islands to stay one step ahead. Bella could only breathe easy as the rays of the sun hit her face. Sleep came from napping on her towel during the heat of the day. When the moon came up and dark filled the sky, only broken up by little pinpoints of suns in faraway galaxies, the young woman sat with worry. Her father's service revolver clutched in shaking hands.
For years, her life had become a mutated version of hide and seek or chase where the loser gets tortured and mutilated. Who would ever think that hiding in the hot sun was the best option? She certainly didn't until the idea occurred to her as she took a Greyhound bus to California.
Riley sat at her side. His fingers twisted into one of her bleached locks. "This one time Alec has a good idea, sunshine. Call in sick."
She hated when he called her that even though she knew he meant well.
It would be so easy to let herself fall for him. His blue eyes reminded her of clear skies. Riley's hair fell to his shoulders. He reminded her of a picture of Jesus that she saw in a Sunday School room the one time her father let her mother talk him into letting her take Bella to church. How she wished he could be her savior.
It was a wish made from Bermuda to Hawaii. So many boys and potential friendships that she dreamed she could allow herself to have. A chance to have something meaningful again. It would never work.
"Gotta pay rent." She flipped the pages of her paperback. The cover was ripped, and it smelled like mildew. Occasionally, Bella was tempted to get a library card. A chance to read the classics surrounded by rows and rows of more literature. Get lost in the poetry of Plath or the stories of Steinbeck. She would never take that chance. She worried he could find her if she was in a system. Libraries were filled with shadows where he could hide. She wondered if she was being too cautious or not cautious enough.
Instead, she would buy big bags of Harlequins for a couple of bucks and use them to escape for hours at a time. They might not have been her preferred reading choice but she could pretend to be someone else.
"Maybe I'll just come visit you then. Grab a beer." Riley grabbed the book out of her hand, trying to look nonchalant. "A mysterious stranger came knocking on the maiden's door in a rainstorm? I'm going to let you borrow some Kerouac."
She grabbed the book and threw it behind her. The romance hit too close to the horror of her real life. "It's going to be boring tonight. All the gang is going to be at Jamie's anyway. Have fun for me."
His face grew grim, and he placed a finger on her temple. "You have so much locked up in there, little girl. I wish you would let me in."
Mike would have knocked on her skull. He did that the last time she saw him.
"Knock, knock, Bella Swan." His fist gently tapped the top of her head. "You know you can talk to me."
"Mike, just go home." She looked down at her black dress. Her eyes hurt from the tears she shed at the funeral. "I'm heading to my aunt's tomorrow. I need to pack. Mr. Black is going to pick me up in a few hours to stay the night."
Bella didn't know her father's childhood friend very well. She remembered being annoyed by his son when she was in middle school. The boy following her around trying to pull her ponytail. That was long ago, and so many things had changed. Mr. Black knew what was happening. He promised to protect her on the reservation. He just needed to get permission from the tribal council.
She was pulled into his embrace. His lips pressed gently on her head for what felt like an eternity. When he spoke, it was soft and gentle, "You didn't do this. You know that, right? The police are going to get that psycho. Just stay with my family tonight, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. Those guys on the reservation are weird."
"You're being a bigot," she replied. They were going to show her how to fight.
Mike shook his head forcibly. He clutched her arms tightly. "I'm just worried for you! You know how I feel. I love—"
"Mike, stop." Bella pulled away angrily.
Love. She was too young for love. Once, she imagined she felt something that might be close. It was as if her heart was going to burst out of her chest when she saw the redheaded boy. That was a lie her body was telling her. He only brought destruction.
She didn't love Mike. She never would. Real love was what her parents had and what they felt for her. What did it get them? Her father's head placed on a platter in the middle of the kitchen table and her mother's limbs simmering in stew pots.
There was a rapping at the door.
Mike sighed and stood up. "I'll get it. He's early."
Every part of Bella's body tingled; she knew it wasn't Mr. Black at her door. "Mike, don't open the door."
It was too late.
The door was opened and Mike was grabbed by the neck. His eyes bulged out of the sockets. The boy strangling Mike gave her a bright smile. His ruby eyes dancing. "Why, Isabella, you do looking fetching in black."
"Edward, let him go." Bella stood and tried to appear strong.
"Oh, Sunshine, that isn't a fun game." He shook Mike like a rag doll. The boy let out a gurgling noise. "You or this idiot? Whom shall I kill? I heard you telling him to stop. I think you would like him to die."
"Mr. Black is coming! He knows about you!" she warned.
Edward let out a chuckle. Mike started swinging again. "You silly child. The wolves are going to sacrifice you. Stop the big bad vampire with your sweet blood. It will be slow and painful. I like you. You've made my existence so much more interesting. When I kill you, it will be quick."
Bella felt her stomach drop. She wanted to throw up. "Kill me. I just want this over."
"Wrong answer. I don't think so. I'm not ready to be bored again." Edward gave her a wink before sinking his teeth into Mike's neck. His screams filled the room as the vampire unlatched and sneered, "Oh, you need to be quiet, boy."
With a quick tug, Edward ripped Mike's tongue out of his mouth and started sucking on it. Blood dripped down his face. "Time to run, Sunshine. I love hide and seek. I have so many plans for when I catch you."
Bella shook her head to clear away the memory. "Ri—"
Alec stood up and pointed to a seagull ripping apart a fish. The flesh hung of the bird's beak as it swallowed it down. "That dude is going to town."
She had to look away. "It's not cool, Alec."
"You vegetarians are all the same." Alec chuckled. He grabbed his board. "You coming, kids? There's some killer waves."
Riley squeezed her hand. "You in?"
"I'm just going to read a little more," she told him quietly, picking up her book. "Have fun."
From the corner of her eye, Bella saw something glistening in the distance. It wasn't the light hitting the increasing waves. She twisted her head and saw Edward's glittering skin. The white button-down he wore was unbuttoned, and it blew in the breeze. The man sparkled.
Edward was the most dangerous type of beautiful. Bella felt lightheaded.
He blew her a kiss and stepped back into the shadows.
Bella knew, at that moment, tonight was the night she was going to die.
XXXXXX
It wasn't her pick for a dead-end job. Bella had plenty of them to be able to judge. A shopping mall with really bright lighting were preferable. Kiosks where she could pierce the ears of small children or sell bracelets were always the safest places in her opinion. There were always lots of people loitering about. So many witnesses who could stop a massacre.
A dark and dingy bar near the beach wasn't ideal, but beggars couldn't be choosers. She didn't even have a high school degree. Bella would have done anything to get her GED, but it was too late for dreams like that.
She wiped the bar clean for the millionth time. The only patron was Jim, an old surfer who had a love for screwdrivers, heavy on the vodka, and slipping his pretty bartender joints as payment for his drinks.
"Alice, I've got something for you." Joe waved a joint in the air with a smile.
She never went by the same name twice when she moved to a new place. Bella wasn't sure what made her brave enough to be called that name. Alice was the girl hanging around Edward when she first met him. A petite, dark-haired girl who licked her lips nonstop when staring at Jessica. The girl who killed her friend.
Bella grabbed it out of his hands. "Someday, a cop is going to be in here, and you're going to get in a lot of trouble."
He smiled his almost toothless grin. It reminded her of a jack-o'-lantern. "Worth it to flirt with a pretty girl like you."
"Sweet talker." She twirled the joint between her fingers. A little something to take the edge off. "You think it would be okay if I take a little break."
Joe's answer was a thumbs up.
Her escape was to the backroom. All the lights were turned up high. God, how she hated shadows. They hid in them.
She plopped on a tattered stool. Its fake leather was peeling away to reveal dirty filling. She lit the joint and took a deep drag.
It was a bar where this Hell began. It was fitting that a bar would be where it ended.
"Stop freaking out, you guys!" Jessica Stanley told them as they stood at the bar. Her auburn curls bounced as she admonished them. She always dragged them kicking and screaming into these adventures, and they always were happy she did afterward.
Angela Weber looked around at the dim bar that was mostly illuminated by the florescent, glowing beer signs. College students were playing pool as nineties grunge blasted from speakers on the walls. There were people making out in booths. At least, she hoped they were only making out.
The girl pushed her glasses up her nose. "This isn't sneaking out so we can go to the movies, Jess. We can get in serious trouble! Dad is going to ground me forever!"
Jessica rolled her eyes and addressed a scruffy bartender behind the bar. His arms were covered in a dizzying amount of tattoos. Bella found them beautiful. "Three beers, please. I guess . . . Umm . . . Budweiser?"
"I need to see IDs, ladies." He barely glanced at them after the girls passed them over. The man sighed. "Coming right up."
Bella took hers back and frowned as she looked at it. "Mine says I'm fifty. My father is going to shut this place down and throw us in jail."
"Stop being such a goody two-shoes, Swan," Jess hissed. Her face brightened as she noticed two guys around their age leaning against one of the tables. "My God, college boys are the best."
Angela blushed and looked at her feet. "The one in the cowboy boots looks like an angel."
Bella glanced over to see the one in the cowboy boots with a mess of blond curls on his head that rivaled Jessica's. She could understand how Angela was immediately smitten. He was angelic, like one of the pictures of Gabriel in the bible that Angela's father preaches out of every Friday night and Sunday morning. He was the kind of carnal religion that the preacher's daughter had been dreaming about.
The other boy looked like he stepped out of a catalog ad. His red hair was a tousled mess, his button-down had the sleeves rolled up, and he wore the cocky grin of the type of guy who summered in the Hamptons or the Vineyard. It wasn't the type of guy Bella would normally be into. She would normally be staring at the tattooed bartender and imagining him serenading her with a guitar. Yet, there was something that made her heart beat faster for this beautiful boy with the smirk. Bella was equally drawn to him in lust and wanting to flee in terror.
"He's mine, Bella," Jessica said loudly into her ear.
"Whatever." Bella turned back to the bar. The bartender handed her a beer. "Here you go, pretty girl. It's on the hou—"
"I've got this." The redheaded boy dropped a wad of bills onto the bar. His arms surrounded her on either side. Bella turned and found her face pressed against his chest. She looked up into his face and saw the look that he was giving the bartender. It was terrifying. "Keep the change."
"Umm . . . thanks." Bella ducked under his arms and almost lost her balance.
The boy grabbed her arm. It was painfully tight. "A little clumsy?"
"Not usually." Bella eyes narrowed. "It's hot in here."
Bella wanted to kiss him and punch him. Not necessarily in that order. He made her feel in extremes.
"Aren't you a little wildcat?" He grabbed a piece of her hair. "What's your name, Sunshine?"
"Bella. You?"
"Edward." He sniffed her hair. "I like the name Isabella. I knew a girl in Italy once. She wafted honeysuckle. You are more like a relaxing freesia. I could inhale you all day."
Every nerve ending on Bella's skin stood at attention. Something was not right here. "I need to find my friends."
"The one in the glasses is dancing with Jasper," he informed her. Bella turned to see Angela being mauled by the blond cowboy on the dance floor. "He does have a thing for the smart ones. The other girl is with Alice."
Jessica was staring in a daze at a tiny girl with hair as black at night. The girl was running her nose up and down Jessica's neck. "We're going outside, Edward. You want to join?"
Edward took Bella's hand and linked their fingers. "Look how we fit. Let's get some air."
She tried to pull out of his death grip. "I need to get home. We all do."
"It will only be for a few minutes. You can spare a couple for me." He basically dragged her out the backdoor and into the alleyway.
Alice had Jessica pressed up against the brick wall. She looked like she was kissing her neck and holding her in an intimate embrace. Jessica looked like she was falling asleep. A weak moan escaped her lips.
"You want to kiss me, don't you?" Edward placed his hands on her hips. He rubbed his nose against her. "You want me to consume your lips?"
"I don't think that's a good idea." Bella kept an eye on Jessica. She seemed like she was now being held up by the petite girl. "Listen—"
"Just a tiny peck." Edward pressed his lips against her. Bella felt like she was on fire. There was a need for him that she couldn't comprehend. Her brain was flip-flopping between wanting more and complete fear at being near him.
Edward pulled away, looking panicked. He fought to regain his composure, and his face turned into stone.
"I want to keep her. Why can't it be my turn?" Bella saw Alice holding Jessica tightly against her chest. Her face was covered in blood while Jessica's throat looked like it was ripped open by a jagged knife. "She's so lovely. I want to play with her curls."
"You should just scalp her if you like the hair. She's dead, Alice," he sneered as Bella stumbled backward. "You can never hold back long enough. Jasper had his eye on the holy roller's daughter for weeks. Why would you deny him the enjoyment of watching her rip her family apart? Your problem is that you're selfish. You always want to control the game."
Bella kept moving away from them. They were monsters.
Finally, Edward regarded Bella again. He seemed to make decision. "Run, Sunshine. I'll see you soon."
That night, Bella hid under her blankets and prayed it was only a dream.
The next day, Angela and Jessica were declared missing
The next week, Jessica's corpse was found in a dumpster.
Three weeks later, Bella was in a therapist's office. Her delusions about vampires were thought to be a result of grief.
Two months had gone past when the Weber family was discovered slain in their beds.
Bella rubbed her eyes. Memories. Couldn't she just go to her death with thoughts of pleasant things like wildflower meadows or the sun rising over the ocean.
She stomped out her joint on the concrete floor. The buds must have been poor quality. Bella was more agitated then before.
When she reentered the bar, Bella found Riley sitting next to Joe where they chatted about the tides. There was a stranger sitting near them. His dark skin made his white teeth glisten as he smiled at her. They reminded her of a shark ready to bite.
"Hey. What can I get you?" she inquired after giving Riley a wave. He returned her wave with a wink.
The man ran a hand through his cropped black hair. He almost looked boyish with the Simpsons tee shirt he wore and jeans ripped at the knees. Bart Simpson was giving her thumbs up on a skateboard from the white cotton. Bella was tempted to card him.
"I've been looking for you forever, Bella Swan," the man told her. That unnerving smile still plastered on his face.
"You've got the wrong girl." Bella saw Riley and Joe glance at them. She gave him a tight smile and pointed to the stupid nametag hooked to the strap on her bikini top. "Alice."
His grin got even bigger, if that was possible. "My dad must've got it wrong. You seem awfully familiar. I used to play with a girl when I was a kid who looked a lot like you."
"Sorry to disappoint you, mister. You want a beer or what?"
"Jacob. It's Jacob Black."
He was here to collect the sacrifice. Bella stiffened. "Oh."
"I'm a tequila kind of man. Bring the bottle. Bel . . . Alice."
The tequila was on a high shelf, and Bella happened to glance at her reflection. Her eyes had lost their light, and frankly, she looked like someone who was beaten up to the point of defeat. She didn't want to lose the fight that used to burn inside her. She fought to survive this long, and if she was going to die, it was going to be on her terms.
Bella dropped the bottle on the bar and filled two shot glasses. She held hers up in the air. "Cheers to surprises."
Jacob clinked her glass. "I'll drink to that."
They didn't take their eyes off each other as they poured the liquid down their throats.
"Alice, how about you close up early tonight?" Riley suggested. He looked nervously at Jacob, who continued to stare at Bella. "It's dead in here tonight."
At Riley's words, Jacob's nostrils flared. His oak-colored eyes darkened to black.
The door opened and Edward strolled in. He smirked and announced, "Dead in here is going to be completely accurate."
Taking a deep breath, Bella walked over to Riley and Joe. "Why don't you take Joe home, and I'll meet you at Jamie's? I'll close up early. I promise."
"Ali—" Riley took her hand.
She kissed his cheek. "I'll see you soon. Grab Joe's coat on the rack for me."
Bella next went to Joe and gave him a peck in the cheek as well. "Make Riley stay with you as long as possible, okay? Get him so high that he can't feel his legs."
"Honey, you going to be okay?" The old man squeezed her shoulder.
"Sure," she lied. "Aloha, dear man."
Ever since she came to this island, this older man had taken her under his wing like a father figure. It made her miss her father, Charlie, so much more. Perhaps in death, she would see her father and mother again.
"Why does this sound like goodbye forever?" His wrinkled face was melancholy.
"Let's think of it like the mysteries of the world might bring us all together again." She moved around the bar and helped the older man up. Bella whispered in his ear. "Keep him safe for me at your place. This is my journey. I'm riding those waves that the world is challenging me with."
Joe understood. Two surfers talking of challenges in terms of the ocean. He knew she could handle this.
"Anything for you, sweetheart."
They slowly moved to Riley, and she put Joe's arm on his. "See you boys soon."
Riley looked at the two men watching them. He felt the icy fear course through his veins. He pulled her in for a kiss. Bella wanted to cry. That was what a real relationship would feel like without the monsters in the world. It was the opposite of the twisted mess that was between her and that demon Edward.
Bella pulled away and patted his arm. She had to act as if Riley meant nothing to her. "It's all good, dude."
She looked at the furious Edward and pushed the men out the door. Riley tried one more time. "I'm not leaving you with them."
"I'm not scared, and if necessary, I have an amazing aim with a gun." She looked at them both and felt so very sad. Her heart was breaking that these friendships would never be able to flourish. "I'll see you both soon. Riley, we'll talk at Jamie's, but I need you to get Joe safely home."
She closed the door in their faces and watched as Joe led the reluctant Riley down the dark streets. Slowly, she turned the lock and switched the sign to announce that she was closed for the night.
"Let's try to keep the bloodshed down, gentlemen. It's bad for business." She was going to be strong.
"A boyfriend, Bella? You know I'd like to kill them." Edward shook a finger at her. "Have you been a naughty girl? You look like a whore."
"You look like an annoying prick, psycho," she replied.
Jacob laughed. "Girl, you are a spitfire! I'll get rid of the asshole here, and we can grab the next plane to Forks."
"He's a vampire. I tried to stake him. It doesn't work." She admitted her failure.
Edward sat on her bed every night to tell her bedtime stories about the people he was killing around town. Some were strangers, while others were neighbors she knew from the time she was born.
"He shouldn't have asked you to prom," Edward's muffled voice explained. Bella's head remained buried under her covers. It was bad enough hearing his words. She refused to look at his face. "I practiced my knot tying with his intestines. I would have been an excellent Boy Scout."
Poor Tyler.
She felt Edward lie down beside her. He continued chatting, "They are calling me The Splatter in the papers. It's ridiculous. I know I can be a messy eater, but that's just stupid. The creative people have all died and have been replaced by reality TV-watching morons. The world is going to hell."
Chatty vampires were the worst.
"I'm going to savor you though. I'm going to lick up every last drop. You're going to flow through me, Sunshine. I can't wait to feel your heat in me."
Bella had enough. Every morning, she had been trying to use a sharp knife to make a point on a piece of wood she found in the woods. The garlic she had hidden all over her room hadn't worked against this living myth, maybe piercing him in the heart would.
She sat up, bathed in the moonlight, and plunged the wood into his chest. It barely made a dent. He grinned and threw his body on hers. Her beating heart was next to his dead one. It made her sick that he could feel it through his cool skin.
"You are such a brave kitten, Sunshine. I should suck you dry for being naughty, but I would miss your light in my dreary existence. Playing with you has been a joy." He placed a finger on her lip. "You were bad, however, and must be punished. I forget if you like or hate biology. That will determine Mr. Molina's fate."
"Please, no."
For a moment, there was a flicker of sympathy in his red eyes, but it was fleeting. "That is who we are, Isabella. I'm the predator and you're the prey."
"Our Isabella here doesn't know you are a werewolf. They have inflated senses of self and no control when they get furry." Edward had boredom etched all over his face.
Bella felt hopeful that she was finally getting a break. "He's here to save me?"
"He's here to take you home to get your throat cut so they can drink your blood and hopefully stop changing into rabid dogs. These savages understand nothing. Those stories were told long ago, and those cures are wishful thinking. It's not about the girl. It's about the proximity to my kind, you hairy child."
Jacob began trembling. "The stories are true, bloodsucker. She is our salvation."
"She is mine to do with what I please," Edward spat.
As the monsters bickered, Bella's mind started formulating a plan. Jacob kills Edward, and she kills Jacob. Slowly, she moved behind the bar where Big Ted, her boss, kept the rifle.
"Have you imprinted on a baby yet?" Edward asked. He chuckled meanly. "You know that's illegal, right?"
To Bella's horror, Jacob was sprouting fur and big fangs grew. Spittle flew out of his mouth as he growled, "You know nothing, bigot."
Jacob's whole body was changing. His skin was bubbling up into hideous boils that sprouted fur. His howls of pain echoed through the room. Bella watched as his bones cracked and grew into something new. His body was growing so massive that the clothing on his body was ripping apart. This was man becoming beast.
During this whole metamorphosis, Edward watched gleefully. He motioned to Jake with his head. "It's just like a science experiment."
She didn't bother answering. Instead, she tried to blindly grasp the rifle on the floor and fade into the background.
"Can you imagine how much energy it takes for a body to mutate like that?" Edward turned his back to the werewolf, who was shaking on the floor. He was not concerned by the potential threat of Jacob.
It was Edward's overinflated sense of superiority that gave Jacob the opportunity to pounce. The wolf threw his massive girth onto the vampire. The horrible noises that came out of both of them made Bella cringe. Jacob was trying to chop at Edward's head. Long strings of foamy drool dripped from his fangs. The werewolf was rabid as he tried to rip Edward to sheds. His claws dug into Edward's shirt and, to Bella's surprise, made marks in the vampire's skin as well.
Edward wasn't giving up without a fight. He had both hands around Jacob's neck and looked like he was attempting to rip his head off. They rolled around the dirty wood floor. Pieces of crunched up peanut shells flew into the air as they tussled.
Bella took the opportunity to grab the rifle. She prayed it was loaded as she lifted it up. It appeared that Jacob was getting the better of Edward. She would blow a hole in him as soon as he finished Edward off.
The noise of her actions made the wolf look at her. There was no humanity left in his eyes. Jacob leapt off Edward and rushed toward her. He was snarling and gnashing his sharp teeth at her. Bella shot. The bullet ripped through his chest, and Jacob crumpled to the floor. The fur fell away and his body returned to normal. Bella felt a teardrop roll down her cheek. He looked like a young boy who was sleeping and not the corpse of a monster who just tried to murder her. Once upon a time, he was innocent like she was, and this twisted world they found themselves thrust into had destroyed them both.
"You saved me," Edward announced in wonder. He stared at her as if he saw someone he had just met.
"I saved myself." She lifted the rifle and fired off another round into Edward's heart where his shirt was ripped. It bounced off and fell to the floor.
Edward gave her a dirty look. "What did you do that for?"
"Stress release," she told him as she sat on one of the bar stools. "Can I ask you why?"
"Why what?" Edward leaned against the old pool table across the room. The green fabric was ripped on the top and several of the balls were missing.
Bella looked around the worn surroundings and sighed. The perfect place to die. Death wasn't beautiful; Jacob's body on the floor was a perfect example. All that was left was a crumpled, empty shell. It was just sad, and she was a murderer.
"Why didn't you just kill me? I'm sure that terrorizing a person is loads of fun and all that, but I did my time. I'm sure there's another poor girl you can drive insane." Bella picked off a piece of peeling nail polish.
He tapped his chest and pointed to her chest. "You feel the connection between us. I know you do. It's like a string of satin that connects us."
"More like a putrid, rotting intestine that has us tethered," Bella countered.
He chuckled. "That mind of yours works in odd ways, Isabella. That mind is one reason I have kept up this chase. I can't hear your thoughts. Everyone else's I can, to varying degrees, but not yours. I hate not knowing."
"You're punishing me?"
"I suppose so, to a degree," he admitted. "I have tried to kill you. Really wanted to, but something holds me back. It makes me feel better to make you cry. I hate feeling out of control. That time I kissed you—"
Bella cocked her head to the side. Her eyes narrowed. "You liked it."
He sneered, "I could see a future in a lowly human. It was disgusting. Jasper just left me in the dust when he ran off with the preacher's daughter. Left me with stupid Alice."
Things were becoming clearer to Bella. "Your boyfriend left you for Angela, and you decided to use me as a punching bag for your grief?"
"It isn't like that. Not completely. Jasper, Alice, and I were a family. We were friends, lovers . . ." He rubbed his temple. "Then he just disappeared with the girl. I couldn't understand the pull he had toward her. Jasper was obsessed with her. His attraction wasn't apparent at first. I thought it was just some twisted game to mess with her father. Jasper always had issues with organized religion. I thought he was just going to kill her eventually."
"Where is Angie?"
"Who knows? Somewhere with Jasper ripping apart revival meetings and congregations, I imagine." Edward shrugged and continued, "It was awful being left with Alice. She could see I was becoming like Jasper when it came to you. She thought she saw power in your blood. I couldn't let her have you, so—"
"You killed her." Bella moved toward him.
"It was fun." He smiled. "You're mine, and she was annoying."
Bella put both hands on his chest. She was going to end this tonight. "What was that future you saw?"
"Your mouth filled me with sunshine." He smiled slightly. She pushed him down onto the pool table and climbed onto him. She was surprised he let her. "I thought you were pretty. I hadn't been attracted to a girl in decades."
"You filled me with darkness," Bella told him. "I would dream that you were bathed in the moonlight and sucking me in."
He ran a nose up her neck and squeezed her hips. She could feel bruises forming on her skin. "Sucking is an appropriate word."
It occurred to her then that there was a possibility she would end up like Angela. A bloodthirsty monster destroying innocent people just trying to live their lives. It made her feel disgusted.
"You want me to be like you."
"No. I don't think so. I might have considered it once or twice, but your appetizing smell would be gone. Not to mention, I'm terrible at commitment." He nipped her top lip. She could taste a tart liquid pooling in his mouth. "I'll keep you as a pretty pet until your hair goes silver and your skin gets marred with wrinkles. I'll have no choice then but to feast upon you. They say wine gets better with age, and I think blood does the same."
Bella narrowed her eyes. "You sure have a way with the ladies."
"I have a way with you." He kissed her, and she let him.
The idea of a thin line between love and hate was one Bella could see being accurate in this situation. However, her hatred for him was so strong it was more powerful than some supernatural tie she had to him. In her mind, she saw her father's loving smile and felt her mother's comforting embrace. Edward had taken them away to make her feel the worst pain imaginable. She had only limited available means for revenge, and if he wanted to have all the control, Bella wouldn't let him have it.
That's why when their mouths mashed together, she moved her body slowly over his. Her fingers danced over his cold, hard muscles. When he stroked her body with rough touches, Bella bit his ear and rubbed her hand over his ass. She needed him to come completely undone.
"More," he moaned. Edward's tongue traced her collarbone.
She squeezed the front of his jeans, and he bucked into her hand.
"More, Isabella." He tried to untie the strings of her bikini. She sat up and looked down on him coldly.
"No. Kill me," was her answer.
"What?" He stopped and looked up at her in surprise. "What did you say?"
"Kill me," she repeated. "I don't want this."
"But—"
"I hate you. I don't want your moon-filled future. I want my sun back, and you took away all my joy. You killed everything I loved. Kill me." Her voice was filled with ice.
He flipped her over, and her back hit the pool table top hard. "I don't want to be alone. You don't get to decide what to do."
"I hope you have nothing but yourself for an eternity, you psycho," she said with a smile. "I'd rather be dead than spend another minute being with you!"
"This isn't a game!"
Bella reached for a piece of a broken beer bottle that was lying on the side of the table. "You made it into a fucking game! You lose!"
She jabbed the glass into her neck. The blood flowed out of her skin. Tears pooled in her eyes from the pain and fear of the unknown. Edward kissed the wound, and his face was covered in crimson. He slowly licked it away. Bella realized Edward's demeanor was way too calm.
"You want to die?" he asked with a smirk. "As you wish!"
His teeth ripped into her neck and the light faded from everything.
XXXXXX
Three days of an angry fire filled her veins. She never knew death was so painful. There was no light in this cave located in Hell. Bella was certain she was being punished for not being able to protect all the people Edward killed since he met her. Why wouldn't God forgive her? Her weak voice cried out for her mother and father to save her.
"Mommy," she whimpered as her eyes slowly adjusted to light coming in a window. She was lying on a small bed in a barren room. The only decoration in the room was a cross hanging on the wall.
The sunlight that hit her arm made her look like she was covered in diamonds. Bella knew this meant something, but her mind was having a hard time making sense. Everything she saw was in sharper focus—if she looked hard enough she could the molecules that made up every object. She could hear the footsteps of a tiny ant marching across the floor. She could smell the most delicious aroma. It reminded her of freshly baked cookies.
There was a burning in her throat. She needed something smooth to temper it.
"Rise and shine, Sunshine," Edward joyfully announced. "You've been calling for you mother for hours. Did you forget that I chopped her into pieces?"
"What?" Bella's brain was racing to catch up to all the new stimuli. "I'm not dead? This isn't Hell?"
"Yes, you are dead. Undead to be accurate. In Hell? That's completely up to you, Isabella." He walked over slowly and moved her hair out of her eyes. "Do you remember who you are? Sometimes, when you wake up things are forgotten. Do remember me? I wonder if it will be more fun if I have a blank slate to work with?"
It might have been the dismissive way he spoke to her that made her temper flared, and she remembered everything he did to her.
Bella shook her head angrily. "You were supposed to kill me!"
He laughed at her. "And let you win? You've always been a little crazy, but . . . That was mostly my fault. So much death shakes up the brain matter, I suppose."
She launched herself at him from the bed, but her new speed was a surprise. She stumbled like a newborn foal learning how to walk. Edward easily caught her.
"Easy there, clumsy. You need to get used to your new attributes." He pulled her into his side. "I promise, I was planning on killing you, but you just had to challenge me again. There was no way I was going to let you make me feel out of control. I'd rather have you stuck with me forever than to know you died happily. That's why they call marriage the old ball and chain. We will learn to deal with each other. Until I get bored and go find Jasper. I'll kill him just like I did Alice. Divorce vampire-style. Don't let me get bored."
Intense rage filled Bella, and she grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. There was a cracking noise from his bones. Her eyes widened in surprise, and as she was distracted, Edward threw her against a wall.
"I like it rough, Sunshine, but you're a little too strong for me right now. I need to get you trained first." He seemed to enjoy the snarl that erupted out of her. "My little tiger. I should get you a collar."
Bella just sat in a corner and fumed. She wanted to destroy everything in the room. Rip down the walls and chop Edward into little pieces.
The pull to him? It was more intense, but she hated him too much to let it affect her.
"Don't be sad, Isabella. I brought you a wedding present." He went to the closet and pulled out a passed out Riley. The man was covered in bruises and tied up with rope. "Dinner is served. A feast for my beloved."
"No," she whimpered. He smelled delicious. "Joe—"
"Tasted like old weed." Edward shook his head at the memory. "I think I got high on that one."
Bella felt as if she wanted to cry, but no tears rose to the surface. The smell of Riley distracted her from her sadness. She wanted his sweet blood to fill her mouth.
Edward dropped the body in front of her. "Don't worry, sweetheart. He's still alive for you. Fresh blood is the only way to go. Eat your boyfriend so we can get a start fresh."
Riley's heartbeat filled her ears. The blood pumping through his veins made her tremble. This was going to be the most delectable meal. She was about to gorge on him when he looked up at her and whimpered, "Alice—"
"Oh, no, honey," she told him as she pulled him onto her lap. Bella stroked his matted hair gently. "It's Bella."
"A monster—"
Bella kissed him and felt the plasma under his skin. "I'll make it all better, Ri."
She placed her mouth on his neck and bit down. He screamed. As she feasted, Bella remembered what Edward did to her when he changed her into a monster. The saliva that he let flow into her neck.
Riley was better than ice cream.
Her mouth coated in red, Bella placed Riley gently on the ground. She stood and faced Edward.
"Yummy, wasn't he?" Edward asked.
Bella untied her bikini top and it fell to the ground.
"I think some little lady liked her gift." He started walking over to her as she unbuttoned her shorts, and they joined her top on the ground. She ripped off his shirt. Blood was quite the aphrodisiac. "Hey, I liked that one."
Bella ran her tongue up and down his chest, leaving streaks of red. Her mouth found his, and he could taste the boy on her.
"He was delicious!"
Bella hissed. "You talk too much."
She placed her hands on his neck. He cupped her ass in his large hands. She bit the skin on the top of where his heart would have been beating, leaving a wound that oozed venom.
"You marked me," he said with a grin that turned into a look of rage. Riley began to moan behind them. "What the hell did you do?"
"I made a toy. I hate to be lonely," she informed him. She began to squeeze his neck, making him cry out in pain. "Want to play a game?"
Edward looked frightened and also intrigued. "Of course, you little bitch."
He squeezed her hips. She would never be boring.
"Let's play tag. I'm it, and you better fucking run." She kissed him hard.
Edward let her go reluctantly. "I get a head start."
She shrugged. "Of course. On your mark, get set, go!"
He blew her a kiss and rushed out of the room. Bella couldn't wait to rip off his damn head.
Slowly, she sat by Riley and pulled him into her arms. Bella stroked his head as he whimpered. "You'll be okay. I'm here."
The game had begun, and she was going to win.
Bella, in her melancholy, sang, "This little light of—"
There was to be no more light. All that was left were twisted children's games to be played under the moonlight.