DISCLAIMER I did not write Twilight. I am not Stephenie meyer.


FIRE AND ICE

My veins felt like they were on fire; flames writhing like a snake hollowing out the vessels throughout my body, the throbbing in my fingertips as I ground my nails into marble. It was hell, but more importantly, it was heaven. Because it meant him, and that alone was enough for me to die.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force myself into unconsciousness. The darkness obstructing the light was my haven. It engulfed me, throwing me into oblivion, and for a split second it felt like I was six feet under. I delved deeper and deeper into abeyance where the pain constricted, taunting me with the relief.

But, all too soon, I was being expelled from my nirvana as a ripping sensation crawled through my body. I felt my flesh searing, my insides turning, as reality hit me fast and hard.

I dug my hands into an impenetrable surface, and only vaguely did I realize the fistful of marble in my grasp was Edward's hand. I held on tighter, filling the black, empty void behind my eyelids with the angel's face. My angel's face. My murderer and my savior.

I bit my lip to fight back the impending scream that threatened to explode from my throat. I had to be strong. I had to relinquish any weaknesses that would bring me to my knees, asking to die.

The pain will be worth it, I repeated to myself over an over again between the spasms of pain that consumed me. Be strong, for Edward…

I let out a breathless shriek and my eyes fluttered open as tears congregated at the corners of my eyes. I squeezed tighter to halt the flood threatening to break through. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. The beating wasn't accelerating, but the slowing, rhythmic patterns somehow felt like I had just sprinted a five mile marathon without stopping. The fire consumed my source of life. It felt like I was in the pits of Hades, feeling life gradually slip away. The burning sensation intensified, every bone in my body was throbbing from the heat, and then suddenly it stopped.

I felt like I had been frozen. My veins iced over as the remainder of my blood gushed awkwardly through my body. The coolness was foreign to me, though I had felt Edward's icy touch plenty of times before. I stared at the white ceiling. The swirling patterns looked like clouds, the depths of heaven; I had never noticed them before. Everything was more beautiful. The colors of the fabric adorning the walls in Edward's room, were richer, deeper. I could see every thread, every strand. I could somehow feel the oxygen pulsating through the room, molecules clashing together. I was painfully aware of the Sol Duc River gushing outside, the birds in the mountaintops singing a rainy day lullaby, the wind streaming through the trees, rain pounding mercilessly on the roof. The sounds didn't clash together as they would have if I were human. I could make out all the intricate detailing of nature's music playing all around me. The endless noise made my eardrums ring, but it also brought a sense of release, of comfort.

But none of it could compare to Edward. Saving the best for last, I slowly turned my head and set my eyes on the most beautiful creature between heaven and hell, reality and dreams. It was impossible, seeing him there, smiling crookedly at me. It took my breath away.

Forever, I smiled to myself.