AN: I used a title previously used in a story I trashed a while back so I hope that didn't confuse anyone.
Setting: This is set right after Edward and Cullens leave.
Warning: This will be a femslash (not with Esme/Bella though) and Nc- 17.
Chapter 1
Dull grey clouds cloaked the midday sky in a thick smoky blanket letting neither a ray of sunlight nor a glimpse of blue peek through, it was the very metaphor of depression. Down on the earth below, ascending massive concrete steps were fidgeting teenagers all aligned in military-style lines awaiting impatiently for their teachers to finish their endless speeches. The years and seasons may change but the rules on a school trip will always remain the same. Do not touch anything. Be as quiet as possible. Stay together and finally, most importantly, mind your teacher. Hidden behind a girl she'd only seen once or twice since attending Forks' High Bella Swan had to forcefully keep her eyes from rolling heavenward. It was getting colder, more miserable by the second and all she wanted to do was go inside look at a few dinosaur skeletons then go home. To her bed. To warmth.
Why did she even agree to go on this God-forsaken trip anyways?
The answer was simply that this trip, in particular, was to a museum and that irritatingly excitable child previously hidden beneath layers upon layers of awkward brooding teenager came out, insisting that she go.
Also, there was another part of her that just wanted to get out of the house. She hadn't been out in months not since they left. Well, he left spitting and sneering, pushing her away leaving her alone, both physically and mentally.
According to him; she was their pet. Something to amuse them for awhile until they finally got bored. She was their cute little puppy whom after so long had grown up into a dog that nobody wanted. An appetizing floral scented canine. Looking back, she should have seen it coming, sensed the unavoidable doomed conclusion, but blinded by those warm golden orbs and dazzled by those pearly white smiles. She free fell into those charms, happily drowning in them until one day the inevitable happened.
The weeks afterward dragged onward like aged molasses. People tried and failed to speak to her or more often question her of what had happened. She blew them off of course. Lying to them about not feeling well or being busy. Poor Charlie being the simple country man that he was; hadn't a clue as to what to do. She could see the questions flashing across those puppy dog eyes of his each and every time they locked gazes but much to her relief he never asked. Awkwardly though he tried to cheer her up in his own little ways buying her little things, making her favorite meals, and even tuning up her truck.
The small gestures did not work but she did feel her heart swell a little at the thought behind them. It went on like that for what seemed like a lifetime until finally after an extremely long tear-filled conversation with her grandmother Bella was wretched from the abyss back into the world of the living.
"You're too damn young to be spending your life pining after some boy that probably won't even come back." Her grandmother's harsh but wise words rang in her ears like bells. At first, it angered her to no ended but then after thinking hard upon it those words finally opened once blinded eyes. It was at that moment that she realized just how naive she'd been. Her grandmother was right; she was too young for love and marriage. Heck, she was only eighteen. Plus, deep down there was that strong feeling that Edward was most likely in love with her blood.
"Alright! Let's go!" A masculine voice barked snapping her out of the inner musing. The building was enormous in the inside with a nearly three-story high ceiling it housed everything and anything you could ever imagine.
They strolled through the exhibits awing at the enormous dinosaur skeletons and snickering at the wax neanderthals.
"That one looks like you, Mike." Followed by a hyena's cackle.
"Is that why he's so hot?" Mike boosted and pushed out his chest like a proud peacock.
Once again, Bella had to resist rolling her eyes. Idiots.
They walked onward until they reached a place where the lights were so dim that it was nearly pitch.
"And here we have the statue of Lilith." The man spread his arms and gestured to the item in question. "According to Jewish folklore, she wa-" The rest of the speech crackled in Bella's ears like white noise when her chocolate eyes became instantly enraptured by the sight before them. The statue was one of a beautifully carved woman perched high upon a Gothic throne. Her face was both feminine yet regal and Bella had a feeling that if this was a living woman that she could have commanded armies with a single glance. The hair flowed in curling waves just beneath the shoulder blades. And on top of her proud head, sat a crown of interwoven metal and jewels reminding Bella strangely of spider webbing.
Intrigued, Bella's eyes moved lower to the shapely body. Upon well-developed breasts was an armored bustier molded into intricate golden vines, the torso although bare was taut showing off well-pronounced muscles and a slit of a naval. Around the narrow hips, a wide belt lay seemingly holding up a long skirt that fell to mid-calf. To put it simply the woman was absolutely beautiful.
Another thing Bella noticed were the details. They were for the lack of a better word extraordinary.
Of course, she'd seen statues before, mainly in books, nevertheless none of them came close to shear work that was put into this one. It was as if the woman had been frozen in time.
However, so caught up in her staring Bella failed to notice that the others had moved onward leaving her behind and alone with the Goddess before her. She wrenched her gaze away long enough to realize that she'd been abandoned then turned it back to its capture. Dare she approach it. It wasn't like the thing was going to reach out and grab her. She glanced first to the right than left satisfied that the coast was clear she cautiously moved forward.
Step by agonizing step she reached her destination. Until she was standing directly in front of it, eyes wide she inhaled sharply, the woman was even more beautiful up close. She studied the face momentarily, making mental notes of the features.
What the girl failed to notice, however, was the stone hand unclenching from the armrest.
"Who are you?" She whispered now a mere breaths away from the statue's face. Just out of sight, the arm rose from its permanent position and rotated smoothly to expose a pulsating naked wrist. Letting out a snort, Bella pulled back. "I'm so stupid." Lips quirked in amusement at her own ridiculous behavior. Great, that's all she needed was people thinking that she was crazy.
But when she glanced down her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The statue's arm was now upturned. That wasn't like that a minute ago, was it? She puzzled before moving closer.
Was that a vein? She narrowed her eyelids to study it.
But the more she gazed at it, the more memorized she became. It was calling to her like a siren's song, enticing her farther into the depths with its intoxicating melody, she simply could not turn away. She stared down at the wrist for what seemed like an eternity. Its throbbing pulse enchanting, beckoning her just to take a bite. So strong was the urge, that saliva pooled behind plump lips and blunt canines ached with an overall primal need.
Unable to stand it any longer she bent at the waist, lowering her head to the cold stone. Full lips pull back exposing pearl white teeth then it happened, she bit down upon the offering and to her surprise, the surface gave way immediately.
In the next moment, it was as if liquid fire had been pored down her throat. Every cell, every organ, every pore was a light with imaginable pleasure. She moaned in ecstasy, sucking harder, pulling more of the heavenly liquid into her greedy mouth. Lights burst behind heavy eyelids like multicolored fireworks but with every gulp, they began to morph and mold into images.
Silver exploded, fading away almost immediately, it revealed herself weeping in the moonlight with shimmering trails of anguish rolling down flushed cheeks. A burst of color lit up the darkness and the scene changed to that of various vampires being decapitated their heads rolled to and fro with horror twisting normally flawless features. Dark nearly black liquid washed over the scene only to clear a second later and there was Edward in all his glory begging at her feet with crimson tears running from his eyes, down those pale cheeks. It was too much, Bella screamed against the stone flesh but was unable to pry herself away. In the background, a feminine throaty giggle echoed.
"Όλοι κλαίνε στα πόδια σας, το παιδί μου." The foreign words thundered within her ear as if the owner was standing inches away. In the next moment, she was flying through the air and then pain. White hot pain exploded from the back of her head. She lay there breathing raggedly, tendrils of darkness beginning to creep within her vision until the battle was finally lost.
It was black as pitch here and cold.
So cold.
Where was everybody?
Did they leave her too?
Oh God! please not again.
Please, please, please! She felt herself falling, spiraling downward to an unknown place. She screamed.
"Bella... Isabella Swan, can you hear me?" A soothing male voice called to her and much to her delight a light, a beacon shown in the distance. Clawing her way through the inky darkness, it seemed to cling to her like mud until finally. Finally. Heavy eyelids opened owlishly, revealing murky brown eyes. She'd made it to the light.
"Mmm," Dry cracked lips were opening and closing but for the life of her, Bella could not make them form a single word.
"Ahh glad to see you're awake, Isabella. My name is Dr. McCain." A stout older man with graying black hair and twinkling green eyes smiled warmly down at her. Taking in the white coat and stethoscope it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was a doctor. She gave him a puzzled look. "You were brought in earlier after one of your teachers found you unconscious."
He reached down lifting her head up and gently prodded at the tender spot causing hiss to stream from clenched teeth. "From what I've seen it looks like you took quite a nasty bump to the back of the head. Do you know what happens?"
Her forehead scrunched in thought for a few seconds. "No."
The doctor opened his mouth to say something only to be interrupted by the door opening, revealing Charlie looking all sorts of worn out. "Oh thank God you're alright." He moved toward her, reaching down he took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine." She lied, feeling as though she'd been kicked in the head by a mule. "When can I be out of here?"
Forks High Computer Lab
The next day
Doe-like eyes stared at the computer screen, their enormous chocolate irises reflecting the artificial light and their blown pupils scanning the page seemingly not missing a single word. Back hunched almost painfully, Bella sat in the pleather back office chair with one hand placed delicately in her lap whilst the other clutched at the mouse like it was her life line.
The tranquil expression, however, was a beautiful illusion; a carefully constructed masquerade made up to hide the physical turmoil raging just underneath the surface. Lids slid close tightly, shutting off the world around them. Vision now cloaked in darkness, Bella swallowed thickly against the burning bile searing a path up her throat. God, she hasn't felt this ill in a long time. She breathed slowly, in and out through her mouth hoping to quell the nausea turning and churning her restless stomach.
"Bella?" A hiss came from right next to her catching her attention. She pried her eyelids open and swiveled her head only to have two rather annoyed sapphires peaking around a tower at her. "What in the hell is wrong with you?"
Bella inhaled a deep ragged breath, swallowing once more, she steeled herself. "Nothing, I'm fine." And there it was; that famous Swan pride or should it be Richardson since her maternal grandmother could be hemorrhaging to death from a severed leg and still swear to anyone she was fine. As the words fell from plump lips she could feel her stomach clench painfully pushing its predigested contents farther upward. Even with the threat of vomit filling her mouth she followed the answer with a small shaky smile.
Jessica's vulture-like eyes rolled heavenward then fell back down only to glare at the brunette. "Oh for God's sake! Why don't you just go take care of whatever it is before Mr. Allen comes back."
With tears prickling her eyes, Bella clamped a hand over her mouth and lifted the other one signaling a thank you to Jessica then she was on her feet running full speed to the hallway bathroom. She pushed through the metal door with the with the force of a professional football player and rushed to the nearest toilet, making it just in time for that morning's breakfast to spew forth out of her gaping mouth. The bitter rancid fluid burned her nostrils and throat causing her eyes to water.
Still kneeling, she stared down at the soiled water for a moment, abdominal muscles cramping painfully, her body no doubt making sure every last bit of the unknown toxins were purged. Finally, when the last of the gagging halted and she felt safe to move she stood shakily, her motions slow, calculated as if a sudden moment would cause more misery. Flushing the toilet she stumbled out of the stall to one of the two sinks and begin to assess the damage. Her clothes although slightly wrinkled were in nearly pristine condition. Thank God she managed a light watery smile but it quickly fell when questing fingers were running through those normally silken locks. Carefully, she lifted a section upward and grimaced at the sight.
It was in her hair. Sticky, icky, half disgusted food chucks clinging to the strands like glue. Her stomach rebelled at the sight and once more she had to swallow hard. Oh, this was going to be a long day.
The rest of the days that followed, consisted of puking, puking, and more puking until it reached a point where Bella simply did not eat. Finally, after two days of refusing plate upon plate of food and loud retching noises echoing from the bathrooms Charlie Swan, the patriarch of their two member family, took notice.
"Bells," Blurry hazel irises lifted from the untouched plate before them to lock on their nearly identical twins."I think it's time you see a doctor." Lips fell open to protest only to be halted by a single wave of a large hand. "Now don't fight me on this Bella. I've noticed you haven't been eating and I uh heard you puking in the upstairs bathroom at all hours of the night."
Bella sighed too fatigued and defeated to argue, she simply ran now shaking fingers through her hair then let it rest palm flat against a clammy forehead.
"Okay." It came out as a weak mouse's squeak making her grimace. She absolutely loathed showing weakness.
He gave her an assuring smile in return, with eyes crinkling and that bushy mustache lifted, his expression somewhat soothed her. "I'm sure it's nothing, Bells. Probably just a stomach bug."
She smiled back shaky and nodded in a reluctant agreement.
That night she curled into a tight ball, not to relieve abdominal muscles but just for the mere emotional comfort it brought. Lids closed, beckoning Morpheus to take her to the realm of dreams. Her breathing slowed, pace reduced but just as she was about to descend past the point of no return.
"Γεια σας το παιδί" A voice smooth as shaved chocolate caressed her sensitive ears jolting her back to reality. Wide eyes darted wildly around the room, towards the sound. Upon landing on the source, she gasped, scrambling backward and hitting the headboard with a solid thump. For there, looming over the end of the bed, stood a figure of a person. The face was consumed by shadows but there was just enough light to reveal it to be a woman.
Only one person's name raced through her mind.
Victoria
TBC...
AN: The language was Greek and it translates into- They all shall weep at your feet, my child...Hello, child.
This is my very first Twilight Fic so tell me what you think please no flames. Also, let me know who you want me to pair Bella with. Only Femslash please and also any woman but Alice. I mean I like the pairing but it is so many fics with them two, I want something different. Rosalie, Tanya, Kate, Irina, Victoria, one of the queens, etc. Yes], I admit the statue scene came sort of from Queen of the Damned but that's where it stops. That bit about Bella's grandma is actually something my grandma told me a while back. Wise words for any teenager really.