Forever
The rare March sun shone in the bright sky above Forks High. Two seniors, Bella Swan and Jacob Black were the talk of the town, she being engaged to Jacob for almost a year waiting for the school year to end so they can be married. They strode down the hallways, hand in hand, to their first period, Calculus, putting a ponytail on her long, mahogany brown hair. "Happy Friday," Bella said to herself. They entered the classroom, waiting for all twenty students to start the normal routine; staring at the perfect couple with jealousy and lust in their eyes, but it never came. Bella turned to Jacob, "Why the change in their routines?" she whispered, not wanting the others to hear. She took another glance around the room, this time noticing that everyone was not staring at her, but a new, unfamiliar face at the front talking to the teacher, Mrs. Barter. His hair was brown and untamed, a bird nest in some people's minds and a haystack in other's. The new student felt as if someone was staring a hole in his head and turned to see who it was. Bella and the new student both inaudibly gasped at the sight of each other's eyes. His eyes were a deep chocolate brown piercing into Bella's emerald green eyes. Jacob wrapped his arm around his fiance's waist and led her to her seat, just noticing that nobody was staring at them. "Hey babe," he asked her in a whisper, "why aren't they ogling at us as usual?"
Bella turned to her fiance, furious at him for not paying attention to her. "Were you even listening?" she asked raising her voice from a whisper to the verge of speaking where everyone can hear her every word. 'Why do I love this moron,' she thought. "Or were you too busy staring at other girls?" She faced the front of the classroom, noting the two gossip queens, Jesse Lee and Rosalind Strong, attempting to eavesdrop on the fighting couple for a shot at a colossal topic for gossip. Jacob was furious at the new student for causing the fight between him and Bella, glaring at the front as he started toward his assigned seat.
Soon, Mrs. Barter turned to the class and asked the new student to introduce himself to the class. "Hello, my name is Edward Masen. I lived in Australia 7 years ago, but I came from Canada to Forks because my mother wanted to live in a smaller town. Hope this is a fun Senior year, eh?" he ended, joking at the end, his musical voice ringing in the room. All the females, even Bella, were taking a better look at the student, who was now known as Edward. Bella observed his pale skin and his designer clothes. Obviously he's rich, she thought. Mrs. Barter asked Edward to sit next to Bella. Edward walked down the aisle to the back of the room, with everyone turning to watch Bella's reaction, disappointed when she did not seem to notice Edward next to her.
When everyone faced the front of the room, deeply absorbed in the day's lesson, Bella turned to Edward. "Hey," she started, "Sorry that it seemed like I didn't notice you. The gossip is too much for a small town like Forks." She studied his face, identifying numerous emotions, the main being understanding. "So, anyway, do you have a nickname?" she asked.
Edward shook his head, not wanting to tell anyone his embarrassing nickname. Only to close family and friends, he thought. Reasonable excuses for not having a nickname for a large name flew throughout his brain. "Umm… my mom she um… didn't see the um… reason of giving nicknames to a 'beautiful' name" he lied, putting air quotes over beautiful. Bella saw through the lie, though, but let the subject drop anyway.
The bell rang, signaling the end of 1st period. Jacob went to Bella's desk dreading the no PDA rule at school. "Hey, ready for Spanish?" he asked, snaking his arm around Bella's waist despite the rules.
At lunch, Edward left his 4th period, Italian, early because he could speak the language more fluently than English, having lived in the Tuscany area of Italy near Volterra since he was 5. As he was walking down the halls to the cafeteria, the gossip queen, Jesse Lee, approached him with a flirtatious smile. "Hey babe," she started, "wanna go out with me?" She began to inch closer, almost touching him.
Edward stepped back and put up his hands to stop her from moving closer. He decided to speak what was on his brain. "Disgustoso scemo, non parlo Inglese." he said in Italian, meaning 'disgusting idiot, I don't speak English.' As soon as he said that, he started for the cafeteria again, not wanting to talk to her and leaving a confused Jesse behind. He walked through the double doors entering the cafeteria, realizing that the whole place has quieted and watched him go to the lunch line. He picked up a tray and loaded it with raw broccoli, carrots, apples, and a vegetarian pizza because he was vegetarian. He went up to the cashier and paid for his food, seeing the surprised expression on the cashier's face. He took his tray and studied the room. Bella was seated at a table located at the Southeast corner of the cafeteria with her fiance. Was it Jake? he asked himself. No, it was something like Lake. oh yeah, he thought, shifting slightly in happiness when he remembered the name of Bella's fiance. His name was Jacob! I'm happy I remember at least two people's names. He began to glance around the rest of the room. Everyone were in their own groups. The football players and the cheerleaders were grouped up across the room from him, the "geeky nerd group," as most of the school population calls it, was at the round table at the eastern side, across the lunch line. The biggest group that was in the cafeteria was the gossipers. He walked over to the only empty table left in the cafeteria, which was within close enough to hear the gossip going around about him.
Jesse Lee telling the group about what happened with her and Edward. He tensed when he heard his name spoken in the group, it being within hearing distance, and decided to eavesdrop as he was eating. "Like, he's totally playing hard to get, you know?" she started, watching as all the girls in her group nodding in agreement. Edward gagged hearing this. "All we have to do is catch his attention and show him how amazingly" ugly, Edward added in his mind and stopped listening after getting the idea of the girls' plan.
As he finished his carrots, the bell rang throughout the school. Edward stood up and grabbed his bag, getting ready for his next class, Engineering. As he walked through the door, he spotted BBella Swan sitting at the only empty lab table. A man with slightly wrinkled skin and gray hair that seemed to be around 55 years old walked up to Edward."Hello, I am Mr. Warner, I will be your engineering teacher for the rest of the school year." he said. "Please sit down next to Ms. Yang over there." he gestured over to Bella at the empty lab table. As Edward went to his table and sat down, Mr. Warner introduced him. "Class, this is Edward Masen. Edward, do you have anything you would like to share about yourself?" he asked Edward.
Edward stood up. "My name is Edward Masen. I lived in Canada for the past year with my uncle, but I lived with my mom in Italy and Australia since I was 5." He sat back down as he was done with the introduction. Mr. Warner carried out with the lesson about electricity. He looked at Bella, who was decorating her notes while the teacher gave instructions on programming a motherboard.
Later that night, Bella went to her bedroom in her and Jacob's house. "Hello? Babe?" she asked as she headed towards her room. "Maybe he got held up at work." She mused quietly and shrugged and went to sleep in her bed. She awoke to a dark night and numerous sirens from outside. As she stood to observe what was happening, she collided with Jacob, holding two bags and the car keys. "Jacob!" she cried, searching him for any reasons he would be leaving in such short notice. "I've been looking everywhere for you? Where are you going?" she asked, eyeing his bags.
"Oh, um, you see, Dad is in the hospital down in Florida so I was going there tonight. He is in the critical unit." Jacob lied smoothly. As he heard the sirens, he began to move towards the back exit. "Hey Babe," he said, "I need to get to Dad now. Bye." He dropped his bag and gave Bella a quick hug as Bella studied his bags again, not buying his lie. Jacob let go of her and it all clicked.
Bella moved around Jacob, pretending to be sad, toward the front door where the police sirens were near. As she neared the front door, Bella turned to see Jacob's alarmed expression. Not wanting to higher his suspicions, she told a reasonable explanation for why she was heading that way. "Oh," she began. "I believe that I might have left something out there when I came in." She turned back to the front door, to where the sirens were getting closer. As she took a deep breath, she grabbed the umbrella from the coat rack and swung it hard at the back of Jacob's head, knocking him out. After tying him up, Bella opened the door, revealing Carlo Web, a 20-year-old police officer and her best friend, about to knock. "Hello Carlo, if you have forgotten, I am Bella Swan, Jacob Black's fiance." Bella explained at the officer's still form. "He was preparing to run when I saw the two bags he had." She paused to make sure Carlo was out of his shocked stance. As Carlo began to regain his posture, Bella continued. "When he dropped the two bags, a bundle of 100 dollar bills fell out. At first, I thought that he earned it from his work at the garage, but I remembered about the sirens nearby. I made a move to the umbrella," she said, motioning her hand towards the umbrella on the living room floor, "and knocked him out," she said, sighing. She moved inside, inviting the cops that had appeared behind Carlo inside. As they looked around the small house, they spotted Jacob Black tied to a chair in the dining area and raised an eyebrow to Bella while she just shrugged.
Carlo looked at Bella. "I'm sorry that this happened to you. But, thank you though, for helping us catch the bank robber." he said, pointing to Jacob and then to the two bags of money. "The bank called us during the robbery saying that the robber took about 10 million dollars in cash. How he managed to carry that, I don't know." he chuckled a humorless laugh. Bella just nodded throughout the talk, not really paying attention to Carlo. She thought of her relationship with Jacob. What do I do now, she asked herself. As Carlo and his team handcuffed Jacob, Bella went to the bags of money and picked it up. She cringed at the thought of Jacob robbing a bank. Seeing her discomfort, Carlo walked to her and took the bags. "We'll be going now. Oh and when you were busy with your thoughts, your sister called."
Since Bella moved to Forks 3 years ago, she had forgotten her older sister, Jane, who lives in Jacksonville, Florida. "Huh?" she asked, puzzled because she was not listening until he mentioned Jane. "Jane called?" Carlo nodded. "What did she say?" Bella asked, worried about her sister.
Seeing Bella's worry, Carlo laughed as Bella studied his face, confused. "Your sister was worried about you." he explained as Bella relaxed. "She heard about the robbery and your involvement." he finished, as his partner came in, calling Carlo. "Well, I'd better go." Bella nodded. "Take care, Bella." He placed the bags on the floor and gave her a small hug before his team picked up the bags and left.
Bella sighed and closed the front door, watching the police cars drive away into the darkness from the windows before retreating back to her room to sleep. As she slept, the day's events turned into nightmares.
In her dream, she stood in a dark room, nothing to be seen. As she just stood there, a dark figure danced in the room, one arm behind its back and the other extended towards her. "Bella," it whispered quietly, "leave with me. We could be rich. We could have all we ever wanted." As the figure moved towards her, she was able to identify the figure's voice. It was Jacob's voice. "Just come with me," he said, grabbing her hand softly with his extended arm, his other still behind his back.
"No" she said, watching as the light showed Jacob's face turn from a nice, calm expression to a furious one as he moved even closer to her, studying her as she stepped back each time he went forward until her back hit the wall. Bella watched as Jacob took a deep, calming breath.
"Okay, then." Jacob said, taking two steps back. Just then, a figure appeared in the room, tied to a chair. "If you won't join me, fine." he said, frightening Bella with his deathly calm voice. He turned around, grabbing the new person in the room. "But, she won't ever join you again." He took out his other arm and brought it across the person's neck. As Bella watched more with horror, she noticed blood flowing down the mystery person's neck. She looked at Jacob's figure and spotted the knife, now laced with a small line of crimson red blood, and screamed as the figure's face was lighted up with a distant light. It was Jane Duong, her adopted Asian sister.
She woke up from her dream, curled up in a ball, scared for her sister. "What did that dream mean?" Bella asked herself, taking in her surroundings. Thick layers of rain clouds covered the sky, not a single ray of sunlight shining through the clouds. Getting off her bed, she picked up the clothes she had prepared for Saturday. Putting on a raincoat and boots, she headed outside into the gloomy weather into the woods. Straying away from the hiking trail in the woods, Bella took her route to the hidden meadow she had discovered the day her parents died.
It was a Tuesday, December 15, 1996. The snow just stopped and Bella's parents were quarreling in the car, on the verge of getting a divorce. "I am done, Christina!" Anthony, Bella's father said to his wife, gripping the steering wheel tighter in his hands, facing Christina, who was at the back seat with Bella. "You have done nothing to help our family! Bella has been doing all the housework and cooking and I've been working my job at the lab in Seattle. What did you do?" Anthony said, not paying attention to the road, having a glaring contest with Christina.
"Dad!" Bella said as a drunk truck driver was counter flowing. "Watch out for the truck!" Anthony and Christina broke out of their glares and looked out the windshield as Christina opened Bella's door and pushed her out before the truck hit the car, killing both Christina and Anthony at impact. "Mom, Dad!" Bella screamed, her heavy clothing preventing many injuries. She stood up, stumbling as she ran towards her parents'. The sun was shining as she observed the vehicle. The car was upside down, all the windows shattered, creating a small pile of glass. Small puddles of her parents' blood were forming, spilling out of the car, pooling up on the asphalt. The car itself did not look like a car anymore. The front was completely destroyed, the hood of the car going in opposite directions. "Mom, Dad." Bella whispered, rivers flowing from her eyes. Unable to stand the sight of her dead parents, Bella sprinted towards the woods, running for what seems like ages through the snow, before she broke out through the trees into a beautiful meadow. Baffled by the meadow's beauty, she forgot all her problems at the moment. The trees and the ground were covered with a thin blanket of snow, the floor a beautiful white. Deer and elk stood in the background, passing through as she remembered how she got to the meadow and why she ran into the woods. Not caring about the snow, she crawled to the middle of the meadow and wept as reality swept in. Overwhelmed by her emotions, she fainted in the snow.
As she looked around the meadow, she sighed, her hair waving in the small breeze. The green grass waved with the small dandelions, both doing small dances as if the breeze was the music. After an hour of admiring the meadow, Bella decided to go back home while the sun was still up.
Bella woke up Monday morning, already knowing what's to come at school. She got dressed in a red v-neck, long sleeves shirt and blue jeans with a black raincoat and boots. Grabbing her keys, she walked gracefully to her car, a black 2012 Toyota Camry, and sped off to school at 110 miles per hour. In only 3 minutes, the outline of Forks High School drew closer as Bella drove down the highway. As she entered the parking lot, some people stared at her with sympathy, aware of what happened to Jacob. She stepped out of her car and headed to Calculus while she listened as the gossip got louder. "OMG," a disgustingly high voice spoke, "Did you hear about Jacob? He robbed a bank! It was so hot." Bella looked behind her to spot the girls. Unsurprisingly, it was Jesse and Rosalind. She ignored the gossip queens and sat at the back corner of Mrs. Barter's classroom, the 'emo corner' as some students call it.
Bella ignored the most of the lesson about fundamental Theorem of calculus, catching only a small part of the lesson as she thought about all the events that had happened in the past few days. "... first fundamental Theorem of calculus..." Bella heard Mrs. Barter say, some words not very apprehended. "... if ... continuous on the closed interval... F is indefinite integral of f , then ...ₐb f(x)dx= F(b)-F(a)." Mrs. Barter noticed Bella not paying attention to the lesson. "Ms. Swan," she said, getting Bella's attention, "Can you please read off your notes about the second fundamental Theorem of calculus?"
"Yes, ma'am." Bella said as the class looked at her. She looked at her notes, most words illegible. "The Second Fundamental Theorem of calculus. It holds f, a continuous function on an open interval, 1, and a any point in 1, and says that if F is explained by f(x)= ∫xa f(t)dt then F 1 (x)=f(x) at each point in 1." Bella read in a bored, monotone voice.
"Good job, Ms. Yang." Mrs. Barter said as the class began to look back to the front. "We will be doing some practice with these Theorems."
After three long hours of classes, Bella trudged over to the small cafeteria line and bought a soda. She exited the cafeteria and went to her car, once again thinking about her life. As she sat in her car, she noticed an annoyed Edward being followed by two girls that were easily identified as Jesse's sisters, Josie and Jill. Bella got out of her car and headed over to Engineering. As she walked, lost in her thoughts, she bumped into a lean figure and both of them fell to the ground. "Ow," she mumbled, rubbing her hip.
"Sorry about that, Bella." a familiar voice said. Bella looked up and saw Edward brushing off his jeans as he stood. He stook a hand out and helped Bella up. "I was trying to get away from crazy teenage girls." he said.
"It's okay, Edward." Bella said, brushing herself off. "I understand. Freshman year was terrible. The whole football team were trying to get me to date them. Ugh," she said, shuddering in disgust at the memory. "Ready for class?" she asked as a deafening ring sounded around the campus. At Edward's nod, Bella collected all her belongings and went through the door, ready for another long hour of thinking about life.
At the end of the school day, Edward met Bella at her last class, which was AP History. "Hey," Edward greeted her as she exited the classroom. "How was class?" he asked, trying to hide the nervousness of what he was going to ask next.
Bella, however, noticed him fidgeting slightly. "Class was boring as usual. Now, what's up? You look so nervous."
"That's because I am." Edward answered with a sheepish grin. Bella raised an eyebrow and Edward hesitantly explained. "Um..." he started, "I was wondering if you would want to go out on a date with me tonight." Edward removed his backpack and opened it, getting a thornless white rose out and handing it to her saying, "I fear no longer, I hope."
Bella blushed as she took the flower and kissed Edward's cheek. "I would love to go on a date with you." she replied, giving Edward a hug. "When?" she asked as she pulled away and began walking towards her car.
"We could do it tonight," he suggested. "If you are free." Bella nodded, smiling. As they approached Bella's car, they noticed all of the students have already left the campus and it was only them in sight. "So, I'll pick you up at six." Edward said, opening the Camry door for her. "See you later." He hugged Bella and went across the parking lot to his silver 2012 Porsche Cayman GT4. She sighed as she watched Edward speed off towards his house.
At exactly six, the doorbell rang in Bella's house. Bella walked to the front and opened the door. "Hey," she greeted Edward, giving him a small hug. "How did you know where I lived?" she asked as she pulled away.
"Well," he started, giving her a bouquet of roses to her. "Uh, this place is so small, you would know where anyone lives. Plus, we're neighbors," he added, confusing Bella.
"What do you mean by neighbors?" she asked, shocked and confused. "I would know if there was anyone new in Forks, let alone my street."
"Oh, I live by myself in that house over there." He pointed to a one-story home only five houses away.
"Oh." Bella replied, embarrassed.
"Are you ready to go?" Edward asked, opening the passenger door of his Porsche when Bella nodded. He got in the driver seat and sped off to Seattle. They arrived at Altura, a 4.5 star Italian restaurant. He opened Bella's door, and held his hand out to her to help her up.
"Wow," Bella whispered, admiring the restaurant. "This looks really expensive, Edward," she said, "are you sure you can afford this? We can always go to a cheaper one," she said, embarrassed that he was taking her to a fancy restaurant. They entered the building and the waitress brought them to their reserved table, isolated from every other table.
A waiter started towards their table, putting on an apron around his waist and picking up his pen and notepad. He was slightly muscled, like he just started working out. "Hello," he said, looking at Bella. "My name is Riley, what drinks can I get you?" The question was directed at Bella, as was all his attention.
Edward faked a cough, catching Riley's attention. "I'll get a Diet Coke." Riley scribbled down Edward's order and turned back to Bella.
Riley turned back to Bella. "And you?" he asked, staring at her.
"I'll also have a Diet Coke." she said, fidgeting uncomfortably under the waiter's gaze.
"Okay," he said. He took out two menus and handed it to them. "I'll be back with your drinks and to take your orders." Bella and Edward nodded and Riley departed to a table across the room.
"So," Bella started, picking at the menu corner. "Um, I'll get this Carnaroli Risotto pasta thing- I guess" There was an uncomfortable silence between the two, murmurs of conversations from other tables in the background.
"Uh, yeah. Sure. I'll get the Potato Crusted Petrale Sole." Edward said, breaking the silence. Bella nodded and Edward opened his mouth to speak. "Listen, I al-"
Riley walked up and interrupted him. "Are you ready to order?" he asked, ogling at Bella once again.
"Um, yes," Bella said, picking up the menu. "I'll get the Carnaroli Risotto."
Riley nodded and looked at Edward, who was glaring daggers at him. "I'll get the Potato Crusted Petrale Sole." Edward said. Riley wrote down the orders and headed to the kitchen. "Bella," Edward said, taking a sip of his Coke. "I wanted to say, um, I reallyreallylikeyouBella." he said, rushing at the end, the words coming out as gibberish.
"What?" Bella asked, appalled. "Can you repeat that? I think my ears are deceiving me."
Edward ran his hand through his hair nervously. "I, um, said that I really, really like you, Bella." He smiled nervously as Bella blushed. "I had a crush on you the first day I went to school." Edward took Bella's hand began to trace unseeable patterns on the back.
Bella recovered from her shocked and collected enough confidence to speak. "I also had a crush on you that same day." she confessed, looking down and blushing a darker shade of pink. "But, I was engaged, Edward. It was just wrong." she looked up at him, her eyes beginning to water. "When Jacob was arrested, it was like a sign that we weren't meant to be. Oh my gosh," she said, "I'm being so cheesy!" Edward brought his free hand up to Bella's face, wiping her tears as she laughed humorlessly.
"Bella," he began, taking both of her hands in his. "I know this is only our first date, but do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Bella opened her mouth to answer but Riley came with their food. "Here is your pasta, ma'am." he said to Bella, placing the pasta in front of her. "And here is your Petrale Sole." Riley placed the plate in front of Edward.
"Thank you." Bella said. They ate their food and talked about different subjects. "I have this hidden meadow I go to sometimes," she said, randomly as Edward seemed intrigued. "It's so beautiful, it makes me forget all my problems." As an employee passed by, Bella asked for to-go boxes for their food.
Riley arrived at the table minutes later, the boxes in his hands. "Here you go," he said, handing them the boxes. "I'll come back with the check." He left the table while Bella and Edward put the food in the boxes. Riley came back with the check in hand. "Here you go."
"Thank you," Edward said, slipping $150 in the check and giving it to Riley. He stood up and offered his hand to Bella as Riley departed. "Are you ready?" he asked.
Bella nodded and took his hand. "Edward," Bella said once they were outside by the Cayman GT4. "I would love to be your girlfriend." Edward's face broke into a huge smile before he leaned down and kissed her on the lips, his arms wrapped around her waist. People nearby saw them and cringed away, parents covered their children's eyes, and teenagers yelled, 'Hey, stop it with the PDA!'
Edward pulled away seconds later from the kiss. "Are you ready?" he asked his girlfriend. Bella nodded and Edward opened the car door for her. He drove in an hour of comfortable silence from Seattle back to Forks. He parked in front of Bella's house and got out. Bella waited patiently in the car as Edward made his way around. He opened her door, engulfing her in a hug. "Good night, Bella." he whispered into her hair.
"Good night, Edward." she said. "Edward? I wanted to ask you something." she suddenly said as she unlocked her front door.
"Okay, shoot," he replied, curious.
"Do you have a nickname?" she asked her boyfriend. " I'm not that comfortable calling someone 'Babe' or something like that." Bella looked up at Edward.
"Uh, yes," he hesitantly replied. "I have a few nicknames, but they are extremely embarrassing," he said, blushing slightly. "My mom and grandma used to call me 'Eddie-kins.'" Bella struggled to stop her laughter, but quiet giggles escaped. "Yeah, yeah, just laugh." Bella bursted out laughing right away, grasping on to 'Eddie' to stay standing. Edward ignored her and continued. "My less embarrassing nickname is 'Eddie.' I like it better than 'Eddie-kins, but if you want to call me that, I wouldn't mind as long as it's only you."
Bella recomposed herself and calmed down. "Okay. Good night, Eddie-kins" she giggled, kissing him on the cheek. "See you tomorrow. Are you going to pick me up?" 'Eddie' nodded and hugged her one last time before walking back to his car.
"Good night," he said as Bella entered her house. He climbed into his Porsche and drove 5 houses north to his own house.
As Bella watched Edward's car get out of sight, an arm reached out from the darkness and covered her mouth, muffling her screams of help. Her captor pinched her Vulcan nerve, knocking her out. Bella woke up to a dark sky and in the middle of a familiar forest. She heard rustling behind her and began to run, searching for her familiar trail. Running faster, she found the familiar line of bushes where the meadow is hiding behind and broke through. She collapsed in the meadow, exhausted. She rolled to her side and something poked her in the rib, a key! 'What is this key for?' Bella asked herself. She heard the rustling of bushes and stood, stuffing the key in her pockets and ran until something hit her head, then everything blacked out.
Gray clouds quilted the sky Tuesday morning; a typical morning in Forks. Edward drove up his road to Bella's house and knocked at her door. "Good morning, Bella." he said when the door opened. A man wearing a ski mask holding a beige sack quickly exited the house, sprinting away before Edward was able to chase him. Edward pulled out his phone and cautiously stepped in. "Bella?" he asked through the house. There was no reply. "Bella!" Edward shouted, running to Bella's bedroom. The room was trashed; all of the drawers were opened and articles of clothing were hanging off. He called the 911 and the police soon were at the house. "Hello, officer." Edward greeted the police. "My name is Edward Masen and this is my girlfriend, Bella Swan's house. I was going to pick her up for school but a burglar opened the door and ran out instead. I searched the whole place for Bella and not even a trace of where she went was there."
"Okay, Edward. I am Carlo, a friend of Bella's." he introduced himself, motioning his team to search the house. "We were going to call her last night to say that her ex-fiance escaped from jail. It is obvious that he brought some friends to rob her house as he kidnapped Bella. Did she have her phone with her?" he asked. "Does she have anywhere that she likes to go to or always wants to escape to when she's in trouble, physically or emotionally?"
"Yes, I believe she had her phone with her." Edward answered. "And, yes, she does have somewhere she likes to go when she is troubled. She has this meadow in the woods, about 5 miles into the woods, I suppose. She never got into specifics."
"Okay, we will check there first. Thank you, Mr. Masen." Edward nodded as the team finished investigating the house and headed towards the SUV. "We will go now." Carlo went back to the SUV as Edward went out to the back, going to the woods.
Bella awoke in a small clearing, tied to a tree. Small bushes grew in a circle, leaving the center growing with grass and flowers. Small rays of sunlight shone through the clouds, lighting the clearing. Her wrists were cuffed as her feet and torso were bound with rope, all tied to the tree. There was a second female present, ropes cutting into her wrists. A sack was put over the female's head, but the nose and mouth were left uncovered, but her mouth had a cloth muffling her grunts. The grunts from her attempts to escape were terrifyingly familiar, like her sister's. Bella was shocked and scared now. Her dream was becoming reality. A dark figure broke through the trees into the small clearing. He was wearing all solid black, blending in most of the environment. The figure walked up to her and stroked her cheeks with his hands. "Bella," he whispered, confirming Bella's suspicions.
"Jacob," Bella cried, tugging against her restraints. "Why did you do this? Why would you involve Jane?" she asked, her voice breaking. Jacob sighed and took off the sack from Jane's face. Her face had marks from the sack and her eyes grew wide as she saw Bella.
Jacob moved to the cloth in Jane's mouth. "Well," he said as he began to untie it. "Since you already knew who it was, why hide her?" he mused, throwing the cloth onto the floor. "Now, Bella, let's make a deal." Jacob said, a smirk on his face. "You break up with Edward and stay with me forever, and I'll let your sister live. Otherwise, people are going to die." He took out a gun as Jane struggled against the restraints and yelled at Bella.
"No, Bella, don't!" Jane screamed as Bella cried. "Don't do it. I don't care if he kills me!" she said. "Just don't join him. He's a criminal that only thinks he loves you! What would happen if he gets tired of you?" she asked, tears streaming down both girls' faces. "If you don't accept the deal, we could still stick together until the end- even if our end isn't that far away." Jane finished, her voice breaking.
Bella looked at Jane, eyes full of sadness, then at Jacob with a new determination. "There is no deal, Jacob. I would rather die than to be with you!" she spat as Jacob's face raged in fury. "So go ahead and kill me! I won't join you, no matter what you do to me!"
"Oh, but Bella," he said, loading his pistol. "I never said that I would kill you. Isn't it more entertaining for me when I make you watch your loved ones writhe in pain, slowly dying, before I go ahead and kill you, at a nice and slow pace, building up high levels of emotional and physical pain?" He removed the safety and brought the pistol to Jane's right hand, avoiding the Ulnar artery, and shot, the bullet going straight through.
Jane let out a bloodcurdling scream as blood slid down both sides of her hand. "Jane!" Bella cried, watching in terror as her ex-fiancee tortured her sister. "Jacob, why?" she asked Jacob as he shot Jane's other hand. Jane screamed from the pain as her blood formed crimson trails down her fingers. Jacob shot Jane again, aiming at her shoulders.
"See?" Jacob asked Bella twenty minutes later. "Isn't this fun?" he asked Bella, waving the gun towards Jane's figure. Jane was shot ten times by Jacob in the past twenty minutes. Her body looked lifeless, blood covering almost every inch of her skin and puddling by the tree. Her body was only standing by the ropes tying her to the tree. Jacob untied Jane from the tree, dropping her body carelessly on the grass.
She screamed as the pain escalated and blood began to make a new puddle.
Bella began to sob as her sister thrashed in pain. "Jacob," she choked out, "Please, I am begging you. Don't do this." She tugged on her ropes in attempt to get to her sister. Sighing, Jacob tied a rope from Bella's ankle to the tree, restraining her enough that she would not have the chance to escape, but can go to Jane.
Bella immediately went to Jane and checked her pulse, whimpering as Jane's pulse slowed. "Bella," Jane whispered with all her willpower. "I love you, sis. I know you can survive this." Jane took a final shaky breath. "Goodbye, don't cry for me little sister." she whispered, closing her eyes as her pulse slowed and stopped.
"No, no, no. Jane, don't leave me." Bella whispered as Jacob grabbed her arm and pulled. She turned to Jacob. "What?" she spat, "You already killed the last of my family. Why don't you kill me already!" Bella wiped the tears threatening to fall as her sister's last words floated in her mind. She felt something cold and hard being pressed against her back and she knew it was Jacob's pistol. "Go ahead, Jacob. Shoot me. I will never be with you."
Jacob moved his gun to Bella's right shoulder and pulled the trigger. "I will change your mind, Bella. You will be crying for me to stop as I do this," he said, shooting Bella's palm as she screamed. "this," Jacob shot her other hand, "and this." Bella screamed as Jacob shot Bella's other shoulder. Bella dropped onto the floor, screaming as her blood seeped out from the bullet hole and began pooling underneath her.
"Jacob," Bella whispered, "nothing will ever change my mind about you. You killed my sister. I'd rather die than to be with you poor excuse of a human."
Jacob gripped his pistol tighter, his finger accidentally pulling the trigger, and shooting her in the back. A loud bang rang throughout the forest. Jacob dropped the gun and fell to his knees next to Bella.
Edward ran through the woods with Carlo's team as they heard a gunshot and Bella's scream. "Bella!" he yelled. Edward looked at Carlo for permission. Carlo nodded and handed him a spare pistol. Edward grabbed the gun and sprinted North through the trees towards the scream. He hid behind a line a tree surrounding a small clearing and looked in. A lifeless female body was on the floor in a pool of crimson blood and there were blood tracks all over the grass. On the other side of the small clearing, Jacob Black was on the ground, kneeling, by another female body. This person was still alive, but her blood was pooling on the grass. Jacob began to whisper as Edward listened, preparing his pistol.
"Bella," Jacob whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pull the trigger. I mean, I would have eventually, but not now." Jacob closed his eyes as he picked up his gun and pointed it to Bella. She was obviously unconscious, not hearing a word Jacob said. Edward gripped his gun tightly in is hand and began to aim at Jacob, prepared to shoot if necessary. "I'm sorry. I'll relieve all your pain now. Goodbye." Jacob began to pull the trigger, but Edward was faster and shot him in the head. Jacob slumped onto the floor, blood rushing out of his head as Edward broke through the trees to Bella.
"Bella," Edward whispered, kneeling down next to Bella, as Carlo and a medical team entered the clearing, carrying a gurney. He cried, tears dripping onto Bella's face. "Bella, Carlo is here with the paramedics. They're going to help you, okay?" he asked, wiping Bella's face with his hands. "Just stay awake for me, Bella. Carlo," Edward stood, his jeans now stained with Bella's blood, and went to the trees, holding on the tree to stop himself from breaking down on the floor and crying. Carlo nodded and directed the paramedics to place Bella carefully on the gurney as Edward stayed and watched, feeling helpless. "Carlo, here is the gun." Edward said, walking up to Carlo and handed him the pistol. "I don't think I need it anymore. I'm going to go back to the highway. I can't stand seeing Bella this much in pain." Edward walked back into the forest towards the highway.
"Edward!" Carlo shouted as he and the paramedics put down Bella. Edward looked over his shoulder. Carlo went to Edward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Edward, I know it's hard for you to just stand there feeling helpless." Carlo said as Edward nodded. "But, think about all the pain, physically and emotionally, that Bella is suffering from. Your pain from watching Bella suffer isn't as much as Bella is suffering. Do you see that dead body there?" Carlo asked, pointing to the figure lying on the bloody grass. Edward nodded, whispering a 'yes.' "That is Bella's sister, Jane. She was reported missing in Seattle just the night before Bella was taken."
Edward gasped then let out an enraged roar. "So you're telling me that my girlfriend's sister was killed by her ex-fiance?" Carlo nodded as Edward asked, happy that he had shot Jacob. "And he was about to kill my girlfriend after shooting her about five times in different places before I shot him?" He followed the paramedics as they carried Bella to the freeway.
Carlo tensed. "What?" he asked Edward, "He was about to shoot Bella?" Edward nodded.
"What did he say before?"
Edward began to pace as they neared the tree line of the forest. "He said, and I quote, 'Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pull the trigger. I mean, I would have eventually, but not now. I'm sorry. I'll relieve all your pain now. Goodbye.' He was about to shoot Bella in the head when I shot him." Edward said, jogging with Carlo to the police cars.
The doctors working on Bella were setting up Bella for surgery when Carlo and Edward exited the forest. Edward watched for any cars in any of the 4 lanes of the highway before jogging across to the paramedics. When he was across the second lane, he heard sirens nearing. He began to run faster, but an ambulance hit him as he was almost across the last lane. Edward rolled on top of the ambulance and fell on the road. The second team of paramedics exited the ambulance and took out another gurney. They strapped Edward in as the first team carried Bella into the ambulance. "Bella," Edward whispered as his gurney was placed next to Bella's. Edward closed his eyes as the ambulance began to drive.
He woke up to a constant beeping sound, but kept his eyes closed. Edward opened his eyes slightly and immediately closed them again because of the blinding lights. Slowly, he opened his eyes and observed the room. The room was white with a small, red couch at the side, unused. He was in a hospital bed next to Bella's. His arms were covered in bandages and bruises, as were his legs. An IV was on his hand and his right arm was in a cast. He looked to his right and studied Bella. She was dressed in a hospital gown and was hooked up to a heart monitor. A pulse reader was on her finger showing she had a low pulse. Stitches were on both shoulders, closing the bullet holes. The door creaked open and a doctor that looked like him entered. "Good morning, Eddie, and welcome to Seattle." An oddly familiar voice said. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
Edward sighed and looked at Bella's unconscious figure again then looked back at the doctor. "I've been better," he answered, "how is Bella?"
The doctor sighed and grabbed a clipboard from Bella's bed. "She is in a coma and hasn't gotten out of it. We removed about five bullets; one in each hand, each shoulder, and a bullet in her lower back." Edward choked back a sob and looked at Bella again as the doctor continued, "She barely survived the surgery. She flatlined twice. It's a miracle that she survived, even if she is in a coma."
Edward smiled and thought to himself, "It's because she doesn't want to leave me."
The doctor chuckled quietly as Edward blushed as he realized he said it aloud. "Yes, it seems like it." The doctor sighed, and placed the clipboard on Bella's bed as he made his way to Edward. He sat down next to Edward. "But, the bullet injured her spine." he said.
Edward grabbed the hospital bed sheets and cried, in a manly way of course. "She won't be able to walk anymore, would she?" The doctor shook his head and Edward cried. "C-can you help me up?" Edward asked, wincing from the pain as he struggled to stand. The doctor nodded and helped Edward stand and sit next to Bella. "Thank you." Edward said to the doctor, picking up Bella's hand in his. The doctor nodded and left, giving him privacy. "Bella, please wake up. I can't live without you. I promise that I will stay here in the hospital until you wake up, even if it takes months or even years." Bella's fingers twitched, her heart monitor picking up. "Bella?" Edward asked, pressing the call button. "I need a doctor, please. I think Bella is waking up."
Bella opened her eyes slightly, wincing from the blinding light. "Bella?" a voice soft as velvet asked. She opened her eyes fully and saw a teenage boy in a cast and bandages, sitting on her bed.
"Uh," she said, scared. "Who are you? Why are you here? How do you know my name? Where's Jacob?" Edward winced as Bella asked for Jacob. The door opened and the doctor stepped in.
"Hello, Bella. I am your doctor. How are you today?" the doctor asked, picking up her clipboard.
"What happened?" she asked, "Why does my body hurt so bad?" She lifted her arm and winced in pain.
The doctor turned to Edward in shock. "Mr. Masen, can we talk?" he asked, pulling a wheelchair from the side of the room. Edward nodded and got on the chair, the doctor pushing him out. As he closed the door to the room, a nurse came rushing in.
"Dr. Masen, we need you at the ICU." She said, then looked at Edward. "Oh, hello Mr. Masen." The nurse looked at the two and asked Dr. Masen, "Are you two related?"
"Not now, Mary. I need to deal with this first." Dr. Masen said. The nurse, Mary, nodded and went back to the ICU.
"Dr. Masen?" Edward asked. "Was there a reason why I was assigned to you?" Dr. Masen nodded as Edward sighed angrily. "Why do you have my surname and why do we share similar appearances?"
Dr. Masen sighed. "It's because we're brothers, Edward? Don't you remember your older brother?" Edward stared at Dr. Masen, not believing him. "Didn't you ever wonder why your parents didn't look anything like you when you grew up?"
"Well, yeah, I did." Edward said, still confused. "But what does that have to do with you? What even is your name?"
"My name is Peter Masen and you were taken from the nursery at midnight on June 25, 1995; five days after you were born. We never found you, but we were lucky that the kidnapper kept your last name. The first name, not really." Edward tensed up, thinking about what name he was originally supposed to have. "You were named Carson. Why? I don't know. I was only five at that time."
"Please stop, Peter, this is too much for me to handle." Edward said, gripping his hair in his hands. "Just please tell me why my girlfriend only remembers her ex-fiancee that almost killed her?"
Peter shook his head sadly. "The only explanation I can give you is that she probably hit her head on the ground or Jacob hit her head, causing temporary damage to her memories. All I can say is that you take it slow with her, she might remember you or she would create new memories with you."
Edward nodded and Peter wheeled him back in the hospital room.
Epilogue
Edward laced his fingers with Bella's as they walked through the forest towards their meadow. They hiked five miles north before breaking through the trees as the sun began to set. Edward brought Bella to the middle of the meadow and held her other hand. "Bella," he said, "From the first time I saw you, five years ago, when we were eighteen, I fell in love with you. When Jacob took you and your sister, Jacob almost ending your life after he killed Jane, shooting you in five different places," he said, as they both winced from the memory, " I almost died myself, literally. When you woke up, not knowing me and asking for Jacob, I was devastated. But, as your gun wounds began to recover, so did your memories. You stayed with me after we graduated and even moved in with me." Edward looked at Bella and went down on one knee on the grass and pulled out a midnight blue box. "Bella Elizabeth Yang, you are my life. When you are hurt, I am hurt. When you are happy, I am happy. I would rather die than to live a life without you." Edward sighed and opened the box, revealing a ring, 'forever' engraved on it. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes, yes, yes! And a million more yeses. " Bella yelled. Edward stood and hugged Bella, sliding the ring on her finger. Bella looked at the ring. "Forever" She read. She tilted her head to look up at Edward and smiled, hugging herself closer to her before Edward's lips crashed on her as she snaked her hands up into his hair, moving their lips in perfect sync.