"Fascinating." Carlisle's voice was the first thing I heard. "Absolutely fascinating."
Fascinating? What's fascinating?
Looking around the room, The first thing that I immediately noticed was that everything was so incredibly bright, almost painfully so! After shielding my eyes with my hand to alleviate some of the overhead glare, the second thing I noticed was that the entire family was just staring at me. Their expressions were a mix of shock and something akin to horror, but no one said a word.
This was not the reception that I had expected to wake up to... Well, if you could call finally escaping most excruciating, mind numbing pain possible, waking.
Did I look like a monster?
Worried, I turned to face my husband, who was sitting by my bedside.
"Edward?" I questioned, hating how weak and fearful my voice sounded, even to my own ears. It sure didn't sound like the voice of a monster. But, it didn't sound beautiful and bell-like, as Alice and Rosalie's did, either.
"Welcome back, my love," Edward replied, giving my hand a tender squeeze. His other hand came up and stroked the side of my face as his lips turned up into that sweet sideways smile that I adore and I couldn't help but begin to smile in response.
I figured that I was probably just over-analyzing things. I do have a tendency to do that, after all.
I reached up to take his other hand in mine, lacing my fingers with his, and resting both of our hands on my chest and that's when I really got worried. He gasped, his smile instantly fading away. His gaze left mine and dropped, instead, to our interlaced fingers, over my heart.
Oh, God... Something must be wrong with me… What is wrong with me?
Frantically, I looked down at myself, and saw nothing unusual. I released Edward's hand and felt my face, my neck, my other arm and then looked back to Edward, trying to catch his gaze with mine. He was shaking his head, slowly, his eyes still glued to the same spot they had been.
"Edward, what is it?" I asked, "What's wrong? Tell me, what's the matter?"
I fought to keep my voice under control. Now, I was really getting scared.
"Bella," he began, blinking a few times before, finally, looking back to my face, "Bella, you're heart..."
"My heart? What about my heart?"
Edward looked behind him to Alice, who responded with an awkward wave and a shrug that seemed intended for us both, before turning back to me again.
"It's beating," he replied. "You're heart is beating, Bella. It's"... his voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't understand," he finished, lamely, and the room was dead silent, once more.
My heart is beating? No. That is, in no way, possible!
I brought my hand back to my chest to feel for myself and yep. There it was. Pumping away, under there, as if nothing had ever happened.
Sitting upright, I finally looked over and beyond my husband, to Carlisle, who was in the far corner of the room.
"Carlisle? How is this possible? Does this mean?... Am I still human?"
He walked briskly to my bedside and took my face in his hands, looking deeply into my eyes. "Hmm," was his only initial response. He then gestured to my hand and asked, "May I?" to which I responded by settling my palm into his.
He lifted my arm, slightly, holding his fingers to the pulse-point at my wrist and staring at the skin over my forearm, intently, before repeating, "Absolutely fascinating," once more.
"Would you stop saying that!" I snapped at him, and was instantly, ashamed of myself. But, I was beginning to feel like a freak show, and very much like I was going to cry.
Can vampires cry? I don't think I ever asked that question...
At last, Carlisle released my hand and stepped back. He crossed one arm over his chest, his other hand stroking his chin and said, "No."
"No?" I asked. "No, what?"
No, he won't stop saying that?
"No, I don't think you are human. At least, not in the general sense," he clarified.
Okay. That was something.
"So... I'm okay then, right? Maybe this just takes a little longer, since Edward didn't actually bi-"
Shaking his head, Carlisle interrupted me, gently but firmly, leaving no room for questioning as to his opinion.
"But, I don't believe that you are a vampire, either."
Frustrated, I felt my hands ball into fists, my jaw clenched and I closed my eyes, trying to dam up the tears that were now welling within them.
Damn it! Same old Bella, I thought, clumsy and accident prone, right up to the very end.
I can't even die right!
Timeline is early BD. There is no Nessie in this story. I always found that a little too Fairy tale-ish for my taste. Besides, she wouldn't fit in well with my plot-line. :-)
As for what, exactly, Bella is? Well, you'll just have to wait to find out. That part is coming soon.
Thanks.
- Morgania
