Chapter 2
I stepped into the bathroom, and closed the door in my next step. It's when I turned around, that I almost screamed to the top of my lungs, that's when it grabbed my face, with what seemed to be its hand. I looked frantically around the bathroom, looking for something to bash it with, but I looked like everything was a mile away. My head started to spin.
"Sorry for, intruding like this, Bella, what an odd place to finally meet your acquaintance." The very large, very dark figure whispered in my left ear. I could feel the icy coolness in this breath. I wanted to scream, but all that came out was a pathetic squeak.
"Oh, you better hold that scream, young lady. We can't be having Edward dearest, knowing that we have come to have a short, brief get together with you. He would terribly dread that," The figure said, frowning and staring to the left of me. I tried to scream but, he muffled me so tightly, I could barely breathe.
"Nuh-uh," He said shaking his head, putting his finger to his lips. "Shhh…"
I tried to nod my head 'yes' while tears rolled down my tight eyes.
"Very good, Bella dear," He said, easing some of the weigh off my face. "Now, there is no reason for tears," The figure said crookedly smiling. "Now is there? There isn't a problem here, right? Unless, you don't do as we say…"
We? What we? I thought. Suddenly two other figures appeared to either side of the man that was talking to me. Both of them were tall and masked themselves with long hooded cloaks that reached all the way to the ground, and drooped a little on the floor. This clearly wasn't going to end well.
"No troubles right? You won't cause any trouble with us right little Bella?" It taunted me.
I shook my head 'no' with more ease. He let go of my mouth. I screamed and screamed until I felt I had no more breath in me. I literally didn't. It turns out that my screaming had no effect because there was no voice to scream with. It's like he took my voice away… Next thing I know, I'm on the bathroom floor, scrawled out, gasping for air. What was happening? I couldn't talk, I couldn't breathe… was I going to die?
"Bella dear," He looked at me, I had suffering in my eyes, my lungs begged for air… He smiled. My torture seemed to amuse him.
"Do you see what we can do now, Bella, to you frail, pathetic humans?" Suddenly changing his expression from glee to a long frown.
"Do not tempt us. Just do what we say, and as fast as we say… or there will be dire consequences, of course, to your dear Edward,"
This struck a chord in my lungs even more. Just the name coming out his wretched mouth made me feel like I was going to die immediately and not because of loss of breath. He wouldn't dare…
"Yes, I would," He smiled wide now, showing his teeth. "Cullen's family is not the only one with gifts." Just like that. It was over. He was gone. He vanished into a large puff of black smoke, just like in the Disney movies. I survived, which is unlikely in most of my case scenarios. Or did I? I realized I still couldn't breathe. I scrambled to my feet, and used all the strength in me to open the door, which felt like the biggest task ever. I sloppily ran down the hallway stopping at my room door abruptly, holding onto the frame of the door with dear life. Edward jumped up off my rocking chair, and I was in his arms in the flash of a second. He looked at me, looking the most confused as I ever seen him.
"Bella, what's wrong? Speak to me…" He said looking even more bewildered by the second. If I had the strength I would have put my hands around my neck, signaling that I couldn't breathe. Edward not being able to read my mind really sucked at this point. Gifts… I thought to myself, during what I thought was the last seconds of my life.
I heard him call my name again. "Bella!"
My eyes seemed to have drifted without my permission and it was closing. That's probably why he shouted my name like that. I still couldn't breathe. These were the last seconds of my life. The last moment I was going to share with Edward.
"Truly heartbreaking, isn't it?" I heard a sarcastic voice call. I looked frantically around the room to find where it was coming from. It was the dark figure again, and he was standing at the corner of room. He was smiling of course, and within a second, he waved his hand slightly. My breath returned to me. I sucked one loud breath in and tried to regulate my breathing. Edward half smiled, I guess he was glad to see me not die.
He clutched my face with cold, smooth marble hands. "Bella, are you alright? Can you breathe now Bella? What happened?" He looked deep into my eyes, his eyebrows pulled together, showing his intense worry, and waiting for an answer.
"Lie." I heard a loud voice scream, it wasn't soothing at all. I already knew where it was coming from.
As soon as I was able to speak, I replied to his question. "Nothing," I tried to wiggle out of his arms. He placed me down carefully onto the cold, hard wooden floor. I grabbed my neck, still feeling the warmth of the dark figures hands. I shuddered. I plopped onto the edge of my bed, not even believing anything was real today.
"Nothing?!" Edward said furiously. "Oh! So that was 'nothing'?! Isabella Swan, don't you ever put me through that again! Do you know how it feels when you are there suffering, looking like you're about to die, and it seems like there is nothing I can do about it?! Why, if I had a heart, I would probably have a heart attack!" He was enraged.
At the corner of my eye, I could see the dark figure again. When was he ever going to leave me alone? My head spun around to confirm his presence. He was still there. Still smiling, he was slowly clapping his hands.
"Very well, Bells, you look like you can take directions very well," It said.
I scrunched my face cloyingly. He was truly disgusting. I looked back at Edward, finally realizing that he could not see or hear the dark man. He probably can't even read his mind, I thought.
"That's right, Bells, It's like I'm not even here. I am invisible." He said out loud.
Or was it in my head? I realized that when he spoke, his lips did not move. Maybe he was speaking in my head.
"The only time my lips move is when you humans get the best of me, occasionally." He said with a half chuckle, as if his joke was actually funny.
"STOP IT!" I screamed. I didn't mean for Edward to hear me. Edward snarled and looked hastily around the room. His vampire teeth showing, looking quite sharp. As if the slightest touch of them would rip you to shreds. His feet spread apart and his arms waving around, as if he were ready to attack.
"Someone else is in here… I can feel it…" He managed to say, breathing heavily His nose flared. His eyes were turning a sharp black, no longer seeming to have a pupil, not even being the lovely golden color it had on a normal basis.
"Looks like I'm overstaying my welcome," said the dark man, while snickering and staring at a very tense vampire. "Bella," he said suddenly piercing me with cold eyes I could not see. He said nothing more, and turned around sharply, walked into the wall, leaving a large puff of purple-black smoke, with the coat tails of his very long cloak, fluttering behind him.
"Calm him, Bella." I heard this voice say casually. It sounded more like an order than a suggestion.
