Chapter 2
My heart pounded with the passion that I could not deny. I loved Edward. I loved every inch of his pale face, that shone like a luminescent beacon in my mind. Nothing in the world could prevent me from loving him, not until the bitter end of the cycle of harsh time.
And so I meandered back to my home, where my father said hello to me, but he could not grasp the emotions hidden behind my eyes. I could feel myself quivering with delight as I waited in my room, for what, I did not know, but it would come and set my heart alight with radiant fire.
And it came. Edward waited in my room, sitting on my chair, a dignified air in his inscrutably veiled eyes of intensity. "Bella," he breathed, "I have come to tell you—no. There is no time for overtures."
"No matter what anyone shall say, I shall be with you forever. This is my decision, Isabella, and I shall stand by it. You see—come with me."
As we paraded into the woods behind my house, his hand inched through the air, as if some unspoken desire waited on the tips of his fingers, waiting to reach out through that infinite gap and rest his fingers and entwine them with mine, and then my happiness would be eternal. If only…those alabastered hands would reach out through that void, and give a voice to the longing that I knew slumbered in both of our beating hearts…
"Do I surprise you?" whispered Edward, so close to my ear. I could not say a word. The thought that my experience was real seemed like the most fleeting of dreams.
"I have something to show you." And then we stepped into a meadow, and we lay down on the grass. The sunbeams descending through the treetops in a glinting shower of gold radiance struck Edward's pale skin and caused it to become a myriad wonder of tantalizing points of light.
"I love you," he whispered. "Nothing shall prevent me from loving you. From the moment I saw you, I knew that we were destined to be together, though time may tear us apart and bring tears, but those tears shall turn to tears of pure bliss, once we weather the storms of life and come through them with joy in our hearts, my love. And you shall be my love for eternity."
"But how…" was all that I could say. His brilliance was so dazzling that I almost had to cover my eyes for fear of becoming too dazzled.
"Can you feel it?" he whispered.
"Yes…I can…" I murmured.
"You do not seem bothered by the way I look." His shirt, half-unbuttoned, hugged his smooth, firm chest muscles.
"Why do you…sparkle? It's so…luminous…" I could not keep the excitement out of my voice, the quavering palpitation of anticipation.
"What do you think I am, Bella?" he stated inquisitively.
"I don't know…"
"But I cannot tell you." He stood up and stared at the ground, hesitation beginning to form in his face.
"What?"
"I cannot tell you. No. You must never see me again, Bella. Please. Do not ask me why. But you may know eventually. Put me out of your mind forever, and do not think about me ever again. It will only cause you pain."
"But…no!" But he was gone. Gone from the woods, gone from my life. Forever.