Chapter 2: Are you afraid of the dark?
~What comes from the cradle goes to the grave~
I blinked, looking around with a confused mind. Where in the world was I? The place looked a little familiar but I just couldn't remember. My vision seemed to be going in and out, like completely blank one moment and normal the next second.
Beautiful cupid statues. Lot of tall trees. A...a tombstone.
I realized with a start that I was standing directly in front of Edward Anthony Masen's grave. But how did I end up here? A sudden cry startled me.
A girl sat next to his tombstone, sobbing loudly into her arms which were folded on top of her knees. I looked around, to check if I was the only one here or someone else was there.
Nope. Not a single soul in sight.
"Um…hey….a-are you okay?" I asked timidly as I inched forward slowly. I was worried why I wasn't freaking out yet. I was alone in a secluded cemetery with no one. I was supposed to scream my lungs out.
Well, that was what the girls in the movies did anyway.
The girl continued crying, like she hadn't even heard me. I scolded myself mentally because I knew it was the stupidest thing to do. I moved forward and tentatively touched her fragile looking shoulders.
She looked up sharply and I jumped back with a hammering heart. Her yellow hair nearly fell to her waist with two elaborate strands curling around her tear stained beautiful face.
"He won't listen to me, he won't listen to his parents, and he won't listen to anyone. Why does he have to be so stubborn? I told him he is being an idiot but he's got his head wrapped around the same idea! Why won't he listen?" She cried, more tears rolling down her flushed cheeks.
"Miss, are you okay?" I repeated, staring worriedly at her. She was dressed in what seemed to be a floor length white gown with long sleeves.
I looked down at my body. I was wearing a black tank top and frayed blue jeans. My hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and my favorite boots was on my feet.
We had a major dress difference between us. It was more like she was representing the 20th century while I was representing the 21st century.
She quickly stood up, and oh boy, she was taller than me. She reached forward and got hold of my arm in her cold grip as if I was going to run. That wasn't necessary, her hypnotic eyes itself held me in place.
"Can you help me? Please, stop him. Tell him that it's dangerous." She pleaded while I had no clue what she was talking about.
I suddenly felt a presence behind me. The girl looked behind me and her eyes widened as more tears poured out.
"Let her go, don't get her involved in this." A smooth velvety masculine voice commanded.
I tried to turn but her hand was too strong.
"Really, why do you care?" She screamed, definitely angry now.
With one powerful shove, she pushed me on the hard tombstone.
I woke up with a start. My heart was racing so hard that I felt like I was having a cardiac arrest. I sat up on the bed and stared at the window, which was now lightened up by the rising sun.
My alarm clock told me that it was 6:30 AM but I was in no mood to go back to sleep. Pushing my bed sheet away, which was tangled very badly with my legs, I went inside my own attached bathroom.
Within a few minutes, I emerged back into to the room after brushing my teeth and having a quick bath. I didn't know how to get my mind off the dream I just had. The nightmare, as I would like to call it, had seemed so real that I could almost feel the touch of the blonde girl.
My eyes focused on my nightstand where the old battered book was. That book was the exact cause of my horridly confusing nightmare. Instead I stared at the calendar which hung above the book. It was October 28th. Halloween was just 3 days away.
I had no intention of going back to the Eternal cemetery to return the so-called witch's spell book. I meant it, really, it was a spell book. The pages had diagrammatic representations of various ancient symbols and some of the pages had the same red blood stain.
There were writings, beautifully cursive, but I couldn't understand most of them since they were in some other language. I guessed it was Latin, because I found the name mentioned in one of the notes.
The book would have held my avid interest if it weren't found in a cemetery on the first place. All I could think about was the way the book was buried in a pile of dead leaves on top of the grave.
It was disgusting and scary at the same time.
I was still sleep walking, so I opened my closet and pulled the outfit for the day. Today was going to be a long day. Sasha was the head of the decorating committee for the Halloween dance which was to be held in our school, so I knew that she would be coming to me for help.
I slowly dressed, first pulling on my top then my skinny jeans. I sat in front of my long intricate carved mirror and ran a brush through my hair.
A sudden cool breeze flew over my face, making strands of my hair blow all over my face. I sat up straighter, looking around. The window was closed and the ceiling fan was off. Where did that wind come from?
It felt almost like a soft caress against my skin, like the touch of a silk. I certainly wasn't sleeping anymore; instead I was frantically looking around with my heart drumming wildly against my rib cage.
I ran the brush through my hair for the last time and almost ran to the desk to get my watch and school bag. Whether I was early or not, I had to get out of this room.
When I went to my nightstand to take my cell, I froze. On top of the spell book, there was a chain. I lifted the chain up which had an owl pendant hanging on it. The details on it were beautiful, definitely olden.
I wondered if mom had kept it there as a surprise for me. I fastened it around my neck and after stuffing the spell book inside my school bag, I ran to the empty kitchen.
I assumed mom and dad were still asleep, so I left the house to Heidi's which was right next to mine. Heidi's mother opened the door with a cheerful smile.
"She just woke up," her mom explained as she guided me to the kitchen.
I sat on one of the chairs near the counter and watched as she made breakfast for her family.
"Can you hand me the juice from the fridge, dear?"
I got up, walked to the fridge and opened the door. After I took the juice bottle out, I closed the door and almost screamed. For a second, I thought I saw the same blonde girl I had seen on my dream. She seemed to be leaning against the counter, staring at me through her penetrating eyes. It was more of a glare.
"Is everything all right?" Heidi's mother looked at me with a concerned face.
"Fine," I assured as I passed the bottle unsteadily to her.
Heidi soon bounced down and we left to school after having some freshly squeezed orange juice.
"Nice owl," she commented at my new chain with a peculiar look on her face.
Sasha started about the Halloween dance as soon as we reached her in the school parking lot. Heidi began to suggest a masquerade dance.
"I need something new," Sasha whined with a pout. "Masquerade is nice but don't you think we should add something else in the dance, like fake bats suddenly flying through the hall?"
"How about…." I trailed off as I opened my locker. "Wait, guys, I forgot tell you something."
I immediately filled in about the book.
"That is impossible," Heidi wrinkled her nose.
"Believe it or not," I rolled my eyes and secretly handed them the book from my bag.
"Okay, this is creepy." Sasha chewed on her red painted lips with a frown. "On the other hand….this is an advantage."
"How so?" I demanded, slamming my locker shut. The girls standing nearby jumped in surprise and shot me a scowl.
"Have you read the spells inside?" She asked with the hint of a satisfied smile.
"They are in Latin." I threw my hands up.
"Not all of them." Heidi grinned widely and dog marked a page. "This one is in English."
"What is it about?" I looked at them expectantly.
Both Sasha and Heidi exchanged grins and said in a dramatic dark voice. "Waking the dead."
Three days later, on Halloween, I slumped in my bed and watched as Sasha and Heidi threw their bags which contained the costumes for the dance.
"Cheer up, Bella. The dance is going to be awesome, thanks to the spell book." Heidi said as she stripped down to her innerwear.
"What if it really happens, huh? You guys are nuts. We found the book in the grave of a witch's, how can you be so sure that nothing would happen? And I cannot believe that you are going to recite the names of the dead people of the Eternal cemetery." I buried my face in my hands.
"We are only making them famous, Bella. You know what Mr Hale said. These people in the cemetery died bravely and never got their names mentioned!" Sasha exclaimed, admiring her new short hair cut in the mirror.
"But why are you taking their family names too?" I eyed her disbelievingly.
"Um, hello, their family had to be brave enough to let their children go to the war, Bella." She replied with a roll of her big blue eyes.
"Fine!" I threw my hands up in surrender. "Can I see the names?"
"Well, let's see." She rummaged through her green Prada bag and threw me a notepad.
"We are not reciting everyone's names, only people I could imagine." Heidi came closer to us. "I am using these names: Emmett McCarthy, I could see him as kind of a big guy so I'm putting Tyler in his role. Edward Masen, tall and lean maybe, so Alec is playing him. Rosalie Hale…"
"Whose family does Rosalie belong to?" I interrupted her.
"Alec's group was the one which noted down her name. I think her grave is just opposite to Edward's. Maybe they were lovers." She smirked.
"Yuck." I wrinkled my nose. I found it somehow…..disturbing.
Sasha had explained to me earlier that she would stage a play in the middle of the dance. And that was: Heidi will read the spell with the names included in it and some students dressed as the mentioned people will act like they were zombies, who had come to the dance straight from the cemetery.
I felt uneasiness regarding the whole idea. What if they really woke up? That would be one dreadful disaster.
"Okay, enough with the explanations. It's dressing time, ladies." Heidi announced, throwing the white bag at me which had my gown in it.
I set aside the notepad and unzipped the bag, taking out my dress.
Sasha had announced to everyone in the school that it was a masquerade dance and only people wearing ball gowns and masks were allowed inside. You can come in any character you want, she had finished. I wasn't sure vampire and zombie makeup would look good with the gowns.
Sadly, mine was a ball gown too.
It was traditionally a full-skirted blood red gown reaching to my ankles, made of luxurious fabric – satin and delicately and exotically trimmed with lace, pearls and sequins. It was strapless with a beaded neckline and I covered my bare creamy shoulders with a beautiful black cape. Sasha insisted that I wear elbow length gloves that she lent me. It went well with the black mask I was wearing.
Heidi had helped me do my hair, curling it in big waves, and then pulling the front, back away from my face with a barrette. I drew pencil outline on my lips and then filled them with red lip gloss.
The result was stunning. I barely recognized myself.
"Boy, don't you look ravishing." Heidi grinned, admiring me.
"Then I don't even have a word to describe you." I pointed out drily.
Heidi looked fantastic in her purple colored velvet gown which had a low neckline. Her red hair was pulled into a tight stylish knot at the side of her neck. Her mask was also purple with a red feather on the side.
"She's advertising the goods again," I whispered to Sasha who choked on a laugh.
"Hey, I heard that!" Heidi threw me a glare.
Sasha was a in a white lace gown which had shiny sequins all over. A tiny tiara sat on her blonde head and her mask was white too.
"I didn't know that a virgin is going to be sacrified tonight!" Heidi snickered at Sasha who ignored her.
We reached the school a little late and I barely recognized the inside. Sasha and her team had done a very good work to the gym. Tables were covered with brown rugs -garbage bags for sure- and bowls filled with red liquid sat on top of it.
Chandeliers gleamed from the ceilings and fake bats with shiny red eyes hung from them. I froze when I saw the stage.
"Uh...okay...aghhh, are you kidding me?" I was so shocked.
"Don't you like it?" Sasha seemed pleased.
Fake tomb stones were arranged on the stage with names on them. One of the stones read 'Edward Anthony Masen Jr.'
"Alec is hiding right under that stone," She explained thrilled when she saw me staring at it. "After Heidi finishes reading that spell, he would open the cardboard top and come out as a zombie! Boooo!"
Students were gathered around the stage, pointing and talking excitedly.
Heidi climbed on the stage and started reciting the spell from the same book. "I command these people to wake up from their sleep and join the land of the living..."
She said a more number of names which I was not familiar with. Suddenly, wind burst inside the building and the large windows slammed hard against the wall. All the lights went out and some girls screamed.
I found myself taking a step back, totally freaked out. That was because I knew that the wind was real and the lights had gone out automatically, and none of this was included in Sasha's agenda. When the lights came back, Sasha face was very pale.
"What the hell just happened?" She whispered to me, her lips barely moving.
The cardboard fittings on the stage creaked open and familiar students dressed like soldiers and people from the last century came out, scaring everybody half to death.
The dance began soon after. I was a little shocked when I saw a girl with a baby bump inside her ball gown. Would they ever get over the fantasy of being pregnant?
Some students had colored their faces green like zombies and had placed the masks on top it.
My head pounded from the loud music and I could not get over the creepy wind and blackout.
"I am having a migraine. I think it will be better if I go outside for a sec." I informed Sasha before I slipped out of the school building.
The sun had set and I saw a flash of thunder above. It was definitely going to rain tonight.
I pulled the cape tight around my shoulders and walked a little distance before I stopped. If I moved a little more, I would reach the Eternal cemetery. The moon was up, gleaming silver in the sky. It was a full moon, I guessed.
I turned around to go back and that was when I bumped into someone.
"Sorry," I said and took a hasty step back.
"My apologies, Miss." His alluring masculine voice made me look up. Waaaay up.
He was atleast a foot taller than me and his beauty astonished me. He had an exotic face with high cheekbones, deep set sparkling green eyes, sharp pointed nose and a strong jaw. His hair was a shade of reddish brown messed up on top of his head. His lean, lithe body was dressed in what seemed to be an old fashioned black coat on top of a satin white shirt and classic black pants adorned his legs.
Definitely twentieth century attire. I was sure because every boy inside the school was wearing the same outfit.
I was also sure that he was not from Forks; it was hard to miss a boy like him.
"It's okay," I replied, trying to keep the stutter out of my voice.
He was watching me, his forest green eyes penetrating into mine. Slowly, small creases started forming on his forehead and I wondered how anyone could look so adorably confused. It was not fair.
"A young lady like you must not wander in the dark without company." He spoke again, his deep voice making me weak in the knees.
"My school is just nearby, there's nothing to worry. Have you come to the dance too?" I questioned, looking around.
"What dance?" He blinked, shaking his head. "No, I'm not. I assume you are going there."
"I am," I squinted my eyes at the badge which was pinned to the lapel of his coat.
I was in for a shock when I realized what it was. It was a soldier rank, with the stars. And they had this small symbol at the corner, which I had read in my history book as the World War 1 much known symbol.
"If you don't mind me asking...what year is it?" He asked and I wasn't sure if he was trying to be funny.
"2012," I answered easily. "21st century, to be more specific."
Now he was clearly upset. His perfect pink lips opened and closed, like he was speechless. He raked his hand through his messy hair and made them stick up in every direction.
"You okay?" I glanced behind me before looking at him.
"I..." He focused his gaze back at me and then suddenly took a step closer to me. "Are you sure this isn't 1918, Miss?"
"No," I shook my head while my eyes widened at our close proximity. "And stop calling me miss. I mean, seriously, are you from 1918?"
"I am...not. Sorry, then what shall I call you?" He smiled now, and it was breath taking.
"Bella. What's yours?" I smiled back.
"Edward. Edward Masen." He touched my hand and almost took it to his lips. Then he seemed to correct himself. Was he about to kiss my knuckles?
"Bella?" A sudden worried voice interrupted us. From the distance, I could see Sasha's gleaming white dress.
"Well, Edward, I'll see you around." I said reluctantly as I took a step back.
Edward nodded and watched as I walked to where Sasha was searching for me. As we both walked back into the dance, I couldn't help but glance back to find his black outline still standing at the same place.
Edward Masen...1918...soldier stars...World War 1...
"Do you hear yourself, Bella?" I whispered to myself, freaked out. "It's time to visit the pyschatrist."
Alright guys, here is the next chapter. I am eagerly waiting to know what you all think about this chap. So far, so good... More reviews, more love for this story shared :D Anyway, Edward is 18 years old in this story since a 17 year old boy is not allowed to participate in the war.
-BellaEdwardJacobLove