A/N: I know, I know, it's not Calefaction update, but I'm just having a tough time with that at the moment. Hopefully this will tide you guys over.
Let me know what you think! :)
Chapter 3 is a split point of view.
Numb
Chapter 3
The Beginning of the End
Coincides with Calefaction: Chapter 13
Emmett PoV
She was at it again.
Specifying which 'she' was unnecessary really, because the actions of the Cullen women on the first day of school were as predictable as...
The tides?
The moon cycles?
They were as predictable as the plot lines for the painfully generic 'reality' programs that had somehow been dubbed good television recently.
Alice was downright terrifying. You wouldn't think the little pixie had it in her, what with all the candy sweet smiles she usually tossed around, but once she'd begun channeling the long lost spirit of some diabolical tyrant, honing that power into her fashion fascism, well… I was roughly three times her size and even I ran like a scared school girl. If one enjoyed their limbs intact, and I was rather fond of having them attached and fully functional, one simply steered clear of Alice. Poor Edward wasn't so lucky. Sounded like he'd been cornered, as I heard Alice in his room, demanding furiously to know why the length of shoelace beneath the knots on his shoes were longer than one and three eighths inches. Hadn't she explicitly stated one and three eighths?! I didn't doubt for a second that she had.
Bella's breathing had resumed a slumberous cadence, and I imagined that she'd dragged herself back between her sheets. Alice had bodily hauled her out of bed this morning more than an hour earlier than was strictly necessary, and every few minutes, when Alice when to check on her other fashion-retarded wards, she'd sneak back onto her comforter with a blissful sigh. T minus three minutes until Alice treated us all to a furiously shrill shriek fit to bring the house down. I only hoped that Bella resigned herself to her fate before my ears began to bleed.
Esme was curled up in one of the wide leather wing chairs in the living room, alternately laughing and sighing. I didn't need to see her, or even hear the faint ruffling of the pages, to know that she held a photo album in her lap and was slowly flipping through the images that catalogued Bella's life. She got a little worse with each passing year. Morning hugs grew longer and tighter; goodbyes were spoken with less enthusiasm and more melancholy. I couldn't help but wonder how she would cope with Bella's eventual transformation. Perhaps it would be a relief to no longer have to watch our mortal family member grow and essentially die before our very eyes. Personally, I couldn't wait.
And Rose…
Well, Rose was sulking.
I glanced up from the khaki shorts Alice had laid out for me, my eyes lingering on the still perfection of my wife. She looked for all the world like Sleeping Beauty, lying in our bed with her softly tousled blonde locks and smooth porcelain skin. I felt a familiar tightening, low in my stomach as my gaze wandered from the faint pink of her lips, down to the deep blue silk that covered her breasts, which I knew were peaked with the same color.
She stirred, perhaps watching me from beneath the dark sweep of her lashes, stretching slightly, a feline purr rumbling in her chest.
I looked away, clearing my throat as I tugged on the shorts, rebelliously ignoring the green briefs Alice had set out in favor of some roomier boxers with smirking, personified hearts on them.
Rose didn't utter a word, nor did she open her eyes. She hadn't looked at me since the previous night, when I'd told her in no uncertain terms that there was absolutely no sexual service she could perform that would convince me to skip Bella's last two years of school. She'd been less than amused when I'd teasingly relented with a: "Well, there is one thing, but where are we going to get an ice sculpture of Zeus, an antique set of golf clubs and a dozen live gazelles at this hour?"
I mean, come on, hilarious.
As the blue and green polo fell into place (a little more snugly than I'd have chosen it), I made an attempt. It felt like I was the only one doing that these days.
"Rosie, c'mon. What's eight hours when we have forever?"
She responded without looking at me. I couldn't blame her, really. These dimples brought all the girls to the yard.
"And you'll have forever to go to school with Bella, once she's been changed. I don't see why you absolutely have to go these two when I obviously want you to stay with me. But what do I matter, I'm just your wife after all."
She rolled onto her side with an air of finality, but I was far from finished. The jabs didn't even faze me; after seventy years I knew when to take it personally and when to let it go.
Sinking onto the edge of the bed, I reached over to lightly trail a fingertip over her arm. She shrugged me off with a low growl.
"Come with us, baby. It's not too late to get you enrolled. It'll be just like old times."
Her eyes snapped open and she glared over her shoulder at me. If looks could kill Carlisle would already be researching vampire resuscitation.
"Emmett, as I've told you, forty three times now, I don't want to go. What do you not understand about that?"
I shrugged helplessly, hating that she was so upset, but unwilling to relent on this. I shouldn't have to be the one to always compromise.
"Why don't you want to go?"
She sighed, a sound of bitter irritation, and turned to face me once more, her scathing glance causing my own ire to rise. "Really? You really have to ask me that, Emmett? Well let's see here." Her lips formed a snide moue, an ugly expression that had me wondering how I could've been pondering their beauty only a few minutes early. Her long, tapered fingers began moving, and she ticked off her reasons as she spoke them. "Let's see here. Um. Bella's falling over sick every other day with some mystery illness. Add to that her inability to stand on her own two feet, and you have the recipe for some interesting, entirely inconspicuous fun. Edward is acting like a complete fool when it comes to the girl, protecting her one moment and about to drain her the next. Jasper has no control of his bloodlust around the mortals, and you just know how I love worrying that our cover will be blown, following him around like he's a poorly trained puppy."
I arched a brow, hoping to silently remind her that the others, save for Bella, could hear every angrily enunciated word.
She either didn't get the message, or didn't care, because she pushed right on.
"A lot of good Carlisle is when he can't even tell us what's wrong with Bella, and Alice can't see her attacks. I don't want to deal with the sheep (her awful nickname for humans) on top of all of that, alright?! Are those enough reasons for you Emmett? I have more!"
I sighed, raking my hand through my hair and standing slowly. I knew, had always known, that my Rosie was a fundamentally selfish creature. We all were, really. Vampire. Human. But the extent of her self-centeredness was astounding at times.
"You can't blame the others for things they have no control over," I started, ignoring her irritable mutterings. "Do you think that Bella enjoys being ill? That she'd ever wish such a thing upon herself? The poor girl feels the burden of her humanity more than any mortal probably ever has. She hates worrying us."
"Well, she sure is getting a lot of attention lately, isn't she?" Rose suddenly interjected, and I turned an incredulous stare on her.
"Are you kidding me?! I love you, but c'mon Rose. This is Bella, not you we're talking about." She didn't even pretend to look offended. Rosalie loved the spotlight and we all knew it. "To Bella, all attention is unwanted, so don't even try and lay this on her. She hates it and you know it."
Sniffling daintily, Rose shrugged her shoulders.
"As for Edward…Well, yeah, he's a morose, temperamental idiot, but we knew that long before Bella entered our lives."
Her lips tugged upward in a faint smile. I didn't like that expression. I knew it only too well. She had something up her sleeve, most likely, something unpleasant.
"You can't even tell, can you?" she suddenly asked, her tone questioning my intelligence with every syllable.
"Tell what?" I asked, baffled by the query.
She snorted, laughing suddenly. "Nevermind. Please, continue with your feeble defense."
My fists clenched convulsively at her dismissive words. I hated when she got this way. My wife had a tongue that could slice through even the toughest of hides. And I meant that figuratively.
"Well, Jasper is doing well, and you know it."
"Then why are we constantly forced to watch him?!" she demanded. "If his control is so admirable, why must he always be accompanied by the rest of us?"
"He needs support, Rose. Surely you, of all people, can understand that."
She stared coldly at me, her eyes speaking in no uncertain terms that I was not permitted to further bring up the incident in which her carefully controlled grasp of her bloodlust had faltered. Of any of us, minus Edward's lapse, she'd been the most recent to feed on a human.
"The others are doing all they can to ensure that Bella is well and safe. There's only so much they're capable of, even with their abilities."
Silence fell between us at my proclamation, and I couldn't help but feel that she hadn't heard a word I'd said.
"Emmett?" she finally murmured.
I glanced up from rearranging my collar, which Alice insisted I not fold down.
"Hmm?"
"Are you going to stay home with me?"
I felt my control slipping away at an alarming rate.
"No," I grumbled through clenched teeth.
"So…Bella is more important to you than I am?"
If she thought I was falling into that trap, she was nuts. I shook my head.
"You're equally important to me, but in different ways Rose. Please, don't do this."
"If you walk out that door, Emmett, it'll speak volumes for where your true love lies," she whispered, her voice pained. I recognized the contrived tone. I hated it.
Spritzing on exactly three and a half sprays of the cologne Alice had given me for my last birthday, feeling decidedly girly in doing so, I turned to the door.
"Why are you dividing the family into them and us, Rosie?"
In a small fit, she rent the silk sheets clean in two as she sprang to her feet.
"Because you always choose them! You always choose her!"
I laughed quietly, the sound far from amused. "That's enough Rose. We're a family. A single entity. You'd do well to remember that."
As I stepped forward, she reached out and grabbed my arm.
"Don't you dare go, Emmett."
I lightly shrugged her off, closing the door behind me.
Lysandra PoV
I was dreaming.
I didn't know it when I hesitantly walked up the slick gravel path, tiny stones churning and crunching underfoot; unwilling to continue, yet unable to stop myself.
I didn't realize as I tiptoed up the concrete stairs, hardly daring to breathe for the ominous, looming shadows that seemed to be just waiting for an excuse to shroud me in their gloom.
But as I approached the heavy iron door, intricately patterned with blooming roses and delicately crisscrossing thorn-laden vines, as I laid my hands against the cool metal that barred my entrance from a seemingly invisible house, comprehension settled in.
The knowledge was barely enough to contain my urge to turn and run; a notion that I immediately and silently mocked as incredibly foolish. Already the muscles of my legs were tensing, a subtle reminder that despite the current illusion of self-control, I was far from in charge here.
I knew where I was going, and unfortunately, it was not away.
In typical 'me' fashion, I decided it'd be best to do this like a band-aid.
Quick and incredibly painful.
I gave the door a hard shove, eager to get whatever terrors or unwanted revelations that awaited me over and done with.
To my surprise, it didn't budge. Not a single inch. Not even a slight trembling to signify that maybe, just maybe, it was thinking about opening.
Admittedly, upper body strength was not something I'd ever be able to brag about, even if the opportunity presented itself, but surely if I was meant to see what was behind the door, I'd actually be able to open the stupid thing.
I gave another shove, to no avail. I pushed and pulled and jostled and fiddled. I even did that thing that I'd seen in the movies, where I tried to ram the door with my shoulder. Who knew that dream pain could be just as vividly uncomfortable as the real thing?
Rubbing my arm, grumbling, I drew back to stare at the offending barricade. Obviously what little brute force I could actually muster wasn't the answer here.
Closer examination proved that there was no doorknob, nor any locks that I could see.
Gingerly, I ran my hand over the area where there would normally be some type of latch, uttering a pained gasp as one of the steel barbs caught the tip of my finger, rending a tiny tear in the skin. Instinctively, I tried to jerk away, had already pursed my lips to suck on the wound, but I was held fast; as though an iron manacle had wrapped around my wrist, preventing my retreat.
Blood seeped from the cut, staining the dark door in bright streaks of crimson, dripping to the ground with small splashes that were far too loud for the singular drops.
High, tinkling laughter rang out, disembodied, causing the hair at the nape of my neck to rise.
"It's just a dream, it's just a dream, it's just a dream..."
Repeating the mantra, I closed my eyes, hoping that the combination of words and refusal to witness would somehow make it all just go away.
Instead, cool breath bathed my ear and quiet words were trilled,
The boon requested has been paid.
To enter costs much more.
Be sure your mind is wholly made
'Fore stepping through the door.
The laughter rang out once more, and I swallowed convulsively, fear and curiosity mingling into a single paralyzing entity as the invisible hand that'd been holding my wrist released its bruising grasp.
My eyes flew wide as a low creak resounded, the door swinging open to reveal a murky corridor. Dark mist swirled threateningly, shadows creeping out of their corners to consume the minimal light. Debris littered the ancient hardwood floors, crack and worn through in some places, covered with moth eaten rugs.
I leaned in, just slightly, the warning of the ethereal voice ringing in my ears. In my peripheral vision I could see what looked to have once been expensive furniture, now in various states of disrepair.
I took a small step back, and my invisible companion uttered a gleeful giggle.
The endeavor has been undertaken,
By the greatest of them all.
Fleet of foot, go now, awaken,
For you are sure to fall.
My spine stiffened slightly at the challenge in that taunting, sing-song voice.
Was I really going to let a decrepit old house that didn't even really exist get the best of me?
I was certain I heard a quiet, swift inhalation as I set foot over the threshold, stepping swiftly into the hungry darkness that awaited.
It claimed me as surely as if I'd always been there, settling firmly, oppressively around me, a tight cocoon that made it difficult to breathe. I reached back blindly, seeking the door, which slammed shut with such finality that I couldn't help but wonder if I'd be waking at all from this dream.
As my eyes adjusted to the dim interior of the building I noticed the small swirls of black vapor that had been loitering, twisting languorously in the dilapidated corridor, sliding slowly toward me.
Panic that I'd managed to hold at bay began to slip free of its reins, unraveling until there was a brief moment where all I could hear was the dull, thundering roar of my own heart as it hammered wildly in my chest.
"L-Leave me alone!" I warned, though I sounded pathetic, even to myself.
Quiet laughter, again feminine, though this time much lower met my admonition.
Cringing back against the cold wall, I felt the sinuous whorls sliding slowly over my arms; the unmistakable feeling of bugs skittering over my skin causing me to shudder.
Your decision made
You come to regret your choice
There is no escape
The words, uttered in a far more threatening tone than that belonging to the specter outside of the building caused a cold knot of fear to settle in the pit of my stomach.
A slither of silken mist against my neck was my only warning, before suddenly one of the tendrils broke free from its brethren, coiling around my throat and squeezing slowly.
I reached up, desperately trying to pull the shadow figure away, but my fingers sliced futilely through the immaterial fog.
It was only a matter of moments before breathing became painful, the tiny, gasping breaths that I managed to squeeze past my tightening airways not nearly enough for my lungs, which burned for air.
"Please!" I gasped, the word little more than a squeak as I fell to my knees.
Would you escape now
At the cost of another
Make your decision
Why was she speaking in riddles?! In fucking haiku riddles?!
Did I want to get out of here?! Hell yes!
At the cost of another? I didn't know…
"What does that mean?!" I begged.
For a moment, there was nothing but white noise as consciousness began to fade.
Until…
You take what's not yours
But it comes willingly
Would you escape it?
Would you escape it?
Send it back into darkness
Would you save yourself?
I fell onto my side on the dusty floor, no longer struggling against the shadows that made it impossible to draw even a single breath.
My blurry mind was still unable to understand. I could save myself, but it would potentially harm someone else? Something else?
It wasn't a risk I was willing to take.
And with the final breath in my laboring lungs, I uttered such. "I won't…" I whispered.
There was a blinding flash of light, and a cry of pain from my invisible tormentor.
The shadows faded, melting away, and I coughed, drawing great gulps of air into my poor lungs.
A pair of strong, cool arms lifted me from the floor, cradling me against a massive chest.
Instantly, a sense of safety, of ease washed over me, and I clung to the figure, my savior, basking in the radiance he emitted.
"Are you alright?" he murmured, and I felt his cold breath lightly bathing my ear.
It was a warning that my instincts picked up on immediately, the cool, dead air, but something bigger, a part of me that made me who I was, had already been touched, influenced by his presence. I needed him, here and now. Forever.
I nodded helplessly, squinting up at him, trying to make out his face.
I could see nothing but that he was smiling.
Leaning in, he placed a chaste kiss to my bruised throat, and I tipped my head to the side, offering the skin there to him.
"You know that we don't have forever?" he murmured into my neck.
I did know that. It was unfortunate, but the decision was out of our hands.
"Yes," I whispered.
I felt him nod slowly. "I love you. No matter how it ends. You know that?"
And somehow, I knew that as well.
"Of course," I murmured.
There was a small kiss pressed directly to the wide, life-sustaining vein that throbbed in the slender column of my throat. He lapped at my skin, and I felt the pressure of his teeth.
"Tell me that you love me," he commanded quietly, just before there was a sudden slice of pain as he bit deeply. His lips and teeth moved in careful tandem, causing the burn to fade slowly as he incited a dark, languid pleasure.
I clung to him as he drank from me, whispering softly over and over that I loved him.
"When the time comes, this will be your reality. Do you understand me?" he murmured, the words spoken clearly and precisely despite the fact that I was certain his lips were covered in my blood.
I nodded, though I didn't understand him, my head feeling incredibly heavy on my shoulders. It lolled back slowly as I relinquished control of my muscles. I was beyond worrying. My angel would take care of me, now.
As a darkness far more permanent than that I'd earlier experienced blurred the edges of my vision, a quiet voice resounded in my mind.
It was a young woman, her words soft-spoken, less musical…more human, than those who had preceded her.
The fates are set in motion
Your story they now mend
For you have just established
The beginning of the end.
