Vampire to the Rescue

Mama brought me to school the next Monday. I saw quite a few people looking to see that I was inside the car. I almost didn't want to come out. "Always be careful, Beulah," said Mama.

I kissed her and carefully got out of the car, my crutches first. "Be careful," Mama repeated before driving off. My scarf fell from my head and on my shoulders. I couldn't adjust my scarf because I needed to hold my crutches. I frowned and tried to climb the school steps. It could have been a little easier if I had worn a shorter dress, but I didn't want attention on my lower half.

"Beulah!" called Angela. She hugged me. "Oh, it's nice to see you here again! Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I've been better," I said.

"Shall I carry your bag?" she asked.

"No, thank you. Anyway, I don't know how to take it off without falling," I said, showing her my backpack. "Have I missed a lot?"

"Just a couple of quizzes in at least two subjects—but you'll catch up," said Angela.

"What about the people here—anything new?"

"Edward Cullen hasn't come to school the entire week you were gone. Bella's been pretty sad."

"Why?"

Before Angela could answer, there was the familiar hum of the Cullen kids' expensive cars. First was Emmett Cullen's black-and-white Jeep Wrangler; then, Rosalie Hale's red BMW convertible; then, Edward Cullen's silver Volvo S60R.

"It looks like Bella will be happy now," I said grumpily.

Bella was relieved about it at lunchtime. I wasn't happy at all. I didn't want to see his bothersome bad-boy pretty face on Biology period. But just when I thought Bella would be enduring Edward's rudeness again, I was mistaken.

"Hi," sounded his clear, deep voice shortly after Bella sat beside him. His gaze was gentler. He said to Bella, "Sorry—I didn't get to introduce myself last week. I'm Edward Cullen. You're Bella?"

Mr. Molina instructed us to take a look at slides with samples from onion roots and label each under the different stages of mitosis. My partner and I were getting along and working together, but time after time, I would find myself listening in to Bella's conversation with Edward.

"You were gone," said Bella. It was something she had been craving to talk to him about.

"Yeah," said Edward softly. "I was out of town … personal reasons. …" I glanced at him. He didn't sound entirely truthful.

Edward and Bella continued talking. Bella did most of the talking, but only because of Edward's question. I learned from this conversation that Bella did not enjoy Washington State's humid and rainy continental climate. She seemed to view her move here as a bit of a sacrifice though. Bella's mother had remarried; Edward first takes this to mean that Bella had left home because she "didn't like the guy." But Bella claimed that "Phil is really nice."

I stopped eavesdropping and continued with my work. I liked Biology. Physics last year was okay, too, but Biology was so much more fun. I looked forward to the part where we talk about the human body; it would be interesting to learn how to damage it.

I ended up frequently checking my notes and textbook to identify what was under the microscope. I remembered reading from the Internet that these cells were made with chemicals, and some of these chemicals came from the food we ate. Part of the reason why I couldn't concentrate properly was that I was wondering the whole time what made vampires' bodies so cold and feel so hard, like moving statues.

Bella and Edward ended up winning Mr. Molina's golden onion by the end of the period. My locker was near Bella's, so I got to hear some more of their conversation.

"Why did you move from your mother and Phil?" asked Edward.

"Well, Phil's a Minor League baseball player, and he travels a lot. And my Mom stayed home with me. But I knew it made her unhappy, so … I figured I'd stay with my dad for a while."

"But now, you're unhappy," suggested Edward.

"No," said Bella, as if surprised at the question.

"I'm sorry, I just—I'm just trying to figure you out. You're very difficult for me to read."

I looked at him with a frown. He apparently let slip what he was not supposed to. Did that mean he could read minds? It definitely came out awkward. Oblivious, Bella asked him, "Hey, did you get contacts?" Her face looked blank, but I could tell she was entranced with him.

"No," answered Edward, who seemed a little surprised at the question.

"Your eyes were black the last time I saw you, and now, they're like—golden brown."

"Yeah, I know," said Edward quickly. "It's the—it's the—uh—it's the fluorescents." He shut his eyes tight, the awkwardness overwhelming him. He was embarrassed, but he didn't seem to blush.

I shook my head and looked away again. I had better things to do than listen to this conversation, which was over anyway. He turned back and strode away from Bella, his right fist holding his jacket tight.

After class, I went to the gym for what was going to be cheerleading practice. Normally, I would go straight to the locker rooms to change into a tank top and gym shorts and join them. Today, I watched them at the bleachers. I knew they could see me and were feeling sorry for me, but I had nothing but overwhelming helplessness. I watched them for twenty minutes and then left before any of them could approach me.

Today, Papa was taking me home. He tooted the horn "bi-beep!" to call my attention to the 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo waiting in front of the main building. "There's my Beulah," he crooned as I got in the front passenger seat.

"Hi, Papa," I said, kissing his scruffy cheek.

"Everything okay at school?" he asked, sneaking a glance at my lap, where he could certainly see where the swell of my left leg under my dress ends midway down the thigh.

"I'm getting the hang of using crutches," I said.

"No accidents today?" he asked, remembering how I had fallen several times while hopping.

"None," I said. "I watched cheerleading practice today. They're good."

Clearly catching the sadness in my tone, he gave me a sympathizing glance. "Well, sweetie …" he began, "I don't know when and how you can join them again, but I'm pretty sure you will. Now, you have more time to study, right?"

"Right," I said. "You're right; I do need to catch up on my schoolwork."

"Good girl!"

"How was your work?" I asked. "You're home early."

"There was a small fire in the building, so everybody got work off early," Dad said. "I'll have to troubleshoot any IT damage tomorrow, but I don't think there'll be any trouble."

When we arrived home, Golem kept a safe distance from me and only approached when I told him to. He knew I was in pain. I locked myself in my room with him. I popped two morphine pills and then one more. Golem whined behind me. "Don't tell me what to do," I snapped.

After quickly washing off my makeup, I put on a muscle shirt and panty shorts. Golem whined louder when I began to feel drowsy. "Shut up, Golem," I said as I turned on my CD player, playing Emilie Autumn's "Opheliac."

I lay down on the cool wooden floor, and Golem lay beside me, his head on my stomach. I liked feeling the vibration from the music rumble through the floor and against my body. The hum of the vibration was nearly as loud to me as Miss Autumn's death growl at the song's bridge. I closed my eyes and envisioned lying on a raft, the sun shining at the zenith. I was safe here.

When Mama brought me to school the next day, she told me she got a call from the prosthetist, telling her that the artificial leg was almost ready for fitting. "And maybe after that, we can get you through driving school again," she said, "so you can learn driving with an automatic. Your dad and I are getting you a car for your eighteenth birthday. Does that sound good?"

"But I have one leg," I said.

"You don't need two to drive with an automatic," explained Mama, smiling.

I smiled back. "I can drive again?"

She nodded. "We'll ask Miss Walton when you'll be ready to drive, but I expect it will be soon."

When we arrived in the school, I happily gave Mama a goodbye kiss and hurried to the school's main entrance to find the nearest restroom, so I could scratch my stump. The stitches were itching and stinging since I had left the house. But I couldn't touch it under my long dress and under my thick bandages. My one leg was trembling as I got off the car.

I could see Bella checking her bag on top of the hood of her truck. Edward was also standing by his car, which was parked close to the school building. He was staring at Bella intently, in a rather seductive pose. When I came close to him, I saw his eyes dart toward me. "What are you looking at?" I snapped.

Edward just ignored me again, his eyes darting back to Bella. I glanced back at her.

To my horror, Tyler's dark blue van was skidding toward her. She didn't react fast enough. I screamed—the van was going to hit her. But the bigger surprise was that I saw Edward's figure look like it turned into a streak that dashed toward Bella. A second or so later, Edward was there, with one arm around Bella, and the other holding back the van. And then, he left her, just as everybody else, including myself, came to Bella's aid.

I wanted to go and see if Bella and Tyler were okay, but I could barely take the itching anymore. I went to the clinic to take my pills. I told the nurse what I needed and directed me to a bed with curtains I could draw around it. I took off my clothes. I tossed my shawl on the bed, unbuttoned my heavy dress and pulled it off. I was left wearing only my black slip and underwear. I hurriedly removed the bandage around my stump, hips and waist.

"You shouldn't be scratching it," said a gentle, high-pitched voice that wasn't Angela's.

Below the hem of the curtain, I saw a pair of tiny feet with soft leather flats covered in synthetic gold. I slightly drew the curtain and was surprised to see Alice Cullen there. I had never seen her up close. She was so astoundingly beautiful that I momentarily wondered if this was real.

"How do you know I'm scratching it?" I asked irritably. "And come on! Let's see you resist scratching it. Oh, wait; you leeches don't quite feel these discomforts."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Alice, giving me an awkward smile.

I grabbed a silver-coated knife I had carried in my dress and pointed its blade at Alice. Her eyes widened. I smiled, satisfied to see her look so scared. "Don't make a fool out of me by pretending to be one," I said. "You have a lot in common with the people who attacked me: pale skin, agility, beauty, and a knack for lies. I read vampire literature, and believe me, I know one when I see one."

Alice frowned at me. "No, you don't."

"You never eat in the cafeteria. You never come to school on sunny days. …"

She moved a little closer. I felt a sharp tug of fear in my chest. "What do you want? Go away!"

"I need to talk to you about what happened to you. We could have stopped them from hurting you!"

"What, so you can take my blood? What more can you take from me?" I couldn't stop myself from crying. The stump didn't hurt right now, but I could feel the absence of the entire appendage. It was just as bad as feeling pain that shouldn't be there.

"This shouldn't have happened. My sister and I want to protect you."

"Rosalie?" I thought of the statuesque girl who strutted down the halls with her sister. I had never seen Rosalie up close either—or heard her voice. "And your brothers?"

"They want to find the vampires who did this to you and send them away."

"Since when do you bloodsuckers care about people like me?"

Dr. Cullen came into the ward and addressed Charlie and Bella not far from us. "Carlisle," said Alice.

I peeked through the curtain and saw a tall, pale blond man coming toward to clinic. "Dr. Cullen," the nurse said to him, and he smiled back. He had a very handsome angular face. As Jessica had said, he did look a little too young to adopt children as old as eighteen. When he went inside, I heard him say, "I heard the Chief's daughter was in—Charlie …"

Chief Swan was angry and worried. He threatened to confiscate Tyler's driver's license. He was even more injured than Bella, having cut his eyebrow. I sensed injustice.

"Well, I wasn't, so …" argued Bella. "You know, it would have been a whole lot worse if Edward wasn't there and knocked me out of the way."

"Edward?" said Chief Swan. "Your boy?" he asked Dr. Cullen, who just told Bella, "Well, that sounds like you were very lucky."

Dr. Cullen left the clinic. He must have sensed my gaze that he glanced my way. I felt my hairs standing on end. His eyes were amber like Alice's or Edward's. But Dr. Cullen looked worried, almost scared, when he did, though he gave me a friendly smile.

His eyes glanced at Alice's. "I have to go," said Alice. "I wish I could help you put your dress back on, but I don't know how," she said, glancing at the bandages on the bed.

"I'll be fine," I said, sitting on the bed to wrap my stump again. Then, Alice left me.

When I left the clinic, Edward and his blonde sister were coming. I saw Dr. Cullen put his hand on the boy's shoulder and led him away, glancing at me. They turned to a corner, perhaps to talk.

"Stay quiet," said Alice, suddenly appearing behind me. She gently put her hand over my mouth. I gasped despite myself; her hand was as cold as tap water in winter.

"What was I supposed to do, let her die?" Edward challenged Rosalie.

"This isn't just about you. It's about all of us," argued Rosalie.

Edward was about to lash back when Carlisle said, "Let's continue this in my office."

The three of them turned their heads toward Bella, who was watching them from a corner. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked Edward.

"Rosalie …" said Carlisle, leading his blonde daughter away. He nodded at Alice, who held my upper arm and gently led me on.

I glanced back. Bella was looking at me spitefully before she addressed Edward, who was waiting for her to talk. "How did you get over to me so fast?" asked Bella.

"I was standing right next to you, Bella," said Edward. That was good acting, I thought.

"No," said Bella defiantly. "You were next to your car—across the lot."

"No, I wasn't." I heard Edward chuckling, as though Bella had been joking.

"Yes, you were," insisted Bella.

"Bella, you were—uh—you hit your head, gets you confused," Edward tried to explain.

I rolled my eyes. Bella was in a better condition than he might have hoped. This would have worked if she actually hit her head.

"I know what I saw," said Bella stubbornly.

"What exactly was that?" Now he sounded like he was listening to a child worrying about a nightmare.

"You stopped the van," said Bella slowly and carefully. "You pushed it away with your hand."

"Well, nobody's gonna believe you." Edward's voice turned serious.

"I wasn't gonna tell anybody," said Bella. She almost sounded defensive. "I just want to know the truth."

"Can't you just thank me and get over it?" Edward said. His tone was hard.

"Thank you," said Bella impulsively.

There was a pause. Seconds later, Edward spoke again. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?"

"No," was Bella's honest reply.

"Well, I hope you enjoy disappointment," said Edward.

I got all these details because Alice was walking slowly for me.

"I don't think Rosalie should be so upset about what Edward did for Bella," I said. "You're already consorting with me."

"Your case is different," said Alice seriously.

She led me to the door to Dr. Cullen's office. It was in conjunction with the clinic. "Good morning, Beulah," he said. "I hope you're recovering fine. You're walking well."

"Not yet," I said. "I'll get my leg fitted by the prosthetist next week. I'll be learning to walk by then, too."

"Good."

"But that's not what you brought me here for, is it?" I said with my eyes on Rosalie now.

"We just want you to know you are safe with us," said Dr. Cullen. "Please, sit down." He gestured toward the seat in front of his desk. Alice helped me sit down.

I looked at all of them. Each gave me such kind looks, though Rosalie's face was still somewhat hard though it betrayed no hostility. I looked at Dr. Cullen again.

"I don't believe you," I told him.

"I don't blame you," said Dr. Cullen. "I just want one request."

"And why should I grant it?"

"If you don't, the consequence will be disastrous," said Dr. Cullen in a hard tone that made me shudder. His kindly face suddenly became hawk-like.

I stood and almost stumbled. "Are you threatening me?"

I wished he'd never look at me like that again. Then, he cleared his throat and reverted to his calmer disposition. "The last thing I want is to scare you, Miss Medina. But I am telling the truth. The mechanisms of our lives as supernatural beings are more complicated than you might think. First of all, you weren't supposed to learn about our existence as vampires. There is … punishment for vampires who reveal themselves to humans, and to humans to whom the secret is revealed."

My chest felt constricted when he said "punishment." I was afraid to ask what punishment that was.

"Do you have questions, Beulah?" asked Rosalie. Her voice was surprisingly deep.

My phantom leg tingled again. "What are you going to do to me? Tell me the truth!"

Rosalie's face turned soft. "Beulah, we will not do anything to harm you. You keep this quiet, and we'll protect you in return. Nothing will harm you."

Their owl-like amber eyes scared me more. "I need something," I said.

"Anything, my dear," said Dr. Cullen.

"I don't know," I said. "I just … I want to believe you. But I need something to make me."

"You'll just have to trust us, Beulah," said Dr. Cullen. "I promise you won't regret it."

Dr. Cullen got his daughters to assist me to my next class. Alice gleefully said goodbye while Rosalie gave me a stiff smile. My other classmates were staring at me, surprised that the Cullen girls were being nice to me.

I couldn't concentrate the rest of the class. My stump was itching and stinging like hell. I slept it off during Geography class, and for some reason, the teacher did not bother me. I woke up when the class was over. Then, I gathered my stuff and stood only to promptly fall on the floor with a loud thud. I gasped, and so did my classmates. "Beulah, are you alright?" many of them asked as they helped me up. Somebody handed me my crutches. I didn't see who it was because I was a little dazed from the fall. My left leg was hurting, too. "Can somebody give me my bag? Thank you."

I hurried to the bathroom, claiming that I was not hurt and needed no assistance. I took out my pain medicines and popped two pills instead of one. I hid in one of the toilet cubicles and waited for the pain and sting to fade. I was startled when my cell phone beeped. "The tire deflated. Stopping by a repair shop for tire," Mama had texted.

"Shit!" I hissed.

When I exited the cubicle, I saw Bella Swan washing her hands while smiling meekly at me through the mirror. "Do you need a ride, Beulah?"

"My mom is picking me up," I said, "but she's taking a while."

"Isn't your house on the way to mine? I can just bring you home," she said.

"You mean it?" I asked, trying to stand straight.

"Why wouldn't I?" she said, smiling. Then, we walked together toward the exit

I glanced at Bella's unassuming form and smiled. This was going to be a good thing—I think.

When I asked her about moving to Forks, she explained that Forks is where she "exiled" herself.

I tried not to roll my eyes at the unnecessary hyperbole. "Exile, huh? What was your crime?" I asked humorously.

"My mom married this guy Phil, who's a Minor League baseball athlete, so he gets to travel a lot. Mom wanted to do the same, but she stayed with me while I went to school in Phoenix, living a stable life there. But lately, I figured that it made her sad being away from Phil and not being able to travel like him, so I chose to stay with Charlie for a while."

"Who's Charlie?"

"Oh, that's my dad. I guess it just got stuck, calling him by his first name in private. I'm not allowed to call him 'Charlie' to his face."

Having already watched The Ring, in which young Aidan Keller only calls his mother "Rachel," I was aware of the fact that some kids did call their parents by their first names. But the concept of this reality repelled me. I thought it was just plain rude.

"Anyway," continued Bella, "Charlie's the Chief of Police here. Maybe if I stay here in Forks as long as he has, I'll get used to the place. I think I need more time. It's so cold and wet, and people are too friendly."

"You should be thankful that people are nice to you. Some people aren't as lucky," I said sternly. "Too friendly—people like Carrie White would be happy to be smiled at by one person in an entire day."

"Who is Carrie White?" said Bella shakily.

"Never mind that. All I'm saying is if you chose to stay here for your mother's sake, I don't think you should be complaining."

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just that—Eric and Mike—sometimes, they practically jump in my way asking what I need and want. Mike—he's like a golden retriever—always there escorting me from one classroom to another like I'm some blind person."

"Yeah," I agreed, "I don't really understand why he would keep doing that. Other people wouldn't bother." It was cruel of her to call Mike a dog, but Mike did look rather persistent with her.

We were quiet as we left the restroom. Then, I took out my cellphone and texted Mama. "Hey, Bella," I said, "my mom's already on her way. I don't need a ride with you, after all."

"Oh, alright," she said. "See you tomorrow."

I politely waved at her goodbye. But the anger burned inside me like a real furnace. I was sweating. The nerve of her!—Mike—handsome, magnetic, and vivacious Mike Newton—a golden retriever! Seething, I watched Bella drive away from the school parking lot while I waited for my mother at the entrance of the main building, my black embroidered headscarf and long multicolored damask-patterned dress billowing in the strong breeze.

"Hi, Beulah," said Lauren, who was on her way out. "You look unhappy."

I didn't respond right away. Mama's car arrived in the school parking lot, tooting its horn for me. "Bella said Mike is like a golden retriever," I said. "See you tomorrow, Lauren."