Chapter 4 – News
My burning felt like it was never going to end. I didn't scream anymore, there was no point to it. My eyes were open and my hands could move. My wrist didn't feel broken. Did the burning heal it? My eyes looked around the room. I saw Rosalie and she was still. Esme was watching over her, "It will be fine." Rosalie's voice was strained as she pleaded, "Please, let me die. I want to die." "Rose," she turned back to me, "We'll die together." Her cheek twitched before she solemnly looked back to the ceiling.
Looking at the window, sunlight danced underneath the blinds over the windows. This was the second day we've been here. I turned my head and saw Edward Platt, or should I say Edward Cullen. Edward was Carlisle and Esme's son, emotionally. He was watching me, "Don't talk about dying," he asked, "You're going to be fine." I remember the same determined look in his eyes; he had them on me now. My resolve broke and a scream of pain escaped, "I want to die."
Edward was suddenly by my side. "A few more hours and it will be over." I felt him take my hand in his. I couldn't feel his cool skin, but I still felt the weight of his hand. We stared at each other. His butterscotch eyes occupied my mind, but not enough to block out the burning. Time passed as I laid there burning and Edward stood with me. My head turned to the window and it was dark outside. Someone raised the blinds and I could see the stars and the moon.
The clock was removed from the room, but I could hear ticking about two rooms away. How long has it been now? Two days. Every tick of the clock I kept track off since my ears picked up its sound. Two hundred and twelve thousand, five hundred and eighty three ticks since I first heard the clock. It was amazing with all the space in my mind. It felt like there should be an echo to my mental voice.
"I'll be right back, Bella. Carlisle needs to talk to me." I looked back at him as he looked at me. I wanted to smile, but I couldn't. My skin couldn't do anything but cringe in pain. Edward walked out of the room, but I could hear his voice. His footsteps stopped after taking fifty two steps. "Carlisle, it's nothing like that. I'm glad you saved them." The conversation was so clear, as though they were right next to me.
"Edward, does she mean something to you?" Esme asked. There was a higher pitch to her voice; excitement? "You can't hear her?" There was a pause, "Really? Not at all? That's never happened before, has it?" Someone let out a long breath, "No, never. But there was something else, when she was human. The scent of her blood. It was intoxicating to me. I've never smelled anything so strong. We were on the veranda at the engagement party. There was a strange sound, like an animal snarling. "I wanted to drain her so badly. When I danced with her, she never looked away from my eyes. No human has ever done that. I wanted her, but I couldn't do it." "You've killed before, what stopped you this time?" Esme asked. Edward has killed before?
"I didn't want to disappoint you two again. We have a good life here. That was part of my reason. The other part was that I didn't want to harm her." He spoke with such remorse that quickly changed to anger, "When Maxwell King saw us, I heard him. His thoughts were perverse. I wanted to keep him away from her." Edward didn't want me near Maxwell. He was shielding me? "Edward, that was very noble of you. And you behaved even better still. You kept yourself under control. You're getting better at it."
There was a muted pat on something hard. "What about Rosalie Hale? What are we going to do about her?" Rosalie was so quiet for a while. Was she listening too? "They will do what they think is best. They have the option of staying with us, but if they want to go on their own, we won't stand in their way." There was that animalistic snarl again, "I'm sorry, son. But let us see what happens when they wake up."
While, I listened to their conversation, the fire was leaving my toes and fingers. It was moving to the center of my body, making my heart was beating faster. "Listen, it's almost time," Carlisle said. They were back in the room within seven seconds. The pain in my heart was the worst yet. My hands clinched into tight fists, as the fire blazed uncontrollably in my chest. My fist pounded on the table that held me. It felt like I was hitting a mattress. The hard surface was soft underneath my hand.
My heartbeat slowed and in one half beat, it stopped. My body's tension was gone in that moment. There was no pain, just the pull of air into my chest. The air brought flavors that weren't there before. I opened my eyes and tried moving my body. It was all too quick. My mind wanted me to move, but my body already did. Sitting up, my hand rose without me thinking about it. There was a hole in the table from my fist. The table I was on was pure oak and I made that impact easily.
Looking to my side, I saw Rosalie standing in front of a mirror. Esme and Carlisle were with her. The smell of honey and sunshine was strong and right next to me. Edward stood there, "How do you feel?" His breath blew the honey and sunlight into my face and I forgot everything else. I took in Edward's face with my new eyes. He was more than beautiful; he was glorious. My eyebrow arched, thinking about his question. I looked at my hands, which was covered with pale skin.
I tried to swallow and the action brought up a dull burning. My hand quickly cupped my throat. "I know. The burning in your throat?" I nodded once. "When you've hunted, it'll feel better. But you should learn to get used to it. That burning feeling doesn't go away." I bit my lip and it felt strange. My teeth were so sharp, but it didn't hurt my hard lip. "Isabella?" It was Esme. Her scent was similar to chocolate and vanilla; the two contrasting flavors were delicious, but not enough to make me hungry.
She was coming towards me with Rosalie. My eyes widened as Rosalie came towards me. She looked even more beautiful. Her hair was longer and a brighter shade of gold. Her lips were fuller, set in the pale skin of her face. Her eyes were different, they were blood red. Moving across the room, and it was almost disorientating, to look into the mirror myself. The face that looked back at me was surprised. This couldn't be my face. It was too beautiful. Like Rosalie, my hair was longer and shinier. The subtle color of red in my hair was more dominate. I had fuller lips and my eyes were no longer brown. They were red.
Despite my eyes, I liked the way I looked. If I looked this way while Rosalie was still human, she would have envied me. My hand brushed my cheek and the woman in the mirror made the same movement. This was me. My skin felt like silk over steel. I could make indentations, but they were stopped by a strong under layer. Edward came up behind me, "You two must be thirsty. We should hunt." My eyes looked at him in the mirror, "Hunt?" I paused from the sound of my voice. It was like wind chimes, at a perfect pitch. I looked to Rosalie. She hasn't spoken yet. What did she sound like?
"Come with us. We'll show you how to hunt," Carlisle gestured for Rosalie and me to follow Esme. In the mirror, I saw I was still wearing the clothes I was assaulted in. My mind was already pulling up the memories. His drunken laugh, the smell of the alcohol on his breath and every hit and punch. Maxwell will pay for this. "Is it possible for us to change first?" Rosalie stared back at me, then to Esme. "Please?" she asked, "If it's possible?" Her voice was like the perfect piano note. Esme smiled, "Of course."
We followed her through the house into a dark bedroom. With my new eyes, I didn't need the light to make out the furniture in the bedroom. Esme walked into a large closet and came back with two dresses, "These should fit you. Bella, the hem may be a little too long for you." Esme was three inches taller than me. She was still an inch shorter than Rosalie. "It will be fine. Thank you." Esme left us to change.
Rosalie held her dress at arm's length. "Could you help me?" She had a long line of buttons down her back. My reflexes shocked me as I was done with them within three seconds. I turned around and Rosalie unzipped the back of my dress. Before putting on Esme's selection, I assessed my body in the floor length mirror. There were no scars on my skin. The healed scar from the wound I got when I was a child on my left arm was gone. My body was beautiful. My skin was perfectly flawless as it tightened over the curves of my calves. The pale color was bright in the dark.
"Bella?" Rosalie called my attention from the gorgeous woman in the mirror that was somehow me. She and I changed out of our blood smeared clothes. I helped pin her hair up and she helped me with mine. Neither of us spoke as we left the room. She and I walked hand in hand as we went downstairs, where Carlisle, Esme and Edward waited for us. Esme knelt down and tore off the length of the dress that grazed the floor. "That should make it easier for you to run in." The fabric tore in a perfect line, making a shorted hem.
The five of us walked outside and I inhaled the night air. The flavors rushed my senses and it was overwhelming. It felt like I should have stumbled back, but my body didn't move an inch. "Alright, just follow us. We'll be hunting bears," Carlisle instructed. He and Esme darted out into the night, with Rosalie following them. "Are you ready?" Edward said, holding out his hand. I took it and a charge rushed through me as we sprinted into the dark. The ground was becoming steeper underneath my feet. The flavor of the air was changing, from brick and concrete to trees, grass and moss. We were heading into the hills. Edward and I stopped, when we saw the others.
They were all crouched, watching a herd of bears about 250 feet away. Their scent registered with me. It was wet and hot, mixed with a scent that wasn't food. My nose wrinkled. Their thumping heart pumped the hot, wet sound and my throat was on fire. "All right. Isabella, Rosalie. What do you want to do?" Esme asked. The burn in my throat flared. In the corner of the mind, I remembered Carlisle explaining that his family abstains from human blood. He said animal's blood would change our eye colors to gold, like the rest of them.
Rosalie looked indifferent as she stood. I leapt to the ground and she followed me. The two of us walked over to the herd. Their heartbeats grew louder. My instincts weren't making any sense. My body told me to lunge, but how did I do that? Instead, I darted across the opening and took down an animal. Rosalie took down a large brown bear, while I took a larger black one. My teeth bit into the fat, bringing a bad taste that I wanted to get away from. In the next moment, the hot wet liquid flowed down my throat. The liquid, that I knew was blood brought relief from the burning. I could feel every beat of the bear's heart in its blood.
When it was done, my eyes shot up at another bear. It stood on its hind legs, ready to fend itself. Rosalie moved like the strike of a snake and knocked the animal down. My teeth bared as a roar escaped my chest. Rosalie's eyes looked up from her prey as she fed on it. Another bear caught my attention and my body hurled itself at it, knocking to its side. While feeding, I thought about my emotions a moment ago. I wanted to attack Rosalie. The person I loved more than anything, I wanted to hurt her, so that I can be satisfied with my prey.
My body picked up the presence of others. The feeling was similar to scavengers coming in for the rest of the kill. I knew it was the Cullens, so I focused on feeding. When the animal was done, my body felt strange. It felt similar to when I drank too much water. There was so much blood in me, but it felt good. The burning was dull now, making it more tolerable. Rosalie was looking away from her kill, looking up at the sky. I went to stand with her. Without looking back, she reached out her hand to me. I took it and watched at the sky. The stars, in some strange way, looked closer. It seemed like I could reach out and pluck one from the very sky.
"You two did very well. How do you feel?" Edward asked. Neither of us moved our eyes from the sky, "The burning isn't as strong in my throat. I feel quite full," Rosalie said. Carlisle moved closer, "You're still young. You still have your human blood. For now, you two are the strongest among us." "How long will it last, us being the strongest?" I asked. "Just about a year. Your strength will still be much stronger than humans, but you'll be as strong as us." Esme explained.
In the distance, the sun was rising. Its rays changed the color of the sky. The black became a shade of blue fading into gray. "We should be getting home," Edward pointed out. We had to get back before the sun came. Rosalie and I were just saved, so it's best we weren't burned by the sun. We ran back to the Cullens' home. As we got into the house, Esme turned to me and Rosalie, "Let me show you two to where you can stay. You're welcome to stay here, until you decide what you want to do." "Thank you. You don't have to do this," Rosalie finally spoke. Esme smiled at her, "Please, it's the least we can do. Come with me."
We followed Esme up to the second floor, where she showed us two doors. "Rosalie, you can stay in here and Isabella, you can stay in here." Esme pointed to each of our doors. "Also, don't worry about clothes. I have more than enough for you two to use." "Thank you, Esme," Rosalie and I said together. Esme went back down the stairs. Rosalie and I went into our rooms. My room opened to a large curtained window. On the right side, there was a twin size bed and to the left, there was a vanity, with a gilded mirror. My eyes caught my reflection in the mirror. I still couldn't believe that I looked this way now.
I realized that I wasn't blinking. Since I awoke to this new life, I hadn't blinked once. The impulse to do it was gone. I laid on the bed, looking at the ceiling. My arm curved around the pillow. What had become of my life? A few days ago, I was helping my best friend get ready for her wedding, living with my parents and having a normal life. Now, I was ripped from my home and I have a new life, a vampire and living with the well-regarded doctor and his family.
Someone knocked on the door. "Come in." Rosalie came in, with her arms crossed across her torso. She sat on the edge my bed and looked to the floor. "Rose, what's wrong?" She scoffed, "How could you ask that? Everything's wrong. I'm supposed to be getting married. I'm supposed to be having my happily ever after. Now, I'm here. And I'm this," she gestured to her body, "this thing, that is hard and cold. Why did this happen?" I sat up, "Because of them," I spoke through my teeth, "Maxwell and Royce. They left us for dead. Yes, we're hard and cold now, but we're alive." "Barely," she spat.
I scowled and sat next to her, "Rose, I'm upset too for what has happened to us, but it could've been much worse. We could be dead and rotting in the ground. The only conciliation I could take from that is that we were going to be together." She leaned her head on my shoulder, "Thanks to Carlisle, we're alive. And between you and me, Maxwell and Royce will pay. They don't know what we are. It is an advantage." Rosalie looked up to me, "What do you mean?" I got up and walked to the window, "You heard Carlisle. You and I are stronger than any human. Maxwell and Royce are human. They showed us their strength. In time, we will show them ours."
Rosalie smiled like a devious cat, "You know, Bella. You're right. Because of them, we were stolen from our lives." "And truth be told, Rosalie, its better you didn't marry him. God knows what he would have done to you once you were married." She huffed. "And Maxwell, he said he was going to speak to my father for my hand. I don't want to think about what would have happened to me." Rosalie stood with me, "Royce was a drunken fool. And I was a fool to think I was going to be happy with him. He stole everything from me. They stole everything from us. This wasn't supposed to happen, Bella."
I patted Rosalie on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Rose. We'll handle them, together. Then we can figure out what we're going to do with our lives." We looked at each other for a long time, as if we were already planning our revenge. No direct sunlight came through the window, so we were safe. While we stood, music began to flow into the room. Someone was playing the piano. I recognized my favorite song, Claire de Lune.
"Come on. I want to see where that's coming from." Rosalie and I walked down the stairs. "Hello, ladies," Esme greeted us, while arranging calla lilies in a vase. Rosalie went to speak with Esme and I went to the other room, to find Edward playing the piano. I walked up behind him, listening to him play. He stopped and turned around to face me. "Don't stop playing. Claire de Lune is my favorite." Edward smiled at me, "Mine too. Would you like to sit?" It dawned on me that I didn't feel the need to sit. I could've stood there for the rest of the day and not feel tired. "Yes, I would. Thank you."
I sat down with Edward and he began playing again. His fingers glided across the keys flawlessly. I smiled as he played. "Do you play?" he asked as the song finished. "No, but I've always wanted to learn." My fingers traced the keys lightly. Edward was looking at my hand, "I could teach you, if you like." I looked up at him and smiled, "You would do that?" He nodded and smiled. "I would love that." Esme came into the room. The both of us looked to her. She had a troubled expression on her face. "What does it say?" Edward asked, walking over to her. Esme had the day's newspaper in her hand. I walked over to her to see what was troubling her.
Rosalie walked into the room holding another copy of the paper. She was scowling at the paper and was clutching its edges in her hand. I couldn't take it anymore, "What's the matter?" Esme looked up and handed me the paper. I took it and saw the headline. "Rosalie L. Hale & Isabella M. Swan Still Missing."
The search continues for Rosalie L. Hale & Isabella M. Swan. A large reward is being offered by the King family for any information on the young ladies' whereabouts. Rosalie & Isabella, who also answer to Rose & Bella, were last seen by their friends, Christopher & Vera Shields. "They left about 8 o'clock, to go back to the Hales' home," Mrs. V. Shields stated. Chief Charlie Swan is still searching for the missing young ladies, one of which is his only daughter.
Rosalie L. Hale was engaged to marry Royce T. King II. Mr. King made this statement, "If anyone has seen either of them, please come forward. I cannot believe they were taken from us. We, the Kings, Hales and Swans just want Isabella & Rosalie back."
Mr. Maxwell King, the nephew of Royce King Sr. reciprocates his cousin's feelings. Mr. Maxwell King states that he is very concern and prays no harm has come towards the young women.
I couldn't read the rest of the article. My hands tore apart the paper to small white bits. Maxwell King, Maxwell King, Maxwell King. That name, that man. He did this to me. He is the reason I was torn from my family. My eyes closed and his face was etched into the dark, smug and drunken. My eyes opened and saw Rosalie. Her face was as hard as mine. "You cannot be serious, Rosalie." The both of us looked at Edward. Rosalie's expression was puzzled, "What?" Edward looked between our faces, "You want to kill him." Rosalie looked to Esme, then to me. Rosalie backed away from Edward. She came to stand beside me. Esme held up her hand, "Girls, Edward has a special ability. Not all vampires have one."
Her butterscotch eyes turned to Edward, "He can read minds." Rosalie looked at Edward with shocked eyes. Rosalie hated having her privacy invaded. She spoke through her teeth, "Fine, then. You're right. I want to kill him. Royce belongs dead. Look what he has done to me." "Rose, if we do this..." Everyone looked to me, "Yes, we. Rosalie shouldn't be the only one who gets her revenge. Maxwell deserves to die as well. They were both arrogant enough to tell the newspaper that they were worried about us and they hope that someone finds us." My rage was fueled by the memory of what they did.
"They remember what they did to us and they'll remember what we will do to them." I looked to Rosalie, "But, if we do this, we'll have to leave. We can't stay here." She nodded silently. Esme cleared her throat, "You don't have to..." "No, Esme. We appreciate you taking us in, but in this town, Rosalie and I are missing. Eventually, they'll say we're dead. We can't put your family through this."
Rosalie nodded again, "You're right, Bell. Esme, Edward, once we're done what we need to do, we'll go. Thank you for saving our lives, but you should get on with your own." Esme glanced at the both of us, "Do what you have to do, then figure out what you'll do next. We'll understand." Edward nodded, but didn't raise his head to look at us.