Chapter 6

Bella POV

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight

"Don't you think it's better to be extremely happy for a short while, even if you lose it, than to be just okay for your whole life?"
― Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife

"Wait, Edward, please come back. I want answers or else my previous answer to your question will be revoked. I will find a way to get rid of you, I don't want to but you have given me no choice, if I don't get answers." He turns around to face me. He doesn't say a word but heads up stairs. I quickly speed walk to catch up to him and clumsy I, fall up the stairs. He runs back towards me and a look of shock crosses his face. I get up quickly as he descends down the stairs. He grabs my arms and looks me over gingerly, I immediate jolt back from the icy touch. He lowers his head, I have clearly offended him. "Look I am fine let's go talk in my room, ok. I tilt his chin back up to face me."

"Are you sure you are alright, there could be internal damage."

"I am fine, maybe a bruise on my knee but I am fine, why are you so concerned?"

"...Um..." He lowers his head again; he looks as if he could shatter into a million pieces, any second now. He seems to regain his composure, as he looks me in the eye again. "I died falling on these very stairs." My eyes widen and before I go to reply he moves back up the stairs and towards my room. I hastily, but cautiously follow him. I get to the room and close the door behind me. Edward is sitting on my bed. He looks like a lost little boy sitting there. So different from how he usually looks. I stand by the door waiting for him to do anything to break the now awkward silence. He motions for me to join him on the bed. I walk over slowly and sit down beside him. I then go back to waiting patiently. "So, you know what I am then." I turn my head to face him. I gaze at his eyes; they are waiting for my response.

"I believe you to be a ghost, if that is what you mean?"

"Yeah, that is essentially what I mean. I am dead and now stuck here in an in-between state. Or as a ghost as you seem to call me." He chuckles a bit at the word ghost. We sit there again for a couple of minutes in silence until I come up with the proper wording for my next question.

"Do you want my help or something; I don't know much about ghosts but I could do some research and help you get to where you need to be, or something?"

"I don't think that would be possible anymore. I have become too attached to this world to be able to leave it." He says this with such a longing it brings tears to the brim of my eyes.

"Why don't you want to leave it?"

"It is a long story, really. I can't tell you though."

"Well that is very helpful." I shrug. He turns to me shocked.

"Isabella, it is not how I intended my words to come across. There isn't much time that I am aloud to be here before I go back to being stuck in the attic. We ghosts only have so much power and being here right now talking to you uses it and I am about to run out."

"Oh, I am sorry for suggesting that it was something else. It really isn't my place to prod, anyway." I look down at my lap in shame for bugging him. He lifts my chin up to face him. He is smiling.

"You were always such a silly girl, a hundred questions a minute. If you have any last quick questions you better ask, I can feel myself separating." How does he know that I ask a lot of questions? I don't really care, it doesn't matter. One last question, what could I ask him? Wait I know the perfect one. I should ask him about that blond who really hates me. I get that ghosts don't like humans but she really seems to have something against me.

"Who is the other ghost and why is she so angry." Edward looks at me with a pained expression, closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. While reopening his eyes he grabs my shoulders. I shudder under his cold touch but don't flinch away this time.

"Her name is Tanya and I swear on everything that I will not let her harm you, please don't be scared of her." I nod at him in understanding. "Look, I have to leave you now but could you promise me something." I nod my head.

"I'll promise you anything you'd like."

"Just be careful, and try to stay safe."

"That is kind of an odd request but ok then."

"Isabella, who and what are you talking about?" I turn around and Claire is standing in my door way. I didn't hear her enter. I look back in the direction where Edward is and he is gone, just like he said he would be.

"I was talking out loud about a text I got earlier." Yeah that is a good excuse except I don't have my phone anywhere near me.

"Well, anyway. I just wanted to tell you that tomorrow we are going into Chicago to do some back to school shopping. School starts on Monday. Supper will be ready in an hour or so, I expect you to be down stairs in forty five minutes." Claire leaves the room without mention of me talking to myself. I sigh in relief; I don't want her to think I am crazy. That relief is short lived when I realize I have to go shopping. If there is one thing I would rather never ever do, in-fact I would rather jump of a high cliff into an ocean, than go shopping period.

I lay on my bed completely distressed and happy. It sounds completely crazy when I think about it to myself but it is real and something feels right about it. My life has never felt so complete and normal until today. At the same time though, it can't happen nothing that has happened today is possible. The logical person inside of me is telling me that my head is not screwed on properly and I am delusion. My heart flutters for a person that does not exist. The realization of those last words makes my heart ache for a way to make it real. I can't lie here forever; I get up off my bed and make my way downstairs for dinner. I don't particularly feel like eating though.

"Could you set the table dear?" Claire hollers from the kitchen.

"Yes, I'll get on it." I head to the kitchen and pull out the dishes from the china cabinet. I begin placing the plates down and Wes comes in behind me with the cutlery.

"So, how was painting today?" Wes says as he is placing cups. I head into the kitchen to grab some napkins and return to place them.

"It was fun I guess Emmett is a nice guy." I reply.

"Do I sense that you have a crush on this guy?" he pokes me in the ribs with his elbow. I walk into the kitchen again without responding and grab one of the serving dishes and head back into the dining room. "I'll take your silence as a yes, Isabella."

"A yes to what, dear?"

"She has a little crush on the McCarty boy." The silverware from Claire's placement clanks loudly against the silverware as she lets it fall. I stop eating and look up at Claire.

"You, have a what?" She points her finger at me. "You stay away from that little wilder-beast, or so help you god."

"I never said I liked him, I don't he is not my type no one in that town is my type." I shout. Claire looks at me like I just grew two heads. She opens her mouth and starts to say something but then goes back to being silent. "Just leave me alone. I don't want anything to do with him; you are blowing this way out of proportion." I get up from the table scraping my chair forcefully, run up stairs and into my room slamming the door behind me. Childish I know but I just can't stand it when people start something without hearing the other side of things. I have enough problems as it is. I contemplate taking a shower or just falling asleep in my clothes to pissed, to change into my pyjamas. I figure the shower will calm me down some so I choose that option. Once finished my shower I change into my pyjamas and lay on my bed with my laptop.

I wish I knew when I would see him again. It seems that is how it will always be a come and go type thing. It isn't really anything he isn't real and you can't not possibly have feelings for him, my subconscious tells me. I refuse to listen, these dreams I have had, they are so real to me and they contain myself and him together and I know in my heart that I need him for some reason. My subconscious chides at me like I am child, "tut, tut, tut, you're such a stupid child", it tells me. I'll refuse to listen and prove that I am right.

I think about the conversation with Edward. It was so cryptic. I am not sure I understand much of what he said. My mind keeps going back to what he said about being stuck in the attic. I wonder if he meant this attic, if so I should check the attic to see if he is there. Curiosity gets the best of me and I am up off of the bed and heading down the hallway towards the door to the attic. I open the doors; a sweet musty smell fills my nostrils. I begin my trek up the unfinished molding stairs. These stairs groan under my weight and look as if they aren't made of wood anymore but made of packed rotten dirt. I reach the other door at the top of the stairs and grab the glass knob and twist, nothing happens. It appears that is it locked.

I sit on the top step frustrated, here I thought it would be simple and I could see him again but of course things are always difficult. I look back at the door, it looks rotten as well, I think about kicking it in. I feel excited by the new found idea and stand up to further examine the door. The iron lock is black and brittle sounding when I tap it. The wood around it is cracked slightly. I think about going down the kitchen and grabbing a small knife to pry the door open. No Claire is probably still in there; I guess slamming my shoulder into it would be my only option right now. I brace myself about half way up against the door near the lock and using the steps as leverage slam as hard as I can into the door. It groans and the lock makes a hollow sound. I jiggle the lock and I can feel it giving way a bit, not enough to open the door yet. I try again this time turn the knob while I slam my shoulder into the door it creaks and I feel it moving, I continue to push as hard as I can and voilàit opens.

I fall over and hit the floor, it is all dirty and I hack on the dusty choking me. I pick myself off of the floor wiping the dirt and dusty off my pants. This place is very odd. There a floor on this attic instead of just support beams. Old furniture scattered everywhere but no Edward. I look around for a light, there isn't one, and it is getting dark so I scamper downstairs to grab my cell phone to use as a flash light. When I come back the door is closed again, I tug on the knob and it opens with limited force. Thank god I don't think my shoulder could take another body-slam. Using my phone as a flashlight I take a closer look around, a cloth draped over something stands in the corner. I immediately walk over to it and pull off the cloth. It is a long very old style full body length mirror. It has the same eerie look to it that the one in my room has. I run my fingers along the gold trim edge; it is very cold to the touch, sending shivers along my whole body. I see his reflection in the mirror and I turn around to his angered gaze.

"You should not be up here it is not safe and what did you just promise me you would do, downstairs." I am at a loss for words, I just stare at him. "Isabella, you need to learn to listen to me."

"Are you mad at me? I just need to see you." He lets out a breath he appeared to be holding and gives me a pained expression. One of many I have noticed. He always looks like he is in pain.

"Of course I am not mad at you; I just think you need to concern yourself with your own safety instead of doing dangerous stuff like coming into the attic."

"Is it really that dangerous?"

"Yes. This is where we are most powerful, for some reason, that and your bedroom but mostly in the attic."

"Oh, well you didn't tell me that." He gives me a sideways glance.

"It was kind of implied with the lock on the door."

"Figures," I look around the room some more. "If you are here, shouldn't Tanya be here as well."

"Not necessarily, I don't know where she is though. So you should go in case she comes back. I can only protect you so much. Please meet me half way and stop doing dangerous stuff." I sulk a little but he is right I really don't want to be here if she shows up. I walk forward and my right foot catches something I begin falling backward. I brace myself for the crash against the floor and on the mirror but one never comes. I open my eyes and it is completely black around me. I can hear faint shouts in the background but I can't move.