A new update! So I have some news, which can be bad or good depending on how you think. Something epically awesome happened to me tonight / this morning, and I will probably be busy, and even though these chapters are writtne I might have some problems updating for a few days. I am so sorry! I will try my best to still update daily...
Edited 17/01/2011
Thankyou to emmy pemmy, Solar571, Layfra02, sapphyre18, Fuyutaro son, Sherryola, Zanavield and Alaialana for their reviews!
Hi again, readers of fanfiction! I bring you a new chapter, FINALLY! :D
I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but I have actual, real reasons why that was impossible!
I was out of state. And somehow, in that area of the state I was in, there was no internet at all! It was like a horror movie waiting to happen... *shudder*
But I'm back now! How good it feels to have internet! I shall never take it for granted again...
Thank you to all reviewers of the last chapter:
Justm, Lacrea Moonlight, Dolphingirl79, AFamliarSmile, Cullen17, TwiWriter15, ThisIsMyDisguise, Jaydeesgirl, Aquakim, farheen5 (at ), VildeHaga, Psalmofsummer, Second Daughter of Eve, Fangirl-friend2, Anacleta5, LullabyHeart, Cheyennecullen, Feenay7, CellaCullen, I Found a Username, and LunarEclipse! :)
Thanks so much to the reviewers, and also to everyone who has read this story so far!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight...I just twist the plot, for my own amusement...
Chapter 7—Stop Dazzling Me!
I scowled at Edward as much as I could with a nauseous stomach.
"Stupid va-" I started, but then remembered that Mike was still standing there. "Uh—Volvo owner," I corrected, and then added, "No offense" for good measure.
Edward's eyes were piercing through me; he had understood what I was going to say.
"Um…" Mike stated intelligently.
"You should go back to class," Edward directed at him, though still looking at me.
"I think I should stay here," Mike argued. Edward turned to glare at him, ferocity in his eyes.
"Go," he commanded.
"Uh…Bye, Bella," he muttered, then walked—almost ran—in the direction of Biology class.
"Are you alright, Bella?" Edward asked. The emotion in his voice surprised me slightly, but I managed a, "I will be…"
"Isabella," Edward said, shaking his head. He picked me up gently in his arms, being careful to support my head with his gentle fingers.
"This is your fault," I muttered under my breath.
"Yes, it is." Edward sounded truly sorry, as if he wanted to take back his actions. The look in his eyes was more than just concern, it was frantically worried.
Slowly, I reached up to place my hand at the base of his neck. "I'll be fine," I said, "It's okay."
"You look so pale, and sickly…and you're comforting me?" he asked in disbelief.
I nodded, and closed my eyes again. The cool temperature of his chest—almost as cold as the sidewalk, if not colder—was soothing.
I heard the door to the office squeak on its hinges; he must have kicked it open or something. I smelled Ms. Cope's fragrant perfume and I heard her move. Her gasp seemed close by my ear.
"She fainted in Biology," Edward's velvet voice explained as he led me to the nurse's office.
I felt paper pressing against my back, and the world steadied itself. I opened my eyes to see the nurse looking sympathetically at me, and Edward staring intently from across the room.
"She's just a little faint," he reassured the surprised nurse. "They're blood typing in Biology."
"There's always one," the nurse said. "Just lie down for a minute, honey; it'll pass."
"I know," I said, sighing a little.
"Does this happen a lot?" she asked.
"Sometimes," I admitted. Edward coughed.
"You can go back to class, now," the nurse said to Edward. I started to object, but I had forgotten that he had this handled already.
"I'm supposed to stay with her." Edward's voice betrayed something else…a hint of affection, maybe?
No. I convinced myself out of that. Affection?—where did I get these ideas?
"I'll go get an icepack for your head," the nurse said, and bustled away helpfully.
Edward was chuckling slightly when I turned to him. The world was still spinning a bit, but I could see him, of course.
"So you faint at the sight of blood?" he asked sarcastically.
"Yes," I agreed; "Ironic, isn't it?"
"Very," he said, staring past me, deep in thought.
"You scared me for a minute there," he confessed suddenly. "I thought Newton was dragging your dead body off to bury it in the woods."
"I'll bet," I commented, closing my eyes again. The room was still spinning a little bit, and cutting off my vision was helping a lot.
"Honestly - I've seen corpses with better color. I was concerned that I might have to avenge your murder," Edward commented.
"Poor Mike. I'll bet he's mad." I grinned a little at the idea. I had little sympathy for Mike.
"He absolutely loathes me," Edward said amiably.
"Edward?" I asked suddenly.
"Hmm?" He turned his glorious gaze upon me, and smiled. My breath caught, and his smile widened.
"Do you enjoy the effect you have on me?" I asked breathlessly, and softly; in fear that Ms. Cope (who was in the next room) would hear.
His lips twitched, and he leaned a bit closer; inhaling.
"Maybe," he breathed, his perfect scent wafting over my face.
"Stop dazzling me!" I fought back weakly, trying to recall how to breathe.
"I dazzle you?" he asked curiously, his voice unintentionally—or maybe intentionally—seductive.
"Yes," I said, "And please stop before I completely lose consciousness!"
He sighed, and pulled back, the mischievous glint in his eyes dimming a bit.
The nurse walked back in, then. I was glad that he had pulled back; the nurse probably would have forced him out of the room if she'd seen how close he was to me.
"There you are, dear," she said kindly, and handed me the icepack.
I placed it against my head, and the nausea faded even more. All of the dizziness had dwindled away, but there was still a hint of queasiness in the pit of my stomach.
"We've got another one…" Mrs. Cope warned from the next room, propping the door open.
"Here—I don't need this anymore." I handed the icepack back to the nurse. I jumped off of the bed, and Edward had to catch me as I stumbled. "Sorry," I muttered as I blushed crimson.
He smiled a little, and then stiffened. "Oh no…Go outside to the office, Bella."
"What—Oh, that," I quickly responded, and hurried through the door. A whiff of rusty-salt smell had reached my nose, and I wanted to be as far from it as possible.
Mike was leading a very sick-looking Lee Stevens, who nearly passed out on the cot. Edward quickly pulled the door closed, and the smell stopped immediately.
"Thank you," I gasped, and sat down on a chair in the main office lobby.
"You actually listened," Edward contemplated thoughtfully, as he sat next to me.
"Of course I did…the smell of the blood was unbearable."
"People can't smell blood!" He was very unbelieving.
"Well…I can. It smells so…horrible!"
"That's…interesting," Edward managed, befuddled.
Mike walked in, and glared first to Edward, and then to me. "You look better," he said grimly.
"Keep your hand in your pocket," I ordered Mike, and flicked my gaze to Edward. He was looking at me like the thought that my warning was meant for him. I felt almost sympathetic because of the adorable expression of remorse that covered his features. I smiled at him a sweetly.
His returning gaze was perplexed.
"It's not bleeding anymore," Mike explained. "Are you going back to class?"
"No." I answered curtly. No need for further explanation on that point; if he didn't get it, he'd have to figure it out himself.
"Um…are you going this weekend? To the beach, I mean?" Mike stuttered after a minute.
"Er…" I had to consider that for a moment. I knew what chapter that the beach scene was… 'Chapter 6: Scary Stories.' In which Bella flirts with a childish Jacob, to find some answers.
I wasn't an idiot; I had no wish to repeat that scene. I was Team Edward all the way…But on the other hand, I was curious. I wanted to meet Jacob Black.
"Sure," I finally answered him, "First Beach, right?"
"Uh-huh," he said, "We're meeting at my dad's store at ten."
"Okay."
"See you in Gym, then," he finished the conversation, walking off and leaving the building.
I turned pleadingly to Edward. "Umm…can you get me out of Gym…please?" I asked in my softest whisper. "Mrs. Cope would listen to you," I continued, looking up from under my eyelashes.
His lips twitched a little, a mischievous smirk shining in his eyes.
"Alright," he agreed. "Sit here, and look pale."
I leaned back against the wall, and let my thoughts wander. I heard Edward's perfect, gentle voice explaining the situation to Mrs. Cope, and I felt their gazes on me as she assessed Edward's suggestion.
I felt Edward returning to my side, and Mrs. Cope said that she hoped I would feel better.
I nodded, and followed Edward out the door.
"I can walk, thankyou," I muttered, as he opened his mouth to speak. All the same, he put his hand a centimeter behind me, just in case. The almost-contact was making me a little anxious, and I could sense how close he was to touching me.
"Thank you," I said. "I couldn't have stood Gym right now."
"Anytime."
"So…I'm sorry you can't come to the beach this weekend."
He stopped walking then. "What would keep me from coming?" He was almost daring me to reject him.
"Oh…it's not that you're not invited, of course. I just thought that…Well, the weather will be sunny, and we are going to First Beach…I mean, I could have gotten that part wrong, I don't remember everything perfectly…" I stopped when I realized that I had said way too much…
He looked away. "No…you got it right. But how you did that, is still a mystery to me…" His voice was frustrated.
"I apologize. I always say too much when I'm speaking to you."
"Yes. We seem to both have that problem." His tone was amused now, as he shifted his gaze to mine.
I didn't even try to get to my truck, as we walked to his Volvo. I knew that he wouldn't let me drive, even if I begged.
"Um…Alice will drop off your truck at your house, later," he offered, as if he had heard my thoughts. He hadn't, of course.
"Thanks."
He held the door open for me, and I blushed. His gentlemanliness was a good thing, but it almost got embarrassing, after a while.
He turned on the car, and backed out of the parking space. When he reached the road, he flicked on the CD player.
I smiled, and leaned back against the chair as the welcoming tune of Clair De Lune drifted softly through the speakers. Of course he would be playing this…
"Mmm…I love this song," I said.
"I like it too," Edward said. I watched, as he looked down, and smiled a little at our similarity.
"My mom likes classical music…she always played a CD of it when she was at home."
"What's your mother like?"
I had to think for a moment.
"She's nice, I guess. A little crazy, forgetful, and she is a failure at making edible cuisine. But she's always happy." I sighed at the memory. "I don't know how she can manage to always be so cheerful."
"How old are you, Bella?"
"I'm seventeen," I responded.
"You don't seem seventeen," he commented.
"Well neither do y—Oh, wait. You're not." I sighed again. "I forgot; sorry."
He straightened up in his seat, and gripped the steering wheel. "How old do you think I am?"
I counted the years in my head. When the book came out in 2005, he was 104. But now it was five years later, in 2010. If the dates from the book were still correct, then he would be older than that.
"Um… Depending, I guess you would be a hundred and nine. If not, I got the date wrong and you would be…a hundred and four. I think. I'm not too certain." I waited quietly for his response.
He was impossibly still and silent, but I saw his nails dig a bit further into the wheel.
"Am I wrong?" I asked, mocking his tone from that day, so long ago, in Biology.
He shot a quick glare at me, and then back out the window. "No. You're right."
"That's good—I've never been very good at Math."
"What's your favorite book?" he said, changing the subject hurriedly.
"Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice," I answered quickly. Why not mess with his mind a bit?
"What?" He turned on me, shock written on every sculpted angle of his face. I laughed, and held up my hands, as if in self-defense.
"I'm just kidding, Edward! My favorite book is Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer."
He scowled at me, all the same.
"Stephenie Meyer…didn't she write that romance-novel-sci-fi story about a love triangle between two humans, and an extraterrestrial, or a zombie or something?"
"Yes, that was her book The Host. Her Twilight saga is a very popular series…but no one here in Forks seems to have heard of it. I think that's a good thing, actually."
"And why is that?"
"Well…" I got a mental picture of the Team Edward fangirls grouping around the Cullens' lunch table, thousands of girls trying to flirt with Edward, or inviting Alice to sleepovers. Or maybe even asking to feel Emmett's muscles…I shuddered. I could only think what that would do to Jasper's self control.
"That might be…dangerous to everyone's safety…and Jasper's mental health."
"I'm not sure I understand why that is…" Edward said after a moment of thought.
"And I'm not sure you would want to know…" I shuddered yet again.
The car stopped. I looked out the window, to see Charlie's house. I hadn't noticed how fast he was driving, but it didn't bother me that he had driven so fast. What bothered me was that my time talking to him was almost up.
We sat in silence, not finding anything else to talk about.
"My family is probably waiting for me at school," he said.
"Sorry. I guess you have to go, then," I agreed.
"And you probably want your truck back before Chief Swan gets home, so you don't have to tell him about the Biology incident."
"He probably already knows," I sighed. "There are no secrets in Forks."
He laughed and said, "Have fun at the beach... good weather for sunbathing." It was still raining.
"Thanks," I said. "And have fun camping with Emmett."
He stared at me blankly.
"Oh…I did it again, didn't I? Sorry. I just…keep forgetting. You hadn't told me yet that you were going camping with Emmett."
"Bella…" Edward sounded exasperated.
"Edward…" I said mockingly, in the same tone.
We both sighed.
"I'll tell you soon. I promise. And…I'm sorry. I keep messing up. It's not making it any easier for you."
"Fine," he said; then, "Oh, and Bella?"
"Yes, Edward?"
"Don't be offended, but you seem to be one of those people who just attract accidents like a magnet. So... try not to fall into the ocean or get run over or anything, all right?"
I smiled a little at the familiar quote. "I'll try," I agreed.
I paused for a second, before quickly running my hand down his arm, and then jumping out of the car before he had time to react.
I held up my hands to feel the raindrops, as I watched him drive away. I laughed a little at the slightly surprised expression on his face.
Well? Comments, critisism, anything you want to say? Say it in a review! It's just a small message that takes almost no time at all, and very little effort; yet has the power to make a fanfiction author smile! :D
Thank you for reading this chapter, and thanks for reading the rest of the story, so far! 77 reviews for just 6 chapters...wow. For me, that's a lot.
And on another note: The next chapter will be... *drumroll* The Beach Scene! Everyone be prepared for some Quileutes to show up...Haha...
Until next chapter,
Techno-Poet
