Chapter 7: Dream

EDWARD CULLEN

We got downstairs fairly soon, although Emmett and Jasper had already gotten to the food. Emmett was getting ready to grab more food, but Esme smacked him with her spoon and told him to go sit down and eat what he has first.

Esme had outdone herself, too. She had made barbequed chicken, ribs, Boca burgers, and salmon. She had done the corn on the grill, as well. And everything smelled amazing.

Jacob and I took our seats outside next to Bella by one of the smaller streams out on the grass. Although I knew Kennedy wasn't at the barbeque with us, I still worried about what would happen when we saw him again. Of course, I was probably jumping to conclusions, and everything I was thinking was probably horribly wrong and insane. But I couldn't help but wonder what was really going on.

Bella and Jacob had started up a conversation as I was thinking and I tried unsuccessfully to figure out what they were talking about. I heard something about a puppy and a chair, but that's all I could catch. It wasn't until I heard the word 'tribe' that I knew Jacob was about to warn Bella.

"What is it, Jake?" Bella asked.

"Do you remember any of the Quileute legends I told you?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course, you told me each of them at least fifty times," she replied.

"Do you remember the one about the cold ones?" He looked towards the moon, still lost in thought.

"Yeah, all of the ones you told me. I remember the one you told me about the cold woman and the spirit warriors, and then the one about the cold ones coming to La Push a really long time ago. What about them?" She asked.

"Haven't you noticed any similarities between the stories I have told you and our new visitors?" He sounded hopeful.

"Should I have?" She asked.

"I'd hope so," he replied.

"Well, Jacob, I don't think Edward and his family would like you calling them vampires," Bella told him with a serious look on her face before she burst into a fit of giggles (AN, oh the irony…).

"Bella, be serious. Have you noticed anything odd about Kennedy?" He asked.

"Oh, not you too! It must be some sort of 'guy vision' that no one else—but guys—gets. I mean, sure, I guess there is something funny about the kid, like how he sniffs the air when you come closer and stuff, but what did this have to do with the cold ones—oh."

"Yes, Bella. Now please, please, please listen to me. The tribe thinks we have seen these people before, and I want you to stay away. Haven't you noticed there have people have gone missing? And this time we have no one to keep the cold ones off our land and yours. We need you to stay safe," Jacob told her.

"You guys worry way too much. I'll be fine," she replied.

"Bella, I'm with Jacob. I think you should be cautious. Or at least consider it," I added.

"Don't worry about me." She rolled her eyes at us.

"You never worry about yourself. You always worry about everyone else, Bella. For once, be selfish," Jacob told her.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because we care about you and we don't want to worry that if this is all true and we aren't crazy that you will get yourself hurt—or worse," I replied. She looked into my eyes for a while, before turning to look at Jacob. Whatever she had seen must have convinced her.

"Fine. I promise to be a bit more careful," she told us.

"Thank you," I told her, hoping that she meant it.

We continued to eat in silence for the most part. Bella finished up earlier than Jacob and I did, so she lay down on the grass and looked up towards the sky that was not—for once—blanketed by clouds. I couldn't help but steal a few glances at her, with her hair fanned out around her as she rested on the cool grass. Once I finished, I lay down next to her and pulled her closer to me. Jacob pulled his legs into his chest and looked up towards the sky, as well.

I couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking the same thing that I was: what was going to happen to us? I knew Bella probably wasn't worried, but there was something in Jacob's theory that stuck to my mind, only I couldn't pinpoint it. Never before had I dealt with something quite like this. Not even with my parent's death, or could that be the vital part I am missing? Was there something about my parents' death that I'm missing? That seemed like the only event in my life that would stick in my head and constantly nag me. Or maybe I was spending too much time harping on this idea. It was the last two weeks of summer, and I had to enjoy it while I had it.

I knew Bella was staying the night and that thought was comforting. But this was the last night she would be able to stay in my house. Sleeping in my bed. Tomorrow she would have to return to her own bed. And I'm pretty sure her parents wouldn't like my staying there.

But there had to be some other reason to why I wanted to be with her so much. Maybe it was because I thought that my presence was protecting her from whatever was haunting my thoughts, whether or not it was Kennedy. My only fear was that I could only protect Bella for so long.

"Guys, time for desert!" Esme called, pulling me out of my thoughts. I pulled Bella up with me and we all got up to go get our deserts, which were brownies a la mode.

Alice and Jasper came over to join along with Jade, Adelle, Mike, and Angela. We all sat in a huge circle and ate our brownies. I had to admit; Alice, Bella, and I did a very good job with these brownies.

"Hey, Bella, what are you doing tomorrow afternoon after registration?" Mike asked Bella, faking nonchalance.

"Going to Seattle with Edward, Jasper, and I," Alice answered for her.

"Alice, I need to go home eventually," Bella told her.

"I already cleared it with your parents. They think it's a good idea. They thought you hadn't gotten out enough this summer," Alice replied.

"Well, how about the day after?" Mike asked again. I growled, this was getting irritating. I didn't like this kid. I could tell by the way he looked at her that he was thinking vile thoughts. It was disgusting. Bella deserved much better than Mike.

"Um, well, Mike, I don't really think of you that way. Sorry." I almost smiled if it weren't for Mike being next to me.

"Oh, okay, that's cool. How about you, Jade?" Mike asked.

"Um, I have a boyfriend, idiot. His name's Cameron, remember? Just because he doesn't live in Forks doesn't mean he doesn't exist," Jade spat.

"Oh, right, gym boy," Mike replied.

"Whatever, Mike." Jade rolled her eyes and turned away.

We continued to talk amongst ourselves for a little while longer until everyone slowly started to leave.

Soon it was only Jacob, Bella, and I, so we all went back up to my room. Bella sat on the floor, with her legs pulled into her chest while Jacob and I sat facing her.

Jacob was really worried because Billy had gotten a call from Joshua Uley, Sam Uley's father, saying that Sam had gone missing. Jacob and Bella were really worried that Sam had been taken by whoever had been pulling people away from their homes. I knew something was up; I just couldn't piece it all together. Leah Clearwater, Sam's girlfriend was worried sick, so she, Sam's father, Billy Black, Charlie, Leah's Father, and a bunch of other people from the reservation were going to go looking for Sam. Jacob was going to be staying at his house with his sisters, who were visiting, while Billy was out with the other men and Leah, looking for Sam.

Bella was comforting Jacob while we sat up in my room, waiting for Jacob's father to finish talking to Charlie so they could leave. I offered Jacob a place in our house—it wasn't like we didn't have the room—but he said he wanted to stay on the reservation, because it was supposedly safer and he figured he should stay with his sisters.

I knew there was something we were missing. There was some reason why Sam had gone missing, and some reason why the Quileutes were all freaked out about the new 'visitors' that had come to Forks. I just couldn't figure out what it was that we weren't piecing together. It was just so odd that Sam had gone missing shortly after Kennedy's family had arrived in Forks. Especially since the reservation was so safe. What were we overlooking?

It was something huge, whatever it was. It was something important, something that would explain why Sam tied to closely into this situation.

More than anything, I was worried. Worried about Bella. This disappearance had shown me that I need to keep her safe and out of harm's way. But my dilemma was that I didn't know how to protect her from a problem this formidable.

"Edward, hey, earth to Edward," a voice called, pulling me out of my worries.

"Yes?" I replied, not even noticing whom had called my attention.

"Jacob is leaving. Why were you spacing out?" Bella asked me.

"No reason, just thinking. Bye, Jacob, I hope they find Sam," I told him.

"Thanks, I hope so too. Bye Bells," Jacob told her, pulling her into a hug and kissing her head like an older brother.

"Hey, call up some time, we should hang out," I told him.

"Yeah, sounds good. See you around, Edward," Jacob replied leaving the room.

Once he was gone Bella turned to me. "I'm worried now. Sam wouldn't go missing for no reason, he's strong," she told me.

"I think something's up. We're missing something. And until this all gets solved, I don't want you wandering the woods or going off on your own. Please, for me?" I asked, pulling her small hands into mine and looking into her warm brown eyes.

"Yes, I promise. It's not like I wandered the woods by myself so much before," she added. I was grateful to know she wouldn't be putting herself in harm's way. Bella was too sweet and innocent to be hurt.

But these feelings that coursed through me when I looked at her and worried about her were foreign to me. It was almost torturous; I had not idea what was going on. I had never felt like this about anyone before. It was ludicrous to believe that I could feel any attraction towards Bella within two days. Maybe these recent attacks were taking a toll on my mind. Maybe I should just sleep it off.

Right as I thought that, Bella yawned next to me.

"Ready to go to bed?" I asked her.

"Yeah, let me go wash my face and change. I'll be in Alice's room," she told me before walking out.

I went over to my closet and pulled out a pair of black flannel pajama pants and a white t-shirt, since Bella would be sleeping with me, and I wasn't sure if she would feel weird if I weren't wearing a shirt. Following Bella's lead, I went to wash my face and brush my teeth, thinking about my newest dilemma the entire time. I didn't know what I was going to do now.

Turning my music on so it was just quiet background noise, I pulled out The Iliad and leaned into the back of my bed and relaxed.

I had gotten lost in the story of ancient Greece when there was a knock on my door.

"Come in," I called out.

Bella walked timidly into the room and I smiled when I saw her. Only she could pull off looking beautiful in pajamas. She had on a pair of blue plaid boxer shorts with a pair of white leggings on under them and a dark blue t-shirt.

She moved to sit on the bed next to me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"The Iliad?" She asked.

"Yes, one of my favorites. I'd considered A Lesson Before Dying, but I've already read it four times. So it was either this or Jane Eyre," I replied, smiling at her.

"Jane Eyre is a good story. I like the ending, when Jane and Edward Rochester finally get married. It's brilliant," she replied, smiling at her memory of reading the story.

"Are you about ready to go to bed?" I asked. "I'm getting pretty tired."

"Yes, I suppose so. If we have to get up early to get to registration, we'll want to get to bed around now. Do we seriously have to go to Seattle?" She replied.

"Alice really wants to take you shopping. You shouldn't ruin her fun." I grinned, knowing Alice went insane when she was put in a big city with numerous credit cards.

"Ugh, you should want to protect me from the pain!" She whined.

"I will protect you, don't forget I'm coming too. Alice actually called the hotel today. She managed to get two rooms at The W hotel. It's your choice, you can stay with either Alice or me, we won't mind," I told her, hoping that she'll say she wants to stay with me. I didn't understand why I was feeling that, either. It was almost pathetic. I needed to talk to Jasper soon.

"I'll stay with you, if you don't mind," she told me, looking down, blushing.

"Don't be embarrassed. Alice will be happy to have the alone time with Jasper, anyway. Besides, I think she got double beds because that was all they had on such short notice, if that's okay. You won't feel forced to share a bed," I added, in hopes of making her feel less embarrassed.

"We'll see," she replied with a smile.

"Come on, let's get to bed," I told her, pulling the covers down and getting into the bed after having turned off my stereo. My heart beat faster in my chest as she got into the bed and pulled the covers around her.

I once again pulled her closer to me and breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. I knew my feelings were becoming completely irrational, and I needed to keep them in check or otherwise I might lose Bella because there was probably no way she liked me.

Feeling her move herself closer into my arms gave me a bit of hope, and my heart pounded as she rested her head against my chest.

My eyes slowly began to droop and I felt the world around me being whisked away.

The next thing I knew, my bedroom had disappeared, and I was in a large forest far from Forks with Bella.

This forest was completely different from any other forest I had been in. The trees were huge and ancient. It looked as if the forest had been there since the beginning of time.

The sun was behind the clouds and the light around us seemed to filter a yellowish-green hue. The woods felt bone chilling to me and I could feel the hairs standing up on the back of my neck and the goose bumps on my arms.

There was something wrong here. Why were Bella and I in these woods?

I looked down at Bella, and she looked almost scared. I swallowed loudly and pulled in into my arms, afraid of what might happen to us in these woods.

It wasn't until I looked closer at her that I realized that tears were running down her cheeks. What was wrong? Why was Bella crying?

I suddenly heard footsteps and I almost jumped out of my skin when a dark silhouette appeared between the large trees in the shadows.

"Edward? Bella?" The voice called. Wait, I recognized that voice.

"Jacob? What are you doing out here?" I asked.

"We have to get out of here, it's coming," he replied, looking behind him towards the growing light.

Suddenly the sun came out and illuminated everything around us like it was on fire.

But something was wrong. Usually when the sun shone on things, it made them look less scary, but the sun made everything sinister.

The light in the distance grew closer and I could see that it was a man who was coming nearer.

"Who is it?" I called. All I heard in return was a hiss.

The light grew brighter and brighter until it began to hurt my eyes. I pulled up my hand to shield them and moved Bella behind me as to protect her from whomever was coming to us.

Slowly, the shining figure immerged from the woods.

It took me a minute for my eyes to adjust to realize that it was Kennedy who was walking towards us.

But there was something wrong; Kennedy's skin was glittering like diamonds were embedded in his skin. And there was something else, something I couldn't pinpoint.

It wasn't until he stepped into a small pool of shade that I realized what it was: his eyes. His eyes were a dark, sinister red.

I moved my stance to protect Bella when I noted Jacob shuddering next to me. Suddenly, he burst into a large russet-colored wolf. A large growl ripped from his throat.

"Jacob!" I yelled, afraid for us now that Jacob had turned into a large wolf before our eyes.

I turned around and pulled Bella to me and held her in my arms, in hopes that maybe the wolf would scare Kennedy away.

Of course, it was probably hopeless; what hope did a large wolf have in beating a vampire?

"Isabella," Kennedy called. Bella's eyes looked up at him, transfixed.

"Bella, come here." He motioned for her to come near.

"No, Bella, listen to me, we have to run! Please, ignore him!" I begged.

"Come here, young one. Come here, Bella," Kennedy told her.

I gripped Bella tighter but she moved from my grip. Kennedy pulled my arms from her in a blindingly fast motion and I cowered from his ice-cold skin. It almost burned against mine.

With Bella in his possession, he moved back towards the edge of the woods, away from the Jacob wolf and me.

I watched with great horror as Kennedy swept Bella's hair from her neck and bent down as to kiss her.

Jacob growled when Kennedy brushed his lips across her neck before opening his mouth readying himself to bite down.

In a flash, the Jacob wolf had bounded towards Kennedy and jumped.

I shouted, not in fear for Kennedy, but in fear of Bella being harmed.

Right as Jacob collided with Kennedy, a loud clap of thunder hit and my eyes popped open, removing the scene from my eyes.

I was no longer in the forest; I was back in my room, with Bella safely in my arms.

I sighed in contentment, glad to have Bella in my arms. I kissed her soft hair and pulled her closer before I closed my eyes again in hopes of having a dream-free rest of the night.

But I couldn't help but remember my dream, and how real it had felt. Brushing it aside, I let sleep take me again, waiting for morning to return.