The Return of the Rob

(Mackenzie Brooks as a depressed Bella Swan)

Tyler's van hadn't come barreling toward me on Monday. Instead, it happened on Tuesday. My life didn't exactly flash before my eyes like everyone says it does. As the van skidded in my direction all I could think about was how I was going to die wearing a really hideous bra. Bella was in serious need of some cuter undergarments. Had the girl ever heard of a little someone called Victoria Secret? If I lived through this impending doom I would be sure to introduce them. For a price, Victoria was willing to share her secrets, and Bella desperately needed her guidance.

I closed my eyes, bracing for impact, but what I felt instead was a set of strong arms enveloping me. My head cracked hard against the pavement. Damn, that was going to leave a mark. My vision was a bit blurry, but I knew without a doubt that it was Edward Cullen who was holding me. He had come through after all, saving me from certain death. I looked at him and gave him a pathetic smile, the only thing I could think to do to show my appreciation. He didn't say anything, nor did he move, even when others began to swarm us.

I blocked out Tyler's apologies as Edward cradled me in his arm. He stroked my cheek, and I actually nuzzled him, for the first time feeling grateful for his existence. When my vision became less spotty, I noticed that he seemed far more frazzled than I would have thought his vampiric perfection would allow. His unkempt hair was wilder than usual, his jacket hung awkwardly from his body, the sleeve of his free arm pushed upward. I allowed my eyes to rake over the flawless skin of his forearm, noticing dark black letters inscribed on his arm. It wasn't a tattoo but rather pen. I couldn't imagine why he had marked up his arm but when the words became clear in my sight, I suddenly understood.

My heart began to beat wildly against my chest as the sound of ambulance sirens blared in the background. I looked back at his face, searching for something that would provide more confirmation to what I had just read. My breathing was erratic and fast, my vision began to blur once more as dizziness started to sink it. I struggled to focus on his soft face, afraid of closing my eyes but was unable to stop myself.

"Rob?" I whispered before exhaustion overtook my body, and I drifted into darkness.

-%-%-%-%-

(Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen)

I was stunned. She said my name—not Edward, but Rob. Did she know who I was? I shook her gently, hoping to rouse her but to no avail. Before I could continue my selfish attempts to wake her, medical professional had arrived and were prying her from my arms. It was all that I could do to convince them that I didn't need to be examined and that I would wait until I saw my "father" at the hospital.

I evaded the horrified thoughts that my "siblings" projected from where they stood. I knew that what I had done, what Edward had done, was foolish and risked exposing the Cullens. However, I didn't really have another choice. I couldn't stand by and watch her die. If it had been Kristen, I would've done the same; I wouldn't have been able to leave her side. But it wasn't Kristen; it was some girl posing as Bella, who truly was the real Bella in a sea of actors playing fictionalized roles, which made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I wouldn't have cared about her in the least; in fact, I'd tried not to.

When I had made the decision to stay in Forks, I knew it inevitably meant returning to school. I was familiar with the drill. Edward goes back to Forks High only to be even more drawn to Bella, and he ultimately falls in love with her. Perhaps in Edward's world everything went according to the storybook. However, I was tired of playing in his world. I wanted my life back. I had gone back and forth so many times in my head as to whether or not I was crazy. Sometimes I thought maybe I really was Edward Cullen and Robert Pattinson was a figment of my imagination but how could that be true? I needed to find out once and for all.

So far it seemed that no matter what, the Twilight plot was playing out according to plan. True, I hadn't exactly done anything to muck up the entire storyline, and I didn't want to do anything too drastic just in case there really was no Robert Pattinson. However, I needed to do something, perform some sort of test to prove whether or not I, or Robert Pattinson rather, really existed.

Ultimately, I resigned myself to ignore Bella at all costs. If she still gushed over me like the lovesick puppy she was, than that was it. I was Edward Cullen, vampire; that would become my reality. But if Bella happened to brush off my indifference and proceed to have a normal existence with other humans at Forks High, then I would have to keep faith that somehow I would be Robert again. Bella's choice to forget about Edward Cullen would prove that I had the power to change things in the Twilight world. And, if I could change the story, change the life of Edward Cullen unlike Stephenie Meyer had intended, then Twilight must be fake and I must be real. It didn't truly make a whole lot of sense, but it was all I could come up with.

The first day back was difficult. I watched Bella carefully at lunch, constantly reassuring my "family" that I was fine. The powerful thirst returned but it was easier to ignore with my new determination. That, paired with the massive amounts of hunting I'd done the night before. Bella's uncharacteristic flirtatious disposition and outgoing demeanor at lunch made me very hopeful, but I knew biology would be the real test.

I sucked in a breath as I took my seat at the lab table, ready to endure the inquisition that Bella Swan would lay out regarding my absence. She stepped into the room and glided toward me, poising herself atop the stool to my right. I waited for her pointed questions and was surprised when they never came. In fact, she didn't utter a single word until the lab had begun. When she did finally speak, she sounded almost angry.

I was glad to have remembered some of the answers to the lab, allowing me to concentrate on the more important task at hand. When Bella reclaimed the microscope, she seemed as determined as I was. She taunted me with the third slide, waiving it in my face.

"Fifty says it's Interphase," she challenged, looking confident. I, of course, knew that the third slide was in fact Interphase, but how could she? Perhaps she was trying to undermine me, or find my weakness. I raised an eyebrow in response, not backing down.

After looking into the microscope, she happily declared the third slide to be Interphase, and I could see a smile of triumph come over her face. I didn't bother checking her work, like I would have known the difference anyhow. Instead, I felt my insides explode. Bella wasn't flirting. Bella wasn't even trying to be nice to me. No, Bella simply tried to outwit me. It was all the proof I needed. There really was a Robert Pattinson and he was me, or rather I was him. No matter how it worked out, I wasn't crazy, or at least I was less crazy than I had originally thought. Either way, I was happy.

I retrieved two American quarters from my pocket and placed them near her arm. I knew she had meant fifty dollars, a small chunk of change to a Cullen, but I couldn't resist digging into her. I smirked as I presented the coins to her, my smile becoming impossibly wider when hers disappeared completely.

I win, Bella! Me, Robert fucking Pattinson!

That evening I yanked up my sleeve and took a pen to my forearm, the ink flowed out easily against my smooth alabaster skin. I wanted to remember who I was. I had no idea how long I would be trapped here, but I would rewrite these words on myself every day if I had to.

Robert Thomas Pattinson, I penned, looking at my full name before rolling my sleeve down over it.

End Notes:

The "van" scene was adapted from page 29 of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight.

The "phases of mitosis" scene was adapted from page 23-24 of Twilight.