MAGNETIC
Xx~xx~xX
X
x
DANIELLE
I had squeezed my eyes open, woken up momentarily with a serene mind to all that had happened the previous day and then it had hit me-a flood of everything; I was upright, I was looking at the chair he had been sitting in as I sleepily talked to him… and he wasn't there.
The cold panic I felt had wrecked me into a standstill, and as I rushed around the house to gather my bearings of what was an what wasn't … Cindy's words were cold water over the end of the world.
"You… what?"
I couldn't move. Cindy sipped her coffee calmly, avoiding my eyes altogether and in a controlled voice she said sternly "I care about you. I want what's best for you Danielle and maybe having Grandma here will be good. For a week or so"
I was still in the middle of my panic at Edward's absence and her words were like gasoline over my feelings.
"You don't know her" I breathed. I was out of breath, my heart pounding. "She is…"
"She protected you" she cut me severely. "She protected me. She protected my mother"
"I know that" I retorted.
We stared at each other for a moment. She sipped her coffee steadily, closed her eyes and with such self-righteous wisdom she breathed "I was broken by Thomas too"
"I wasn't off drinking and partying with Isabella!" I growled. "We were shopping for… dresses"
"You said you weren't going to the dance?"
"She made me change my mind" I lied, clenching my jaw. She didn't buy it.
"What happened in Texas?"
"This is not that!" my fears were welling up; would she send me away? Was I too much? A burden…? I backed away from her, my hands shaking a little. "I'm going to get ready for school"
"You don't have to go"
"I know"
Xx~xx~xX
I was already running late but I probably could get away with it. My scrapes had healed somewhat-a little too quickly, I knew this much and so did Cindy but we both ignored it. I could ride my bike. I wanted to be away from home and I had little hope of seeing Edward; I had to guard myself from disappointment.
I had to make an effort to heal and be normal, and maybe like Cindy who had also lived through Thomas, I could make something of myself. The difference between Cindy and I is that she had had her mother; her sane and normal mother who could give her sane and normal. I had had my grandmother; and from before we had lived with Thomas… and the very little I could recall of my life before then…
It was anything but sane and normal.
It was paranoia; it was consistent moving and praying, and demons and blank memories.
The jumper clashed heavily with everything on me but I didn't care. "Vampire" I looked at myself in the mirror and blinked. The bruise on the side of my face was still pronounced. "Demon" I said experimentally and I shuddered.
The panic was rising again. Grandmother-Pangra-was on her way to Forks. I pushed that at the back of my mind and grabbed my bag…
I was going to be normal and sane.
Xx~xx~xX
When I got downstairs, Cindy was already there, a plate with buttered toast waiting in her hand. "Look, it's just for a week or two" she sighed. I nodded stiffly, taking the toast from her. "Are those my jeans?"
I looked down in fake surprise, as though I didn't know I had taken her skinny jeans. I wore them with combat boots and the horrendous jumper my grandmother had knitted for me one Christmas.
"I haven't had a chance to do laundry" I said eventually. She smiled and brushed my hair with her fingers before taking of her hair tie and placing it in my hand.
"Tie your hair" she smiled. "Battle scars" she reached under my chin and surveyed the bruise. I tied my hair while she watched; she was in a lighter mood and that whittled the dread away somewhat.
"Bye" I called behind, heading out and to the shed to get my bike.
Cindy had reclaimed her car and was pressuring me into getting a job and buying my own. I was yet to spare brain time on that subject. I hobbled down, trying to eat my toast and secure my backpack on to my back.
"Do you need a ride to school today?"
I slipped on the damp grass five feet away from the shed and was about to fall backwards when Edward caught me.
"I thought we agreed no more fatal accidents" he said, smirking and arranging me easily so I was standing up right again. My piece of toast was still in my mouth throughout all of this.
I took it out and threw it angrily at a bush. "You were gone!" I accused, poking his chest hard. "I thought… you were… gone!"
"Yes…" he looked perplexed "I had to change clothes?"
My hand stopped midair but I was still livid but with no grounds to hold that anger on.
"You thought I had left you… that I had left Forks?" he asked, somber now. I nodded tersely, wheeling around and continuing for the shed, as I was about to open it he breathed "Don't be stubborn, not today Danielle" his hand went for the handle and we touched. He snatched it back while mine burned from his coldness and something else.
"I really don't feel comfortable with you riding your bike to school" he said. I had not opened the door but my hand went around the handle after a moment "You can barely manage your feet let alone two wheels"
He laughed quietly at my irritation and pulled the hem of my jumper's sleeve. He stopped when I complied and released the handle and looked me over, his eyebrow raised and his crooked grin appearing slowly on his face.
"Interestingly bright jumper...?" he was caught between confusion and humor "It doesn't look warm though?"
"Okay fine" I ignored him, although he was right on the warmth front and walked to his car. "Just… no appearing out of nowhere and disappearing without a word"
Xx~xx~xX
X
Xx~xx~xX
EDWARD
"Wear the jacket" I instructed, tilting my head to the jacket hanging on the passenger seat. She looked at it and then went back to looking out the windscreen. "You aren't warm" I pressed. I looked at her; she was sulking and the bruise was on her face.
The guilt crashed through me and I was about to go back to what she thought was stupid; I was bad for her, I made her sick. I hurt her.
"You've healed pretty fast" I said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, I'm fine" this was almost a scolding; she knew the place my observation had come from. "You do not make me sick" she dropped pretense "You don't"
"Put the jacket on" I had promised to drop it; for her sake and mine. The only reason I had not left-the true reason, was that no one had seen me but her. Isabella had been out cold but it was too close… I would never forget the smell of that blood out in the air.
My fingers tensed around the steering wheel. "Put it on" I all but growled as though alleviating her from cold could make up from almost killing her; could atone me from that bruise on her face and the many more I was sure were hidden under the atrocious flimsy red and green jumper.
She complied, her expression a little surprised. She removed the sweater over her head, and I saw that she wore nothing but a tanktop. It was such a different look for her (possibly because I had only ever bore witness to hoodies and baggy t-shirts) and although she was seated there, in the passenger seat; I could imagine what it would look like if she were standing; the tanktop, the tight jeans and the boots.
I flicked my gaze back on to the road.
The jacket was on and she was sulking further.
"This is complicated" I told her. "I don't mean to be… erratic…"
She scoffed.
"I don't want to make you… go through this" I said. "I am being selfish. I ought to leave you well alone"
"Don't presume to know what's good for me" she snapped. "Everyone presumes to know what is good for me"
"Are we going to talk about the cat?" I asked carefully. We were at the school and she had reached behind to get her bag. She froze her eyes on my face.
"No" she snapped, the door was opened. "No" she repeated, shutting the door with too much force. In her anger, she failed to notice the stares as she came out of Edward Cullen's car in Edward Cullen's jacket. I thought about rushing to her and making her slow down, but we had biology first… she would be forced to simmer down.
Xx~xx~xX
There was a lot to think about; I had revealed without a doubt what I was to Danielle. She had a word for it, she knew of it-what I was. What my family was. It was as though a weight had been lifted in part, for it was a heavy weight to pretend for so many people and for so long to be anything but this; evil.
The secret, however, was not mine alone to share and as I passed Rosalie and Emmett in the hallway, my beautiful conceited sister gave me such a threatening scowl and vicious thoughts. Emmett smiled apologetically for her knew now, that what was done was done and that, Danielle was important to me.
I had expected Rosalie's reaction (I had avoided her on my return home), I knew where Jasper and Alice's temperaments would lie; I even expected Jennifer's own thoughts of Danielle stepping out from my car but what I hadn't expected as I walked through the corridor unhurriedly to Biology was to be intercepted by Isabella Swan.
I had fed, debauched on blood but in my musing and her suddenness and that accursed mute mind of hers… I was stunned into a standstill near the entrance to Biology.
"Hello Edward" she said softly. The shock was on my face, reflected in her brown eyes. I had stopped breathing, panic coursing through me. I thought I was stronger, ready… especially since I had managed to pull myself away that night; I hadn't wanted to be away from Danielle today… or any other day, I feared.
I nodded tersely.
"I thought…" she bit her lip, the blood pooled and spread. It was in her cheeks; it was creeping and stalking me from under her skin. Her eyelashes fluttered, her heart beat was raised and the venom pooled in my mouth. "You know the dance is coming up and girls ask the boys?"
Another terse nod from me.
Her hands wrung each other.
I could spare a sentence, I thought. Or more. I could do this; I was certain I wouldn't harm her; Alice would have been by my side by now-Isabella had obviously planned to ask me today and I had planned to take Danielle to school with me.
What did she want? I lamented but I analyzed her words and fear welled in the pit of my stomach.
"I may not go" I braved. She looked momentarily disappointed but charged on.
"If you do go, I think we should go together"
"Why?" I asked abruptly.
"Has Danielle… not said anything?" she fluttered her eyelashes again. We were closer to the entrance and I looked up to where Danielle was seated. Tyler was sitting in my spot, asking her about her weekend; why she had not been to La Push and how he heard about Isabella and her attack. He was about to ask her to the dance.
"She mentioned a few things" I recalled begrudgingly Isabella's name being mentioned to quell Lauren's dismay that I chose Danielle over every other girl. That was what it looked like, wasn't it?
That was what it was… a voice inside me said and the dread in my stomach heated up.
"…I forgot my jumper" Danielle was explaining to Tyler why she was wearing a man's jacket. He worried if she was dating me and then disregarded it; Isabella was superior and I would surely choose Isabella. He pushed on and so did Isabella.
"So if you do decide to go?" Isabella smiled. I looked at her and yes, she was pretty; brown eyes and pale smooth skin; mahogany hair; she was slightly taller than Danielle but very slim with dainty curves as compared to Rosalie… and Danielle when she wasn't draped and swathed in atrocious jumpers and hoodies…
"If I go I will go with…" I was about to say Danielle but Tyler had just asked Danielle, who flicked her eyes up at me briefly and saw the flirting Isabella.
Danielle said yes.
"My family" I said coolly. I walked away from her and towards Tyler. "You are in my spot" I growled. He felt terror but his elation at Danielle's 'yes' overrode it somewhat. He moved away, apologetically and gave Danielle a wide and bright smile.
"I was wondering…" he wanted to sit next to her.
"No" I cut him, taking my seat. I put my books out and moved unnecessarily close to Danielle. This bothered him but he disregarded it, and walked away.
She had said yes to him.
The teacher entered, pulling in an ancient TV and VCR. He was skipping through a section he wasn't particularly interested in by showing a movie for the next three days. No notes, no tests. Three free days. The humans' exulted while I seethed and boiled. She was bewildered at my anger and so was I.
I did not pull my chair away from hers but sat as close as any human would; although Tyler was entirely to blame for my anger… Isabella had poked the monster. It was as though she had made my body burn through all the blood.
I could feel Danielle's heat on my side and I braved breathing. Once I did, I regretted not banishing Isabella's scent with Danielle's spice earlier. I breathed in deeply, and she peeked at me. It was a strange experience, both enjoyable and nerve wracking. It was more than I was used to but I quickly realized it was not enough. I was not satisfied. Being this close to her only made me want to be closer still.
And then the lights were turned off.
The difference in the air was exponential, although it did little to hinder my eyesight. I could see as perfectly as before, the room was clear for me. So why the sudden shock of electricity in this room that was dark, but not dark for me? Was it because I knew I was the only one who could see clearly?
I looked over to Danielle and saw that her eyes were trained ahead, too focused and determined.
My hand twitched, moving towards her without my permission. I snatched my hand back, folding my arms over my chest and clenching my rebellious fingers into stern fists.
No more mistakes. A new kind of craving was wreaking havoc in me, working overtime to undermine my control.
Danielle folded her arms over her chest and her fists balled. What are you thinking? I wanted to whisper but the silence was such that I couldn't get away with that.
The movie began, lighting up the darkness just a bit, and Danielle looked up at me. She noted the rigid way I held my body-just like hers-and smiled. Her lips parted slightly and her eyes seemed full of warm invitation.
Or perhaps I was just seeing what I wanted to see.
I smiled back and her breath caught. She turned away viciously, her hair escaping from her awkwardly done ponytail and fanning with the sudden motion. Peach spice enveloped me and I had to release my hands to grip the table.
Between her and me, the throbbing electricity hummed.
She didn't move at all through the hour, holding her stiff, controlled pose as I held mine. Occasionally she would peek at me and the humming electricity would jolt through my body.
The uncertainty if what I was feeling was completely one sided had raged through me. All I could hear was her yes to Tyler and recalled her aversion to going to the dance in the first place. The question seeped through over all my nerves; had she reconsidered because it was Tyler that had asked?
I had a dozen different arguments with myself as the minutes passed, rationality struggling within me; these were silly worries.
I watched her lips form a thin controlled line, her breathing consciously controlled but her heart doing an alluring tango inside her chest. Her rising and falling curved chest...
She turned her head a fraction, peering at me through hooded feather duster eyes and I gulped. She turned her head stiffly back to the ancient monitor and I watched as her lips went lax, parting slightly and releasing their fullness in a velvety pout.
Silly worries and yet they seemed to swell like a tide and swallow the thirst, the exposure of vampires… they swallowed everything and left a clean sandy beach.
The lights went on as we ended the first session of the lesson and the atmosphere returned rapidly to normal. In the bright fluorescent light I could see the crimson mahogany tint of her cheeks; she was flustered.
She stretched her hands, splaying the dainty digits on the table top and arched her back. She flexed her fingers, stretching and sighing. It must have been uncomfortable for her to hold that position for long. It was easier for me-stillness came naturally. She picked up her hair tie and redid her hair once again in a loose pony that would surely come undone at a point during the day.
I chuckled at the relieved expression on her face. "That was interesting"
"Uhm" she replied.
"I guess its gym now" I murmured. I looked back at the classroom, to Tyler. I fixed the collar of the jacket she wore.
"I guess so" she mumbled.
We walked in smooth silence, her heart being the only thing alerting me to the thoughts she may be having; it would pick up suddenly, thudding hard and violently against her chest and then slow back to its normal rhythm. It felt like she did it on purpose; impossible but why make me wonder…?
That electricity that had passed between us, in its brief form and intense concentration had fuelled my hunger. Had driven me past thirst and starvation and opened up my eyes to the new sustenance I craved. I wanted to touch her supple skin.
"Why are you frowning" she asked when we reached the door to the gym, her own forehead creased as she looked at me.
Because I want to touch you so badly it hurts and I have turned into this starving despicable being…?
"My sister wants to converse with you" I said instead, hearing Alice's thoughts as she skipped our way.
"Hello…" Alice chirped stopping between us, peering up at Danielle from her short height.
"I know you already know that I know you know who I am" Alice sang smiling. "Shall we enter this hall and watch the dismal match they are about to play?"
"Uh…" Danielle was extremely confused.
"Oh, you will be playing at some point but we will have plenty of time to chat…" Alice smiled at her, herding us in.
"You get used to her" I whispered to Danielle.
Xx~xx~xX
"So Alice is… psychic?"
"Well…" I laughed "Her visions are subjective; influenced by concrete decisions and such"
"Oh"
I was taking her home, a long day of her and I adjusting to our new dynamic now that the vampire was out of the bag. In the back of my mind I wondered; was I being selfish? Was I making her sick and doing so selfishly because…
Because why?
"You are going to the dance with Tyler?" I parked the car next to the blue Mercedes, ignoring her cringing at the action. She would rather I have dropped her off and not made a show of it… Cindy peeked from the kitchen, her eyes large when she saw the Volvo; her mind spluttered when she realized Danielle really was friends with me-it seems she had had her doubts on that proclamation.
"I wasn't going to go at all but Cindy and I…" she turned her head away from me briefly "She thinks… she thinks I went wild or something. And I have to convince her that I went with Bella to look at dresses"
"Cindy's father is a raging alcoholic" she sighed. "I lived with him before… I came here. It got a bit too much; being yelled at and all the warring. I wanted to just… be normal. Sane. I guess I went about it the wrong way, with the wrong people. I went out one night and… all I remember is the red eyes in the club. Well, Thomas found me… he took me home and all hell broke loose. So I left and came here"
She waved her hand at the house. Cindy had long abandoned the window but had formulated a grand plan to make a meal and invite me for dinner. I could hear the commotion in the kitchen; Danielle was subdued in her memories and devoid of any supernatural hearing at present.
"So you are going to the dance to convince Cindy that you are normal?" I asked.
"And my grandmother" she looked down at her hands. "She will be around. I can't be all depressed and weird" her eyes glanced up at me "I have to try…" she smiled "Like you… letting Mike hit you over the head with that ball"
I smiled at her. I thought of pressing the Tyler front, and almost let it go but in honor of the electricity from Biology today, I sighed "You couldn't ask me to the dance?"
She blinked, confused.
"Instead of Tyler"
"Isabella likes you, I have told you this" she huffed "Already this jacket has me in a lot of trouble" she began removing the jacket, looking around her. "Where did I throw…?"
Before she finished her sentence I had placed her jumper on her lap. "Oh" she smiled sheepishly.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes "I am not going with Isabella"
"Wh…" she stammered and I laughed.
"Unlike you…" I breathed, leaning across her to open her door once she had put her jumper on "I don't make it a habit of setting myself on fire just to keep others warm"
The door was open, the cool air swept in and her spice engulfed me. Her eyes were on my face and we were too close; my eyes flicked to her mouth and back to her eyes of their own accord. This scared me. I moved back abruptly.
My breathing was up, needlessly. Hers too, I noted. "You should go… unless you want to have Cindy invite me in"
She shivered, the door open but made no move. "But…?"
I closed my eyes, fearing her words… but they came out and everything in me was alight once more; burning and coiling.
"Can you come over… tonight?"
"Yes, of course"