Chapter Seven:
Liar Liar
I don't know how long I was in my study, just trying to hold myself together. The pain was still hitting me in waves that made me feel as if I was being torn apart and burned. The stairs never seemed to end as I slowly traversed the last flight and turned towards my door. I could hear Isabella's pounding music coming from her room, muted by the near soundproof walls.
How could this happen? It seemed that I was slowly loosing her, my daughter slowly disconnecting herself from me and leaving me behind as she tried to run away. My thoughts were swirling around my head and made absolutely no sense to me. Why now? Why not earlier, or better yet, never? Why did she have to distant herself from me? From the family?
Esme began to rub my back as I collapsed onto our large king-sized bed.
Something that Isabella had said earlier was still ringing in my head: there seems to be a lot of talk about him when the coven thinks I am not listening. Why would she say "the coven"? Had nothing I had taught her imprinted upon her brain? She was welcome here, not just welcomed but wanted. And when she murmured family…it was as it there was some hidden irony to it. What were those words I had not heard? She was the strangest creature, nothing that I could make sense of. What went on in her complex brain continued to elude me and it vexed me to no end. I could usually understand how people thought, especially the ones in my family. So exactly what was she thinking?
It dawned on me that this sort of behavior was very unlike me. Nervous, paranoid, almost stalker-ish behavior. What was going on with me? Why was I doing this? Worrying this much about something not confirmed. Then I realized it and it was as if a light bulb had gone off over my head. I am trying to protect myself.
I finally realized something then that I had before been too wistful and naïve to realize. I had ignored the signs of it, all of the signs. Just like Edward. But now I was realizing ahead of time that it was happening. If I could delay it, then I would, but stopping it all together was definitely not going to happen. Because all along I subconsciously knew this was going to happen. She was so much like Edward, so why wouldn't it happen just like how it happened to him?
I had known all along, but it was my self-delusion that was blinding me. She was going to leave. My darling daughter, my beautiful Isabella was going to leave me. For however long, I didn't know. But she was going to leave me. The only question was when.
Then I had another epiphany. Now I knew what Isabella had found so funny when I had talked to her about hunting. It was unfortunate and made me feel the ghost feelings of anger and shame, but true. And I of course wouldn't know because her eyes were still crimson. Isabella had been feeding off of humans. She had said she never wanted to be a vampire—that she had wanted to die. I should have thought before I acted, but it was much too late now. Maybe killing humans was, in a way, her version of dying? I mean, she acts like Edward, talks like Edward, so maybe she thought like Edward? Maybe she believed she had no soul? So killing humans would mean dying for her in a way. Punishment for what she was. Plus the added fact that she was a vampire and drinking human blood would be second nature.
I would have to do the one thing I could in order to try and help her, for it was inevitable that eventually she would leave. I would try to hold onto her as long as possible and maybe send her off with the idea that killing humans was morally wrong and then she would feed from animals instead. It would be a long shot, a very long shot, but if it meant at least one human would live to die of natural causes (which we certainly were not) then it would be worth it.
So I sat up in bed then and composed my face, pulling Esme to me and resting her head on my chest. The future decided for now, I was—somewhat—content. Though I tried to block it out, Isabella's music continued to pound through the walls and down the hall to me. It was interesting, her choice of music. Angry and sad at the same time. But a phrase from one particularly angry song stood out to me.
Liar, liar, pants on
fire Liar,
liar, you fucking liar
Liar, liar, stop your soul from catching
Fire, fire, god
and maker
Liar, liar, you fucking liar
You fucking liar
Liar, liar, you fucking liar
Liar, liar, you
fucking liar Liar, liar, pants on fire
Hanging from a
telephone wire.
Okay guys, you know the drill, review. The lyrics above are from the song Liar Liar (Burn in Hell) by The Used. I thought the lyrics were particularly fitting for this chapter.
Still no ideas for Bella's power? Only one person had figured it out of about 24. I would think it was rather obvious, but then again, I am the author who came up with her power, so maybe it's not as obvious as I thought.
And I'm really sorry that this chapter is so short. But the next chapter is in Bella's POV (aren't you excited?) and it will be longer!
Remember, reviews equal updates!
Signed,
V.H.