To all the readers who have stuck with me through the long gap, thank you so much for your support! And to all the new comers, thank you as well! You guys are what keep me inspired!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight
Going to school had become awkward and tense. Edward and I only exchanged terse glances and clipped greetings. It seemed like the Cullens were the only friends I had, but with the way things were with Edward, I was once again on my own.
It didn't help that I dreamed of him every single night, waking with a feeling that I wasn't alone, only to miserably find I was. True he was a self-centred anal-retentive, but the guy had saved my life. I couldn't begrudge him that, no matter how hard I tried.
I hadn't told anyone about what had really happened that day. Tyler followed me around, begging for my forgiveness, promising he'd somehow make it up to me. I either ignored him or politely told him to shove it where the sun-don't-shine.
Lots of kids came up to me, amazed that I had survived. I insisted that in fact, Edward had saved me, but they all claimed not to have seen him until he was carrying me to the ambulance.
Sneaky mongrel.
I began the new week with renewed enthusiasm. I would be starting my new classes, something I was greatly looking forward too. I had spent the whole weekend with my camera and my iPod, wandering around the tiny down town area taking random candids of passing strangers.
Probably wasn't the best idea considering my asthma and the perpetual wet weather, but old habits die hard, as they say.
My troubles forgotten, my camera around my neck and my supplies filling my backpack, I practically skipped into the music room, once again having to rely on my trusty map to get me to class.
The school music room was directly connected to the back of the auditorium. It served as a theatre and a school hall at the same time. It wasn't huge, rather small for a theatre but, then again, Forks was a small school.
I knocked on the door gently, and instantly spotted the teacher, a large woman dressed like a bohemian with loose, brightly coloured fabrics and laden with beaded jewellery. My new timetable revealed her name to be Jenna Hugo.
"Oh, hello, you must be Bella!" She smiled, her voice covering me like a warm blanket. I instantly liked her, "I'm Miss Hugo, Forks' resident musical aficionado!" She finished with a flourish.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Hugo," My eyes searched the room, "Am I the first one here?"
"For now. We have only a small class, and the others aren't usually late. They should be here soon," I nodded and she smiled at me again.
As I placed my things down at an empty table, I heard the door swing open. I assumed the other students had arrived, but it didn't really hold immediate interest.
"Sorry we're late, Miss H," I froze at the tinkling soprano voice behind me. I resisted the urge to turn and gawk.
"That's quite alright, Alice. We have a new student with us, today," I cringed, the attention unwanted for many, many reasons. I turned, a smile on my face when my eyes landed on both Alice and, unexpectedly Angela standing by the door.
"Hey Bella!" Alice said, skipping over to my table. Angela followed behind, her face and her pretty, light blue eyes alight with happiness.
"I didn't know you were in this class," Angela mused aloud as she took her place at the table. She seemed slightly bewildered to be sitting with someone as radiant as Alice Cullen, but she didn't make it awkwardly obvious like I would have...uh, did.
"I got transferred in from gym, because of my asthma," I explained. Angela nodded in acknowledgment as she pulled some things out of her bag.
The rest of the class shuffled in to the art room slowly, their bodies sluggish on the cold Monday morning. I had always been an early riser, although in the right light, the black circles under my eyes became very prominent.
I glanced as slyly as I could over at Alice. The bruises that had been so dark under her eyes that first say were lighter, lavender. She turned her head and smiled brightly at me, squashing my attempt at skulduggery.
"Alright, people," Miss Hugo, announced to us once the class, all 15 students, was all assembled at the tables, "We're going to begin today with a little music history. Starting with the Romantic movement!" She pulled a whiteboard on wheels from a storeroom, uncapped a marker, and began chattering away as the students diligently took notes.
After half an hour of namedropping the great composers, Miss Hugo relieved us of our pencils and allowed us to turn on the radio and play around with the instruments. Angela gave a shy smile, pulled a clarinet out of a rectangular case by her chair, and retreated to a corner with her music book.
"So Bella," Alice started, taking me by the arm as she led us over to the baby grand piano in the corner of the room, "Do you play an instrument?"
"Oh, uh, I play the guitar and the piano," I stammered, blushing bright red, "I took violin lessons for a while when I was a kid, too. I was never very good."
"Do you sing?" She asked, gracefully taking a seat on the piano bench. She patted the spot next to her and I plopped down onto it, embarrassed at my lack of ballerina-like fluidity.
"A little. Though I haven't really done it in front of a real audience before," Unless you counted the small, failed gigs at retirement villages and shopping centres with my old band, Genetic Wallflower.
"My brother Edward is a musician, too," Alice said casually, pressing lightly on the keys, "I'm sure he'd love to hear you play sometime." I caught the glint of knowingness in her eyes again, and I knew it wasn't just my imagination.
We played around with the piano for the remainder of the lesson, ignoring the holes being burnt into the back of my skull. It was getting easier to brush them off, hell; I'd been doing it my whole life!
I followed Angela to our next class, one of my newly assigned ones. I'd had to shuffle my entire school schedule around to accommodate my new 'handicap'.
"Are you going to sit with us today, Bella?" Angela asked when the lunch bell rang. I shook my head.
"I think I'm going to head back to the music room. Get a jump on the homework, you know?" She smiled in understanding, waved and head off to the cafeteria. I really did like Angela.
While walking across the grass, I managed to snap pictures of people playing a very soggy, muddy game of soccer, and a couple practically welded together against a wall. I cringed, not seeing the appeal in the eating of another person's face.
When I got to the music room, it was empty, just how I wanted it to be. I walked straight over to the baby piano and dumped my bag next to it, placing my camera inside. Gently, I lifted the lid and sat down on the bench, running my fingers over the keys.
It wasn't in the greatest condition, the keys had grime on them, the paint was fading and chipped, and the peddles were worn.
I relished the sound of the keys as I pressed down with my fingers. It had been so long since I played for real. I loved my guitar, but there was just something about the piano that I was inexplicably drawn too.
Softly, I began to play. The clear music surged around me as my fingers danced along the keys. I closed my eyes, letting the sound wash over me.
The final notes echoed through the room, suddenly followed by the sound of slow clapping. I screeched in shock, falling off the piano bench in surprise. I felt my breathing start to clam up, my lungs squeezing frantically as I tried to breath.
Wheezing and huffing, I scrambled on my knees for my backpack, yanking at the zipper, hysterically searching for my inhaler.
Two pale white, cold, very familiar hands pushed mine away, smoothly undoing the zipper before reaching in and handing me the inhaler.
I grabbed it, shoved the nozzle in my mouth, and pressed down on the button. I gratefully breathed in the mist, pressing again and sucking in a second cloud of medicine. I felt my lungs relax, my breathing evening out. With one last puff, my wheezing stopped all together and my panic began to subside.
"Are you okay, Bella?" Edward asked, gently taking my inhaler from my hands and putting it back in my bag. I blushed a bright, searing red, nodding meekly. I was so embarrassed to have just had an asthma attack in front of Edward frickin Cullen.
Like he didn't have enough reason to think I was a freak.
"I'm fine," I croaked. I leant back against the leg of the piano, my long hair swinging out like a brown curtain in front of my face. I took slow, deep breathes, trying to sooth my still pounding heart.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him, absently playing with and pulling at the ends of my hair.
"I was just passing by. That was," I froze as gentle fingers lifted my hair and tucked it behind my ear, "until I heard you play. You're very talented, Bella."
I avoided his piercing gold eyes, pulling at a loose thread on my jeans. I had never been comfortable with praise. I felt like I didn't deserve it, and resisted the urge to shove the words back down his oh-so-charming throat.
"Thanks," I instead replied lamely. I dared to glance up at Edward's face, our eyes locking together. His golden gaze burned into me, that strange expression of confusion and curiosity again on his face.
The moment was shattered by the screeching sound of the lunch bell. I snapped back to reality, rising to my feet with a jump. Being as uncoordinated as I was, I lost my balance as I stood, rocking unsteadily on my heels, wheeling my arms to gain some equilibrium without crashing into the piano.
"Bella, are you alright?" Edward asked. He moved to steady me, but I held my hand out, my balance returning.
"Fine fine, just a bit wobbly," I insisted, bending to pick up my bag. I swung it onto my shoulder and looked over at Edward, "You coming to Biology?" He nodded.
"Eventually. I have some things I need to do first." I shrugged.
"Fair go," I replied, making my way to the front of the room. I looked back at Edward, who was now sitting on the piano bench, watching me, "See ya there."
As I walked down the wet path, past the edge of the forest, a strange chill shot through my body. I whipped around, scanning the trees. The feeling that someone was watching me crept through me.
I was almost alone now, only a few small groups of students left milling around, but I felt as though I was the only person in the world. Not in the good, romantic way, I mean in the evil, stalker way. Brushing it off as best I could, I continued on my way to class, feeling extremely and utterly freaked.
I spotted the Cullens and the Hales over by the cafeteria, standing in a close circle and talking intently, their heads close together and their mouths moving rapidly. I wondered absently how Edward had gotten out of the music room without passing me. The guy was like a freakin' ninja!
Suddenly I felt a sharp, searing sting in the palm of my right hand. With a gasp and a sharp yelp I wrenched it to my chest, just now noticing the sharp shaft of metal protruding from the side of the building I had leant my hand on.
A gash ran diagonally from one side of my palm to the other, dark red blood welling rapidly on my skin, the frigid wind blowing droplets onto the ground and staining the grey pavement a wet red.
The smell of the blood reached my nose and the world started to tip, swaying, pulsing sickeningly. I stumbled forward, reaching to steady myself on the ground as the concrete swirled to meet me. My hand throbbed, the blood running over in tiny rivers that joined into a single droplet on the back of my hand.
"Bella! Bella, oh my gosh, are you okay?" Alice's tinkling voice cut through the thick haze of my mind, heavy footsteps slapping on the damp ground.
"Oh man, what happened?" I recognized the new voice as Emmett, although how I wasn't sure. Everything was going dark and noises sounded like they were coming from underwater.
"She's sliced her hand open. Give me something to stop the flow of blood! Oh god...it's everywhere!"
"Come on Alice, focus! Rose and Jasper are dealing with Edward; we need to do what we can here. Here, use this!"
"Your shirt, Emmett, really?" I felt the cloth press down on my injured hand, the vague notion that something was wrong with Edward barely registering in my mind.
"I have a tank top on, sis, hold your tiny horses!" The sound of booming laughter made my head pound painfully. I felt my stomach turn and my throat convulse.
"Crap, she's going green! She's gonna hurl!" Emmett cried.
"Not on these shoes she's not, they're Tory Burch! Quick, pick her up and get her to sick bay, I'll keep the shirt on her hand. You're okay Bella, we'll take care of you."
Strong arms wrapped around my back and legs, and the ground suddenly turned to nothing beneath me. I felt my hand pulled down, the rag that was once Emmett's shirt still pressed firmly onto the cut.
A rush of warm air signalled our arrival at the nurse's office. I squeezed my eyes shut against the painful florescent lights.
"Oh my goodness!" Nurse Patterson, a woman in her fifties who dressed like she lived in the 70s cried, "What's happened to her?"
"Bella cut her hand on some broken metal framing by the cafeteria. She's semi-conscious and was bleeding quite heavily," Alice explained as Emmett placed me down on the thin mattress of the sick bay bed. The paper crackled ominously under my weight. I heard shuffling, and the shirt, which I now assumed was just a blood soaked rag, was removed from my hand.
"Well, the bleeding seems to have stopped for the most part, that's a good sign. It's not very deep, which means she won't need anything more than paper stitches." Nurse Patterson mused, "She's had her tetanus shot, according to her records, but I'll put some antibacterial on it just to make sure. Bella will be fine once the nausea passes."
It already was. My headache was fading, and the rolling in my stomach had slowed. My hand still stung, but I could open my eyes without wincing now.
Alice helped me to sit up on the bed while Nurse Patterson went to work on my hand. She spread some antibacterial cream on my cut and stretched six paper stitches across the cut to hold it together. A white bandage was then wrapped around my whole palm.
"You'll want to change the dressings every four hours, but you should be all better before you know it." Nurse Patterson said as she clipped the bandage tightly.
"I think we should take Bella home, don't you, Nurse Patterson?" Alice asked sweetly, her big gold eyes fluttering persuasively.
"Of course. Can't have you reopening that wound in Gym, can we young lady?" She ribbed playfully, and I felt my cheeks flare hot.
"I need to go check in with the family," Alice announced, "you okay to take her Emmett?"
"Totally. Me and Bella are tight," Emmett winked at me, and I couldn't help but smile a little. His joy was infectious.
Nurse Patterson handed me a box of fresh bandages, a roll of uncut paper stitches, and some antibacterial cream, and I thanked her for her help before Alice, Emmett and I set off.
"Thanks for your help, guys," I said to them, cradling my hand close to my chest. Alice smiled and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and Emmett mussed my hair.
"No problem, Bella. We're just glad you're okay...again," the 'again' was added a little sheepishly. I blushed again.
"Yeah, I guess I don't have the best of luck, do I?" That was the understatement of the century. My bad luck was legendary back home. Lost objects, broken bones, accidents, slips, falls, bumps, bruises. The amount of times I'd been in the emergency room, or in fact sent someone else to the emergency room was downright ridiculous.
Alice slipped away with a wave, heading for the edge of the woods. Emmett guided me to my truck, opening the passenger side door for me.
"You're a gem," I said thankfully, climbing awkwardly into the cab of the truck. I pulled my keys from my pocket and handed them to him as he swung gracefully into the seat next to me.
Emmett's cell phone rang as he drove, the tiny silver object vibrating loudly.
"What's going on Jazz? ... Yeah she's fine. I'm driving her home. How's Edward? ... Typical. Just let him sulk for a while, he'll be fine by morning. ... Yeah, talk to you later." Snapping the phone shut, Emmett smiled tightly over at me.
"Everything okay?" I asked. He chuckled.
"Just Edward being his usual emo self. He's all upset that he wasn't there to help you." I wasn't sure that was the truth, considering what I had heard when he and Alice were helping me. But then again, I had been near to passed out. Maybe I'd been hearing things.
Emmett pulled into the driveway just as rain began to come down. It wasn't hard, just a sprinkle, but I knew that could change at any moment.
"Thanks for all your help, Emmett. How are you going to get home?"
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You just take care of yourself." He pulled the keys from the ignition and handed them to me before coming round to help me out of the car. I walked to the front door, turning to wave goodbye as I unlocked it, but he was already gone.
*.*.*.*.*
"Yeah, it's just a cut dad, I'm totally fine."
"Are you sure, Bella? I can come home right now if you need me." I rolled my eyes. Charlie had slipped into over-protective police chief mode half way through my telling him of my latest injury. I stood in the kitchen, closing the fridge with my elbow and holding a can of 7Up with my left hand.
"Don't worry about me. You just do your job. What would Forks do if their head of police just up and walked off the job because his accident-prone daughter had another accident?" He chuckled.
"Okay, I see your point. Just please; don't do anything to hurt yourself again before I get home."
"I won't, I promise."
"Good. I love you."
"Love you too. Bye." I clicked the phone off and placed it back on the hook. My can of 7Up stood on the bench, beads of icy water running down the side.
I placed my elbow against the side and grasped the tab with my left hand. As I tried to pry it open, I couldn't get my clumsy fingers around the little metal lip.
"Come on, you stupid can!" I muttered, my eyebrows creasing together. I pulled harder, and the can suddenly slipped.
"Crap on a cracker!" I moaned, the sharp metal slicing clean through the skin of my thumb. The can fell to the ground, opening with a hiss and spilling fizzy drink all over the floor and myself. This mark was only small, but it was deep enough for a trickle of blood to slid down and land in the mess on the floor.
As I bent down to grab the can, the overwhelming feeling that I was no longer alone washed over me, the same as it had right before I cut myself at school.
I put the now half-empty can on the kitchen table, stepping over the puddle of 7Up to look around my front hall.
"Hello? Is someone there?" I yelled, feeling like a complete tool for yelling in an empty house. I picked up the phone and dialled Charlie's number, frowning as I all I got was dial tone. The weather had picked up, but I didn't think it was enough to bring the phone lines down.
The house was eerily quiet, save for the rhythmic beating of the rain outside and the whir of the refrigerator. I turned to grab the mop that was leaning on the stairs, and gave a yelp of surprise.
A man was leaning on my stairs.
He was pale white, average looking, with non-descript features that you would easily look over in a crowd; short brown hair, wiry muscles, and was wearing ordinary, everyday clothes. A fitting t-shirt and jeans with the ends tattered and stained with mud around his bare feet.
But...his eyes. His eyes were dark, almost black, with a ring of ruby red around the pupil. I'd never seen anything like them. They scared the ever-loving snot out of me.
"Hello Isabella." He said pleasantly, his voice like the ones you here in car ads on TV.
"W-w-who are you? How'd you get in my house? How do you know my name?" He simply smiled at me, as if I amused him.
"1, my name is James. Two, you left the door unlocked, and three...well I guess you could say some people who work at schools are surprisingly easy to persuade." I stood frozen in fear, my heart hammering in my chest.
"What do you want with me?" I asked in a small voice. James smiled at me again, chuckling.
"You intrigue me, Isabella. I was simply passing through, on my way to Seattle, when I heard rumours. Do you want to know what those rumours were, Isabella?" He spoke to me as though speaking to a small child. Without waiting for a reply, he continued, pushing away from the wall and walking slowly towards me.
"I heard, that there was a girl in this tiny, rain soaked town who was said to have the sweetest smelling blood in 500 years," He picked up a piece of my hair and twirled it around in his fingers, before sniffing it delicately, "You know what? I think they were right. Mm, freesia, I think. Lavender, perhaps? With hints of strawberry and cinnamon. Intoxicating, truly intoxicating, my dear."
"Blood?" I was extremely confused. What did he mean blood? "What are you some kind of vampire or something?" My joking fell flat. The look that James gave me was enough to stop my breathing.
"How perceptive of you, Isabella. Although I am quite disappointed. I was hoping for a bit of a showdown, some excitement, considering how that Cullen boy almost killed you when you cut your hand today." James picked up my bandaged hand and unwound my bandages so fast I didn't feel my hand move. He gazed at the gash in my skin almost wishfully. "Such a pretty hand. So delicate, so soft."
"Why would Edward want to kill me?" I asked, too afraid to wrench my hand away. James looked at me, his expression suggesting I had missed some big hint.
"Why, to get your blood my dear. The will power of the giant and the pixie girl were quite astonishing, I must say. If it were me, I would have drained you instantly." Several things suddenly hit me all at once.
"It was you. Watching me from the woods. And the Cullens...they're vampires too?"
"Of course, well done for finally figuring it out. Now, if you don't mind, we're going to have to cut this short. Your thumb is still bleeding and I'm afraid my thirst has become too much to bare." Without any warning, James grasped me by the throat and hurled me across the room.
My back slammed into the wall, my body breaking through the thin drywalls and sailing through the living room. I hit the wall on the other side, my head cracking loudly on the corner of the coffee table when I landed.
I could feel I was bleeding from my head, I just couldn't figure out where. The floor under my hand was turning red, and I knew my cut had reopened when I tried to steady myself.
I saw James through my quickly blurring vision, his expression twisted into one of hunger and hate. He launched himself at me, and in that moment, I knew I was going to die.
Everything had happened so fast. I didn't even have the time left to tell Edward that I maybe, kind of, sort of like liked him. I didn't get to tell Alice and Angela that they was the closest thing to friends I'd had in years.
James's arm scooped under my limp body, lifting me as his teeth slid like hot butter into my neck. I tried to scream, but the colours of the world were slowly draining to black and white, my attempt at a struggle garbling in the back of my throat.
Before I passed into the next life, my mind carried me away to beautiful dreams of Edward and me together forever, finally giving in to the desires I'd held at bay for so long.
Before I could even begin to enjoy it, everything went black.
Loved it? Hated it? Do I need to change the whole thing? Please leave me some love, it keeps me sane! I will try to update under eight months next time, but I'm in year 12 so it may be a while. Do you guys want me to do an EPOV next or stick with Bella? Let me know, lovelies!
