Hey everyone it's been a while since I updated, I've been playing with a few ideas for the story. Thanks for all the people who added me to alerts and my amazing reviewers: eebo, iamcuterthanu, His Gem and XxTrueLovexX. You guys really do make my day :)
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer has possession of these wonderful characters.
Italics are used for character's thoughts, visions or flashbacks.
Bella POV
Sunday morning. I woke up at sunrise, heart pounding, stomach churning feeling distinctly nauseated. However this wasn't an illness, I was somewhere in-between excited and nervous, impatient for Alice to explain everything. Finally I would know what it was about me that drew then repulsed Edward- most people would probably consider me crazy. I knew he was a vampire, wasn't that information enough? But I could no longer deny the truth to myself, he had saved my life. And, of course, I was unconditionally in love with him.
I found myself rushing to do everything, scrubbing myself quickly in the shower, yanking a brush through my wet hair, then running down to the kitchen. It was lucky Charlie was already gone- fishing again- my behaviour would have alerted him to the fact I was hiding something.
In the kitchen I paused, biting my lip, I felt extremely sick and whilst I knew it was just the butterflies in my stomach, the thought of food made me queasy. On the other hand, it definitely wasn't going to get better while I had an empty stomach. I slid a piece if bread into the toaster and turned it on. The second hand on the clock ticked achingly slow on the wall behind me.
The bread hadn't even been in a minute when I pushed the 'cancel' button, popping it back up. I ripped a bite off without even bothering with butter, I noticed my hands were shaking. I forced the bite down, my mouth was so dry it was a struggle to chew and swallow. Breathing deeply, I sat and closed my eyes, trying to calm down. It's pathetic getting in this much of a state! I knew it was too, but soon I would have all my answers, it seemed too good to be true. What if she doesn't show? I took another deep breath.
The sound of my mobile ringing made my eyes fly open, I ran up the stairs to my room, sure it was Alice and trying to remember when we'd exchanged numbers. Maybe in the truck…
'Hello?' I was panting, breathless and tense.
'Bella? Are you okay?' Alice's voice was concerned but also strained.
'Yeah, I just ran up the stairs. What's wrong, are you coming?' My tone betrayed how frantic I was.
'Bella, calm down. Something's…come up…which I have to take care of.'
I was silent. Just leave it…they obviously don't want anything to do with you. But I wasn't the one sending mixed signals, starting anything, only to run away!
'…Bella?' Alice's voice brought me back to reality. I couldn't quite understand the emotion in her voice, strain, or worry? 'I will be there. As soon as I can, I promise. Just…do me a favour and stay inside until I get there ok?' I heard rushed voices in the background and then the click as she hung up.
Vampires. Unreliable…and uninterested if I was honest. I should stop this obsession, they…he…had shown me quite clearly he didn't want me near him or his family.
'Stay inside' ? I frowned, feeling the irritation rise in me. So they want you to wait for them like some neglected pet? The thought probably bothered me so much because that's how I had been behaving all morning. I needed to go out, to clear my head and think things through. I had far too much going on in my brain.
I quickly pulled my hair up into a ponytail and pulled my jacket on over my t-shirt, slipping my mobile in as an afterthought. Then I was outside and feeling even more trapped and closed in than before. The sky overhead was thick grey with clouds, like a suffocating blanket and the air was unusually warm and sticky for September. Just breathing was an effort- the air was heavy and I felt like pressure was being exerted all over me.
Now what? I had no plan now I was outside, the only place I really wanted to go was back to the old serenity and safety of sunny phoenix, where no mythical monsters lurked in the pale shadows of the sparse plant life and the sky looked like freedom- an endless blue promise, dotted with carefree birds and fluffy clouds. Nothing like the weather that caged you here in Forks.
Sighing, I headed for the only place I could realistically go, into the overwhelming green of the trees and forest opposite Charlie's house. I ducked under thick, unyielding branches that clawed at me as I followed a thin, muddy trail, worn into the damp grass by many walkers before me. The mud was slick and slippery, mixed with fallen leaves forcing me to slow from my angry, frustrated march to smaller, careful steps to keep from falling. It really didn't help that I couldn't walk normally down a dry pavement without somehow tripping over my own or someone's feet. Drips of cold water fell from the leaves above me, sliding down the back of my neck, making me shiver.
I paused where the trail branched off in three directions, aware of the deafening silence, it surrounded me, making my heart beat faster for no reason at all. I quickly looked back over my shoulder. Nothing. I shivered again. It was too quiet. Surely there should be something, birdsong…rustling…water drops? I yearned to break this endless silence but my throat was far too dry. Again it surrounded me, compressing me…silence. And something else.
My mobile pierced the air with it's high peel. I gasped, jumping out of my skin and losing my balance, my arms failed in the air, hands grabbing at an overhanging tree branch. The jagged end where the branch had snapped off tore at my palm and I hissed in pain, finally landing on mud and fallen leaves with a wet squelch. I clenched my teeth looking at the long, thin yet deep line the wood had ripped into my palm, then scrambled in my pocket for my phone with my good hand as it pierced the air with it's shriek again.
'Bella!' Alice's constant melodic, smooth voice was shaking.
'Alice! What's wrong?' Why was she phoning me? What could have possibly have frightened Alice?
'Bella, where are you? You need to go home. Now.' She was panicking, fear and bile rose in my throat as I struggled to my feet. I looked around frantically at the four trails, which way had I come from?
'Alice what's going on? I'm in the forest…I…I…don't know which way to go.'
'Bella, I'm coming, just run…hopefully…' her voice dropped to a whisper that I could barely hear 'hopefully the vision got the timing wrong'.
Making my decision I whirled round to face the right. And screamed, dropping my phone.
'Bella? Bella!' Alice was shouting. 'Japer! Emmet! Now! Esme call Edward!'
But I could barely hear that, all my senses were focused on one thing. The vampire standing before me. He was tall with large defined muscles, his hair long and blonde, pulled back into a ponytail like mine with bits of leaves and wood of the forest caught in it. But what I noticed most were his eyes. They were shocking- bright red around the pupil but fading to black as they got further towards the edge of his irises. Black was the colour Edward's eyes turned when he was hungry- or excited. My hand began to tremble. I could feel the blood from my cut trickling down my fingers and quickly clenched my hand into a fist.
He smiled at me, teeth flashing like a warning, then shut his eyes, inhaling deeply. I would have run but every muscle in me was locked into place, I have never been more still, afraid that if I moved my scent would lure him even closer. Make his control snap.
'Ah' He murmured appreciatively, opening those disturbing eyes. They narrowed as he took in pale, drawn face and shaking hands. 'I'm curious…why wouldn't a young girl like yourself run, screaming, from a stranger like me on her path?' His voice was low and rough- I guessed from excitement- and he circled me slowly, eyeing me up from every angle. He moved gracefully yet more aggressively than the Cullens. Like a hunter. A predator. I couldn't speak, my throat was closed up in fear.
'But where are my manners? I'm James.' He smirked, arrogant and threatening. I still couldn't speak.
He finished his circle, standing in front of me, a few inches between us. Then slowly and deliberately, he raised a hand, brushing an errant strand of my hair behind my ear. His expression taunting. I stumbled backwards, turning my head away from him.
'Get away from me'. My voice was low, quiet but still fierce. I remembered that fateful night at Port Angeles again. This time there's no one here to save you.
He stepped close again, eyes amused, expression mocking. I swallowed hard, squaring my shoulders and glaring back. Keep him talking, keep him distracted. But he had other ideas, he reached out, wrapping his frozen hand around my own tight fist. I flinched at the sudden cold temperature but didn't try to pull my hand back, I knew it would be pointless. A species that dented vans wouldn't be overcome by human force.
He raised his eyebrows, then smirked and raised my fist to his mouth, uncurling my tight fingers as easily as unwrapping a chocolate bar. I bit my lip and looked away as he pressed my palm to his lips, then tipped his head back so the collected blood dripped into his mouth. Reflexively, I yanked my hand and to my surprise he let it go. I gulped, backing away again, my feet skidding on the slick undergrowth beneath me.
'You're not surprised are you? You're not going to scream or cry' His voice was surprised, 'You know what I am'. His mouth- stained crimson- lifted in a half smile, almost like he was impressed but his eyes seemed to darken in front of me. 'It's a shame I'm so hungry…I'm sure your story is most interesting.' He purred, a courteous lion, his tongue trailed over his lips, tasting more of my blood. I felt a drip of it slip through my fingers. His eyes tracked it, hungry, yearning, then flicked back to my face. He sank down into a crouch, eyes pitch black so that you could no longer see his pupils, my heart pulsed erratically, seeming to call to him to end my life. His smile stretched wider and wider, until most his face was lost in a chaos of glinting teeth.
Human nature got the better of me and I was running, gasping, fleeing from my enemy. I looked behind me as the wind screamed as his body tore through it in the blur of colour that was his pounce, too fast for my eyes. His fingers clawed at my shoulders, ripping through my clothes, bruising my skin, as he lifted me and threw me backwards while he sailed over me, then landed agilely in a fluent crouch- head bowed, his now loose blonde hair flowing down around his face.
I flew backwards through the air, unable to control my shocked scream. Then screamed again in pain as I hit a tree and slid down to the ground. Crumpling in amongst the visible roots of it. My head rolled back, I throbbed all over and could smell the rust-and-salt of my own blood dripping down my face. I squinted through bleary eyes, watching him approach, no longer smiling, just hungry. I knew he wouldn't play with me anymore- my blood was flowing too much for him to keep control now. In a way I was glad. I hurt so much. I wanted it to end, I wanted peace. Blackness was closing in as he crouched a few yards from me, ready to pounce, to feed.
'Bella!' A voice called through the darkness. I knew it from somewhere but I couldn't quite focus on it. Snarling surrounded me, so much snarling. Tears rolled down my face, why had he alerted his friends? I wanted it to end quickly, not be shared.
Wood splintered. But not on my tree. No one had pounced, shattering the tree I lay broken beneath,. I forced my eyes open, squinting through the darkness threatening to engulf me. Three vampires circled James, his blond hair whipped and whirled as he attacked and tried to escape. One of the three broke from the circle and ran fast and flowingly to me. Alice. Her spiky black hair framed her horrified expression and golden eyes as she looked down from above me. Somewhere to the side of me I could hear snarls and a high pitched keening, then loud cracking sounds. Like rocks being torn apart.
'Alice.' I whispered.
'Bella...you're safe now. Its going to be alright' She bit her lip sounding almost uncertain for the first time ever. I couldn't quite find it in myself to care. She lifted me, holding me away from her and turning her face. I couldn't feel her breathing. Then we were moving, the wind rushed through my hair making it stick to the blood that covered my face. The blackness opened up and swallowed me whole.
So how did you find the action? It was certainly fun to write! Reviews welcome of course ;)
xox
