CHAPTER EIGHT
Note: Oooh, some serious drama in this chapter! I hope you all like it:D So, do you think Bella should find out about Alice's visions or not? Hmmm... Well, remember to review!
Bella's POV
I lay on my stomach in my tent later that night, peering through the crack left by the door-flap. Outside, Carlisle, Esme and Darius were sitting around the fire, deep in conversation. I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but Darius was doing alot of nodding and smiling. He was almost hypnotic; I wanted to smile back. Far off, I could just make out Emmett in the darkness. He was standing guard over Kristina, even though she had seemingly calmed down hours ago.
Alice sat just outside her tent, rubbing her temples and grimacing. I had heard from the muttered conversations that she couldn't "see" Darius or Kristina. It had never happened to her before, and naturally she was worried. Jasper sat beside her, a comforting arm around her shoulders. Jasper and Alice didn't really hug or kiss much, at least not when anyone else was around. Their relationship seemed much more to do with what was on the inside. Emmett and Rosalie, on the other hand, liked to get quite…physical. Edward and I were somewhere in the middle, probably. Anyway, we always had to be careful around each other, and always make sure we kept to certain rules.
I wished I wasn't so frail and puny. I mean, come on, how often do you see a panther dating a bunny-rabbit? Or a killer whale and a baby penguin? Relationships should be fairly matched. I couldn't always be the one getting protected and saved. It wasn't fair on Edward and the rest of the Cullen's. They always were forced to look after me, and make sure I was safe. Maybe I should just march up to Kristina right now, and let her bite me. But I remembered the hungry snarl on her small face, and her steel grey eyes, and couldn't bring myself to do it. Emmett wouldn't let me, anyway.
I sighed, and rolled over onto my side. Edward had marched off into the woods, his expression dark, about forty minutes ago. I shivered slightly, and pulled my blanket closer around me. Strange sounds came from the forest, and the rippling sounds from the lake seemed ominous instead of calming. The wilderness obviously wasn't for me. I rolled over yet again, aching for Edward's cold form to come and lay beside me. I couldn't sleep, I was sure to stay awake the whole night…
"Bella? Are you awake?" the low voice of an angel whispered into my ear. I opened my eyes blurrily, and saw Edward kneeling over me, as pale as a ghost in the moonlight. He looked tense and worried, but he was smiling.
"Uh huh," I murmured, rubbing my eyes. I guess I had fallen asleep after all. I tried to sit up, but only managed to prop myself on one elbow.
"No, you're not." Edward chuckled, and gently but firmly pushed me back down on the bed.
"Am too." I said sulkily, but I closed my eyes all the same. I heard Edward change, and come lie down beside me. I nestled closer to him, and he pulled me to him. I could feel his sweet breath on my cheek. I opened my eyes again with an effort, and met his topaz gaze.
The next moment we were kissing, and my heart went into over-drive as Edward placed his hands behind my head to pull me closer. I was surprised that I didn't drop dead from a heart attack right there and then. Edward sat up, supporting me, all the while our lips touching. He moved his hands down to my neck, my shoulders, my collar bones, and to the buttons of my pyjama shirt. My heart thudded like a machine gun, fire coursing through my veins, and I pushed myself closer and closer to Edward. We were out of control now, every rule we had carefully tested was now completely broken. The feeling that you get when you drop full speed on a roller-coaster flooded my stomach, and I wrapped my arms around Edward as he deftly unbuttoned the first few buttons on my shirt. The world seemed to spin, nothing mattered except here and now and Edward and I…
Suddenly, Edward jerked away, his expression furious.
"No!" he whispered sharply, but it seemed as if he were shouting at the top of his lungs. "NO! Damn the future! I won't choose!"
I stared at him as he stood and moved to the corner of the tent, turning away from me. Tears brimmed in my eyes, hot and stinging. What had I done wrong?
"Edward?" I said quietly. "I-I'm sorry,"
"It's not you!" he replied roughly, not turning around. I blinked with shock and hurt. Silently, I re-buttoned my shirt, and walked over to Edward. I reached out and touched him gently on the shoulder. He flinched, and I recoiled.
"What's the matter?" I said. "Tell me!"
"I can't." Edward replied through gritted teeth.
"You can't or you won't?" I said, anger beginning to flash inside me. "Because it seems to me that you won't tell me a lot of things, Edward! Something's going on, and you'd better tell me right now, or I'll…" I trailed off, unable to think of a threat. There wasn't anything I could really do to Edward. He held all the cards.
Edward seemed to read my mind, or maybe he actually did, because he sneered cynically:
"Or you'll do what?"
Rage boiled through me. Okay, Edward was really upset, but that was no excuse for the way he was acting!
"Or…I'll leave!" I said, not bothering to keep my voice low. It was an empty threat, though; I could never leave Edward. He knew it, and he merely smiled condescendingly:
"Leave, then. It's for the best." I wished I was a vampire so I could throw a punch at him. As it was, I would only had missed or fallen over. Edward sighed, and sat down.
"I need to think for a while, Bella," He said quietly. "Maybe you should leave, just for about an hour."
Rage, fury, pain, confusion, hurt and shock are all good words, but none of them even came close to describing what I was feeling. I opened my mouth and said the one thing I knew would have an effect on him:
"Or ...I'll just go kill myself."
