First Light
By
unfailingtwilight
Chapter 8: Nightmare
Dislaimer: I don't own Twilight or any Twilight-related characters or story plots. Just this particular plot and characters like Cat. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.


8. Nightmare

Quietly, I peeked around the corner, trying to calm my breathing. Behind me, Alice held my hand tight enough to strangle some of the blood flow. Quickly, I turned back around and faced her. I shook my head minutely and nodded towards the door. She nodded and dragged me, thinking I was too stunned to move on my own. Behind us, I could hear the man standing, muttering to himself. And while he thought neither of us could hear him, I could hear every thought in his head, every detail of how he planned to make sure we didn't talk either. Just like our parents...

I shoved Alice out the door and breathed a sigh of relief as Emmett took her hand and ran off with her. My heart sped up as the man took a few steps and I quickly turned to reach for the door, hoping he didn't notice we were gone until it was too late. When I grabbed the knob, I saw him in the background, standing at the bottom of the steps. He frowned at the door, but quickly smiled when he saw I was still there.

"Edward! Don't you want to play my game?"

I left the door open and ran.

I woke up, drenched in sweat. I felt glued to my bedspread, whether by the wetness or terror, I wasn't sure. My eyes looked around, searching every inch of the room that I could see from my angle, as I took gulps of air. I closed my eyes again, and willed myself to be calm, counting to one hundred just to be sure my heart would slow down. When I heaved myself up and out of bed, I shuffled to the bathroom across the hall, intent on splashing my face with cold water.

Once I was satisfied the water had fully woken me, I looked fully in the mirror. I looked awful. My eyes were wild, my hair a mess. I gripped the sink, hoping I could get a grip on what I had just dreamed about. Edward and Alice Cullen. More specifically, two Cullens in a house with some sort of madman. Trying to escape from him, Emmett on the outside, taking Alice to safety.

Since when did I dream about anti-social strangers who wanted nothing to do with me? Yet, as I decided it was to close to morning to go back to bed and to just take a shower, worry poked at my brain. Were they okay? Had I just been over-creative with my imagination or was I seeing actual events? And why in the world had I been in Edward's mind during the whole dream? While in the shower, I remembered how, when Alice decided to sit with Cat and myself during Study Hall, she once told me about how, before school, she liked to go the park down the street from there.

"To wake up," she'd said, when I gave her an incredulous look as she told me the time she was usually there: five thirty a.m..

I got out of the shower and dressed quickly, suddenly excited when I saw the clock read five after five. Hopefully she'll be there, I thought, and it will put my mind to rest. I scribbled a note for Renée, telling her I'd left early, I texted Cat and told her I'd see her at school, and I walked to the nearest bus stop.

The bus ride took twenty minutes and by the time I found where little Alice Cullen hung out in the park, it was quarter to six. I spied her sitting on a picnic table, alone, staring up at the blue sky. I thought she was lost in a daydream when I walked up, but surprisingly, she immediately spoke when I got near.

"Nice morning, huh?"

I gaped like a fish for a minute. "Uh...y-yeah. Even if it is Halloween tomorrow." She turned her head to me, smiling.

"I didn't think I would get anyone out here to join me." She patted the spot next to her. "Edward would if he wasn't such a night owl and the others like sleep too much."

I quickly perched on the table and dropped my bag on the bench. "Yeah. Normally I'm just getting up now, but I had a bad night," I explained, watching as Alice pulled a white bakery bag from her messenger pack. She handed it to me with a smile, a look of patience gracing her features.

"Go on," she urged, seeing how reluctant I was. I paused, unsure if she was talking about the muffin she'd handed me or for me to explain why my night was so bad. "What happened?"

"I-I had this awful nightmare. It felt like it lasted an eternity..."

"Were you naked in class? First day of school all over again?" she teased, her hazel-green eyes full of playful laughing.

I shook my head, breaking pieces of the muffin off and handing them to her. She nodded thanks and took some, tossing them back. "No. I had a nightmare about someone else...or three people I know, actually. They were trying to run away from this bad guy..."

"Who was it?" Alice asked over a mouthful of blueberry and muffin. I smiled grimly at how funny she looked.

"You and your brothers..." I watched her face as I said it, looking for any sign of ice like Edward. There was nothing but her quirky smile and a raised brow. She urged me to tell her everything, so I told her as much as I could remember. The more I tried to think about it, I found, the more it felt like it was sifted from my head. Like sand through my hands.

"Well," she said when I was done, "You are very creative, Bella. Or, at least, you are in your dreams." Alice smiled, a hint of mischief behind her eyes. "Why were you dreaming about Edward? That's the real question!"

My cheeks flamed and I groaned. "Not you too, Alice! Please! I get enough from Cat!"

Alie chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I won't tease you."

"There's nothing to tease about! I'm just obsessed with why he hates me!" I insisted, standing. I brushed my pants off and picked my bag up from the ground. I waited as Alice did the same, watching her smile grow.

"He doesn't hate you, Bella. He's just frustrated."

"Frustrated? With what?"

Alice just smiled and started walking towards the school. "Let's go! It's past seven thirty!"

"Damn it, Alice! Don't just walk away!" I ran to catch up with her. I'd never pegged her to be so fast, for her stature.

"Sorry," she giggled. "Anyway, you're welcome to come and 'wake up' with me whenever you want. But let's trade off on breakfast, okay?"

I nodded. "Sure. But don't expect me too often. I like sleep too."

Alice nodded in understanding. "Will do. Just don't expect me after tomorrow morning for awhile. Me and my family are going somewhere until the ninth."

I wanted to ask where, but I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to pry. I thought Alice was grateful for my silence as well, since Edward spotted us walking up the entrance together. He didn't look pleased. I skipped a step, almost tripping over my own feet, but Alice was there to catch my hand before I fell. She looked to me with a frown, then to her brother, who was still glaring. To her credit, she glared right back.

"He's so forceful," she muttered to herself. To me, she added, "I'll see you later, Bella. I've got to go hear him yell at me." She winked. "Should be interesting!" I watched her skip up the steps and drag him by the arm into the building.

"That family's giving me whiplash..." I muttered, heading in. Why couldn't the Cullens just be normal like everyone else?