Chapter Ten: Promise

Rejoining the party surprisingly turned out to be the best decision I could have made. I never was extroverted enough to fully live out the concept of partying, but I let the music and laughter of my guests swallow me into a blissful high.

The identities of the company I had joined were still unknown to me (the masks and costumes blurring out everything beyond recognition) but I basked in the anonymity.

The truth was I didn't want to be burdened by the knowledge of truth. Not tonight, at least. I let down my hopes of Edward ever showing up. He was never quite good at being there when I wanted him. Even if he was the horrible monster Jacob and even himself let him on to be, would it even matter? He'd probably leave again and again and again when things got bad. I would never get hurt, because there'd never by anything around to hurt me.

I continued to sway to the music and chat with the masked strangers before me when something tapped my bare shoulder. I turned around to discover Jessica and on her arm, Jacob Black re-masked.

"Hey, Bella!" Jessica yelled through the music, a cup of amber liquid on her other hand, "I want you to meet my friend, Jacob Black!"

I stared up at him through incredulous eyes. Good thing my mask was on.

"Nice to meet you," he said smiling as he reached out a hand for me to shake.

I took it reluctantly; No use letting him know he bugged me.

Before we could properly shake hands Jessica pulled Jacob away.

"We're going to go upstairs," she said, a seductive grin illuminating her dimpled face.

"Jess, what are you going to-"

"Can we use your room?"

I shook my head and sighed. There was no stopping Jessica when she had her eye on set on something.

"I guess..."

Jessica pulled a hesitant Jacob up the stairs.

"Can you believe her?"

Another voice, belonging to a male sounded behind me. I turned around, a little too excitedly for my liking, to find a figure in a black top hat over blond hair, a deep purple cape, and a black mask standing beside me.

"Mike?"

"It's me, Bella," he said in a low voice, "Here"

He offered me a cool drink, and I was glad. The talk with Jacob had left me feeling a little dehydrated. Finally, someone I could recognize.

"How do you like the party?" I asked, taking a sip.

"Great. You wanna dance with me?"

"Well…"

"Please? Will you? It'll be fun"

"Okay, Mike," I submitted.

He led me to the middle of the dance floor right when a slow, soft ballad replaced the energetic music. Couples came together as single parties fled the floor to visit the table full of beverages and snacks. He curled his right hand into mine and placed his left arm around my waist.

We swayed to the music for a couple of minutes. Everything around me began to blur, but Mike kept up his energy. When the song finally ended, a crowd silenced. The music had stopped playing. The lurch of some heavy object sounded.

A beautiful melody began to play then, pervading through the hushed crowd.

"What is this?" a person in a regal ensemble questioned beside me, "Who turned the music off?"

It was a song I had heard before emanating from my old piano; a piano which had not been tuned for years, but surprisingly sounded as clear and beautiful as if it was newly purchased.

"Who's playing that?" I asked to no one in particular. The memories of Edward flooding back into my mind as my eyes glinted tears and my heart became heavy.

"Hey, you wanna get out of here?" Mike said seeing the distraught turn my face took.

"Yeah," I said.

He held my hand and led me farther away from the music that rendered emptiness in me with each heavenly note. The darkness and the encasing bodies obscured the path before us. Soon, we were in a darkened room: I could tell it was Charlie's bedroom from where the window was placed.

Mike closed the door behind him and led me to the bed, turning on the lamp on the bedside table.

He propped down beside me, taking off his mask to reveal a sweat-stained, drowsy face.

"You okay, Bella? You looked really upset down there."

"I'm fine; it's just that certain things are reminding me of someone."

"Oh," Mike smiled and looked down at his palms, "Do you feel better now?"

"Sort of… not really," I confessed.

"What can I do?"

"I'm not sure if there is anything you can do."

"Is it about Edward?" Mike cut in.

"Why do you think that?"

"I don't know. I can tell you kind of like him."

We didn't say anything for awhile. The heat of the place made me take my mask off. I was done with the pretenses.

"I'm a mess," I said looking down at the brown patches on my dress.

"No, you're not," Mike said, taking my face in his hands, "You're so beautiful, Bella, and Edward doesn't deserve you."

The longing and glazed look in Mike's eyes and his ruddy complexion made me feel uneasy. Mike leaned into me suddenly and kissed me.

I did not budge and let this empty and cold kiss occur. Tears flowed easily from my eyes then. I had never felt so alone in all my life.

"You've been drinking," I stated when he pulled away.

"What! No," he said waving a hand at me.

"I'm going," I said, pushing him off me, as I walked towards the door.

"Bella, come back!" Mike called out at me, "Come on, we're just talking!"

But I left anyway into the darkness and moving bodies; chills going through my body at the thought of Mike's probable intentions.

I had forgotten Jessica's plans and walked into my room, turning on the lights.

They had their lips locked onto one another's; some of their clothing scattered on the floor.

"Get out," I said sternly.

"What the hell, Bella!" Jessica yelled at me throwing death glares at my direction.

"Get out," I said a second time.

Jacob pulled his jacket on and zoomed through the door without a word.

"Wait, Jacob!" she called out to him.

She turned to me when she realized he was never coming back.

What the hell was that!?" Jessica screamed she had only her skirt and bra on.

"Get out," I said again, trying to be calm, "tell everyone to get out of here!"

"How dare you!" she screamed back at me.

I didn't realize that an audience was beginning to form on the outskirts of my bedroom door. Everything suddenly became quiet.

"You're just jealous!" Jessica screamed furiously for everyone around us to hear, "You're just pissed that you're stupid Edward didn't care enough to come! I know you secretly invited him! Well, guess what? He's not here! He doesn't want you! Don't take out the fact that you're a whore out on me and everyone else!"

Whispers resounded behind us. My throat tightening as the air around me escaped the room.

"You heard me! Bella's a whore everyone!" Jessica called to the listeners behind us. Angela had appeared in the forefront, unmasked, "Yep, I know you're secret. Why you left Phoenix, why no one in your old town talks to you anymore! Why your mom couldn't wait to get rid of you! Because you screwed some guy at a party when he didn't even want you!"

"Stop it, Jessica!" Angela yelled from behind us.

"Shut up! Bella needs to hear this."

I only stared into space, telling myself not to react and stay solid. My mouth felt sewn shut and my legs shackled down with iron. An open flesh wound collecting fatal infections.

"They called her Bella the Slut Swan," Jessica said as she approached me, "And now you want to use Edward Cullen for your stupid games."

I didn't know what to do then so I did what I always do when things got bad. I turned around, pushing past the crowd, and kept walking and walking until I got out of the tightness of the house. I could not stand being there any longer. People talked and whispered before me just like before. I tried to control myself from screaming out right then and there.

My lungs tasted the cold, cold October air as I walked into the street; the only illumination the moon and a single street light. Everything felt unreal all of a sudden as I realized what had just happened.

I didn't care, I just kept walking and walking until I walked straight into a cold mass in the darkness; a pair of cool arms taking hold of me so I could not escape even though I kept walking.

It was only when I had stopped that I started hyperventilating into the concave of the cool mass.

"Bella," he said softly, "I'm here."

I looked up through tear stained eyes at Edward's imposing body. He held me securely in his arms and we swayed like that for awhile as if we were doing some twisted slow dance.

"No!" I yelled and I pulled forcefully away from him and kept walking. He was beside me, and picked me up in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Bella."

"Let go of me!" I screamed, and he had no choice but to submit to my wishes.

"Shh, sweetheart," he cooed into my wet and ruined hair and cradled me in his arms.

"Make them go away," I said through my agonizing cries.

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes" I cried. Edward lay me down by a tree and swiftly re-entered my house. Soon, an exodus of masked figures began to leave my house through the front and back exits. I had never seen so many lies in all my life.

I could see Jessica, partially clothed, pander away about how deplorable me and this party were. I shut my eyes tight and tried to block out every thing that could ever touch or hurt me; the ocean of humiliation ready to swallow me out to sea.

"It's over," he whispered in my ear. When I didn't say anything for a long time, Edward began to carry me into the house. He settled me down again onto my bed as his body sat beside mine. He pushed my hair out of my face that I buried my hands into when I realized how monstrous I must have seemed now.

"Why are you still here?" I managed to say although my voice was cracked from the cries and the cold.

"I can not leave you, Bella," he said, "Not when you are so upset."

"But you can leave any other time?"

I looked up at him now; at his sad eyes.

"I've been here the whole time."

A single tear slid down my cheek, but he pushed it away, and leaned down to kiss my forehead.

"I love you, Bella. I can never leave you."

My senses collapsed and I reached out my hand and pulled him into me. He did not pull away, but stared deeply into my eyes. I kissed his cool lips slowly and gently. He placed his hand on the side of my cheek, caressing it.

I placed kisses on the base of his jaw-line as I watched a small smile play across his face. I took his hand and put it on the nape of my neck.

Suddenly, he pulled away.

The coldness of his body still on mine.

"You're a vampire"

Stillness.

"Yes," he said, not a syllable uneven.

I nodded.

"Would you like me to leave now?"

He gave me a penetrating stare as he searched for signs that I might scream in horror.

"No"

He nodded.

"Stay, because I'm ready to tell you everything."

"We have all night," Edward said as he stared solemnly into my eyes. Just then he touched my arm, pulling out the ribbon entwined around it, and by instinct I pulled away.

"Wait"

"I saw, Bella. That day in class. You thought I hadn't."

"What did you think?" my voice on edge, holding down the urge to cry.

"I thought you were beautiful and stronger than I am in many ways, but I did not know why it was there. Why you hid it. I can not read what you're thinking like I can with others."

I felt vulnerable as my ugliness was naked in the darkness. Edward lifted my arm and kissed over every scar and bruise that was my past. The tears flooding my face again and I pulled back.

"Well, I guess you know now."

"Do you think I would take Jessica Stanley's word as irrefutable truth?"

I laughed a little, and he smiled.

"Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"I promise. Will you do the same for me?" he asked.

"Yes, Edward. I promise."