Alright guys. This is the part I've been excited about writing since this story was a little tiny idea-baby in my head. So here's where the whole blind thing has been leading up to—hope you're ready. Bam, here ya go! Enjoy babes!
"Kind of, I suppose," the woman purred from behind me. Her voice had changed to something lower pitched and smooth—beautiful, rivaling that of the Cullens. It lulled me, but my hammering heart and sweating palms reminded me of the fact that she hadn't been here before—where did she come from?
"Um—what…what are you doing here?" I stuttered stupidly back at her. She hummed a laugh, stepping on light feet around me. It was only the crackle of the gravel that allowed me to pinpoint her location as she rounded to my front.
"Poor little confused Bella. So trusting, so oblivious, so…blind." Her sentence was almost off-hand, but the razors in her voice with the last word cut me deep. I opened my mouth to respond but could only croak out something unintelligible.
"Leaving Arizona to appease your mother and father…trusting the Cullens—vampires—and letting them into your life, loving them like family. Letting them leave you. Allowing yourself to sink into a figurative coma—making your father care so little that he died. Letting two grown men you know nothing about take care of you when you're most vulnerable, and then coming out here with two strangers who make all the wrong decisions," she paused to laugh after mocking all of my faults and errors. "Tsk tsk, Isabella. Surely you're smarter than all of that. Surely you'll learn from your mistakes—but you won't. Not yet, anyway."
I gulped. Tears streamed from my eyes, wetting my cheeks and pattering onto my shirt. I clenched my fists, scraping my nails into my palms in hopes to distract myself from the crushing blow that all of this reality struck. She's right. She's right about everything. How could I be so stupid?
"Oh, Bella. So pitiful. The little lamb," she sang, walking around to my back again. I stayed frozen in place, unable to move to face her. I was a coward.
Her hands gripped my shoulders, cold through the material of my shirt. Manicured nails dug into the skin on my collarbone, and I yelped in surprise, gritting my teeth as she brought her lips to my cheek in a kiss. They moved along my skin to my ear, brushing the shell as she spoke.
"Oh no, that's definitely not all. You see, I'm here to help you, Bella. Just as I helped Cassie. I told her all about this place, and what it enables me to do—with just a little box, no less." A fat drop of fear slipped down my spine.
"What is that?" I rasped. Her tongue drew a wet line from my jaw to my hairline and I wanted to curl into a ball and cry.
"You're so sweet, little girl. So naïve. All of this time with the Winchesters and you don't know what I am? Hmm, that's almost amusing," she continued to whisper in my ear before releasing me, shoving my shoulders and making me stumble forward. I would have fallen if she hadn't appeared in front of me again, grasping my jaw harshly and pulling my face upward. Her breath was warm and moist as it fanned onto my lips.
"I can give you anything you ask for, Bella. Anything."
So many things raced through my head—an unending stream of questions. But my interest quashed everything else—all the worry, the fear, the trepidation was insignificant to those words. Anything?
"Yes, Bella, anything. Anything at all," she continued in a small, happy lilt as if she'd read my mind. "I could bring Charlie back. I could make the Cullens return. I could make Edward love you—or better yet, make him human again. Hell, I could end world hunger. So many options—so many choices. I can do so many generous things, Isabella…" she trailed off, clawed finger running a light path along my neck that made me shiver.
"But that's not what you want, Bella. Oh no. I'm not stupid—we both know what you're going to ask for. And yes, you're going to ask for something. Something selfish. Something taken from you—and it's not even Edward or Charlie. Poor, poor Charlie—died all because of you. And how do you repay him?"
I knew what she was talking about. There was one thing I wanted above all else—even above the Cullens. One thing and one thing only. I could feel my knees buckling as I thought it over, stomach churning as I imagined having it again.
Her lips were back to my ear, "I can give you your eyes." She confirmed what I wanted. What I'd dreamed of having. What I longed for more than all of the rest. I thought of Mom, of Charlie, of Edward, of everything I could do with this one wish—but nothing topped my sight. Nothing was as valuable, as missed.
"I—" I began incredulously. Could this woman—Cindy, who I'd just met yesterday—do all of this? Surely not. She wasn't acting like herself, either. And her words 'All of this time with the Winchesters and you don't know what I am?' rang in my head. "What—what are you?"
"A demon, sweet Bella. My whole purpose is to give suffering little humans like Cassie, or like yourself, whatever they ask me for…of course, for a small fee."
"A fee?" I echoed blankly, mind still trying to produce the word demon and come up with a fathomable match. Demon? I knew of vampires…but not demons. There had to be a limit to the supernatural, surely.
"Nothing in life is free, Bella. And it's nothing I'll take from you—not now, anyway. I'll come for it in…" she trailed off. Her hand squeezed my jaw tighter. "There's something about you, little girl. Something strange. You've drawn the Winchesters to you, but that's not where it ends…" she mused, her voice a mixture of curious and frustrated.
Finally, she laughed. "Oh no. My usual price won't do. Not for you, sugar."
"Price? What price?" I asked, voice muffled because of the restricted movement of my mouth. Her hand became more lax, allowing me to breathe a bit easier.
"No, no, no…not for you," she repeated, kissing my cheek lightly and breathing in my scent as Edward had done so many times. The required nostalgia was repressed by the unending fear gripping my chest like a vice.
"I can give you one year, Bella. Three hundred and sixty-five days of sight. You get to be as you were before the accident—a whole year. Or you can rot away without it for the rest of your life. Your choice."
"A year?" I echoed.
"And then your soul is mine, my dear. But you know it's worth it—what's a soul without a life? And you'll have no life when you're blind. My offer is the lesser of the two evils, Bella. You know that, don't you?"
My thoughts raced. A year of sight. A year before my death. A year to live, not just exist. Maybe I could beg the guys to take me on the road with them—to get me started on seeing the country. Maybe I could show them the things I've always wanted to see. I could go and be free, forget about Forks and all it had brought me. I could try.
"Yes," I replied, voice almost silent. "I know that."
"Very good, Bella. Very good. This is the best decision you've made in a long time," she mocked lightly, touching a finger to my nose. "Now all we need to do is seal the deal…sign the contract, if you will."
"Where do I sign?" I asked. My voice was blank, but inside of me, the fear and the excitement warred with each other. This was it—I would see after this. Unless it's some cruel joke. I quashed that voice inside of me in an instant.
"Oh, you don't. We seal it with a kiss—you give me your word, and in turn, I give you mine. Are you ready, Bella? Do you accept this contract?"
Although I was hesitant about kissing Cindy—or the demon in Cindy's body, rather—I couldn't simply walk away. Not from something like this. Something inside me was screaming about it, telling me not to do something so rash and permanent. But the rest of me couldn't help it. I felt like another person; like I was a disembodied being hearing a foreign voice—my voice—saying these words. "Yes," I replied hoarsely, licking my dry lips. "I accept."
Her lips crashed onto mine in a long, hard, lingering kiss. I melded myself into it, missing the contact of lips on lips, even with a woman. Hers were soft, and plump, and extremely warm. As her tongue invaded my mouth, I gave a yelp and dropped Cassie's phone, but allowed her access. She gripped my hair fiercely, biting my lip once before withdrawing.
She panted her next words, "Open your eyes, Bella."
I did just that, and was amazed at the long blonde hair and elven face that was revealed to me. Even more amazing, but horrifying, was the pair of pitch black eyes staring at me—through me—and the predatory smile plastered on puffy lips. My breathing increased even more, already heightened by our heady kiss, and I gripped my chest in fear of a real heart attack. I glanced around at the silver-lit forest, the large moon, and the angelic demon before me, eyes flickering to and fro in an attempt to see it all. It was shocking to take everything in again—to see colors and patterns and textures. To feel the movement of my eyes and the buildup of my tears. I turned my head, rotating to get a complete view of the deserted crossroads around me, awed by all of the things I could see again. I turned back to Cindy, about to thank her.
However, Cindy was gone. In her place was cool air. I stumbled in shock, narrowly avoiding stepping on the small flip-phone below me. Hesitantly, I picked it up and looked at it—amazed by the shine of chrome and the glow of the screen.
Everything was so beautiful. I remembered Forks as dull and green. However, the forest around me was a vivid olive color, darkened by the blue-black sky and highlighted by the pure white moon. My hands were like works of art as I gazed at them, watching the muscles move beneath the skin as I flexed them, balling them into fists and then stretching them out. I shook my legs, marveling at the dark jeans and bright orange shirt I was wearing. My hair was tinted silver in the night, my skin pale as snow. Tears streamed freely from my eyes as I drank it in eagerly, parched for sight.
It worked. She gave me sight. And then my stomach sank. For a year.
The knowledge of my death was an immense pressure on my chest, but I allowed the joy of my sight to stamp it out and began my trek in the general direction of a distant purring motor. As I approached, I saw two pale figures in front of a large black blob on the horizon. Nearing them, I set my working eyes upon Cassie and Jay for the first time.
Jay was a moderately sized, lanky man with a deep scar running from his cheekbone to his mouth, but handsome besides that. His eyes and hair were both dark, making his skin unbelievably pale in comparison. There was a large, gap-toothed smile plastered on his face. I was able to place him in his early twenties.
Cassie was taller than me by an inch or two, her short black hair in pigtails. Her makeup was caked on, slightly crooked, and her black-lipped smile stretched from one side of her face to the other. I took them in, examining every detail, still crying in joy at the ability to do so.
"How'd it go, Bella? Isn't she great? Did it work? What did you ask for?" Cassie's words mashed together as she rushed to get them all out, fanning her hands forward in an attempt to find me. I grabbed her arms, laughing almost manically in glee.
"It worked, Cassie. It worked." My voice was choked by the tears, and I held back a sob as she began to jump up and down and laugh.
"That's great! What'd you ask for?" she repeated curiously.
"Sight," I responded.
She gasped. "You can see me? That's awesome, Bella! Am I hot?"
"Very," I replied with a calmer laugh, voice shaking as the still bouncing Cassie jostled me. She reminded me of a taller Alice, and though my heart ached dully, my joy rushed through my veins like a drug, negating any bad feelings I knew were sure to come.
"That's…that's great," she said, sighing, calming down and letting go of me. She ran her hands along the side of the car, going to the passenger seat on the other side. "Come on, let's get you home before it's too late."
"Okay," I said, eyeing the big, beat-up SUV with longing. It reminded me of my old truck. I shook the thought away, getting in and buckling my belt. Jay wordlessly began to drive as Cassie did the same, turning in her seat to face me. I examined her face again, illuminated by the lights that wouldn't shut off because Jay had yet to put on his seat belt.
"What did you ask for?" I asked curiously. I'd figured, after my deal; that surely Cassie had asked for the same thing. As that thought occurred, I remembered something else and set the phone on the center console. "Oh, and here's your phone."
"Thanks," she said, searching for it for a moment before stuffing it in a black bag on her lap. "And you'll see soon enough," she continued vaguely, reminding me of my questioning her on the way here and how she wouldn't give me a straight answer then, either. And now I can see for a whole year.
It was bittersweet to think it. A year of sight, but also a year of life.
The drive seemed quick as I stared silently out the window, tuning out Cassie's excited chatter, examining the beauty of the outside world I'd once taken for granted so easily. How I'd ever categorized Forks as dull and monotonous was beyond me.
"We're here," Jay said, cutting my escapade short. "This is your house, right, Bella?"
I looked at it, studying all the details as my eyes began to tear up. "Yeah, yeah it is." I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned in the door. "Thanks for everything, guys. See you soon, Cassie." The phrase had a whole new, glorious meaning.
"See ya!" she replied happily, waving back at my general direction as I shut the door and made my way to the porch. As they drove away, a terrifying thought struck me like an icy arrow in the chest. How do I explain this?
I looked around in a sudden panic. The boys wouldn't believe me suddenly coming back with sight. What would they think? What could they think? Horrified, I clutched at my hair, key sticking out of the doorknob, forgotten.
Is there a medical way to fix it? There had to be. The field of medicine was surely advanced enough to fix blindness. Let's hope the boys believe it. It was the best lie I could produce, considering they could be home any minute, it was all I had. I scheduled a surgery with Dr. Gerandy. He pitied me and booked me today.
I opened the door, only slightly relieved by this. It was a long shot, but I had no other options. It had to work.
After setting my keys and purse on the table, I ran to the kitchen. There had to be more gauze in the first aid kit—I could handle pretending to be blind as I 'recovered'. The boys would have no clue! That's what I tried to tell myself, anyway, as I grabbed the wrap and began to cover my eyes, layering it to make it as believable as possible. I grabbed the scissors on a nearby stand and cut the gauze, clipping it in place and returning the materials to their rightful spots.
This has to work. There is no other logical explanation. They have to believe me, because they don't have any other choice—it's not like just anybody knows about wish-granting demons. Slightly pacified, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This will work.
Unsure of what to do now that I was back to relative blindness, I fumbled my way into the living room to lay on the couch. The television continued to drone, just as I'd left it, and I laid back, hoping to look like I was either in pain or still doped up on pain killers.
That was when the door opened, and Dean's familiar call of, "Honey, I'm home!" cut through the air. My heart thumped harshly in my chest. This will work, right?