Chapter 10: Confessions

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters, just my stuff.

I'm sitting in Bella's car, and I feel like my head could explode at any moment from the number of thoughts going through my head at once. Edward, someone I don't even know, was going to attack me. Something saved me. What was that thing? What would have happened if whatever it was hadn't intervened? Would I be dead? What if that didn't really happen, and I'm just dreaming right now? I like the way Bella's car smells, since it mostly just smells like Bella. Whoa, focus. Speaking of Bella, how did she know what had happened? How did she get to school so fast?

I pull myself out of my thoughts and into the present, only to realize that I had been staring intensely at Bella the whole time I was thinking. I can't help but notice that Bella is driving way above the speed limit, judging from how everything outside the window is zipping by in the blink of an eye. Normally I would be freaking out about it, but for some reason I'm not fazed by it. I can see Bella's knowing smirk, and any hope that she hadn't noticed me staring is immediately squashed. Bella turns to look at me, and instead of turning away she just stays in that position, watching me intently.

My surroundings seem to just fade around me and all that's left is Bella, watching me with fascination, as I do the same. I take the time to admire the goddess before me, from the flawless waves of her chestnut hair, to the perfectly shaped eyebrows adorning her face, to the incredibly adorable nose, to the unimaginably alluring lips that I desperately long to have against my own, to the well defined jawline. Then I admire the rest of her body, or as much as I can, given that she is sitting in the driver's seat of a car. Wait, Bella is driving the car. She isn't watching the road.

I snap out of my daze just in time to see a station wagon coming around the corner, moments away from crashing into us. "Bella, look out!" I shout, clamping my eyes shut and bracing myself for impact. The car swerves. This is it. This is how I'm going to die. I wait for the sound of metal crashing into metal, the sudden whiplash, the release of the airbags, but it never comes.

I open my eyes. We're pulled over on the side of the road. The station wagon is nowhere to be seen. Holy shit, that was too close. I look over to Bella, who is staring out through the windshield. "Bella, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" I unbuckle my seatbelt and reach over to Bella, turning her to face me. I see nothing but guilt in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, I can't believe how stupid I am. Are you okay?" Her expression turns into one of panic, and she grabs my hands, examining them with the intensity of a surgeon, then checks the rest of me for injuries.

Bella asks me about any pain or injuries. Honestly, my neck is a bit sore from whiplash, but I don't want her to overreact, so I tell her I'm fine. She looks at me apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Annie. I almost got you killed because I let myself get distracted." She looks down at the ground, angry with herself. As scary as that was, it wasn't Bella's fault. This attitude has to go. "Bella, look at me," I demand and, to my surprise, she does as I ask. "That was not your fault. If anything, I should have been more aware, but that's not the point. You can't predict everything in life, accidents will happen anyway. Besides, nothing actually happened. I'm okay, you're okay, the people in the other car are okay. There is nothing to be sorry for, alright?"

Bella still doesn't seem convinced. This would be so much easier if I was good with words. "What got you distracted, anyways?" I ask. Bella's eyes grow wide, and she drums her fingers on the steering wheel. "I, um… well, you," she mumbles, so quietly that I almost didn't hear her. But I did. Bella finds me distracting. I must be grinning like an idiot right now. Bella gives me a small, shy smile.

That smile must be the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my life, and I can feel myself grinning from ear to ear. I haven't seen much of Bella's shy side, and I'm flattered by the idea that I have that effect on her. I feel myself blushing, my body once again reacting without my brain's permission. Bella gets fidgety again. I'm about ninety percent sure that these two things are connected. Or I'm insane. Or both. Bella sticks her head out of the car window and inhales deeply through her nose, and just like that, most of her discomfort disappears. What, do I smell bad or something?

"Let's keep going," Bella says, then pulls back onto the road. We drive for a few minutes in silence, eventually taking a dirt road that leads to the forest. Their house must be tucked away from others if it's in the forest.

We pull up to a huge, modern looking house and I feel my jaw dropping. Holy cow, this place must cost a fortune! And it's so secluded. It looks like something a superstar would buy to get away from reporters. I hear Bella's musical laugh, and turn to look at her again for the first time since we pulled back onto the road. She's smiling at me amusedly, and just that smile makes me feel like I can't breathe. Then I notice that my mouth is hanging open, and I quickly clamp my jaw shut, nearly biting off my tongue in the process. Bella gets out of the car and hastily walks over to the passenger side door to open it for me. She takes my hand in her cool one and gently pulls me out of the car, pulling me along towards the house. I feel excited, nervous and anxious all at the same time, and I can't really explain why.

Bella opens the door for me and gestures for me to enter. I take a few tentative steps inside, soaking in my surroundings. The house is very open, with giant windows on all sides, white walls covered with interesting works of art. Is that one made from graduation caps? The furniture is expensive looking, so much so that I have to keep my distance from it, since with my luck it would probably catch fire just by me touching it. I feel strange, almost like I'm somewhere I shouldn't be, even though I was invited. The house is immaculately kept, looking like something directly out of a magazine, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Well, maybe not that much, but worth a lot nonetheless.

"What do you think?" Bella whispers into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. I hadn't even noticed her appear next to me, making her stealthiness seem almost unreal, like she was teleporting or something. "It's so… modern, open. This is so cool," I blurt out, not really sure of what I'm saying. Well, a compliment is a compliment, I guess. Bella giggles, then grabs me by the hand, leading me to a nearby staircase. "I want to show you my favorite part," she says, pulling me along.

We walk through the second floor and I feel my jaw go slack at the sight of the kitchen. It looks so huge, and even though I can't cook I wish I had a kitchen like that. Before I get the chance to have a closer look, Bella tugs on my hand, leading me on rather impatiently. I chuckle at her eagerness, curious about where she's dragging me off to.

We stop in front of a sliding glass door, Bella opening it for me and gesturing for me to go through. I thank her for her courteousness, noticing that it is a habit of hers, and walk out onto a balcony overlooking the forest. The balcony has a fantastic view of the forest, and I find peace in listening to the sounds it makes, from the rustling of trees, to the chirping of birds, to the rushing water of the nearby stream. I take in a deep breath, the crisp air helping to clear my mind of questions and worries, and I find myself relaxing.

I hear a whoosh of air, and Bella materializes next to me. How does she do that? She seems anxious about something, judging by the way she's tapping her foot and staring at a tree in the distance. "So, um… what do you think?" Bella asks, finally facing me instead of that stupid tree that had captivated her attention for several seconds. Wow, I'm jealous of trees now. That's just fantastic.

Back to Bella's question. Wait, what do I think of what? Is she nervous that I'm not impressed with this view? How could I not be! "This is amazing! You can see so much from up here! It's so peaceful up here, just experiencing the forest from the comfort of the balcony. It's beautiful," I say confidently, earning a chuckle for my enthusiasm. "I'm glad you like it as much as I do," she says. "My siblings don't really get why I like it up here so much. I mean, they enjoy nature too, but they get bored just watching it. They go crazy after a while," Bella says with a laugh. "How many siblings do you have?" I ask, since up to now I've only heard about Alice, the fast talker.

Bella smiles fondly, clearly happy to have the family that she has. "I have four siblings. My sister Alice, who you briefly spoke to. She can be overly hyper, but she means well. My other sister Rosalie is hard to approach, but she's fiercely loyal. Then there's my brother Emmett, better known as the friendly giant. And finally my brother Jasper. He's a lot more subdued than others, but even he can't stand still for too long, ironically…" she answers.

Wow, that must be nice. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a sibling. I mean, I've heard the horror stories, but even arguing with someone is better than just being by yourself, in my opinion. It's always just been my mother and I, and it could get lonely when she had to work. Not that she wasn't around, she just had to be able to provide for both of us, so I spent many evenings with my neighbor's teenage daughter babysitting me. She didn't care much for me, nor I for her, so I would just occupy myself in my room. The closest thing to a sibling that I have is Maddie, but that's different. You can't choose siblings, you're stuck with them. Or not, it depends on the family I guess. I feel a pang of guilt at the mention of my best friend's name, but for some reason I can't seem to find the energy or the courage to contact her. I miss her terribly, but long distance is not something I've ever been good at. I know that it's just an excuse, but I don't know what else to say. I'm not a perfect person.

I feel a tap on the shoulder. "Hey, what are you thinking about?" Bella asks, curious about why I had grown silent. "I was just imagining what it would be like to have a sibling," I admit, not seeing the point in fibbing. Bella watches me thoughtfully, her gold eyes looking right through me. "Anybody would be lucky to have you as a sibling," she says simply. Whatever that means. "Thanks," I say, taking any compliment I can get.

We stare out at the forest in silence, comfortable with just being together in the same space. Eventually, somehow, I get bored. Well, distracted would be more accurate. It's hard to concentrate when there's an angel standing three feet away from you. Bella seems focused on the forest, so I figure she won't notice if I slip a little closer. Not turning my head away from the view, I subtly take a tentative step to the left, sliding down the railing. Bella doesn't notice, so I take another step closer. Before long we're standing right next to each other, but Bella is still lost in her own little world. I decide to catch her off guard. I lean in next to her right ear and whisper, "Boo!"

Bella jumps back at an amazing speed, almost knocking me to the ground. I start laughing like a madwoman, while Bella just glares at me for scaring the shit out of her. Normally the intensity of her gaze would have me on the verge of fainting, but now it just makes everything even funnier. After a few minutes of laughing and catching my breath, Bella leans against the railing with her arms crossed in front of her, an eyebrow raised. She really does not like to be taken by surprise. Which is ironic, since she seems to enjoy sneaking up on me. "Aw, come on Bella, it was funny!" Bella shaked her head. She's mad, which is really scary but really attractive at the same time. "I'm sorry, okay?" She still doesn't look pleased, but she seems somewhat convinced that apology was sincere. I add a mock pout, and Bella smiles, rolling her eyes at my guilt trip. "There she is," I joke, earning me a swat on the shoulder.

Everything goes quiet then. I gaze at Bella, and she just stares back at me. I feel happy. I feel happy just looking at the angel standing across from me, quiet and unmoving, almost as if time has stopped for just a few seconds for me to appreciate what I see before me.

Before I even realize it, my feet are carrying me towards Bella, wanting to close the distance between us. I stop about a foot away, my eyes never leaving hers. She looks deep into my eyes for a long time, as if she were looking for something. For once I don't feel the urge to look away, too absorbed by the golden honey orbs that I admire so much. I've only known this person for a few days, but when I look into her eyes I feel as if we've known each other for decades. I feel… free. Bella takes a step forward and brings her hand to my cheek, stroking it with featherlight fingers. Her skin is as cool as it always seems to be, not that I mind, I find it quite soothing really. Hesitantly, I bring my hand up to her cheek, softly touching the flawless and cool skin. I don't dare put too much pressure, because I'm afraid that if I do she'll turn to dust, blowing away in the wind. Not to say that she's fragile, I just don't want this moment to end. I know what I want. I want to kiss Bella. I want to mold her lips to mine and express my every thought and feeling about her without words, because words are not enough. I lean in slowly, and Bella does the same. Our faces are only inches apart now, and I close my eyes-

"Wait," Bella says, pulling away from me. Oh God, what have I done? I've misinterpreted everything. She doesn't want what I want. I've taken advantage of her friendship. "Oh my gosh Bella I'm-"

Bella raises her hand to stop me from continue. "No, I need you to listen. I want this Annie, of that I have no doubt. But before we go any further I have to tell you the truth about me, because I don't want you to trust me based on a lie."

What? What does she mean? "What are you talking about, Bella?" Bella smiles nervously, as if she expects me to bolt for the door at any moment. "Before I tell you, I need you to promise to hear me out. I know how this is going to sound, but I need you to understand, okay? After I tell you, you can do what you want, you can turn around and never come back. I just need you to know everything. Okay?"

What is it that she wants me to know? I feel very nervous about what she might be about to say. Of course, it could just be something minor like, I don't know… like she hates the color blue or something. But it could be very serious. She could be a murderer.

Bella is waiting for me to respond, and I nod my head dumbly. She takes a deep breath, then looks into my eyes. Okay, here we go.

"I'm a vampire."

A/N: I'M BAAAAAACK! Such a tease, right? I know it's been a long time, and I apologize. I've just had the craziest month ever. Also, working at a summer camp is mentally draining, so it can be hard to find inspiration. I'll be updating more often now, so stay tuned! Thank you for reading, and for all the super positive feedback, I really appreciate it! Cheers! :D