Moonlight Melody

Chapter 10: Shadow of my Past

Bella tensed in Edward's arms. He looked down in alarm and then went back to watching his cooking show, "Adrian? Who's Adrian? Was he another boyfriend or someone you knew?" on her face was the unmistakable look of intrigue.

Alice sighed and looked upstairs to where Bella was certain Jasper was listening. Rosalie's fury over her dog being dropped seemed to have subsided.

But it was just that one look that made Bella's heart warm. For a brief moment, she didn't need to taste the atmosphere to feel the waves of tender emotion that went between the two.

One upstairs listening from afar in his study.

The other sitting on the couch in the basement telling her story.

"Something like that…" Alice admitted. Then with a twisted smile added, "I hate to sound cliché but it's complicated."

So complicated in fact that the next morning when I woke up in my hospital bed I thought that I might have dreamt it all.

There was no way that Adrian could possibly have been in my hospital room last night, I scolded myself.

It was all like a bad dream to find someone from your past whose memories, both good and bad, had already be worn, but engraved in your heart.

Those engravings on your heart that were things you had learned to get over with, but would never fade completely. It was unsettling to feel the grooves rising up of their own accord once more.

I took a stroll down the hallway and asked Edward, Carlisle, and Stanley (an old friend of mine that usually visited me and other occupants of the hospital. He was a really sweet, but not weak, old man.) if they or anyone had found me on the floor this morning or anything odd like that. Of course you can imagine the looks that all three men gave me, but what had it hurt to ask?

"Should I have reason to worry, Mary Alice?"

"Why do you ask, Miss Brandon?"

And even a, "Are you sure you're not crazy? Are you planning to end up on the floor, Alice?" from Edward, that masochist of a vampire.

Everyone whole-heartedly assured me that my having seen Adrian was all a crazy dream. But me and my intuition were not to be easily appeased.

I spent the whole day on edge skipping and skittering across my room, putting on coat after coat of nail polish to soothe my frazzled nerves.

Finally Edward poked his head in, looked at me and called down the hall to Dr. Carlisle, "Yes, she's still pacing."

My head popped up at the sudden intrusion and I squealed.

My toes were now a mess of red. I let out a wail of frustration and threw the tiny bottle at the two vampires attempting entrance to my room.

It was well known among my closest friends, even those at the hospital, that I was very irritable and prone to throwing fits when I was under pressure.

So it might have been both habit or just superhuman reflexes that made Dr. Carlisle expect me to act in such a manner.

The doctor quickly slammed the door shut to avoid the little missile. Then he sighed as he glided into the room with Edward at his heels staring at me reprovingly.

In no mood to back down, I stared right back at him and bared my teeth defensively.

Grrr.

"Mary Alice, Edward and I can both hear you from down the hall and you've been pacing in your room all morning. Obviously having the nightmare that you had has really been upsetting you. And plainly," he said looking down at the charts in his hand, "it is also affecting your heart rate and blood pressure."

I shot Edward a dirty look, "You told him what I was thinking?"

The brush to the nail polish bottle went flying.

Vampire caught said brush and dropped it into the wastebasket.

"I was worried, Mary Alice. You're uptight over a silly dream," he informed me.

I buried my face into the pillows and moaned, "It wasn't a dream!"

"Then where is Adrian?" he countered.

Silence.

He had me there.

"It couldn't have been a dream. It was too real to just be a dream! It didn't feel like a dream! I know what dreams feel like that wasn't IT. This…this was really happening. I'm sure of it!" I insisted and slammed my fists into the bedspread with a big poof.

Dr. Carlisle looked down at me fretfully, " I don't know what it is, Mary Alice. But whether it was a dream or not, it's bothering you and spiking up your vitals. That worries me the most and it's my job to take care of you. You need to calm down."

Edward set a small glass of water on my vanity, "At least drink something to ease your anxiety," he said gently.

At my look of defiance he added, "Please, Alice? I really am worried about you."

My expression softened at the look of pleading on his face. For him, I stood up with agonizing slowness and took a swig of water.

"There, you happy? I drank some water! Now will you please believe me when I say that this…" I frowned. "This water tastes like shit."

"Mary Alice!" Dr. Carlisle chided me for my language.

"Well it does," I slurred and lifted the glass up close to my face. Little particles of green, blue, and pink swam in the water.

Wha? I blinked and opened my eyes wider to see more properly.

"Some..thing's wrong with my….."

Time seemed to suddenly come to halt and slow down to an agonizing pace. Caught off guard, I gasped softly and my fell backwards.

Edward caught me in his arms and scooped me off my feet. As the world faded into a flurry a gold, dull red, and white he cradled me gently to his chest and said, "I'm sorry Alice. I knew you were going to be such a stubborn mule so putting some sleeping medicine in your water was the only thing Carlisle and I could think of."

You….you…drugged me you jerk..

"Yeah, I know," he chuckled. "I'm not sorry about it, though. So that's just too bad."

A smile curved on my lips right before darkness fell.

No matter what drug you take, you can never seem to run away from your dreams…from your nightmares.

And the worst part is that drugs will only do you so good when it comes to those nightmares. Medicine will only stop the pain. But not the fear. Oh no…never the fear.

So naturally I was pissed that Edward's stupid drug didn't stop me from being afraid when I heard Adrian's voice in my head again.

It was happening again…he was back again…it WASN'T a dream.

"Well, well, well, this certainly is a surprise to see you, Ally."

His voice crawled along the surface of my skin causing the goose bumps on my body to rise.

You shouldn't be here! You can't possibly be here!

Despite the voice that seemed to be screaming in my head uncontrollably, he continued to talk and walk the room. My eyes were closed.

"And BOY have you grown!" he observed with glee.

My mind was rebelling against all logic and I swear it, I was a tightly knit ball of hysterics.

"I came back for you just as I promised…"

You shouldn't be here! My mind screamed.

You should be dead!

I clutched at the blankets blindly and took a deep breath. Adrian should be dead. It had been too long. I forced myself to think logically and take in the feelings around me.

I was on hospital bed for one thing. My eyes were closed tightly. And said dead person was standing above me. I opened one eye and peeked out.

The man that stood above me should have by the laws of nature, been dead long ago when he caught sick during our childhood stared down at me on the hospital bed.

We'd been childhood friends, and sure. We'd really had something special. We were the best of friends. There weren't no boy with a heart sweeter'n Adrian Flynn's and we'd even been engaged to each other in the way that young kids usually did for pretend.

That had been when I was around seven or eight. By the time Adrian had been sixteen, he was sick for two years before he'd caught the deadly sickness that had been spreading around. Two years before dying at eighteen.

Yet here he was in the flesh at least nine years after his tragic demise.

He was the same young man who I'd had mud fights and mud pie with. I saw the same 16 year old on whose head I had placed a wreath of daisies as I pretended to marry him.

"I'm yours," I'd whispered.

"Surprised?" he asked now, still the same as ever. A smug grin light up his handsome face. He turned in a complete circle. His enthusiasm was almost childlike. "I'm all better and I haven't forgotten you, Ally! See?"

I nodded grimly and looked him up and down.

Time had done me good and gradually I'd bloomed into womanhood. But it seemed as if for him, time had come to a stop permanently, leaving him as a young man with the heart and soul of a child.

"Adrian, what in god's green earth are you doin here?" I asked slowly, wary of the expression on his face.

He was surprised, "You didn' really think I'd go round forgettin' you, did you? I'd promised to come back for you! We're gonna be together like we used to be and it'll be great!" he smiled broadly and then launched off again. The shadow of my past laughed. He was practically teeming with merriment.

Somehow though the sun shone in his face, the darkness of uncertainty…plain ol' fear, writhed like a snake in my heart.

Everything should have been right and everything seemed right to him. Like old friends reuniting after long years apart.

But everything felt wrong and seemed wrong to me. Like old friends, one live and one dead, reuniting sooner than they should've.

"Oh, Ally, you wouldn't believe the friend's I'd made! We're like family and—" he stopped abruptly when he noticed the look on my face.

Uncertainty flickered across his face.

"You didn't forget me, now did ya?"

I shook my head rather than let him hear the doubt in my voice.

"Then what is it?" he placed his hands on the edge of my bed and then his face was only a breadth away from my own.

It was in the glare of his black spectacles that I saw the reflection of a frightened little girl.

And in the face of fear I drew myself up and tried to regain my courage.

I swallowed the large lump that had developed in my throat and laid a hand on his shoulder. Then I gently pushed him backwards so that I had room to sit up.

"Adrian, I'm just…surprised."

"Surprised bout what?"

"You shouldn't…you shouldn't. Y'know. Be alive," I said softly and gestured to his seemingly youthful appearance. "You shouldn't look like you're eighteen when we both know that that was years ago. You should be a man bout now,"

A look of excitement exploded on his face and he nodded emphatically. Like I had finally gotten it, "I know, Ally! See that's what Mary-Lynn and the others did to me! They helped me!"

I frowned, "Just like that?"

It was so hard to believe that people would help someone out of the goodness of their hearts. Without anything to expect in return.

"Okay, at a price," he admitted a bit sullenly. Like I'd spoilt the best surprise.

I was almost afraid to even ask. And when I finally did work up the courage to do so, my voice came out in hushed tones, "What kind of price, Adrian?"

With agonizing slowness, he pulled down the edge of the large black spectacles.

I let out a shrill eep and frantically backpedaled into the headboard of my hospital bed. He quickly put the spectacles back on.

His eyes, that I had remembered to be a beautiful green the color of the ocean, were now black with cores that glowed red like embers.

They were utterly vampiric.

"A vampire! You're a vampire!" I squeaked at him and pointed a chipped-red painted nail at his face (I'd managed to gnaw all the nail polish off in my anxiety).

He wheeled around from me, gripping his hair in his hands like he used to do when he was excited, "YES! YES!"

"How? Did they bite you?!"

He nodded and then proceeded to tell me everything that had happened to him.

"I was sick for two years. Two horrible years of being sick every day was torture. I was always cold and sweatin', always throwing up. Always hungry but never wanting to eat nothin'. Always hurtin 'til I'd scream and just hope to God…Just hope to GOD I'd just die already, yknow?

There wasn't anyone who was able to help me. None of the stupid doctors could cure me. All they could do was look at me and tell me how very sorry they were and tell my parents hope for the best," he spat with disgust. "They were all the same!

They all. Didn't. Try."

His face darkened with anger and I patted his hand sympathetically. In a flash so quickly that I didn't even see it, he was suddenly sitting on the edge of my bed.

His story, even at its sad beginning seemed to have enthralled me because I was now sitting cross-legged before him, with my hand on his. I hadn't even remembered moving.

Adrian nodded and, encouraged by my sympathy, went on, "But I knew you missed me, didn't you, Ally?" he piped up like a child, now happy. "I knew you loved me, even if you was getting sicker too. That your heart kept actin up. Right?"

I nodded and mumbled under my breath, "Actin up is right."

He smiled and gave my hand a gentle squeeze, "Oh, I understand, Ally. I loved you for your weak heart too."

I looked down at my hands clasped within his on the bed covers. They were so cold and hard.

Weak heart, huh?

Sure, I knew I had a weak heart, but who in her right mind would want to hear it? It just seemed to hurt more when he reminded me about it.

I tried to tug my hand out of his but he continued to hold onto it.

So after a few moments of serious tugging and grunting (it almost came to the point where I was tempted to put my foot on his hand as a brace and pull) I finally gave up. My shoulders drooped in defeat.

Wearily, I waved the hand that wasn't captive for him to go on.

"And then he came to town," he grinned. I flinched, "Elliot. Elliot was a doctor too, and a weird'un at that. See, now if there ever was a doctor, it was him that cared. He looked at me for longer than a day and kept on poking and proddin'. He made small talk with me and made me feel comfortable. He was kina like an uncle, even if he was from outta state. Somewhere from Massachusetts, he said.

'You came a long way, didn't you?' I asked him. 'And what brought you so far from home?'.

'Traveling with family', he'd said.

I didn't really think nothing bout it, but when I found out what he was later on I realized that I'd come pretty close to some touchy subjects," he started to stroke my knuckles with his thumb, making the hairs on my arm rear up indignantly.

The tugging started up again.

"'Cuz see, what happened to my family is a sore topic too." When Adrian looked up, he had no trouble conveying the hurt that he'd carried on his shoulders for years. "My ma and my pa are gone, Alice. I think they're dead."

My eyebrows knit together. "How?"

Adrian ducked his head, "See Elliot cured me and all that when he took me away with him one night. I was with him for only a few days and when we came back my house…my parents just weren't there no more. They were gone. And you were gone too. You'd gone and left me too," he murmured a bit sadly.

I knew instinctively that he was referring to the time when my heart had starting really acting up, forcing my family to move closer to the hospital.

If I hadn't known already that it was a little too late for apologizing, I might have pleaded for forgiveness and said that it would be all right.

"So I stayed with them. Mary-Lynn and the others. I've just become a part of the family. I've been with them since I became one of em. And it almost feels like family, yknow that?"

I smiled a bit softly at the soft look on his face. It was the kind of look that he'd gotten when we would lie in the daisy fields together with my head on his belly, his arms behind his head. The kind of look that said he was happy and belonged.

Slowly my hackles lowered and I said sincerely, "I'm so glad that you've found a place where you belong, Adrian."

He looked at me in surprise and I added, "Really! I mean if it's family and you're happy then so'm I. You've got that gooshy look on your face," I teased him and poked a finger at his cheek.

He gaped at me in astonishment. I giggled madly as he gave me a toothy smile. (You know those stupid giggles where you can hear yourself laughing and know you sound like an idiot but just can't seem to stop? Eesh.)

I'd have said that it was a little too toothy for my comfort. Yknow with fangs and all. But hell, Bella, you know we don't really have fangs.

All the same it made me as skittish as a horse.

I poked him harder and then he covered my hand with his, effectively trapping my hand under his.

"I'm so glad you're happy for me Alice," he said tenderly.

I frowned and tugged at my hand. He held onto it as tightly as he did the one on the bed.

You'd think I'd learn by now.

"But although belong, there's still something that's missing from my life that I miss so much."

I froze.

You know when you get a bad feeling about something?

"Ally, I miss you," he croaked and threw his arms around me, hugging me to his body gently.

I settled my hands across his back and patted him comfortingly.

"Mary Alice? Who is your friend?" a voice called from the doorway. I froze like a stuffed turkey and craned my head around to Dr. Carlisle.

"Dr. Carlisle, this is a…"

"Adrian, sir," Adrian cut in and released me. He wheeled up from the bed and held out his hand to Dr. Carlisle to shake. With a small frown the doctor opened his mouth.

"Actually.." Dr. Carlisle started again.

And was stopped again.

"I'm a friend of All…Mary Alice's. I'm just stopped by to visit her," Adrian shrugged with a boyish smile. "I've really missed her, see?"

The frown on Dr. Carlisle's face smoothed out and was replaced with an easy smile, "Yes, I see. Well, it's good to see a nice friendly reunion."

My friend nodded and then patted the doctor on the shoulder, "Well, I won't be taking up any more of your time. I guess I should be going now."

Dr. Carlisle protested even as Adrian made his way out the door and shot Adrian a sly smile. Then the door clicked shut and Dr. Carlisle shook his head.

"A nice boy," he murmured, clutching at his head.

"It looks like you're feeling better now." He motioned to the way I was practically hanging off the edge of my bed.

"You see!" I piped up. "He wasn't just a dream. He was real! Adrian was really here."

"Yes, yes I see that, Mary Alice. I'm sorry I doubted you. Edward and I were genuinely worried about you."

I trailed my toes in a shamed circle on the tile floor, "Yeah, I know. But at least now I know for sure he's back."

And I knew for certain that he would be back.

Adrian was never the kind of person who would just leave well enough alone, see? So he was bound to come back. Maybe the night even. It would be so like him.

He did come back.

But he wasn't alone this time.

I was before my vanity rummaging through a box of different colored beads when unexpectedly, the door creaked open.

I turned around expectantly.

"Hello, Ally. I'm back!" Adrian beamed at me in his brown slacks and white dress shirt.

"I figured as much," I muttered dryly and motioned for him to come in. Like I could say no.

With a polite thank you, ma'am he and about three other people glided into my hospital room.

Three other vampires.

I dropped the box of beads that were in my hand and gaped in shock as my room was suddenly flowing with predators.

Brightly colored beads flowed into every corner of the room and I heard distinct crunches as the vampires stepped over the various pieces.

Out of the three of them there were two men and one red-headed woman. They we were all wearing the same black spectacles that Adrian was and dressed more or less for travel. My childhood friend seemed to be the youngest, the baby, of the group.

"Ally, this is my family. They saved me and made me…me," Adrian said proudly. He motioned to each person in turn. "This is Elliot," a tall thirty-ish looking man nodded to me. Elliot was the doctor who had helped Adrian.

"Mary-Lynn," a curvy red-headed woman regarded me besides Elliot. She was very beautiful, very pretty.

"And this is James," the last man was a very normal looking person, which light feathery brown hair. He made no acknowledgement to me from where he stood apart behind the other two.

Then Adrian introduced me too.

Soon the introductions were over and I put the now empty box on my vanity and sat on my bed.

"It's…it's nice to meet you all," I squeaked to them.

Can you tell that I was scared?

Would you believe me if I said I didn't know why?

How bad could a family of Adrian's be?

"I knew that you would approve of them, Ally," Adrian winked. "Because I wanna talk to you. I thought maybe it would be best if I did it with them in the room with me."

"Oh-Oh is that so? What did you want to talk about?" I twirled a strand of my short locks.

Adrian dropped his gaze and smiled widely.

"See…" he started and plucked at his pants nervously. "I've really missed you for a long time, Ally. And Elliot said it would be alright to ask if you wanted to."

I blinked. I didn't have any intentions of leaving. Not with Jasper here.

I would probably follow Jasper anywhere, forever, I was so wrapped up in him.

"Wanted to ask you if you wanted to join us…be one of us."

I shook my head, "I'm sorry. I'm touched you want me to tag along with you all, but I don't think me…"

The tall man named Elliot spoke up to my friend, "I think she's misunderstood your meaning, boy."

Adrian's cleared his throat, "What I MEAN to ask you is whether you'd like to join our family…and be changed.

Be one of us…with us."

Forever..I thought. Be one of them, forever. A vampire.

With Jasper.

I held my breath and counted to three:

Could I really?

Be with Jasper forever?

Be a vampire…forever?

Yes, I'm sorry I have to stop here before my fingers fall off. I'm so glad I'm past this chapter. It's really been killing me to write Adrian's story. And for another, I wrote 'Aiden' in my drawing book. I went halfway into this chapter before I realized I'd changed Adrian into Aiden lol. So let me know if you got confused and I slipped up somewhere.

As you can see more characters are coming in and I want to see if you can catch some of them. Review and tell me what you think. About the characters, about what's going on. I won't evaluate this chapter right now. There's a pie in the fridge just calling to me at the moment and my fingers are killing me, I've been typing for hours. Not to mention I feel that there's not much I can evaluate without giving away some of the goodies I hid away in this chapter. I'll see if you guys can find that. Send me a message if you do, btw. Or review your suspicions. ;)

Signing off for now and eagerly starting the next chapter!! Ja ne!