Perpetual Existence

Chapter Eleven—Kiss, Kiss, Kiss


The Place in Between

Bella moans from somewhere to my left, but it's clear that it's not one derived from pleasure. Whimpers soon accompany the painful torment in her voice as she calls for me.

Though I feel undeserving to be in her presence, I also cannot resist. How can I give her anything less than what she desires? It's becoming increasingly clear our minds have conjured to cope better with what is happening. Even if we don't understand the full implications yet. It's the only explanation for how we can easily manipulate the area.

This is likely a figment of our imagination, but it doesn't make it any less real.

Crisp, cold surrounding air warms as I scramble toward Bella. The startling, bright white surroundings that remind of my human past, dim to a soft blue.

If we are the creators of this place in between, then why does she scream in agony? My limited mind, now more human than vampire here, fails to comprehend why this is happening, only that it is and we're at the epicenter of it.

"Bella, Bella, Bella." I pull her gently in my lap, cradling her in my arms as she continues to scream. She twists and turns in my hold as if my touch is unbearable. Her beautiful, dark hair is matted to her forehead with sweat, her eyes devoid of color other than black. They meet mine, unseeing, delirious as she calls for me again and again.

For the first time in almost a century, tears form and fall down my cheeks. Her hand lifts from clutching my chest, only to fall when she realizes she's too weak. Whispered words fall from her lips, too soft for my more human ears to hear.

I bend to listen, and my heart breaks as she reminds me that she loves me and asks for a Monday off. Somehow, a broken chuckle is shared between us; the soft presses of our lips are our only comfort.

I think she's transforming, but how or why doesn't make sense.

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Just Another Monday

I take a step on the stairs upon entering another Monday. If we ever find a way out of this perpetual existence, I will likely take every Monday off, and hopefully, Bella will be right beside me. With that thought in mind, I run up the stairs and change out of my clothes.

Alice is shocked to see me in so much black when we leave for school, and wonders why I've asked the others to meet us at lunch to pick up my car and leave my father's Mercedes. My dear sister's attempts to see into my future are as muddled and chaotic as before; the most significant change is that a familiar pair of brown eyes is much more prominent.

"Is that Bella?"

"Bella? Isn't that the name of the new girl who's supposed to start today?" One would think that after decades of playing parts for our charade as humans, I would be able to act to avoid stirring Alice's scrutiny.

She's tenacious and will not to stop until she gets an answer. "Yes, she's supposed to be starting today, but how do you know that, Edward?"

I tap my temple to throw her off the scent, and I'm pleased to see it works.

"For whatever reason, I can't seem to see your future, other than Bella's eyes and uh…"

"And what?" I prompt.

She smirks and shakes her head. "You're just lucky Emmett isn't here."

My body stirs in anticipation. Although Bella and I have agreed that we won't be attempting more amorous activities for a while, it's obvious Alice sees more of it in my future.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Let's have some fun..." Bella whispers raggedly, her eyes fluttering closed. "...with your family."

I shake away the memory of the last conversation I had with Bella in the space between and focus on getting to school. We have a plan, and thankfully, no one except us will remember it. However, we will be as far away from the parking lot as possible, to avoid oncoming vehicles.

No need to tempt fate twice.

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"Who are you waiting for?" Alice looks toward the cafeteria doors where I've had my gaze directed since we arrived for lunch.

I look away, shrugging. "No one."

"There's something going with you." Alice grimaces and rubs her temples. "Whatever it is, it's messing with my visions. There's a presence here that isn't evil or sinister in nature, but it…"

"Lacks empathy." I've noticed Bella's shadowing Death Angel, and Alice is right. There is no evil in its presence, just the overwhelming need to carry out its duty, and killing Bella is its mission.

It lingers near Tyler Lawrence for some reason, but moves away as Bella approaches.

Anticipation simmers my blood, Alice's babbling falls on deaf ears, and my only focus is the cafeteria doors. In the background, I'm aware Emmett, Rosalie, and even Jasper have joined us after getting passes from Ms. Cope.

Bella pushes open the double doors and pops the collar of the leather jacket she's wearing. Something she found in her father's closet. She smirks as her eyes settle on me, causing my siblings to immediately stop talking and stare. The shy girl is gone.

Before they have a chance to ask what is happening, I rise from my seat and walk toward her. There is no mistaking my smile as the entire cafeteria comes to a gawking standstill.

The second she's within arm's reach, I pull her against my body, thrilled when she gasps as my hand settles into the back pocket of her jeans. That's unscripted. Her eyes are wide when they meet mine, the glimmer of desire and amusement is a lovely combination. One I hope to see much more of when we figure this out.

I cradle one side of her cheek, brushing my thumb across her bottom lip. Though my family is both fascinated and horrified, Alice can't seem to help herself.

"Kiss her, kiss the girl, Edward!"

She's not the only one, but the surrounding internal voices dim as Bella's lips part enough to welcome the tip of my finger, her tongue teasing me.

I shake my head. "You really shouldn't have done that."

She winks. "I know." To the tips of her toes, she lifts to wrap her arms around my neck. "Are you going to kiss me?"

I press my lips to hers, shocking everyone around us. Her lips are as soft as I remember but surprisingly cool. A little moan from her unravels me, my hand in her back-pocket squeezes, and a groan rumbles through me.

That only seems to amp Bella's desire, pressing her chest closer, her nipples tightening under her T-shirt. My free hand moves to cradle the back of her head, shifting her mouth for the sole purpose of devouring her. The slick slide of my tongue along her bottom lip grants me access, inviting the potent taste of her to excite me more.

She's a fire in arms, though it doesn't explain who pulled the fire alarm as it blares to life. The sprinkler system overhead explodes with water, sparks ignite and causes electricity to hum. Soon chaos ensues, everyone running for cover and out the two cafeteria exits.

"Is there a fire?" Bella asks, as she pulls away to breathe.

"Besides the one in Edward's pants?" Emmett says, as he slaps my back and grins at Bella. "Alice explained that you're his mate."

Bella shrugs, blushing under the scrutiny of my family.

"She doesn't even question what you mean." Rosalie is thoroughly confused by the events, and understandably angry. "You knew this was going to happen, but how does she know if you just met?"

"We'll explain later." I lead Bella toward the cafeteria doors as my siblings continue to barrage me with hundreds of questions in my head.

Alice looks like she's in pain, rubbing her temples as we approach the doors. Then suddenly she screams, "Bella don't!"

Bella is already pushing open the door, unaware of the live wire hanging overhead from the exit sign. Her body immediately starts seizing as thousands of volts of electricity pass through her.

I grab her, and with every fiber of my strength, I fight the current and pull her into the safety of my arms. Her heart beats frantically until it falls silent. My family calls out my name as Bella and I tumble to the floor.

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La Push - Sam

"Whatever this thing is, it may have affected the area from Forks to as far as Seattle, considering local reports match ours here." Jared shakes his head, confusion making him irritable. "But Seattle also suffered mass power outages and loss of time for about two hours. Forks is still inside the bubble."

"If it hit Seattle, we must prepare." I rise from the head of the table, fighting the instinct to transform. "The Cullens told us of a group of vampires that monitor all vampire clans, remember?" The others, Jared, Paul, Quil, and Embry, all nod. "Whatever is happening in Forks and the surrounding area will get their attention. An unknown event, and in the center is a family of their kind, would call for an investigation."

"What are you saying, Sam?" Paul pounds his fist on the table. "Are you saying more leeches are coming here?"

I look at each of their faces, boys who have become men overnight. "I know they are."

"How?" Jared asks, as Emily sets down a plate of homemade bread. He grabs a piece and stuffs it in his mouth. "And what are we supposed to do about them?"

"Jacob, Leah, and Seth have suddenly come down with a fever." I sit down and hang my head, sensing Emily's sadness.

Jared winces and shares a look with Paul. "Leah? Are you sure?"

I nod, then sigh when Emily wraps her arms around my shoulders. "They'll be here soon, and there's nothing we can do to stop them."

"Fuck that!" Paul explodes again and stomps to the door. "I'm going to Forks, see if there's a way inside."

Jared gets up to join him, but I lift my hand to stop him. "He'll be back in an hour and not remember anything. We've been through this for hours while testing. He's just worried. We have to stop going there before it does permanent damage to our memory."

Jared nods and whispers, "I just wish we knew what 'it' is."

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Italy—Aro

"There was a call from someone who wants to make a report about the Cullen family during your uh, feast, sir." Gianna delivers a note with a number into my waiting palm. My nose twitches at the awful scented stationary she plagues us with this week.

She'll be dead sooner rather than later if she keeps this up.

I look at the note, Gianna's handwriting marginally better than before. "Ah, it seems our dear friend Joshua is passing through." An interesting development; the young vampire is quite punctual, at least. "A phone, my dear," I demand of Gianna.

"Right on schedule," Caius teases with a roll of his eyes. "Why you must play this charade when you ask one of our many minions to check on the Cullens, I cease to understand."

There's no mistaking the distaste in Caius's tone, he isn't particularly fond of Carlisle or his preferred diet.

"A necessity, my dear brother. We can't be too careful with such a large clan. We mustn't be too careless."

Gianna quickly pulls up the rotary phone, one of the few landlines I had installed decades earlier. I detest technology, but alas, it is necessary as eternity progresses.

The phone rings twice before Joshua answers, trying my patience. For such an ancient vampire, I have little when it comes to such matters.

"Master, you must send the Guard to Forks."

My immediate thought is to ask how dare he make demands, but something in his voice holds my tongue captive. Something is happening, and that idea excites me.

"I can't even fathom to understand what is happening." Joshua goes on to explain his attempt to enter Cullen territory after a strange event in Seattle, Washington that robbed him of almost two hours of time. He's once again lost more time each time he's reached Forks.

My curiosity is piqued; snapping my fingers to ensure Joshua has the undivided attention of my brothers. The more I listen, the more I realize it appears a trip to visit a dear old friend is in order.


AN: So that happened. Thanks to MC for your help the chapter. Any mistakes are mine, I tinkered a bit here and there. I want to say I'll be done in a few chapters, but my characters are being a-holes and Edward says at least ten more. I have a vague idea of where I want this to go and how it ends, but again, my characters are in control. Thanks for reading!