A/N: ok guys, i am very, very sorry!! i grovel at your feet for forgiveness! my excuse this time is the impending doom that threatens to kill us all in due time, and can make even the best person decend into the deep, dark, depths of dispair... this evil, my friends, is called a TERM PAPER. (shriek!!)
and thank you to wingedspirit for the idea of what happens at the end... thanks!
so, now, onto our feature presentation!
Chapter 10
Bella's POVMy mind was in overdrive. I had to find something to distract myself.
I lifted Wuthering Heights off my mismatched bookshelf and headed out the door, blanket in hand. Walking out toward the woods, I found a clearing a little while in and settled down. I spread out the blanket and prepared to read.
The trees surrounding my small, blanketed area added to the scenery of the book. Even so, my mind wandered. And it came to rest, as it seemed always to do these days, on Edward Cullen.
I just couldn't figure it out. What was so vital that he felt I needed to know? And why did Alice seem not to want me to know? I couldn't figure out why she would hide something that seemed to be so important from me. It was so unlike her; we were usually able to talk about everything openly with each other, even though I had only known her for a very short period of time. Why should this be any different?
But then I remembered. Alice hadn't always been completely honest with me. She hadn't wanted to tell me what had really happened at her house that day. Maybe that was all Edward wanted: to tell me the truth. Maybe—
I heard the trees rustle next to me. However looking around, I didn't see anything unusual. But at that moment a thought flashed through my head. A pathetic thought, but a thought nonetheless. And it was about Edward.
Maybe he had come to see me. But I knew that was stupid. How would he know where I was? I was a little scared to admit that I didn't really care how he knew, even though behavior like that would qualify him as a borderline stalker. But that was just wishful thinking.
I nestled down with my book, depressed and a little bit sad, and waited to be sucked into another world. It didn't take long.
Alice's POVI knew Edward wouldn't tell her. Sure, he would tell her all the 'important' stuff, like that fact that our family is vampires, that we drink blood, yaddi yaddi ya…. But he wouldn't tell her the really important stuff, like the fact that he loved her.
I could tell that he really did love her, not just a little inkling of a crush. There was a pazaz in his figure, a spring in his step, that hadn't previously been there. I would hate to see that go away.
But still, he wasn't going to tell her. I knew Edward too well to assume otherwise. So as soon as he left, I left too, just to make sure he really did keep his promise. I had found a perfectly good patch of bushes to hide in, and hopefully Edward would be too distracted to notice my gushy thoughts. He was hilarious under pressure.
Bella was currently reading her book, but when I looked closer, I realized that her eyes were slightly glazed over and unmoving, while a smile remained plastered on her pink face. I chuckled to myself. If I wasn't mistaken, she was thinking about Edward.
Then I heard a rustle of leaves in a tree over where Bella was sitting. Edward. This was a good sign; he was about to make his move!
But five minutes came and past, and Edward still hadn't appeared. Had he gotten cold feet? Well, I wouldn't stand for that. I had to do something.
So I crept over to the tree he was in, careful not to make the slightest sound. I then grasped the tree with both hands, and shook it with all of my vampire speed and vampire strength.
Edward must have been sitting lightly on a low branch (probably gazing at Bella) because it was easier than it should have been to shake him off. He made an enormous, yet extremely satisfying thump when he hit the ground. I had to fight hard to contain my fit of giggles.
The thump had not escaped Bella's notice, and I saw her look quickly up from her book. Then her eyes became wide and her mouth dropped open, gazing at the flattened figure before her.
Edward was only on the ground for a split second before he regained his composure and stood up. He and Bella stared at each other, and after a couple of seconds a small smile started to spread across his face.
"Edward!" Bella gasped, flinging her book aside and scurrying to stand up. "Are you alright?" she asked, sounding concerned. It amazed me that both of them could be so focused on each other that they completely ignored the fact that Edward had just fallen from the sky; Bella was only worried about his safety. They were so cute!
"What?" he asked, the smile dropping off his face. Bella's eyes wandered from the tree he had fallen out of to the spot he had just fallen onto. Comprehension dawned on him as he looked at her wandering eyes. "Oh! Oh yeah, yeah I'm okay. I'm fine," he rambled. "Happens all the time…" he muttered, trailing off.
I snickered. Bella gave him a worried look.
Realizing what he had said, he tried to save himself. "Not that I always fall out of trees! I mean, that's stupid… not that I'm stupid… and not that, you know, if you fell out of trees… that wouldn't make you stupid… I mean…"
If Edward could have, he would have been blushing profusely. Bella, however, have started to giggle. When Edward saw this, his mouth twisted into an adorable crooked smile. After a while they elapsed into a comfortable silence, staring into each other's eyes. Finally, Bella said, "So…why are you here Edward?" It wasn't a sharp question, just an honest, innocent one. But it made Edward tense up all the same. He closed his eyes for a moment; I knew he was blocking out every unwanted person's thoughts.
This is it, I thought to myself. He's finally going to tell her! Even though it was basically all my fault that she didn't know our secret yet, I couldn't help feeling that it was about time.
Edward sighed, and then he started talking.
"Bella, I've been meaning to tell you this for a while; you deserve to know. I just don't want you to be scared, though I know you have every right to be." He looked away, refusing to meet her gaze. "But please, don't blame Alice for this. She didn't want to frighten you, nor do I. It's just… hard to say." He faltered, words momentarily failing him.
Bella took a comforting step toward him, looking trustingly into his eyes. "Then why don't you start small?" she suggested innocently.
Edward nodded, and started pacing. "Bella, do you know how old I am?"
I nodded. This was a good place to start; he was going to be fine… I hoped.
She seemed slightly confused by the question. "I'd say about 17, right?" she asked.
"Yes…" Edward answered slyly, "and no. Let me ask you something. You're 17 also, right?" She nodded. "Well… how old were you last year?"
Bella was playing along. "Sixteen of course… why?"
A sad smile played across his lips. "Because… I was seventeen last year too. And the year before that…" He let that thought linger while Bella absorbed what he had said. He was expecting her to be scared. Instead, she looked puzzled. "How long have you been seventeen, Edward?" she asked slowly, comprehension dawning on her face before she even finished the question.
"Bella, you're smarter that most people give you credit for," Edward answered quietly, sadness still evident as he spoke. "I have been seventeen for almost one hundred years now… and I'm not planning on aging any time soon." He stopped, prolonging Bella's momentary confusion. "Also, we –my family and I—don't need to breathe. Some of us have 'special' powers, too. But the most shocking part is our diet. We… drink blood."
I held my unnecessary breath while Edward finished. Bella slowly sat back down, eyes wide, yet unseeing. A small gasp escaped her lips, followed by the words "But how…?" Then silence.
Edward looked at Bella, and I could see that he was broken. Realization dawned on his features, and sadness radiated off his form in giant waves that even I couldn't ignore. He gazed longingly t her for a minute, then turned abruptly to leave, muttering, "I'm sorry," under his breath.
Hearing that, Bella's head snapped up. "Wait!" she called softly, standing up and reaching out a hand.
Edward stopped in his tracks, and turned back to look at her, stony faced.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. " I didn't mean—it was just a shock, you know… but I'm read y now. I can take it, I promise."
He stared at her in wonderment (I did too, as a matter of fact). "But… but I'm… I'm a monster," he finally choked out.
At that, Bella laughed. It was just a little, tinkling laugh. But it lightened the mood immensely. Then, so both of our surprise, she said, "I know. But you're one of the nicest…. monsters… I've ever met. You've never tried to harm me in any way, and it doesn't seem like you ever intend to. That has to count for something, doesn't it?"
I stared at her in bewilderment. How did she know? And if she had known, why hadn't she said anything? Why had she pretended?
Edward seemed to be as dumbfounded as I felt. "You knew?"
"Well," Bella started, "I didn't know the specifics. Like how you drink… blood." She paused. "So I suppose you're…"
"Vampires, yes."
He let his words dangle in the air for a couple of moments, then continued in a somewhat darker tone. "But there is no reason for you to think of me as not dangerous."
Oh no, he was going to go into this again. I didn't see why he had to tell her that he had an extreme thirst for her blood, more so than any other human, if he didn't have to… plus, that would make it a little awkward when he told her how much he loved her.
"My family survives on the blood of animals, because we could not bare to harm humans… even though some occasionally deserve it…" When Bella looked shocked, he gave her a quick smile to let her know he was kidding… mostly. "We are usually very good at what we do, hunting when we need to, and not letting the temptation of human blood get the best of us. But sometimes it is more difficult than others. There are exceptions, as rare as they may be, to the normal blood lust we have. You, for example," he said, looking down at Bella.
"I… don't understand," she said. "Why am I different?"
"I'm not sure why some people smell more… appetizing… than others," he said unhappily. "I don't think it's anything that can be helped; it's just the way you are."
"Is the thirst bad?" she asked.
Edward groaned in anguish. "You have no idea. Say, for example, you put a man in a room with the finest wine in the world. But no…" He paused, musing over his analogy. "That's not strong enough. Let's say you put an excessive alcoholic into a room with wine. But not any wine. This is the best, handpicked alcoholic beverage on the planet. However, he was told not to touch any of it, or else his whole world would come tumbling down around him. Life as he knew it would cease to exist, and, in his eyes, there would be no reason to continue living."
Edward was completely captivated in his analogy, swept up and intoxicated by Bella's presence. He was staring intensely into her eyes, willing her to understand the meaning behind his words.
Snap!
As I moved my arm, a twig from one of the bushes I was residing in broke, alerting Edward to my presence. The crack was quiet enough that it didn't disturb Bella, but I knew Edward had heard it. Now knowing that I was here, it was now or never. He had to tell her once and for all how he felt about her, before the moment was lost. I knew he could do it; the question was whether he would.
Edward's POVBella.
She was all I knew, all I cared about, all I needed. Although she was partly the reason my sanity had been slowly decreasing, I knew that I had no life without her. I didn't know if she felt the same way I did, but I didn't care. Knowing that she understood what we were and didn't hate us for it was more than I could comprehend, but I didn't question it. Being with her, feeling her presence was enough for now.
Snap!
My concentration was tested for a split second, but that was as much as necessary. I checked mentally to see if anyone was there, and to my extreme surprise, I found someone. And the moment I did, there was only one thought in my head: she is dead!
Stupid twig! She thought. Mind your own business! Can't you see you're getting in the way of Edward finally being romantic for once in his life, even if he doesn't know it? Jeeze.
"Alice," I muttered under my breath.
She looked up from a large group of bushes, and gave me a little wave at vampire speed, then continued to force her thoughts into my mind.
Okay Edward, now that you know I'm here, you know that if you don't keep up your end of the bargain there is going to be you-can't-even-imagine-what waiting for you when we get home… so you'd better speed it up there, mister!
I sighed, and again focused all my attention on Bella. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right; it was now or never. I had to do this.
But as soon as I took that unneeded breath to ready myself, another set of thoughts erupted into my brain.
Edward, how come you never told me you were a diabetic; I would have gotten you a needle.
Oh no. Carlisle.
Yes, the school informed me this afternoon. Along with the fact that my daughter Alice needs anxiety pills for her well being, and the safety of the others around her… you could have let me know sooner, I would have picked some of her pills up along with your needle.
This couldn't be good.
So come home as soon as you can… we obviously have some issues that need to be discussed.
I moaned loudly, mere feet away from Bella, as she looked confusedly at me.
"What's the matter?" she asked, sounding concerned.
"My family seems to have no sympathy for hypothetical medical situations…" I muttered under my breath so that Bella couldn't hear. Louder, I said, "My father wants me home. Now. I don't want to go, but…"
She gave me a wondrous comforting smile that almost warmed my cold body. "No, no it's alright. Go ahead," she encouraged me. "But I'm really glad you told me this. It means a lot to me," she said, looking down and smiling at the ground, the scarlet blush growing in her cheeks. "And I promise I won't tell anyone. You have my word."
"I know," I said, and I really meant it. I took one more look into her deep, chocolate eyes, and took off back to our house. I only looked back once; she was still stranding where I had left her, her arm outstretched to where I had been moments before. I smiled to myself, but then remembered the doom I was heading for.
Alice owed me big time.
A/N: sorry to leave you hanging... please dont hunt me down with torches and/or pitchforks... he did tell her about the vampirism!!
and now i need your advice: what do you want to see happen next? other than the fact that Edward needs to tell Bella that he loves her and Bella needs to somehow get into a pit of cement, i actually have no real idea where this is going quite yet... i am very open to suggestions. thanks!
lastly: please vote in my poll... go yahoo!! Hakuna Matata,
-RW
