This is the tenth chapter to my fourteenth story. Refer to prologue for info.
Disclaimer: These are Stephenie Meyer's characters. I have my ideas, and I'm fitting them in the month or so between New Moon and Eclipse.
A/N: I'm dating this story based on Twilight Lexicon's Timeline.
Bella's POV:
Standing in the main square, I looked around for Edward. Alice had pointed out a general direction, but I still scanned the crowds of Volterra for him. I caught a glimpse just as the clock began to chime. It was noon and he would step out from the shadows in just twelve seconds.
Each precious moment passed breathlessly as I went as fast as I could.
"Edward!" I screamed his name.
I was too late.
Two cloaked figures flew at him to hide the sparkle of his skin when the sun hit it. I was left with a brief glimmer – not enough for anyone to notice – as my last memory. Edward was dragged away as I came to my knees in tears.
--
I bolted upright in shock. My heart was thrumming loudly in my ears. I willed my body to relax as the reality of Edward seeped in through every inch of me he held.
"A bad dream," he whispered, trying to convince me.
I nodded in an effort to believe. "I was too late."
"I'm still here," he said, holding me tighter. I was so grateful for his understanding. I don't think I could have relived the dream.
I rested my head on his chest while he hummed 'Clair de Lune.' It was one of my favorites and he knew it would calm me down. At the end of the song, when my heartbeat had returned to normal, he spoke up again.
"It's time for you to get ready for school."
I stood slowly and walked towards the bathroom. Half way through getting dressed, I realized there was still another question to ask Edward. School would certainly be interesting.
Downstairs, I skipped breakfast altogether and rushed out the door to meet Edward again. A soft kiss was all it took to pull my attention away from the question. Due to Edward's stealthiness, all morning was spent in pleasant thoughts.
Finally, lunch came around. Sitting with Alice had brought back the memories despite her attempt to focus my attention elsewhere.
With no warning, I scowled at Edward. He seemed taken-aback by the sudden change in mood, though humor and understanding danced in his eyes. Finally, Alice shut up.
"Why did you make me forget?" I demanded.
"Because I didn't want all day to be a memory." His words rang with sincerity and I relaxed.
"Is there something special about the owl?"
"So perceptive," he sighed.
I waited patiently for his response.
"It's called the 'pearl-spotted owlet.' It typically eats invertebrate such as worms or crickets. However, it can get small birds or rodents as well.
"It has a cinnamon brown colored, seventeen to twenty centimeter body, with an off-white facial disk. The upper body is brown with white spots. The under body is white with streaks of brown. Quite an average bird.
"The eyes are typically yellow, though the one you saw had a golden-yellow edge in its eyes.
"They breed from August to November and lay two to four eggs. The young leave the nest after about a month. All though adults don't have much sexual dimorphism, their young are paler with a shorter tale.
"Their range in Africa is south of the Sahara, excluding desert and forest. They tend to like open savannah and semi-woodland areas. Long grass deserts and heavy forest is avoided."
Absorbing his words, I tried to comprehend the importance of it all. The owl had seemed so important for some reason. Now it was just an average creature living in Africa. My initial reaction seemed silly.
Ooh la la! You'll never get that one.