AN:

Hello, sorry it took so long. I've been exhausted these last couple of days. But I decided to write another chapter instead of sleeping. I couldn't find it in my heart to keep you waiting (I know you hate my cliffies ao88). I'm leaving for Germany soon, and the apartment I've rented doesn't have internet, so I will have to ask to borrow from somebody. Haha can't wait to see how badly things can end up. I will be writing chapters while I'm gone nonetheless and probably squeeze a couple of updates in between my travels. I'm home for a couple of hours before I head to the airport for Italy. You can always check my profile for expected updates and my situation.

Thanks for the awesome reviews people! I love that you like what I'm writing and I also like that you are giving me pointers and corrections :)

As usual, thanks for ao88 for returning and special shoutouts for AnEverFixedMark and mno44 for making me smile big time and making me want to update.

Chapter 11

(BPOV)

Sand, a rough and cutting sensation from the sole of my feet filled my mind and my already darkened vision. It burned and I wanted to get away from the burn. I moved my feet away from the stinging feeling, but the burn didn't cease. I wanted to scream so badly, it was like walking on fire and all I could think was; when would the pain fade away? Or, would it ever fade away? I cursed myself for being unable to define the darkness, was it even possible to define darkness? Would it be like searching for the truth and find sense in nonsense? Or would it just be like my case? Doomed to walk in darkness forever and to rely on the people who could "see"? But then again; exactly how much could they see? There were so many ways to be blind, yet I had to be physically blind. I often heard about the blindness, also often referred to as ignorance. Failure to open their eyes and open themselves up for the outside world and its inhabitants, denial – closing their eyes, claiming that truth is untruth and the other way around. Justice – Lady Justice was blindfolded when she was to judge. She was the blind justice and the blind impartiality.

Then there was love.

Alfred Tennyson once wrote:
"'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all"and the essence of the quote is the one emotion, which has been discussed for so many years - from Shakespeare to the hopeless romantics of the present, dreaming of the one whom will give them their fairy tale ending. Love is everything and is a dear vital part of us, equivalent to the blood flowing in our veins. But what is love? All we know is that love is an emotion that leaves us all mystified and has had more plays, songs, and stories written about it than anything else. Although love can be the source of happiness, it can also tear and rip us apart, make us act irrationally but at the same time give us a certain satisfaction that is hard to find in other places. Love brings tears to our eyes, both sorrow and happiness, yet love was blind.

I believe that the quote "Love is Blind" was one of Shakespeare's favourite lines. I would definitely have Edward read some Shakespeare for me, one day.

These last few days have been amazing, and each day he had surprised me with his choice of songs. His singing voice still made my body shiver and I would still drift off to my own world, only dominated by his song. Nothing had changed, I was still the same Bella however, I was in love. Still early to say that, I know, but this was Edward and I... It wasn't just some two random people. Things would be difficult when I would leave for the other school. He had promised me that he would visit me every night and sing to me. Each night I fell even more in love with him, each night he bared and exposed his soul to me. 'Picture Perfect' really made tears well up in my eyes and paradoxically I could see for the very first time. Not in the sense, that my spell of blindness suddenly listed and I could see-ish thing or God bared himself to me. No, I could see and feel the love that radiated from his very core. I owed everything to Edward.

My reverie was broken by Alice's shriek.

"Bella! Are you ready for our shopping trip?! Rose is also here and ready, the only missing person here is you!" she said as she bounced on my bed. I opened my eyes in shock, only to find out that I was still blind. How depressing to wake up to the same darkness every morning. Or in this case: day. Alice and Rose had just gotten off for the weekend and they wanted to take me to the mall. Hurray, I thought. Alice's bouncing brought me back to reality and I sighed in frustration. I would probably get seasick soon because of her bouncing.

"Alice please stop before I throw up" I muttered as I crawled out of my bed. I headed towards my bathroom, only to be stopped by Rosalie on my way. She grabbed my arm and yanked me back to my bed.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, mildly scolding.

"To the bathroom to brush my teeth?" I asked suspiciously. Somebody told me that it was perfectly normal to brush your teeth and hair before leaving the house. I quirked my eyebrow and hoped to be released soon. I could only hear her sigh and Alice still hadn't stopped jumping on my bed.

"This bed is good for jumping" she laughed as she got down again, and the bed ceased its sea-like movements. I could hear her rapid footsteps exit the room. Where did all this energy come from?

"Where did she go?" I asked Rose.

"Out to her purse to get the supplies" she answered shortly. Yay for Rosalie for being into the details kind of person.

"Supplies as in..?" I asked inquiringly.

"The usual Alice has in her purse; makeup, iron curler – Don't ask me why and tweezers" she said as if all the things she had previously mentioned was normally found in a girl's purse. Wait a minute, hold on! Tweezers? That would probably hurt and I didn't like the sound of the word, never had. I guess that my frightened reaction amused Rosalie, since she emitted a giggle.

Alice quickly returned again and yanked me out to the bathroom. Why wouldn't they just let me go to the bathroom myself? Instead of having her painfully yanking me away, I could have peacefully walked myself. I growled out in frustration only to earn another giggle.

"Why couldn't you just have let me go to the bathroom myself?" I asked in annoyance.

"Because, God forbid, you could actually ruin all the plans I have for you, in terms of makeovers and such" she said in an almost-gasp.

"How could I ruin your plans?" I asked again, clearly NOT happy with this situation. Come on, it was just a mall and I couldn't be that bad.

I let Alice work her wonder and magic on me. I would probably get a treat for being so cooperative. Oh god, I sounded like a pet. My throat felt awfully dry as well, so I retrieved my bottle of water

"You know... Edward has been acting quite strange, lately" Alice gossiped while chewing on a gum. I almost choked on the sound of Edward's name.

"Strange? How" I asked in my raspy voice and cleared my throat multiple times.

"Strange as in; sneaking out every night, can't get up in the morning and he writes sappy music on his piano and he's also awfully happy. Not that I mind his happiness, but it is so weird and it's starting to freak me out" she said worriedly. I also feigned worry and continued the conversation.

"Oh, really? What would he be doing in the middle of the night?" I asked as she curled my hair. I took a moment to move my hand behind my back to feel the curls. I played with them and liked the feeling of them, bouncing.

"You're almost done!" she exclaimed happily and I sighed in relief as well. I would soon be able to wriggle myself free from the bathroom of hell. Rosalie entered the bathroom to apply some makeup to my face, and I instantly began to feel awkward.

"Please, don't overdo it" I half-begged and half-threatened. She complied and I was released from their grip of terror. Alice had given me a set of clothes for me to change into. If only I was able to see and I could be less dependent. And I would be able to see Edward, whom had captured my heart.

"Okay, we're finished, let's head out to my car" Alice said as she cleaned up and took my by the hand. She led me to the car and sat me in the passenger-seat next to her. Rosalie loved sitting in the back.

"So, how was school?" I asked curiously and broke the silence for a bit.

"Quite boring, now that you're gone and so is Jessica and her posse" Alice said as-a-matter-of-factly and began to drive. My mind instantly turned to the memory of me being beaten up. I had forgotten all about their punishment and I snickered. Served her right for attacking me for no reason at all, or could it be that she was interested in Edward as well? I couldn't have that...

"So I was planning on us stopping at Victoria's secret, we can easily spend hours there, get some coffee and then shop some more. Then we could head out for the opening of this new club here in Port Angeles" Rosalie said mechanically, almost as if she was reading up from her agenda. And the last suggestion piqued my interest. Clubbing? I was still a minor – a junior in high school. There was no way they would let me inside.

Suddenly the car stopped and Alice parked. I opened the car door and I was immediately surrounded with Rosalie and Alice by my sides. They slipped their arms around my elbows and led me across the lot to the mall. Again, I feared for my own future and well-being and I had every reason and right to do so.

The second we entered, I could hear music everywhere and people talking, their footsteps and it felt like a totally different world.

"Victoria's" Rosalie said and dragged Alice and I with her. The sound of female voices dominated the store, so I guessed that this store held the interest of women.

"What does this store sell?" I asked Alice as we walked around in the store.

"Lingerie" she said and held up a bra for me to feel. The material was soft and I could feel the laces. It was probably good quality as well, since I heard people complain over the price.

"Okay, so I have two piles" Rosalie said, exhausted as she neared Alice and I.

"Two piles?" I asked, half curious and half frightened. I had a bad feeling and a feeling that one of the piles were meant for me, whatever the piles contained.

"Yup, bras and such" she said as Alice pushed me into the dressing rooms. Rosalie entered as well to help me.

"Strip" Rosalie ordered and I had to comply – I wasn't ready to die yet. I undressed and Rosalie helped me dress again. She tried several bras on me and she either let out a sound of approval or disapproval. I felt like we spent several hours in there and my stomach practically yelled "HUNGER" in the dressing room.

"So I got this blue-laced bra and the colour fits you like... REALLY NICE" she said in lack of a fitting adjectives and nouns.

I tried it on and I felt oddly comfortable wearing them. I actually bought them for myself and after that we headed off for some coffee. We sat in a coffee shop and talked for hours. It felt nice to have somebody to talk to other than Renee and Charlie. I finally felt at ease with Alice and Rosalie and we felt like a family.

I sipped my coffee and I liked the taste of it. It was creamy and had such a rich taste. I would quickly grow addicted to it.

"So this new club opens tonight" Rosalie and went on. Apparently, Rosalie's friend's big sister was a bartender there and could sneak friends in as well. Rosalie intended on getting us in too. Why did this idea smell of disaster?

"I don't know" I mumbled as I sipped on my coffee again. It was my excuse not to talk that much.

"Is it Charlie?" Alice asked and I nodded.

"He probably won't mind, since it's the end of the week and just tell him that you're staying at my place" she suggested. I nodded in consent. I couldn't find any way out of this anyway so why postpone the suffering. I mean, how bad could it possibly end up?

Rosalie and Alice were looking for the ultimate party dresses and I sat in a chair and waited for them to reappear by my sides, to drag me into the torture devices also known as the dressing rooms. No mercy.

I ended up in a pretty tight strapless dress and I felt so uncomfortable in it. I felt totally outside the boundaries of my comfort zone, but they deemed me party-ready. I got into the car with a rapid pounding heart and again; I feared for myself. Alice drove by Rosalie's directions and we were soon on a free way. If I was religious, I would have prayed, but I wasn't yet I folded my hands and gazed upwards as if I was looking for some moral support from above. Nothing came though, and Alice soon stopped and parked the car. They helped me out and I could hear the music booming everywhere. I wasn't a big fan of techno and dance/trance music.

Lady Gaga wasn't exactly my cup of tea as Debussy and Chopin were, but it was acceptable. I had trouble moving in my tight dress and I cursed Rosalie and Alice under my breath. This was painful and totally unnecessary.

"There's a line, but Cattie just told me to walk straight to the guard" Rosalie said as she led us forward. I could hear people complaining behind us, though some of them sounded drunk and slurry. How could I NOT fear for my well-being? He actually let us in and he didn't even ask for our IDs which surprised my immensely. How and why did Rosalie have this kind of connection? She knew the right people. Soon I was led to the dance floor and we danced. I was actually enjoying myself, but then I remembered that Edward would visit me later tonight and I wouldn't be home.

"Let's get some drinks" Rosalie said casually, as if she had done this before many times. I quirked an eyebrow; drinks, as in alcoholic beverage? Was she completely out of her mind? I had no choice but to follow them to the bar and Rosalie asked for three 'Sex on the Beach's. I held my glass with a frustrated look and held it up to my nose to smell it. I could hear Alice and Rosalie quickly gulp them down. I refused to do so. But they were soon encouraging me to drink it, I nodded and I was about to hold it up to my lips until a firm hand gripped my hand, restraining me from my drink.

"Excuse me miss, aren't you too young to drink, let alone be here?" a manly voice asked. Damn, I got caught. He hand cuffed me and pulled me, Alice and Rosalie to his car.

"Cop" Alice muttered and I finally understood it. Three minors caught in drinking in a club for adults. Nice Bella! Remember when I asked myself: how bad could it possibly end up? This bad! I thought as I found myself in a cell in Port Angeles.

"We really screwed up badly" I heard Alice mutter from her cell next to mine.

AN:

Thanks for reading! Now, leave a review and make me happy, so I will update and make you happy as well! :)

I'm leaving Sunday at 2 a.m. but I'll be quite busy from Friday, so I'll try to update Thursday before I leave. If not, this will probably be the last update for a while, if I don't manage to find a computer with internet in Allgäu :D