All of my air was let out in a scream of pain, under the chlorine water. Tyler was already up at the surface. With no air in my body, my heavy clothes and my downward momentum, I kept sinking. I tried to right myself, but my shoulder kept sending flashes of pain. Blackness began eating away at my vision again, as a burst of bubbles shot towards me. I felt cold hard lips press against mine and suddenly my lungs were filled with air. I was staring into Edward's eyes. He pulled me back up to the surface and out onto the tiled deck. I lay there breathing heavily; my shoulder was really killing me.
"Bella? Can you hear me?"
"Shoulder." I managed to gasp. Edward lifted me up, cradling me in his arms, he took me to his car and placed me in the front seat. He drove me, at a hundred and twenty miles an hour, to the hospital. He carried me again, straight inside, despite my protests. Flashes of colour were still bouncing across my vision and my shoulder was in excruciating pain. I was biting my lip to stop from screaming.
"Carlisle." I heard Edward mutter angrily as he laid me on a hospital bed. I tried to sit up, but Edward's cool arms were holding me down. "Don't move Bella."
Carlisle immediately began checking my shoulder and got me to a different room to run more tests. All of the healing I had done since the dislocation had pretty much been undone. My muscles were stretched again and I would have a fresh set of bruises. Carlisle set me up with an IV and my head began to swirl. I closed my eyes, seeing his disbelieving face as I sank into unconsciousness.
EPOV
I was talking to Alice when she straightened and frantically searched for Bella. She was retrieving her pencil when Tyler fell, crashing into her. They both tumbled into the water, and I saw Bella's shoulder smack the side of the pool as she tumbled into the sparkling water. Tyler was already back up at the surface. But I could see Bella still sinking. She had heavy clothes on, was one armed, and probably in pain. I ran to the side, cursing the human speed at which I was forced to use, and dove in. She was nearly at the bottom, her eyes closing and her arm and legs flailing. I quickly forced all of the oxygen I had in my lungs into hers. Her eyes opened a little more. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her to the surface, catapulting us onto the deck. She lay, practically unmoving, gasping in pain.
She needs to see a doctor. Take her to the hospital, I'll explain to the teacher. Alice thought frantically. I picked her up, carrying her to my car. I drove quickly, more quickly than usual. Why hadn't Alice seen it sooner? Or had she? Was Bella seriously hurt? What if she swallowed too much water and wasn't breathing properly? But when I looked over at her she was gasping, clutching her shoulder. I sped up a little more as the car's engine whined in protest.
When we got to the hospital Carlisle was already on his way.
Alice called. How is she? Why the hell can she not stay out of trouble?
"Carlisle." I warned.
Nearly there. I looked at Bella. She was tearing at her lip, probably to stop from screaming. She tried to sit up, but I held her down. "Don't move Bella."
Carlisle had her under scanners for the next few minutes. He attached an IV to her arm, explaining to her what had happened.
"You've undone all of the healing since the physical dislocation, and then some. You're going to be in here for at least a few days Bella. Some of your muscles are stretched and your shoulder will have some incredible colours on it by the end of the day." Edward, she's going to pass out now, she'll be out for the rest of the day and probably until the morning. You should go back to the school, get changed, get her things, call her guardians, let them know it's alright.
"Dr. Cullen to emergency room six." Carlisle cursed the speaker and ran off. I wanted to stay with her, but Carlisle was right. Before I left I kissed her again. When I returned, only an hour later she was dressed in a hospital gown, lying under the blanket, with a fresh sling on. Her hair was still damp, and she smelled of chlorine. I sat beside her, watching her peaceful face.
Ali and Pete arrived shortly after.
"What are we going to do with her?" Pete asked the ceiling.
"Medically induced coma perhaps?" Carlisle suggested, joking.
"That works. She couldn't hurt herself then."
I ignored them, trying to focus on her. Ali came and sat beside me. She rested her hand on my shoulder and I looked questioningly up at her.
"You really care for her don't you?" she asked. I didn't answer. I didn't need to. The look in my eyes told her everything she needed to know. Bella was still unmoving, not even her eyes were flickering; she was literally in the deepest of all sleeps. It would help to heal her shoulder, again.
The hours passed and Ali and Pete went home. Alice and Rosalie popped in and out too. Alice looked extremely guilty.
"Edward. When the lesson first started I saw Tyler splashing water all over her, so I told her to put away her iPod. Then we just continued with the lesson. She didn't decide to fall into the pool, and Tyler didn't decide to crash into her, so I literally didn't see it happen until seconds before." She whispered quietly.
"I don't blame you Alice."
I sat watching her. Sixteen hours after she had been submitted, she began to stir slightly. She began to dream again. Her mouth began whispering an unspoken conversation. I then realised that she had a large bruise developing on her neck. It was where she had hit the side of the pool, or was it perhaps, in my haste in pulling her back to the surface, I had hurt her? I felt sick at the thought. It was far too easy for me to hurt her. One moment was all it took. If I lapsed in concentration for merely a second I could kill her, simply by accident. I had to stop what I was doing. I had to let her go. If I ever hurt her, I couldn't live with myself. I walked out of the hospital before she woke, taking Alice and Rosalie with me.
BPOV
When I woke up, I was alone. My shoulder didn't hurt anymore, but my vision was swirling. I realised I had an IV in my arm and was incredibly tempted to rip it out. I was actually in the process of doing so when Carlisle came in and stopped me.
"Oh no you don't. You need to sleep a little more young lady." He said smiling, though he looked sad, worried. The medication began to make me slide out again and I whispered two words before I fell asleep again.
"Where's Edward?"
The next time I woke up, the IV was out of my arm. I could almost think clearly. None of the Cullens were there. Not even Carlisle was around anymore. I had a short, old doctor instead. By the time I was able to get out of the hospital, I was worried sick. I went home, not allowed to go to school. On my bed was a note.
Bella,
I am very sorry for all the pain and discomfort I have caused you. I have come to realise that because of what I am, we can never be together. To make this easier, we've all gone away for a while. I am truly sorry. I love you, forever.
Be safe.
Edward
I collapsed onto the bed. I didn't move until Ali came down. Not even then, willingly. She called for Pete and he carried me to the car. They got me back to the hospital and I lay there still. Days passed. I wouldn't eat, I wouldn't sleep and I was trying so hard not to think.
Everyone I loved left me. Always. First my mother, deciding to run off with Phil. Then my father, though that was my fault. My friends, because of what happened to my father. I had tried to resettle. I had fallen in love again, with Alice and her brothers and sisters, with Edward. And now they had left too. It would only be a matter of time before Pete and Ali did too. The doctors kept whispering words like 'catatonic' and 'severe depression'. Not to me, but my lip reading ability was useful in some situations. I read Ali talking to my mother.
How soon will the plane land? My mother was coming. Odd. Why would she do that? I lay still, unmoving. My mother did arrive, though I couldn't know when. I had lost track of the days.
"Oh Bella!" I didn't even blink. "Please wake up! You can't do this! Not again, please!" Again? I had done this once before. After Charlie's death. I remained practically catatonic for a few weeks, until my mother threatened to call a psychotherapist. I wondered how long I had been out. I couldn't remember quite why though. Whenever I began to try and remember, new flashes of pain hit me, and I retreated into the safety of my mind again. My mother did call a psych this time.
"Isabella, isn't it?" he asked as he sat down. I stared at the ceiling. I was faintly hungry.
"Isabella, what is wrong?" I stared at the ceiling. He was annoying.
"Isabella, would you like me to tell you what I think is wrong?" He kept repeating my name. Why? "I believe that you have begun to absorb the reality of your past situation." What was he on about? "I believe you are realising just what emotional toil the rape took on you. Your father's death was tragic, as was your rape, but you ran from it. I believe that now it's coming back to haunt you. You've been running from it for too long." My breath began to come quicker. How did he know? What did my mother tell him? He knew nothing. Nothing. Anger and frustration began to fill me. I turned my head to look at him.
"Shut up." I said. He blinked.
"You have been running from your past for too long Isabella. Open up, it's healthier for you."
"Shut up." What kind of therapist was he? Why the hell would he be provoking me?
"Tell me, what you're feeling right now Isabella."
"SHUT UP!" I screamed. He flinched, but persisted. He came closer to the bed, standing to my left.
"You're angry. You're scared. You have nothing to be scared about Isabella." Therapists weren't supposed to make assumptions. They were supposed to listen. Not talk. Not provoke. He opened his mouth to speak again and I flung myself out of the bed, ripping the IV from my arm. I ran, barefoot amongst crowds of people. My shoulder bumped against people and made me wince in pain. I could hear my mother calling my name, I didn't care. I ran from the hospital, still in the gown. We were near the ocean, and even one handed, I could swim faster than I could run. I jumped into the water, dodging children and tourists. I began to swim, quickly and painfully, but effectively.
Edward's house was the closest to the hospital. I climbed out of the water and ran to his house. No one was there. I found the door near Edward's room. It was locked. It was also glass. I picked up a large rock and hurled it at the reflective surface. It shattered and an alarm began to sound. I ran to his closet, grabbing a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. I slid them on, quickly and grabbed a pair of sneakers. All of the items were too big, but I didn't have the time to look for Rosalie or Alice's rooms. I ran out again, hearing the broken glass crunch under my feet and I disappeared into the forest. I kept running, heading in the general direction of Pete and Ali's house. It was getting darker now and I could barely see anything. I could hear the police cars out front of our house. I snuck into the back, finding the secret stash of granola bars and cash I had hidden under my bed. I also grabbed the pepper spray from my dresser and began running again.
Outside in the forest I couldn't see, so my pace was considerably slower. I kept walking and walking and walking until I reached a road. The nearest sign told me that heading in the direction I was going would take me to a motel. It was a while away, but it was a destination. I winced at my right arm, the needle had torn the skin a little. A car eventually stopped.
"Miss, are you lost?" an elderly man asked. He had very large glasses on, making his eyes look like bug eyes.
"No, I'm trying to get to the motel down the road, but I've still got a while to go yet."
"Come in the warm. It looks like it's going to rain. A motel you say? Direct me to it and we'll be off in a jiffy." He said kindly. I got into the car and thanked him. He drove me to the motel, singing to some oldies song on the radio. I offered to pay him for the ride but he refused.
"Have a good night miss." He said and drove off again. By then it had started to rain. I walked into the front and asked for a room. They gave me it and I paid upfront. As I walked to my room, I noticed a man staring at me incredulously. I realised how odd I must've looked.
I sat, dripping on the bedspread, staring out of the window, when I got to my room. I sat, watching the television. They hadn't reported me missing yet, but I wasn't planning to still be here when that happened. I lay down, trying to sleep, but it didn't work. So I stared at the ceiling for the rest of the night.
EPOV
"What?" I yelled at Alice. We had been gone for three weeks now.
"In an hour she's going to run, screaming from the hospital, dive into the ocean, swim to our house, break the door, steal your clothes and run off again. I don't know where she goes. The next vision I had she was lying on a bed somewhere and someone was breaking into the room. There's nothing after that." She replied nervously. Carlisle immediately called the hospital.
"It's Dr. Cullen. Tell me, why is Isabella Swan still in the hospital?" He listened to the answer and then put his head into his hands. This was all my fault. I had told Alice not to look in on Bella. It was lucky she had had this vision at all, lucky they came naturally, however hard she tried to block them. Carlisle hung up the phone and I read his thoughts.
She entered a catatonic state shortly after she arrived home. Since then she's been lying in the hospital in a vegetative state. The doctors couldn't find anything physically wrong with her. Her mother came from Phoenix and called a psychotherapist. Whatever he said to her, it sent her over the top. She ran from the hospital moments later, and now they can't find her.
"I have to find her. It's my fault."
"Yes Edward Cullen it is your fault." Alice said.
"You told her you loved her, then tore yourself harshly from her life, while she was unconscious in the hospital, like a coward." Rosalie spat. I growled at her.
"You know why I left!"
"I told you it was a stupid reason." Emmett sighed. Carlisle was still looking at me.
"It's your decision Edward." Esme said.
"I have to find her."
"We all do. We love her as much as you do." Alice corrected. So we began the long run home. I was ahead by miles, but I couldn't move fast enough to get to her. What had I done?
BPOV
I finally drifted off to sleep. I was only half asleep though, so I heard the scratching at the door. I ignored it, until I heard it open. I sat up in alarm. A janitor walked in, pushing a cart. He stopped, and looked at me.
"Sorry. You must have the wrong room." I told him. "I'm staying here tonight."
He looked around. "Alone?" he asked. The voice was somehow familiar. My stomach began to feel uneasy.
"My boyfriend went to get us dinner." I lied. The janitor took off his hat and my heart stopped.
"Now that's a lie. I saw you check in, all alone and flustered looking. Bella my love, I've been looking for you for so long." It was him. "I had to stay away from the police, so I left Forks for a while." He sounded like he was apologizing to an old lover. "When I finally came back you'd disappeared."
I hadn't moved from the bed. He closed the door behind him, turning the sign that said 'Do Not Disturb'. I began to shuffle backwards. The room had a window, and a balcony, three floors above the ground. If there was a tree, maybe I could make the descent. Then I remembered my sling.
"Bella, my love. I searched for you for so long, hoping you might come back to me. I began to watch your mother, to see if I could find you. That was when the police eventually caught me. It's alright though. I made bail. We can be together now." Why hadn't my mother told me that? "I followed her here. I was planning to visit you at your house, but you so conveniently ran to me. How did you know I was here? Do you feel the same connection I do?" He was nearly touching me by now.
I was paralyzed by fear, reliving memories as he spoke, the murder, the rape, the endless sleepless nights. He grabbed my injured shoulder, sending pain down my spine and flung me onto the bed. I tried to scream, but he clamped his hand over my mouth. He drew out a knife and pressed it gently to my throat.
"Don't move my love." He whispered, sending shivers up my spine. He took a towel from his belt and tied it tightly around my mouth. He then pushed me further up onto the bed, the knife gently cutting into my skin on my throat. I screamed in shock and pain, but the gag muffled the sound. He threw the knife aside and held down my one good hand, sitting on top of me with the other. Every time I tried to struggle, he struck me, across the face, the shoulder, a quick blow to the neck.
With his unoccupied hand he began to undo the jeans I was wearing. His legs forced mine apart as I tried to struggle frantically out of his grip. A fearsome growl erupted from the window and suddenly my attacker was in the air. Edward stood over me, balancing perfectly on the bed, holding my rapist above his head. He dug his fingers into the guy's throat until they pierced his skin. Blood began pulsing from his neck, landing near, but not on me. I lay, paralyzed again.
Suddenly I was in Alice's arms. She tore the gag off, making sure I was okay. Edward dropped my attacker and stood, breathing heavily. When Jasper arrived he began feeding on the lifeless body. Carlisle, was checking me over too. He brushed his cold fingers over the swelling on my face and the cut on my neck. He took the towel I had recently been gagged with and pressed it gently against my throat. Rosalie and Esme arrived with gasoline and began pouring it everywhere. Edward turned towards me and I sighed in relief. I could tell by his eyes that he wasn't angry with me. He leant down, kneeling beside me.
"Forgive me." He asked. I began crying with happiness.
"There's nothing to forgive." I said. I took hold of his hand and closed my eyes, hoping that this was all a dream. But was it a bad dream or a good one?
EPOV
As I ran I began hearing his thoughts.
He was watching her; she was getting dressed for school. She was so perfect, every inch of her, and she was his. That's what he had convinced himself. She went out with her friends, he watched. She went to school and he took his chance. He went into her room, inhaling her scent, imagining her standing with him. He was obsessed. She was everything to him. Every day, since she had arrived in Forks, he watched her. She was in grade eight, ready to move onto high-school. The rare occasions when she got drunk and her father would scold her, he contemplated killing him. He shouldn't yell at perfection. It was the day after graduation and Bella had been celebrating with her friends. They asked her to go with them that night, and she refused; she was grounded after all. Good. That would make it easier. Tonight he would take her. But when he got to the house that night she was missing. He killed Charlie anyway, he was in the way, and had yelled at her before. He was a police officer, he could've shot him easily. So he had to be dealt with. After searching the house he found a note from her friend lying on her dresser. He knew where she was. He just had to wait for the right moment. And it came, she walked practically into his arms.
And now here she stood, she had found him again. They had a connection. She wanted him, just as much as he wanted her. There was no rush this time; they had the night to themselves.
As his disgusting, terrifying fantasies filled my head I arrived at the motel. I saw my love, frightened, defenceless, fighting off her rapist, once more. I jumped through the window and pulled him off of her. I could've easily broken his neck, made his death quick, but I didn't want to. It was revenge. Revenge for all the pain he had caused her, for her father's death, for her sleepless nights, for her injuries now. I sunk my fingers ever so slowly into his neck. The blood poured from his wounds and his delusional life slipped away. I dropped him to the floor.
Alice was already there, helping Bella, as was Carlisle. Jasper was cleaning up. Drinking the blood from a body made it easier to burn. Besides, he was thirsty anyway. Esme and Rosalie turned up with the gasoline. I stood, wondering just how she would accept me, now that she had seen me kill, mercilessly. I calmed down and turned to her, getting off the bed and kneeling beside her. Bella's eyes were still wide, frantic.
"Forgive me." I pleaded. She began crying. She's happy. Jasper informed me, almost done his meal.
"There's nothing to forgive." She said. She grabbed my hand and closed her eyes, drifting into blissful unconsciousness.
I carried her to my next door neighbour's house. We had made sure she was cleaned of blood. We had also fabricated a story. She had swum to my house, where someone had broken in. The robber had beaten her, trying to stop her from escaping. Luckily we had come home at that moment; I had had a few things I wanted from the house. That was what we were telling everybody.
The neighbour saw me, carrying her body. Alice had had fun doing my makeup, to make it appear as though I had struggled to get her assailant off of her. I pretended to be weak from exhaustion. I fell to my knees, placing her on the ground, then 'passing out' beside her.
We were both taken to the hospital in an ambulance. I had conveniently woken before they tried to take my pulse. I convinced the EMTs that I was just tired, from the fight and carrying her body from my house. I hadn't called the Police because our phone lines were acting up and my cell phone was dead.
Carlisle 'treated' me. He gave me medication to take and kept me in the same ward as Bella. Bella got another IV. She was treated for minor injuries; bruises and scrapes, and a shallow wound on her neck. Her shoulder was also re-re-injured. It was never going to get better at this rate. When the immediate rush was over and the Police had taken my statement, Carlisle's statement, my whole family's statements and had an accurate description of the robber, they set out to find him. They were in for a busy night. There was also a pyromaniac that torched part of a motel, just outside of town.
I got out of the bed and knelt beside hers. I kissed her, while holding her hand tightly.
"Who are you?" her mother had walked in, actually surprising me.
"My name is Edward, I'm... I'm a friend of Bella's." I told her. She frowned. "She's quite an accident magnet isn't she?"
"Yes. She always has been. Ever since she was a little girl." I was suddenly flooded with memories, a sweet brown haired two-year old falling down the stairs, or into a pool, or getting lost in a store. I closed my mind, letting Renee recall in private. I still hadn't let go of her hand, when Pete and Ali came in.
"Edward! You look a little less than perfect." Ali smiled.
"I'm alright. I'm just glad he didn't hurt her too badly." I replied truthfully. Ali hugged me gently, knowing the strength of my feelings towards her. If she was changed, she would probably have similar powers to Jasper. She was a very charismatic and calm lady, able to pick up on what others were feeling. Carlisle walked in then. He pretended to be mad with me.
"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen." He warned, I climbed back into the bed grinning. "You'll never heal that way. If you don't stay in bed I'll make them restrain you." I pretended to be upset.
"Dad! I'm fine!"
"Enough." He moved to Bella's side. "She, on the other hand, will be alright, if she gets a few weeks in hospital. She'll practically get out of the hospital and straight into school exams. Edward." He turned towards me again. I was trying to look bored.
"Dad?"
"You could school her. You share Trigonometry, Biology and Gym with her. You can get her Spanish and English notes from Rosalie." Carlisle suggested. Then he turned to Pete and Ali.
"Would that be alright?"
"Ask her mother." They pointed to Renee. Carlisle repeated the question and Renee agreed, if a little reluctantly. My father had just managed to give me a reason to be around Bella in the hospital. Ali and Pete didn't mind me, but as long as her mother was here I needed a reason. Renee, Ali and Pete were all still waiting for her to wake up. It was early in the morning, around five o'clock when she finally woke. I was beside her in a second.
"Hello Bella." I smiled. She smiled back.
"Good. I hoped it wasn't a dream. I wasn't actually sure before." She admitted sheepishly. I leaned in and kissed her. One of the monitors she was hooked to recorded her heart beating frantically, now not only I could hear the reaction I caused. She smiled, her cheeks blushing again.
"That doesn't sound very dream-like."
"Stupid vampire." She sighed happily.
BPOV
It felt wonderful. The kiss seemed to heal me all over again. I felt warm, safe again, whole. I looked around and saw Ali asleep on Pete, and my mother curled up like a cat. I reached up to touch Edward's bruises. He had some around his eye and other ones around his neck.
"Makeup," he assured me, "unlike yours."
I smiled, though it hurt.
"I have a bedtime story to tell you." I murmured. He sat, curious, his eyes careful as always, on my bed, holding my hand still. It gave me the strength to go on.
"Once upon a time... there was a girl named Bella. Her father and mother had split up ages ago, but her mother, who Bella had been living with, found someone else. Bella felt awkward being around them, so she sent herself to Forks. You've lived there before I remember Jacob's story." Edward nodded. "She was happy, but felt a little restricted, having a cop as a father. So occasionally she consumed alcohol. At fifteen, grade eight Graduation came around and she got drunk on the night of. Charlie got mad at her. The next day he grounded her, for a long time. She was still angry with him, so the next night, she decided to sneak out anyway. Her friends had told her about a dance going on, so she went." I could feel the tears streaming down my face. "Little did she know she had had a stalker, ever since she moved to Forks. In the middle of the dance, she was thirsty. She had left money in her coat and wanted to buy a drink, non-alcoholic this time, or Charlie would find out. In the coat room, was her stalker. He was covered in blood. He..." I paused, unable to find the words.
"I think I know the next part." Edward whispered. I nodded and skipped a little.
"After, that I drove home. I slipped in Charlie's blood, landing on his body. He had died protecting me, and I wasn't even in the house. I had betrayed his trust, undermined his leadership, and he died, protecting me." I took a few deep breaths. "If I had been home, maybe he'd be alive, maybe things would've been different..." It was then that he interrupted me.
"I heard this story, but from the stalker's perspective. He..." I could see him trying to soften his words. "He would've killed your father had you been home or not. He didn't like Charlie yelling at you when you chose to have some fun. Had you been there, it would've just made the night finish sooner."
I couldn't believe my ears. But Edward had to be right. I could see in his eyes that he wasn't lying. His beautiful golden eyes. I began crying. I had shouldered so much unnecessary guilt, suffered two years of sleepless nights. He wrapped his arms around me and I around him.
"I don't know how to comfort you."
"You killed him for me. That was more than I could've possibly done. Just being here with me helps too. I love you so much. Please, don't leave again."
"Am I allowed to go to school?" he asked.
"If you must."
"I don't have to. But you do." He smiled impishly. "Besides – you are going to be dead bored in the hospital I promise."
"I'll try and sleep all day so I can stay up with you all night." I whispered back conspiratorially. Edward chuckled and glanced at Ali.
"They're waking up."
"So I'm going to conveniently fall asleep again." I said and shut my eyes firmly. His laughter shook the bed and suddenly he was complaining from the bed beside me.
"Can someone get my dad down here? I'm fine! I want to go home!" he was asking a passing nurse. Ali stood up and kissed me.
"I think you two are an oddly perfect match for each other." She whispered into my ear.
"I can't answer you. I'm asleep. But if I could I'd say 'thank you' because it would mean a lot to me."
"Well then I'll tell you when you wake up." She laughed.
Edward was right. So was Carlisle. So was Ali.
I was dead bored in hospital. I was in hospital for two more weeks. Edward and I did make the perfect couple. I got out on the week of exams. I wrote them and passed them all with flying colours. After exams we had two days of break, and then prom. The day before the prom I finally decided something. As soon as I decided it I heard Alice squeal. It was very early in the morning, I had just woken up, about to go home. She bounded into Edward's room and hugged me.
"Really?" she asked.
"I think so yeah." I answered. Edward had no idea what was going on.
"Ask Ali and Pete and come over around two. You and I have some serious shopping to do!"
I had decided to go to prom. I had seven vampires looking out for me. My only enemy had been destroyed. I had nothing to fear, but myself. And dancing. I realised I had missed the entire dancing unit in gym. What a shame.
At two I got picked up by Alice. We drove straight out of town. We drove for almost an hour, and at her speed, I knew we had to be out of California.
"What state are we shopping in?"
"Still California, but I know where the perfect dress for you is. You don't even have to try it on." She was elated. As soon as I saw it I laughed. It was perfect. It was blood red, sort of ironic, considering my partner. It could go strapless, or with a jacket. Considering my sling, we chose strapless. It was simple, not overdone, yet it flowed beautifully.
Edward picked me up, just in time for the prom. He was amazed by how I looked, he couldn't stop staring the entire way there. The dance hall, seemed oddly familiar and flickers of fear sparkled through me.
"How about this?" Edward got out, pulling me out next. We then began to dance right there.
"We can dance here the entire night." He smiled. I shook my head, kissing him, thanking him for his offer. I, slowly, made my way to the door. Edward held it open and I walked in. Jasper immediately calmed me and Alice started dancing with me. Within an hour I was perfectly fine, dancing and having a night of complete fun, with Edward and his family. He whisked me outside before the end of the night, dancing while humming my lullaby.
He and I were meant to be together. I knew that and so did he. I had managed to heal completely, and all it took was a dozen near-death experiences, three hospitalizations, a family of vampires and a psychopath. Edward laughed outright when I told him this. For now we were content, dancing in the twilight.
Every night, that summer he played me to sleep and I lay in his arms until the morning. Most weekends I spent at the Cullen house. Ali and Pete became more like a mother and father to me than they knew. I drew my sketchbook out, and Edward had to buy me another one. I tried to avoid drawing him, I got much too carried away when I did. I danced frequently, I sung, I had fun. Ali and I spent some quality girl time together.
I healed and grew, I loved and fell in love, I was happy again, and then some.
The End
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this story. Thank you all for the reviews and your positive support. I won't usually update as fast as I did here, but most of the story was pre-written. I have a few more in the works, (nine actually) but I do also have a ton of schoolwork to complete. Be patient with me!
The one and only,
BritCat