Luminescence

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, only Stephanie M. has that privilege. So please don't sue me, because I'm making absolutely no money from this.

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Chapter 14

Bella

Standing in the airport, watching the rain pour down in dreary Forks really drove home how different my life was going to be from this point on. No more sunny days, no more panoramic sunsets, dramatic lightning storms, and wide open skies.

Nope.

It was clouds, snow, and icy rain from here on out. I groaned as I pulled my hoodie up over my face, as if hiding would somehow make the whole thing a really bad dream. Why didn't I fight Renee on this? I knew the danger was over, why couldn't I have invented an excuse not to live in tiny Forks?

Well, it wasn't really that bad. I'd get to see Jacob again; and I hadn't connected with Charlie in ages. Still, we couldn't have done that in Phoenix? I felt like I'd probably go crazy in such a small town, with all the tree's keeping me hemmed in. Not that I wasn't equally trapped in Phoenix, I realized ironically, there were just less nosy people to notice my peculiarities in a big city. I got the feeling Forks was a town where everyone knew everybody, private lives included.

As I waited for Charlie to come pick me up, I thought back to the night of my birthday, a light flush staining my cheeks as I did. What did it mean? I'd enjoyed the kiss without a doubt, but I hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Scar since 'the incident', and I wasn't sure what it meant to our relationship. Were we friends who occasionally kissed? Did Victoria just want to get 'physical'? Or was our passionate clash of lips a desire for something more…lasting?

The truth was, I didn't know, and it was driving me crazy.

How was I supposed to focus on my life altering move, and the drastic changes about to take place, when I was constantly thinking about a particular fiery red-head?

Ugh! She did this on purpose! I know it! Stupid manipulative vampire, always sticking her nose in things.

Yet…

If she were here, I'd probably be the happiest girl on earth. Right until I realized I didn't know how to act around her anymore. Now the simplest things were complicated. When I see her next, how should I greet her? With a hug? Or dare I think; a kiss? Even imagining embracing the gorgeous and graceful Victoria with a kiss was enough to cause my whole face to turn scarlet. I'm sure if she saw me now, she'd make an appropriate joke about stealing her nickname.

Unfortunately, I was so caught up in my thoughts; I hadn't notice Charlie's approach. I'm sure he was watching my cycling facial expressions with amusement and more than a little bewilderment. He coughed, snapping me out of my funk as I whipped my head up to look at him.

"D-Dad," I stammered, completely off guard. "When did you get here?" He chuckled, slipping his hands into his pockets as he appraised me.

"I've been here for a while Bella."

"O-oh. Well, it's good to see you Dad." Dropping my bag, I turned to wrap him in a hug. Charlie was never a touchy feely guy, and I knew that my show of affection would fluster him enough to keep him from questioning my earlier behavior. Was it wrong of me to take advantage of my father in such a way? Perhaps, but I wasn't quite ready to explain why I was blushing and grinning like a fool in the middle of the airport.

At first he tensed, but when I didn't let go, he slowly seemed to relax before returning the embrace.

"It's good to see you Bells." His voice was filled with such warm sincerity, I felt my eyes water with regret. I should have visited him more. Charlie was all alone and had been since Mom left. In all senses of the word, he really was a 'Swan'. He mated for life. Considering how alike the two of us were, I wasn't sure it boded well for my own future.

"How you doing Dad? Still keeping the misbehaving citizens of Forks in line?" The smile he gave me was small, but easy. I'm glad I'd broken the ice before we entered an awkward silence.

"Everything's fine Bella. Same ol same ol. Us small town folk are too boring to get into any real trouble." Before I could protest, he scooped my bag off the floor and slung it over his shoulder. "Come on, I already got your luggage in the car. We should leave before it starts to hail." I choked and almost tripped as I followed behind him.

"Hail?" Charlie just laughed and walked off, leaving me to trail in his wake.

The ride home was quiet, but not uncomfortable. I spent the majority of the time gazing out the cruiser window, reacquainting myself with Washington. The vast majority of which seemed to be trees and gray skies.

Pulling up into the worn dirt path I could remember as a child, he parked in front of the house before opening the door for me.

"Well, aren't you a gentleman." I teased, laughing as I watched his face flush. Now I knew where my bashfulness came from. I could see why Victoria would have so much fun pushing my buttons.

Mumbling something unintelligible, Charlie grabbed my suitcases and showed me to my old bedroom. It was just as I remembered it. Baby blue walls, warm mahogany flooring, and laced curtains around a window just big enough to slip through. Not that it was a serious consideration, what with being on the second floor and all. The only alterations were the large bed he'd substituted in, and an desk complete with computer in the corner. There were several boxes stacked near the door and I shot a questioning glance at Charlie. Noticing my gaze, he opened one of them, revealing several items from my bedroom in Phoenix.

"Renee sent over most of your stuff ahead of time. They're mostly books and pictures, although your mother also sent your sketch pads and various other knick knacks." He muttered, looking embarrassed. It took me a moment to realize that Renee must have put my feminine products in with all the other stuff. I felt my cheeks heat at the thought. "A-alright, well, I'll let you get settled." With that, he trudged downstairs to let me get comfortable in the room I'd probably be staying in for at least a year or two.

Opening the boxes, I began pinning and hanging the pictures and drawings that had adorned the walls of my other bedroom onto the bare panels of my new living space. When I finished, I stood in the center of my bed, gazing at the composition of my new room.

It seemed off.

Something was missing, and I had no idea what. Slowly, I took in the pictures of my mother and I; of grandma and the ranch. I absorbed the look on a younger Jacob's face, the awkward pride of my father in his police uniform. I even had a picture of Phil in his baseball jersey, posing with a bat slung across his shoulders. Still, something was missing. I felt uneasy looking at it, like that feeling you get when you've forgotten something but you can't remember what.

Gradually, the answer came to me, and I hesitantly pulled out my sketchbook. I could not deny my impulse. Haltingly I drew; first the eyes, half lidded and lazy, hiding a fierce and knowing gaze. Than the nose, gentle elegant lines that led me to trace the full and playful curve of her lips. Lips that I could clearly recall covering my own, insistent and hungry, filled with an intense longing I could do nothing but respond to in kind. I felt my pencil tremble slightly as my fingers rose to touch my mouth, lost in remembered sensations. Shaking myself free of my daze, I outlined the planes of her face, taking painstaking detail in the way her hair curved and fell. Shading, erasing, and clarifying lines over the course of an hour. Eventually, I was left with a duplicate of a languid Victoria, hand cupping her face with an expression of indulgence as she gazed outward. Lips turned in a half smile.

For a long moment I simply gazed at my creation.

Then, with infinite care, I tacked my new drawing up with the others and breathed a sigh of relief. Now it was complete.

"Wow, she's a looker aint she?" I jumped, startled, at the sound of Charlies voice coming from the doorway. His eyes were taking in the changes I'd made to my new room. They even lightened when he saw the pictures of him I had scattered on my wall, as if he was pleasantly surprised to see them there. However, his eyes lingered on Victoria. Not in a creepy way, but as if he was simply admiring my technique in rendering her likeness. I smiled and nodded my head in agreement.

"If you think she's pretty now, you should wait till you meet her in person." Charlie's eyebrows rose at my statement, but he nodded and took my word at face value.

"Why don't you come on out Bells? I got a surprise for you." Instantly I was filled with curiosity and a vague trepidation.

"It's nothing bad is it?" I asked wearily. He just smiled.

"I promise it's not horrible."

"Well alright, but just because you asked so nicely." I cheekily replied, suddenly in a good mood.

Leading me outside, I came face to face with Billy and Jacob Black. They were both leaning against an ancient rust red truck. Jacob was grinning widely, his long black hair falling into his face.

"Jacob!" I cried, before throwing myself into the arms of my best friend. He laughed and swung me around a few times before setting me back on the ground. "Whoa, you got big while I was gone!" I gave him a chastising look. "You haven't been taking steroids have you?" His face wrinkled in amused outrage.

"What? I'll have you know, this is all prime genetics Bella. You can't look this good by taking steroids." With that he puffed up his chest and flexed his arms comically, causing me to burst into a fit of giggles.

"Rigght," I drawled, playing along before I turned to Billy. "Billy! Dad was right, this is a wonderful surprise." I said as I hugged him as well as I could from his position in the wheelchair. "I wish he'd let me know you guys were coming though. I could have prepared some food." Billy and Jacob exchanged knowing gazes with my father before breaking out into grins.

"Bella," Charlie began, "As much as I'm glad to see you remember the Black's, they aren't the surprise." Dad looked like he was trying hard not to laugh. Shooting all three of them a look of confusion, I sought to clarify.

"So, what is then?" They all turned to look at the truck. At first I didn't understand, but when Charlie handed me a title for one 1953 Chevrolet Pickup, I got the picture. My jaw dropped in astonishment as I took in my new car. I guess I took a little long in my reaction, because Charlie was starting to look a little nervous.

"So, do you like it?" He asked, as if his worth as a father was dependent on my opinion of the truck.

"Are you kidding?" I exclaimed, "I love it! Thanks so much. This is possibly the best gift ever." Blushing in embarrassment, Charlie rubbed the back of his head and awkwardly patted my shoulder.

"Good. I'm glad you like it. You'll be driving it to school tomorrow. Now let's eat. Billy brought over his famous fish fry, and I'm starving."

Dinner was laid back and relaxed, but it got interesting when Jacob noticed that it was eight o'clock and I wasn't doing my human glow stick impersonation.

"Bella…" He said, his eyes the size of saucers as he looked at my skin. "You aren't glowing." Suddenly the room was silent as Billy and Charlie both caught onto the obvious.

"Nope." I responded, smiling widely.

"How?" Charlie asked as he gaped.

"Victoria, a friend of mine, discovered that I glow because my body is producing more bio-electricity then my body can store. This is why I 'emit' energy through my skin in the form of light. She created a device for me to safely get rid of the extra energy, which makes me stop glowing. It kinda looks like an upside down umbrella without a canvas. When you bury the ribs in the ground, it allows the energy to travel through my hands, down the pole, and finally into the earth where it gets harmlessly dispersed. Unfortunately, I have to do this for an hour every day, otherwise I start acting like a nightlight again." All three men stared at me in simple astonishment before Jacob gained an excited gleam in his eyes.

"Cool! Does this mean you're a superhero now?" I rolled my eyes. Of course Jacob of all people would react like that.

"No, it's not like I've suddenly gained super strength or something. I'm still just normal everyday Bella. Who glows. Which reminds me, Dad, we need to set one up in the back yard. I prefer not to hide indoors when I don't have to." Charlie blinked, as if waking up, before he set down his fork.

"That should be alright, I think I saw something like that in one of the boxes your mother FedExed to the house. I'll set it up before I go to work in the morning. Do you, ugh, need to use it tomorrow or will you be ok for school?"

"I'll be fine." I commented, taking everyone's plates to the kitchen.

By the time I finished washing the dishes; Jacob and Billy were leaving for one of their ceremonial bonfires. Charlie had to drive them, because they drove the Chevy here. Not long after, I went to bed and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

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Harsh beeping filled my awareness and I slapped my hand on my alarms snooze button. There was a strange popping sound when I touched the plastic, blearily, I opened my eyes and noticed that my bare hand was in contact with my alarm. Yelping in surprise, I fell out of bed with a muffled 'thump'.

When I calmed down enough to realize I hadn't burnt myself, I examined the clock. There were no visible scorch marks, but it was made painfully clear that I'd fried yet another piece of technology.

Too tired to deal with having to explain to Charlie why I'd need a new alarm clock, I trudged to the bathroom for a shower. I noticed that I was all out of the shampoo Scar had given me, and I made a note to pick up a fresh bottle after school. I figured the chances of running into a vampire in Forks of all places were slim to none, so I wasn't concerned. From what Victoria had told me, vampires preferred big cities because people rarely noticed if their neighbors went missing. The same could not be said for small towns.

Since I still had the ability to fry electronics by close proximity, I donned my gloves and prayed that Forks high school was nothing like the one I'd attended in Phoenix. I had one thing to my advantage, I didn't have to glow if I didn't want to now, but I still had to wear gloves, and electronics remained my mortal enemy.

Walking out to my monster of a truck, I hopped into the cab and started the engine. It roared to life, and I felt confident that in any head on collision, my baby would pull out on top. The roads were muddy, but it was still September so I didn't have to worry about ice yet. Considering how old my truck was, I decided to play it safe and keep it below fifty. I didn't want to break my ride when I just got it.

Pulling into the school parking lot, I slung my bag onto my back and pulled my jacket closed against the light drizzle of rain. Five minutes in and I was already dreading living here. After retrieving my schedule from the receptionist, I took a good hard look at my map, trying to get my bearings. When I passed under the light in the hall they flickered slightly, but nowhere near as much as they used to. My only explanation for the phenomenon was that, without all my stored energy, I didn't have as much 'bang for my buck'. If I was right, it was probably why I didn't burn myself when I touched the alarm clock this morning.

Eventually I made it to English, where I met an overly friendly boy by the name of Eric. He had greasy black hair and gangly limbs, but he was nice enough so I let him walk me to Government. I paid close attention in all my classes, despite the fact that I'd already done the majority of the coursework in Phoenix. I had no social life there, so I focused on my academics instead. By the time I got to lunch, I'd attracted a plethora of people all interested in 'the new girl'. Thankfully, I was used to being stared at, so I paid no mind to the gawking. I didn't want to even imagine what my first day would have been like otherwise.

The talkative girl from my Spanish and Trigonometry classes, (I think her name was Jessica, but I wasn't sure because I couldn't get a word in edgewise) introduced me to her friends. Only two of which really stood out to me. Angela, because she was the only one I actually liked, and Mike, because he flirted shamelessly.

About the time I started to miss my social obscurity, five unnaturally beautiful people swept into the room before settling at a table in the farthest corner of the cafeteria.

The first one was a tall, impossibly gorgeous blond with classical patrician features. No doubt every magazine in the world would pay millions for a chance to capture a face like that. Trailing after the blond was a huge man, heavily muscled, with short dark hair and an impish grin. Everything about him screamed 'prankster', yet despite his size, he seemed open and approachable.

The next one I noticed was a lanky blond of medium build. He was muscled, but not overly so, and carried himself with the grace and discipline I'd only seen in soldiers. His expression was contorted into what I first thought was pain, but then later realized was an intense expression of restraint. What he was restraining himself from doing was beyond me, and didn't matter much when I saw the pixie that floated by his side. She was tiny, with spiked black hair that was the picture of controlled chaos. The way she moved was airy and beautiful, like she was dancing across the floor instead of trudging like the rest of us. Like the big man, her expression held a hint of mischief, but it was a harmless sort. As if she knew a secret nobody else could guess. I smiled a little, charmed, before moving my attention to the last one in the group.

Undoubtedly, he was the most beautiful male of all, with tousled bronze colored hair and sharp defined features. However, the morose and slightly broody expression he wore tarnished the effect somewhat. Although, considering how many swooning looks he was getting, I guess it added to the mystery for some.

Every last one of them had alabaster skin, and moved with an instinctual finesse that was almost uncanny. They were all so different, yet the same. I wasn't sure what to make of it. In fact, they reminded me a little of….

I froze.

My heart stuttered in my chest before picking up again tenfold as a wash of icy fear shot through my veins. 'Oh god, Oh god,' I breathed deeply trying not to panic and alert the five probably hungry vampire's to my presence. I was sure that the blood had drained from my face, and it took a visible effort to keep from hyperventilating.

'Alright Bella,' I told myself, 'Calm down. Deep breathes. You're in the middle of the cafeteria. You're safe for now. Just don't attract their attention. Make an excuse to the others, slowly get up and serenely leave the building.'

Conjuring my best sickly expression, which wasn't too hard considering my panic, I looked at Jessica and gave her a small smile.

"Hey guys, I'm not feeling so well, I think I'm going to go see the nurse. Don't eat the lasagna ok? I think there's something wrong with it." A few of them expressed concern, but after several rejected offers of assistance, they let me leave unmolested. Just before exiting the cafeteria, I risked one more glace at 'their' table.

Two of the males were focused right on me. The blond with an expression of bewildered concern, the bronze haired boy on the other hand appeared puzzled but sharply alert. His golden eyes watched me hawkishly, and I fought the urge to shudder as I made a hasty exit.

Once I was certain I was far enough away, I broke into a run, skidding to a stop only when I reached my car. Yanking open the door, I thrust my keys into the ignition and pealed out of the parking lot toward home. I'd be foolish to remain in school without even a scent eliminator, and if I had a class with one of them? Not even that would save me from becoming vampire chow.

Once I'd reached the relative safety of my home, I really started to freak. There were vampires in Forks. Plural. Not one, but five. The chance that one day I'd mysteriously disappear where climbing by the second, but the worst part of all this?

I couldn't protect Charlie.

My poor father would be heartbroken. He'd never give up, and it seemed likely that he might suffer a similar fate. I had only one choice, and I wasn't about to hesitate.

Pulling my new phone from the pocket of my jeans, I scrolled down to the entry marked 'Scarlet' and pressed the connect button.

"Hey Firefly," As soon as I heard Victoria's distinct voice, most of my tension melted away. "Miss me already? I thought for sure it'd take you at least a week to work up the courage to call me." Her teasing tone was doing wonders for my nerves, but I had a reason for calling and delaying would only invite disaster.

"Scar," I started weakly, emotionally drained now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Victoria must have read something in my voice because suddenly she was all business.

"What's wrong Bella? Are you hurt? Do you need help? Tell me what you need."

"There are five of them here Scar, they were right there, in my school cafeteria."

"Five what? What happened?" I wanted to directly say it, but I couldn't be sure that I was alone right now. As far as I knew, they were all standing outside listening in on this conversation.

"I think they were friends of yours." I said, stressing friends, hoping she would get the message. There was a long silence on the other end.

"Where are you?" The question was short and clipped, a sure sign of distress.

"I'm at home."

"Did they notice you? Are you wearing the shampoo I gave you?" There was a desperate sort of urgency in Scar's voice I'd never heard before, and the fact that she seemed to care for my welfare touched me deeply.

"I ran out this morning, and I might have attracted their attention. Maybe. Two of them were staring at me when I left. I-I'm not sure." I stammered the last part.

"Alright, I want you to go to the nearest hunt shop and buy more shampoo. Leave your house immediately. You're vulnerable while you're alone. It's too easy to go missing from there. Once you've made your purchases, I want you to stay in a crowded public area until your father gets off of work. They're less likely to kidnap you in front of witnesses. You mentioned he was chief of police right?"

"Y-yes."

"Good, we're always trying to avoid the law. If they know you're the daughter of the chief, they might hesitate to attack. I'm coming right now. Ok?"

"Alright." I whispered, more than a little reluctant to hang up the phone.

"Stay safe for me." Her softly spoken plea made my eyes water, and I sniffed, trying not to break down in my living room.

"See you soon Scar."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye" I repeated, too late as the dial tone blared in my ear. Sitting listlessly on the couch, I hoped this wouldn't be the last I'd hear from my scarlet vampire.

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A/N: Whew. That took a while to type out. Several times I got stuck, and it was like wading through mud to finish the thing. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to write me reviews and I'll do my best to answer all of them now that this chapter is complete. I know a lot of you would like me to update faster, but truth be told, I only have Monday and Tuesday to do any real writing, and sometimes I like to spend my time on other pursuits.

However, I'll always try my hardest to update at least once a week.

At any rate, I hope you guys liked this chapter, although there wasn't a lot of Bella/Victoria interactions.

Also, I will probably make the next chapter in Edward's pov, although I promise I DO NOT plan on making that a habit. It's just, what happens next is much more interesting to see from his perspective.

Drop me a comment, tell me what you think.