girl

Six thirty.

The stairwell narrows and warps in and out of focus in my panic. Trembling hands latch onto the banister as clumsy feet carry me down the steps.

I make it halfway down before I turn back again, stumbling in my haste to return to the second story. At the top, my feet halt on the landing. Frantic eyes sweep down the hall – searching for an escape, for a safe haven. My stomach drops and constricts when I realize that one does not exist. Not here. Not in this home, under this roof, amongst these people.

My anxiety has me alert. Senses heightened, I detect the scent of dinner as it wafts up the stairs. It should beckon to me, as my stomach feels like a gaping maw gnawing its way through my torso. It doesn't. Instead, my stomach rolls with unease.

"Isabella?" Mrs. Cope calls up the stairs, voice warming my insides and curling around my shoulders in a maternal hug. "Dinner is ready, hon."

A deep, shuddering sigh is expelled from my lungs before I turn back and make my descent. My steps are steadier this time with the promise of Mrs. Cope's protection. And when I reach the first-floor landing and spot the lone plate set on the tabletop, tension immediately drains from my body.

"Where is everyone?" I ask Mrs. Cope as I slide into my seat at the dining room table. Her face creases in a sad smile as she hands me a glass of water.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dwyer took the twins out to dinner. Riley is at a friend's house." Relief, utter relief blooms in my chest. "It's just us girls tonight, sweetheart." Mrs. Cope's eyes crease in an indulgent smile.

"Good," I tell her, feeling better, lighter at this discovery. I feel so good that I pull the plate of homemade Ravioli toward me with flourish. "And you made my favorite!"

"Mine, too." She grins, producing her own plate and plopping it down on the table next to mine. "Thank god," she sighs, tucking into her meal. "Finally, a moment to relax."

Body sagging in respite, I mirror her and bring a forkful of food to my lips. I hardly even taste the richness of the meal as I shovel in more and more and more. Relief is three cheese ravioli. Relief is Mrs. Cope dinners. Relief is the first meal I've been able to stomach in days.

-prey-

Tuesday morning. Sophomore year day two.

I wake with a smile, stretching my limbs lazily as my eyes flutter open. If this were a Disney movie, birds would be chirping, the sun would be streaming in through the open window, and I would break into spontaneous song. Instead, I roll haphazardly out of bed on sleep-happy legs and stagger into the bathroom for a quick shower. Thirty minutes later, I'm dressed, ready, and even wearing a bit of light make up as I skip down the stairs.

"Took you long enough." Riley grumbles, tossing me the sack lunch Mrs. Cope always makes us before ducking outside. His mood is a rain cloud over my bright, sunshine-y day. Luckily, my amazing dinner and restful sleep has afforded me with a proverbial umbrella of sorts.

"Well, good morning to you, too." I murmur sarcastically as I follow him outside. He's always like this in the morning. He projects this easy-going, devil-may-care personality in public, but inside he's a real Type A control freak. Especially when it comes to getting to places on time.

Smirking at my musings, I step out onto the front porch and visibly recoil at the sight that greets me. Standing beside my brother's car is the last person I had expected to see. Wild hair and cheekbones and eyes that are perceptive to a fault.

With a gust of hurricane-force winds, my little umbrella flips inside out. His presence alone is enough to destroy my safety and expose me to the painful onslaught of the torrential downpour that constantly looms overhead.

Edward.

Hi everyone! I'm so, so sorry about the wait for this chapter. RL is kicking my ass as it is beginning to get into that "testing crunch time." Unfortunately, that means updates will be sporadic until my schedule becomes more regular.

Annoying situations aside, what do we think? Bella finally catches a break, but then Edward happens. Looks like we're going to get some ExB interaction next chapter. Are we excited? Nervous? Frustrated because you're 21 chapters deep and there STILL isn't ExB lemons. Yeah, sorry, this one's a slow, slow, slooooooowww burn.

You love me (;

xo j