Hi, my lovely readers.
First, before I forget, most of the acting ideas in this story don't belong to me. You see, I have an Asian friend (who asked to remain anonymous), and she reads these Japanese comic books. I can't quite remember the official name of these comics (they're in Japanese). But I would just like to disclaim that these ideas don't belong to me. So don't sue me.
With that out of the way, I'd like to thank all those who has voted for me for the Twilight Awards. Although I didn't win, I care not much for it. What warms my heart, however, was that you think that I should be nominated, while there are so many better stories out there. I'd like to thank those who have support me, and this includes you, Sweet Pea. Goo, thank you so much for voting for me. I love you all. And I hope that I won't disappoint.
Last chapter, I said in my Author Note that I posted a sneak peak on twilighted(dot)net. But because of too much confusion, I have posted it on my profile. Those who haven't read it are welcome too. I encourage you, however, to visit twilighted dot net. The ladies there are hilarious, and you can find good stories there. Also because I will be posting more teasers there. In fact, I have posted another one there.
This chapter will be the last in a long time, because school is about to start and I will have lots of stuff to do.
But don't let that dampen our moods. Enjoy.
xoxo,
Stormy Bella.
Chapter 21- The vampire's forbidden love.
"So, Bella, of course you know all of us are going to be a group." Alice said over the phone as Bella re-heated the lasagna from yesterday. It was after school, and they were talking about the big project.
"I mean, it's perfect. There are six of us, and we know each other enough so it'd be much easier to divide the jobs." Alice continued.
"Uh-huh." Bella said as she shoved the lasagna down her mouth.
"Okay, so my plan is that we meet up at my house. We'll discuss what play we want to do, and how we're going to do it. Sounds alright?" Alice chirped. She wasted no time to show everybody how much she loved this project. Alice was the kind of person that plans parties, hosts shows and organizes an event. Of course she'd be excited about this.
"Okay. Just give me a minute to finish my dinner, okay?" Bella said, chugging down the milk.
"I expect you to be on my porch in 30 minutes, do you hear?" Alice ordered.
"Copy that, General." Bella mocked.
"Hmm, General. I like that." Alice said, obviously delighted with her new nickname, and hung up.
Bella wolfed down the remainder of her meal hurriedly. Then, after washing the dishes and refreshing herself, she set out for Alice's house.
The gang was already settled in Alice's living room when Bella arrived. Alice was about to jump up and down in excitement, calmed only by Jasper.
"Oh, Bella, we totally have to start like right now. Or else there won't be enough time." Alice chattered after hugging Bella.
"Calm down Ali. He just gave out the assignment today. We have months before it's due." Jasper said, pulling Alice down to the couch.
"Hey Jasper, is she like that during sex too? Because that would totally blow." Emmett teased. "Haha, 'blow'. Does Alice blow, Jasper?" Alice's face turned red as Jasper hissed out a strand of colorful profanity to Emmett.
"Okay, okay, let's calm down people, before we kill each other." Rosalie said. Bella sat down on the sofa next to Jacob.
"Okay, first, let's just decide which play we are going to do." Alice commenced, taking control of the situation.
"Well, I don't think we should do Romeo and Juliet. A lot of people are going to do that play, and I don't want to lose our originality." Rosalie voiced her opinion.
"I agree. If anything, we should do a different play. Something less well-known. Something that nobody else would pick." Jasper concurred.
"I know! How about Men in Black?" Emmett asked, excited.
"Emmett! What is with you and Men in Black? We're most definitely won't do that." Rosalie yelled. She was unnerved, Bella could tell. To her, this would definitely be the most important thing ever. She, like Bella, wanted to be an actress. And this was their chance.
"How about Pride and Prejudice?" Bella asked, naming her favorite book of all time.
"No, I have the feeling someone will choose it. Besides, there are too many characters." Alice disagreed.
They sat there, not knowing which play to choose, and not coming up with any choice.
Then, Alice suddenly jumped up, and shrieked, startled everybody.
"Good God, Alice, do you want to give us all heart attacks." Rose said, clutching her chest.
"No, no. Listen you guys, I have a great idea as to which play we're going to do." Alice smiled brightly.
She paused for dramatic effect.
"We would write a play of our own. That way, nobody could copy it." Alice finally revealed.
They looked at one another. Bella was the first to raise her voice.
"Uh, Alice? Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea." Bella said.
Alice frowned. "Why not?"
"Well, we don't have any script, for one." Jasper added.
"That's easy." Alice was bubbly again. "Bella can come up with the story, she reads a lot. Surely she must have stories in her head or something. And once we got the whole plot of the story, Jasper can write the script. Isn't his major Screen Writing?" Alice answered.
Jasper nodded, but still somewhat reluctant.
"Look, you guys, this is the best. Jasper is brilliant. He can come up with a script in like, an hour. And I could make all of the costume, if we need the costumes. We could buy the props, and Emmett could help us with all the lighting and everything. Isn't he the technical guy?" Alice said excitedly. Bella must admit that it wasn't a bad plan. Not bad at all.
"But Alice, the job paper is due next Tuesday. We can't come up with a script by next Tuesday. And we need to know how many characters are going to be in the script so that we could divide the role." Bella reasoned.
Alice thought about this for a moment before coming up with an answer. Honestly, the pixie has an answer for everything. "Well, we'll risk it and just come up with the story. Bella, a week is enough for you to think of a story, isn't it? Well then, as long as we know the story, we'll divide the jobs. And then we'll think of the script later."
"Alright, alright. This still doesn't work very well for me." Rose gave up, but still somewhat skeptical.
"How about this, we keep going as this is, and if anything happens, we'll think of something else, okay?" Jasper, sensing the tension the room, soothingly said.
"I agree." Emmett smiled.
"Okay, so let's move on to the next thing on the list." Alice started once again. "So Bella will come up with the story." She scribbled that down. "Jasper will write the script, and I will handle the costumes, seeing how I major in Costume Design. Okay, so who will be responsible for the props?"
"I'll do it." Emmett volunteered. "I know some guys in my other classes. They'd be a real help. Besides, I have a class on that, and my major is pretty close to that."
"Alright." Alice said, scribbling that down. She was really made to be a planner. "So, Emmett's handling the props. Jasper is writing the script. How about lighting and tech stuff?"
"That's my job right there." Rosalie said eagerly. Of course, anything that involves technology is in Rose's domain.
"Jacob, obviously, will be the Director. Rose and I will handle hair and make-up." Alice said brightly. "I could bribe some of the guys in Fashion History to help us around the stage, of course."
Emmett snickered.
"What?" Alice asked.
"There are guys in Fashion History?" Emmett laughed. "That's like two of the most girly subject combined. What pantsy."
"Hey! I'm in history. And believe me when I say that the Civil War is absolutely not girly." Jasper protested, obviously offended by Emmett's comment.
"Sexist pigs." Alice muttered under her breath as Jacob shook with suppressed laughter.
"Alright, moving on."
"So, let's summarize. Bella will come up with the story, Jasper will write the script and Jacob will direct. Emmett will handle the props, I'll make the costumes, and Rosalie will take care of the tech. Of course we'd all act in the production. Of course either Rose or Bella will star or both of you will, since you two major in Acting. And I think that's pretty much it for now." She concluded.
"Now, let's go over the schedule for this semester. We have five months, give or take, until this is due. All the papers will be due on the day will perform, and so I think that it'd be wise to practice and prepare relentlessly. This could be a big break for us, especially Bella and Rose, if we win. So we must win. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we will meet at my house after school so we can practice. The backyard could be a very good practice place. I think my dad also owns several theater, so we can borrow if need be. Monday and Wednesday you are free to do whatever, but I suggest you think about what you will write on your paper. And we can practice in class too. And we have the advantages of knowing Edward as a friend. He might help us."
"Geez Alice, calm down. This is Acting class, not the military." Emmett whistled.
"It might as well be!" Alice growled. "Now, since the paper on the jobs is due next Tuesday, Bella, you have today and tomorrow to think of the plot. Jasper will have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to write the script. On Saturday and Sunday and maybe even next Monday we will audition for the parts. Monday night, I'll finish the job paper and we'll be set. Is there any question?" Alice asked, her face a complete mask of seriousness.
"No, General." Emmett saluted mockingly. Alice scolded.
"Well, you won't laugh at me when we win first place and get those auditions." Alice snapped back. Bella could see that this project may make or break their friendship. Honestly she hoped it wasn't the latter. "Okay, you may go home now. Rose and I will enjoy ourselves at a spa. Bella, you want to come with us?" Alice asked.
"Um, no thank you." Bella refused politely. She needed to go home and practice Helen Keller.
"It's your choice. Just remember to think about the play." Alice reminded.
"Alright, I'll remember my job. You go and have fun." Bella smiled.
It took her no time at all to get home. She thought about Alice as she drove. Strangely enough, it was Alice that came to her mind. Beautiful, warm, caring, loving, seriously over-the-top Alice. Why she thought about Alice, she didn't know. But she thought about the words that Alice has given her when they got their gowns designed. How Alice didn't judge her, didn't scold her. She thought about how Alice accepted what she said, and still love her for it. She thought about how Alice supported her. And how she needed Alice.
Then she realized that they all needed Alice. Needed Alice to arranged parties and make plans. Needed Alice to host sleep-over and engage in girl talk. Needed Alice to be bouncy and radiant and vibrant. Needed Alice's shoulders and her wise words.
It was strange and sudden, thinking about Alice like that. But today, when she saw Alice making schedules and giving ideas, she realized that they don't thank Alice enough. Sometimes, the pixie would be pushy and bossy, that they would whine about it. And sometimes, the things Alice did for them were so vital it became unnoticeable, and they forgot about it. But Alice held the group together. With her love, Alice was the glue that attached Bella and Jasper and Emmett and Rose and Jacob together.
And she couldn't remember the days before she met Alice. And the thought made her smile.
She was so swept up in all this whirlwind, she forgot the lovable tiny pixie behind her, still supporting her.
What would any of them do without Alice?
She went home with this new thought. It erased her worries and troubles for a time. She cooked dinner-spaghetti and sauce- and thought about the project. Her job was to come up with the story, the plot. Of course it would be about a forbidden love story. Just like Romeo and Juliet. A love story between two people who couldn't be with each other.
She finished dinner. Now it was time for practicing Helen Keller. She must understand how Helen feels, must know what Helen thinks.
Bella pretended to be blind, just like she did in class. She whirled her arms around, searching. She acted like that, feeling her way around the house. Seeing with her hands. But then she walked past the mirror. One look in it, and it told her everything. No, she wasn't Helen. On her face was still the look of recognition. She was just an actress, just pretending. She was not living it.
Bella was frustrated. She was angry. How could Tanya make it look so simple and so easy? Why was it that Bella struggled? She hated it, hated feeling inferior to Tanya. If Tanya could do it, why couldn't she? What did Tanya have that she didn't? What made Tanya better?
If I have to be deaf, blind and mute for this role, so be it. Bella thought angrily. She would not lose to Tanya. She stomped around, searching for the first-aid kit. Once she found it, in the bathroom, she stuffed the cotton into her ears. She then used the bandages to bind it around her head, squeezing her eyes shut, and blocking all the noise from her ears. After she was done, Bella was truly blind and deaf.
It was now that Bella truly felt loneliness. Even though she was still free to move, Bella was isolated to the world. She didn't know what happened, where she was, or where everybody else was. In this darkness, Bella was left to herself. For the first time in her life, she felt fear gripping her. She has no control over herself, or anything else. She was alone. Was this how Helen felt all the time? Was Helen a stranger to the world also? Was she scared too? Alone, isolated, forgotten?
Bella's hands were now her eyes. She flung her arms out, hoping to feel something. A wall? She used her hands to feel as she walked around. Her hands were her eyes now. Did Helen feel the same way? A sharp corner. Was it the bathroom counter? Or the shelf? Solid, cool texture. Was it the wall? She used the wall as an anchor point, and went from there. A round object. It fit her hand. Could it be a doorknob? She turned, and pulled it. Yup, a doorknob. She felt her way out. She must be in the hallway now. If she face left, she'd see the stairs. If she face right, it'd be the-
I'm doing it wrong, she said to herself. Helen Keller didn't think. Helen just felt. Bella was doing it all wrong.
Blindingly, she used her hands to feel along the wall. Another door. Wall. Painting. Wall. Wall. More wall. Another door.
Bella opened that door. Hmm, was it Edward's room or hers? Table. Chair. She ventured in further. Big square thing. Could it be bookshelves? Or stereos? Her hands found small, flat plastic squares. CD cases? This is Edward's room.
She wanted to get out. But where was the door? Was it this way? No, this way. No, that way.
She couldn't find the door. Where was it? It was just there. Her hands frantically searched, yet succeeded not. Oh no. she whirled around, and knocked something down. What did I knock down? Oh god, what if Edward came in here. He would think her a stalker. She's poked around in his room, possibly destroyed it, no less. He'd be angry with her.
Well, at least I don't have to hear what he would say, she consoled herself. Or tried to anyway.
She sat down on the floor. There was nothing left to do. She locked herself in this situation, and now, she could really feel what Helen would have felt. Scared. Alone. Helpless.
And in that time, she thought about the project. A love story, of course. Forbidden. Two people who couldn't be together, thwarted by a conflict of some kind. What would the conflict be? Of course it'd be external conflict. A conflict between families? That's over-used. A conflict between social classes? No, that's too humanly, too ordinary. There's no such thing as social classes nowadays. Not relatable to audience. Something unreal, but still relatable. Still close. A natural conflict, perhaps? A difference between… between… something natural… between…
Species. A difference between species. Of course. The ultimate difference. One was human, and the other would be…
Mermaid? No, that's too unreal to relate to.
Werewolf? That could be considered. He would be a werewolf, and she would be a human. But what could be the hurdle between them? There's no problem, he could still be human on non-full moon nights. There's no conflict.
Vampire? Yes, of course! A vampire. He would be a vampire. A bloodthirsty vampire, prey on vulnerable human, Bella thought. And she would be the perfect prey-weak, helpless, defenseless. He likes to toy with his food. Her strong mind and fierce character provokes him, intrigues him. He lets her live, keeps her for company. He falls in love with her, but couldn't be with her because his lust for blood would still strong. He tortures himself. What a masochist he is. He keeps her close, yet is afraid to be close to her. She is confused by his reaction. She loves him, but helpless to make him see that he couldn't hurt her. He fights with his natural instinct, the instinct to devour her. She isn't afraid, and just tempted him more by her selfless offering. Her blood sings to him. He struggles, unwilling to be with her, yet unable to fight off his feelings.
Yes! A forbidden love story between a vampire and a human, struggling to fight natural instinct. The conflict would be the call of her blood to him. The resolution would be…
There must be a resolution, a way for him to resist her blood. A counter of the bloodlust would be the…
Sexual lust. Of course. The lust he has for her body would overwhelm the bloodlust in him. Sexual intercourse would be like feeding for him. Primal instinct, only in a difference sense.
Bella rejoiced in her story. A beautiful story, no less. Threads of ideas was spinning quickly in her head. A girl, moving to a different school. She knew no one, and felt strange and out of place. Then, at lunchtime, she happened to gaze upon a beautiful group of people. She soon found out that they are the Chases, a group of kids adopted by Doctor Chase and his wife. The weirdest thing about this group is that they were inhumanly beautiful, with impossibly white face and golden eyes. They looked so different, yet so familiar. And then, she has one class with one member of the group. His name would be… Edmund! Edmund Chase. And he showed such hatred to her, his eyes tightened and full of murderous intentions. She was startled and embarrassed. At the end of the day, she found out that he wanted to change class schedule. Change the class that he has with her, no less! She was surprised that this sudden enemy, and couldn't take her mind off him the rest of the week, when he didn't attend school. Bella smiled at her now blossoming story. He came back next week, and talked to her. He was caught in her thoughts and expressions, intrigued.
The next day, it snowed. As she parked at the school parking lot, a car spun out of control and was spiraling toward her. Edmund was far away, yet he was able to stop the car from squishing her. They went to the hospital, of course, and she formed her suspicion about the Chases. Especially when Edmund stopped talking to her. It was torture to Beth-yes, her name is Elizabeth or Beth for short-, of course, not hearing his velvety voice. He seemed to hate her even more. The Spring Dance was coming up, and lots people was asking her out. He felt the jealousy creeping up on him. And so he couldn't stop himself any longer, and ask her to be his friends. She agreed too gladly. He warned her about him being dangerous. She wasn't afraid, couldn't bring herself to be afraid. Her friends asked her to go the beach. At the beach, she was told of a legend about vampires. She shivered to think of how similar that story was to Edmund.
She then agreed to go shopping with her friends for the Spring Dance. As she wandered on the street, she was cornered by a group of rapists. He came just as things got bad. He took her to a restaurant, and the topic of him being a vampire got into the conversation. He confessed and told her that he was a vampire who fed blood. No, he couldn't drink human blood, Bella thought. That would be too inhuman. He would drink animal blood. Yes, animal blood. She accepted his nature with no fear at all. No fear, for she was in love with him. He took her on a date next Saturday. Yes, a date, and he confessed his love to her then. He told her that her blood sings to him, and how much more dangerous he is to her. They struggled to be with each other, of course. He couldn't touch her, couldn't kiss her, couldn't hold her in his arms. She suffered from longing for him. He suffered, knowing she suffered because of him. There must be a way to be together.
Then one day, he walked in on her taking a bath. She was beautiful, bare and uncovered in front of his eyes. There was no bloodlust in him. Just the lust of taking her body, of marking her as his. He couldn't control himself from taking her. And he found out that he was satisfied of the bloodlust also. Every time they bed, he felt no bloodlust. He figured out a way to solve their problems. They live happily ever after.
Should it a happily ever after? Or should be a tragic end?
Bella wanted it to be a happy ending. She didn't know why, but she believed the couple should have their happy end. She knew to enough about forbidden love, knew enough to know how much it hurt to be forbidden from the man you love. At least in the story, it was in her power to give them their happy ending.
Something she couldn't do with her own story.
Someone touched her shoulder. She jumped in respond. Normally, she would have shrieked in surprise. But this time, her mouth didn't move. Of course her mouth couldn't move. She was mute. She was finally Helen Keller.
Big, warm hands on her shoulders. She felt the face. Angular, sharp angles. Nose, eyes, long lashes, perfect lips. A man. Was it Jacob or Edward? She couldn't see the color of his hair. How she wish to see that beautiful, messy bronze head. Her fingers traced his face. Who was this?
He helped her up from the floor, and led her out of the room. She heard the door close. Walking, walking, her arm clung to his. He opened another door, led her to the bed, and sat her down. Was this her room? He sat next to her. What is he doing?
She found out soon enough. He enveloped her in his strong arms. Clutched her into his body like there was no tomorrow. Maybe there wasn't. Could this be Edward? But Edward would never do this. He would never go back to his words. She knew him well, well enough to know that he didn't have that kind of feeling for her. This person could only be Jacob. Would it be wrong of her to hope that it wasn't Jacob? His lips touched her forehead. His fingers cupped her face. His lips gently brushed her nose. He crushed her tighter against him, not wanting to let go. She didn't want to let go either. If this was Edward, then he wasn't kissing Bella Swan. When she could see again, and talk again, they could return to their normal façade. She could pretend to never have feelings for him. It didn't matter to her if this person wasn't Edward. She'd just pretend he was. Her Edward.
His lips touched her lips, and molded themselves against hers. Warm and perfect. Just a stolen moment together.
When she couldn't see and hear. When it was still dark. When nothing was forbidden.
Soo, how was that? Did you find some thing similar? If you do, review, and there might be a surprise.
And don't forget to visit twilighted dot net for my new sneak peak. Just go to the forum.
Until next time,
SB