Penname: Babette12
Creative Original or Derivative Fiction: Derivative
Rating/Warning(s): T
Notes: What if Bella had met Edward in Alaska?
Disclaimer: All copyrighted, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization.
Scenario: How do you feel? The drug is wearing off and soon you'll be able to remember…" These are the first words you hear as you awake from a drugged stupor with a sense of foreboding. You are tied to a chair with a bright, white light shining in your face. You blink, seeing spots in your vision, but after a moment your sight clears. What is the first thing you see? Write 1000 words.
The blanket of darkness began to fade away slowly, only to be replaced by pain. I could feel it as different parts of my body awoke and sent in signals to my semi-lucid brain. The fact that I was barely able to register them didn't lessen the severity, however. The signals were sharp, demanding and scary. I had no recollection of what had happened to me and my breathing began to pick up as the fear joined in with the pain to rouse me from my stupor.
"How do you feel? The drug is wearing off and soon you'll be able to remember what happened," a smooth voice informed me. I opened one eye carefully and shut it quickly. The blinding light had pierced through like a fiery lance. As my cognizance returned I was able to discern that I was in a hard chair, my arms bound to its, with an IV in the crook of my right elbow. There were pillow supporting me but also immobilizing me.
I pulled tentatively against the bonds on my arms only to feel a strong, yet gentle hand hold me in place. "You need to remain still. The narcotic effects of the drug should be wearing off now. Are you able to speak? Tell us your name? Do you remember what happened to you?"
I attempted to open my eyes again and squinted against the harsh light. "Sorry," I heard the melodic voice mumble as it was moved, the red glow darkening behind my eyelids, letting me know when it was safe to open them again. Very slowly I opened them a crack, not wanting to risk the possibility of another attack on that particular sense. The spots that remained like ghosts in my vision faded and I took in my surroundings. I appeared to be in a hunting cabin. I remembered hiking in the Alaskan wilderness. It was summer and Charlie had taken a couple weeks off to go fishing up here. I had elected to join him, not wanting to remain alone in either Forks or Jacksonville. While Charlie had remained with a pole dangling into the river while I threw rocks in upstream, a grizzly had come up behind me.
His distinctive roar spun me around and I was petrified, totally immobile as I took in the size of the beast standing on his hind legs looking ready to attack. From the corner of my eye I could see Charlie running for me, pulling his gun to shoot while distracting the bear's attention. The bear lunged away from me, going after my father who managed to get one shot off before I watched in horror as he was engulfed in the massive arms of the beast. The last words I heard from him were 'Run, Bella!' before his life was extinguished before my eyes.
As soon as he went limp the bear dropped him and turned on me. My brain finally caught up and sent me scurrying away. I ran as fast as I could, the only sound I could hear over my breathing was the grunts the animal made as he loped behind me. It was as if he was toying with me before he decided to take a swipe at me.
I reached an open, slanting field and started to try to sprint through the deep snow, my legs buried to the knee with each step. The grunts were right behind me now and I felt the swipe of a massive paw rip through my jacket, yanking me backwards but miraculously only scratching the surface of my skin, or so I thought.
That's when I heard the other sound. Apparently the field was steeper than I realized and a deep rumbling began beneath my feet. The bear stopped in his tracks, smarter than I was, for he knew what that sound meant. I kept going.
Suddenly the snow I was running on dropped out from beneath me, sending me tumbling with the avalanche of snow down the slope. My voice screamed my agony as I felt my left leg break, then my right arm as I was sent end over end. It felt as if I was twisted and turned forever, no knowledge of which way was up as the roar of the snow crashed around me, making my screams sound mute to my own ears in comparison.
Then it was silent.
I had come to a stop at a strange angle and could smell the blood dripping from my back, melting the snow as it dripped. I could see a sliver of daylight through one of the boulders of snow and knew that at least I wouldn't suffocate. That thought was little consolation, however, for I was badly injured, had no way to dig myself out and no idea of where I had ended up.
I drifted on the edge of consciousness, the pain mixing with the smell of my own blood to make me faint. Then I heard a voice, angelic and full of concern. The snow flew from around me and I looked into the face of an angel, his visage filled with the concern his voice carried, the hair bronze and the eyes black against a pale face, looking so very tired with the dark circles under his eyes.
It was the same face I awoke to, only this time the eyes were golden, the circles were almost gone, and instead of concern there was a soft smile. "Hey, there," he whispered soothingly, "I know it doesn't feel like it, but you're going to be fine. Can you tell me your name?"
"Bella," I whispered, the sound barely reaching past my lips and I was surprised to see that he had heard.
"Hello, Bella, I'm Edward. My father has been taking care of you." His eyes filled with remorse as he continued, "I'm sorry about your father. I assume he was your father?" As tears filled my eyes I nodded, unable to find my voice through the now crushing grief. "Shh, I know, but you need to remain still or you'll tear out the stitches in your back." The beautiful man wrapped his arms around me and held me until my sobs quieted, gently stroking the areas of my back, shoulders and arms that weren't injured.
"I'm sorry we have you tied to this chair, but it was the only way to tend the injuries on both sides of you. The others have gone into town to get some food for you, as well as more medication. I'm afraid you're stuck here for quite a while until you heal."
I looked up into the face of the one who had rescued and now cared for me and decided that staying here might not be that bad.
Reviews are love!
