Okay, I realize now that I may have been a bit harsh on the demanding reviews. I'm sorry. Anyway, my document manager is full so I'm posting everything anyway.
I hope you don't regret reading this story.
I did go to the great barrier reef, it wasn't exactly like this (I couldn't do all the vampire/ghost amazing abilities stuff) but it was kind of like this. Except there were tiny little jeelyfish everywhere so I was in a tight pink stinger suit ... yep, I couldn't work it well, I looked like an alien when my sisters took pictures of me underwater with my mask on and my hood up. My dad was worse though, his was aqua.
I sent a silent prayer to God and hoped that I was right and he was listening.
I stroked Bella's hair until she calmed down. I heard her whimpering her mother and father's name. Impossibly I felt even guiltier. My heart ached for this tortured soul; I had to cheer her up before I broke down myself.
Bella had such a firm grip on my heart that her pain hurt me more than any physical pain could. More than even Jane's terrible power because once she stops it goes away. When Bella is hurt the guilt stays and gnaws at my insides, leaving painful and stinging holes.
"Bella," I shook her gently. She looked up, the gnawing worsened. Her eyes were red and her cheeks flushed. Tear stains ran down her cheeks and knotted her hair. Her full lips were pouted but she looked at me like I could bring hope back into her life.
"Bella, c'mon, the high tide won't stay forever." She smiled and looked off the side of the boat. Her grin lit up her face as she saw the crystal clear water. She ran to the side and leaned so far forward I prepared to catch her. Then she started giggling and pointing.
"Edward, look at all the fish," I leaned and saw a school of silver fish right under our boat. The cloud moved off the side and I saw larger and more colorful fish dot about.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
"We aren't even on the reef yet Bella," I chuckled.
"Will you swim with me?" Bella asked.
"But then they'll all swim away," I sighed, wishing for a moment I was just a normal guy.
"Well, swim with me first, then after I'll swim with the fish."
"Okay Bella, you can change under the deck."
Bella looked at me mischievously, and then to my surprise she started pulling her shirt off. I turned away sure that I would be blushing if I were human.
"What Edward? You said I could skinny dip if I wanted," she laughed.
"I was joking, get changed," I ordered.
She snickered, but I heard the door open and close to the cabin. I waited a few more seconds to be sure she was gone before I turned around. Clear, good. I rummaged around in the bag until I found my swimming trunks. I ripped off my shirt and trousers and slid into them quickly. Bella had changed quickly in the past and I didn't want her to see me naked.
I was right to get changed quickly, soon after I had changed Bella was knocking on the door and asking, "Are you decent?"
"Yep," I popped the p. Strange; I never understood why teenagers did it.
"You ready?" I asked as the door started opening.
"Yep," she said and stepped into my line of vision.
It took a few seconds for me to take her in. She was wearing a designer bikini. All of her long legs were showing, and her toned stomach and even some cleavage. I saved her face for last and kind of enjoyed how her eyes were locked on my abs.
She'd washed the tearstains of her face and was looking as beautiful as ever. Her now clear eyes locked onto mine.
I held her gaze, "Bella, you're beautiful."
She blushed but held stayed strong, "You too… wait… I mean handsome… I mean."
She was so cute when she stuttered.
"Dive together?" I held out my hand. She took it, her small hand fitting perfectly in mine.
"1, 2, 3!"
We dived into the water to find the school had returned. For a moment it was if everything was the fish, silver flashes everywhere as they flipped their tails to swim away. Bella was flabbergasted at my side. Her mouth open in a little O and her eyes wide trying to take the scene in.
In a less than a minute almost all the fish were gone. I still saw a few flitting around confused as to where to go and some swimming away into the distance. I saw some hide in the crevasses of the coral about 10 meters ahead.
Bella pointed up, I let go of her hand but joined her at the surface.
She grinned at me, "That was beautiful."
"Wait until you see the reef, though it would probably be better with some fish, maybe I should just go."
"No, don't go Edward, stay for a little while," she whined. "I'll tell you when to go but still look out for me. I'll through my snorkel in the air when I want you back."
The next hour we spent floating across the surface and slowly kicking to propel us. Bella grabbed my hand as we crossed the shallows of the reef. Her skin was a warm in my hand, a couple of degrees warmer than the water.
We dived and surfaced and snorkeled. Bella stayed under the water for five whole minutes before she couldn't kick anymore and needed me to drag her to the surface.
"I told you, air is my real energy source," she said gulping in oxygen.
"Then don't starve yourself Bella, you know it's bad to be an anorexic." Her giggles echoed off the water's surface.
"Bella, do you want me to go now, so you can see the fish?" I asked her.
She pouted but sighed and said, "Fine, but remember the signal."
I whizzed through the water back to the boat. We had travelled quite far from it but it only took me a matter of seconds to reach it.
I watched Bella play from the edge of the boat. She chased small fish, darted under water for minutes at a time looking around the reefs edge. She floated along the surface watching the fish and swam alongside a bump head parrotfish.
It only took 20 minutes before Bella threw her snorkel in the air. I dived and swam to meet her; I caught the snorkel before it fell and grinned at Bella.
"It's much more fun with company," she explained and took my hand.
We spent another 30 minutes just having fun, diving to touch clams, doing flips, stroking seaweed, poking coral. Bella pretended to be a dolphin, she couldn't propel herself in the air though so I grabbed her hand and launched us both out of the water and then repeated the process.
A huge fish came up to us once, cocky about that it was big enough to be safe. It was huge, a Queensland Groper and longer and thicker than me. Bella hid behind me. I grinned under the water, let her go and then chased the fish away. Once it saw my speed its instincts kicked in and it swam into the blue.
We started drifting across the coral beds. Not caring where the current took us. Then I noticed how shallow the water was becoming. Every time I kicked I almost hit something. Bella realized this soon after. We couldn't stick our heads above the water without our bodies becoming vertical and hitting something. Bella begged me with her eyes to get her away.
I turned and swam away with small fast kicks. Soon we were back in the deep water and close to our boat. I squeezed Bella's hand and then launched us both out of the water. We sailed through the air and I flipped us up, landed on our boat and caught Bella in my arms.
She tried to glare at me for the little stunt but I knew she enjoyed. Soon she was laughing and I had to sit her down incase her convulsions made me drop her.
"Edward," she choked between laughter, "this… was… the best."
"Calm down Bella," I looked over my shoulder and checked the time. It was 2pm. No wonder it was shallow, the tide had been going out for an hour.
"Bella, I know it's a bit late but, lunch," she nodded eagerly and poofed to the basket.
She tried to poof back but it was too big, she sighed and walked back.
"I need to practice," she groaned.
"Bella, you don't need to be perfect at that, I can get whatever you want for you in a flash," I snapped my fingers for emphasis.
"I could do it myself, probably faster too," she snapped her fingers back.
"I mean it Bella; I'd do anything for you. Before you came my life was dull, then you came, everything changed." Do it, come on Edward, just do it now. Say you love her.
Bella sat quietly staring, her chocolate brown eyes fixed on mine. I took her hand, I would say it now. It was the right time.
"Bella, you're beautiful, smart, witty, you're perfect. Without you my life would have no meaning, I didn't realize before. I was ignorant, but now a whole inside me I never knew existed is filled. Bella I…" Say it, "I…" Say it, "Bella, I love you!"
Well, cliffy, kind of. Even though I'm updating super seriously fast still leave a review or comment please. I spent the last week writing the rest of this story.