The Painter
Chapter 18
"Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge..." ~ Eckhart Tolle
~O~
Edward Cullen sat with his hand clenched, glaring at Alice.
"Some people started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, because, because, this is the song that doesn't end- It goes on and on my friend…"
He pulled at his hair, fidgeting in his seat as Alice bobbed her head to the lyrics of the Lamb chop's song ininfinite-loop.*
"I hate you," He seethed.
"You'll thank me later."
"Doubt it." He scoffed, chagrined.
Alice turned in her seat and watched her brother carefully. "You don't want to be blocked brother of mine?" She smiled evilly. "Fine."
All the sudden, the song ceased and Edward's mind was sent straight into Alice's premonition.
Edward running out to the classroom and into the parking lot… ripping off Mike's arm that's draped over the same pale brunette girl he saw in his parent's car.
"Her name is Isabella Swan… Bella."
Edward glared at Alice, feeling like he was tasting the blood in his mouth as it mixed with venom even though there was no blood in his mouth.
"How's that taste, hmm?" She smirked. "Making you crazy yet?" she bit out.
"You done?" Edward turned and looked at the wall.
But Alice didn't answer. She placed her hand over his fisted one and waited until he finally turned toward her.
"You'll kill her, Edward. The bloodlust from Mike alone will make you go after her, devastating Chief Swan and the Newton family. It will lead to an investigation, witnesses, cleaning up a huge mess, breaking the treaty, and finally moving... should I go on?"
He gave her a withering stare as visions of Bella stumbling toward her first class entered his mind.
"You just have to grin and bear it."
"Why?"
Alice sighed, playing a vision she's only shared verbally with Esme and Carlisle. "And now you know why."
.
Edward watched everything unfold through Mike Newton's mind to include his retched thoughts and plans to get the poor girl alone. The teenager was imagining what he wanted to do to the girl, uncaring or perhaps not noticing the amount of stress he was causing her.
He loathed the kid before but has he watched Bella shrink back under Mike's arm his hate amplified.
Bella couldn't breathe.
It was Hell having to sit and watch someone having an anxiety attack and not being able to do anything about it but add in the vile thoughts of Mike Newton and touching Bella made Edward him nearly insane with rage.
Alice huffed next to him, rolling her eyes for good measure. "What are you going to do, hmm? Rush to her like a knight in shining armor? That would surely scare her to death! She doesn't even know us yet. We have to let things work out naturally- in due course."
"You say she's my mate." He huffed.
"Which she supposedly is," her look imploring, "but does she know that?"
"No."
"No. So, until then we use our talents to learn more about her. We try to understand where she's coming from so we don't scare her off… or-"
All the sudden Alice's vision changed.
Bella sitting in the corner of one of the hall ways, tears running down her face, in a full panic attack... Charlie signing Bella out of school… Bella doing her classes online while painting all night… Bella becoming withdrawn and reclusive…
"Okay, I get it. You can stop with the dramatics."
"Whatever, that's may be all my imagination but the point remains. We have to get it right."
Edward nodded. He knew what she was saying was true but that didn't help his impotent rage for Mike Newton.
"Besides, if we did intervene Mike would then gauge your interest in Bella as a competition to best you and that would have made this whole reality play out completely different- like you just saw- and at whose expense? Bella's."
"I get it, okay?" Edward huffed with exasperation. Sometimes sitting next to Alice in class was more bothersome than pleasing but it saved him from having to sit with Jessica, Lauren, or someone just as vapid.
Alice turned forward, pretending to listen to the teacher prattle along with her teachings when her eyes narrowed and head cocked to the side.
Edward had barely seen the vision before Alice had sufficiently blocked it. Her arm darted up as her body bounced as if she was barely containing herself from wetting the floor.
"Miss Brandon, was there something you need as you seem fit to interrupt my lesson?"
Alice barely contained the eye roll threatening, but instead she smiled and said, "I desperately need the bathroom, Mrs. Cooper!"
With a huff the teacher waved Alice off, leaving Edward there stewing for the rest of the hour alone, Alice effectively blocking him.
.
Mike had been there at the end of her last class and grabbed Bella over her shoulders as if she was his property. She twisted to try to get out of his clutch, earning several withering stares from other students that she didn't know. Anxiety rising, she held her breath before she just stopped and refused to take one more step in his grasp.
A tall blond student pulled on the back of Mike's backpack which forced him backward but also gave Bella the opportunity to get away.
"Asshole!" Mike called after the blond guy, who just turned and snickered completely at ease. He gave Bella a wink before opening his classroom's door with a wide berth and moved into the classroom.
The bell chimed as students rushed into the classroom, laughing, whispering, and taunting each other but Bella was last to enter the Biology class.
She was doing her breathing techniques, counting backward and forward with each number with a breath in and then out, as she stood at the teacher's desk. Her books clutched her books to her chest as she meekly looked at the others in her class, but not really seeing anyone.
"Take your seats!" The teacher rasped out, his vocal cords heavy from years of smoking. The teacher had his mouth pinched together as his eyes darted around the room, eyes finally landing on Bella.
"You're new," He huffed impatiently. He turned to pick up a stack of papers, causing a waft of his body odor to permeate the air.
Bella held her breath, taking the papers with a grimace.
"Name?" Dark beady eyes landed on Bella's flush face.
"Isabella Swan," She puffed out. She loathed this part. The part where the teachers pulled you out of the woodwork, stripped bare to humiliate yourself in front of strangers. Bella instantly wished she held more steadfast to continuing her schooling online.
"You must be the Chief's daughter." He huffed with disinterest; his body was overly sweaty for the cool autumn air and looked prematurely old with outdated clothing that seemed like it contained every different color of dirty browns. He glared as he fidgeted with the 1980's plastic framed glasses that sat on his nose.
Bella suddenly realized she didn't reply when he turned and eyed her up and down. She nodded over fervently when his eyes narrowed.
"Pick an open seat. Your partner will show you where we are in the book. Try to keep up."
Mr. Berty then handed Bella a worn textbook and waved her off before he made his way to the front of the classroom, effectively dismissing her. Bella turned towards all of the inquisitive or judgmental eyes of her fellow students, ignoring them and quickly looked for an open seat.
She could feel the panic rising within her chest, heart thrashing, as whispered voices got louder and eyes harsher as they watched her every step. Bella stumbled forward with quick wispy breaths before sliding into an empty seat next to a guy concentrating on the book in front of him. He didn't seem to notice her presence, luckily, so she faced forward with her hair shielding her face from the other students.
"Maybe she's like… trying to channel Cousin It or something." One girl snickered and others giggled their agreement.
"Don't listen to them, they're dumb." A tittering voice whispered.
Bella lifted her head toward the sickly sweet voice in front of her.
The girl thrusted her hand out and front of her. "Hi, I'm Alice Cullen and I am totally normal." She grinned with a toothy wide smile. Her teeth were like Moonstones, glowing abnormally in the florescent lights of the classroom. With a slight grin, the other voices faded away and Bella lifted her hand to shake Alice's awaiting hand.
"I've met your parents." Bella whispered.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." Her face pinched and she looked at the ceiling as if she was trying to remember something.
"I think they told me that, now that I think of it." If it was even possible, Alice's face brightened. Her large eyes were like melted caramel churning in copper pots while her face stayed creamy milk white, and her licorice wispy hair bordered her face.
Bella was obviously hungry.
Lunch couldn't come fast enough.
"Hmm," Bella sighed, not knowing what else to say. She didn't know what the Cullen's had said about her to their children but it was obviously kind- seeing that her daughter was being nice to her.
"So, have you met my brother?" Alice asked. The indigo shirt she wore moved with Alice as gestured toward the guy next to them. Bella had hardly enough time to really notice him and she shook her head as she turned toward him.
"Hello." He said, lips curling into a slight, but pained smile. His eyes were a dull olive green. "I'm Edward Cullen."
His voice was like the muted tones of the piano and Bella instantly wished she played the instrument, wondering what the chords would be that would mimic his tone.
"Bella," She whispered.
She gave him a small smile before they all turned forward after their insistent teacher reprimanded the class for talking.
Bella could feel his eyes on her, as if he was picking her apart; his nostrils flared with each intake and release of his breath as he held the bottom of their table. Bella wondered if he was having a panic attack, knowing full well how those felt in public.
The table legs protested and finally splintered with distance and landed on the linoleum tile and Bella turned toward the noise before he released the leg and balled his fists.
"Just try to breathe," she whispered to him. "Panic attacks are so much worse if you don't breathe."
Bella gave the boy next to her an understanding smile before turning forward and curling herself over and under the table desk it as the clock ticked each terrible second.
Alice just laughed head shaking back and forth as she fervently to control the absurdity.
.
A/N: And so Edward finally meets Bella.
Thank you for reading and your kind reviews.
*"The Song That Never Ends" is from Lamb Chop's Sing-Along, Play-Along by the famous female puppeteer Shari Lewis. I sing it to annoy my children often. I don't own it, either.