Perpetual Existence

Chapter Twenty – Fade Away

"Lie." It's Bella's soft internal voice, a first.

I open my eyes to see a startled Mr. Banner staring at us. He thinks I'm hurting her and wants to stop me. My first instinct is to smash his head against the door as I had during the first cycle of this day.

I focus on Bella's inner turmoil, her throat burns as her body feels as if it's on fire, while the world around her increases in volume. What she feels, reminds me of reawakening after my transformation and the sensitivity of my senses.

She hungers for substance, yet there's no mistaking the sluggish beat of her heart. The transformation isn't complete, but if I don't whisk her away soon, she'll kill everyone. I can't wrap my head around it how it is possible to change so quickly, and there's no time to analyze it.

Bella's new, more powerful instincts will take over and she'll likely pounce on Mike first. It's a pity I can't allow it to happen; the pesky man-child is vying for her attention. Soon, she'll figure out her newborn strength will overpower mine.

"Lie!" she screams in my head. "Get me out of here!"

"Don't breathe." I sense her need to move as she stiffens in my hold. If she so much as twitches, she'll instinctually want to begin the hunt.

I pull away from her neck, unsurprised to find the rapidly healing wound of my bite. My body reacts to it, but it's easily ignored as Bella whimpers. I lick the last drop of her blood from the edge of my teeth, taking a moment to savor.

"I'm allergic…" she gasps suddenly, her eyes rolling closed.

Allergic? She's allergic to bees. Her words provided the excuse for a quick escape.

Lie, I remind myself. "I know, Bella. I don't think I got it in time." There's no need to continue to talk to her; she's out cold. I look to the others. "She needs to get to the hospital."

No one moves or says a word. I shift and lift Bella into my arms fully, more than ready to save her. There is no missing the otherworldly smoothness of her skin, and the fact that her body temperature nearly matches mine. She's on the cusp of her full transformation.

Time is running out.

I step toward the exit, but the move prompts Mr. Banner into action. "What's wrong with her?" His mind tries to make sense of what occurred only seconds before for him, but to me, they felt like a lifetime of perpetual Mondays.

"How did he move so fast?" Mr. Banner's internal question causes me to pause briefly.

Lie, Bella wants me to lie, to get us out of the classroom quickly.

"She's allergic to bees. I saw one on her and tried to get to her—"

"How do you know she's allergic?" Mike is annoyed and defensive. As if I'd taken something from him. He's delusional if he thinks he stands a chance with Bella even before I entered her life.

It takes considerable control not to snarl at him.

Alice is screaming in my head as she makes her way to me. She already called the rest of our family for help having heard what happened.

Thankfully, she can't see what I've done or what I'm about to do.

My mate's mind has returned to silence, but the tight grip of her fingers around my shoulder alerts me that she is aware of what's happening. It's also a warning, she's desperate to breathe.

Mike and Mr. Banner still want an answer from me.

"She's a friend of my sister's." My words are more like a growl, but it can't be helped. "Every second we discuss this could end her life." If they continue to hinder our departure, I will end them.

I pass Mr. Banner as he scrambles for his phone to call the office. I don't bother to stop him. We'll all have to pack up and leave since there is no other choice. I have broken the treaty with the Quileute anyway.

One problem at a time, I tell myself.

First, I have to save Bella. Save her from killing unsuspecting, somewhat innocent humans. I'll worry about volatile shifter wolves and vampires later. The hallway is empty and I manage to run halfway through it before Alice comes to a halt at the end, my other siblings flanking her.

"Explain." My dear sister holds Emmett and Rosalie back with a shake her head. They had remained close enough to come at a moment's notice, like in the first loop.

"I don't have time for this. I must remove her from temptation."

The others arrive. Jasper the only one absent due to the nature of the situation. My father tries to step closer, but a shadow darts swiftly from behind them, coming between my family and me.

I hiss at the figure. "Adam, they will kill you."

His form starts to take shape, his disembodied voice growls from within the mist, "Go!"

Seeing that I have no other choice, I prepare to run. Bella loses her considerable control and starts to thrash in my hold, screaming as her pain becomes too much. With one last look at my family, I turn away.

My momentum increases, sending me smashing through glass and jumping out a nearby window. I land with ease on the wet ground, pulling Bella close enough to kiss her forehead as her body stills again. Never coming to a complete stop, my determination to help her doesn't allow it.

Behind me, a wake of shouts and screams follow as I run with Bella cradled in my arms. Branches reach like fingernails at my body but shatter as I whip past them. Any protruding roots turn to dust under my feet. There is no time to finesse, not when my family could decide to follow me despite Adam's determination to see his mission through.

His mission all hinges on Bella's successful transformation today, for whatever reason. Her heart still beats, but from the rapidly cooling temperature of her body, and the equally erratic beat of her heart, there's not much time left.

We need to escape this perpetual hell so I will not fail. My meadow lays ahead, a slice of unexpected sunlight giving it a warm glow. I run into the center to sit with her cradled in my arms and lap.

She looks at me with fevered eyes, her red irises contrast vividly with her pale skin. "Why am I still human?"

I can hear her pain, but she's holding the worst of it inward for my benefit.

My brow furrows with concentration, recalling every instance of every loop, calculating every minute, seeking possible answers.

"We've been stuck in this bloody Monday, these perpetual loops, for approximately seventy-two hours, thirteen minutes, and nine seconds, including my guess of how much time passed in the space in-between."

"I've been changing all along." She coughs, her breath hitching. "We still have to start from the beginning to the precise moment you stopped yourself from killing me and allowing my transformation to start."

Could it be that simple? "I believe so, but will we forget?"

Bella gasps, a harsh breath escaping, her heart slowing more. She shakes her head. "My dad remembers, so did Adam."

I think of everything we've been through. "To everyone else, it'll seem like no time has passed."

"Including your family." She grasps my face in her warm hands, searching my eyes. "Can you hear me?"

I nearly choke on a sob as she shows me what I've come to mean to her, love so encompassing she's capable of pushing back the pain for me. Every tender and not so tender moment we've shared since we laid eyes on each other. How did I come to deserve her?

I beg her to stop exerting herself, but she refuses to let me see the extent of her pain. "I love you, Bella. We have no idea what's coming next, do we?"

Her eyes flutter closed, her lashes darkening as I watch over her. Tiny changes continue as I hold her to my chest, humming broken notes of music she inspires.

"No, but we'll face it together, right?" Her voice is so soft and uneven.

I cup the side of her face and kiss her cooler lips, reddening under my touch. "Together."

"Take us back." Please.

It's the internal plea that has me on my feet and running toward the school. Our family is there waiting for us. Adam is there, Jasper and Emmett holding him hostage. The strange vampire has refused to answer most of their questions, as it is his original orders, only expressing that Bella and I must succeed.

Charlie's unwavering gaze meets mine, and I realize he's aware of what may be happening. He hasn't forgotten. Charlie had tried to explain to my family, but failed to describe it in a way that makes sense.

Some vampires lack imagination.

My father is among the group in the parking lot as more students and teachers file outside, wanting to know what's going on with the freaky Cullens. Other than our arrival over two years prior, this is the only time we've garnered so much attention.

Bella looks to the group and offers her dad a smile; it falls and turns into a grimace. "Sorry, but this is going to hurt."

She wraps her arms around my shoulder, her scream is so hard and loud that it rattles her body. It ruptures eardrums and picks off humans, sending them falling to the ground. One by one, I watch my family fall victim to a shockwave that emanates from Bella, from us.

Slowly, Adam smirks, fading away. "I'll be back soon. Don't kill me though."

"No promises," I whisper as he disappears into nothing. Does his disappearance mean we've done it?

Only time will tell, and Bella issues another internal warning as darkness starts to claim me. It drains me of energy, overloads my senses, driving me to my knees, her along for the fall.

"I hope you're a damn good actor, Edward Cullen."

AN: Thanks to Midnight Cougar, any mistakes are mine, I tend to tinker. This may have confused you, but think of it as the mystery that is vampirism, even in SM's books, there were no real answers as to WHY some vampires get powers and others do not. Completely understanding Bella's gift is not possible...yet. Maybe in time. The next chapter will be from an outside perspective, well, maybe half of it.

Updates will be slow for a bit, between holiday madness, I also have a few health issues of my own and my mother, lots of doctor appointments and such. We'll be fine, just a long process and recovery. Then there's preparing for my baby to have his baby *cries* Thanks for your continued support and hopefully, I'll see you soon.