Chapter 9: Wenatchee Bridge

A story by Yellow Smoke

Alle right's belong to their rightfull owners.

Year 1956

Willow could still recall the first time, where she realized that the people she saw, that no one else could see, actually were ghosts. She had been aware of their presence since she was four, as her own grandmother had appeared before her, and told her she had to tell her mother that the foolish woman had to get a job and a suitable husband. But as she said those words to her mom, saying it was from the woman in the white dress, she had been slapped across the face, and later her mother had given her an aspirin. She still recalls how the slap had been so hard her nose began to bleed, and the memory had haunted her for years.

But her mother had given her the first of many pills, explaining to what she had seen wasn't normal, and that her mommy was worried for her. Willow got scared as her mom had told her, and had willingly agreed to take those pills, mostly because she didn't want to upset her mother. Just like she didn't want to hit her once more.

And so she had never in her life told anyone what she saw, just like she never told her mother that she still saw these people, they were just silent.

But she had still been living in bliss, unaware of just what she saw, and what a horrible curse that had been gifted upon her. And so as a child, Willow was actually a happy child, who had hopes and dreams for her future. She knew she could see some people no one else could see, but a part of her brain had simply chosen to ignore it, and the small white pills made sure they wouldn't talk. Therefore in a child's mind, there was no reason to get worried, as everything was as it should be.

At eight years Willow had finally realized what these people were, and she would forever view it as the day she grew up. That day a child had walked into the graveyard, thinking it would be an easy shortcut as she ran home from school, but a scared adult had left that graveyard, as Willow had watched horrors unfold she barely could describe. Because she had barely set a foot on the ground, before ghosts began to appear, many beyond recognition, while others had suffered a cruel fate. Some were burned badly, and others had been killed on purpose. No matter where Willow looked, blood seemed to appear, while they all tried to get her attention, and Willow's little heart had almost beaten through her chest.

Not even in the darkest place of her mind would she be able to imagine such horrors, and all of the ghosts had little compassion for the eight year old scared girl, as they all had tried to reach for her, each wanting to tell her something. Something Willow couldn't hear, and something she never wanted to hear.

Willow had done what any child would do in her situation, as she had decided to run as fast as she could, while she tried not to look too closely at the dead people.

And now, at the age of 16, Willow was once more trying to run as fast as her legs could carry her, although she was running from the living world this time, and not the dead.

Willow had never been the athletic type, and so she was nothing more than a decent runner. Had she been running against someone who was in a good shape, Willow would without a doubt have lost, but Willow was thankfully running against Frank. A man who despite being a police officer was rather slow.

Because there truly had been no reason for Frank to stay fit, as he was a police officer in a town, where no crime ever happened. Leavenworth was truly one of the most peaceful places on earth, and even a criminal would run off from this shithole, as there was no one who owned anything of value. Most day's Willow wasn't sure how he actually managed to pass time, but he clearly was better at eating than at being a police officer.

Nevertheless Willow ran, as rain was pouring down from the sky, while the sun had disappeared long ago. Willow knew it was about to get dark, as the streetlight had started to turn on, and so she pushed herself further, while her shoes got soaked, as water seemed to be everywhere on the ground, while more came from above. Willow was in general soaked, her old red coat unusable at that point, and was starting to feel heavy, but adrenaline was pushing through her body once more, and so she could only focus on one thing. Getting as far as possible.

Due to the heavy rain Willow couldn't hear whenever Frank still was following her, or had given up, but she continued to run anyway, as she didn't dare to stop and look. She couldn't even think at this point, except trying to do the instructions Dr. Cullen had given her.

And so far she had done everything he had asked of her.

She had looked down on the ground, while he had led her down the stairs, just like she had remained quiet, while he spoke to Frank and Patricia. She hadn't protested at any point, although there had been said things she hadn't agreed too, but she had done as he had asked.

Outside she had pretended to punch him in the stomach, and she had run off as he asked her too. Now she only needed to run towards the bridge at Wenatchee River, and Dr. Cullen had promised he would come as soon as he could. Willow simply had to hide underneath the bridge, and wait for him to come for her. It wasn't that hard.

And Willow continued to follow his instructions, as she had little energy left, which she tried to use to outrun her own uncle. Although he had to stop minutes ago, Willow just didn't know.

Instead she ran, until she reached the Wenatchee bridge as promised. She hadn't been there before, but it was close to her school, and so she had seen it from a distance. It was most of all just a normal bridge, surrounded by trees on each side of the river, which crossed underneath the bridge.

And without thinking Willow moved over to the end of the bridge, and slid down the slope, no longer caring how she looked, or just how dirty she was going to be. The town had never managed to get any lights up at the bridge, and so nothing could be seen as Willow walked in underneath the bridge, hiding on top of the small sharp rocks, while she watched the pitch black water that passed by.

She almost passed out against the wall of the bridge, as she tried to stop herself from breathing too hard, fearing her uncle was nearby and would hear it. But her breathing was hard, her pulse was high and her heart was beating far too fast.

She however forced herself to calm down, although her mind still was in a state of shock and panic. More adrenaline had pumped through her body today, that it had done in her whole life, and Willow felt how, for each breath she took, she began to shake even more. She was wet, cold and scared, while water dripped from her clothing, as she was wet all the way through.

And Willow had no idea of what she was doing any longer. This day had been more than any human was supposed to comprehend, and so Willow just couldn't take anymore, as she leaned her head against the cold bricks, and tried to find some kind of sense in all of this madness.

Because Willow Cross had actually chosen to get help from a vampire, who even had confirmed that was his true nature. In truth Willow should have tried to run from him, and not her uncle, as a much worse fate could await if she trusted Dr. Cullen.

But Willow had to give the man one thing. He had kept true to his word so far, and had actually helped her escape. The real question was whenever she could continue to trust him, or he simply had lured her into another trap? If so Willow knew she would have to get away from this place very soon, or he would find her… but where could she even go?

Her mother was no longer an option, although it never had been. Because Willow knew that her mother was the obvious place to go, and Frank would be searching for her, which meant she would be taken to an asylum before she could even reach New York. What hurt even more was that Willow knew her mother wouldn't care, and did Frank manage to call her first, her mother would probably send her to the nearest asylum herself, if she even would act as though she knew Willow.

It crushed Willow's heart to think of it, but it was nevertheless the truth, and it left Willow with no one. Her mom, uncle and aunt were her only family, as she never had gotten to know her father, not that she thought he would care either.

And it really only left Willow with two options.

The first was to leave this place immediately, and try to get away from everything. She knew she would have to try and get out of this city, before she even tried to ask for a ride, or people would know who she was, and drive her back to her uncle. But from there she began to wonder if she could get some kind of decent life. If she could perhaps get a job in Seattle, or some other large city where no one would recognize her, or even search for her.

She knew it was going to be tough, as she had no money or a place to stay, but maybe she could still make it somehow? Maybe even save up some of her money, and get some kind of education?

For a moment Willow liked the idea of starting her own life, as she sat under the bridge, momentarily forgetting everything else, as she dreamt of a simple existence. The dream was almost like a fire, which kept her warm, while water passed by, and everything else became quiet.

Maybe she would be able to study enough to become a teacher? It wasn't as though Willow truly liked kids, but she knew kids were some of those who had the least amount of ghosts around them, and it was a decent job. It would be enough for her to buy a small apartment, or even better rent a small house, far from everyone and everything.

And it truly was a nice dream, as Willow for the first time would be able to take care of herself. To buy the furniture she wanted, and to wear clothing that wasn't old and outworn, even just a decent pair of shoes would be a dream in itself.

But for a moment she actually thought to herself she might find peace there. That everything for once would go her way, if only she managed to escape.

But as time passed, the small fire Willow had built up inside her head began to die slowly, as she realized her dream wasn't possible for several reasons. Willow felt how she slowly began to shake again, as she returned to the real world, while she just sat there under the bridge, and looked at the bleak water.

First of all, she knew her uncle was going to report her missing, or at least Willow suspected so, as he couldn't have her running around, telling people what he had done. It still shocked Willow that he would kill another man like he had, in a fit of jealousy and rage, and she now viewed her own blood with disgust. She had never actually managed to speak with her grandfather, who seemed to haunt her uncle, but she began to suspect he knew. Maybe it was the very reason he looked with such anger and disappointment, or perhaps Willow had only seen a glimpse of all his crimes… a thought that made her shudder.

But Willow's second problem was the Cullens. Dr. Cullen had asked her to wait here, clearly showing her that he trusted her, but Willow suspected his trust didn't go that deep. She wasn't even sure what he was going to do with her, and if he wanted to harm her. She knew too much for them just to leave her alone, but would they kill her?

For some reason Willow knew they wouldn't try to send her to the asylum. Dr. Cullen had been so earnest when he said that to her, and Willow believed him, not to mention that if that had been their plan, there had been no reason for them to do anything. Frank would have taken her there himself.

It however left Willow nervous, because what did the Cullens have in store for her? Willow shuddered as she once more realized the Cullens might actually kill her, as that was the most logical thing to do. They were clearly not humans, vampires in fact who feed off humans, and Willow was a human who knew too much, which meant she might be their next meal.

She froze as she imagined a pair of the sharp teeth, as it sank into her flesh, just at her neck, while they drained her from blood, until she at last turned pale like them, and died.

That alone should be enough for Willow to run, but then there was the same problem once more, as Willow had nowhere to go. On top of that she wasn't even sure if she would be able to escape them, as she had no idea of just what they were capable of, and she might not even reach the edge of town.

A part of Willow also tried to recall what Dr. Cullen had said to her. That he actually wanted to help, he even said he understood how she felt, and that no harm would befall her from any of them. Willow so desperately wanted to believe his words, but she just couldn't. She wasn't ready to simply trust a stranger, and deep down she knew it would be easy for them to get rid of her.

Truthfully the last person who had seen her was Frank, who would simply say she had run off in insanity, and Willow could with ease be killed at this point and be dumped in the forest, and no one would even consider something was off. In truth Willow had served her own disappearance on a silver platter to the Cullens, but in a strange way Willow had come to a point where she no longer cared.

Because the last reason Willow never would be able to live a peaceful life, was that a happy life simply didn't exist. At least not for Willow. She would always be cursed, and she would always be the crazy girl who stared into the thin air. If Frank didn't get her to the asylum someone else would, and Willow had realized her pills weren't working anymore, and so she could never act sane in society. It simply wasn't possible.

Willow simply sat where she was, helpless, as she hadn't made any decision regarding her own life, when she heard the sound of a car parking above her. She could hear how the tires seemed to be stopping above her on the bridge, although someone kept the car going, as Willow could see the lights reflecting on the water.

Very quietly a door was opened, as the engine growled like a beast, while shoes crossed the bridge, and Willow heard someone walking down by the slope of the bridge, just like she had done.

Deep down she knew who it was, as no one else had a reason to look for her there, and had it been Frank she would have heard his deep breathing, while this person didn't seem to be breathing at all.

She saw him in the reflection of the water before she actually looked up at Dr. Cullen, as he watched her for a second a few steps away, while rain seemed to be pouring down on his expensive coat. He however seemed like a light compared to the darkness, as his porcelain white skin almost seemed like a lightsource, and Willow couldn't help but notice his golden eyes seemed to be worried.

And then very slowly he walked toward her, while Willow couldn't help but wonder whenever his shoes would get ruined, walking through mud and stones, just to get to her.

"We don't have much time Willow," he told her carefully, as he himself went underneath the bridge, and away from the rain. "My car is parked above us, and i don't want people to drive by and speculate," he told her honestly, as he reached out his pale cold hand to help her get up.

And Willow stared at it doubtful, while her whole body just wanted to fall asleep, and was far too tired to make any kind of rational decision. She just wanted to go to sleep, and had it been safe, she would have done so right where she was, not caring about how ill she would be in the morning.

"What are you going to do to me?" Willow asked in a whisper, as she didn't even have the strength to speak properly.

"To safety, but please Willow we don't have much time, unless we want people to notice us," Dr. Cullen urged her, as he held his hand out even further, wishing she would take it of her own will, but the clock was ticking.

"But where is safety?" Willow asked, as she leaned her head against the wall once more, and closed her eyes for a second, simply to try and think.

She wasn't even sure she cared at this point, as far too much adrenaline had pumped through her body, and she didn't even flinch as Dr. Cullen bent forward, leaning his body over hers, as he picked her up. Willow didn't even try to protest, as he began to carry her out into the rain, and up to his car.

"I am taking you to my house for now," Dr. Cullen answered, and felt slightly bad for simply just grabbing her. But the truth was Alice had warned her he didn't have much time, before someone would drive past them, and it would ruin everything if he was observed with Willow after she was supposed to have disappeared. Under normal circumstances he would have given her time to come to terms with everything, instead of being carried off, but Dr. Cullen was worried for her health as well.

"I don't know if it's wise of me to just follow along…" Willow muttered, as she was close to falling asleep as Dr. Cullen opened the door to the backseat of his black car, and gently laid her down. Willow knew it probably had more than one purpose, as no one would be able to see her if she was lying down. Although it seemed to be for her comfort as well, as she quickly felt a blanket was placed on top of her, while it seemed as though the engine had been on to keep the car warm for her.

But she still fought against the sleep, as she knew now wasn't the time to fall asleep.

"I promise you, we are going to keep you safe," Dr. Cullen told her, before he shut the car door, and just seconds later Willow noticed he was inside the car, and began to drive to his own home, which Willow didn't know the location of.

But just seconds later a car passed by them, as Willow saw the lights pass through Dr. Cullen's car. However as the light passed by, Willow also noticed another person, sitting on the front seat, just beside Dr. Cullen, and she recognized him well enough. It was the old priest, the one that looked like he might be related to the doctor, and he turned his head to look at Willow, furious.

"You are no creation of god!" he hissed at her, while ice blue eyes bore themselves into hers, as Willow stared defenseless at him, far too tired to deal with it. "My son is clearly far too weak to deal with someone like you, look what he has become himself… but if i could, i swear i would make sure all of you were burned at the stake!" he hissed, smiling with such evil in his eyes, that Willow began to wonder if he maybe was the devil himself.

But she couldn't take any more ghosts today, as tears in frustration began to roll down her cheek, because she couldn't make it stop. She no longer had any control, as her pills wouldn't work, and she was forced to listen to all these angry dead people. She didn't even care anymore, as she knew there was no reason to act normal, as she never would be considered normal.

"Please just stop!" she cried, talking directly to the priest, although she knew Dr. Cullen could hear them, but she couldn't care less. He already knew something was wrong with her, and she couldn't keep it inside herself any longer, and had no reason too.

Dr. Cullen however seemed confused by her words, as he worriedly looked at her in the mirror, with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you need to throw up Willow?" he asked kindly, knowing she had a long day, and he would prefer to get her out of the car and into a sitting position before she puked. He didn't care that the seats were completely soaked at this point, but puke was a bit more disgusting.

"No!" Willow cried softly, as she chose to close her eyes, as she didn't want to look at the evil man who glared at her. Instead she decided she had nothing left to lose, and so she decided to be honest for once, as there was no reason to lie. "But your father won't stop talking," she said, and it was barely more than a whisper.

And although Willow hadn't said she saw ghosts, she might as well have said it, as Dr. Cullen quickly seemed to put two and two together. Willow had to admit that he didn't seem that surprised, or at least she didn't think so, as he didn't stop the car, laugh or gasp. Actually he didn't really do anything for a few seconds, as it seemed as though he might be thinking, before he looked at Willow through the rearview mirror, and he seemed almost curious.

"Can you see him?" he asked curiously, his eyes shining with interest, while everything was starting to make sense for him. Willow wasn't really sure what was wrong with him, as he should have stopped the car at this point, panicked, or have driven her straight to the asylum himself.

But Willow was too tired to do anything about. She was too exhausted to find some kind of decent lie, and at this point she had stopped caring, as there was no point to keep trying.

"Yeah...he is just beside you," Willow muttered, as she pointed at the priest, who for a moment had shut up, as Dr. Cullen for the first time in his long life was aware of his fathers presence, and strangely he turned his head towards the passenger seat, for a moment thinking he might see his dad himself. "He is wearing this white ruff around his neck…" Willow continued, half asleep this point, as several parts of her brain no longer seemed to be functioning. "And he keeps saying I should be burned at the stake…" she added at last, although she couldn't care less herself if she was burned at the stake. At least it would be warm, and she would be given plenty of time to rest when she was dead.

Dr. Cullen was however silent for a moment, with both hands on the steering wheel, as he seemed to be thinking for a moment, while everyone remained quiet as well. Even the old priest was still silent, waiting for his son to give some sort of reply, while Willow couldn't read Dr. Cullens face, as she was laying in the back.

"Why… Why don't you tell my father that I don't care what he has to say," Dr. Cullen finally said, after thinking far too long for Willow's liking, although Willow was pretty sure his father could hear him just fine. Dr. Cullen then actually turned his face, to look at his father, although he saw nothing but thin air, and Willow wondered if he was simply trying to pretend for her sake, but his eyes seemed so genuine. But as he stared at his father they became cold, if not slightly scary, as though he was trying to warn someone he couldn't see, while he said. "In fact, my father's words have never had much value," he said in a calm voice, before he gave Willow a soft smile and turned his eyes back on the road.

But strangely enough, Willow noticed it had some sort of effect, as the priest, Dr. Cullen's dead father said no more. Willow wasn't sure if Dr. Cullen's words had shocked him, as his dead pale face was unreadable, just like Dr. Cullens was, but his lips were thin, as he seemed to be staring at something far away… thinking.

"You do know he has said you belong in hell for all your sins…" Willow muttered, as she herself had reached a rather uncaring point emotionally, not that Dr. Cullen seemed to take it to heart, as he parked the car on the side of the empty road, before he turned his whole body around, and stared at the exhausted freezing wet girl on his backseat. Willow didn't even flinch as he stretched his hand out, and fixed her blanket.

"I might be damned Willow, but I would like to think he would end up in hell as well. No one knows what happens in the afterlife, except you maybe, but my father has more lives on his consciousness than i do," he told her softly, although there seemed to be no sorrow in his own eyes, and Willow began to wonder if he had come to terms with all of this long ago.

This conversation was in itself strange and surreal to Willow, although it seemed to be a perfect ending on her day, which had been absurd in itself.

"Do you think i am crazy?" Willow muttered, as she looked up at the handsome doctor, who strangely enough seemed to be worried for her. Willow hadn't really tried that before, for someone to actually be worried for her, and she heard his bell like laughter as his velvet voice said.

"Not really… it's more like someone finally gave me the last piece of a difficult puzzle, and i understand the full picture now," Dr. Cullen told her, while Willow looked at him skeptical, all while she yawned, as the last bit of energy was about to leave her.

"So you actually believe that… you know…" Willow muttered, unsure how to say it. Because Willow might have thought of the sentence many times, but she had yet to say it out loud to anyone, and she suddenly felt as though she had no idea how to say it. After all these years of pills and warning glares from her mother, she was about to throw all of it out.

"That you see the dead?" Dr. Cullen finished for her with a small smile, as he watched how close she was to sleep. "Yes Willow I believe you, to be quite honest with you, I have seen far more absurd things than that, which turned out to be true. Your gift is actually rather intriguing," he told her, and Willow could see the curiousy in his eyes, and all the questions he wanted to ask her, but he knew it wasn't the right moment.

"It's a curse… not a gift," Willow muttered, and couldn't gather why anyone would want to call it a gift, it was anything but that. "It hasn't really brought much good to my life…" she then added, and couldn't even keep her head up any longer, as she exhaustedly pressed it against the black leather, while her eyes tried to fight to stay open.

"We can help you fix that Willow… but for now, go to sleep," Doctor Cullen told her, his voice so soft and inviting Willow didn't want to argue against it. Yet she still hadn't gone completely to sleep, as she felt the car move under her once more, lulling her to sleep with it's soft sounds, as a last question seemed to appear in her thoughts.

"Are you going to kill me?" Willow asked, her voice barely loud enough to be heard, but Dr. Cullen seemed to hear her anyway.

"No, you are safe now Willow, sleep," he told her kindly.

And so Willow finally closed her eyes, as she tried to forget everything for just a little while, as rain splashed against the car, and she was driven into an unknown future.

So sorry it took a bit of time to update! School has started again and well, i wish i could focus on this, but well... i sort of need an education as well. Anyway thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed. I know some of you are asking for a bit more Edward, as this is a Edward/OC story, but at this point Willow is scared of him, mostly due to all of his ghosts, and Alice would in her visions have seen she would freak out if Edward or herself got near her, as Alice was there as well when everything went wrong.

Anyway, Willow is going to live with the Cullens for while now, although i promise she isn't going to settle in easy! Once more thanks for reading, and leave a review with your thoughts!