Previously on Kidnapped: Edward has given up on trying to save Bella from himself; meanwhile, Bella is stationed at the Cullen house, facing the large glass wall of the Cullen home as well as the reality of what she has been going through the past couple days.
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But first, I started at the very beginning. I'd described the Cullen siblings as inhumanly beautiful. While they all kept their distance from the rest of the high school population, Edward Cullen seemed to take an immediate hatred for me.
"I've never seen him act like that before," Mike had said.
So, an appropriate inference would be that the Cullens were something other - something not entirely human - and were disinterested in building relationships.
Still, if they weren't interested in humans, why were they in a human school at all? I had the feeling they had the resources to get out of school if they'd really wanted to. Or they could have homeschooled. For whatever reason, the Cullens must have been in school because they wanted to be a part of society.
Which leads to an inference that perhaps the Cullens wanted to be in human society but had a viable reason to keep a distance on an individual level.
Edward Cullen's attitude toward me is, as aforementioned, an irregularity, which is the second point of interest.
"Edward Cullen is looking at you," Jessica had said. In the cafeteria that first day, Edward Cullen had looked at me with an expression that hinted only at curiosity. In fact, his expression held that same expression when he entered the room as well. Then, like the flip of a switch, his expression suddenly turned livid.
What happened in that millisecond that changed everything for Edward and I? I wracked my mind but couldn't come up with anything concrete.
And again in the office with Mrs. Stanley! One second he was interacting cordially and the next - his back stiffened and he turned to glare at me. "If looks could kill," I'd thought.
Okay, so if I'm trusting my inclinations, as Alice hinted, there was something in those two moments that flipped the switch and triggered whatever it is that Edward - I flinched as the memory of him snarling at me - is.
I made a mental note to return to this point.
Third, the eyes. Edward Cullen disappeared for a week, and when he returned, his eyes were a light ochre and his demeanor was pleasant. What changed his eyes? Were these two facts correlated?
I recalled his rigid posture - it had seemed like he wasn't even breathing.
I gasped at the wild thought - what if he wasn't breathing?
My first thought was it was impossible. The closest guess I'd had thus far was a mountain lion or a bobcat. Even wild animals need to breathe. Any and all living creatures need to breathe.
I gasped at an even wilder thought - what if he wasn't living.
My first thought, again, was that it was impossible. I knew we were looking at something unreal, but - if Edward Cullen wasn't alive, it would mean…
I'm going to look death in the eyes.
Dead.
Death was a very different concept than "not alive." Not alive could mean a robot or an angel or a figment of the imagination.
Dead means once alive. Once human, even?
"I didn't use to be like this," he'd said.
Is this what Alice was alluding to? Did she know how wildly my intuition would fight against any notion that Edward Cullen was not alive? How could she possibly -
But then, Alice can see the future.
Okay, so Edward Cullen is potentially not alive. Potentially dead, even. I hurriedly moved forward before I could think on that too long.
Fourth, the van incident. Yes, he indubitably had super speed, super strength. He wasn't hurt by the impact of a large mass. And he was mad. Why was he so mad? I'd thought at the time that he must have regretted saving me - yet he's told me since then how intensely he wanted me to die.
Looking back, it was almost as if my words themselves made him mad. In that small space, I'd said something sharply - the exact phrase slipped my mind - and he'd stepped back before getting even angrier. Although, given the size of the space, he couldn't move far…
Proximity, then? Maybe. I was sure there was more to the interaction, but I was ready to face it.
Number five: kidnapped.
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When Edward had picked me up that first night, I was sure it was a dream. His body was colder than the wind; his arms held the full weight of my body. Like he was afraid of touching me.
This is the part where my memory gets hazy. I remember finding out that Jasper was the one pursuing me. I remember Edward punching the ground.
I remember him holding me so tight I could feel the bruise swelling. And then he disappeared.
Another mystery. Was the bruise somehow related to those first day incidents?
It occured to me then that Alice was right - I was ignoring the truth. I knew because. I suddenly, vividly recalled the first moment I had made myself forget - the moment when Edward Cullen held my face in his hands as he breathed in.
The whole evening played in my head then, like a scratchy VHS on fast forward. Edward leaving and then returning a wholly different creature, and then the part I am amazed I could ever ignore.
Edward Cullen slashed my throat open.
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When Edward jumped at me, I turned sharply to see. I didn't catch much of what happened - in shock of seeing a teenage boy strike me with his bare hand, struggling like a rabid wolf at my lacerated neck. The way he slowly slumped over. The keening that came from him - I didn't know whether it was because he had hurt me or because he didn't get the chance to hurt me more.
But there's one moment I had refused to process - when Edward Cullen, immediately upon striking me, raised his hand and licked the finger covered in my blood.
Impossibly strong and fast. Not technically alive. Monstrous nature. Dangerous to humans.
Driven mad by the desire to ingest blood.
Like clockwork, I opened my eyes to see the pale figure flash toward me.
I resisted the urge to flinch and instead leaned into the glass pane, gazing intently at Edward Cullen.
I looked death in the eyes.
I called him by his name.
"Vampire."
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AN: I loved this scene. There's nothing more beautiful to me than being seen for the ugliest parts of you. :') What did you think?
Also thank you all for your reviews and sharing your thoughts! I'm so excited about where this story is heading. XD Question: should we get a Christmas bonus episode? I'm considering it, but idk...it might have spoilers in it...
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