Chapter 8

A/N: So, it's a day early. I really don't seem to want to stick to an update schedule on this story, but it's okay. Thanks to SassyNoles, Maplestyle, and 2 brown eyes for prereading. Also, thanks to Alice'sWhiteRabbit for beta magic. Thank you to all the reviews and follows. You guys were all worried about what the heck is going on, so here we go.

I knocked on Alice's room door—pounding on the door was more accurate. Rose popped her head out of her door right next to Alice's room. She took one look at my red, puffy eyes and helped me pound on Alice's door. Alice opened her door, and even though she was half-asleep, she perked up when she saw me and Rose both standing there. She and Rose led me into her room and helped me sit on her bed. I was freezing and kind of in shock.

"What happened?"

"Angela …" That was all I could choke out. Rose got up and left the room.

I looked at Alice, confused. "She's going to round up the calvary. God, Bella, you're shivering," she said, getting up and opening her closet and grabbing a fluffy robe. Alice pulled me to stand up and wrapped me up in it.

Before I could say anything more, I heard footsteps hurrying down the hallway. Jasper and Edward burst into the room. It took Edward a few seconds to look around, but when his eyes found me, I was up off the bed and in his arms. He seemed shocked at first, but he hugged me back. "What's going on?" he asked, the panic seeping into his tone.

"How about we wait until everyone else is here before she explains so she only has to do it once?" Alice soothed.

It surprised me to see Carlisle and Esme come into the room next, followed by Rose and Emmett. Emmett left the door open, and everyone got comfortable. I looked around at everyone before extracting myself from Edward's arms. He didn't seem to like this and kept his hands on my hips.

"Um … okay. So, when I went to bed tonight, it was in my bed, in my room. I had a crazy dream and woke up in the courtyard, laying on the grass."

"Bells, you've never sleepwalked," Alice said, stunned.

"I know, which is why this was so weird, but what makes it worse is what I dreamed."

I told them all the story of everything I saw and heard in my dream. When I got halfway through my story, Edward said "fuck" and dropped his hands from my hips. I don't know why, but that action alone was enough to make me cry. I'd cried after I woke up in the courtyard, from shock, but Edward's body language was all wrong, and he took his comfort away when he stepped away from me. Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me into her side. Rose came behind me and rubbed my back. Emmett came over and hugged me on my other side.

Carlisle was the first to speak. "Bella, I know you're shaken, but are you okay? You're not injured?" I shook my head, and he smiled. He continued to speak. "Alice, have you seen anyone who Bella described?"

"I may have seen the man, but if I did, it was blurry. There's been a tall man who I've been seeing recently, but it's always blurry and never enough to get any other information."

"So, who is the 'she' they're talking about and why is Bella seeing it? She's not psychic."

"It's not called being psychic, Emmett. It's called precognition, and you know the other side has people who can mess with your dreams. Remember, Angela was having dreams. They were obviously talking about Bella."

"Yeah, but we had no idea what she was seeing 'cause she wouldn't tell us."

"She told me." A familiar voice from the door said. I stood up and saw Caius standing there.

"She told you what she was seeing?" Rose asked.

Caius nodded, and I saw it coming before anyone else. Edward's skin glowed crimson red, and I slid to his side and grabbed his hand before it could collide with Caius' face. Even though he was strong in his flame form, I was strong in my ice form, and I had surprise on my side. I felt terrible about it, but I had to blast him with my ice to get him to back up.

He looked at me in surprise, and I just shook my head, trying to silently communicate with him to back off. He must have understood because he took a few steps back from Caius. I turned, and Caius had a smug smile on his face. This pissed me off, so I advanced on him, only to be pulled back into Edward's muscular chest.

Carlisle sighed. "We aren't going to get anywhere if we're all fighting. Do you want to stay and help by telling us what you know? We would appreciate any assistance," he said, addressing Caius.

Edward scoffed but looked apologetic at Esme's glare. I saw Jasper out of the corner of my eye. He was standing behind Alice with his hands on her shoulders, but he had that look like he was concentrating again, and I knew he was doing his mood thing on Caius.

Caius looked right at me and smiled. "Bella just told us what she was seeing. Angela obviously didn't see herself calling some dude 'master', but she saw the guy, and he was talking to her. Like she was right there in the room with him. Then she would wake up somewhere weird. Like the courtyard, or one of the other buildings around here. She never woke up in the same place more than once and never in her room."

"And why did she decide to confide in you? Why no one else?"

"Because it freaked her out, and she didn't want all you guys seeing her as a freak or like there was something wrong with her. God, Masen put her on a fucking pedestal, and she was a favorite among her teachers, but she was still miserable. She felt the pull of a darker power, and she followed it."

"Yeah, you sure you didn't nudge her in that direction because you sure seem to talk about it like you've felt that pull."

"Edward, Caius. I think we need to take a break. Caius, thank you for letting us know what she confided in you." He turned to Esme. "I'll make sure the boys make it back to their rooms safely." He walked out of the room with Caius while Jasper and Emmett said their farewells to Rose and Alice.

Edward hugged me to him from behind, placed a kiss on my neck, whispered goodnight, and I shared the same sentiment. The boys left the room, and Esme asked me if I needed help to get back to my room. I shook my head and thanked her before she left. Alice, Rose, and I looked at each other.

"Well, that was eventful," Alice announced.

Rose scoffed. "No shit."

I scrubbed my face and gripped my hair. "Do you really think they were talking about me, Ali?"

Alice looked at me, and I noticed it. She was worried. "I think so, Bella."

"Well, what the hell does that mean. He called me a prize, and the witch called me a toy. Like that sounds … I think I'm gonna be sick." I choked.

Alice shook her head. "You're about to make yourself hyperventilate. Come over here and sit down." I went and sat next to her. "Breathe, Bella," she said, coaching me through breathing calmly.

I got my breathing under control, and Alice put her arm around me. Rose came and sat on my other side, putting her arm around me too. "Can I sleep in here tonight, and can we lock the door?"

Alice nodded, and we threw blankets and pillows on the floor. We made a makeshift bed that was big enough for all three of us, and they stuck me right in the middle, just to make extra sure I didn't disappear in the middle of the night. It was one of the best nights' sleep I'd had since arriving at the school.

Carlisle closed the "open to all" Saturday training. So, it was only me and my friends. Caius understandably skipped it as well. Once Carlisle started the training, it was mass chaos because everyone was pretty much just trying to one up everyone else.

While Alice had a wealth of power when it came to her mind gifts, she didn't have many hand-to-hand fighting skills. Emmett was showing her how to throw a punch and dodge different attacks.

Rose was still learning her sensory paralyzing abilities, so Jasper volunteered to be her Guinea pig.

Carlisle and Jessica were just staring at each other, doing some weird mind thing. Other than her phasing, Jessica had sensory scrying. She could basically highjack someone's mind so that she could experience everything that person was experiencing. It was a trip to think about, and just before training, I gave her permission to try to do it to me, but it seems she wasn't able to.

That left me and Edward. We decided to just spar for a bit without powers to see what we could do. He came at me in a direct attack. I waited until the last minute, and then dodged it by ducking out of his reach and coming up behind him. I grabbed him around the waist and used our momentum to push him to the mats beneath us. He flipped over onto his back, and he tried to flip me off, but I swung my legs up and grabbed one of his arms and got my thighs around him and squeezed while pulling his arm away from his body.

I wasn't able to celebrate too long because he hit my side with the edge of his other palm, basically karate chopping me, and it hurt. He took the opportunity of my shock and flipped me over, with him straddling me, before I could try to wrap my legs around him. Rose, Alice, and Jessica were cheering me on, and the guys were simply watching, completely stunned. I hit him right in the middle of the chest with the flat of my palm, knocking the wind out of him for payback, and got out from underneath him. I got up on my feet and bent over, trying to catch my breath. I offered my hand to help him up, and he swept my feet out from underneath me.

"You wanna fight dirty, Masen?" I asked.

He raised his arms in surrender. "Nope. I concede. Just took an opportunity." We both laid there, catching our breath while everyone else went back to what they were doing before. "How do you know all that stuff?"

"I took gymnastics from the time I was six until I was 15, then the other stuff I learned from how-to videos and practicing. I wanted to take self-defense classes. My dad told me I didn't need to worry about fighting guys and to just run. So, I taught myself. You?"

"Karate and judo but only until I showed up here. I've studied and dabbled since then but nothing super serious."

"When did you show up here?"

"When I was thirteen," he said, not offering any more information. I could see his jaw clench, and I knew it was probably not a story he wanted to get into right now.

"That's a long time. Sorry."

"No, this was a better place for me. Less hostile and more understanding."

The picture he was painting was bleak, and I wanted nothing more than to take him in my arms and wipe away that sadness. I grabbed his hand and looked at him. "I'm glad you're here, if for nothing more than I got to meet you."

He smiled widely. "Me too, Bells. Me too."

Carlisle called everyone to attention. "All right, guys, time for show and tell. Rose, would you like to go first?"

I leaned over to Alice. "Show and tell?"

"Everyone shows a new skill they learned or what they worked on."

Jasper and Rose walked to stand in front of us. Rose's eyes glowed even brighter purple, and a hazy purple mist came from her hands, it curled along the ground toward Jasper, and then seemed to wrap around him, then she pulled her hands into fists and the mist abated, seeming to dissipate into nothing.

"So, why won't that work on me. You told me the first day that it wouldn't work."

Rose's eyes did the glow thing, and the mist curled toward me, but before it could curl around me, it seemed to hit an invisible barrier. It snaked around the barrier, and I was covered, but it never touched me or took my senses. When the mist cleared, everyone looked a little stunned.

"See, I told you it wouldn't work. I'm not hurting Jasper really, but it all works inside his head. Sight, sound, smell; it all happens there."

"That's so crazy. I like it!" I said, still a little happy that she couldn't do that to me. I was glad my powers manifested into a mental shield because I would be very uncomfortable with people being able to tap into my head.

Rose gave me a wink and came to take Alice's place up at the front with Emmett. They did a short sparring session, and I was super proud of how much she'd learned. Carlisle asked me if Edward and I could do what we did in training with my shield, and Jessica would see if it protected Edward from her power. I nodded, and all four of us walked up to the front. Carlisle had a bowl and filled it with water for when I would need to recharge Edward.

This time, it was easier to feel Edward's power, but he still helped by grabbing me by the waist and holding tight, causing me a moment of panic, which triggered my change to my other form, and I pulled in the warmth from him. I let it seep into my skin and run through my veins. I pushed against my barrier, visualizing it wrapping around Edward and me.

I heard Carlisle tell Jessica that he couldn't hear Edward. While Jessica was trying to highjack Edward's mind, something weird happened. It felt like such a small shift, but suddenly, Edward's energy felt different. Instead of it being warm, it suddenly felt burning hot, but it didn't burn in a way that hurt. I wanted to be consumed by the fire, and I found myself searching out and absorbing more of it. I hear Carlisle tell Edward to let go of me. Then the energy was gone.

The energy I had absorbed was too much, and soon, I was gasping and screaming for help. Now it hurt; it burned in an extremely bad way. I focused on Carlisle's voice, trying to coach me through changing it and using it in another way. I couldn't do it, and it was taking everything to keep everyone in this room safe. I told Carlisle through gritted teeth to get everyone out of the room. I held it as long as I could, and when it became too much, I went nuclear and let all the energy I had explode from my body. I wasn't even able to see what damage I had done because the blackness was there, waiting to swallow me.

Time seemed to make no sense, and I knew in the back of my mind I was floating in and out of consciousness, but when I finally opened my eyes and they stayed open, I knew the struggle was over, for now. I was on the exam table with the crinkly paper again, and I groaned. My entire body hurt. I saw Esme come to stand over me. "Mrs. Cullen," I said, not recognizing my voice. It was hoarse. I tried to sit up and couldn't find the ability to accomplish that. Mrs. Cullen saw what I was trying to do and took pity on me, helping me to sit up. "Please tell me I didn't freeze the training room."

"I think I'll let Carlisle tell you what happened."

"Oh, God, here it is. Am I kicked out?"

"No, Bella, calm down, or I'm gonna have to sedate you again."

"Again?" I thought about what happened in the training room. "Oh, my God. Is Edward okay?

"He's fine, Bella. It ran him down for a day or two."

"Day or two? How long have I been out?" I asked. When she didn't immediately answer, I felt the panic grip me. "Mrs. Cullen?"

"I want to wait for Carlisle to get here, Bella. He knows a lot more about what happened than me because I wasn't there. He'll be here soon. I promise." As soon as she finished talking, the door opened and Carlisle walked in, followed by Jasper and Edward. Edward looked relieved to see me. He was about to walk toward me, but Jasper and Carlisle stepped in front of him to stop him. I frowned. What was going on? Edward frowned as well.

I felt a deep sense of calm settle over me. The fact that Jasper was using his power made me bristle, and I was about to block him when Edward quietly asked me not to do that. I sighed and let Jasper calm me down. When I was sufficiently calmed down, Carlisle and Jasper moved out of Edward's way, and he came over to me, and after sitting next to me, he pulled me into a hug. His presence brought more calm than Jasper's influence.

"Mr. Cullen, how long was I out?"

"Four days."

"Four days! What happened?"

"Well, we had to sedate you a couple times. You would gain consciousness, but you were so panicked and anxious that we had no choice. Your blood pressure was sky high and so was your heart rate." I was feeling the panic seeping in again. What the hell had happened?

"Bella, we're not sure what happened or why things escalated the way they did."

"When I had my shield wrapped around Edward and me, I felt a shift. It was so small, but Edward's energy felt different. His energy is usually soothing and warm, but it changed and felt burning hot. But it didn't burn in a way that hurt. It felt consuming and devouring, so I searched out more of it. I think I tried to absorb too much because when Edward let go, it hurt; it burned in a bad way. God, I'm so stupid," I said, covering my face in embarrassment. I felt warm, large hands remove my hands from my face. Edward was staring at me with those beautiful green eyes. I just wanted to lose myself in his eyes.

"No, Bella, you aren't stupid," Carlisle started. "I think maybe we need to learn what's an acceptable amount of energy and what isn't. Last time, you were able to use it and make those icicles. It's important to stay focused, and I think you may have lost focus, and that was why you couldn't control it when it was overloading you. We can explore this, but first, we want to get you back to 100 percent first."

"What happened to the training room?" I asked in a small voice, dreading the answer.

"It was quite dramatic, actually. Ice shards everywhere, along with ice crystals. Think Elsa in Frozen."

"Oh, my God, are you serious?" I asked. Carlisle nodded. "I feel like I should get my own theme song and go live in an ice castle by myself. Maybe befriend a snowman."

"All right, well everyone needs to file out of here, and I need to get some vitals from you," Carlisle said.

"Is it okay for Edward to stay? I don't want to be alone when you're done taking my vitals," I pleaded.

"Okay, but if you get tired or anxious, I'll make him leave," Carlisle said.

Carlisle did his thing, and then Edward and I were left alone for him to go get some food for me.

"God, it was so scary seeing you lying there, not knowing when you were going to wake up," he told me. He brushed his lips against my forehead.

I gripped his T-shirt. "I'm just glad I didn't hurt you, Edward. I'm so so—" I started.

He cut me off by pressing his finger to my lips. "Don't say your sorry, Bella. There's nothing to forgive. I know by now that you absorbing my energy isn't malicious, and it's pretty hot to think that it's my energy that's inside you. I kinda like it."

I giggled. "Oh, my God, you are such a guy."

He nodded and chuckled. "Guilty. I was pretty tired for a day. I just slept for almost 14 hours straight, and then I was okay. I was more worried about you."

We talked about some of the stuff I missed, which was all class related, nothing exciting. Carlisle brought me a cup of Sprite and chicken broth, advising that starting with solid food immediately might have some yucky side effects, so I was willing to go his route.

Edward spent almost all his free time in that medical room with me. I had visitors, of course, in the form of all my friends, but Edward was a constant. I gradually got to move up to solid foods, and after being in that medical room for two and a half days, I was finally able to convince Carlisle I was fine, and they freed me. If I'd known what was waiting for me when I got out, I would have insisted on staying in the makeshift hospital.

A/N: Ah, to be a teen again and think everything is the end of the world, although in her case it may be. How are we feeling? Lots to unpack. Leave me a review and let me know. Until next week, lovelies!