A brightness invaded her awareness. Feelings began to return like pins and needles. She found it took great effort to move her body, to open her eyes. It was so bright. Her eyes began to finally adjust as she gently stretched out her limbs.
Home. No, that wasn't quite it. As she glanced around her bedroom, she didn't feel like she was home. She was a little afraid. Something had changed.
Her face was wet, her hand moved automatically to brush away a tear she didn't understand. She remembered being cold. She remembered being warm. Now she felt too much. Everything was edged in the strangest brightness.
A yawn overtook her, stretching her mouth wide. That motion felt so big. It made moving feel more possible. She stretched again and tried to think. Her body finally started responding to her.
She got up from her bed. She felt sticky. She was fully dressed, shoes and all, and she was filthy. There was a reason but she couldn't remember what it was.
The sunlight seemed to highlight the strange moment. Something had changed.
She took a slow breath and kicked off her shoes. Making her way out of her bedroom, she could hear the TV was on downstairs. Her feet seemed to move without thought, carrying her down the steps and towards the sounds.
She stumbled on the perfectly flat kitchen floor, but managed to recover.
"Bells? Are you okay?"
Her eyes immediately found Charlie's face. He was worried. She'd made him worry. She could feel the tears burning in her eyes.
"Bells?"
She was making him worry now. What words would comfort him? She couldn't think. Everything was so bright.
She took a slow breath and raised her arms towards her dad. The hug was awkward, like most of her physical interactions with him had always been but when it ended he looked a little less worried than he had before. That was worth a little awkwardness.
Actions. Words were overrated.
She moved on autopilot as she began to make coffee. She glanced back and Charlie was still watching her closely. She took another long slow breath and gave words to the most predominant of her thoughts since waking.
"It's bright."
Charlie's face relaxed into an almost smile.
"Yeah, Bells. It's one of those very rare sunny days in Forks. How are you feeling?"
She focused on the sight, sound, and smell of the coffee as it dripped into the pot in front of her, a spot of warmth in all the bright.
"What happened, Bells?" Charlie tried again.
"I remember that it was cold," she tried to explain to him. "Everything stopped. Like the Earth forgot it should be spinning. Then I was warm. Then I woke up and it was bright." It was all the answer she had and as many words as she could manage. Something was wrong but the thought escaped her.
"You were in the woods, Bella. Why? What happened out there?"
She fixed her coffee and considered his question. As she sipped the sweet, creamy ambrosia, the warmth seemed to spread through her body. It occurred to her then that she liked the warmth. She remembered the sun in Arizona. She let her thoughts dwell on brightness and warmth and tried to ignore her own words as she finally managed to explain, "They're gone."
Charlie sighed and put an arm around her shoulders. He'd suspected it'd had something to do with the Cullens' sudden disappearance from Forks. He gave her a squeeze and moved them both to the table to sit. He watched her slowly sip her coffee. She had some color back. She looked so much better than she had last night when Sam Uley brought her out of the woods.
A soft sigh brought her attention from her coffee to his worried face. What could he say?
"I'm not saying I know how you feel but I do know that no matter what else happens in life, things always change."
She put all her energy into turning up the corners of her lips. She desperately wanted him not to worry about her. She tried to imagine what some other girl might do in her shoes. Who could she be if they...if he had never existed in her life?
"I think I'll visit Jake today."
Charlie's eyes lit up. He even smiled a little before nodding and retreating to the TV.
She let out a long, audible sigh. Now she really would have to drive to La Push, but surely it was worth it to get Charlie to stop looking at her like she was about to break. She took a deep breath and resolved herself before heading back upstairs to shower and dress.
When she made it back downstairs, Charlie was in the kitchen again.
"If you see Sam Uley while you're in La Push, be sure to thank him for me. Without his help, I might be having a very different day."
Charlie let out a sigh and gave her a soft, one-armed side hug before letting her slink away.