A/N: Hi readers. I know you all are waiting to hear Edward out, so here you go...
Thanks to EdwardsFirstKiss for guiding me and making a better writer out of me with each chapter.
Twilight belongs to SM and FY is all mine.
CHAPTER 15
BELLA
"How do you know that? Who the fuck are you exactly?" I yelled.
"That's what I'm going to tell you, my Bella," he chuckled. He fucking chuckled!
"Oh, really! Then start speaking, asshole," I snapped. He looked surprised at my sudden anger. Well, he should know better than to taunt me like that. He cleared his throat and raked a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have teased you. I should have known better...," he shook his head. "Please sit down, love. I'll explain," he stood and gestured for me to sit.
"I'm ok," I jutted out my chin stubbornly.
"Isabella," he said in an authoritative tone.
"Fine," I huffed and sat down on the chair, my hands folded over my chest.
"Good girl," he teased, and I glared at him. "Right. Sorry." He occupied his earlier position on the chair and sighed.
"Ok. I don't know how to start. There're a lot of things for you to know, but it isn't the right time for you to know everything," he admitted.
"Why don't you start by telling me how you know my name?" I asked sarcastically.
"I heard you talking to Jake... About his step-father Billy...," he waved a hand casually.
"What the... How did you... You weren't even there...," I stammered.
"We both know I was there all the time," he raised an eyebrow, daring me to deny him.
"I believed you were there. I wasn't exactly sure why," I threw my hands up in the air defensively.
"Uh... huh... And my sitting beside you isn't enough proof of me being in the Manor? When did you become so dim-witted?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"When you decided to be a first class asshole!" I yelled and stood up.
"Bella," he called, but I didn't turn around and went straight into my room. I locked the door and jumped onto my bed. Burying my face in the pillow, I shouted muffled expletives. After my anger cooled down, I layed on my stomach. I looked at the locked door and guilt started eating at me. How could I be so insensitive? I just got back the only thing I ever desired, and this is what I am doing? Locking him outside; or locking myself inside. I clearly don't deserve him. Tears started forming in my eyes, and I buried my face in the pillow again to hold them back.
I don't know why my temper flared. I was never the one to lose my cool like that. But when he called me by that cursed name, I couldn't control myself. I never wanted to associate myself with that family. I'm Isabella Swan; not Isabella Black.
"You should know better than to think a locked door is enough to keep me away from my beloved." I swear I would have jumped to the ceiling if it had been possible when I heard his amused voice. I sat up straight, not believing that he was standing in my room. I looked to the door, and it was locked.
"How...," I whispered.
"I was getting to that part when you not so gently abandoned me," he playfully chastised, coming to sit across me on the bed. I took a deep breath to calm my thundering heart, hammering against my chest.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have left like that," I sighed. He took my hand in his and kissed the back of it.
"No, love. I too behaved badly. Forgive me," he pouted. Like I could be angry at him when he was looking at me with puppy-dog eyes? I laughed softly and nodded. He smiled widely and bent forward to kiss my forehead. I melted into his soft kiss, and he enveloped me in his arms.
"Are you afraid?" he whispered in my ear, as I put my head on his firm chest.
"Of you?" I felt him nod against my head. "No. Not of you. I'm not even afraid exactly. Just surprised... You know it isn't every day that people barge into a locked room," I teased. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head.
"I hope not. I know you're wondering what the hell is going on...," he sighed.
"You don't have to tell me, you know. I'm just happy to have you with me. Where you came from? Doesn't matter," I confessed, burying myself further into his chest. God! How I have missed him.
"But you deserve to know, baby. I'm not human. I don't exist," he spoke quietly, but that caught my attention, and I looked up at him, wide-eyed.
"You... What?" I was really confused now. He shifted a little away from me and raked both his hands through his hair.
"Bella. I'm dead," he spoke finally.
"What! But... but you're... Oh! I know you're dead," I calmed down and nodded at him. Now it was his turn to be surprised.
"You do? How?" he frowned.
"Come on! It's obvious. No human can walk through a locked door. You're... You're a... Ghost... But I'm okay with that. I just want to have you with me; to be with you. I don't care if no one can see you except me. I can live with all that as long as we are together," I breathed out. He looked at me comically and then laughed humorlessly.
"As good as that sounds, and as much as I appreciate that, I'm not a ghost, love. That would have been too easy..." he chuckled and shook his head. "I'm... There are no words to describe what I am, Bella. I'm stuck between this life and afterlife. What you're seeing now is only your imagination," he explained. My imagination...
"Oh... I... I knew I must be dreaming," I whispered dejectedly, when his words sunk in.
"What?" his brows furrowed. "NO!" he almost shouted when his eyes widened in realization. "Fuck! I'm not explaining it correctly," he climbed off the bed, pacing with his hands in hair. He looked at me and said, "Bella, please know that you're not dreaming. I'm really here. Not here in real... Motherfucking Hell! This shit is confusing," he huffed.
"Wait!" I raised my hand, indicating for him to stop. "Let me get this straight. You're here, but not here. I'm not dreaming as you're really here but still not here," my nose wrinkled at that and I put my hand down. "You're not human, and you're not a ghost. Then...," I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and suddenly got the answer. "You're a vampire...," I looked up at him, eyes wide as saucers. "Or a werewolf. God! Yes, you're; like that movie...,"
"Bella, Bella," he came to sit on the bed again. "No, I'm none of the things you mentioned. Like I said, if I were those things, life would be easy. Ok. I'll try to explain," he once again took my hand in his. "Try to keep an open mind, love. I don't want you to be afraid of me and run away terrified," I nodded, and he continued. "You remember when you were in your ring? Did you feel like you were in two places at the same time?" I nodded as it was exactly what I had felt when I figured out the ring thing.
"Same is with me. Like your soul was in your ring, mine is sitting in front of you," he looked at me to gauge my reaction. But I didn't give anything away.
"I... I don't understand. How is it... How is it different from you being a... ghost?" I wondered.
"When you were inside your ring, were you a ghost?" he countered.
"Of course not," I rolled my eyes at him. "My body was in the hospital but my soul...," I stopped and looked at him slack-jawed. "You mean... your body..."
"Now you get it. Yes, my body is out there somewhere, and it is carrying out all the necessary functions of a human body," he explained.
"Like when I was in the hospital. I was alive, but it was like I was in some sort of coma," I said slowly.
"Exactly," he nodded.
"But how is any of that possible?"
"That's what I was saying. None of it should be possible, Bella. But there are things which are unbeknownst to us. And it's in our best interest to remain ignorant. However, not everyone is lucky enough to stay away from this knowledge. We tend to fall into a vicious circle of evil. Evil which rules our lives and destroys it," he spoke solemnly.
"Edward, please don't talk in riddles. Let me... Please tell me what does all of this mean? I mean I'm already freaking out about your... body... soul... whatever concepts they are. Add these riddles into the mix, and it's all an utter cluster fuck of ridiculousness," I huffed.
"Do you remember your conversation with Jacob's mom?" he asked. I nodded, having no idea where he was going with this.
"She told you about Black's history. Joham Black, the one who created this mess, didn't know what the fuck he was doing. He really messed everything up all the coming generations..."
"Wait! How do you know about Joham? I clearly remember that I didn't mention that to Jake," I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Bella, is it really necessary to interrupt me every damn second? You should know by now that I just know these things. Forget about your talk with Jacob. I had known all of this for a long time, prior to that conversation. And trust me, I can't tell you how," he pleaded. I wanted to argue, but I stopped myself. Pursuing my lips, I motioned for him to continue. He started rubbing soothing circles on my palm.
"Thanks. So where was I?... Yea. Joham. So he destroyed the future generations. And as Mrs. Black told you, your fa... I'm sorry... Charles Black-," he corrected when I shot him a death glare. That man could never be called my father. "-is devil incarnate. But you can believe that or not, and I'm sorry to say this, love, but you're his daughter. So being from that family line, you've the same magic in you..."
"That's the dumbest shit you've ever said, Edward Cullen," I spat. "I'm not...,"
"I know... I know. You're nothing like him, love," he reached out for my cheek and caressed it. "But you have half of his chromosomal make-up. Charles didn't possess any magic because he wasn't the first child. But you're the first child, and the first girl in the Black family except Swasean," he finished, looking pointedly at me.
"You mean... There wasn't any girl child in the family after Swasean... Whoa," I said incredulously.
"Yes. And just like Swasean, your powers are dormant. And please don't ask me how I know this," he requested, raking a hand through his hair.
"Ok," I squeezed his hand in acceptance. "But are you sure? And if the answer is yes, why tell me this now?"
"Because Bella, only you can find my body. Only you can reconnect my soul with my body to give me my life back. My captor, and before you ask, no, I don't know who he or she is, has my body. He somehow separated my body and soul, but my soul, that is me, managed to escape. Or rather someone saved me. And no, I can't tell you who saved me. That's one of the things you can't know just yet. My captor wanted my soul for some later work, and I swear I don't understand that shit. So after my escape, I found myself at the Seventh Street Manor, and I have been living there ever since; probably waiting for you," he smiled my way and kissed the back of my hand.
My heart was hammering against my chest at hearing his words. What does he expect me to do? How could I fight his captor and release his body? He doesn't want me to go to a fucking magic school, does he? I mean, do they even have admission at this time of the year? Maybe I'll finally get to study at Hogwarts with Harry Potter... Shit! What was I thinking! I have to rescue Edward…
"Bella?" Edward's voice snapped me out of my silly fantasies, and I hummed in response. He shifted away from me on the bed and asked, "Are you afraid?" It was almost a whisper.
"What? Why would I be afraid?" I asked confused.
"Your heart is beating very fast," he pointed.
"And that means I'm afraid?" I quirked an eyebrow and he shrugged a shoulder. "Come on, Edward. I'm not afraid. Why should I be?" I shifted closer to him.
"Of me? Of what I am now? Of what I'm telling you?" he offered.
"But I'm not! I'm just afraid of what this situation will bring to us. I love you, Edward. And I'm willing to have you in any way possible," I confessed. "But I don't know how I'll be able to help you... I mean I've never experienced anything magical, ever..."
"That doesn't mean you can't now. Listen to me, Bella," he started, taking both of my hands in his. "I myself don't want you to go anywhere near this world, but it seems our options are limited. My savior said that if my captor captured my soul, then it will have hazardous consequences. If this was affecting only me, I wouldn't have..."
"Stop it," I took one of my hands out of his grasp and placed my palm on his cheek. "If this was affecting only you, then too, I would have given anything to save you. To have you back in my life," I whispered, lifting his other hand and kissed his fingers that were entwined with mine. He smiled slightly.
"I appreciate that, love. But I don't want you in harm's way," he expressed his concern. I pushed back the hair off his forehead and wrinkled my nose.
"Edward, why don't you leave that part for me to decide? Oh, and if your savior, whose name you are so adamantly refusing to tell me, told you about my powers, didn't he or she inform you how I would access those powers?" I asked.
"You already are using them, love. You have some sort of shield, and Savior told me that as long as I'm with you, the captor can't see me. I know that sounds weird, but Savior is sure of it," he replied. Hmm... I guess we have to name the 'savior' as Savior for now.
"Mmm... So, my work is to hide you from being found?" I wondered absently. I didn't notice when he laid his head in my lap, and when I started running my fingers through his hair. This seemed so normal, like a routine thing to do, considering all the mysterious things we were discussing.
"Uh... huh...," he closed his eyes. "Saviorsaid that you will know what to do when the time comes."
"It will be interesting if I ever get to meet this Savior," I mused.
"Savior says that time will come soon," he chuckled.
"And how can you hear Savior from here?" I questioned.
"Because we communicate in my head. And don't ask anything beyond that, love. I can't answer that now," he laughed softly.
"Fine," I huffed, folding my arms over my chest.
"Hey! Don't stop. Your fingers felt good in my hair," he whined.
"Ok," I said slowly, giving him a half-grin. "But you have to bribe me with answers." He opened his eyes and looked at me upside down.
"Bella, you know I can't..."
"I'm not asking you anything about Savior. I just want to know about what you said regarding your involvement with my ring," I asked cautiously.
"Oh!" he sat up suddenly. "Yes, that happened because of me reaching out for you. But I swear, love I didn't know the consequences. Saviortold me to get you to wear your ring and also told me where the ring really is. It was the only way for me to reach you. I didn't want to take any risk, so at first I refused. That's why I didn't disturb you after you saw me that night..."
"So it was really you who I saw across the bed, that night," I nodded at my own observation.
"Yes, it was me," he confirmed.
"Then what changed? Why did you decide to come here?" I whispered looking at my hands in my lap.
"You. You accused me of not loving you enough to show my face. Saviortoo taunted me on that matter. And after hearing you pouring your heart out, my decision was made," he declared without any hesitation. I looked to meet his eyes shinning with love for me. He reached out to hold my hand again. This was some sort of connection we always required. It gave us the courage we needed to face the worst of things. I squeezed his hand and smiled slightly. "How can you say that I don't love you? That... that hurt..."
"I'm sorry. I spewed that shit out in anger. No one believed me...," I shook my head.
"So, do you believe it now?" he asked hesitantly.
"Of course, I do." His face lit up at that.
He cleared his throat and continued. "So, the ring... I managed to get you to wear your ring again. Saviorsaid that the magic within you would surface with the power of our love. When you wore that ring, my whole being dragged itself inside of it. It hurt a little, but it was bearable. What I didn't know was that you too would be dragged inside the ring. Saviorheard about that from me for not telling me that," he grumbled.
"If you were there, why didn't I see you?" I frowned.
"Dunno. Savior attributes it to your magic. Even what you saw about my accident was due to your own magic. Saviordoesn't know what to say about that. Oh, and only you can see or touch me. That is also because of the magic in your veins," he smirked.
"And you've a problem with only me touching you, because..." I deadpanned. He raised his hands up in surrender and laughed softly.
"I've no problem with that. But do you understand now why our friends can't see me?" he tilted his head a little.
"Yea... Wait! So you basically came out of my ring?" My eyes widened.
"Oh, yea...," he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, knowing full well what I was indicating.
"Bloody Hell!" I shrieked and stood on my knees on the bed, hitting him with a pillow. But the pillow passed through him as if he wasn't even there. "What the..."
"Well, I think there are some perks of this half-life. One of which is you can't hit me," he smirked cheekily. Asshole! Then an idea struck me, and I smiled viciously.
"Hmm... let's see... I can't hit you with a pillow, but..." With that I started slapping his arms with my bare hands.
"Shit!" he muttered and jumped out of the bed.
"Yes, you asshole. You could have come out of that ring earlier..." I huffed and climbed out of the bed after him. "I wore that ring all the time and you were in it?" I countered with my hands on my hips. Now I know why the ring glowed with the familiar green color. His eyes! "And I mean all the time..." I glared at him.
"C'mon, love. It's not like I haven't seen you naked," he rolled his eyes.
"But you haven't seen me pee," I screeched.
"Hey! Your ring was on your finger, so how could I see you pee? And we both know you don't... pleasure yourself with that finger... Shit, Bella. I'm...," he sputtered, seeing my face red in rage. Or was it humiliation?
"You're a dead man, Edward Anthony Cullen," I screamed horrified.
LOL. How can you make an already dead man, a dead man? Bella is really mad at him. And Edward? Well now you know he is not a ghost, vamp or wolf. About the captor and savior... I'll leave that for you to figure out, for now. Let your imagination run wild. ;)
Your reviews...
#sherylb: Are the facts clearer now? :)
#Guest: Mahastra... I don't know where you found that but that was just a part of my creativity. LOL. I'm glad to know you're still reading and enjoying. :)
#marymary123: Ed finally told you the basics. I hope you're satisfied to some extent. :)
#Suzy-Chapstick: It will take some time to get to that part. :)
#bettononalice2: I'm really delighted to know you liked it enough to give it a try. I re-read the Sarah stuff but I don't think I mentioned Ephraim died. Really sorry if I gave that impression. Your other questions told me that you really had read them thoroughly. Some of your questions gave me a new perspective to think. So thanks for that. However, you've to wait for your answers. :)
I love to answer you so ask me whatever you like. Please REVIEW and let me hear you.
Now one more thing... I'm addressing this issue at the end so that you don't start hitting me without reading other stuff. My classes are starting in a matter of days, so I'll not be able to update it this fast. I'm sorry, but you have to wait longer than usual. However, I promise to not abandon this story. I WILL UPDATE IT. Please, please try to understand. And I'm still here to answer your questions if you have any.
Thanks for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing. :)
Oh, and I just saw that somebody added this story to a community 'Must Read Twilight'. Huge thanks for that. I can't tell you how much that means to me. :)
Stay tuned!
-K