No, you're eyes aren't deceiving you. This is a real, honest to goodness update! It took a long time, and I started it over several times but here it is! The pieces are falling into place. We'll start moving a bit faster as we go forward.
Thank you all for hanging with me and understanding that my RL commitments are ruling me right now. Your support means the world to me!
Much love to my pre-reader Sazzledazzle and beta Edwardsfirstkiss. They give me so much support and guidance. I couldn't do this without them.
SM owns all Twilight related stuff. I own nothing but Devilward and a chubby chow named Bella that refuses to snuggle with me!
The Devil's Plan
Chapter 32
"Does this mean what I think it does?" Ba'al's whole body twitched with electricity as he peered onto the parchment in his hands.
Aro looked down at the stone floor, his own body twitching with the knowledge of what he'd done. And what it could mean for him now that Ba'al knew what he'd done.
"Answer me!" Ba'al's voice was laced with authority. In spite of his want to not show Ba'al fear, Aro found himself quickly speaking to the demi-god's demand.
"Yes." Aro said simply, he kept his head down, hoping that Ba'al would kill him rather than make him wait for Satan's wrath.
"The words have been altered…The vessel has control." Ba'al half whispered to himself as he tried to fully comprehend what he held in his hands.
"How does it work?" He finally asked.
"It doesn't matter. All is lost." Aro fell to his knees, his head bowed as he waited for the death blow he was certain that Satan's servant was there to deliver.
With the parchment held tightly in his hand, Ba'al moved to look out the door and down the hallway. After assuring that no one was within reach, he reentered Aro's chamber.
"We have much to discuss." He whispered to the quivering man.
Aro looked up slowly, his heavy brow furrowed questioningly.
Ba'al knelt down so that he was eye to eye with the seer. "You and I, it seems, are working towards the same end." Aro stared into Ba'al's blue eyes. He saw arrogance, intelligence and strength. All traits expected from a demi-god. It was the fear that he saw that made him nod in understanding.
With Ba'al's help Aro managed to get up off the floor. The two men moved to sit on the stone bench farthest from the door.
Ba'al winced slightly at the heat that permeated his robes from the stone wall.
"Tell me." Aro's eyes flitted quickly away from Ba'al's demanding stare. "He already knows that the vessel is aware."
"Then what more do you need from me? My fate is sealed." Aro's shoulders again slumped in defeat.
"He knows that the boy is aware, but he doesn't know how much power he retains or that his grip is unbreakable. You must tell me all of it, so I can help."
"Help?"Aro scoffed. "You and that creature you call sister are his minions. Why would you help derail his plans?"
"I- we have had a change of heart. What Satan wants cannot happen."
"It can't happen." Aro echoed with a sigh. "Let me tell you what I've done."
~~~TDP~~~
Bella packed her school bag with a feeling of unease. She wasn't worried about school itself, she'd always been a good student. As curious as she was, school spoke to her strengths. Solving problems, watching the cause and effect from chemistry experiments and physics formulas, adding to her vocabulary while opening her mind to philosophy and learning from past mistakes in history classes; it all appealed to her. No, it wasn't the thought of returning to classes that had her shoulders hunched and her movements deliberately slow, it was the thought of seeing Edward. After their fight, he'd made himself scarce. At first she'd been too preoccupied with her discovery to worry much about his absence in her life. But as the weight of what she'd found settled around her, she would admit to missing his presence. She needed the old Edward back. The boy who held her hand and promised to help her find the truth. The caring boy who held her close while whispering soothing words in her ear as she retold the dreams that kept her up at night. She missed the boy who had shared his own heartache with her because he wanted her to know him, all of him. Even with the chance that she would be repulsed by what he had told her, Edward had poured his heart out and laid himself bare and vulnerable to her.
She needed her Edward now. She needed him to help her sort through what she'd found in her mother's journal. Bella needed a cool head to listen to her fears and soothe her heart when she sobbed.
This new Edward wouldn't do any of that. He was as far away from the boy she'd fallen in love with as you could get.
After hastily wiping a lone tear from her cheek, she hurriedly zipped up her bag and grabbed water bottle before locking the door and heading for her car.
The drive back to school was bittersweet. While she was looking forward to the distraction of friends and homework, her mind was running in a million differed directions, leaving little room for history, English and Biology. Additionally aforementioned jerk boyfriend would be in attendance making the chances of avoiding him fairly low. After his last hissy fit, three days ago, she'd successfully dodged him. Truthfully, it hadn't been too hard a task as he'd not called or attempted to see her.
Bella parked her trusty Civic and quickly scanned the parking lot. She relaxed slightly when she saw Alice's light blue Volkswagen bug, parked a row ahead of her spot. She hadn't had a chance to talk much with Alice over the break. The Brandon's decided to spend most of their vacation back in Iowa visiting Mrs. Brandon's parents. The few times she'd spoken to Alice on the phone, it had been difficult to get a word in edgewise around Alice lamenting Jasper's absence and whining about how unbearably cold it was. Bella longed to speak to her oldest friend and get her thoughts about what she'd found.
January had fully landed on Forks. While not nearly as brutal as the winter was in Iowa, if Alice was to be believed, the thirty-four-degree temperature and brisk winds, chilled her to the bone.
Pulling the collar up, shielding her neck from the cold, and the light mist that always seemed to be falling, Bella grabbed her backpack out of the backseat and made her way into the school.
The warm hallway was bustling with her school mates greeting each other and swapping tales of their winter break adventures. Bella made a beeline for her locker, not making eye contact with anyone lest she see Edward and be forced to acknowledge his presence before she was ready. The first bell rang and with her World History and English books in tow, Bella headed to her first period.
"Bella!" Alice exclaimed as she slid into her seat. "It's so good to see you!" The girls only had time for a quick embrace as Mr. Jorgenson called the class to order.
"How are you?" Bella asked as she and Alice made their way to English.
"Good, great actually. Jasper got back yesterday. It's been wonderful." Alice beamed happily. While Bella had softened somewhat towards Jasper, she still wary of him and his influence on her friend. Alice no longer constantly displayed that children of the corn zombie look. However, the blankness still showed up when Alice was in Jasper's presence for very long. And to Bella's displeasure, she generally sided with him. That was another reason Bella had been reluctant to share too much of her relationship woes. She didn't want to hear Jasper's opinions concerning her digging into her past as Bella was sure his misogynist attitude would mirror Edward's. And she wasn't about to allow another man order her around.
"Good, Alice. I'm glad you're happy." Bella offered as Alice entered her French language classroom that was next to Bella's English class.
"See you at lunch." Alice said with a dainty wave before disappearing into the crowd.
Bella's stomach dropped at the thought. Her table consisted of Alice, Jasper and Edward. Maybe she would skip lunch?
"Bella, I saved you a seat." Bella smiled at Angela's greeting. Angela had witnessed a bit of Edward's attitude. Bella was fairly certain Angela would not side with Edward. Making the quiet, and shy girl her best ally.
~~~TDP~~~
"Is this really necessary?" Devilward asked, tugging on the plaid button-down Astarte had demanded he wear over a plain white tee shirt. He was already irked that he would have to attend the child's school. The Lord of Hell, pretending to be a human student? How utterly degrading!
"Yes." Astarte replied, handing the Devil a pair of polished black Doc Martens to finish off his outfit.
Satan gazed at the shoes with admiration. "These I like. Much more befitting to my image."
Astarte quickly turned away from him so she could roll her eyes without fear of having her eyes scooped from her head. The last few days had been trying, to say the least. Satan had complained and pushed back at every one of her suggestions. He'd proven to be much more of a child than the one he currently inhabited.
"Rose, let's go!" Emmett angrily bellowed up the stairs. He was not at all happy about his girlfriend's sudden desire to be Edward's best friend. After their Christmas morning altercation, Emmett had done his best to avoid his brother, even more than usual. It seemed that Emmett wasn't the only one in the family going out of their way to avoid Edward. His father had been spending more time at the hospital and his mother had been staying in her room all day, only coming out to get more ice for the seemingly bottomless glass of vodka that was always in her hand. Even Kodi was doing what he could to evade the kid. "You know there's something wrong with him, right?" Kodi, looked up and blinked his big brown eyes. Emmett reached down to ruffle the dog's fuzzy head. Kodi leaned into his touch, appreciating the comfort one his boy's was giving him.
Emmett and Kodi both looked up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Emmett's body turned rigid as Rose came into view with Edward right behind her. Kodi tensed and let out a low growl as the pair came closer.
"What is that animal's problem?" Rose snorted, stopping at the bottom of the stairs to stare at the ruffled dog.
"Chows are guard dogs," Emmett said with a shrug. "He's guarding."
Edward remained silent but stared at the visibly upset puppy. Emmett watched as Kodi cowered under Edward's glare.
"Kodi, go find mom." Emmett ordered sternly. He didn't understand why, but he felt that his mom needed the comfort and watchfulness the puppy could provide. Kodi moved slowly towards the stairs, staying as far away as possible from Edward. His steps quickened when a low growl emitted from Devilward.
"Jesus, Edward!" Devilward smirked as the chubby puppy fled up the stairs. "What the hell is your problem?"
Devilward ignored Emmett's question as he proceeded towards the kitchen. Emmett stiffened as his brother belligerently brushed past him, effectively knocking Emmett into the door jamb on his way.
"I've just about had enough-"
"-I desire to break my fast." Devilward uttered, interrupting Emmett.
Emmett watched in open mouth astonishment as his girlfriend rushed into the kitchen. Devilward raised his eyebrow and smirked at the giant boy's shock as the blond fixed his breakfast.
~~~TDP~~~
"Have you seen him yet?" Bella shook her head at Angela's question. She'd successfully made it through all of her morning classes without even a glimpse of Edward. Her lunch period was next. The odds of missing him then were low. Bella's stomach began to knot as the minutes ticked down to the end of the period.
Bella sat in her seat watching her classmates file into the hallway on their way to the cafeteria. Slowly, Bella gathered her things and followed them out.
With a whopping enrollment of two hundred and eighty-nine students at Forks High School, it was necessary to split the lunch periods into grades. Ninth and tenth grades ate first, leaving the cafeteria free for the eleventh and twelfth grade students, making it difficult to hide from a certain messy haired boy. Keeping her head down, Bella moved through the lunch line grabbing a salad, an apple and a bottle of lemonade. With her tray loaded, she had no excuse to stay in line. Lifting her head, she saw him.
He was sitting with his back to her at a table with Alice, Jasper, Ben and Angela. Alice was speaking animatedly with Ben while sitting as close as possible to Jasper without sitting in his lap. Angela was nibbling on a carrot stick while nervously looking from Edward to Bella. There was one empty seat at the table. Of course, it was next to Edward.
For a moment, Bella calculated the odds of slipping between senior football players, Matt Whitmer and Don Wright, using their large presence to shield her so she could slip out of the cafeteria without making eye contact with Edward. Before she had decided on her plan, Edward abruptly looked up and turned his head. Bella stiffened as his eyes zeroed in on her. She was caught in an Edward Cullen tractor beam, powerless to move from his sight.
Edward stood up, pulling out the empty chair next to him and motioning for Bella to join him. In that moment, he looked every inch the boy she'd fallen for. She'd always thought Edward was beautiful, as gorgeous as any model gracing the covers of countless teen magazines. Today, with his blue and red plaid button down atop a plain white tee, setting off his fitted dark wash jeans, his was stunning. Bella shook her head, clearing it of the foggy thoughts. "You can't dazzle your way out of this." She murmured under her breath as Edward gracefully walked towards her.
"Allow me to carry your tray." Edward reached forward to take her lunch.
Bella took a step back, clutching her lunch. "I'm still mad at you."
It could have been the artificial lighting of the cafeteria, but Bella could swear that anger flashed in his eyes, but was quickly doused.
Edward leaned forward, his intoxicating scent surrounded Bella, blocking out the mixed aromas of cafeteria food.
"I know," he said, into her ear. "And I'm sorry for that." Edward moved back until he could see her face. He looked sincere, but she stood stiffly, holding her ground.
"It will take more than that to fix this." Anger flushed through her body. He'd selfishly abandoned her when she'd needed him the most. He didn't know what she'd since discovered and had been dealing with on her own. The weight of which, was staggering to her.
"I understand. What I said was wrong. I beg of you to allow me the opportunity to rectify my mistake."
"Really?" She asked, warily, wanting to believe him if only for the comfort she might gain from sharing her burden.
"Please allow me to escort you to the table." Edward took her tray, balancing it on one hand while placing the other at the small of her back and gently prodding her forward. Bella allowed his assertiveness, not wanting to cause a scene in front of half of the school population and in part hoping that he was being sincere.
As the couple moved towards the table, their path was completely unhindered as the usual bustling crowd seemed to part, allowing them a clear path. Bella moved forward unaware of the way her classmates were acting in Edward's presence. She didn't notice how boys quickly averted their gaze when Edward turned his eyes on them or how the girls moved around each other to gain better positions among their friends to gaze upon him.
Edward placed her tray on the table and gallantly pulled her chair out for her. Bella blushed slightly before taking her seat. Edward had always been polite, but this level of chivalry was new.
Edward gracefully sank into the seat next to her, angling his chair so that his right knee brushed up against her left thigh.
"Allow me," Edward said, twisting the cap from her lemonade with one flick of his wrist.
"Thank you." Bella murmured. She understood he was trying. She would have to try too.
"Ange, I thought you said they were fighting. Ouch!" Ben exclaimed, when Angela planted her foot firmly upon his toes in rebuke.
"Angela was not wrong," Edward said, taking Bella's hand, placing a soft kiss to her knuckles. "I was very rude to Bella, a mistake that I hope she will graciously allow me to erase."
"Aw, that's so sweet." Alice sighed. "Don't you think that's sweet, Bella?"
Bella nodded, hesitantly.
"So, tell him you forgive him already." Alice prompted, with a big smile directed at Edward.
"Um, it's more complicated than that." Bella had no intention of spilling the contents of their fight and was a little miffed at Alice's interference on Edward's behalf.
"Sure, it is, when you love someone you'll forgive them for anything. I could never stay mad at my love." Alice snuggled into Jasper's side.
"Alice, Bella is well within her rights to hold me accountable for my actions." Bella's head swiveled towards Edward in surprise. His eyes were leveled on hers in what appeared to be regret. As angry as Bella had been at him, she could not fault the sincerity of his apology.
"Alice, leave it." Jasper quietly ordered, just as Alice opened her mouth to once again interfere.
Thankfully, Ben began asking everyone what they'd done over their vacation, diverting attention away from Bella and Edward. Bella had never been so thankful for Ben's chatty nature. Alice immediately began regaling the group with tales of her trip to Iowa.
Bella turned her attention to her lunch but realized that she'd lost her appetite and pushed it away from her.
"Has my apology not softened your heart towards me? Am I not speaking the words you wish to hear?" Bella shook her head and turned towards him. Her hackles up like a Doberman on patrol.
"Is that what you're doing? Are you just saying words I want to hear?"
"Is that not correct?" Edward's eyes narrowed slightly as they landed on the table where Rosalie and Emmett were sitting.
Bella followed his gaze, wondering why he sought his brother out. "Edward, I need more than just words. I need to feel that you mean them. Saying them means nothing if there is no action to back them up." Her shoulders sagged with the thought that he was giving her empty words. What little hope she'd had that he was once again going to be a partner to her faded.
"Bella, I hope you don't think me too forward for interjecting, but if I may offer this, when I returned home from my trip, Edward confided in me that he'd wronged you. He was quite upset. If it means anything to you, there is no doubt in my mind that his words are true." Jasper said, offering her a friendly smile before nodding at Edward. Edward tensed for a moment before giving him a slight head nod in return.
"Oh, Jazz, that's so sweet." Alice exclaimed, kissing him on his cheek.
Eavesdropping was one of Bella's pet peeves, but seeing as they had just aired their dirty laundry at a table with four other people, in a room that was filled with even more people, she supposed overhearing what they'd said was unavoidable. Besides, maybe what the weird boy was giving her was exactly the kind of straw she'd been grasping for.
"Really?" She asked Edward.
"It's true I have been upset over the direction our relationship has taken." Edward's eyes softened minutely as he took her hand. "I wish to put this behind us," he said, bringing her hand up to his lips and placing a soft kiss on her knuckle. Bella sighed softly at his actions. Edward had never kissed her in public before. He'd never wanted to bring any attention to himself. But this Edward was different. Different in many ways Bella decided. His demeanor was more aggressive. His gait more confident. The way he presented himself to their classmates, was more befitting a captain of the football or other varsity sport than the awkwardly shy boy she knew. He acted as if the world moved for him, and not the other way around. Even his new way of speaking, while strange and a tad off putting to Bella, seemed to command everyone's attention.
"I forgive you, but don't do it again," she said, softly into his ear as he once again bent over to place another kiss on her hand.
Bella didn't notice the satisfied smirk that appeared on Edward's face at her words. But many others did. And they each had different feelings about what they'd witnessed.
~~~TDP~~~
"I think that went well." Astarte commented as she took the Philosophy book out of her open locker.
"As well as we could hope for. I suppose." Astarte rolled her eyes at Ba'al's less than hearty endorsement.
"Really? She seemed to be eating out of his hand."
"Yes, but does that truly help or hinder our goal?" Ba'al asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I did what you asked!" Astarte slammed her locker door in frustration.
Ba'al quickly looked around the crowded hallway before taking her arm and leading her to a secluded corner. "Cease your burbling." He ordered. "We have a bigger role to play and fishing for compliments will not assist in our goal." Astarte huffed at his rebuke but remained silent.
"Now, what are you doing to keep the boy at bay?"
"I'm giving him muscle relaxers. It's kind of incredible that he's still able to walk with as many as he's tak-"
"-Stop giving them to him." Ba'al ordered.
"What do I say when he asks?" Astarte's eyes were wide with a touch of fear.
"Start giving him placebos or weaker pills. We can do it gradually, but we'll need the boy's help."
"But he'll know they're not working. He'll punish me."
Ba'al grabbed her arm, pushing her up against the lockers, he was oblivious to the stares they were receiving from the students in the hall. "Look around you. Everyone in this school, town, world…everyone you and I have come to care about will perish if we don't do this. Put your self-interest aside and figure out a way to do what must be done." He released her arm, turned and walked quickly down the hall.
~~TDP~~
After telling Edward that she'd forgiven him, Bella felt some of the heaviness lift from her shoulders. The distraction she'd hoped school would provide proved to be less of a help than she'd wished. Throughout the day she found her mind wandering to her mother's journal. She hadn't experienced the same nightmare that had plagued her before, it had been replaced by an even more disturbing dream. No longer did she see Edward holding her down, now, she was running from someone or something. She wasn't sure which was a more accurate description. But she was being chased, that was for sure and she wasn't alone. She was carrying a baby in her arms as she ran through the darkness. Her mother had written about feeling as if she were being watched and that the man doing the watching had been particularly interested in Bella. In the new nightmare, Bella had a similar feeling. Whatever was chasing her wanted the baby in her arms, she was running to protect the infant. But she didn't know why.
"Miss Swan, care to answer the question?" Mr. Birdie asked in annoyance.
Bella raised her head, her face red with embarrassment at being caught not listening to his introduction to his course on Comparative Religion.
"Miss Swan, do you believe there is a heaven and hell?" The teacher asked again.
"Well, um, I-" Bella's gaze flew to Edward. He was assigned a seat across the room. His eyes were narrowed and his face was set in a scowl and was trained on the teacher standing before him. Bella wondered briefly at the reason he looked so menacing towards the sixty-plus year old instructor.
"I'm waiting." Not a good way to start the semester, Bella thought before she blurted out her answer.
"I don't know. I guess I always thought heaven was real but hell was made up." Mr. Birdie's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Interesting. And what is your reasoning?" Bella wanted nothing more but to slink down in her chair but now in addition to Mr. Birdie's gaze, it appeared the whole class was waiting to hear her answer. Edward had also turned his scrutiny towards her. His mouth turned up into an amused smirk.
"Um, well I guess because believing that the same God I was told was kind and generous and loved his children would create such a monstrous place, sounds contradicting. And the thought that there is a red-faced Devil with pointy horns and cloven feet walking around torturing all the poor souls sounds more cartoonish than horrifying. Also, why would a benevolent and just God sentence his creations to a place like that? It sounds kind of preposterous and dumb to me." Bella shrugged and sat back in her chair, surprised that she had spoken her thoughts so thoroughly.
"Hmmm, that's a thought-provoking idea, Miss Swan," Mr. Birdie said, before turning to address the rest of the class. Thankfully, the rest of the students followed suit and turned their attention away from Bella.
All but one student.
Bella wasn't sure what reaction she had expected but the stone-faced almost angry expression on Edward's face was both a surprise and a bit disconcerting.
"What?" She mouthed.
Edward narrowed his eyes and shook his head before turning away from her.
Bella rolled her eyes at his whiplash of changing of emotions and turned her attention back to the instructor. She'd been looking forward to this class as a chance to get a head start on some of the college core courses she would need to take next year, and having Edward take it with her had sounded perfect when they'd signed up for classes last October. Now, she wasn't sure what she thought.
Her family bible had serious religious undertones that Bella didn't understand, and after reading her mother's ramblings, Bella realized that again, religion played a large part in whatever Renee had thought was going on. She'd hoped that maybe this class would give her the necessary tools to figure out what her ancestors and mother had been thinking.
Thankfully the rest of class sped by without any further interaction with her instructor or Edward. When the bell rang, she grabbed her books and headed out the door only to find Edward waiting for her. She rushed past him earning an amused chuckle for her efforts. Ignoring him, she walked straight to her locker.
"I gather that I've upset you again?" Edward asked, casually leaning up against her locker, garnering appreciative looks on his handsome profile from the female population as they passed.
"What pissed you off about my answer in class?" Bella asked with a huff, throwing her book into the locker and taking out her Biology book.
Edward's smirk instantly changed to a scowl.
"Do you really believe that the Devil is a cartoon, that the Lord of Hell is someone to laugh at?" He asked in a low and serious tone. Bella suppressed a shudder as his warm breath rushed over her ear and his scent filled her nostrils. Now was not the time to allow his closeness to cause arousal.
"I don't know. Yeah, I guess." She shrugged in answer, stepping back.
"You have much to learn on the subject." Edward growled under his breath.
Bella rolled her eyes, allowing his strange comment to roll off her back. One more thing to add to her list of things that were strange about Edward.
"That's the idea of taking the class in the first place." Bella slammed her locker door in annoyance.
His previous smirk returned
"I don't wish to fight with you. Your anger does not further my cause." He said, reaching out to curl a strand of her hair around his finger tugging her gently forward.
"And just what is your cause?" Bella asked, enjoying his playful attentions and the moment of reprieve from her troubled mind that it provided. No matter how fleeting.
Bella's heart sped as Edward leaned closer. "To make you mine." He whispered.
Bella startled when he used his teeth to place a heated kiss at the nape of her neck. All thoughts of pushing back his advances fled her heated brain.
"Ahem!" The loud clearing of a throat caused Bella to stiffen and pull away from Edward's warm mouth.
A blush of embarrassment rose in her cheeks at the disapproving look from Principal Banner.
"Ms. Swan, Mr. Cullen, I suggest you both get to your classes. Now! Or you'll find yourselves both with detention." He brusquely ordered.
"Yes, sir." Bella muttered, tugging on Edward's hand to hurry down the hall. Mr. Banner huffed loudly glaring intently at each as the pair moved in front of him.
Edward stopped in front of the miffed man and turned to look at him. His eyes blazed with anger at being interrupted. "Do not ever deem to threaten me again." Devilward delivered his threat in a low, menacing snarl.
Bella didn't hear what Edward said, but she saw the look of pure terror cross Mr. Banner's face.
"Edward, c'mon." She said tugging him down the hall towards their study hall.
"You're late." Mr. Simser announced while glaring from his six-foot four height. Mr. Simser was easily the most intimidating teacher in school. In addition to his substantial height, he weighed nearly four hundred pounds and lorded over his students with an unapproachable demeanor. No one dared to disagree with the man, much less talk back to him. Bella had had the imposing man as her freshman English teacher, learning the hard way that you simply did not cross Mr. Simser.
But of course that is exactly what Edward did.
"Class starts at two –fifteen, it's two-thirteen." Edward dropped into the seat next to Bella and gave her a narrow eyed smirk.
"Class starts when I say it starts. And you're late." Mr. Simser delivered one of his patented stares where he bends his head and looks down at you over the top of his glasses. Bella instantly sat up straighter in her chair, duly chastised. Edward, leaned back in his chair, stretching his long legs out until they reached under the chair of the desk in front of him, clearly not worried about showing disrespect to the notoriously unforgiving teacher.
"Then you go ahead and make a mark next to Edward Cullen in your little book, John." The whole class gasped at Edward's use of their teacher's first name.
"That's it!" Mr. Simser, bellowed. His large cheeks flamed in anger. "Detention for the rest of the week!"
"Oh, I don't think you want to do that." Edward looked up at the fuming man through half-lidded eyes.
"And just why wouldn't I? You entitled little-"
"Because I don't think Leslie would approve. In fact I'm guessing that the school board and the local authorities would have quite a bit to say about your little friend." Devilward had barely finished speaking before the teacher's eyes widened almost to the point of looking like a cartoon character's eyes after being hit in the foot with an anvil. A fine sheet of sweat appeared on his face as he staggered back to lean against the nearest wall. Bella half worried that the man was having a heart attack.
"How could you know-What-why would you say that?" Mr. Simser stuttered, his usually beady eyes wide with what could only be described as fright. Bella and the rest of the class looked on in confusion. They'd never seen expressions of anything but arrogance or meanness on the big man's face.
"I know a lot about what people do in this town." Devilward answered smugly, he was clearly enjoying the show.
"This is study hall. Get to studying!" Mr. Simser yelled as he hurried out of the classroom door. The door slamming loudly behind him as he fled.
"What the hell just happened?" Tyler Crowley asked.
"Holy hell, I thought for sure he was having the big one!" Mike Newton exclaimed. Mimicking the way Mr. Simser had grabbed his chest when Edward had mentioned the name Leslie.
The students chatted loudly as they tried to guess what was going on.
"Lost love that broke his heart?"
"Illegitimate child?"
"A deformed twin he keeps locked in the basement?"
Their guesses grew more and more ridiculous. Yet, Edward's statement was obviously alluding to something that the teacher was afraid of.
"Cullen, I don't know what any of that meant, but damn, that was awesome!" Devilward grinned slyly at Felix's remark. He was clearly enjoying the attention.
"Edward, what did your remark mean?" Bella asked, leaning over from her desk so the other students wouldn't overhear her. She'd never seen her teacher in such a state. Mr. Simser had been clearly scared and worried about whatever Edward had been referencing.
Edward moved in his chair mimicking her position. He leaned close to her ear. Bella suppressed a shiver of thrill at his closeness. Regardless of whatever weirdness Edward was putting out, she'd never be able to deny that his closeness elicited desire in her.
"If you expect me to reveal all of my secrets, I'm going to need a little incentive." Before she could ask what he meant, he captured her mouth in a bruising kiss. Her confusion and embarrassment bubbled to a simmer.
"Wooohooo, way to go Cullen!"
"I didn't know you had it in you Swan!"
Bella tried to pull back from his hold as her classmate's jeers reached her ears, but Devilward pulled her back in for another kiss before letting her go. He acquiesced to her wish, but made certain that she understood it was his decision to end their kiss, not hers.
Bella sat stunned at her desk with swollen lips and a look of bewilderment and anger on her face.
~~~TDP~~~
In the locked prison of his own mind Edward screams for his love to heed his warning, "No, Bella! You have to resist! Please!" "No, no, no!" His voice hoarse from his exertion, echoes around him. He's been fighting the fog to get to Bella for days but Satan has been able to keep his voice silent. The thick fog that has been surrounding him is relentless in its attempts to keep him silent. Yet, even though his voice has been taken from him, his vision is still clear. And through eyes that he no longer controls, he's seen what the Devil means to do and he has heard his plan. Depressed, and losing hope, Edward continues to fight. He knows that he has to find a way to stop The Devil's Plan. His only hope is that the brown haired girl that has his heart will listen.
We're moving forward.
Until next time,
ruinedbyrob
