I want to give my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to everyone that has been sticking with me as I battle through RL issues while trying to keep up with my writing. I especially want to give a HUGE shout out of appreciation and love to my pre-reader, SazzleDazzled and my beta, EdwardsFirstKiss for taking the time to work their magic on this chapter while dealing with their own RL issues.
I firmly believe that it takes a village of support to produce the amazing quality of fanfiction this fandom enjoys. I have the best supporters of all the villages and I appreciate you all!
Disclaimer: SM owns the Twilight world but I own this small part of the underworld.
The Devil's Plan
Chapter 33
Quick recap: Devilward began asserting his presence in school and home. Many have noticed a distinct change in Edward's (not really Edward) attitude, including the teachers at the school, Bella, Emmett and Kodi. Due to the little pills that Astarte is feeding him, Devilward has been successful at keeping Edward's influence at bay. Bella has found her mother's journal and thinks she's discovered more information that points to a nefarious outside influence that has befallen her family for a centuries. Bella is skeptical of Edward's new attitude, but can't deny that she's happy with his change in the way he treats her. - On with the show!
"How was school?" Bella threw down her backpack and headed straight past her questioning father, to the refrigerator. She grabbed a bottle of water, twisted off the cap and drained half of the contents in one long swig as if she were drinking a cold beer on a hot summer day. Charlie watched in half amusement and half worry at his daughter's achievement.
Bella pulled out the chair across from her father and plopped down with a heavy sigh.
"That good, huh?"
"It was-weird" Her eyes flashed up to meet her father's briefly before refocusing on her water. The recyclable plastic bottle crinkled and popped in her hands as she waited for him to ask her what she meant. She needed him to ask the question. Bella hoped that her dad's black and white way of seeing the world would lend a little guidance.
Charlie smiled and took the bait. "Weird how?"
It took only minutes for Bella to spill her guts. Edward's new arrogant attitude, his apologies, the way Mr. Simser had acted when Edward taunted him, she wisely left out his new propensity for PDA.
Charlie took in what she said with thoughtful eyes, a few head nods and a moustache rub for good measure. Edward's new attitude was troubling. It was rarely a good thing when a seemingly mild-mannered young man suddenly flipped personalities, nor was it a good thing when students started threatening their teachers, even one that, in his opinion, deserved a taste of his own medicine.
Bella watched her father's face and waited for his sage advice. "Dad!" She demanded his answer.
"Okay," He said raising his hands in submission. "First, I don't think there's anything too weird here. From what I know of Edward, he appears to be bullied a bit by his brother. It's not unrealistic to think that the boy finally snapped and strengthened his backbone. Threatening a teacher is never okay," he said with a stern look that his daughter rolled her eyes at. "I'll speak to Simser and find out what happened" And as to the apologies, I'm assuming that you were due them?" Bella nodded.
"Well that doesn't seem too weird. I think you need to just-" A knocking at the front door interrupted him. "Hold that thought." Charlie said, getting up from the table and walking to the door.
Bella could hear her father talking to the visitor but instead of wondering who was there, she pondered what Charlie had said. Maybe she had been too rough on Edward, he had apologized and didn't Mr. Simser kind of deserve to be on the other side of the bully stick? But she still had a nagging thought that something wasn't right.
"Who do you know from St. Joseph's church?" Bella's eyes widened at his question. She hadn't told him about contacting the church she'd found in her mother's journal. She jumped as several envelopes dropped in front of her, it was the one still gripped tightly in her father's hand that was the root of his pointed question. "Bella, I asked you a question." Charlie asked sternly.
"Dad, I-"
"-You promised. You promised that you wouldn't go crazy if I gave you that damn book. I should have known better. It made your mother crazy, she left us because of it."
"Dad, it's not the bible. I, I found one of mom's journals. She'd written in it around the time she disappeared."
Charlie sat down into his previously abandoned chair. His shoulders were slumped and his face was lax.
"Left." He uttered quietly. "She left us. She didn't disappear in a puff of smoke. She chose to leave."
"Dad, what if she didn't?"
"Why are you doing this? Why?" His voice was hoarse. He was clearly upset and that knowledge broke Bella's heart, but she was determined to move forward
"Just wait here." Bella got up and went to her room, retrieving the journal and bringing it down to her dad.
"I don't want to upset you. That's not what this is about. But you need to know what I've found." She set the journal down on the table and pushed it towards her father. Charlie, stared at the notebook, his hands shook as they hovered over the cover. Bella watched her father's eyes with trepidation as he began reading his wife's words. His eyes misted over as he read about her love for their family and then his head shook in disbelief when he got to the part where she described her fear that some unknown figure had been targeting her family for generations.
Charlie dropped his hands to the table top with a thud, fixing his daughter with a harsh glare. "This is the nonsense I was telling you about," he said loudly. "I told you she was obsessed with this crap. Tell me you don't believe this!"
"Dad, keep reading," Bella said insistently. "There's more, please."
Charlie, shook his head and all but glared at his daughter. She refused to allow this to drop. He realized that he was actually resenting his only child. But the scab she kept picking at was still very painful to him.
"Bella-"
"Dad you have to keep reading."
"Fine, but I can't do it stone cold, sober." Charlie picked up the journal and walked out of the kitchen. He wasn't opposed to drinking a beer or two in front of his daughter, but for this he was going to need something much harder than a can of Vitamin R. He'd need whiskey and he needed to be alone.
Bella watched her father leave and noticed the slump in his shoulders. The knowledge that she'd done that to him didn't sit well with her, but she needed her father on her side, or at least to understand why she needed to keep pushing forward. With a sigh, her eyes landed on the envelope Charlie had tossed onto the table.
Bella closed her eyes, took a deep breath and with a shaky hand, reached for the envelope from the church and opened it, muttering a quick prayer that it held the answers she was searching for. The St. Joseph's logo was emblazoned in dark letters in the upper left corner of the otherwise start paper.
Bella scanned the letter;
Dear Isabella;
It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that Father Augustus, left this world to enter the home of our heavenly father three years ago. As you stated in your letter, you were already aware of Father Ignatius's disappearance eighteen years earlier. We pray for his deliverance daily but other than that, I can offer you no information on his current whereabouts.
I have fond memories of Father Ignatius. He was a gentle man and kind soul. I was an altar boy around the timeframe that you reference. I remember that Father Ignatius became quite restless during that time and would often speak of the Devil hiding in plain sight. His teachings became quite dark and served to make myself and the rest of my class to pay special attention to our studies and strengthened our conviction to stay on the right side of our Lord. It was his passion that led me to join the order and dedicate my life to the Lord and his children.
I regret that I could not give you better news. If you should ever need my services, don't hesitate to come to St. Joseph's for counsel. You are too young to be seeing the Devil in the shadows when there is nothing but earthly darkness.
God bless.
Your Servant,
Father Marcus Accardi
The letter floated from Bella's grasp to land softly on the table top, followed by her bowed head. While she didn't think that she would be given answers to all of her questions, she'd held out hope that there would be something. Both priests that her mother had spoken to were gone. One deceased and the other…just gone. As was the optimism she'd held onto when she'd sent the letter.
"I've gained nothing." She whispered to the empty room. "Nothing!" Bella plucked the letter off the table and angrily crushed it in her hands while tears of frustration rolled down her cheeks. What was she to do now? She had no more avenues to explore. Bella's body began to shake. She crumpled to the floor, as the day's events settled heavily onto her already burdened shoulders.
The days after receiving the letter from Father Accardi, had been difficult for Bella. Charlie had reappeared in the kitchen just as she'd forced the balled-up paper into the pocket of her jeans. She'd hastily wiped away the lingering evidence of her tears just has her father had come into view. He mistakenly thought that their argument had been the cause of her tears. He'd taken her into his arms apologizing for upsetting her and promising not to raise his voice at her again. Bella had allowed him to take the blame, and had shed more tears in her father's embrace. Exhausted, she'd also apologized for not coming to him when she'd found the journals. Once the apologies were done, Charlie sat down and with a heavy heart, told his daughter that reading the journals had done nothing but reaffirm his previous conviction, Renee been carried away by a bunch of rantings by unstable ancestors and had allowed those rantings to cloud her judgment. He still believed she left on her own accord. Bella had nodded solemnly at his words. She had no other proof to give him.
"Bella, I think it's probably best if you stop looking into this. There's nothing here, honey. And I'm afraid that if you keep pushing this, you're going to..." his voice faltered as he tried to find the words to say he was afraid that she was going to become as crazed as her mother without offending her.
"You're afraid I'm going to go crazy." Bella filled in the silence.
"Let's not use that word. But yes, I'm afraid you're going to get caught up in this just like Renee did."
"And nothing you read has you asking questions? You didn't see anything that gives you pause?"
Charlie sighed and closed his eyes in thought. "Sweetheart, I do have questions. But they're still the same ones I've always had. Nothing I read in your mom's journal has changed my mind."
"Okay." Bella announced as she pushed off from the table and got up to leave the room.
"Okay? That's all you have to say?" Charlie asked skeptically.
"Dad, I'm tired of trying to get anyone to believe me. I'm tired of searching and coming up with nothing. I'm…I'm just tired." Charlie could hear the exhaustion in her voice, but there was something else too. Despair? He made a mental note to speak to Dr. Cullen about getting a reference for a therapist. Something had caused Renee to act so irrationally. Maybe it was something hereditary? He'd not been smart enough to get Renee help when she clearly needed it. But he'd not fail his daughter.
He watched as she slowly walked out of the kitchen and headed for the stairs.
"I won't fail her." He promised himself.
Bella took her mother's journal, family bible and Father Marcus's letter, and put them on her bookshelf, determined to take a break. She needed to take a step back. The discovery of her mother's journal had originally made her optimistic. That optimism was now gone.
~~TDP~~
While Bella pushed ahead and looked towards the future, the rest of the characters in her story were focused on the present and how to use it to ensure the future they desired.
"Do you believe he's noticed a difference?" Ba'al asked quietly as he and Astarte walked down the crowded hallway towards the school parking lot.
"I don't know. He hasn't said anything, but then he seems to have leveled out a bit. He may not even need them." Ba'al considered her answer with a touch of unease.
"That means that the boy has stopped fighting." Ba'al grabbed Astarte's arm and tugged her into the corner of the building, away from their classmates. "We need Edward to fight. He has to continue pushing or we won't be able to push him over the edge."
Astarte pulled her arm from his grasp. "What do you expect me to do? I counselled him about the girl and now they seem fine. I've been giving him baby aspirin instead of muscle relaxers, I've kept Emmett from pushing him, all while keeping up this farce of a life!"
Ba'al regarded her thoughtfully. "Then we must stir up some trouble between him and the girl. Edward seems to fight the most when she is involved. But how do we do that without arousing suspicion?" Astarte gave him a blank stare and a shoulder shrug.
"We'll have to come up with something. The full moon is less than a month away."
~~TDP~~
"You've gathered quite a following." Bella commented, nodding in the direction of the gaggle of freshman and sophomore girls gathered in the corner with their eyes set on the handsome boy leaning against her locker.
Devilward cast a casual look towards the giggling girls and gifted them with a grin. The girl's tittering got louder as they passed the lockers before wandering towards their next class. Bella rolled her eyes as they passed.
"Do not worry, you are the only prize I seek." Devilward assured her before leaning down to capture her lips in a possessive kiss that had her toes curling inside her shoes.
"Gah! Why do you do that when we still have classes to attend?" She'd become quite fond of Edward's new fondness for kissing in the hallways, but he always seemed to get her worked up when he couldn't finish what he'd started.
Devilward chuckled at her flushed cheeks. Only a few weeks ago he'd been prepared to press his advantage when suddenly Bella's demeanor had changed. She'd become less insistent to disagree with him and now accepted his advances quite easily. This change of events allowed him to work her up slowly to his ultimate goal. He'd also found his new role as King of Forks High School quite satisfying. His new admirer's aside, he'd also gained the admiration or rather the respect of the rest of the school. Emmett still fought against him but he was now alone in that regard. It tickled the King of Hell's funny bone that the ultimate jock of the school was now having to watch his little brother take his spot in the school's hierarchy.
"Your jealousy brings a fetching blush to your cheeks." These little endearments now fell easily from his smirking lips. He'd discovered as Astarte had promised, these earth females believed anything that was said in an alluring tone, especially when coupled with a hooded stare or a tilt of the lips. He had to stop himself from laughing each time a female fell for it.
Bella's blush increased as she pulled him towards their class. He followed along behind her admiring the view.
~~TDP~~
"Mom, I'm telling you something is not right with that kid. He saunters through the halls at school like he owns the place. He has the teachers avoiding him and all of the girls are panting after him like he's some kind of god. " Esme sighed loudly at her eldest son's newest complaint. If she hadn't also noticed some unbecoming changes in Edward's behavior, she'd dismiss his gripes completely. Instead she needed to halt the escalation of Emmett's new battle and try to figure out her youngest son later.
"Look, he's been through a lot, before he was too quiet, too shy and willing to take grief from everyone. Now he's fighting back, there's a little swagger back in his step, I think he's just trying to find himself again. I want you to cut him some slack."
Emmett's eyebrows went up. " 'Cut him some slack'? Do you even hear yourself?" He mocked with quote fingers.
"Emmett…" Esme warned.
"Whatever. Fine. So he's found his balls again. Great. How do you explain the way he treats Kodi?" He asked with bubbling anger. His mother wearily shrugged her shoulders. "Fine you stick your head in the sand, but I'm going to figure out what's going on!" Emmett pushed back from the table and stomped up the stairs.
"When will all this end?" Esme asked the large brown puff ball laying at her feet. Smiling, she leaned down to scratch his soft ears. "What is Edward doing to you?" Esme frowned as the puppy began to whine when she said her son's name. She knew that the puppy had become her shadow and wasn't sleeping in Edward's room anymore. She'd put his new found need to be with her all of the time down to the fact that with the boys back in school she and Kodi had been spending a lot more time together. "I honestly don't know what to do." Esme exclaimed, before falling into the nearest chair. "We're falling apart and I don't know what to do." She repeated with a sad sigh. Kodi got up and set his head on his mom's knee. With his large soulful eyes, he tried to tell her that the big boy was correct. Something was wrong with his boy. He didn't smell right. And that there was a darkness to his energy that hadn't been there before, but his mom didn't seem to understand him.
"You're such a sweetie. Let's go get you a cookie." Kodi watched in sadness as Esme gently pushed his head off her knee and walked over to his treat box. He'd have to keep trying to get through to her, but for now he'd continue to guard his family as well as he could. He'd also need to keep his strength up. He waddled after her and accepted his treat.
~~TDP~~
I hate that he's speaking to her.
I hate that he's touching her.
I hate that she seems to enjoy his attentions.
I HATE that she can't tell it's not me!
I don't know what to do to stop him!
Edward was seething. Watching his Bella smile, laugh and return Satan's attentions was killing him. He'd all but given up trying to keep the Devil away from his beloved. Somehow the Devil had successfully ignored his screaming. Edward was at his wit's end. He'd been unable to break through the fog that was constantly surrounding him and he'd begun to feel more and more as if he were losing his place in his own life. He felt that slowly the pieces of him that had hung on after he'd given into the Devil's promises of relief, were disappearing. Now, he was watching Satan's grip around Bella tighten without having any recourse. Depressed and saddened beyond belief Edward screamed his anger out into the darkness that surrounded him.
Almost instantly he heard a loud "FUCK!" and felt a shudder run through his body. Edward lifted his head, did Satan hear him? Was he once again able to effect the Devil?
With renewed purpose, Edward opened his mouth and screamed again.
Nothing.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Had he actually been able to effect Satan? Edward struggled with the feeling that he was fighting against an unmovable foe. He cleared his mind of everything but the thought of holding Bella in his arms again and screamed for all he was worth.
"Son of a shepherd's whore! Astarte, get in here! Something is wrong!"
Suddenly, Edward's heart soared with hope.
Okay folks, things are going to get more complicated but should begin to wrap up. Please don't give up on me!
-ruinedbyrob
