Author's Note: I don't own Twilight.
Chapter 6: Sugar High
I squeezed my eyes shut as icy water ran in rivulets down my face.
"You aren't even trying," Charlie chided.
"Oh, you think I like this? That I'm having fun?" I yelled back, pulling off the blindfold and wiping my face on an already soaked shirt.
We had been in the forest behind the house for hours. Charlie was throwing water balloons at me while I tried to block using a mental shield. It wasn't going to happen, I had only created a physical shield once and had no idea how I'd done it.
"I think I need extra energy to block like that again, so unless you plan on lighting me on fire, I think we need to give up."
"Or maybe the stakes need to be higher," Charlie said "You love that shirt right?"
Charlie pulled out a bottle of red paint and started to fill up a new water balloon. I looked down at my vintage Star Wars T-shirt and cringed. It was an original 1977 T-shirt and I had paid over $800 for it.
"No Charlie! I can't do it!" I yelled.
"Put on the blindfold Bella."
Goodbye sweet T-shirt, forgive my father, he knows not what he does.
In fact, he knew exactly what he was doing. He was as big a fan of Star Wars as me. I shook my head but pulled the blindfold back on and tried to focus on the warm pool of light in my chest. I had to admit that it felt fuller since we had moved here. Maybe I could do this. I took a deep breath and imagined my shield solidifying around me, becoming hard like steel.
A solid mass hit my chest and cold splattered across my face, I pulled off my blindfold to find a large red splotch covering my shirt.
"God fucking dammit!"
"Language," Charlie called.
I glared at him and turned to walk back to the house. He followed behind me, chuckling at my temper.
"I hate you," I said.
"No you don't."
I ran my hand over the front of my shirt then turned on my heel and wiped it down his face and across his mustache..
He laughed, " So, are we even now?"
"Not even close, just wait and see what I do to your fishing pole."
His face blanched, making him look like a human Red Cross logo "You wouldn't."
"I would."
I went upstairs and took a quick shower. I changed into a DND shirt with an illustration of a wizard, jeans and my Converse. Charlie was downstairs making coffee and a fruit salad.
Suck up.
I poured a cup of coffee, and took a sip, the warm liquid making me smile and easing my temper.
"So, how's the recon going. Have you spotted anyone that might be responsible for sending us the messages?" I asked.
"No," Charlie sighed, " I haven't. I am not sure what is going on, but at least they don't seem to be making a move against us. I would sure feel better if we could find out who sent those messages and why though. Maybe we should just go."
"No!" I pleaded, " please Charlie. I want to stay."
He sipped his coffee looking at me over the rim of his mug, " Two days ago you said that you missed being on the run. What made you change your mind?"
My cheeks warmed. "Not any one thing."
"Did you talk to him?" Charlie asked.
I stood up and set my empty mug and plate in the sink, not acknowledging the question. I went to the front door and picked up my backpack and started out the door.
"Are you wearing lipstick?" Charlie called, laughing.
I scowled and slammed the door. I wasn't even wearing that much.
I grabbed my books from my locker and jammed them into my backpack. The hair on my arms started to stand up and I spun around. My breath caught as I realized that I was face to face with Edward Cullen, his cool breath hitting my cheeks. He stumbled backward and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Sorry, I…I just um…wanted to ask if you wanted to eat lunch with us today?" he asked, eyes never leaving his shoes.
A warm feeling spread over me, "Sure, I'd like that," I whispered.
"Okay, see you then," he said over his shoulder as he rushed away.
I skipped to English, humming to myself. The hour crawled by as Mr. Mason droned on about The Poisonwood Bible.
I sprung out of my chair when the bell rang, eager to get through my next two classes and go to lunch.
Lunch, where I would sit next to my new friend Edward. My 40K playing, Rush loving friend Edward, who looks like a Greek god and smells like cedar and pine and warmth. Does he smell like sexy Christmas?
I did a little spin in the hallway on my way to trig. I arrived early and started doodling in my notebook.
"What are the chances this is the Matrix?" Alice Cullen asked as she took the spot next to me. She had on cat ears and a short pleated skirt.
I pursed my lips and I looked at her seriously. "Fifty/fifty."
She smiled and stuck her hand out, "Alice," she said.
I shook her hand, "Bella. So…I guess I am sitting with you guys at lunch today?" I asked, uncertain. What if Edward's family didn't want me to sit with them?
"Yup, and I am pretty excited to have another girl to hang out with. Rose is resisting reading A Court of Thorns and Roses with me and I neeeeeeed to talk to someone about how cute Azriel is. Do you like to read? You seem like someone that reads. Will you form a book club with me? My mom says she will join, but how in depth can you really go with your mom, right?"
Wow, how much coffee has this girl had this morning?
"I am really more of a Rhysand girl myself, but I can see Azriel's appeal," I said in answer.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! You've already read it? That's amazing! Another guy that wears all black, huh? You really have a type don't you? Let's start a book club, we can meet every Thursday and discuss. Are you free on Thursdays?"
My eyes widened, "Edward and I are just friends," I blurted.
She laughed, "You sound just like him."
I started to ask her what she meant, but the bell rang and the teacher started class. I pulled on my eyelashes and chewed on my lip.
The rest of my morning crawled by as my stomach filled with butterflies. I left Spanish class and hesitated in the hallway next to my locker.
Did Alice mean that he really just wants to be friends, or does she think that he wants more? Does he want more? Do I want more?
Yes dummy, that's why you dream about him every night.
But I don't know anything about boyfriends, and getting close to Edward might be a mistake. What if he figures out that I'm on the run? What if he figures out that I'm not human?
I needed to restrict myself to superficial relationships. I would talk to Edward during class, but that was all. I nodded to myself, this was the responsible decision for Charlie's safety. I let the side of my head rest against my locker and sighed. I needed to come up with an excuse for skipping lunch.
A large arm swept from behind me and wrapped around my shoulder guiding me down the hallway. I looked up at dimpled cheeks and curly brown hair.
"You're eating with us today, right?" Emmett Cullen asked. Rosalie Cullen scowled at me from beside him.
"Umm…yeah. If that's okay with you guys?" I looked at Rosalie.
"Whatever," she answered in a bored voice.
"Great, because we are having my mom's lentil soup, it's the best. I hope you like vegan food because Edward brought some for you too," he said, holding up a large thermos. Warmth spread through my chest, Edward brought me soup.
"Yeah, that's perfect actually."
Emmett led me to their table and pulled out a chair for Rosalie next to him and gestured for me to pick a spot at the empty table. I sat down across from them and bit my lip, waiting for Alice or Edward to show up. The three of us sat in uncomfortable silence until Emmett started to pour soup out of his thermos and into a bowl.
"So…umm…how did you guys meet?" I asked.
"Foster care," they answered in unison. I winced, not sure if I should continue asking about that topic.
"Oh, umm…how do you like Forks? I heard that you just moved here a few years ago."
"It's great," Emmett answered, "so let's cut to the chase. Are you a witch or something?"
Ice water ran through my veins, "Ummmm, what? No, I am just a perfectly average human girl," I stammered.
Shit, I shouldn't have said the human thing.
"Well, Edward doesn't talk to anyone except his family, and now he is inviting you to eat lunch with us. What did you do to enrapture my brother?" he asked, smiling.
"Leave her alone Emmett," Alice said, sitting down next to me. Jasper sat down on the other side of her and she held out a red Jolly Rancher to him.
"I'm Jasper, nice to meet you," he said with a southern drawl, unwrapping the candy Alice had handed him and popping it into his mouth.
"Bella," I answered.
"Well, I hear that you are a fan of prog rock," Jasper said.
I laughed, "Yeah, I love Rush. But besides Muse, I haven't gotten into any other prog rock bands yet. I'm open to suggestions."
"I could make you a playlist if you wanted," a rich voice said from behind me. I smiled and looked over my shoulder at Edward. He was wearing a black Henley with the sleeves pushed up his muscular forearms. He looked down at his shoes and his bronze hair fell into his eyes.
"I would like that." I felt my cheeks warm up as he took the seat next to me.
Emmett snorted, "Wow," he said under his breath.
"I know," Alice said, leaning across the table.
"You guys have no idea," Jasper whispered.
Edward cleared his throat. "So Bella, I heard you say that you like Doctor Who, which Doctor?"
"Oh, the 11th Doctor all the way."
"Now do you mean, Matt Smith or David Tennant?" Jasper asked.
"Matt Smith, obviously, David Tennant was the 10th Doctor twice, not the 11th," I said, shaking my head.
Edward chuckled, "Obviously Jasper," he said, rolling his eyes and tilting his head toward Jasper.
"I like David Tennant, he's better looking. Matt Smith doesn't even have eyebrows," Alice said.
"Also, I heard on Top Gear that Billie Piper calls him, 'David Ten-inch'. So, that's intriguing," I added, then blushed.
I noticed from the corner of my eye Emmett giving Edward a covert thumbs up. Edward cleared his throat and shifted next in his chair next to me.
"You watch Top Gear?" Rosalie asked. We met eyes and I realized it was the first time that she had looked at me without a scowl.
"Um, yeah. I watch it with my dad almost every night. Except now we are watching the Grand Tour." Charlie insisted on watching the British car show that reviewed new super cars. I loved it because Jeremy Clarkson is hilarious.
Edward pulled a thermos out of his backpack and poured me a bowl of the lentil soup. He started to pour himself a bowl and I leaned forward and took a bite,it was heavenly. I really only ate raw vegetables. Cooking vegan was hard to do on the road so Charlie and I never had the chance to learn. I took another bite and couldn't help the small groan that escaped me. Edward fumbled the thermos, nearly spilling his own soup.
Emmett looked up at him and smirked and I was surprised to see Edward give him the finger. I chuckled at the exchange.
We discussed our dream cars while we ate. It turned out that every one of the Cullen family was obsessed with cars. Alice loved the 911 Porsche, Rose preferred BMWs and Edward was really into Aston Martins.
I imagined Edward driving an Aston Martin, like James Fucking Bond. I bit my lip and Edward's eyes locked onto my mouth, I felt my panties get damp at the attention.
Emmett was discussing modifications he was making to his Jeep and Rose held out a lemon Jolly Rancher, which he took and sucked on while he spoke.
Man, the Cullens really like Jolly Ranchers.
Rose smirked at me and then at Edward. "Here, you want one?" She asked, holding out a lemon candy.
I didn't eat candy. Since I absorbed all of my energy from the environment, I didn't need to consume high calorie food. In fact, I only ate to obtain enzyme cofactors and other micronutrients. I could go for months without eating anything but still kept to regular meals since it helped me fit in.
There was also the aphrodisiac effect that sugar had on my species. It made me really…sexually charged. I blushed at the idea of eating candy in Edward's presence. I already had a hard time keeping my hands to myself, but Rose had just started to like me. I didn't want to offend her, so I took the Jolly Rancher from her hand and before I could reconsider, popped it in my mouth.
Emmett let out a small squeak and Edward shot out of his chair.
"Sorry dude, sorry! Chill," Emmett said, lifting his hands in surrender. I couldn't understand the exchange, but Edward sat back down and cleared his throat. Bright red stained across his cheeks.
Rosalie giggled and held out a piece of candy to Edward, "Would you like a piece of candy, Edward? I'll share," she said.
He looked up at her with the most disgusted look I had ever seen.
"Rose, stop," Jasper scolded.
I looked from Edward to Rose. I wasn't sure what was happening, but this candy really seemed to piss Edward off and Rose knew it. I decided to change the subject.
"So…controversial statement. Voyager was the best Star Trek series. Thoughts?"
The table erupted in an argument about the merits of the show. Edward caught my eye and mouthed, 'thanks'. I nodded and we spent the rest of lunch in deep debate.
Edward and I walked to biology together, exchanging small smiles along the way. He pulled out my chair and I took my seat, his proximity shooting a thrill through me. Mr. Molina announced that we would be watching a movie today. The entire room seemed to charge with electric energy between Edward and I as soon as the lights went off. A tingling sensation overtook me, my skin demanding to be touched. The sugar was taking effect. I clenched my fists to keep from reaching out and caressing the sinuous muscle of his forearm, his knuckles turned white next to mine on the table. The blue light from the screen threw his features into stark relief, embellishing on his already sharp jawline and high cheekbones. His hair seemed to glow red and looked like it would feel like silk. My hand twitched in his direction.
I took a deep breath, trying to clear my thoughts, but I noticed him tilt his head toward my neck. The movement sparked my imagination and my proclivity towards vampires took hold. I started to imagine him leaning into the crook of my neck, feeling his hot breath on my ear and the mixture of pain of pleasure as his teeth caressed my throat. My breath started to come in quick pants.
I closed my eyes and felt a warm body move towards me, but from the wrong direction. I opened my eyes to see Mike Newton had leaned across the aisle and was inches from my face. I flinched back.
"So you like wizards, huh?" he whispered.
Edward looked over at him and practically growled.
"What?" I asked, my voice was shaky.
Mike looked down at my chest, not even trying to be subtle.
I heard a sound come from Edward.
Was that a hiss? Like a kitty cat?
Mike pointed at my shirt. I looked down, remembering that I had worn my DND T-shirt with an illustration of a wizard today.
"Oh…um…yeah," I answered. Mike's eyes still didn't leave my chest.
"Which one is your favorite?" he asked. I was surprised, it was the first follow up question he had ever asked.
"Harry Dresden," I answered.
Mike rolled his eyes. "His name is Harry Potter," he looked over at Edward. "What's with hot girls pretending to be nerds, right?"
Edward snorted, then quickly covered his nose. He sobered up and looked over at me. "Stars and stones Bella, his name is Harry Potter," he said with a serious look. Then he started quietly giggling, which slowly got louder and more hysterical until he was hiccupping. His laughter was contagious, and I found myself laughing until tears were streaming down both of our faces.
Mike shook his head and turned back to the screen. "Nerds," he mumbled under his breath.
The bell rang and Edward stood up. "Umm….see you tomorrow…I guess?" he asked, looking at the wall behind my head.
"Yeah, umm…should we have lunch together again?"
Was that too forward?
"Yes," he answered a little too loudly. Bubbles filled my stomach as I realized that he was as excited as I was.
"Okay, see you," he said, starting to walk into the aisle. Mike Newton caught my eyes and looked down. I noticed that he had stuck his foot into the aisle to trip Edward. I gasped and Edward turned towards me. He looked up, his hair falling into his eyes and a devilish grin on his face. He winked and hopped over Mike's foot, landing on one foot and turning to take a few steps backwards. "See you at lunch tomorrow, Bella," he said in a velvet soft voice. My panties caught on fire.
I spent the next hour in gym trying to rein in my hormones. At least I could go home after this and take care of some issues. It was really nice to finally have my own room.
Maybe I could buy some accessories. I had no idea where to go for such a thing and I certainly didn't want to buy them online and have them shipped to the house. I shuttered imagining that conversation with Charlie.
I changed out of my gym clothes and started to head out of the girls locker room. Mike was waiting for me just outside of the door.
"What do you need Mike," I asked, trying to push by him.
"Let's stop this game of cat and mouse," He said in a gravelly voice. "You don't need to keep hanging out with Cullen to make me jealous, I already want you."
"Have you considered that I like Edward and not you?" I asked, trying to figure out a way to move him out of my way without hurting him. I snaked between him and the door, but he grabbed my wrist and spun me around, pushing me against the brick wall and holding my wrist above my head. I sighed, I was going to have to hurt this asshole
He leaned in close and I could smell the bean burrito they served at lunch on his breath. I quivered with disgust, but he took that as encouragement and pursed his lips coming in for a kiss. I reached up with my free hand and pulled his thumb back. I heard a sickly snap followed by a high pitched yelp.
"You bitch, you broke my thumb," he screamed, dancing around and holding his arm to his chest.
Edward rounded the corner and slid to a stop in front of me.
"What happened? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" he asked through labored breaths.
"He tried to kiss me. Don't worry, I handled it." Anger flashed through his eyes.
He walked over to Mike and I noticed for the first time that Edward had at least five inches on him. "If you so much as look at her again," he growled, "I will…," he looked down at Mike cradling his hand and smiled, "well, I won't stop her. Bella, what do you think you will do?"
"I will remove your skull through your fucking asshole," I said through clenched teeth.
Mike looked back at me and for the first time, saw the predator before him. He quickly sped away.
"Where did you learn how to do that?" Edward asked. Pride filled my chest, he was impressed.
"My dad, he was in the military and taught me everything he knew. What the fuck is up with Newton? That guy is a real piece of shit."
Edward grimaced, "Yes, he is. His behavior is inexcusable but his dad is pretty abusive and I have heard him teaching Mike some pretty backward values. The idiot thought you were playing hard to get," he said with a sad look on his face. He sighed and met my eyes. "Everyone thinks they are doing the right thing, that they are the hero of the story. Very few people realize when they're the bad guy."
Author's Notes: If you haven't read A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, you should. Stop reading this story and go read that (except please keep reading my story). Sarah Maas has a way of owning your ass, signing it, then mailing it back to you.
If you do read it, are you free on Thursdays for book club? Also, if anyone has any recs for ACOTAR FanFics, I'll take them. Right along with Twilight FanFic recs.
I personally think that TNG is the best Star Trek series, but I have serious love for Voyager too. Matt Smith is my favorite Doctor, even without eyebrows.
Harry Dresden is from The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, another amazing series. Don't worry, Bella loves Harry Potter too, but he isn't her favorite wizard.
Thank you to everybody that is reading. Please review, I'd love to hear from you.