AN: So I've had a few different plans about how this should go before Bella starts school. And while a few of them would be fun, I decided to go with the more straightforward approach. To those that feel like it has taken a long time getting here; I understand.
I used to like the stories that got straight to the point right away, but with the concept of Bella having her own set of abilities, I felt it better to have some backstory. An Origin Story, if you will. It will end soon, as I believe I will have Bella start school in the next chapter.
So please bear with me, and hopefully you will enjoy the story as it unfolds.
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Deadly Affection – Reimagined
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's characters. I just make them do what I want.
Chapter 5: Learning the Ropes
Bella PoV
It was actually a sunny Friday, the end of a long week with a lot of problems. The air was brisk, and the temperature was decidedly in the negative, with a light snowfall. Which would have normally bothered me a lot more than it did. But not right now. That could be contributed to both the sun being out, and what I was currently doing.
The shards of rock peppered the foliage around me, before sinking into the snow. My confidence grew with each blow that I rained on the minerals clumped up around me. Confidence that this thing I had been granted, boon or curse, could at least keep me somewhat safe in this new supernatural world I had been forced into. I laughed at the notion, releasing the anger within me. It wasn't the world that had changed. I wasn't naive enough to believe that I would be unique. In this world of more than seven billion people, I could not be the only one to have powers.
It made me ponder if the old myths and monsters of legend were actually real. It seemed a far-fetched idea with how interconnected most of the world is today. Yet I was proof, that there indeed was more out there than the just the mundane humans. Things like dragons seemed a little out there though, if their size was not seriously exaggerated. With seven billion humans on the earth, and with how many phones had cameras, you would think someone would have seen them. Or they could be extinct. That was a scary thought.
Sweat ran down my face from the exertion as I stood up and went over to my stuff. I was surrounded by debris from rocks and small trees deep in the woods behind my new home. The small clearing I had found was perfect for a test of my new strength. Having figured out that I just needed to focus my anger to bring forth the power in me, I started punching the rocks littered around the place.
The booming noises of my fists striking rock, followed by the muted cracks of the rocks breaking from the force brought forth glee in me. Which had shown me a flaw in my powers. The next rock I tried to punch didn't crack. My fist did. It hurt like a bitch to break my ring and little finger, with the bones threatening to pierce my skin.
I had refocused on the anger as I let out a scream in pain. And I still can't believe my eyes as I watched my fingers began to realign themselves, a weird tingling sensation accompanying it. The tingling increased in intensity, turning into a burning pain as my bones fused back together again. Within seconds not a mark was left on my hand as evidence to the injury. I tried feeling my fingers along the fractures, but didn't notice any bumps in the bone to signify an injury had occurred at all.
And so I had figured that I needed to maintain my anger in order to keep my strength. Somehow it was a hardwired trigger. I also took note that while my strength wavered, the presence of life forces around me had not completely vanished. I could still feel everything around me, although the range had been reduced.
There was also a sort of barrier, or peak, to this strength. It took several blows to break some of the pillow sized boulders apart. I knew I could get stronger, but not without unleashing the full cloak of energy around me. And that would ruin my clothes again. Which is why I was currently stripping out of my clothes, folding them and placing them in a pile at the edge of the clearing.
It was time to feel how much power I could handle, without succumbing to the rage I had two days ago. As I stood in the middle of the clearing trying to focus, a stray thought hit me. What the hell would someone say if the found me out here naked. What would I even look like to someone else. That got me curious, so I hurried over to my clothes and got my phone out my pocket, placing up on a rock so that I could see my reflection.
Closing my eyes to focus, I started conjuring the feeling of injustice and anger for my situation. Strength flowed through me, only it wasn't enough. The barrier was holding me back. I tried focusing on how mad Justin had made me, insulting Audrey. In my mind I could see the barrier bending, but it would not break. Not even when I thought about the anger I had felt with frog dying.
I huffed from exertion, putting on my shoes and getting my phone again before going over to lean against a boulder. Perhaps I had used too much of my power already, and I was running out of energy? I took a swig of water from the bottle I had brought with me, enjoying the cold feeling spreading in my chest.
Even with all the snow out here, I didn't actually feel cold standing out here naked. The temperature was somewhere just around the melting point by now, as the sun had started peeking through the trees. I looked at my reflection in my phone, and saw that they were no longer red, even though I could still feel warmth around me.
The clock showed almost two pm already, so I would have to get back soon. And I still needed to call Audrey, now that her school day was over. Feeling around me for the brightest source of energy around me, I turned to a large spruce tree standing more than ten meters high. It was probably several times older than me, but I needed to top off my energy to avoid suspicious eating habits. Hopefully.
I trudged up to it through the snow and rubble up to it's trunk. Dipping into the anger I felt the power wash over me once again. 'drain' I chanted to myself quietly, placing both my hands on either side of the tree. There were some resistance at first, before it felt like I was shocked by a live wire.
The heat rushed into me through my palms, burning down my arms before enveloping my entire body. I could see my own aura expanding, bubbling, and it was starting to hurt. My hands gripped into the moss covered bark, digging into it as my muscles flexed without thinking about it. My fingers were digging into the tree itself, causing more energy to flow into me.
The pain became intense as the output of energy more than doubled, and to my horror I realized that I had barely even started to diminish the energy within the tree. There was so much more to come. Tears streamed down my face as I howled in pain.
Then the pain shifted. Like a bucket of icy water being poured over me, a chill ran down my spine in a flash, and I could see the second skin start to emerge like mist out of every pore in my skin. It coalesced into a thick film around my body in seconds, destroying my shoes in the process. The pain had faded into a dull ember of what it once was. I barely noticed it over the humming noise that had started to emerge from the second skin.
A crack in the tree alerted me to the increase in strength so far beyond what I had tried before. I was slowly crushing the trunk of the tree in my hands, cracks in the bark opening and the sound of wood groaning. My hands were almost entirely embedded in the tree as the cloak of energy burned through the tree slowly.
But even my with my cloak the burning in my arms started to reemerge again before the dying tree was tapped completely. It felt like I was bursting apart at the seams as the second skin around me increased in thickness around me. It grew from millimeters to a centimeter, then two. It felt like it was desperately trying to hold me together.
I closed my eyes after I saw cracks of pure red energy burst open along my arms, ripping open my skin. I wailed in agony, trying to ease the pressure in my body, when the oddest thing happened.
The tree trunk exploded right in front of my face. My eyes were closed, but I could see the energy erupt from my mouth as I screamed. Like the open fields of death I had left in the deserts in Phoenix, a hole formed in the energy in the tree. The cold feeling of death replaced it. And it grew so quickly I barely noticed it, before the energy coming into me was cut off.
The trunk just disintegrated into shards of wood that showered the entire area around me. As gravity drew the rest of the tree down towards the earth, I drew back my hands, placing them in front of me to protect my body. Charred remains of wooden shards going almost too fast for me to notice had bounced off my second skin as if it was a solid barrier protecting me, yet I couldn't stop the instinct to protect my face with my arms.
When the tree above hit what was left of the trunk below the ground shook violently, but I didn't actually feel it. The second skin under my feet had dug into the ground, burning away snow and dead grass, and acted as a damper. I could see bark had cracked and fallen off in flakes from the tree, and there were no leaves left on the branches.
For a tense second the tree balanced on the trunk, before it slowly started tilting towards me. I could feel my instincts screaming for me to panic. To get the hell out of there. The fight of flight response was pointing squarely at flight. But I didn't move. It felt like an unfamiliar voice whispering in my mind. 'destroy it'
My arms came down from in front of my face as I opened my eyes in shock. Then the same feeling I had felt when I had pushed Dustin over. Like my body was moving on my own. I didn't even will it. My right hand extended towards the tree slowly falling towards me with an open palm. And without any more warning, I could see energy erupt from my palm, invisible to the naked eye.
A loud CRACK ringed in my ears as what was left of the tree flew backwards. It snapped in half at the point where the energy impacted it, before flying away from me in an upwards arc. The brittle tree broke several more times in flight. Booming crashes followed as the remains of the once mighty spruce crashed into several trees behind it, leaving a wide swath of devastation.
I stood there gaping in shock for a good ten seconds, before my brain registered the tingling sensation of the skin on my arms knitting itself back together. The second skin around me was an even deeper shade of red than before, almost looking like I was surrounded my a wall of translucent blood.
''FUUUUCK!'' I screamed loudly, finally freaking out about what had happened, falling to my knees. It didn't feel like I was going to rip apart anymore, but the reserves within me were much larger than what I had felt earlier. The range I could see had more than doubled, an the myriad of new energy signatures around me made my brain hurt.
This was so much fucking worse than I had thought. It felt like I had nearly killed myself trying to drain that spruce. I didn't even know that could happen. When I had drained everything around me in Phoenix, it didn't feel like I was going to rip apart. Though the burning was similar to the cactus I had drained. But that was a lot smaller than this giant fucking tree. Maybe there was a parallel between size and amount of energy. And apparently there was a cap to how much energy I could drain. Or drain in one go? Maybe that was why I could drain so many different plants in a wide area.
I had no wish to test it now though. I'd had enough playing around for one day. I walked over to the rock where I had stashed my stuff earlier and almost grabbed my clothes before realizing I was still cloaked in blood-red energy. Next test, how to drop this second skin.
I wasn't thinking about anything that made me angry, yet it didn't go away. I looked down at my hands, noticing the hulking fists the second skin formed around my own. Flexing my hands and forming fists, I noticed that the movement didn't perfectly mimic in the second skin. As if to compensate for the size difference, the second skin's fingers closed slower, yet as my nails hit my palm, so did the claws in my second skin hit the palm of it.
Grinning at the power I felt coursing through me, I walked over to a rock face at the edge of the clearing, well away from my clothes. My right hand forming a fist, I set my feet in the stance my dad had taught me while training me in self-defense, and starting from the hip, I punched as hard as I could into the wall of bedrock.
The thundering CRACK was followed my series of fissures in the solid wall of rock, yet I didn't feel anything as shards of rock showered me. When the dust settled I noticed that my arm was elbow deep in the bedrock, without a tiniest tingle of healing bones.
Okay, so now I was done playing around for today, and as soon as I extricated my arm and jumped back, watching as the wall crumbled into a pile of rubble. The glow of my cloak dimmed, before slowly sinking back into my own pale flesh. A rush of adrenaline made my knees wobble as I stumbled back to my clothes, careful not to step on any shards of stone.
Dusting off the debris left on my clothes, I quickly got dressed. Only then did it actually hit me that my shoes had fucking vaporized. Staring at the offending holes in the snow near the tree, I stomped my way back towards the house, following the trail I left on the way up here. Without shoes. Thankfully my anger at the situation upheld my anger, so I didn't feel the cold.
The trek back to the house took the better part of thirty minutes, wading through the tall trees standing in silent vigil. Thoughts ran through my mind all the while, which kept me occupied. How did this power manifest in me? Could it be possible that it was genetic? Was it something I had come in contact with? I snorted as soon as I thought of destiny. That was just silly. The only destiny to have been proven time and time again, is that the strong prey on the weak.
Gloomy thoughts followed. Was whatever I was, or the power I had, made to elevate my own selfish desires? There was nothing good about my powers. It was death for everything or everyone around me.
I stopped in place, realizing that the anger I was holding onto was starting to twist my thoughts. Imagining playing with kittens and small puppies, I purged the angry thoughts from my mind. And holy shit walking in snow with only socks on was way colder than I had imagined. Thankfully I could see the house from where I was, and sprinted for the goal.
My socks were off before I even got through the door, carrying them with me in my triple jump attempt up the stairs to the bathroom. A nice long soak was in order to heat up my frozen body. There were no massage options on the shower head here, but I would trade that for this bathtub anyway.
Having dried off and gotten on a set of comfy sweats, I jumped onto my bed, ready to call Audrey. Lying on my back I check through the recent call list and find her number, staring into the ceiling as I listen to it beep. A part of me frowns that my damp hair might get my bedsheet wet, but I pushed it away.
''Hey there stranger.'' She sounded tired as she answered the phone after almost a full minute. Had she debated if she even wanted to answer the call? Maybe I had been hoping for too much, when I thought we parted on good terms. Or she could have put the phone down in the other room. Better not to dwell on it.
''Oh it's stranger now, is it? And here I had hoped you wouldn't forget the long depraved past we shared quite so quickly.'' Her guttural chuckle told me she wasn't in a bad mood at least.
''Well, you do live about two thousand kilometers away now.'' She threw back at me with mirth. ''So how's Forks working out for you so far?''
''Forks is great. Apart from all the fucking snow!'' I groaned over the phone. Snow was cool and all, but the cold wasn't. I did have something I could do about that however, but I couldn't tell Audrey that.
She laughed at my displeasure. ''Serves you right. Do stupid things, you win stupid prizes.'' It was clear that she still thought I hated it here, but it couldn't be further from the truth.
''Defending myself isn't stupid!'' I barked back. ''It's not my fault Justin's brittle.'' A petulant groan added for effect. There would be more secrets between us now, and I think Audrey was smart enough to have figured that out. Not that she voiced any concerns.
''Have you heard any news about him? Is he getting better?'' I sincerely hoped he wouldn't have any lasting means. No matter how much of an ass he was, he didn't deserve that.
''He's got a big tube sticking out of his chest, according to Dustin. And his ribs will take weeks to heal. It's going to take a long time before he has gotten well enough to come back to school'' Audrey's reply is strangely muted, her mood taking a dip. I raised up on my elbows with the news.
''Shit.'' I would have to be careful with my anger in school. If a single held-back punch could do that, I really didn't want to see what I would do when properly enraged. ''Will there be any long-term problems you think?''
''No, Dustin said he should make a full recovery after a lot of bed rest.'' A spark of concern bloomed in me.
''What, are you and Dustin hanging out now or something?'' I tried to joke, to keep it light, but it failed spectacularly.
''Not really. He's sat with me at lunch a few times, but that's it. Why?'' Audrey sounded suspicious. I just hoped Dustin wasn't trying to get closer to her because of what I was.
''Just wondering if I would have to switch up my questionnaire for any potential suitors.'' I deflected. It was a good enough excuse, considering our last conversation.
''Oh, ha ha. You're think you're so god damn funny, don't you?'' Audrey had taken the bait thankfully, but I still needed to make sure Dustin wasn't being nosy.
''What? He seemed like a nice enough guy, if you look past his choice of friends.'' There was some begrudging truth to my words. I kicked my sheets in frustration.
''Yeah well I'm only batting for one team, so he's not really my type.'' She is quiet for a while, before continuing. ''He was asking a lot about you, come to think of it.'' Alarm bells start going off in my head.
''Like what?'' I respond a little too quickly, something I only realized when I heard Audrey chortle. I rolled over on the bed, waving my feet in the air anxiously.
''He was asking what kind of person you were and such. You weren't interested in him, were you?'' She mistook my suddenness for a crush. So at least Dustin hadn't spilled my secrets to her.
''Oh hell no! He's a nice guy and all, but he's not my type either.'' I can't help but laugh at the idea. Crushing on the guy that could literally ruin my life with a word. Hilarious.
''Is that so.'' A silence occurs, and lasts for several seconds, before Audrey quietly goes on. ''So how are you really doing up there?''
''I haven't been here for a day, but I think I might enjoy it. The air is so fresh here, even with the biting cold. And I think I will like living with Charlie. He let's me have my space.'' Sure I hadn't gotten to know anyone in the new school yet, but how bad could the kids here be?
''You could have fooled me with that one if you hadn't proclaimed how much you hate the cold as many times as you have.'' Audrey just laughs my response off, which annoyed me since I really was starting to like it here.
''At least I'm handling it better than Renèe.'' I respond jokingly, and she laughs with me.
''I'd bet. And how is your mom handling?'' Renèe had always loved having Audrey over, treating her like a daughter. And I knew Audrey loved my mom just as much.
''I talked to her a few hours ago, and she hasn't gotten to terms with the fact that I don't live with her anymore. She asked me to buy food after school. I swear, she's got to have Alzheimer's or something.'' I joked halfheartedly. It wasn't true of course, my mom was just a little scatterbrained at times. That was a good thing in this case, as she could get over it quicker once she finally accepted it.
A hearty laugh came from the phone, loud enough that I had to take it away from my ears for a moment.
''I can believe that!'' Audrey said when we finished laughing. ''She's going to be a mess for a spell, until her boyfriend gets her mind on other matters''
''Her fiancé, you mean.'' I corrected her, realizing I hadn't told her the news. She squealed in response.
''I knew it! Those two are perfect for each other!'' She continued squealing, and I had to laugh at her giddiness. ''Please tell me I'm invited! I need to be there! Please! Oh pretty please!''
''Whoa calm down A! They just got engaged a few days ago. The wedding probably isn't going to be until, at best, after the summer. And of course you'll be invited! You're like a second daughter to her!'' A third round of squeals ensues, and I hear her repeating just the word 'yes' over and over again.
''Oh shit.'' Her microphone makes a garbled noise, like she is covering it with some form of cloth. Just in the background I hear her talking with her mother, but I can't make out the words. ''I'm sorry, but I gotta go. I forgot me and mom were going out shopping.''
''Don't worry about it, I got some stuff I need to do before Charlie comes home. Tell your mom I said hi. And take care Audrey.'' A pang of sadness that the little time we had to chat was over, combined with the fact that this would be the extent of our contact for the foreseeable future.
''I will. You take care not to break anything on the ice now. Love you B.'' That rascal, bullying me about my inability to keep both feet under control. Not that it had been an issue at all this last week. Maybe that's another added bonus of whatever this curse is.
''Love you too A!'' I can hear the sad sigh before the click of her terminating the call. It was something she would have to deal with, but it would hopefully get better.
I put my phone in the charger next to my bed and started working. First I got my bag and hauled it up into the attic, nearly falling off of the ladder in the process. Then I got all the winter clothes I might use often and put it on the rack next to the entrance. Next was gathering up all the old photos of me as a kid from my summers here any placing it in one of the drawers. Then barbies and old toys went into a plastic bag, aimed for the garbage.
I changed my mind on a whim, thinking that maybe some of the kids down at the rez might like some of them. They were still in good condition, having barely been played with for a few weeks at a time. And Charlie probably knew someone that could think of a new home for these old gems. Thus, I repacked them better, taking care not to break anything.
My bedroom being done, I moved on to the bathroom. My little bag of toiletries was emptied, and the items dispersed in their proper locations. The unmentionables that Charlie would have a stroke if he found was hidden in the bag underneath the sink. Counting days, I realized with a groan that my cycle should start some time this weekend. Go my body! Way to start off the first few days at a new school. I just hope I won't literally bite off someones head.
I shake the thought out of my head, before going downstairs. There is two empty cans of beer left on the living room table, along with a used plate. Charlie could at least feed himself, even though he lacked the cleaning up skills to match. Could be that the last few days had been extra hectic for him, with me coming to live here.
Getting a washcloth from the kitchen, I clean the table and take the plate to the dishwasher, which was actually empty. Looking around I can see evidence of him actually having cleaned most things down here recently. So perhaps I judged too quick.
I hear Charlie park the cruiser outside before I can see him, fumbling with the keys at the door. ''It's open!'' I yell out to him, laughing as I hear him jump and loose his keys in surprise. I knew I had inherited my klutzy behavior from both sides, but it wasn't often I noticed it in Charlie.
''Hey Bells!'' He calls out as he enters the house, hanging up his coat on the rack. I see him walking over to the dresser near the stairs, where by the sound of wood sliding and a heavy thunk, I guess he stores his gun. I would have thought Charlie to have a gun safe, being a police officer. A good example and such. But it was good to know in case of emergencies. I briefly wonder what would happen if I got shot. Could I heal from a gunshot? I don't want to risk it, so I take out the shades from my pocket at put them on.
''So what are you up to?'' Charlie asks as he rounds the corner into the kitchen. He's still in his sheriff uniform, all beige and cool. It made him look very official, and it suited him.
''I was just cleaning the house, but apart from my room, you seem to have had that covered.'' I lean my back against the counter. ''Want me to start dinner?''
''Actually, I was thinking we might head to the diner, if you're up for it?'' I immediately got excited, remembering the old place we used to eat out at. The berry cobbler there was amazing!
''The Carver Café? They're still there after all these years?'' I'm actually astonished. With how everything is becoming big chains, multi-million dollar corporations, a small diner in the middle of nowhere could still be open after all these years?
''Still the best place in town to get some grub.'' Charlies eyes crinkle with his smile, and I feel giddy with anticipation. ''Let me just take a quick shower first, OK?'' He doesn't wait for a response, having seen my reaction, and walks up to the bathroom.
I rush upstairs and get out a new pair of brown leather boots my mom and Phil had bought for me. They're a bit of a tight fit, but I don them, and head back downstairs with my laptop. Sitting on the couch, thumping my legs to the beat of a song by Gary Jules I was listening to called 'mad world.' Strangely fitting now that I think about it.
I smile to myself, before continuing to browse the internet to pass the time, waiting for Charlie to come back down. I can't see him from where I am seated, the passive range of my new strange perception being limited. Wouldn't want to spy on him taking a shower anyway, but it could be an issue in the future. From what I gather, the range would be great enough for me to passively see him from my bedroom.
I tried to meditate, sitting back in the couch and taking measured breaths. Focusing on just my own breathing, I calmed my mind. I tuned out the song playing in the background, the sound coming from the occasional car in the distance. A dull hum, and my breathing was all that was left. I even managed to tune out my own breathing.
The energies around me seem to settle into place more than they have ever been. Outlines become clearer, and I can actually see different... colors. Or tastes. It was hard to pinpoint, but there was a difference to the wooden floorboards as opposed to the small tree next to the house. The tree outside felt vibrant, alive. And the floor seemed... dormant. Like it was still alive, but diminished.
Even the hardwood table in front of me looked different than the floorboards. A touch... darker? Like it was choking. I could see lines of energy underneath the metal and plastic keyboard of my laptop. Electricity in the cable running to it like sharp pulses in rapid succession. The screen was pulsing a tad faster, rippling like waves across the surface. I noticed I couldn't see what the screen projected, only the energy running through it.
Five toes in the step at the middle of the stairs appear like out of thin air. I can see he was a partially ingrown nail on his big toe. I can also see every blood vessel in his foot, as they are brighter than the surrounding flesh. I can see them bulge infinitesimally with his heartbeat. I can see his feet widen slowly as he places his weight on the foot, the other one coming into range shortly after.
And I realize that time was somehow moving slower for me again, like when I hit Justin. I jump up of the couch, trying to stop this thing. It worked, but the poor table, and my knee, took some punishment for it.
''Bella?!'' Charlie called out, thundering his way down the rest of the stairs. I hurriedly secure my shades on my face, before rubbing my knee excessively. It hadn't really hurt that much to be honest, and I could feel the tickle of it healing quickly. My powers had activated in my distress, and I closed my eyes just to be sure.
''Just being my own clumsy self, dad.'' I lie effortlessly, realizing with sadness that this was also going to be a common thing in the future. Lying to my dad would be more challenging than Renèe though, as he was trained to discern lies.
''Shit, that scared me.'' Charlie bemoans with a huff, having finally come around the corner. ''Why the shades indoors?'' I calm enough to feel my powers receding, opening my eyes again.
''To reduce the strain on my eyes when I use the laptop. And I love them. They're new. Aren't they cool?'' I want to curse my habit of oversharing when lying, but that would be way too obvious. Charlie looks at me oddly, but doesn't push it anymore.
''You ready to go?'' He asks, pointing to the door. I close my laptop softly, before stamping over to the door, getting my jacket. Charlie laughs at my enthusiasm. ''Make sure you don't fall on the bottom step. It's iced over.'' He cautions, following me out.
I manage to get in the cruiser without falling, not that it felt like an accomplishment. The sun was hidden behind the clouds at this point, and dangerously close to the horizon.
''Did you hear from the school today?'' I asked Charlie as we pulled out of the driveway.
''Yeah, they called me earlier. It seems you're in luck, they managed to squeeze you in starting Monday.'' He proclaimed proudly. If I were to hazard a guess, I would think he had leveraged his position to make that happen, based on his tone.
''That's great!'' Not that I was all for rushing it, but starting on a Monday would make it less of an issue for the other kids. I hope.
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I was completely stuffed as I got into the cruiser again, while Charlie was dealing with the bill. I was about to take my phone out to text Audrey, when the hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge. The familiar chill ran down my spine, and I felt my new perception spread wide.
In the tree on the other side of the road. I reflexively closed my eyes, though it did little to quell the discomfort of looking upon the source. A person was crouched on one of the branches halfway up the pine. The signature was so bright it hurt to focus on it, but I could tell it was looking at me. Like a silvery neon orb in a sea of yellow trees. This was someone supernatural.
Turning around, I tried to look through the rear window at whoever was out there, but even with my enhanced vision it was hopeless. Unless I took of my shades. All I could make out was a shadow with them on. Faster than I finished the thought, the shadow stood up, and disappeared. I managed to make out that whoever was out there, wasn't very large in stature, likely smaller than myself even.
Then I noticed Charlie was just about to get out of the diner, so I closed my eyes and focused on happy thoughts. Which was hard considering how fucking scared I was. Feeling the range shrink back down by the time Charlie was at the cruiser, I felt confident to open my eyes again.
''What's the matter Bella? You look like you've seen a ghost.'' Dad asks after he started the car, giving me a look over. I could guess why, with my newfound panic. How many supernatural beings are there? What are the odds to find one the day after moving here?
''Shadows are playing tricks on me I think.'' Well if I didn't have this other supernatural sense, that would probably have been true, had I even known to look. Why was someone stalking me? How could someone know?
''You saw something?'' Charlie doesn't let it go, looking out into the forest around us. It could have been by chance. I hope it was. But my reaction, staring straight into their exact position, camouflaged by their surroundings. That was bound to have got that someone curious. Fuck.
''It was probably just my imagination. New surroundings in the dark can be scary.'' I brush it off, not wanting him to worry. But I worry. I don't know the intent of the person that was looking at me. What if whoever it was wanted to hurt me. Or Charlie. The crouched stance in a tree suggests a predatory nature.
''Just be careful out here Bells. There's lots of wild animals in these woods.'' I almost wanted to laugh, considering my little outing earlier. I don't think there's many animals that could even hurt me at this point. But I wasn't so sure for whatever supernatural being was stalking me.
''Sure thing dad.'' I answer just to put his mind at ease. And that was that, case dismissed, car in motion. Next stop, home. With my eyes closed, I kept my senses spread wide just in case.
AN: So it ended up a bit longer than usual, but hey. Better with longer than standard rather than shorter xD Hope you enjoyed!