Chapter 7: Early to Rise

Bella PoV

Dream sequence

I must have one, surely, I did. But I couldn't remember it. I felt myself beginning to panic, but before I could settle into that fear the voices returned, softer thanbefore,and I found myself leaning into their embrace, though I couldn't understand what they were saying.

Just as quickly as the soothing voices reappeared, they vanished once more.

After that everything changed. I was floating, no not floating, falling. Yes! I was falling! It seemed endless like I was falling forever but didn't have enough sense to scream. As I fell, I saw people fly past, faceless people who I felt I once knew, but now they were no more than strangers. First a woman with chestnut hair dressed in no more than a shift. Then a man who even though I couldn't see them, I was sure, had the kindest eyes. Then another man, I don't know why, but this one made me uncomfortable, and with him was a woman with hair like fire. After that there was a parade of many women, too many to count, and lastly a man. He was tall with broad shoulders, and he seemed the most familiar of all, yet I felt as if I didn't know him at all. And still I kept falling…

Edward PoV

I sat at the table in the kitchen, my leg bouncing restlessly. I felt foolish that Alice had caught me, covered in flour attempting to make biscuits. What had come over me? I was hopeless with baking; I don't know why I suddenly thought I could be trusted to make breakfast alone. Now that I had finished with the tasks Alice had asked me to accomplish, I didn't know what to do, I had already dusted as much flour off my night clothes and out of my hair as was possible, but I still felt a bit grimy.

"Alice?" I said as I watched her put the biscuits in the oven. "Would you mind accompanying me into my room? I need to get a change of clothes from my cupboards."

"And you want to see if our new guest is still sleeping." She said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

Choosing to ignore her jest I motioned for her to lead the way to my room, not quite in the mood to argue.

The light of the morning sun was just starting to filter in from between the curtains, and I happened a glance to the girl in my bed. Seeing her in the light of the morning she looked so small nestled in my bed, I had to look away, feeling a blush flood my cheeks. Seeing her there, brought to mind thoughts that mother would have harshly chastised me for, as she and father had raised no less than a gentleman.

There was a part of me that wished to do no more than pull up a chair to the bedside and hold the hand of this beautiful girl until she awoke, and that part surely would have won had Alice not been there to push me back out of my room.

I felt so much better after having changed into warmer and cleaner clothes, I was also glad to see that Marie seemed to have regained some color. By the time both Alice and I had changed out of our night clothes the rest of the house had begun to stir. The first to appear in the kitchen, likely led by the smells of coffee and fresh breads, was Carlisle.

"Good morning, Carlisle!" Alice chirped, dancing over to him with a fresh coffee prepared just the way he liked, one sugar and two creams. It was a conundrum to us all how Alice could awake with such energy.

"Ungh…" Carlisle groaned, whether in appreciation for the coffee or in distaste for Alice's overly energetic greeting it was hard to tell.

Before Alice could begin to corner Carlisle with more questions about our surprise guest Rosalie and Jasper wandered in, assumedly for the same reason as the man we all saw as our father. Their appearance stopped Alice in her tracks as neither of our quasi-siblings knew anything about the girl around whom all her questions would surely center.

To busy her hands and calm her mind Alice set about preparing cups of coffee for Jasper and Rosalie, all the while working to shoo us all into the dining room for breakfast, and a good old family chat.

A/N: Another short one, I know. I apologize if the chapter length seems a bit inconsistent, at this point I am kind of just letting my heart dictate where each new chapter should begin. The next one should be longer as we see the rest of the Cullen's find out about the mysterious girl young Edward found amid a blizzard. Besides we are still only in the beginning.

We have yet to see Bella awaken, and what could possibly be going on with Emmett through all of this? As they say, the best is yet to come… ?

~Rylandra