Chapter 9: Blank Slate
Edward PoV
I was stunned, I had stopped breathing. My brain seemed to cease function as I took her in. My look of shock had been mirrored on her face, but slowly it morphed into a studious gaze, she was taking in everything around her, it was adorable to see the little wrinkle between her brows. It seemed as if time had slowed, while it had only been mere moments since we noticed her presence in the room it had felt like a small eternity.
She seemed to realize then that we were all still starring at her as the most beautiful rosy blush appeared on her cheeks. I longed for her to speak, to say anything. But I found myself getting lost in the depths of her brown eyes.
We were shaken out of our reverie as Alice bounded over to her side, swiftly pulling Marie through the room to sit next to her newly empty seat. Alice then flitted away into the kitchen, perhaps to prepare a fresh coffee for our guest.
Carlisle saved me from embarrassing myself with the unintelligible word vomit I was sure to produce had I been given the chance to speak.
"Good morning, dear girl, how are you feeling?" He questioned, I could tell from the tone of his voice that he was asking as a doctor, and not just a gracious host.
Marie, who had until this point been burning a hole into the table with her stare, glanced up, her eyes wide with surprise, and I couldn't help but feel a bit boastful that I caught her stare momentarily before she fixed her gaze upon Carlisle.
"I feel…" her voice was a bit raspy, no doubt from all the frigid air she had inhaled while fighting her way through the storm.
"I feel okay, I suppose, although my joints feel stiff, and my mind is fuzzy." She shrugged her shoulders, but it was clear that she wanted to say more, perhaps she didn't know how to explain it.
"When you say fuzzy, what do you mean dear?" Carlisle seemed more concerned than before, though I knew he would want to give her a more official physical evaluation after breakfast, it seemed as if the state of her mind had him worried.
"Well, I don't remember how I got here. Nothing here feels familiar." She shrugged.
"What can you remember dear?" Carlisle cut a quick glance at me in alarm, and I was beginning to connect the dots to understand what had him so worried.
"I…" Marie was frozen in silence for what felt like an eternity. Her expression morphed from one of concentration to confusion, then to shock, and again shifted to one of abject horror.
She started to hyperventilate, and words were failing her. Marie forcefully pushed herself away from the table and her eyes began to frantically jump from face to face. She looked like a caged animal that was too afraid to move. Her eyes suddenly lost focus and began to roll back in her head. I jumped up from my chair as quickly as possible and barely managed to catch her before her head made contact with the floor.
Bella PoV
I was staring at the surface of the table, and I knew that my cheeks must be flushed red from embarrassment at having been caught sneaking into the room. I knew I should have nothing to worry about, as the note I had found in my room had clearly been inviting me, but I couldn't shake the feeling as I was certain that four pairs of eyes were locked onto me.
"Good morning, dear girl, how are you feeling?"
My eyes shot up, my gaze roaming over the copper haired boy, we made eye contact which startled me, and my gaze came to rest on the Man who sat at the head of the table. He had been the one to speak, and I found myself comforted by the tone of his voice.
"I feel…" my voice was a bit raspy, and my throat felt bone-dry. I tried to lightly clear my throat and tried to speak once more.
"I feel okay, I suppose, although my joints feel stiff, and my mind is fuzzy." I shrugged my shoulders, I felt as though that was a poor explanation of how I felt, but I found that words were escaping me, so my sorry excuse of a response would have to be enough.
"When you say fuzzy, what do you mean dear?" The man's gaze changed, there was a hint of worry marring the genuine kindness which had permeated the air before.
"Well, I don't remember how I got here. Nothing here feels familiar." I shrugged. It isn't often rare for people to forget what happened in a night. I was sure it would come back to me soon.
"What can you remember dear?" I was sure he hadn't meant for me to see it, but I noticed the man cast a wary eye at the boy next to me.
"I…" I began to speak, but before I could utter more than a single syllable my mind began to race. My thoughts were all over the place, trying to find my memories. Nothing was coming to me, my mind was racing faster, trying to make sense of the lack of memories I seemed to have. In my heart I knew that I had a family, and that they loved me… I think. The more I tried to recall the more afraid I became. I found I couldn't remember my parents, or where I was born. I couldn't remember my favorite foods or if I had any siblings. There was nothing, absolutely nothing. I felt my breathing become erratic and I was sure that my expression morphed from one of concentration to confusion, then to shock, and again shifted to one of abject horror.
Who was I? It was as if my entire life was no more than a blank slate.
I started to hyperventilate, and words were failing me. I forcefully pushed myself away from the table and I darted my eyes frantically from face to face. I felt faint, and I was sure that I wouldn't stay conscious much longer as black dots began to cloud my vision. I felt my eyes roll back in my head. I was sure that I would feel the pain of falling to the floor, but I felt myself caught in a strong pair of arms just before I fell unconscious and there was nothing but black.
A/N: So, I know that Bella's initial reaction to waking in a strange place is very unrealistic, but one of the character traits she possesses seems to be a lack of worry over her own wellbeing, so I wasn't too worried about it. I think it is just about time to move on from this pre-amnesia realization part of the story.
I would love to hear from you all and get your opinions on the story as it is so far. :)
See you all next time!
~Rylandra
