Soleil

14. THE HAIL MARY

"Here is what I propose. We discuss various methods of how you can try change to things to a greater extent than what you have done previously with Mike. Then we gamble on the one most likely to succeed for your trip to Port Angeles."

Bella shook her head. She was the guinea pig in this experiment and not Edward. Had he misheard her when she recounted the boundaries she had already pushed? Did he forget what was supposed to transpire in Port Angeles? "You must possess the intellect of a chicken to believe I would go to Port Angeles to test out more theories." Bella let out a forceful breath. "I am not going, period."

A written destiny with a fated relationship with Mike? Bella rejected that. It was her future. It was in her hands. Defined by her actions and choices. And she was not enduring more time with Mike. Not when her time left with Edward was dwindling. No, she would not accept that. She believed it would cause her physical pain to be separated from him as the story continued to unfold.

"After we leave this closet, we have two more chances to talk after you get back from Port Angeles. Other than that, you just refer to seeing me off in this distance in the book. We have to make those next two encounters count," he insisted. She observed his desperation. Understood the logic of it. Yet…

"But we still have now," she reasoned.

Edward clenched his jaw. "We are in limbo while we remain here. We can't hide out here forever. We have to push forward. You must be brave to face what comes next. I don't like it either when it comes to submitting to this book's direction of our future," Edward reminded her, speaking through his teeth with forced restraint. She heard his frustration. She observed his confliction over what he demanded of her.

Bella stumbled slightly as an interesting thought crossed her mind. "Edward, why did you gain freewill after I kissed you?" She was surprised she had never questioned him about this before. What had her kiss meant to evoke that reaction? Was this an untapped power she had? She once considered kissing Jacob to see if the kiss unlocked him like it had with Edward. What if her actions could awaken others? Should she try that with Mike? Was it possible he did not even want to be with her too?

He looked taken aback by her direct question. He pursed his lips. Bella could not help but let her thoughts drift to wondering how his lips would feel against hers.

"I am not sure. I just remember this warmth spreading everywhere in my body, like an awakening so to speak." She had hoped for more, something more romantic. But conceded she had expected this response from him as well.

"What if I tried it with others? I could kiss them to wake them up?"

An ugly laugh from Edward echoed in the small closet. "So, you think it will work with just anyone?" he criticized.

Bella was confused. Was he not pleased she had suggested a reasonable method for figuring out this world? Something that diverted her from going to Port Angeles?

"We will never know unless we try it. I don't mind kissing a few frogs to test this out. Or even, what if taking things a step further between us unlocked more free will? Like me being able to fight more against my scenes with Mike or even you being able to slip into scenes you are not supposed to be a part of? What do we have to lose?" Bella bit down on her tongue to stop her nonsensical yammering. She probably could have left out her willingness to kiss Edward to see if they gained any more benefits. Though there was a rationale there to her that it could work. That romantic action would defy the love narrative of this world. She wondered if such an extreme plot twist would incite a system error. If that hypothesis proved to be correct, then the more they pressed, the more the system would crash and maybe one day collapse on itself.

"Okay." Bella blinked at Edward, pulling herself from her thoughts. She studied Edward's face. He was relaxed. But what was he okay with? "I think there is something we can try."

Edward took her face in his hands. Bella couldn't breathe. He hesitated but Bella did not mind waiting. She could not force this with Edward. Just because she chose him did not mean he chose her. And then his warm, smooth lips pressed very softly against her own.

Her blood boiled under her skin, burning her lips. Her breath came in a wild gasp. She forced her hands to remain at her sides, resisting the urge to knot her fingers in his hair. Bella sensed when Edward turned unresponsive to her lips. She was ready to pull away when Edward began kissing her back with the same fervor. Her hands became greedy along with her lips.

A few minutes had passed before their make-out session had slowed down. Her head was swimming with pleasure, but she broke away first, needing the power for once between them. She looked into his gold eyes, they were wild as his mouth was parted open in shock.

She coughed, spurring an awkward air between them. "So, do you feel any different?" she asked, hoping he could not hear the hope in her voice. She felt different. Drastically different. Like it was meant to be. They were meant to be. And some stupid, reckless part of her wanted to call it love. That is the emotion that bloomed from their kiss. She dared acknowledge it was an old, familiar feeling.

"No," he responded all too quickly. "But we won't know until I see if I can merge into a scene where I shouldn't be. I'll stick close to you after we exit here and we will have to see what happens."

"And if you disappear?" Bella forced herself to ignore her need to press Edward for his real feelings on that kiss- no, makeout session. He was acting like it was just a simple peck on the lips. A casual greeting between friends. Were they not going to talk about it? Bella gulped. Maybe she had ruined that opportunity when she asked him if he felt any different. What else should she have said? She mentally shook off the questions, she could not afford to worry about this at the moment. "Do I proceed with kissing Mike too? I mean what else can I do aside from what I have already done?"

"I want there to be more options, more routes to test."

"Me too. But I think you know as well as I do, we are out of them. Us kissing and me kissing Mike have to be the Hail Mary at this point."

Edward quirked hips lips into a tiny smile. His eyes lit up for a brief moment. "I didn't take you for using a sports reference, Bella."

"Don't judge me by that book, Edward. Thanks to Charlie I know some sports basics, not by choice though."

"I know. You are similar to her but not the same." She heard a hint of pride to his opinion.

"Of course, I chose you and not Mike." Bella noticed how his eyes widened. Perhaps that still surprised him. She chose him over the intended male lead. She grinned back at him to offer assurance that it was the best choice she ever made.

There was nothing else they could do. They could not test their theories until time moved forward. That existed outside of the closet. She wanted to show Edward her resolve to figure their way out of this story, even despite her heart's protest to hide out forever in the closet. With Edward. He criticized her before on this matter and she knew he would prefer her commitment to escape. The time their lips had spent on one another had meant nothing to him. It was just an experiment. He wanted to abandon this world, and she would do her best to make that happen for him. Not that the desire itself diminished in her...it was just that her time spent with him now seemed more important.

Because she loved him.

She wasn't a lamb who had fallen in love with a lion. But a lamb who fell in love with a…hawk? Well, her metaphor was lacking for an animal comparison but she still understood they were on different levels.

Bella stepped around Edward and slid her hand on the doorknob.

She steeled her resolve as she said, "If you can't follow me to Port Angeles…I'll talk to you soon."

His hand wrapped around her own, slowly pulling the door open together.

"Yes, if I don't get to come…be careful. I know things will turn out okay. But still. And be on guard if Mike can awaken." They exited out of the closet door together before Bella took the lead down the hallway.

She blinked away the tears welling in her eyes. She didn't dare to look behind herself until she reached the door to her trigonometry class.

Edward was gone. But she trusted they could try again at lunch, depending how that time in the cafeteria passed.

By the time Bella arrived home that Monday evening, she realized the cruel reality of it all was that she would be facing her time in Port Angeles on her own.

Note time: Kissing scene inspiration credited to oihdsfx & Foenix2phorks. Man you reviewers just bubble inspiration for me to mix into the drama pot I am stirring for this story lol you guessed it! Port Angeles is next. Let the real horror story begin... jk. sort of. Part II of the Hail Mary will be tested and we will see if Edward's fate to disappear has been sealed!