N/A:
Hey lovely readers!
My apologies for this chapter taking forever and a day to be up. Real life kept getting in the way. But here it is. :)
If the characters seem a little OOC in this chapter, that's okay. I wanted them that way.
Now, let's see how Edward and Bella are doing.
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Edward's POV
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
The sound of Bella's heartbeat echoes in my ears, so vivid and bright. Yet, it's wrong, it's too fast, bustling, and off tempo. The noise of her heart reminds me these are the last beats it will ever take. These are the last moments of her being human… and she's in dire pain.
That alone breaks my still heart into a million pieces.
She screams, and a lone tear rolls down her cheek. My fingertips gently brush it away.
There are changes I see when I look at my Bella. Things I see and smell that make me realize she is becoming more like me with each passing second.
She cries out in pain. I wince, wishing I could take her hurt away.
"Bella, I love you. I'm so sorry." I speak softly, touching her cheek with my fingertips.
A whimper escapes her lips and her body jerks.
Everything I see when I look at her makes me understand what I have done. She'll never be a fragile human again. Never to grow older, become an adult, or even a mother. I stripped those possibilities from her with my careless actions, I hate myself for it. Mentally I curse at myself. She yells in agony and I realize soon enough this will all be over, and she'll be an immortal, frozen in time just like the rest of us. Never growing any older.
She already looks less human and smells it too. I know the changes I see, and smell are all part of the transformation. But in my subconscious mind, warning bells are going off, telling me that this isn't right. She's supposed to be human, not a vampire.
Turning her wasn't in my plan. But nevertheless, it happened.
Her body spasms, jerking every which way. She yells and another tear rolls down her face.
"I know it hurts," My voice is low and full of pain. "Soon it will be over, and I'll teach you everything you need to know about being a vampire."
Her breathing speeds up and she screams again.
The sounds of her screams echo inside the nearly empty guest room in my uncle and aunt's house. Bella's on the bed and I'm kneeling beside her, holding her hand. She yells again and I take a deep breath. The cold, chilly air fills my mouth, and I catch the scent of her tears as her body twists in agony.
Another teardrop rolls down her face while she cries out in pain. There's no smell of salt water, not even a hint of it, only venom.
She cries out in pain again. I've wallow in my guilt.
There's no salt water in her tears, no smell of human that lingers nearby. Her skin is no longer hot in comparison to mine, but the same temperature now. Her hand no longer feels soft and squishy or breakable anymore. More durable and firm. Her hair is shiner too. The features on her face are no longer squishy but vibrant and, dare I say, more beautiful than before. That was something I never thought could happen and yet it has. She's becoming an absolutely beautiful vampire.
Her change is almost complete.
Just as Alice told me, Bella would wake on the third day. And today is that day.
Though my sister was unable to pinpoint the exact time it will happen, she said it would take place sometime today. She was sure of that. I pressed for more information, but she didn't give me more, she couldn't. That's all she knew, she claimed. That's all she could say, she told me in a text message when she didn't answer her phone after I called her seven times in a row. It irritated me that she sent a text instead of returning my calls. But she said she was too busy to talk since she was packing up and cooking flan with Jasper.
Whatever that meant.
I wasn't about to ask why she and Jasper were cooking flan when none of us even eat. It's about as ridiculous as Emmett randomly texting me, asking me what's up, and giving me the nickname Little Hot Pocket for no good reason. Or why he and Jasper now insist that's my nickname. They also informed me I will be well fed in the afterlife since they have my favorite Microwave at my memorial site.
I let out a deep breath and shake my head at thought.
None of that made any sense to me. When I spoke to Rosalie and our parents, they didn't elaborate on any of the ridiculous things my brothers had said, they just wanted to know how Bella is doing. So, the only logical explanation I can come up with is that my brothers are both completely insane. Same with Alice and her flan. Most of my siblings are not in their right mind. Though I still love them anyway.
Bella screams, being charred alive. The sound of her scream is harsh, pulling me out of my thoughts and reminding me of my priorities.
"It's okay, sweetheart, I'm right here. This will all be over soon." I speak clearly to her. Remorse is clear in my tone as I rub the back of her hand with my thumb.
More than anything I wish I could fix what she's going through. But I can't. What's done is done. I can't make it go away and that hurts me badly. I hate seeing her in pain and not being able to help her.
With each painful shriek that escapes Bella's lips, I sink deeper into the eye of the storm. It's all in my head but I can't break free from this horrible storm that's in my mind. My thoughts scream and shout at me, telling me I'll never make it out of here – the storm that's in my thoughts – because of the mess I made.
Her hand lets go of mine and her body relaxes on the bed though her hands are now clenched into fist. Her painful cries subside.
She looks peaceful now with her eyes closed. Much like a sleeping human, but she's not sleeping.
Minutes pass and she doesn't make a sound nor does her body go into those painful convulsions as venom changes her insides. For a second I wonder if this is it, if she will wake up. But it's not time yet, her heart is still beating, faster now than before.
I sit still with anticipation, my arms resting beside her on the bed, one overlapping the other but not touching her now. I don't move or speak, never taking my eyes off her.
Above the sad sound of her rapid heartbeat, I hear the high-pitched whine of an animal. It's not just any animal nor will this one be Bella's first meal. It's a pet, belonging to my aunt and uncle and not a sacrifice for a newborn's first feeding. Though Aunt Carmen did threaten that very thing to her dog Pepper Jack – a Jack Russell mix with very long legs and an appetite of a goat – when he ate her shoes, a cupboard door, and a pair of shorts after Bella and I arrived.
In the short time we have been here I have learned four things about Pepper Jack:
1. He has a very unpleasant, inedible aroma to him.
2. He whines like he's being tortured when they put him in the living room, unable to get out with a baby gate to secure him in.
3. He eats EVERYTHING. But my uncle and aunt love him unconditionally and have a very difficult time disciplining him.
4. He is nicknamed Puppy-goat for obvious reasons.
Since Carmen and Eleazar have never adopted children, Pepper Jack is their baby. It's strange to see two mature vampires talking baby talk and doting on their small dog when that behavior is more common in humans. But they love that little creature and made me promise not to tell Emmett that their dog once ate a tin can and a CD player. Because they know my brother wouldn't be above letting the dog ingest odd things for his amusement.
I promised I wouldn't relay that message to Em and I haven't. Though I'm sure he will figure that out soon after my family arrives. Because my brother's smart with a very strange sense of humor and a creative mind. He's intelligent, he just chooses to be the joker in the family instead of being the bookworm.
Anyway, my brother finding out about our uncle and aunt's dog's odd eating habits are the least of my worries. All my worries are all about Bella.
Will she be very upset with me when she learns what I have done? Will she be unhappy with me? Or will everything be roses and sunshine? I don't know.
Nothing I ask myself I am able to offer any answers for. No one else has concrete answers either, only advice to offer me on this matter when I have asked. Advice is nice and can be useful, yet I want to know what the future holds. Not having answers is very frustrating.
The door to the guest room creaks open, I don't look away from Bella who still hasn't moved. She's too quiet and I'm concerned. Light footsteps approach and I catch the secondhand scent of a musty dog. I do my best to not wrinkle my nose, letting it be known how unpleasant I find it. I keep that to myself since my aunt and uncle really love their tiny dog.
'Oh, she's still in the transformation.' Eleazar thinks to himself, standing beside me.
"Yes." I answer politely, still not taking my eyes off of her.
"With the quiet, I assumed she would be awake."
I shake my head no. "Not yet. But she's too quiet, I think something is wrong."
Eleazar puts his hand on my shoulder, much like my father does to comfort me. Though unlike my father, my uncle doesn't squeeze my shoulder before dropping his hand.
'No, Edward. Chiquita niña es buena.' His thoughts are in Spanish, a language I am fluent in.
The teenage side of me that dominates my whole being wants to be defiant and argue with him. But another part of me, an unfamiliar part, a more mature part, believes him and wants to know more.
"How can she be fine if she's not screeching and withering in pain?" I ask, still looking at Bella.
There's no hidden message in my tone, no defiance of any kind. It's just an honest question.
My uncle ponders how to answer me. I hear his thoughts and am immediately surprised by what is going through his mind. I look up at him.
"If I had to guess why she's not making a sound," He begins to explain. "I would say it's due to her talent. She has a couple gifts."
"Gifts?" I repeat what he said.
He nods his head. "First, she's a shield. It's the reason why you are unable to read her mind. It also seems as though this gift is inherited."
Realization hits me from two different directions. She has always been shielding me from her mind, never once have I been able to hear her thoughts. But it wasn't on purpose, I realize now. It was a talent she possessed and no doubt her father had passed it onto her because I couldn't really read his mind either.
"On the few occasions I met her father, I couldn't read his mind. Not clearly, at least." I provide unnecessary information.
He nods his head once. "A mindreader and a shield are very compatible. She has the ability to shield you from other people's thoughts."
"Fascinating."
'I agree.' He grins a little. "Now the other talent is one I'm detecting is all of her own. It's the gift of intuition. Where she automatically knows things that are not told to her. She doesn't have to guess; she just knows things and is completely right about it."
"That explains a lot." I say in a faraway tone.
"You've noticed that about her." He looks from me to Bella. His words are not necessarily a question but more of a statement.
"Yes." I nod in agreement.
'Very interesting, she was a talented human.' He thinks to himself.
With his words come memories from the day Rosalie, Emmett, and I picked her up at her house to ride with us to school. That was the day she figured out so easily about what we were before I ever had a chance to bring it up, not that I was ready to speak of that then. But she knew at that point we were vampires and wanted confirmation.
I had never understood how she was able to guess a secret we keep under lock and key. I had attributed it to her knowing the legends of The Cold Ones from the tribe. Though now, I think otherwise, it was her intuition telling her what we were.
"Her gift of intuition is also the reason why she has stopped screaming. I'm almost certain." He goes on. "She probably senses it's too much for you and wants to spare you the pain."
I'm taken aback by that. She's in the worst imaginable pain that anyone could go through and yet, she doesn't want me to be in pain. A smile plays on the corner of my lips, but I fight it back. Well, if it isn't just like Bella to think that way, put others before herself. I can no longer fight the smile now. She always has a way of surprising me, doing the opposite of what I expect. And I would have never expected her to want to hide her agony from me.
Eleazar walks behind me to the other size of the room, over to the closet. He says something, it's merely a mumble, about getting something out of the closet, I think. But I don't clearly hear the words he speaks. There's another noise, louder than anything else in the room that catches my attention and pulls me in. It's Bella's heartbeat, beating as fast as a ticking time bomb. That's all I hear, and my eyes stay glued to her face.
'Her pain is ending!' My thoughts scream at me.
There's barking from outside the door, though that doesn't bother me. It's nothing I am interested in.
Bella's heart beats slower now, skipping every other beat and I'm only vaguely aware my uncle is still in the room. I sit very still, waiting. Just waiting for it all to be over. But I'm essentially seventeen and patience is not my strong point.
"Love?" The simple word that has become her nickname, rolls off my lips like honey. "Bella, everything's okay. It's time to wake up now. Please wake up."
Even to my own ears, my words spoken with a fierce truth sound a bit childish with a much eager edge to them. I really want her to get up now.
A low chuckle comes from the closet.
'Edward, she'll wake when she's ready.' My uncle reassures me.
At the sound of my name, I turn in the direction of his thoughts. He now stands a foot away from me with a small mirror in his hand. His thoughts tell me who gave him the idea, well more like demand to have Bella look at herself in the mirror, it was Alice, of course.
The sound of barking in the other room is louder now. Followed by a crash, a loud bang, and my aunt shouting Pepper Jack's name. It sounds like a madhouse. At once Eleazar leaves the room to offer his assistance to the chaos.
The door shuts behind him. Once again, Bella and I are alone in the room.
My eyes are on her, she's silent and I'm scared. Though I didn't like to hear her scream, it was better than hearing nothing at all. At least I knew how she was doing.
Bella whines, a muffled sound since her jaw is firmly clamped shut. The bed sheet rustles a little as she slightly moves.
"I know, Bella," I say in a soothing tone. "You're handling this well. Better than most. It will all be over soon then we'll go hunting."
My words seem to calm her. She lies still again. Wanting to touch her, I brush her hair behind her ear.
Without thinking I climb in bed and lay next to her. This feels right like when I climbed into her bed the one time, I spent the night with her. My hand reaches out to her hand, my fingers lace through hers. It feels nice to hold hands with her and feel her body next to mine.
Seconds turn into minutes, and I begin to realize everything is quiet. I mean, I can hear my uncle and aunt somewhere inside the house scolding their dog for damaging the metal baby gate that was screwed into the wall and breaking a lamp, plus a glass coffee table. Beside hearing all of that madness, there's also Bella's rapid breath and her heart scrambling to beat for the last time. But there's one thing missing that I usually hear. There's no babble of voices in my head and I'm not sure why.
My mind is completely hushed. It's strange. There's never been a time in my half-life where my extra hearing hasn't worked. Well, aside from it not working with Bella's mind.
Simultaneously, Bella's heartbeat speeds up coming to its end, stopping completely as I realize she's the cause behind my extra hearing vanishing. I don't know how she's doing it exactly, but I guess it's something I have to get used to.
With her heart no longer beating I look at her in anticipation. Our hands are clasped, fingers intertwined, and faces are aligned. Her lips are fuller and even more ruby red than before. They are slightly puckered, begging for mine.
I close the distances, placing a quick kiss on her smooth lips. Her eyes flutter open as I lay my head back down.
Feeling happy to see her eyes – no longer brown but crimson red – open and gazing at me. I smile at her.
"Hi." I say the first thing that pops into my mind.
Bella returns my smile. "Good morning."
Her voice sounds different to me, clearer than before, as it should be. But her words confuse me, her tone is light, there's nothing that indicates she knows she's no longer human. Is it possible she really thinks she's only been sleeping for one night?
Bella's eyes begin to dart around the room. She carefully analyzes everything while I don't take my eyes off of her.
"This isn't my room." She says, sounding a bit confused. "Edward, where are we?"
"My Uncle Eleazar and Aunt Carmen's house in Alaska." I answer cautiously.
"Okay?" She says the word in the form of a question. "Edward, how did we get here?"
"I may have hotwired a car or two to get us here." I answer her question honestly.
"Why?" Her bright red eyes bore into mine.
There are many ways to answer that one simple question. But none of my answers are simple and I'm not sure what to say or how to properly word a reasonable response. So, I say nothing at all.
As perfectly still as a statue I remain on the bed beside her, holding her hand. I'm quietly staring at her, wondering how she remembers me but doesn't seem to recall me biting her or anything from three nights ago. How can that be? Rosalie and Emmett had been able to recall the events that led to them becoming vampires. Even Jasper has memories of his last moments as a human. Yet, Bella doesn't seem to and I'm hesitant to ask.
Bella's hand lets go of mine. Immediately I feel the emptiness without her hand in mine. But it's nothing compared to not having her beside me. In one fluid move she sits up on the bed, her hand clutching her throat, making me realize she's thirsty. I open my mouth to speak but before I can say a word, she's off the bed and on the carpet, sitting in the corner of the room. Her knees are pressed to her chest, her left arm wrapped around her legs in a self-embrace while her right hand rubs her throat.
Her quick movements seem to startle her. I'm not sure but I think she knows she's no longer human.
"I can move really fast, I feel different. My throat's on fire. Edward, what did you do to me?" She looks at me, her eyes are full of accusations.
"Um… Sweetheart," I speak in a peaceful tone, trying to sound wise like my father. But I don't. "I… um… Bella, it was an accident."
My words don't come out as smooth as I intended or even hoped for. Instead, they fumble off my tongue, rolling into the air as a stuttering explanation that sounds so lame.
"What was an accident?" She wonders in a forceful tone.
"It happened after we played mini golf and were kicked out of the putt putt course." I begin to explain, slowly swinging my legs off the bed and standing up.
"What happened last night?" She demands.
"It was three nights ago." I say and notice the sock spread across her face. Without being able to read her mind I can't imagine what she's thinking about. "Love, today is Monday. It's late afternoon, not morning."
She gulps. I blink.
"Three days have passed since our first date?" She wonders.
I nod my head, giving her a silent yes.
She places her hands down on the carpet on either side of her. In a blink of an eye, she's off the floor and in front of me.
"How am I moving so fast?" Her voice is two octaves too loud.
I don't respond. I can't.
"I'm no longer human anymore, am I?" Her tone drops and I feel guilty beyond reason.
Much like a sad little boy who has done something his mother disapproves of, I look down at my feet instead of answering her.
Emotions that make no sense to me, overrule me. Like a small child I want to cry and don't know why. Though that is the wrong response to have. I have to be strong and honest, hiding nothing at all. She deserves to know the truth.
"You can move fast because you are like me now." I say, watching her beautiful features turn to horror. "I bit you by accident when we were kissing. My venom entered your bottom lip. I then had to bite your neck to get enough of my venom into your vines so your transformation would be the usual three days and not any longer."
"Edward Cullen, you did what?" Her nostrils flare and her red eyes bulge out.
"Well, I um… You see. I turned you into a vampire without meaning to. I swear it was an accident…." My voice trails off in a failed attempt to explain what I have done.
"You did it without my permission!" She snarls at me.
I suck in a breath of air. She's right, of course, I did do this without her permission. She has every right to be angry with me.
Seeing how vexxed she is, fear runs through my body like lightning. She's mad at me and about ready to snap. She snarls again. This time it appears the noise startles her as well as me.
I back away slowly with my palms up. "I'm sorry. It was an accident. Just a little accident."
"No!" She yells. "An accident is when you forget your favorite sunglasses on the bus. Not when you turn someone into a freakin' VAMPIRE!"
Her words pierce my brain like a knife through a cake. She's right, I can't deny that. Immediately I feel very guilty.
"I'm so sorry," I apologize. "I never meant for this to happen."
"My throat is on fire and you're sorry?" She screams, the kind of high pitch scream that has the potential of breaking glass.
"Bella, I really am sorry." I speak softly with my palms still up.
"Stop saying that!" She screams at the top of her lungs. "Just don't say you're sorry anymore. Nothing you can do will take this back."
"I know. Will you forgive me?" I say, trying a different approach.
"STOP IT!" She shouts in anger.
At the sound of her high-pitched scream both windows in this room shatter, from somewhere in the house Pepper Jack barks like mad and the door to our room swings open. My uncle cautiously enters with my aunt close behind. I glance at them.
He looks determined to get this situation under control, to handle the unruly newborn while my aunt looks petrified, fearing for the worse for my well-being. But Bella wouldn't hurt me, I'm sure of it.
Their thoughts match the expressions on their faces, making me realize I need to do something besides standing in front of the girl I love with my palms up. Because what I'm doing isn't calming her down and I don't want my uncle to have to restrain her.
"Bella," I say slowly.
She doesn't respond.
Eleazar takes a step forward and Bella's head snaps in his direction. He has her full attention now. Similar to a cat stalking its prey, her eyes lock on him, not about to let him out of her sight. It's obvious she sees him as a threat even though he's not. Before another second passes she's in a hunting crouch.
Warning bells go off in my head. Everything is new to her. Not to mention she doesn't know my aunt and uncle. This is the first of our kind – other than me – that she's meeting and that can be a little scary.
"Easy, Bella," I whisper in a comforting tone. "Meeting an equal predator can be a difficult thing, but there's no reason for concern, no reason for fear. They are nice."
Still crouching down, her head turns, and her eyes land on me. She is silent, but the look in her eyes holds the questions she doesn't say.
I let my guard down, relaxing my hands. "Bella, these are my Uncle Eleazar and Aunt Carmen." I gesture to each of them as I say their names.
She doesn't say a word and I can't help but wonder what's going through her silent mind. She turns back to them, keeping a watchful eye on them.
"I've known them my whole immortal life." I continue, offering her a backstory about my family ties. Hopefully this will put her at ease. She listens, not taking her eyes off of them. "My father Carlisle met Eleazar in Italy many, many years ago. They quickly formed a bond of brotherhood, claiming each other as brothers ever since. He, nor my aunt wouldn't harm us."
"Never." My aunt promises.
"Of course not." My uncle agrees. "Bella, you're our niece now. You are our family too."
"I have my own family." She snaps.
My uncle nods his head thoughtfully. "Once we become vampires, we have to leave our human family behind. It's sad but necessary to ensure we don't bring harm to our loved ones or expose what we are."
Bella hisses and I'm not sure why. Does she not agree with what he said? It was the absolute truth. Or does she still feel threatened by him?
"No one is going to harm you." Eleazar speaks calmly, in his mind, he's hoping she will believe him and relax her posture. Not having any children makes him timid about having to discipline a teenager.
"Stay away from me." Bella warns, glancing at my aunt and then my uncle. "You people are strangers, not my family. I don't know you, leave me alone."
"Everything's okay," Carmen says, her tone is very calm and reassuring. 'The poor dear. She's confused and probably very thirsty.'
Hearing my aunt's thoughts, I know she's right. I know Bella is thirsty. She needs to hunt, and I wonder if not feeding right away is adding on to her erratic mood. Or if this is all a part of her newborn mood swings.
"Bella, you need to hunt." I say, hoping with all my might she will agree.
"What exactly do you want me to hunt?" She practically screams, sending a chill up my back.
"Animals." I answer in a high-pitch tone.
"No." She growls.
'Edward,' My aunt calls me, my eyes snap to her. 'She's scared of us and needs to quench her thirst. Since she knows you, make her feel comfortable and get her to feed.'
I give my aunt a one tight nod. Quickly I think about how to talk Bella into hunting, which shouldn't be difficult to do.
"Love, let's hunt. Shall we?" I politely ask Bella.
Bella doesn't respond.
Wanting Bella to feel secure and wishing her to speak, I step toward her. My hand reaches out to hers, my fingers automatically lace through her's, and I gently tug her.
A hiss and a snarl escape her ruby red lips. Her hand holds mine a little too tight, bringing pain that shoots up my arm and all the way to my neck.
"OW!" I complain as her other hand wraps around my bicep.
"No, Bella. Release him now." My uncle's voice is firm.
"Edward!" My aunt shouts, sounding scared.
Their words are panic stricken, and I can't figure out what they are thinking. For the moment I can't read their minds and I doubt I would be focusing on their inner monologues anyways because the pain in my arm, traveling down my hand, and back up my arm all the way to my neck, is too much to bear.
"Bella, love, you are a lot stronger than me right now," I say, clenching my teeth through the pain. "Please let go."
Something flashes through Bella's crimson eyes. Is it fear or anger? I'm not sure.
Pepper Jack barks from somewhere inside the house. There's scratching and an odd chewing sound. Reluctantly, my aunt leaves the room and my uncle steps forward. Bella's eyes are on me, but I can tell she is listening to everything that's going on around us.
With each additional noise, Bella seems to panic and tighten her grip on me. I don't move.
"Bella!" I yell. The pain hurts too bad to say anything else.
"You are hurting your mate," My uncle speaks firmly to Bella, going toward her. He's going very slowly, trying not to startle her and make this situation worse. He's aware how temperamental newborns can be and doesn't want anything bad to happen. "Bella, that's enough. Now, release Edward before you do something you will regret."
Bella hisses. I don't speak.
Outside the room, their dog barks repeatedly and very loudly. His paws clomping on the floor, sounding like a small uncoordinated elephant as he runs on the tiled floor. My aunt scolds him for chewing a wall in the kitchen and wreaking a metal trash can. She also adds running from her to his list of wrongdoings.
Inside the room my uncle reaches out to Bella, putting a gentle hand on her back and calmly murmuring for her to release me. Bella's breath speeds up, not having any of that she yanks me like a rag doll, flinging us to the other side of the room. We hit the wall with a loud thump and her hands loosen and tighten around me. The pain hurts much worse than before. This is hell and I know I need to remain still, but I don't. Placing my free hand on one of hers, I try to pry her fingers off of me, but that's no use. She's too strong and won't let go.
She growls. I panic.
"Bella, you are hurting your mate. Let go of him now." My uncle orders.
"Stop saying the word "mate"!" Bella yells in anger. "I don't know what that means, we're not in Australia."
"It means…" I try to explain but fall short due to the pain.
"It means both of you are meant for each other, similar to soul mates." Eleazar uses a more human explanation than I was going to.
"Great. I turned into a vampire and now I'm betrothed!" Bella wails in sadness.
Her moods are all over the place, angry one minute and sad the next. It's a little frightening to see her this way.
She growls, tightening her grip on me. I yell out while Eleazar moves in, ready to disengage her from me.
The sound of glass shattering, ripping apart, rings out through the air and echoes in my ears. Pain, like I never have known before, overtakes my whole body. I scream, falling to my knees with my eyes shut.
"What have you done, Bella?" My uncle sounds like he's speaking to a two-year-old instead of to fifteen-year-old Bella. "Look what you've done to Edward. You have caused your mate to be in pain."
"I hate him!" Bella's voice quivers, sounding like an upset little girl on the brink of a tantrum.
"No, you don't." Eleazar corrects in a gentle tone, speaking over my screams.
"Yes, I do!" Bella cries, stomping her foot like a defiant child. "I didn't ask to be a vampire. I didn't ask for any of this. But he did this to me."
Hearing the love of my existence say those words makes my whole world crumble. She hates me and has every right to feel that way. After all, I changed her whole life in a blink of an eye. Everything is my fault and if she doesn't forgive me, that's what I deserve.
My uncle speaks softly to Bella but she's not giving in. I'm not sure what is being said because I'm no longer listening. Not trying to see anything I keep my eyes squeezed shut. I'm in too much agony to concentrate on what is happening around me.
I hear Bella take a step back and fling herself to the wall on the other side of the room. The noise echoes, the dog barks, and the floor beneath me shakes from the vibrations of the wall being hit.
Still sitting on my knees, biting my bottom lip to keep from screaming for the moment, pain ripples through me. My right hand automatically clutches my left shoulder that's only attached to a nub now.
My eyes open and land on Bella. Her back is pressed against the wall with a horrified expression on her face. The deep look of disbelief and anger is present in her eyes when she looks my way.
She stands there all alone, holding my severed arm the way a mother would cradle a baby. It's an odd sight to see and even my uncle who stands in between Bella and me, is staring at her, finding the way she's holding my detached limb very peculiar. He stands there in front of her trying to figure out how to get my limb out of her arms to reattach it to my body.
Only seven seconds have passed since she ripped my arm off. Yet, it literally feels like a lifetime ago.
My severed arm twitches much like a lizard's tail that got ripped off of its body. It does it again and Bella screams, startled by the movement.
Pepper Jack comes barreling in the room, ready to play. Carmen is in hot pursuit, clearly not happy with him. Taking in the sight of this situation, she stops running after her crazy dog while Eleazar tries to talk Bella into giving him my arm. But she just stands there, not moving or speaking, just hugging my detached body part like a small child might hold a teddy bear.
"Bella, my arm. Please! Can I have it back?" I plead with her, pain seeping in my voice.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to." Bella's eyes are huge, and she sounds like she's crying. She looks at me, and sure enough there's venom tears that will never fall gathered in her eyes. She immediately looks from my face to my arm she's holding and back again.
I'm not sure why, but she seems confused.
A very sharp pain runs through me again. Unable to hold it back, I let out an ear-piercing scream. My aunt comes over to me, kneeling down and cradling me in her arms. I let her baby me while my uncle tries to negotiate with Bella, who doesn't seem to want to give up my limb. Suddenly Pepper Jack runs right to me, ready to lick my wound but my aunt shoos him away before he is able to do so.
My hand – the one that's attached to my severed arm – rapidly opens and closes. The movements resemble a scene right out of The Adams Family with Thing, the walking hand about ready to walk away. I have to admit it looks rather creepy.
If it wasn't for the agony I'm experiencing, this situation might be amusing to see a newborn vampire using a served arm much like a toddler would clutch a baby blanket for security. Even comical perhaps. Though I'm in dire pain and I can't keep silent, therefore nothing seems funny. A few words that I wouldn't dare say in front of my parents roll off my tongue. Neither my aunt, who's hugging me and patting my head, or my uncle, who's trying to talk to Bella, pay any mind to what I have said.
The horror in Bella's eyes is impossible to miss as my severed arm jerks in her grip. She shrieks, and Pepperjack barks, stumbling over to her, ready to play.
Carmen speaks softly to me. Or maybe it's to Bella since she's looking at her but still holding me like a small child as I scream some more. I don't know. I'm not really paying attention to anyone's spoken words.
I blink my eyes and the next thing I know; Bella is bolting out of the broken window with Eleazar right behind her. While my arm is soaring through the air, heading right through the open door to the hallway. Carmen lets go of me and scrambles to get it, but before she is able to, Pepper Jack leaps and retrieves it in midair. Landing on his feet with my arm in his mouth, he flies through the threshold and gallops down the hall.
"Oh! Dios mio!" Carmen cries, running after her dog. "Drop it, you stupid goat!"
Torn between needing my arm and wanting to make sure Bella is safe, I sit here for a moment thinking about what I should do. I'm not sure what direction to go in. Should I run after Bella and see if she's alright? Or go find my arm?
Standing to my feet I chose the latter.
Pushing through the pain I run out of the room, catching up to my aunt who's running at a human pace, trying not to scare her precious dog. I roll my eyes at that. I could care less about scaring that darn creature. All I want is my limb back.
That darn mutt runs every which way though my aunt's five-bedroom house. Chasing him through the kitchen with her talking in a baby talk voice to him and demanding I don't move at my full speed, I'm thankful their house isn't as big as my parent's house in Forks.
Happy as can be, mistaking this for a game, Pepper Jack runs around the table with my limb sticking out of his mouth, knocking the chairs every which way and flipping over the table. Not about to stop chasing him until I get what is mine, I leap over the fallen objects while he races out of the kitchen, and my aunt picks up her table and chair set, afraid if she leaves it as is, her furry baby will get hurt.
Running after him, I clutch my shoulder, rubbing it a little, trying to soothe the pain.
I reach the threshold in the living room, and he is there. Puppy-goat, also known as Pepper Jack. He's lying in the middle of the floor looking all innocent with his stupid ear flopped down and his paw on the severed body part he has stolen. Taking in the sight of how content he appears to be makes it seem that he was never running around in the first place. Never leading us on a wild goose chase with a severed limb, that he was just sitting here all along.
He can fake his innocence all he wants. But the little thief isn't fooling me
Too busy chewing on his new chew toy, not even paying any mind to me, I take a step forward. Ready to retrieve his plaything because it's not a dog toy he is gnawing on, but my arm!
The sound of his sharp teeth on my hard vampire flesh is excruciating. Very similar to nails on a chalkboard and I wonder how he can stand it.
I take a step forward in the room. Clutching my side now rather than my shoulder, my stomach feels queasy at the sight before me, and my head feels light.
Superficial feelings, I realize.
After all, I am a vampire. I can't be sick to my stomach, nor can I be lightheaded.
Nevertheless, I don't feel right. So much has happened in such a short time. Bella's a vampire who hates me, ripped off my arm, and ran away.
Suddenly, Pepper Jack looks up at me with a proud expression on his ridiculous furry face. A growl ripples through my chest at the small mutt. With his paw protectively on his new "plaything" he glances up at me. I growl again and it doesn't faze him a bit. He wags his tail and goes back to his new chew toy.
"Edward?" Carmen calls me from the kitchen. "Did you find it?"
Instead of answering, I growl at her dog.
Before I'm able to growl again, my aunt is in the room. She stands beside me, staring at the small menace who she considers her baby.
"Oh! Dios Mio! No, Pepper Jack." Carmen cries at the sight, worrying that he will break a tooth.
I roll my eyes. Who cares about his teeth? I need my arm.
"Bad, puppy-goat." She scolds, cautiously tiptoeing over to him. "Pepper Jack, drop it!"
But Pepper Jack does not do as told. He barks at her, just one sharp, playful bark with his paw on his prize, holding it in place so no one will snatch it from him, I suppose. He then puts his head down and goes back to chewing.
Carmen steps forward and so do I. Pepper Jack stands up and I watch in horror as he picks up my arm, runs across the living room and out the large doggy door. My aunt immediately opens the sliding glass door, rushing out after him. All the while scolding him and shouting commands he does not seem to comprehend.
Feeling like today is not my day, I stand alone in the living room whimpering in agony. Not knowing what to do. Chasing him doesn't seem to be working and I'm running out of steam. Bella hates me and I don't know how to change that. Is there even a way?
I drop to my knees and my eyes fill with venom.
The pain I feel goes beyond physical agony though I'm experiencing that too. My shoulder hurts like hell and my dead heart is breaking. I'm in my own personal purgatory. There's no other way to see this and I have no one to blame but me.
Why was I so stupid?
Why did I have to bite her in a moment of weakness?
Why did I have to mess everything up?
I don't know.
I love her but what if she never loves me again? What will I do then? I have no idea because there's no me without her. My life is tied to her even though she does not know it.
Those thoughts only bring me sorrow. Not wanting to move, I sit here screaming in pain. Just contemplating my life and hoping my aunt brings back my limb soon.
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