October. Cooling air, colorful leaves blowing across the ground, and the sound of bare branches scratching against windows in the night…
I love this time of year. So here we go, Halloween!
The world of Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I like to play in it.
AMAZING GRACE
Chapter 3 – Reflections on the Awfulness of Life – but at Least I'm Not a Frog
Bella felt ready to barf. The formaldehyde smell and the thought of blood pouring from the frog when they cut into it were starting to get to her. How was she supposed to get through this period without making a complete fool out of herself by fainting or throwing up?
Jasper's next question surprised Bella.
"Have you done this before?" he asked her.
"No, it's my first time," she answered. "With a frog, at least."
"It doesn't hurt," he replied. "I mean, the frog's already gone on to a better place, right?"
She nodded and licked her lips nervously, watching as he carefully lay the amphibian on its back.
One by one, he spread the frog's legs, pushing each of them back and pinning them to the board, exposing its undersides.
"You seem experienced at this," she started then stuttered as he looked up from his work. "I mean, like you've done this before."
He nodded, a hint of a smile flashing across his tense face.
When the wee beastie was pinioned, he took the scalpel and scissors and trimmed it up the middle, laying the insides bare before them.
"Oh," she whispered, feeling woozy.
"You're faint," he said, confirming her feelings before she spoke.
She was feeling weak, but not just from the blood, which wasn't red in the frog.
"Go ahead, I'm OK," she said. He paused, looking carefully at her before he continued.
"Ready?" he asked. He spread apart the skin, exposing what lay beneath, poking at each organ with the forceps before exposing it with the scalpel.
The coupled identified what they were seeing, labeling the body parts quickly. Bella's tongue felt thick, but she muttered the organ's name when it was her turn.
She couldn't help but notice how appeared to relax as he worked, and how attractive the smile that played across his gorgeous lips was. She was really grateful she wasn't carving, as she would have probably lost a few fingers by now with him around.
All too soon it was over, and he carefully unpinned the legs, allowing the small body to relax a bit before wrapping it in a paper towel and putting it in the waste disposal container.
After the frog was disposed of, Bella realized she could hear voices around her. She had been so focused on Jasper and what they were doing that the rest of the world had faded away for a few minutes.
The roaming Mr. Banner stopped by their table. "So, did Miss Swan participate at all, or did you handle everything, Mr. Hale?"
"I'm a bit clumsy and didn't want to risk getting poked…with the scalpel," Bella said, blushing.
"Oh, I see," Mr. Banner replied. "Well, well done then, Mr. Hale."
The bell rang, and coupled looked up. Quickly Jasper laid the tools in the cleansing fluid for the lab tech to pick up. He scooped up the notes and said, "We'll work on these tomorrow, OK?"
Bella nodded, grabbed her books, and left. She put her stuff in her locker then headed out. Standing at the window next to the door, she watching the rain for a few minutes, then pulled up her hood. No time like the present. This rain could go on for hours or stop in five minutes. She pushed open the door and stepped outside, starting the cold walk home. She tugged her sweatshirt closer as the wind splashed rain from the roof onto her head, drenching her hood and neck.
A blue convertible pulled up next to her and the window on the passenger side rolled down. Bella leaned over to look in.
It was Jasper. "Need a lift?" he asked.
"I'm OK," she said. "It's always raining here. We're used to it."
Jasper followed her down the street for a few hundred yards before pulling up next to her again. "You might as well hop in. Otherwise I'm going to have to follow you home to make sure you don't slip, fall into a mud puddle, and drown," he said.
Bella laughed and opened the door. "You're certified at CPR?"
"Maybe. Though in my past it might have been more in the other direction," he said.
"The other direction?" Bella asked. "You mean like killing people?"
"Just tragic blood," he said. "Forget it, hop in."
Bella slid into the car, setting her backpack on the floor and pulling on the seatbelt. She rubbed her hands and held them in front of the heat vent. "I'm getting your seat all wet," she commented.
"It's OK," he replied. "It'll dry off."
"Thanks for the lift. I have a car, or rather truck, but it's in the shop," Bella said.
Jasper nodded, pulling into the median on Forks Avenue and putting on his turn signal.
"So how was your first day?" she asked. "Oh, wait. Let me tell you where we're going." She realized he was heading in the right direction. "Do you know where I live?"
He laughed. "Of course not. I was just going in the same direction you were heading when you left the school."
He wasn't though. He was getting ready to turn. She let it go, giving him the directions, and all too soon, they pulled up on the grading in front of her house. Charlie's cruiser was in the driveway, so Jasper couldn't pull in.
"Thanks for the ride," she said.
"No problem," he answered. As he pulled away, he said, "I'll pick you up tomorrow," then rolled up his window and pulled off** before she could reply.
Charlie was standing at the front door. She went up the steps, checking to see how the jack-o-lantern Charlie had carved over the weekend was holding up. It was starting to show signs of decay. The top lid no longer fit snugly, but she decided the puckering around the mouth and eyes just made it look scarier.
"Nice car," Charlie said. "Who was that?"
"One of the doctor's kids offered me a ride home," she replied. "We're lab partners, and he saw me walking home after school so he gave me a lift."
"I would have picked you up," Charlie said. "I thought you said Angela was giving you a ride?"
"Yeah, well, I didn't want to bother her as she had chorus. Maybe my truck's ready. I'll check with Dowling's."
She called and was advised by the mechanic that they would need to order a part. It would take a day to be shipped, so it wouldn't be ready for a few days.
A few days.
She could walk. Although it seemed she had two competing males who wanted nothing more than to ensure her feet never hit the street.
Tomorrow would be another day. And not just any day, but Halloween.
Xx
Thanks for reading. Hope you're having a wonderful October. Please leave a review. I will send a preview of the next chapter to all reviewers. Next chapter will be up in a few days.
(**that read "pulled out" before I caught myself. Still recovering from the frog scene.)
Reviews make my pumpkin smile.
And thanks for all the supporting comments on my job situation. I'm sure things will turn around, but it's hard facing into that void when it's straight ahead of you. Today was last day at work, but already have applications in at other places. Filled out an on-line test for one position. I don't see how ANYONE could pass one of those (a mix of quadratic equations and advanced vocabulary interspersed with 240 "personality" questions) – but they have employees, so people must.
