Short Chapter :( Sorry about that, but there wasn't much to write. I'm sure everyone is eager for the next one (more Bella and Edward goodness) but it may take a while thanks to exams. I have now decided i am a review whore and i really want about 120 by the time i post next chapter. Work with me on this one people. Review. (ps, my goal for the entire story is about 300...sooooo)
I own nothing to do with Twilight or it's amazing vampiric (and human) characters. If, by some small chance, there is such thing as vampires and, by an even smaller chance, there is an Edward Cullen out there, i shall spend the rest of my days to become his Bella Swan. But for now, They all belong to Stephanie Meyer :)
As always, i give you some mood music - although if anyone actually listens to it... i don't know - and for this chapter i particularly like Green Eyes or Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay. Or you can download some jazz by Miles Davis
- Hayley
I heard the door slam before I turned the corner. I gave the engine a little more gas once I knew Bella was safe inside her house. The car still swam with her scent and without her there, I let my control slip a little bit. I took a deep breath and savored the wonderful aroma that almost caressed my lungs.
I drove quickly down the darkened street. Many of the lights were still on in the houses, casting long shadows across the road. That confused me until I looked down at the clock. The glowing green numbers on the dash read 8:00. My brow knitted together in confusion. Had it really been that short of time? Being with Bella made time indistinct and I easily lost track of it.
Trapped in my thoughts, I barely registered turning onto the hidden driveway that led deep into the woods, towards my house. When the white mansion came into view, I remembered what had transpired between the rest of my family and I on the porch earlier that night. I cringed inwardly and regretted not taking a longer time driving home to delay the hurricane of questions that would undoubtedly come.
I parked the car in the driveway, completely aware of the thoughts directed towards my mind. I did my best to ignore them and began to exit my Volvo.
Before I even shut the door, Alice came flying out of the house. She locked onto me with her dull gold eyes – darkened with fear – and flew to my side, trapping me in a hug. I wrapped my arms around her tiny frame for a quick second before she pulled back and studied me with her eyes.
"Is everything okay…?" She trailed off, leaving little to the imagination as to what she thought had happened.
I let a smile reassure her. "Bella is safe at home," I answered and an unnecessary gush of air left Alice's lungs. She instantly loosened her tense muscles and relaxed. She pulled away and flashed her teeth in a grin.
"You have a lot to explain," she sang lightly before skipping off into the house. Sometimes I thought my family had a little too much fun at my expense. Or Alice could have just been happy that her vision didn't come true, but it was most likely the first option.
I walked at a very slow pace into the house. I could hear the impatient thoughts coming from everyone inside.
Rosalie was absolutely fuming and in any other circumstance, it would have been amusing. Unfortunately, this was too serious a matter to mock her for her vanity. She was angry at me for brushing her off so hastily hours before. According to her I was a selfish moron only concerned with stupid humans and had little or no regard for my own family.
I longed to argue for my sake, but there was no need to start off what was sure to be a very long conversation on a note of anger. I would need everyone in a good mood when I told them that we would have to move and go into hiding for a while. An extremely good mood.
When I entered the foyer, I saw my siblings curled up on the to couches in the living room. Esme was sitting next to Alice tensely and Carlisle was standing with his arms crossed in front of the fireplace. His thoughts where in a strange place, back to when he changed me. The picture in his mind was me withering in pain and screaming as the fire burned though my veins. Even the sight was painful. Nothing would ever compare to the agony that I felt those three days.
When he noticed I entered the room, he uncrossed his arms and cleared his mind. I braced myself for the torrent of questions that was sure to come.
"Edward," he began. "What happened?"
All eyes turned to me. I took a deep breath before beginning to summarize what had happened in the pervious hours. When I came to the part where Bella would have played victim in a dark crime, Esme gasped and covered her mouth. Rosalie's eyes tightened and her lips compressed into a thin line. I glanced sharply at Alice. Her innocent expression told me she hadn't given the family every detail about her vision.
Carlisle's doctor side took over before I could continue the story. "Is she okay now?" He asked hurriedly. Carlisle's compassion made it more difficult for him to hear about people being harmed, even if he had only met that person very briefly in a crowded emergency room.
"Bella's fine," I replied quietly. "Not a scratch on her," I said, "that she didn't inflict upon herself." I added as I thought of the scraps on her palms. "She's home with her father right now."
Carlisle and Esme both let out a sigh of relief just as Alice had. Rosalie wore a sour expression that looked inexplicably jealous.
"What did you do with them?" she asked suddenly.
My eyes bore into Rosalie's, shocked. I hadn't expected her to contribute to a conversation based solely on Bella's well being. She began to stare at me with a furious and determined glare.
"Who, Rosalie?" Carlisle interjected sharply.
I knew exactly what she was thinking. Her fiancée's face appeared into her head and her lip curled over her teeth. I was going to explain, to save Rosalie the indignation, but she beat me to it.
"The worthless, malicious, horrific rapists," she hissed. Her eyes flashed with fire at the last word. Jasper winced with the overwhelming anger flowing from Rosalie's being.
"I left them alive," I answered. I knew that was what she was heading towards. Because of the circumstances of her death, Rosalie had a particular aversion to preying men. "Although one of them may have broken a wrist diving out of the way of my car." I added wryly. Her eyes narrowed farther and Jasper gave another visual shudder on the couch.
She let out a low hiss of frustration and fury and was about to protest my decision to let them live, but Carlisle stepped in and silenced her with a fatherly look. She slumped back on the couch – defeated – and rest her hand within Emmett's. Everyone's attention was turned back towards me.
"Edward." Alice broke the silence that engulfed the room. "You have to tell them."
The meaning of her words confused me. I thought I had already told them everything that had ensued in the previous hours. I probed into her mind to find the reason behind the words.
"His dad is one of the Quileute elders," she watched me carefully, "We went for a walk – and he was telling me some old legends – trying to scare me, I think. He told me one…." She stopped abruptly.
"Go on." I prompted.
"About vampires," Bella whispered.
I inhaled sharply.
"What is it?" Carlisle's fatherly, stern tone took over his voice. "Alice? Edward?"
I took another breath. So we would be packed up by midnight and gone before the light of the sun could touch the gray clouds that would surely cover the skies in the morning. "She knows." I admitted.
I cast my eyes downwards, much like a petulant child would know he'd done something wrong and apologized a million times without really meaning it. I didn't mean it. I liked it. In a sick way, I enjoyed being open with Bella.
"Knows what?" Jasper asked, sensing the defiance and panic coming from me. The anger and worry leaked through his expression and his voice was clipped.
Edward…if you're saying what I think your saying…
I nodded in conformation. "Everything." I said for the benefit of everyone else.
There was a sudden outburst and Rosalie jumped up from her stiff position on the couch. Her fists were clenched and shaking in rage. "I knew you could be stupid, Edward," she spat, "But never have I ever thought you irresponsible and careless! Her father is the police chief!"
Her yelling was as far Jasper would let her go. If she had her way, I probably wouldn't have been standing. Luckily for me, Emmett put a steadying hand on his wife's shaking shoulder but his expression clearly said he agreed with her.
"It wasn't as if I told her!" I yelled, my own temper flaring in response to Rosalie's. "And I'm not the only irresponsible one in this family! How many times have we had to move because of Emmett's stupidity? Or Jaspers inability to control himself!"
"Edward," Carlisle warned me sharply. My temper was immediately quenched and I stared at the path of destruction left in its wake. Emmett was glaring at me in disbelief and Jasper was sitting on the couch, his face a mask of shock, pain and anger. Guilt engulfed me immediately. As if I needed to make things any harder for Jasper.
"Sorry," I mumbled out an apology. "I didn't mean it."
He nodded grimly in acceptance of my words and turned back to Alice. She placed a comforting hand on his back and smiled before glaring at me.
That was uncalled for
Emmett turned towards our parents, a small smile on his face. It wasn't his normal grin, as it didn't reach his eyes. The topaz was darkened and cold. Angry.
"Do we have any houses arranged? Alaska or even Canada…?" He trailed off.
"We have that small cottage near Denali, but after last time I don't think Edward is willing to go back." Esme replied. I didn't bother to remind her that I was there recently; the memory still brought back some pain in her eyes. "There is the one in Quebec that we haven't lived in recently and then there is Maine…although that one isn't completely furnished."
"Quebec is nice this time of year," Emmett agreed. "Although talking in French still gives me a headache."
Esme nodded. "I'll have everything ready by the time we arrive."
"No." Everyone's head whipped around to look at Carlisle. His arms were crossed again. "We aren't moving." His voice rang with finality.
A small gasp escaped Rosalie. "W-what? Why!" She spluttered.
"Because I don't believe we need to," he said simply.
"But she knows! We've moved for much less than this, why is Edward so special?" jealousy was flaring, "We had to move when that idiotic boy fell in love with Alice and Jasper threatened him!"
"Rosalie," Carlisle cautioned her. "I don't think Bella is a threat. She won't tell."
Suspicion arose in me. He knew something I didn't and he wasn't about to tell me what that something was. I probed his mind gently but came up with nothing.
"Why, Carlisle?" I asked, repeating Rosalie's question.
"Edward, don't worry yourself about it," he was sidestepping my question. Carlisle was a terrible liar when it came to us, especially Esme. I glanced around the room to find a bemused expression on everyone's face.
Except one.
"Alice." I said, turning to her. "Tell me."
"You're going to be angry," she warned me. I tried to glance into her mind but apparently reciting the pledge of allegiance in several different languages was more important than what we were talking about.
"Please, Alice. I'll stay calm. Jasper can help if I get…get out of hand," Jasper nodded in reassurance, eager to find out what the big secret was. Alice took a deep breath and glanced at Carlisle.
"He deserves to know," he said in defeat. I grinned triumphantly.
"Fine." She snapped. "I don't know how to say this, so I'll just show you," she closed her eyes.
"No fair," Emmett whined.
I smiled quickly in his directed and closed my eyes like Alice had done. I concentrated on her mind only and blocked out the complaints from my siblings.
Bella was laying down on a bed, but she wasn't sleeping. Her hands were tight and every muscle tensed. Sweat plastered her chestnut hair to her forehead. A quick thrash told me she was in agony. The vision went in closer until it felt as if I was standing beside the strange bed. An alabaster hand went down and stroked the hair away from her brow. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. I was terrified, although whoever was in the vision seemed to expect it as they didn't shy away. Bella's eyes were wide in panic. They weren't the chocolate brown I had come to expect but a bloody red. Vivid as rubies shining in sun. She screamed in pain and her back arched.
"Edward, please help me," were the only words that escaped her lips.
With a growl, I withdrew from her mind and my eyes snapped open. Everyone was staring at me, wide-eyed. Alice just nodded grimly. Waves of calm were the only thing keeping me from breaking every piece of furniture in the house.
"That won't happen," I vowed. "I won't let it happen."
"Let what happen?" Esme asked me gently.
"She will not become one of us." I spat. "I don't damn her to an eternity of night."
The room went quiet and all eyes flickered to Alice and Carlisle.
"When did you see this?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice calm, even with Jasper in the room. I could see him stressed with the capacity of anger, but it was hard for me to sympathize with Bella's safety on the line.
"Today, only a few hours ago," she whispered. "I went straight to Carlisle and told him everything. I thought it only fair for him to know."
I nodded, but the rage flared again, "And you thought it unnecessary to tell me?"
"Edward," Carlisle started, "I thought it was best for things to play out how they would have if you didn't see the vision. I just want your life to be as normal as possible in the given situation," his voice all of a sudden became very wary.
"Normal?" I inquired. "And what, pray tell, is normal about being a 106 year old teenager who was supposed to die in 1918?" The cold fury in my voice was much more deadly than any amount of volume. Jasper promptly left the room. "I have to feed on animal blood so I don't kill innocent people! What is normal about that?"
"I said in our situation, Edward." He was staring straight at me, unperturbed by my words. Esme was staring straight at me, wide-eyed with shock. I didn't want to hurt them anymore; I had done enough damage already. I calmed myself, letting the anger bubble and churn in my chest until it dissipated.
"I'll be back soon." I said without emotion.
I rushed out of the house before anyone could object to my decision. I ran as fast as I could into the forest, leaving the white mansion far behind.
I didn't know how many times I had turned, or in what direction I was going, I just knew I wanted to get as far away as possible.
I stopped in a perfectly round clearing. In any other circumstance, it would have been beautiful. The rare moonlight was filtering through the leaves casting great shadows on the emerald grass. Pinks and yellows dotted the ground, littering it with color; the petals almost glowed in the silvery moonlight. A faint trickling sound of a stream babbled in the background.
In my fury, it was hideous. Of course it was my luck to stumble on a place that looked as if it was straight out of the Pearly Gates. My very presence was spoiling its beauty and purity.
I roared in frustration. Was there nothing I could be around that wouldn't be blackened by my proximity? I ran back into the forest and stopped in a non-descript area. The trees rose like great brown pillars, tapering off to a point far above my head. I reached for a branch from the nearest tree.
It splintered like a toothpick beneath my hand. I gave a grim smile of satisfaction and reached out for another one. It too, was dust between my fingers.
I glanced around the forest and located the biggest tree within my sight. It was a fifty-foot white pine – at least ten feet in diameter. I dug my hand into the trunk, the bark and wood giving away easily. With a great heave, I uprooted the giant tree and slammed it into the ground. The sound shook the forest and sent birds flying in a frenzied pattern into the sky. The silence that followed was deafening.
All my anger was gone, I sat down on the recently deceased tree and put my hands into my head. What kind of terrible creature was I, bringing Bella into my world? The world of shadows and darkness, where there wasn't a sun to chase away nightmares.
I sat for hours without moving and I debated with myself the entire time. Bringing Bella into my world would have been like dropping a raw steak in a tank filled with sharks. There was no way in all of Hell that that lone steak would survive, even if there were one or two sharks intent on keeping it safe.
But I didn't want to let her go. She had become a reason for me to get up and go to the prison the government called school. I wasn't sure if there would be much reason to get up at all if she left as abruptly as she came into my life.
I mentally kicked myself the moment I thought that. I was selfish and I always would be. If I couldn't see that Bella's safety was more important than my happiness, then I didn't deserve her anyway.
But…it was Bella…
&&&
After I made up my mind, I went back to the house. No one was in sight when I closed the door. Everyone had retreated to their rooms or, in Carlisle's case, their studies. Their minds were all deliberately on different subjects – they knew I was home.
I ran to my room and quietly shut the door.
Carlisle came into my room shortly after I had laid down on my couch. My eyes were closed and I didn't bother to open them. Maybe if I didn't, it would all go away. This would only be a nightmare…if only I could sleep.
"What are you going to do?" he asked me. I didn't open my eyes. It was all just part of the dream…
"I'm going to stay away. It will hurt her, yes, but I can't afford-- I can't let that happen to her."
There was a moment of silence. I could tell he was debating, although I couldn't see it. "I think that is unwise."
My eyes snapped open and in a half second, I was standing. "What?" I asked incredulously.
"I think it would be unwise to leave now."
"You heard what is going to happen to her if we stay. I can't let it go that far." I exclaimed. Carlisle's face twisted into regret and pain at my words before smoothing out into his usual composed mask. I felt a twinge of guilt. "I don't regret what you did to me." I added quietly. I knew that was his main fear from my reaction. I could see it as clearly on his face as I did in his mind.
A relieved smile pulled his mouth up. "You're forgetting something."
I went through every detail of my inner debate. Every argument I carefully picked apart before turning back to Carlisle, utterly confused.
Another smile flashed across his face. "The vision Alice had of Bella a few days ago."
Realization flooded my brain.
"It didn't occur to you, did it?" He asked. He sounded as if he was teaching a child, his voice patient. I nodded slowly, stunned I hadn't thought of that. "You changed what should have happened tonight, Edward. The future isn't always set in stone."
Another type of dread had settled into my mind. "But what if I hurt her accidentally? It's too dangerous for her to be around me." I felt as lost as a child and it was starting to frustrate me. I usually had every answer and a fallback plan for a backup plan. I didn't like being so blind and confused.
"Don't push yourself, and most importantly, don't push Bella. Give her a choice."
"So you're saying…"
"Stay. If you feel yourself starting to slip, then leave, but for now, I think you should stay. But, ultimately, it's your choice, not mine. Just think over what I said." He exited the room, leaving me with a lot to think about.
It was nearly morning and the sun was just starting to peak over the trees behind the gray haze. It was almost time for school so I got dressed, not registering what I threw on. Something Alice or Esme had bought me, no doubt.
I was about to walk out of the room when my tan leather jacket caught my eye. My memory flashed back to the previous night. Bella sitting across the table in the jacket, breathing in the scent from the collar. I picked it up hastily and walked out of my room. She forgot her jacket in Jessica's car and it was – presumably – cold outside.
I snatched up my car keys and was about to head out the door when Alice jumped out in front of me.
"There might be problem with Saturday," she told me.
Saturday…Saturday…why was that important…?
"Seattle." Alice told me, raising an eyebrow. Don't tell me you forgot about your date with Bella?
"No, no. Of course not." I muttered. I had forgotten, but the past few days, I had been a bit more preoccupied with planning to save her from the street scum in Port Angeles. "What's the matter with Saturday?"
"It's going to be sunny."
My heart sunk. I couldn't cancel on her. What if she decided to go to the dance after all? Just the thought of Mike Newton groping her on the dance floor repulsed me.
Alice had skipped to a new subject when her eyes widened in horror. The blood – figuratively, of course – drained from her face.
"What, Alice?" I asked. Not another vision.
"You aren't driving us?" She asked. She sounded disappointed. I laughed when I noticed her eyes were fixed on the hand I held my keys with.
"Nope."
"But I hate Rosalie's driving. And her car! Urgh!" She whined.
I laughed again and she shot me a glare.
"Sorry, Alice. I have to do, what I have to do."
I smiled and walked out the front door, leaving a sulking Alice behind. Just before I started the car, I heard a jubilant cheer from Rosalie.
Gives some insight on Carlisle and Edwards relationship. I'm not sure i described it well, but i tried.
Thanks to my awesome beta not done baking, without whom, my story would be a mess of bad grammar and typos
- Hayley