THE APPLE
Author: Irish Froggy
Setting: During Twilight, while Edward and Emmett are hunting.
Rating: K
Were a human unlucky enough to cross their path, they would have barely been able to see the two boys. They moved swiftly, silently, ever graceful in an unworldly way. In a way, they were also contradictions of each other: the larger one fast and swift, his movements smooth yet evident, and an aura of excitement about him. He enjoyed the hunt. The other, however: smaller, more lithe; more concentrated and serious than the other. Almost brooding, in a way. Though today, he seemed a bit more distracted.
But no humans passed their way, and so, there were none to observe the hunt. The two boys – young men, really – worked diligently do distance themselves from any humans. They did not want anyone hurt.
The smaller one finished his last meal in silence. He was oddly distracted; not really paying attention to the smooth flavor that slid down the back of his throat, never quite enough to sate the thirst. His thoughts were focused elsewhere.
There was a loud sigh nearby, and his brother stood abruptly, wiping his mouth. "You can chase after your mountain lions all you want, Edward!" He called out to the crouched figure. "You still have to admit, nothing beats wrestling the grizzlies – they put up a much better fight than your big kitty cats." He scoffed loudly at the idea. "They're much more fun when they try to bite back."
Edward rolled his eyes, wiping off his mouth in a similar matter. His family was well used to the joking manner of their largest member – Emmett laughed more easily than anyone he had ever met. Today, though, he didn't bother to argue against the antics of his older brother.
Emmett walked up slowly, though still too fast for a human. "You'll want to hide that," he muttered, nudging the cougar that Edward had just finished. It lay on the ground silently, it's mouth still bared in a snarl. Edward shrugged, quickly digging up a hole large enough to fit the bulky body into. Emmett had already disposed of the bear that had been his last meal.
He thought about his brother's tone as he covered up the hole. Emmett's voice had been curious, wondering what could possibly be distracting his little brother so. Edward didn't need his mind reading to know that. Emmett was one of the most open people he'd ever met.
Not the most open, though. How ironic, that the very person who he could so easily read on the outside, was impossible to read on the inside. He frowned in frustration.
Emmett knew the answer. Of course he did – he just didn't understand, and therefore, wasn't admitting it to himself. Edward sighed. No one could really understand.
No one could see why he chased after this human girl who was such a threat to his control; why it killed him that he could not see into the depths of her mind. Why he was so fascinated by the way she lived, spoke, acted. Why he couldn't leave her alone. Why he couldn't stop worrying. Why he thought of her even now, wondering if she was safe, what she was doing…hating the distance between them. Hoping she was safe.
He didn't see the attack.
Emmett rammed into him with the force of a freight train, throwing him back into the stand of trees behind him. Edward shook his head, shocked; rarely was he distracted enough that his brother could pull off such an attack. Emmett was grinning wildly, elated by his unexpected victory.
But Edward was not going to give up that easily. His mind cleared, focusing on the counter-attack even as he was flying backwards. His hand shot out, wrapping around one of the trees, using the force to propel himself forward, straight back at his brother.
Emmett's eyes widened as the fist came flying at his head. It wouldn't hurt him, of course; they were just playing…very violently, but still. They were more durable than human boys.
He laughed, and his leg shot out, ready to knock Edward away. But Edward was ready. He grinned, rolling out of the way and jumping to avoid another attack.
For several minutes, the two young men wrestled, and he was almost able to forget all his worries in the sound of snarling and fake punches. He could never really forget; but he could push the worries to the back of his mind. Ignore them as well as he could. Pretend that they, and the fragile, danger-prone girl in Forks, Washington, did not exist.
It couldn't last for long, of course.
Emmett laughed, tossing his brother back into a rising wall of stone. They were both becoming just a bit winded. Both knew that the fight was drawing to a close. But it had worked, just as Emmett had hoped: they were both in boisterous spirits now, each alternating between laughs and growls. This was what they were made for, even if it was not a real fight.
Relishing the moment, Emmett grabbed a large tree nearby and uprooted it, nearly clobbering his brother with it. It was an odd picture; large as he was, Emmett was still dwarfed by the huge tree. He settled for shaking it over his brother's head, laughing as leaves, twigs, and bright red apples crashed down around him.
Edward chuckled, throwing his hand out to snap an apple out of midair. He drew his arm back with ever intention of hurling the fruit back at his brother…
And paused.
He drew the apple back to his chest, tossing it up and down gently, so as not to damage it. His thoughts were lost once again, pondering the bright red color…a slow smile spread over his face.
Emmett sighed loudly, melodramatically, and plopped to the ground beside the uprooted tree. "And what, dear brother," he implored jokingly. "Could you possibly be thinking of that would bring such a smile to your face?" His tone imitated a stiff, British accent.
The grin on Edward's face widened.
"Bella."
Emmett groaned, throwing his head back, abandoning the British charade. "AGAIN?!" He demanded.
He turned the apple so that the light glinted off of it subtly. His eyes softened.
"It reminds me of her."
"EVERYTHING reminds you of her!"
Edward was unaffected by his brother's annoyance. "She turns just this color when she blushes…brighter, even." He couldn't help but grin, remembering. Of course, the blood always presented the temptation…but he was finding that easier and easier to stamp down.
Emmett just rolled his eyes. "This isn't good," he muttered to himself.
Edward's head shot up at his brother's tone. "What isn't good?" he demanded. Did Emmett know something he didn't? What if she was hurt? He swallowed loudly. He'd told her to be careful!!
Emmett looked a bit pleased that his brother was finally listening to him. "You're too obsessed with her."
Edward scoffed. "And you aren't obsessed with your Rosalie."
Emmett shrugged. "That's different."
"How so?"
"Well, first of all, Rose's much more pleasant to look at than some silly human –"
Edward let out a low growl.
"Hey, just saying. But she also happens to be my own species." He raised his eyebrows at Edward.
The bronze-haired boy scowled. "We were all human at some point, Emmett," he hissed. His muscles were tightening, his anger growing.
Emmett glared at him, sitting up straighter. "True…but we aren't anymore. It's not healthy, Edward. And it's not the way it was meant to be. When I'm with Rose, I don't have to beat back the urge to kill her every other second. And I don't have to watch my every breath, careful that the slightest wind might knock her over and break her apart."
Edward bared his teeth. "I'm in control of my thirst!" He hissed.
Emmett raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? I suppose that explains why you almost followed her home and massacred her that first day." His voice was too calm for the situation.
"WELL I-"
They both stopped, staring down at Edward's hand.
The apple had shattered. It's bright red skin was split open, crumbling and wilting. Juice and seeds leaked out onto Edward's pale skin.
It had been just the slightest twist of his fingers – he hadn't been trying at all to harm the apple. Rather, he'd forgotten it was even in his palm. But that was all it had taken to break it, shatter it, make it no more – just a slight twist of his fingers.
So easy. So breakable.
Edward stared at the ruined fruit, slowly tilting his palm to brush off the remains of the apple. Emmett watched the movement with analyzing eyes – for once, just as serious as his brother. They both saw what this meant. It was like some kind of sign, serving to illustrate what Emmett had been trying to tell him.
Emmett jumped up, clapping his brother on the shoulder as Edward brushed the last of the apple juice from his hands. "You see, brother, that's the way it is," he said in a tone that was meant to be consoling. "You don't play with your food."
Edward glared at the ground, slapping his hand away. With hunched shoulders, he turned towards where they had left the car. They weren't expected home quite yet, but he was more than ready to return. He wanted to see her. He needed to see her.
"Come on," he muttered to his brother. "Let's go home."