PLEASE NOTE..."Brian" from the previous chapter is now "Mike"!
Who owns twilight?? i DON'T, i DON'T! sadness
I stood there like a deer in the headlights, peering through the tinted windshield of the car. My body tensed as the familiar glow of amber stared back at me. Very quickly, I squeezed my eyes shut, crouching in a way that resembled the fetal position, and braced myself. I waited for the pain as the fenders crushed around my body, but it did not come. Instead, I felt a euphoric sense of weightlessness, as something hard crumpled against me, sending my body sailing in a direction I hadn't expected.
I groaned heavily as my head snapped against the asphalt. I kept my eyes closed, wondering why I couldn't feel my arms. I was about to look and see how much damage had been done when I felt something smooth and cold moving against me. I was sure I should either be dead or searing with pain by now, but there was only a faint soreness in my head and the pressure of whatever was holding me down. It took a moment before the low, humming sounds in my head became deafening screams
"Are you alright?" a hard, yet angelic voice burned through the screaming.
My eyes flew open to see the same amber beams from my dream, the same ones I had seen through the windshield, gazing worriedly at my face. Now I knew I must have been dead…or hallucinating. Wanting to snap out of it, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to shake the image from my mind. I groaned in agony as this movement brought on the pain I had been waiting for.
"Don't move! You've banged your head quite severely." She said harshly, placing and ice cold hand over my forehead to restrain me. I shivered and slowly opened my eyes. We seemed to be nearly twenty feet from the parking lot entrance. A large crowd had formed around us and I wondered where they all had come from. I was positive there hadn't been this many people out here when I arrived.
"I didn't even see her." Someone said.
"It's like she came out of nowhere." Another voice added.
I looked up and saw that it was the couple I had seen earlier, pointing and trying to warn me of my impending demise. The angel beside me shifted uncomfortably and I noticed that it was her small arms that were cold and pressing me into submission. I stared up into her face, the shock setting in as I realized she had saved me.
"Are you alright?" She asked again, this time, more gently.
Though her voice had been soft, it did not match the hard set of her wide eyes. I tried to place the emotion that filled them, but failed. Up close, I could see that the color was not quite amber; more like a deep topaz, but they were still just as beautiful as they had been in my dream. My gaze wandered, taking in the dark circles under her eyes and the sharp angles of her heart-shaped face; the narrow jaw that was now tightly clenched. Her small, full lips were drawn into a tight line. The beauty of her ghostly pale skin nearly took what little breath I had away.
"H-how did you…you were…in that car."
"I was standing near the overpass by the entrance." She said, her eyes darting quickly to the crowd, then back to my face. I searched my brain, wondering how I could have missed her. I wasn't sure, but I didn't remember seeing anyone there.
"No. I saw you…your eyes…in…driving that car." I couldn't tell if it was her face or the pain that slowed my speech.
"That is not possible." She almost growled, her arms stiffening around me. It was true, it was certainly impossible for her to be here now if she had been driving, but I had seen her; seen those eyes, in my dream and now. It was not possible, but it was her.
"I saw you." I responded, quietly, turning my eyes back to the ever increasing throng of on-lookers.
"Let me through, move, damn it!" Someone yelled, pushing through the crowd.
"Edward! Shit man, are you… " Mike stopped short just in front of us, his eyes wide with fear as they flickered from me to the angel. It was then that I noticed the proximity of the crowd. They had gathered around us, but seemed careful not to get too close. I watched their faces closely, trying to understand why their eyes held more fear than worry.
"The ambulance is here. They're gonna get you to the hospital right away." Mike said, but did come closer.
"I think I'm ok. My head hurts a little." I croaked. Talking seemed to make it worse.
"Umm…is she alright?" He asked, his head nodding to the side.
"I'm fine." She answered softly, slowly releasing me from her iron grasp. She pulled her arm from under my back and stood, effortlessly. She seemed much smaller now that she was upright. I watched as the crowd parted instantly to make a path for her.
"Thank you…" I managed to call out. She turned her head swiftly, tufts of chocolate brown hair cascading over her white skin. The contrast was beautiful. Her full lips relaxed and turned up into a half-smile so stunning, I would have sworn the Earth moved if I hadn't known it was simply the EMTs lifting me onto a stretcher. She turned back then, and disappeared through crowd.
"Was it worth it?" Mike chuckled, suddenly close to my side as I was placed into the ambulance.
"Was what worth what?"
"You getting hit by a car, just so you could miss your exam!" He joked. I wanted to laugh, but knew that too would probably increase the pain. I thought instead of those piercing topaz eyes, soft, full lips.
"Yeah, I think so." I answered, as the closing doors latched into place.
I was awakened by the irritating sound of beeping; high pitched, evenly spaced, beeping. My eyes opened to the pale blue walls of what I immediately knew were those of a hospital. There was no other place that simultaneously held the smell of life and death. I breathed a sigh of relief as I noticed I was still in my own clothes. At least this meant I wouldn't be spending the night.
"Feeling better?"
I jerked my head over to see her sitting with folded arms, on the edge of an unoccupied bed, a smile playing at her lips. Had her clothes changed?
"How long have I been in this place?"
"Merely a few hours. You have a mild concussion. They wanted to be sure you wouldn't need an extended stay." She laughed lightly. I however, found nothing humorous about this situation.
"How did you manage to get by without a scratch?" I questioned, looking down at my bandaged arms.
"I'm a little less fragile than you." She said, with a smirk.
I was about to respond when the doctor walked in. I felt my eyes widen as he approached. A musical giggle escaped her lips as she caught my reaction. I wasn't one for judging other guys, but this dude seemed to be a little, well, much too handsome to be working in a hospital. He kind of had that Brad Pitt thing going on, but he couldn't have been more than thirty. My eyes flashed between his face and that of the girl's sitting perched on the bed next to me. They had the same satiny smooth, pale skin and topaz colored eyes. The purple tinged circles underneath them were identical.
"Hello. Edward Swan, is it?" he ruffled through the papers on his chart and glanced at the bed next to me.
"Hi Bella, how's he holding up?" he asked her. My heart stuttered slightly at finally learning her name. She shrugged her shoulders and gestured towards me.
"I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. How are you feeling?" He turned to me, lightly resting the back of his cold fingers against my forehead. I stifled the impulse to shudder.
"I'm fine. Can I go home now?"
"Well, I don't think that will be a problem. Everything appears to be alright. I'm sure a few Tylenol will keep the pain away." He said, while shining a small light into my eyes.
"Your father and friends are already waiting to take you home." He added.
"Oh brother…" I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"Well, since everything is alright, I'll be going. See you later, dad." She said, rising gracefully. They both seemed to suppress laughter as my eyes widened. It was painfully obvious that there had to be some sort of relation between them. I just didn't expect it to be that one.
"Alright Edward, take care of yourself. Be sure to call if you begin to feel worse." Dr. Cullen said, his voice filled with concern.
"Thanks." I mumbled. He glanced again at his daughter, nodded, and left the room.
"Dad?" I quizzed.
She hunched her shoulders, grinned and headed for the door. I grabbed my jacket and bag from the small chair near the foot of my bed and quickly followed. I was surprised at how fast she moved. I noticed now that she couldn't be more than 5'4'', however, she was half-way down the hall when I reached the door frame.
"Wait! I need to talk to you." I called after her, trying to keep my voice low. She paused momentarily, but did not turn around.
"How did you do it?" I asked, flinching as my head began to throb.
"Do what?" she quipped, still not turning.
"How did you save me? You were driving that car!" I said, grabbing her arm so she would face me. A volt of electricity seemed to course through my body the moment I touched her ice cold skin. My breath caught in my throat as she turned and quickly snatched her arm away. She grimaced as her eyes burned into mine, seeming to darken with every second that passed. I had the sudden feeling that I should be afraid, but even in anger, the beauty of her face only pulled me in.
"For the last time, I was not driving." She said through clenched teeth.
"I saw you." I refused to back down. I know I wasn't the smartest guy in the world, but I know what I saw. Impossible as it may be, I know what I saw.
"Let's get this straight," she sighed, "you think I was behind the wheel of the car that very nearly took your life, and then suddenly I was not? I jumped from a moving vehicle and saved you?"
I grimaced at the emphasis she placed on "you"; as if I weren't good enough for her to save. I knew that, but she had no right to make the assumption.
"That's absurd, you know. No one would believe that." She smirked, running her small fingers through her hair. I thought about that for a moment.
"Well…maybe you're right, but…I wanna know…I need to know what happened. It just doesn't make any sense." I said, quietly. This seemed to confuse her, as several emotions played across her face.
"Does it really matter? You're alive. What more is there?" she said, and turned to walk away.
"Nothing." I mumbled, watching as she quickly disappeared around a corner. I stood there for a moment, debating whether I should go after her. I quickly decided against it. My head was beginning to ache more and I knew it was time for me to go home. I trudged slowly towards the hospitals waiting room, trying to prepare myself for the barrage of questions I was sure to get.
"Edward!" several voices cried out as soon as I pushed through the double doors. The hospital had called my father and it seemed that in turn, he'd called everyone we knew. Mike was there too, along with a group of our friends.
"Are you ok?" Angela and Jessica asked, each grabbing one of my heavily bandaged arms.
"I'm fine, I just wanna get the heck out of here." I groaned.
"Eds, are you're alright? Maybe you should stay." My dad asked, concerned.
"No, no, no! I'm fine. Let's get out of here, now!"
"Ok. Mike, get him home, and make sure he takes something for that head. I know he's got to be in more pain that he lets on." My dad tried to whisper, and failed. I was too tired to object, so I let them all walk me out to Mike's suburban.
The questions continued and I was about to tell them all to just shut up, when I glimpsed a small, pale figure from the corner of my eye. I turned my head slowly, not wanting to alert the others. I watched as she seemed to float across the pavement, a wave of rich, brown hair flowing behind her. Even from this distance, her face, and body for that matter, was stunning. I couldn't remember ever feeling this affected by some girl. I tried to convince myself that it was only because she had saved me, or at least I thought she had, but I knew it was something more.
I continued to stare as she slowed her pace and stopped at the door of a familiar, blood red, sports car. Abruptly, I began to feel dizzy as my heart doubled its speed. I froze, my eyes never leaving her face.
"Edward! What's wrong?" Angela cried out, lifting my arm onto her tiny shoulders. At that moment, her head snapped towards me; fire blazing through her narrowed eyes. A pained looked briefly flashed across her face before she swiftly opened the door and climbed into the car. I watched as she swiftly pulled out, and sped away.
"Eddie, what's wrong?" Mike asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. I kept my eyes on the road, even after her car was long gone.
"It's nothing. Let's get out of here." I sighed.
That was the first night I knowingly dreamed of Bella Cullen.
Edward Swan?? I know i know...role reversal, come on people! :) Thanks 2 everyone (all 4 of ya :) for the reviews! i will keep posting as long as at lease ONE person wants to read! I'm just in it for fun!
