YAYYY! I FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER! it was going to be longer but...i wanted to hurry up and put it out...
once again, all this "wonderment" (i made that up) belongs to Stephenie Meyer...sadness...can u feel it??
I was still running. My heavy footsteps made no sound against the forest floor. All that could be heard was the increasing pace of my heart and sharp intakes of breath. I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. I could not afford to fall at a time like this. I had seen the wild, red hair and fiery burgundy eyes that were chasing me. Her pale white skin was nearly identical to that of the angel that now ran beside me, our fingers interlaced.
It was strange, how even in this moment, though my mind told me I should, my heart felt no fear. All that I felt was the urge to turn and see at her face; to see her fierce eyes and the soft brown hair that I knew would be flying like angel's wings behind her. I just needed a quick look at those soft, full lips to know that fear could not live in this body as long as she was present. As if reading my mind, a thunderous growl erupted from our stalker, sending shivers throughout my entire being. I knew then that I could not lose focus.
The tracker was getting closer.
It seemed as if every hair on my body was standing on end when I gradually opened my eyes. Though I was covered in sweat, my body somehow felt ice cold. My eyes darted fleetingly around the room as I tried to shake the feeling of being watched. There was a gentle knock on the door as I peeked at the alarm clock.
"Come in." I yawned, my voice thick with sleep.
"Hey man, feeling up to it today?" Anthony asked, worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little groggy from the meds." I answered, being careful to sit up slowly. The pain was very dull now. I was sure I could make it through at least half of the day.
"Are you sure you can make it, today?" he asked, as if reading my mind.
"Not completely, but I'll try. I don't really have a choice. My Bio. lab starts today and you know we have that idiotic first day rule."
"Well, you know how it is. They figure they can weed out the slackers by dropping them from the class sooner," he laughed, "hurry up and get dressed. You're riding with me today 'cuz I would hate for you to have another unfortunate accident. Although with your luck, I'm sure the next one isn't too far off." He joked, turning to leave the room.
"Thanks so much." I grimaced, jumping up to go after him. The sudden movement sent my head into a tailspin and I quickly reached out to the wall for support. I guess I wasn't feeling as good as I thought.
"You ok?" Anthony turned after hearing the thud my body made against the wall.
"Sure, sure, just got up too fast. So umm, speaking of accidents, what do you know about that girl?" I wanted to say Greek goddess but I figured that would be a bit much.
"We weren't speking of accidents; and what girl?" he quizzed, a smile playing at his lips.
"Aww come on, don't play dumb. The girl; the one who saved me." I almost whispered. He was trying his best not to laugh, but it was hardly working.
"Ahh, that girl." He chuckled, patting me lightly on the shoulder.
"That would be the beautiful, Isabella Cullen." He breathed dramatically, placing the back of his hand over his brow. I ignored the gesture and let her name echo in my head. A name as beautiful as the face; such a rarity. I couldn't shake the image of her smile from my memory, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to. A part of my brain tried to tell me that wasn't a good thing, but I quickly dismissed it. Try as I may, I could think of nothing more than getting lost in those bottomless, topaz eyes.
"Edward, snap out of it!" Anthony joked, clapping loudly in my ears. I blinked rapidly, bringing myself back to the present.
"So, you know her, then?" I asked, trying to sound indifferent.
"Define know, exactly."
"Ugh…you either know her or you don't."
"Well, since you put it that way, I don't." he smirked, continuing down the narrow hallway.
"Hey, what do you mean since you put it that way?" I said, trying to follow him without falling on my face. I wasn't doing a very good job.
"Hey, hey, hey! What's all the fuss about; can't a guy get some sleep around here?" Mike groaned, finally emerging from his room. I was surprised it had taken him this long. He was one of the lightest sleepers I knew. I honestly thought he could wake up at the sound of a pin drop.
"He wants to know about the Cullens." Anthony called from his room. Mike's eyes grew wide. He turned to stare at me for a moment, opening his mouth as if to speak, then closing it.
"What?" I asked, confused. His only response was to smile timidly, and turn back into his room.
"What is it?" I asked again, walking to his doorframe.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. It's nothing." He responded, preoccupied with something in his closet.
"Bella turned him down!" Anthony smirked, suddenly appearing behind me.
My jaw dropped as I stared at Mike. I couldn't believe he had had the nerve to even try. I wasn't sure I could have spoken to her, if it wasn't for the whole saving my life thing and all. Her beauty was absolutely intimidating.
"Shut up, Evans!" Mike quipped. He must have been aggravated because that was the only time he ever referred to anyone by their last name.
"Just hurry up, ok, it's almost 9." Anthony called over his shoulder, laughing lightly. I wanted to stay and question Mike some more, but for one, he didn't look like he was willing to talk and two, Anthony didn't like being late, which meant he would have no problem leaving me behind if need be.
I could still here Anthony laughing in the kitchen as I crossed the hall to our small bathroom. I flipped on the light and peered into the large mirror over the sink. I gazed intently at my deep green eyes; a shocking contrast to the paleness of my skin. I was grateful, at least, that there had been no damage to my boyish face. I studied my reflection, turning this way and that, trying to find something that could be considered handsome. Everything seemed too angular. My cheekbones were too high and my nose seemed too pointed. My jaw was a little too narrow for my slightly full lips. The disarray of bronze hair didn't quite match my skin.
"Oh well." I sighed, smiling warily. I looked down at my bandaged arms, debating whether or not to remove them. I wasn't sure I wanted a reminder of yesterday's events. But then you wouldn't have met her, a voice in my head whispered. I sighed at the truthfulness of this thought. I would never forget the day I met the angel of my dreams.
I sighed again, as I slowly removed the bandages from my arms. I was surprised by the web of cuts and bruises that covered them. How I had managed not to feel the scrape of concrete against my skin, was beyond me. I stepped into the shower and turned the handles until the water was warm, being careful not to let it touch my arms directly. When a tiny droplet of water did happen to fall into my open wounds, I barely felt the sting. My mind was too preoccupied with seeing Bella again. I needed to talk with her and find out why she wasn't telling me the truth. Not that I knew what the truth was, or maybe I did know, but didn't want to admit it. How could I when the truth was such impossibility? Maybe I was wrong. Maybe those weren't her eyes that I saw through the windshield. The glass was tinted, and it could have easily been a reflection or something. Then again, the color had been so exact, almost the mirror-image of what I had seen in my dreams. But again, it was impossible. How could anyone jump from a car moving that quickly, and save a person they were ten seconds from killing. On top of that, how had she stopped the car from continuing forward once she was out?
"Did you fall? You don't get special privileges for being partially handicapped, you know! Hurry it up!" Mike banged on the door.
My eyes snapped opened. I hadn't realized I was just standing there while the water drummed against my skin. I washed myself and hair as quickly as I could, and toweled off. I moved to my room and starting getting ready for class, all the while praying that this day would be a little less eventful than the previous one.
"So, correct me if I'm wrong." Anthony started, parking his Nissan next to the small park in front of the campus library. I didn't mind being chauffeured to school, but I did mind the 30 miles per hour he insisted on driving because he didn't want me to get whiplash if he had to stop too soon. I was beginning to think he was having too much fun making me the butt of jokes.
"You asked Bella out, and she said no. End of story, correct?" he questioned, turning to Mike.
"Seriously man that was ages ago. Who remembers that sort of thing?" Mike responded, careful not to answer the question.
"It's ok, man. I understand. Bella is not what I would call social." Anthony chuckled, as we all exited the car. This was one day I was grateful for the dreary weather of Forks. At this time of year, I would have looked more than out of place in Phoenix, wearing a thick, fleece pull-over. Although, I must say, I didn't need sweaters to make me look out of place there, I had done that all by myself.
"I must say, I was surprised to see Bella so close to someone who wasn't related to her." I heard Anthony say, drawn out of my thoughts by the utterance of Bella's name.
"Huh? You mean, there's more of her…I mean, them?" I corrected, as we trekked slowly towards the Science building. I waited for a response as he laughed to himself.
"Oh, there's more." He chuckled, nodding towards the well manicured lawn. I turned to see clusters of students littered around the grass as we continued up the narrow sidewalk.
"Over there." Mike whispered, gesturing towards a group standing near an oak tree not far from us. I gave them the once over. They appeared to be normal enough. I did not miss the fact that Bella was not with them.
"Ok?" I shrugged, not understanding what the big deal was.
"Keep looking." He grinned. I sighed heavily, and turned towards them again. I gazed more intently this time, my lips parting slightly as I realized how far from normal they were.
They stood together. Their eyes were fixed in different directions, yet they seemed to be holding a conversation. It was then that I noticed they looked nothing alike. Of the two females, one was gorgeous and statuesque; definitely made for our viewing pleasure. She had golden waves for hair and twirled it around her fingers absently. The other girl was so small she seemed almost child-like. Her thin, elfin face was framed by short, spiky black hair. The males were exact opposites. The larger of the two was thick muscled, dark haired and it seemed to me that he had naturally what I had failed to obtain after countless hours in the gym. The other was tall and lean, with messy blonde hair. He seemed to be lost in thought as he stood, lightly rubbing the back of black haired girl.
And yet, they were all exactly alike. Their topaz eyes shined against the snowy, white skin, making the purplish rings underneath them seem darker. Even their movements, subtle as they were, appeared similarly graceful. This, however, was not why my mouth still had remained open. They were all indescribably beautiful. I hated to use that word to depict other males, but it was the only one that applied.
I walked with exaggerated slowness, continuing to watch them. My eyes only left them briefly, but I had noticed that others watched them too. Their eyes filled mostly with envy, but there was also a hint of fear behind them. Whether that was due to the un-naturalness of their beauty or something more, I could not tell.
"Close your mouth." Mike laughed. I snapped my lips closed, embarrassed that I had been caught gaping so hard.
"Umm…so, they don't really look alike." I mumbled, before he could make fun of me.
"They're all adopted, but the two blondes, Jasper and Rosalie are twins. Alice, Emmett and of course, Bella, are the Cullens." Anthony whispered, stopping just in front of me. I tried to keep my heart from reacting to her name, but it was useless. I kept arguing with myself that it was just a little displaced gratitude for her saving my life, but even I wasn't buying it.
"How do you know so much about them?" I raised an eyebrow. He laughed as he turned around and continued walking, but made no attempt to answer my question. I stole a quick glance in their direction, my heart leaping to my throat as I noticed their numbers had increased. She was there now, wedged between the two males as her petite frame shook with laughter. I was disturbed by the pang of jealousy that shot through me. I did not like their closeness to her.
"Edward man, what is up with you today?" Mike groaned. At that moment, Bella's head spun in my direction, her lovely lips pulled into a tight frown. I dropped my head quickly, hoping she had not seen me staring. I tried to quicken my pace and tripped over a crack in the cement. I felt the heat rise on my neck and knew my cheeks would be crimson red.
"Of all the times for my clumsiness to kick in..." I murmured to myself.
"Ah man, she's laughing!" Anthony joked, lightly nudging me in the side.
"Shut up!" I quipped, through clenched teeth. I wanted desperately to look at her again, but I was too embarrassed. I kept my head down and tried to focus on the concrete below me.
"It's alright man…no biggie! They're leaving anyway." Mike said, patting my shoulder. I shrugged, feigning indifference, but slightly lifted my head to watch them walk away. They all moved with such quick, graceful strides, it could easily be confused with dance. I watched as the sister with the wild, black hair paused and rubbed Bella's hand as if reassuring her of something. Again, I felt an unfamiliar stab of jealousy as I longed to simply be in her presence. Was that really too much to ask? As if on cue, I stumbled over a rock and into Mike's back, wincing as the pressure against my arms brought the pain back. Dream on, my mind seemed to be telling me. I sighed at the double meaning.
"Dude, what are we gonna do with you?" Anthony chuckled, helping me right myself.
"Walk me to Biology." I smiled, sheepishly.
"So…are you guys going to that frat party in a few weeks?" Mike asked, as we climbed the steps of the Biology building. I glared at him in response. I'm sure he had known my answer before he asked. I was never one for social gatherings with people I didn't know. I was absolutely sure my poor hand eye coordination would cause me some form of humiliation.
"I might, if I don't have a study group, why?" Anthony responded, pushing through the glass doors of the entrance.
"Well…I kind of wanted to ask Jessica…I wanted to make sure it was ok." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"What are you staring at me for?" I griped. They both knew perfectly well how I felt about Jessica. They had seen me turn her down repeatedly.
"Well, I didn't know if you were planning on asking her. I thought you may have wanted to go as "just friends" or something."
"Well, trust me, I have no intentions of asking Jessica to go anywhere." I stated flatly. I wasn't trying to be rude, but I figured she should be able to take the hint by now. I mean, I liked having her as a friend, but that was as far as I was willing to take our relationship.
"Man, for somebody who never has a date, you sure are picky!" Anthony ribbed.
"I'm dateless, not desperate! There's a difference, you know." I pointed out.
"Alright man, this is as far as we go. Hit me up when your classes are over, and please try not to trip in front of any more moving vehicles."
"Shut up!" I smirked, heading down the hall. I was praying hard that this class went by quickly. I didn't loathe Biology, but anything silence related was like a thorn in my side. It was the only reason my GPA remained stiffly at a 3.988.
I quietly pushed through the doors in time to see Mr. Johnson, our T.A., handing out the syllabus. I walked with my head down, trying to blend in with the walls. I noticed a flash from the corner of my eye and turned to see Jessica waving frantically. I returned the gesture and continued to move slowly to the only vacant table. I hoped this meant I wouldn't have a partner. That way I wouldn't have to worry about someone doing more talking than working. I placed my forehead against the table's cool surface, as the he droned on for several minutes about what he expected of us. I heard the soft creak of the door opening just as he began discussing our first assignment. No sooner had the door eased shut than audible gasps filled the room. I lifted my head to see why the T.A. had stopped talking.
All heads in the undersized room, including his, were craned towards the door. I swiveled my chair slowly and was seized by a fit of coughing. Bella Cullen stood there, her pale skin radiating throughout the room, her lips pursed. For what seemed like the millionth time, my heart tried to escape and run to her, leaving me gasping and coughing wildly. This must have broken a little of the tension in the room, as everyone began to re-focus their attention. Mr. Johnson however, seemed to be in a state of trance as he watched her glide across the room. I too watched, with a combination of horror and elation as I realized the only vacant chair was next to mine. I readjusted myself in the seat and pretending to be listening intently. My heart crashed in my chest, working overtime to pump blood to my brain. She barely made a sound as she gently placed her things on the table and sat down. I drummed my fingers lightly, waiting for a chance to say something. I tried very hard to keep my eyes forward, but they had a mind of their own. Every few seconds they would dart over to her. When I finally got the nerve to peer at her face, I saw that her eyes were fixed on my battered arms. I stared down at them too, wondering what she saw as they were so heavily covered.
She remained very still with her crossed arms braced against the table, her slender, white fingers firmly gripping its edge. Her beautiful face pulled into a dark grimace as the corners of her mouth began to twitch.
"Bella?" I whispered, worried that something was wrong. Instantly her eyes shot to my face, causing my breath to stop in my throat.
They were pitch black, with no trace of the warm amber or topaz or even friendliness I had seen before. I tried to breathe as they mercilessly burned through my own. The wildness in them was both terrifying and hurtful. My brow furrowed as I quickly looked away, wondering if I had done something wrong? I couldn't figure out what I had done to upset her or more importantly, what had happened to the beautiful topaz eyes I remembered so well.
I raked my fingers through my hair as a light breeze fluttered through an open window nearby. A dull moan escaped her lips and I turned cautiously to see what was wrong. She was staring straight ahead, her coal-black eyes wide with rage. Her small body remained stiff as her knuckles tightened convulsively along the table's edge. I abruptly turned away, refusing to believe that this had anything to do with me. Maybe she regrets saving you, my mind suggested. I thought about that for a moment.
I did not look up when I heard the soft squeak of her chair being pushed back, nor did I watch as she quietly left the room. My heart had sank pitifully back to my chest as I realized there could have been some truth to my unwanted thoughts. It wasn't that I didn't want to believe it was possible for someone to regret saving the life of another. I didn't want to believe that she could regret saving me. It was selfish, yes, but no one else really mattered to me at this point.
"Get a grip, man." I told myself, disturbed that all my thoughts seemed to center around this girl I barely knew. Sure, she was a beautiful, heavenly creature with mesmerizing…I stopped short. If she was going to hate me, I would have to keep myself from thinking this way. It would be no good to pine over someone who chose to act as if I didn't exist.
I decided I would put my concentration on Mr. Johnson's words when once again, the door creaked open and Bella eased in. I was sure I was the only one who reacted this time. My heart lurched forward, as if it hadn't heard a single word of the conversation I'd just finished in my mind.
"Are you trying to give us a heart attack?" I mumbled to my chest.
I kept my eyes down once again, as she pulled out her chair and sat down. It took everything I had, not to take a peek at her face, and it still wasn't enough. I wasn't a glutton for punishment so I gave myself to the count of five before I looked. Pretending I had a crook in my neck, I rubbed the space behind my jaw and let my eyes drift towards her. I shook my head and blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend what I was seeing. Something was very wrong here.
Her face was perfectly calm now, back to that of the angel that starred in my dreams. Her silky, brown hair was shining even in the dully lit classroom. The smooth, white skin of her small frame now seemed to have more color, if that were possible. This, however, was not what had my heart racing in fear. I stared into her eyes, which were now close to the shade of warm, butterscotch. I let my lids fall, seeing very clearly the black-eyed glare I'd received earlier, behind them. It was official then; I was losing it. It wasn't enough for me to think that she had saved me from being hit by a car that she was driving. I now had to add changing eye color to the list. There was no real way to explain it, and that fact is what made me afraid.
She did not meet my gaze, but I couldn't bring myself to look away from her. As fearful as I might have been, the sheer beauty of just the shape of her lips, forced me into submission. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as my arms began to throb. Through all the commotion this morning, I had forgotten to take any medication for the pain. I sighed heavily and was about to turn away, when her eyes flickered quickly to mine. They narrowed slightly as she gazed from under a thick set of dark lashes. I felt the heat climbing up my body as my pulse quickened. I saw my chest heaving up and down, but could not hear my breathing. It was now me who grasped the edges of the table. I felt the blood creeping into my cheeks as my heart beat erratically. She smiled then, a slow, crooked smile so beautiful that whatever pain I felt immediately subsided. Her butterscotch eyes swam away from mine and stared straight ahead, leaving me once again, struggling to fill my lungs with air.
"Excuse me, but do you need me to call an EMT?" Mr. Johnson asked, seeming irritated that I was interrupting his lecture. I turned in awe as a velvety giggle sounded beside me. I shook my head slowly, trying to free myself of the haze that clouded my mind.
"Err…no…I'm fine. It's just my asthma." I lied, silently wishing things were that simple to explain.
i hope you all liked this! thank you SOOO much for the reviews! please keep letting me know what you think.
