"Isabella, pet, please wake!" Bella vaguely heard a matronly voice call out to her. "Isabella!" The woman swore under her breath. "Oh, God in heaven, that the poor child were bludgeoned in this fray."
Bludgeoned? Bella's head felt slightly sore, but she was sure it was only a headache. Speaking of which, who was this woman? Bella's eyelids opened, though not without some effort, and immediately she knew that she must be dreaming.
An elderly woman wearing some sort of medieval headdress was standing over her concernedly. Bella looked down. She was lying against the wall of a cobblestone street that looked to be faintly European. She held her hand to her brow and noticed the blood on fingers.
"What happened here?" she asked the woman. The woman looked shocked. "Do you not remember, child?" She turned and muttered some more to herself. "Oh nay, the wound on her brow is greater that 'twas believed."
The woman turned back to Bella. "Come, Isabella. Your mother awaits you at the manor."
Bella was utterly lost. "Manor? My mother?" She shook her head. None of this was making sense. Clearly it must have been some sort of strange, delusional dream.
The woman now looked at Bella with matronly concern. "Yes, dear, your mother, the blessed and holy Lady Capulet."
Capulet! It appeared all of the previous day's talk with Edward about the school play had come back to Bella in a dream. This is all wrong, she thought somewhat frantically. Yet something told her that she would have to play along here.
"My apologies, nurse, I come anon." Whoa. Where did that come from? Play along, said the voice at the back of Bella's head. With some luck, if the story progressed the way it was supposed to, she would see Edward at the masked ball, and maybe he would have some inkling as to what was going on.
"My memory is vague," said Bella, rubbing her temple. "What happened here?"
The nurse grumbled. "Another fight upon the streets. I fear your father will not be of a good disposition toward your cousin, Jacob, at present."
Jake! My cousin? thought Bella. Well, his temper certainly matched Tybalt's. A sudden sadness gripped her chest as she realized that if the story played its due course, then Edward would have to kill Jake. Not if I can help it, thought Bella, with determination. It was then that Bella's ears came upon the sweetest voice she had ever known.
"Ay, Jasper, love is rough. There is no escape for the sorrowful state of my piteous heart." Edward! thought Bella happily. Ignoring the calls of her nurse, Bella strode a few cautious steps toward Edward and Jasper.
"Nay, coz, is love is rough with you, then be rough with love." Jasper laughed.
Edward growled. "But the fair Rosalie spares me no attention! She has sworn to remain chaste of love." Rosalie? Bella shook her head. Whatever. He would be over Rosalie once he saw her tonight. It was simply how the story went.
"Isabella, child, you must talk with your mother!" Bella whipped around, and ran back to the nurse. "By and by, I come!" she said. She spared another backward glance at Edward, and then strode off to the Capulet manor.