She was standing in the doorway, head bowed low and her arms in front of her, as if waiting for something.
I controlled my breathing and walked slowly up to her, fanning the makeshift blanket around her shoulders. I placed my hands on the top of her arms and guided her to sit back down on the sofa, she looked incredibly confused.
"My name is Edward," I needed some way to assure her, "do you have a name?"
"a...a...a name?" her eyes were focused on her lap, I lifted my finger to her chin and brought her face up, my eyes met her and I stifled a gasp, her eyes were the most deep shade of chocolate brown I had ever seen, they were brimmed with not yet fallen tears, the water making them sparkle at me. "Bella, I think my name is Bella." Her voice was small, and soft.
I looked down at her again, my eyes scanning for any serious damage. Her mahogany hair fell across her shoulders, the contrast against her skin shocking. I looked over the shallow cuts on the tops of her legs, just below the hem line of the dress she was wearing, noticing too all the scars that faintly crossed the fresh cuts paths. Some looked months old, others looked years.
How could someone so beautiful be put through so much pain?
"Bella I'm going to check you is that okay?" I thought I should ask before I touched her, she seemed jumpy, and her body still hadn't relaxed.
She nodded and her head fell again, she shrugged the blanket off and stood before me. My eyes raked up her arms, my fingertips following. She had slices all up her arms, deep scars on her wrists, none of the recent wounds posed any real risk but I was still heartbroken by them. My hands turned her round and I examined the rest of her skin, again, none of the marks seemed to call my attention. I briefly thought in my head about the courses of action and I settled for cleaning her up myself. I took her hand and led her to the bathroom on the second floor.
I ran the water into the tub, turning the temperature down, as much as I loved the scalding heat of no cold water, I'm sure Bella wouldn't. When I turned back towards her she had undressed, she stood before me, and the dress lay on the side cabinet. Her head low she walked towards me, I snapped out of my semi trance when she was barely a foot away from me.
"Bella...I um...think you should...clean up." I stammered, I couldn't really help it. If I thought she was beautiful before I was blind, the way her neck curved down her chest and flowed into her stomach, was beyond beauty. Her slender legs met in the middle, her hip bones barely visible yet sensually enticing, her curves made her seem like a goddess in the low light of the bathroom.
She made no attempt to move, I reached behind me and turned the water off, before leaning towards her and placing my hands beneath her knees, scooping her up and placing her in the water.
She winced a little when her lower half was submerged, bringing her knees up and drawing her arms around them, she dropped her head again and the bottom of her hair brushed the water edge. That when I saw them.
The scent hit me, almost propelling me forward into the soft flesh of the girl in the water; if I wasn't overcome by so many emotions I probably would have entertained the idea.
Across her back she had been marked, several long gashes ran across the perfect skin, blood trickled into the water. I was terrified for her, heartbroken for her, angry for her, the last proving the strongest. How could anyone mar such a perfect creature, cause something so innocent pain?
I struggled to maintain my composure, I needed to pull in my murderous rage, I would take revenge on James, for Bella. I kneeled by the edge of the tub and rolled my sleeves up. I reached for the sponge and cleaned the shuddering beauty sitting in the water in front of me. Every time I grazed a new cut she would wince, every time her face screwed up in pain I felt my silent chest contract.
I swear I would've cried for her if I could when I trailed the wet sponge down her back, she cried out a little, almost silently.
After I had lifted her out, I led her back downstairs, her dress was smeared in her blood and smelt like James, and I couldn't let her wear the only reminder of that pain. I dried her and buttoned one of my shirts around her sleek frame. All the while she never said a word to me, just kept her beautiful eyes downcast, her mind not giving me anything either. So I was surprised when she opened her lips.
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