The small silver cell phone in my hand felt lighter than it had all week long. Three small words on the screen from Jasper were all it had taken to finally let me relax for the first time in days.
She's still here.
I didn't need to ask who the "She" was. The answer was already at the forefront of my mind. Truthfully, I hadn't stopped thinking about Bella Swan for the duration of my trip. Her mystery haunted me, like her wide brown eyes, and I couldn't seem to shake it. With that blunt confirmation that she wasn't here to get me killed and tortured forever, I was suddenly more intrigued than frightened of her resistance to me. She was still to be kept at a distance, obviously, but I no longer visualized her as an imminent threat. I could study her, and unravel her enigma at my leisure, without interacting directly. Grinning triumphantly at this new plan, I tugged on my heavy boots and maneuvered out of my small one-man tent. The early morning sunshine over Glacier National Park was awe-inspiring, even after all these years of familiarity. Delicate gold rays bled into the deep evergreen forest and lit up the snowy mountaintops like diamonds.
Magnificent.
Stretching until my back popped, I shuffled my way over to the ashes of last night's campfire. Contemplating starting a new one so I could brew some coffee, my gaze dropped to the tiny trail leading away from my campsite.
Fuck it, I wanted to go home.
I packed hurriedly, eager to put this entire tense week behind me. I wouldn't even judge Emmett for teasing me about being so scared of a girl. Once everything was secured in my large camping bag again, I scooped a few more handfuls of damp earth on top of the remains of my fire circle.
Only you can help prevent forest fires...I thought mockingly to myself before standing and wiping my hands carelessly on my jeans. My bag now in place across my back, I gave one last check of the campsite.
Time to get back to reality.
I made the nearly 11 hour trip back to Forks in record time, feeling a strange sense of anticipation the entire way. Ignoring my thoughts that told me otherwise, I chalked it up to being happy to see my family again and being out of immediate danger.
It wasn't until the next morning as I leaned against my Volvo smoking, twenty minutes early for school on a goddamn MONDAY, that I was forced to stop lying to myself.
I wanted to pick apart Bella Swan's mind. Break through her defenses, and hear what went on behind those walls of silence. If curiosity killed the cat, well, someone better get me a toe-tag ready.
Ten minutes later, the ominous rumble of a vehicle that needed to be put out of it's misery sounded before a behemoth red truck rounded the corner into the school lot. Some of the other students snickered at the chugging beast, but my gaze was fixed on the small brunette behind the wheel. She parked a few spaces down from me and killed the engine, seeming to take a deep breath before opening the door and glancing around. Bella's doe eyes caught my stare and she froze, brows furrowing in confusion. I glanced at the truck, then back to her, raising one eyebrow and smirking.
She blushed deeply but her eyes narrowed and she squared her small shoulders, staring me down.
Well now, New Girl had guts.
Reaching out for her thoughts yet again, I tried to mentally circle where they ought to be. Searching for the weak link in her armor. After a long moment it felt like I was once more being slowly absorbed by her silence, so I threw up my own guards and gave in. For now. Breaking our impromptu staring contest, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and headed off towards the double doors. This was obviously a battle between whatever skill she apparently possessed, and mine.
And I was going to win.
I just needed a game plan.
Morning classes passed in a blur, and I attempted to strategize as I pretended to take notes. After over 90 years of repetition, there really wasn't anything a high school teacher could lecture about that I didn't already know. Maybe next year I would play the college student again. Break up the monotony a little bit.
By the time I sat down at our table at lunch, I had tentatively penned application essays to both Harvard and NYU and was mentally assembling a portfolio for a small art school in San Francisco. I was still no closer to figuring out how to unravel Bella Swan, however. Glancing over at the girl in question, I caught the obsidian glare of Alice, who shook her dainty head at me.
The warning she had issued me before my hasty retreat a week ago came to mind, and I could read from her thoughts that she still believed it firmly. In fact, she was quite disappointed I had come back to school at all, thinking I had left and the problem was over.
Sorry, Pixie, but I don't fear the wrath of a tiny human girl. Deal with it.
I trailed behind Alice and Bella after the bell, smiling at their easy camaraderie. Pure human relationships were always so...refreshing. And rare. We all took our seats and I was getting ready to pull out my notebook again when Bella spoke.
"I finished our lab report assignment." She said gently, sliding the neatly typed papers to the middle of our table. It looked exceptionally well done, something you might submit for a business proposal- not a high school Biology class. It even had graphs. Biting her plump bottom lip she hastily scrawled something on another small scrap of paper and held it out to me. "This is my phone number. If you're going to be gone for a while again, please just text and let me know so I can pick up the slack. I take my grades seriously."
I could feel my eyebrows raise as I waited for her to laugh and say "just kidding". Instead she sat there looking nervous but entirely earnest. It was kind of cute that she had obviously planned out this little speech, despite how I had acted when she introduced herself. Humoring her, I gave a curt nod and grabbed the slip of paper, tucking it away in my backpack.
"Thank you." she whispered sincerely just as Mr. Banner began his lecture. I allowed one more nod then turned away towards the front of the room. I was never going to use that number, of course, but if it made her feel better I didn't see the harm in letting her give me a piece of paper.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Bella taking copious notes, nose crinkling just slightly as she concentrated. Truthfully, she was adorable for a human. The pale blue of her thin sweater made her skin look like fresh cream and hugged her small curves just right. Based on the thoughts of nearly every male in the room, I wasn't alone in my assessment. Mike Newton was practically drooling on his desk as he stared whenever he thought he could get away with it. If Bella could hear what she had done to the male population of this school, she would never want to leave her house again. The bell rang to end class and I gathered my backpack, expecting Bella to leave hurriedly for the next period, shy and demure. Instead she turned to face me and held her books closely to her chest, her features serious and slightly...angry?
"Oh, and Edward, I know my truck may not look like much but it's mine. And it could eat your Volvo for breakfast." With that she turned on her heel and left the room, completely missing my collapsing in silent mirth.
New girl had serious guts.
As shy as she seemed, and as much as she apparently hated attention, she wasn't going to be a pushover. It was quite a unique characteristic, and I liked it. The rest of the day I spent trying to both scour Bella's mind for a weak spot, and to ignore the lustful fantasies of the school boys she encountered. For some reason, listening to how fucking vulgar they were towards her mentally made me want to warn her. My throat itched with the need to actually say something. To tell her who to steer clear of. It just didn't seem right that she should be subjected to someone who was able to think of her so...objectively. Plus, I wondered how many ways she could think of to tell someone to fuck off.
So I was a total hypocrite. Add it to the list of sins. One more couldn't make things much worse for me.
At the end of school I listened eagerly as she declined Alice's invitation to go shopping, reminding her that she "was busy". Instantly curious, I tuned in to Alice's mind from my locker as I gathered my belongings.
Where-oh-where would little Miss Bella be off to?
Much to my irritation, Alice's mind only flashed briefly to an image of the hospital. She merrily replied that she had forgotten, ordered Bella to call her later, and waved a cheerful goodbye before making a bee-line for her bright yellow VW Beetle. I'm not sure she even breathed throughout the entire exchange.
Jasper and Emmett trouped out to Rosalie's red convertible, ribbing each other over a video game that Jasper simply could not beat. Mostly because one of the tiny female anime characters looked an awful lot like Alice Brandon, and Jasper couldn't seem to put his whole heart into attacking her. Emmett was positively aglow with childish victory. From behind the wheel Rosalie watched them with one of her rare true smiles, caught up in her family and not her self-imposed misery briefly. It was glimpses like that where I was reminded of that something worth saving that Carlisle had seen in her. It was easy enough to forget with Rosalie.
Bella was just getting into her truck as I made my way to my Volvo, and I quickly sent a text to Jasper, the decision to follow her nearly making itself.
Have something to take care of. See you at home later.
From the backseat of the convertible, he looked around and shot me a confused glance after reading my message. I focused on feeling apathetic as I waved them on, climbing into my car. I knew they wouldn't approve of my impromptu reconnaissance mission, so I figured it was best to keep it to myself for now. Soon enough there would be nothing more to know and I would beg forgiveness for acting without them.
"Easier to ask forgiveness than permission", wasn't that the old saying?
There was no need to go right behind Bella to the hospital, as I could have made the drive in my sleep by now. Even though I gave her a few minutes head start, we arrived in the parking lot at nearly the same time. Musing, I wondered internally how fast that truck could possibly go.
45. 50 tops.
I hung back and let her park, unsure if I could rationalize continuing this trip any longer. It had seemed like a harmless idea at school, but now...this almost felt wrong. The feeling of guilt was disgruntling, and I drummed my fingers on my steering wheel as I debated. Swinging into a parking spot in near silence, I watched the slender raincoat-clad figure vanish behind the automatic doors that led to the non-emergency areas of the hospital. It took all of about three seconds of deliberation after she disappeared to decide to follow her. This was just too good an opportunity to pass up. At least that's what I argued with the long-dormant voice of my conscience. Walking swiftly through the drizzle, I kept my head down and my mind focused on Bella's sphere of silence to determine where she was headed.
Long term care. Was she sick, then? Was that why I couldn't hear her? Some mental malady?
The idea was vaguely disturbing to me. Perhaps because Bella already seemed fragile. A serious illness would surely claim her quickly. She would be snuffed out easier than a candle. Shrugging off the malaise, I managed to smile as I walked up to the reception desk, happy that I had a perfectly legitimate cover story for being here if I got caught. Janice, the bottle-blonde behind the desk in too-tight clothing, froze mid-type as I approached. She beamed a rather alarmingly pink-lipped smile at me and then tried to appear casual.
"Edward! What a nice surprise. Are you here to see Doctor Cullen?" How an entire family is so good looking I'll never understand. I tell you that Esme is the luckiest woman on Earth. Carlisle is just...yummy.
Trying not to shudder at her crass imaginings of my father-figure, I nodded.
"Very good. I'll just ring Doctor Cullen to come and escort you." I shook my head faintly, still keeping the smile on my face. Grabbing one of the pens from the counter and a brochure about some local events, I flipped the paper over and scribbled a hasty message.
No need to drag him all the way down here. I know how to get to his office.
Her overly made-up blue eyes scanned the page and she wavered for a moment. Knowing full well it was against hospital policy to let someone freely wander the Doctor's Office corridor unaccompanied, I gave her my best smolder and tried to make my eyes pleading.
Her willpower was dust in seconds as her breathing quickened.
"I suppose just this once...Doctor Cullen is very busy after all...Why don't you just take this visitors badge and go on up."
Swiping the plastic clip on badge before she could change her mind, I waved in thanks and stalked off to find that elusive silent mind. In a small town hospital this size, it didn't take me long. She had gone into the childrens' ward of long-term care, and I wondered who she might know in this wing. Obviously a 17 year old girl wouldn't be getting treatment in that area.
It was another two minutes before I tracked her to the largest of the ward rooms, her soft voice echoing into the hall faintly. Peering around the door frame, my breath caught in my throat at the sight that met my eyes.
Perhaps 20 children from various areas of the hospital were sitting on the small beds, staring in rapt fascination as Bella held out a book of childrens' poetry, emphatically showing them the illustrations as she read. They giggled and gasped and clapped as she threw her voice for different characters, made sound effects, and passionately brought the simple rhymes to life. Here in this sterile miserable place, Bella Swan was creating magic. So absorbed was she in mesmerizing her pajama-clad audience that my presence outside the room went entirely unnoticed. I was free to listen, unable to keep the smile from my face at how much enjoyment she seemed to get from helping these kids.
Forty-five minutes later, a nurse passed by me to enter the room, and I shrugged nonchalantly before hurrying off down the hall. No sense getting caught by Bella and playing the "Just here to see my dad" card so soon. I could hear the protests of the children as the nurse declared story-time to be over for the day, and as she reminded them that Bella would be back tomorrow.
I knew right then, that so would I.
Speeding home, I mulled over my new tidbit of information, frustrated even further that I couldn't know what compelled Bella to donate her time so selflessly.
The rest of the week passed in almost the exact same fashion. Though I acknowledged that I had fully entered stalker territory, I couldn't seem to care. Every day I avoided the questioning glances of my family and spent my nights mulling over whatever new data I had uncovered. None of it seemed to bring me any closer to cracking Bella's shell, which only drove my need for more.
I would arrive at school with my family and wait outside smoking my cigarettes until Bella's ridiculous truck pulled up. She would give me a small smile if she noticed my eyes on her, but I never returned it. There was no need to make her think I was trying to be friends. She was a project, an experiment to be observed. All day I would follow her through the thoughts of others and by monitoring her odd bubble of quiet. She worked extremely hard in all of her classes, was polite to everyone, yet wasn't afraid to gently stand up for herself even though it always made her anxious. And every weekday after school, Bella would spend an hour with the children at the hospital reading. When she got home she would make dinner for her father and herself, humming tunelessly in the kitchen. She exchanged short easy banter with Chief Swan when he arrived home, catching up with each other about their days, before retiring to do her homework. From my spot in the woods just past her yard, I listened in near disbelief to it all, and couldn't stop myself from chuckling as they made plans to spend the weekend fishing together. It was like a Stepford child had come to life, or a character from a Norman Rockwell painting.
In short, it was like someone had created my exact opposite to fascinate me.
I felt like a black smudge that followed her around, just out of sight, a shadow to her every light step. After day three, I could no longer argue that it was just Bella's silent mind that held my attention. It was Bella herself. I had never before met someone who seemed so entirely...good. Aside from Carlisle, of course, and the whole "good" thing was kind of in his job description. And with each hour that passed as I studied her from afar, I could feel my vocal chords practically burning with the desire to speak. I had so many questions and it didn't feel like anything but having a real conversation with Bella would answer them.
A week after my "observation" began, I left my house to find the world covered in a thick layer of mud and water. The ever-present rain in Forks had turned torrential overnight, making the town into a giant Slip n' Slide. Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and I all piled into Emmett's Goliath red Jeep. It's souped up four wheel drive was second to none thanks to Rosalie's skills, and we'd need it today.
A car accident is a terrible way to start the morning, after all.
With predictable good-sense and caution, Bella arrived at school slowly, peering carefully around her as she drove.
Honestly, did this girl ever make the unintelligent "teenager" decision?
She parked and the student lot became a few notches quieter after she cut off the roar of her engine. Gathering her things from her truck, she opened the door and stepped out slowly. Almost immediately, she slipped in the muddy water and grabbed the frame of the truck for support. Her cheeks pinked prettily as she caught me watching her once again. After she regained her balance she shrugged in my direction and took painstaking steps towards the back end of her decrepit beast. I watched with a smirk as she tested the give on her tires with the edge of her boot.
Maybe if I stuck around long enough, I could absorb some of her goodness. My mouth twisted up at the irony of the thought. If anything, staying close to Bella would only serve to corrupt her. Drag her down a bit closer to my level.
The quiet of the morning was shattered at the same time my smirk morphed into a snarl of horror as the familiar blue of Tyler Crowley's mini van came careening much too fast around the corner with a dreadful squealing. In a heartbeat I realized two things: Tyler wasn't going to be able to stop on the flooded pavement, and Bella Swan was smack dab in the middle of his collision course. She looked up in confusion for the source of the noise and froze, eyes going wide in terror.
Bella was about to die.
He was going to take her away.
My muscles moved before I had time to think, my miserable black soul pushing me faster than any human body could take. I sprinted for the delicate girl, a blur of speed, the words ripping from my throat in rage and defiance.
"Not her!"
In that moment Bella seemed to fully comprehend her fate, and she stumbled back as the van sped forward to destroy her. I slammed into her full speed, arms wrapping protectively around her tiny body as I launched us away from the van-turned-death-machine. We hit the pavement between Bella's truck and a small tan coupe a split second before Tyler's van crashed into the corner of the red truck. The exact spot Bella had been standing precious heartbeats before.
Frantically, I sat up in the small space, cradling Bella's alarmingly limp form to my chest. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as I grabbed her slender wrist and felt for a pulse. It was much quicker than I would like, but strong. Her eyes fluttered open then, and my breath came out in a huge whooooosh of relief as she looked up at me in shock. I was absorbed in nothing but the girl, feeling her hand tremble slightly in my grasp. She couldn't seem to find words, her lips opening and closing slowly, her eyes locked with mine.
Was she hurt? Had I harmed her in my effort to get her out of the way?
The screaming started then, students frantically calling out for Bella, and pleas for someone to call 911. The tense moment ruptured with the noise, and the enormity of what had just occurred washed over me like a wave. I felt sick. Depositing Bella onto the ground, I scooted as far from her as possible. Her eyes watched me warily, looking shaken and a little awed. But Bella Swan no longer mattered.
How could I have been so careless?
I wanted to reach out into the void and pull the words back, undo the catastrophe I had just caused. But it was too late, and I could only stare blankly at the ground in fear and wonder how long I had left. Golden blonde hair fell in perfect waves that framed the irate face of Rosalie as she raced around the front of the tan car, shaking with the force of her fury. Before any of the other students could arrive at the small scene between the vehicles, she drew back an impeccably manicured hand and slapped me as hard as she could. Ducking my head, I knew I would take anything my family would dish out. It was nothing compared to what was coming. Bending low, Rosalie grabbed my chin, forcing my to meet her cold gaze as she hissed out in a voice full of venom.
"What have you done?"
***A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. My wisdom teeth have been KILLING me for a few days so it's been a bit difficult to focus. Also, this story has no Beta, so any/all spelling and grammatical errors are all mine. Anyhow, hope you enjoy. Next chapter will be up ASAP. ***