Ha ha chapter twelve! Warning it ends in a cliffhanger!
Disclaimer: i own none of the Cullens or Quileuetes or anyone else.
I woke up under the covers slightly confused. My nightmares had stayed with me through the night and at first I thought I was still dreaming. I looked for Benji; my source of hope, my lifejacket. He wasn't in the room, but Bella was sitting at the computer, tapping her fingers impatiently on the desk, boring a hole into the screen. Probably not going fast enough for her I thought amusingly. I sat up as Bella looked up at me, I asked, "How long have I been asleep?"
"You call that sleeping?" she said teasingly. I looked down, blushing. I knew that when I was stressed out or scared I scream and thrash in my sleep. I hoped Benji wasn't here to hear me.
"Where's Benji?" I asked.
"He's out hunting, he should be back soon." She studied me a bit longer, "You look like you could sleep longer."
"What time is it?" I asked again.
She looked at me uneasy as if unsure she should tell me; like I had slept a week. "A bit after five." She finally said. I just shrugged. Because of my thrashing and screaming it took longer to get a good night sleep. It was like instead of twelve hours sleep, I got six to eight. "Would you like something to eat?"
My stomach growled in response and Bella laughed. I got up stiffly from the bed and went over to the computer. She got up and started walking out, but stopped as she noticed I wasn't following.
"Can I ask you something privately first?" she nodded warily.
"You guys barely know us. We haven't known each other for a month; even Benji hasn't been with you for a year. Why are you doing this for us?"
Bella smiled, "Our family likes helping out those in need and makes fast friends. On a more personal level, though, Edward and I want to help you because we've been put through similar situations. We know what it's like." Comfort swallowed me like a blanket. When Benji left no one could help me because no one knew what it felt like. The fact that other did know; that Edward and Bella could sympathize was like a burden lifting from my shoulders.
I let out a sigh of relief and Bella asked, "Was that all you wanted to know?
I thought for a minute and asked, "Where are we?"
She laughed and pulled me through the house saying, "We are in one of the many Cullen houses in the middle of nowhere." I joined in her merry laughter as we entered the kitchen.
She told me to sit and I obeyed; sitting at the only table. The table was small, not meant to fit all the Cullens, and it was beautifully carved redwood. I didn't have to sit long before Bella had food in front of me.
"All we got were Pop-Tarts and, since we didn't know you liked, we got three different kinds."
She laid out three boxes of Pop-Tarts; strawberry, chocolate fudge and brown sugar cinnamon and I eagerly grabbed the strawberry. I shifted uneasily in my chair as Bella continued to watch me as I ate.
"Where is everyone?" I asked trying to break the silence.
"Esme and Rosalie are hunting; Alice and Emmett are watching the dog. If he finds out where we are, we'll know." I nodded but once again an uncomfortable silence followed. I yearned to make conversation but I couldn't do it with food in my mouth. Bella seemed to notice my discomfort, studied me for a moment and said,
"Can I brush your hair? I know it sounds weird but it does wonders for your health. It helps; I do it loads of time." I nodded and she left for a moment only to be back with a brush. I smiled and pulled of my much used beanie, which I put on when I'm at home to keep my hair out of my face.
I was surprised at how soothing it was. I finished my Pop-Tart in silence, no longer tense since Bella wasn't watching me.
"Your hair is beautiful." Bella said admiringly. I smiled. I loved my hair color too. It was a deep, rich, dark red color, the color of leaves in the fall. My eyes slid closed as she combed through my hair. It was more peaceful than sleep at this point because it came without dreams.
Like all good things it ended too soon. I heard the door open and opened my eyes. Benji was at the door, his eyes were filled with concern and worry, like I was about to have a nervous breakdown. One glance of that look on his face and I knew he had been there when I was screaming. I grinned sheepishly as I saw Bella throw him a disapproving glare.
"I just got her calm, now don't go getting her hyped up." She said. I got up and followed Benji to his room. He lounged on the bed and I sat next to him.
"Has it always been like that?" he asked, concerned still.
"Not usually. Mostly it's just a vampire haunting my dreams, last night I had a vampire and a werewolf. Enough to scare anyone out of there wits." I said teasingly.
"Just think how the world would be if vampires and werewolves didn't exist?" he said with a wistful sigh.
"I know, instead of sitting here hiding from a wolf, we would be at your house discussing our wedding. But we wouldn't get all these wonderful friends."
"True," he said but before he could get any further Alice burst in the room saying,
"Benji, I'm so sorry."
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