Name: MIRAGE
Author: Sdfreeze
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Stephenie Meyer
This story was last published on 6/18/10.
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Chapter: 3
The Little Mermaid
We woke hours later, and I felt like I had been partying all night. I was disoriented and had a horrible headache. I sat up and let my head drop into my hands as Edward rubbed my back.
"I hope this place has Tylenol," I mumbled.
"I'll go check," he said and climbed out of the bed.
I fell back onto the pillow and groaned loudly. I held perfectly still and listened to Edward rummage around in the bathroom. He got a glass of water and came back into the room with a bottle of aspirin. He took out two pills and put them into my outstretched hand.
I downed the pills and sat up for the water and noticed Edward staring at my chest. I handed him the glass and pulled the sheets up to cover my breasts.
"Don't do that on my account," he smiled and climbed back into the bed.
He moved to his side and leaned on his elbow to look down at me. He stared into my eyes and reached out to move hair from my face. "Are we going to die?" I asked him, wondering if his interest in me was one last chance at sex before he took a bullet in his head.
"No," he whispered. "I can't lose you."
"Why?" I asked in a hushed voice.
He looked at me for a moment as he debated whether to say what he was thinking and then smiled and said, "You can't swim yet."
"That's it?" I asked, feeling very brave in the soft light coming from the bathroom.
"No," he mouthed as he pulled the sheet slowly off of me. He stared down at my breasts and then lifted his eyes to mine. "You're so beautiful."
"Come here," I said.
He rolled over to lay on me and held my head in his hands. I pulled my long legs around him and locked my ankles. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. I pulled his mouth to mine and I could feel his hesitation so I kicked it up a notch and pressed into him.
He came alive and began to match my movements as he gave me unbelievable kisses. It was different from his other kisses. He was giving himself to me and I was drowning in the amazing sensation of his body on mine.
"Oh god, Edward," I moaned.
I heard some laughter coming from the doorway and I screamed.
"She'll moan louder if you take your boxers off, Eddie."
"Get the fuck out of here Emmett," Edward yelled as he stayed in place to keep me hidden.
Emmett came over and laid on the bed next to me, "Jasper sent me to see if you needed anything. Hi," he smiled at me. He had deep dimples and huge muscles.
"Drop a condom and get out," Edward growled.
Emmett laughed and smacked Edward on the ass, "You know the rules, no glove, no love."
He then leaned over to look at my eyes, "And only one condom, so sorry sweetheart."
I didn't mean to laugh with him, but I did kind of see his point.
"Oh Christ," a woman sounded from the doorway. "This is college all over again."
"Get him out of here Rosalie, and we'll be right down," Edward said in exasperation.
He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. I sat up and tried to clear my head. I turned to look at him and laughed. "You don't have any condoms?"
"I was travelling alone if you recall."
"Well, you wouldn't have to worry about the Denali's because I will kill you if you try that again."
He laughed and got out of bed and grabbed his suit. "We'll swim after they leave," he said.
"No, we can have unprotected sex, I don't mind, really," I begged trying to get out of my punishment.
He dropped his boxers to pull on his suit and I decided I really, really, didn't mind. I watched him closely and he laughed and headed out of the room. I dressed in my swimsuit and threw on a t-shirt over it before gathering up my clothes and Edward's to do a load of wash.
I was figuring out the machine when Rose came and stood by the door. "How old are you?" she asked as she looked me up and down.
"Fourteen," I lied, and she turned to glare at Edward.
"She's twenty, and I've seen proof," he clarified.
I noticed how he said twenty and not almost twenty and chuckled to myself. Emmett pulled out a chair for me to sit when I came into the kitchen and said, "I like this one, she's feisty."
Rosalie walked behind Edward's chair and smacked his head, "A Cullen special? Are you ever going to grow up?"
I placed my hand over my neck and gave Edward a dirty look again.
"Alice sent clothes for you," Rose said to me as she looked me up and down again.
"I'm Bella by the way," I said to her.
"Yeah, you're all over the news," she sneered.
"Are you hungry?" I asked her and she turned to glare at Edward again as he laughed.
"Shut the hell up," she said and kicked his chair.
"So, what's the news saying?" Edward asked.
"You're not watching?" Emmett asked in shock.
"We just found out who each other is, this wasn't planned," he said waving his hand back and forth between us.
"Well, Bella is thought to be alive and going to testify against the Denali family."
"I'm not testifying," I said in shock.
"Yeah, everyone is betting the other body isn't your father's but no official word has come out yet. Everyone suspects Senator Cullen was the one giving intelligence secrets to the Russians, he's on camera constantly and lamenting the fact his son has turned against him."
I looked at Edward in confusion and he only waved his hand to dismiss any questions I had.
"I have to get her to Langley and I have to get to Senator Stanley's office," Edward explained.
"I'm not going to Langley," I finally admitted.
"What?" Edward said in shock.
"I have another destination in Virginia, and I don't know why either," I said to stop his questioning of me.
He thought in silence for awhile and then nodded like he understood something I didn't.
"Well, Jasper said to pick your names. It is too quick to get a good cover, but he can at least use the names you want."
"Make her Ariel," Edward smiled widely.
"Wait, why?" I asked.
"The little mermaid," he teased
"Then you have to be Oscar," I said adamantly.
"The grouch?" Emmett asked.
"No," I laughed, "The slob, from the odd couple."
Emmett stood and said, "Okay Ariel and Oscar, have fun," and he tossed a condom onto the table.
"Why do you have that?" Rose asked in anger as she followed him out the door.
We both sat there staring at the small square and neither one with the nerve to pick it up. Edward finally stood and said, "You ready for a swim?"
I groaned loudly and stood too. I followed him to the pool and was well aware we both left the protection lying in the middle of the kitchen table.
The pool was small and used for laps only. It was shallow through the entire length and had long stairs across one end that retracted back to make a solid wall. I stood in the water holding tightly to the sides as Edward swam his laps. I cringed and closed my eyes every time he passed and I felt the water spray my back.
When he finished his last lap he swam over to wrap his arms around me. I tensed and moved closer to the wall. He began pulling me backwards and I screamed for him to stop.
"Bella, if you trust me enough to have sex with me, you need to trust me enough not to hurt you," he said calmly.
"Are you kidding, sex and emotional pain goes hand in hand with the male population," I said clinging to the side.
He kissed my ear tenderly and whispered, "Let go."
I finally let my hands relax and he pulled me away from the side. I closed my eyes and yelled, "Turn me around."
He turned me and I clung to his neck with my eyes still closed. "Do you trust me?" he asked.
I opened my eyes and nodded hesitantly. "Let me ask that again, do you trust me?" he laughed.
"Yes," I said earnestly as I stared into his eyes.
"Okay, I'm going to kiss you and we'll go under for a second and then right back up," he explained.
I felt tears form in my eyes but I nodded.
He put his lips to mine and when he bent his knees I pulled away and gasped for air. He came right back at me again and this time I waited until the water touched my face to pull away. He began moving his hands slowly up my back and tried again. The water touched our lips before I pulled away this time.
He moved to hold my head with his hands and kissed me again, pulling me under with him this time. We came right back up and I gasped and spit water as I tried to clear my eyes.
"You did it," he said proudly.
"We're done," I said with my voice full of hope.
"No," he laughed, "We just started."
"I don't want to go under, can't we just kiss?" I asked him.
He smiled and kissed me with abandon. I pressed against him and he grabbed the back of my thighs and pulled me to him as he walked to the stairs. He sat me down on a stair and lay on top of me as he kissed my chest. I let my head fall back onto the top step and rest in the water.
He held my head in his hands and smiled at me, "You're lying in the water, everything except your face."
I realized it was true and smiled up at him. He continued to hold my head and pulled it into the cradle of his arm as my body floated freely.
"This is very important," he said seriously. "If you ever panic when swimming, roll onto your back and just float. Let your legs go lose and pretend there is a rope tied to your chest pulling you upward. Let your arms steady you out to the side and just rest."
I kept my eyes on his face and let my arms move to my side. It felt wonderful and I soon closed my eyes and let my entire body relax as the water rocked me gently. I was thinking about my mom and dad when I heard Edward call my name softly….but it wasn't right next to me, it was far away.
I raised my head and instantly sunk into the water. I had a full blown panic attack and began thrashing wildly. Edward grabbed my arm and pulled me up and into his arms. "I'm sorry, Bella," he was saying as I began to cry hysterically.
"You left me," I accused.
"You were floating all on your own, you were doing it yourself," he pointed out.
I hit him on the chest and yelled, "Don't leave me. I'm afraid and I need you."
He pulled me against him and tried to calm me. "Are you talking about the water?" he asked.
"No," I admitted.
"I won't leave you," he said and tightened his arms.
"I don't want to die," I cried.
"I'll protect you," he whispered.
"I don't want you to die either," I whispered and brought my arms around his neck.
We stood in the water holding each other tightly as the realization of our predicament hit me. We were running for our lives and had put trust in a complete stranger. I knew I would never betray him and hoped he felt the same way about me.
We got out of the pool just as the phone rang. I followed Edward to the kitchen as we stared at the answering machine. A voice we didn't recognize began to leave a message.
"Yeah, some dude gave me fifty bucks to call this number and tell you the extra is flying in tomorrow and he'll pick you up before the flight. He said he will bring you gloves because he heard you need them. That's it, so….bye."
"What's that about?" I asked in confusion.
Edward looked at me with a pale face, "Tanya's coming."
Road Trip
I went into the laundry room and moved our clothes to the dryer just for something to keep my hands busy. Edward hit the replay button and listened to the message again and then erased it.
"What gloves?" I asked, making Edward laugh.
"Condoms, and after the Denali's go to jail I'm getting new friends," he laughed.
"Good," I confirmed.
"And," he added, "I'm going to kick your dad's ass for making you do this."
"He didn't make me do this," I explained. "He doesn't even know. I volunteered to help save him."
"Who did you volunteer with?"
I crossed my arms and looked away. I wasn't going to tell him and not because I didn't trust him, but I didn't want him in any deeper than he was. He stared at me for a minute and then walked away as if he understood.
I followed him into the bedroom and he looked back at me, "Care to join me in the shower, I promise you won't drown."
I stopped walking and he continued on into the shower. I took a deep breath, realizing there was nothing to stop us from making love. I had to make sure I was really ready and not just wanting a hot guy.
I took off my suit and walked into the bathroom. He was already in the shower and cleaning the chlorine from his hair and body. I opened the door and stepped inside the shower. He held out his hand and I took it as he pulled me to him.
"What are we doing, Edward?" I asked him.
"We're trying to live our lives in the midst of this craziness," he said.
"We don't even know each other," I pointed out.
"I know you are brave and beautiful and you make me feel happy just be walking into a room," he said and kissed my head.
"How long were you married?" I asked him.
He took a long breath and said, "Go ahead and shower and then we'll talk."
He got out and left me to wash my hair. I took my time and came into the room only wrapped in a towel, with my hair already dried. Edward tossed me a warm t-shirt fresh from the dryer and I quickly put it on and climbed up onto the bed.
"Okay," he started and sat on the end of the bed. "I met Tanya in college. We dated for a bit and she became clingy and psycho."
I held up my hand to stop him. "Clingy and psycho or you just didn't want to be in a committed relationship?"
"Both," he said honestly.
"My father really pushed the relationship since her father was a big contributor. He felt having the two families merge would be a great thing. One day he calls me to his office and tells me I have to marry Tanya to keep him from facing an ethics charge. I told him to go screw himself but shit started happening. He was being pressured and threatened."
"Did he do what he was being accused of?" I asked.
"No, but that doesn't matter in Washington. I finally caved to the pressure and agreed to marry Tanya for six months only. The Denali's backed off of my dad but Tanya wasn't about to agree to an annulment. I tried to make it a true marriage, but the love just wasn't there. I came back home early one day and caught her with another man. I never looked back."
"So are you separated or divorced?"
"Divorced."
"My dad is an agent for the CIA. He was undercover as a small town chief of police for the past three years. He was pretending to be on the take and got in with the Denali's to gain information. Someone ratted him out and the agency called him in, but he couldn't just get on a plane."
"Are you really a student?" he asked.
"Yes, are you really a lobbyist?"
"Yes."
We sat in silence and processed the information. Edward finally moved up by me in the bed and said, "I can only think of one thing that's a deal breaker for me."
"What?"
"You have to learn to swim," he smiled.
"Fine, no sex until I learn to swim," I offered.
He leaned into my neck and kissed the huge mark he had placed there. "Floating is technically swimming," he purred.
"And I did float by myself for a couple of moments," I agreed.
"Oh much longer than a couple of moments," he pointed out.
"I should really swim competitively," I laughed and moved to lie on my back.
He moved over me and smiled, "Maybe not swim competitively but absolutely float competitively."
"Shut up and kiss me," I said.
It was the best night of my life. I was totally crazy for this guy and he made me feel like the most important person in the world. He was gentle and attentive and made sure to take care of me first, something past guys never did. I fell asleep with a huge smile on my face and could hardly wait for Jasper to show up with the much needed gloves.
We woke up early and packed all of our stuff. I put on some of the clothes Alice bought and couldn't believe what great taste she had. I laughed at the blonde wig and put it on just to tease Edward. I even took the time to put on some of the makeup she provided.
I walked into the room and Edward froze when he saw me. He walked over and pulled the wig from my head and then smiled, "You look great."
"Not big on blondes?" I asked.
He pretended to shudder and shook his head back and forth. We cleaned up any trace of being in the house and waited patiently for Jasper. Edward was staring out the window and said, "I don't believe it."
I jumped up to look out the window just as a huge Recreational Vehicle pulled into the driveway. "Is that our getaway car?" I laughed.
We walked outside just as the door flew open and Alice yelled, "Don't you love it?"
"What the hell," Edward said in shock.
Emmett stuck his head out and yelled, "Road trip!"
Jasper walked around from the driver's seat and said, "What better way to hide than by being the biggest thing on the road."
"You guys, I'm being chased by a ruthless Russian crime family; this isn't a trip to the coast for summer break."
"That is exactly why you need us," Emmett said. "They will never look for you in this with two other couples."
"We will be able to use different drivers and stay on the road," Jasper pointed out.
"No more swimming," I whined.
Edward's face fell when he realized what I meant. "We'll drive like hell," he whispered and I laughed and climbed into the huge house on wheels.
Edward sat up with Jasper and I tried to listen to them talking. He asked about Tanya arriving and I heard Jasper say someone named Dmitri was coming with her. Edward seemed to tense up a bit but Alice took my attention.
"The clothes fit perfectly, I wasn't sure about the colors but I figured blue would go with your pale skin. I couldn't find anything to hide Edward's handy work, since it is summer, but I got some powder that I think will hide it. I picked the perfect color of foundation for your skin, it looks great and you look so much older with makeup."
I laughed and looked at Rose for help. She just rolled her eyes and mumbled, "If she talks to you, she'll leave me alone."
Alice jumped up and opened a cabinet and yelled, "Who wants Cheetos?"
"Hell no," Edward yelled. "Those are so messy."
Alice tore open the bag and handed everyone a handful. "You better have wipes," Edward said as we showed him our orange fingers.
I moved onto his lap and pretended to put my fingers on his face. He grabbed my hand and began to clean off each finger with his tongue. I watched as he moved them in and out of his mouth and could feel him getting aroused under me.
I began to kiss his neck and turned to straddle him without even thinking about Jasper driving right next to us.
Rosalie yelled, "Get a room."
"Shut up," Jasper yelled back to her, "I'm enjoying the show."
"Come on," Emmett yelled, "Live porn, take it off, take it off," he began to chant.
I climbed off Edward's lap and headed to the back couch in frustration. I was shocked to see Edward follow and he lay down with me. We were spooning and chatting with the others when Jasper said, "I think we have company."
I gasped and Edward jumped up to look out the back window. "Alice, go sit up front with Jasper," Edward yelled.
Emmett began opening the curtains on the side windows and he and Rose sat where they could easily be seen. Edward and I lied on the floor as the sedan with dark tinted windows drove slowly past us. Alice bounced up and down like she was singing with the radio and the car sped up and left us behind.
"Do you think they were looking for us?" I asked as my entire body was shaking.
"I don't know," Edward whispered.
"Aren't they just going to wait for you in D.C? I mean why come after you if they know where you are going?" I asked.
"They don't know where I'm going," he said. "They think they have my dad tightly under their control. And if you aren't going to Langley they have to catch us on the road."
"Maybe it was just a car with tinted windows," I said in hope.
I saw Edward share a glance with Jasper and began to think his 'friends' were more than I originally thought. The atmosphere became very subdued and after we stopped for gas Emmett began driving. Edward took a nap and I sat next to Rosalie.
"Are you a fast runner?" she asked out of the blue.
"I don't know, like running track?" I asked.
"Do you know any self defense?" she pressed.
"Do you?"
"Yeah, let me show you a couple of things." She stood and motioned for me to join her. "Okay, if someone grabs your arm show me what you would do."
"I would stand there like an idiot," I said as I stood perfectly still.
"Alice, come show her," Rosalie said.
They stood in the middle of the RV and spared back and forth doing moves it would take a lifetime to learn. I backed up and hit into Edward's hand dangling on the ground. I felt panicked and realized these people were not who they were pretending to be.
I recognize I had been less than honest with Edward, too. I gave him only half the facts and he still had no idea who I was working with. But it was my life in danger and I had to be careful. He just had a psycho wife chasing him and a report to deliver to a senator.
His obsessive cleanliness began to make sense; he couldn't leave prints and didn't want to make it obvious he was traveling with me.
I felt Edward's hand reach out and grab my leg and I screamed and pulled away from him. He sat up and gave me a weird look and I became aware of everyone staring at me.
"Who are you guys?" I ask in fear.
"Bella," Edward said softly. "What's wrong?"
"Jasper shows up with keys to a crazy house, he gets us fake ID's and knows Tanya is flying in with someone named Dmitri, everyone drops everything to go on a spontaneous road trip, some random car freaks everyone out, and now Alice and Rose just happen to be self defense experts. I'm not stupid."
Rose took a step toward me and asked, "Where are you going in Virginia?"
I felt along the cabinet I was backed against and opened the drawer. I felt silverware and looked down to grab a knife and held it up in front of me.
"Stay away from me," I yelled to her.
"Bella, no," Edward said with panic.
I turned the knife toward him and warned him to stay back. "Bella," Rose called out to get me to look at her. "Put the knife down."
"You're going to have to make me," I said to her.
She smiled and crossed her arms, "I will."
"Holy shit," Emmett yelled and swerved the RV sending me flying into the wall and the knife fell from my hand. Someone jumped on me pinning me to the ground.
Drowning
"Don't move," Edward said into my ear.
I lay on the ground with him on top of me as the vehicle swerved and rocked. Emmett was cussing loudly as he fought with the large monster to bring it safely to a stop on the side of the road.
"What happened," Jasper said as he rushed forward.
"I had a blow out, what's going on back there," Emmett yelled.
"Get off me," I said to Edward as I struggled against his weight.
He rolled to the side and I jumped up and ran to the door to open it. "What's wrong with her?" Rose yelled to Edward.
"Bella, calm down," he said as he reached out and unlocked the door for me. I jumped from the doorway onto the road and started running. Edward quickly caught me and I tried to break free.
"Bella," he screamed and pinned my arms down and easily lifted me off the ground.
"No," I yelled and tried to wiggle free.
"Stop," he was yelling back at me as I continued to right. He carried me back to the RV and Jasper held the door for him to toss me back onto the carpet.
I jumped up and backed away from their stunned faces. "Please don't kill me," I begged.
"Kill you? We're trying to help you stupid bitch," Rose screamed at me.
"Don't yell at her," Alice demanded, "She's scared and she doesn't know what she is doing."
"Bella," Edward said gently, "Come on, it's me. You know I would never hurt you. I've had every opportunity to do something to you, think about it, why would I hurt you now?"
I was so tired and the stress was really getting to me. I didn't know what to believe or who to trust and I began to cry. "Everybody just stay away from me and let me sit back here by myself," I begged as I sat on the couch.
They all backed up until Emmett said, "Can we start ignoring you after we change the tire? I need you to get out of the vehicle."
"We can let her stay," Edward insisted, "Just don't move around a lot."
The rest of them exited and the men worked on the tire as Rose and Alice stood off to talk. I couldn't hear what any of them were saying but I could tell the men were whispering. I was trying to form my own plan for how I was going to get away from them once we got to D.C. I was so glad I didn't share more information with Edward.
I saw his briefcase lying under the small table and quickly grabbed it and opened it. I gasped and began to shake when I saw it was totally empty. I put it back and got a knife out of the drawer and put it in the back of my pants and sat back down on the far couch.
Everyone climbed back into the RV and we headed out with Edward driving this time. They all sat quietly and the boredom coupled with the motion put me to sleep. I dreamed of Edward but this time he was holding my head under the water. I woke up gasping for air and saw we were at a truck stop.
The RV was empty and I grabbed my backpack and climbed out. I didn't see anyone watching me and I ran to a long row of trucks. I stayed low and wound my way between the trucks looking for anyone ready to leave.
A man with long blond hair and a woman with flaming red hair were climbing into a cab so I approached them.
"Are you headed east," I asked.
They both looked at me in obvious shock and nodded. "May I have a ride?" I asked and looked around for anyone coming after me.
"Sure," the woman smiled and made room for me to climb over her.
The man started up the engine and pulled away just as I saw Edward walk out the door carrying two cups of coffee. I sat back into the shadow of the cab and breathed a sigh of relief when we got onto the open highway.
"I'm Victoria and this is my husband James," the woman said.
"Hi, I'm Bella Harris," I offered.
"What's sending you east," James asked.
"I'm looking for my birth mother in Virginia," I smiled.
"Well, sit back and enjoy the ride," he said. "We're headed to South Carolina so we will be happy to drop you in Virginia."
"Thank you," I said and removed my back pack and began to relax.
The couple never spoke, to me or each other, and I found that odd. Maybe they are just so used to traveling together they don't have a need to speak. I was too nervous to just sit still so I began asking them questions.
"Do you like being truckers?" I asked them.
"Sure, it gives us a lot of freedom. I wouldn't like being stuck in an office all day," James said.
"Where are you from originally?" I asked
"I'm from the south and Victoria is from Canada."
"How long have you been in America," I asked her directly.
"Oh about three years," she smiled at me.
I noticed how she said the word 'about' without an accent and I tensed a little. Then it dawned on me that they never asked where I was from, as if they already knew. I didn't know if I was being paranoid or if my gut was trying to tell me something.
I sat silently and noticed we were coming up to Pittsburg. "Can we stop so I can use the restroom?" I asked to see if they would indeed let me out of the truck.
"Sure," Victoria said, "I can use a bathroom break too."
I relaxed just a bit and began to debate if I was going to stay with them or not. James pulled into the parking lot of a huge truck stop. James stayed in the truck as Victoria and I got out and walked toward the building. I looked back to see James talking on the radio.
I walked to the bathroom and Victoria stayed right next to me the entire time. When we both finished washing our hands I turned to her and smiled. "Will James mind if I buy some snacks?"
"Not at all, I'll wait for you by the door," she said.
I began walking around the large convenience store pretending to look at food but slowly made me way to the back of the store. I headed down a hallway where the showers were looking for a door to exit from when I was suddenly grabbed from behind.
A hand clamped over my mouth and lifted me easily from the ground as I kicked wildly. The back door kicked open sounding a loud alarm and the familiar RV was just outside the door. I was dragged inside and Jasper took off as fast as the large vehicle could go.
"Are you insane?" Edward screamed at me.
"You just kidnapped me," I accused with my own loud voice. "Well, maybe not you but Emmett did."
He smiled widely showing me his dimples and said proudly, "You walked right into my hands, thanks."
"I think we should tie her up," Rose said hatefully.
"Shut up," Edward yelled at her.
I looked at Edward and said, "I don't trust you anymore and I want you to let me go."
"Are you naturally stupid or do you have to work at it?" he yelled at me.
"Don't call me stupid," I yelled at him.
He walked right up to my face and had to hold onto the ceiling to steady himself. "You just accepted a ride from James Denali, so now look at me and say that."
I could feel the blood draining from my face and I mumbled, "How did you know?"
"He just announced it over the radio he had you sitting ignorantly in his truck. You are so lucky we were coming up to the truck stop and heard his call. What did you tell them?" he demanded.
"Nothing, and they didn't ask me anything either."
Edward lowered his voice and leaned in closer to me, "Why don't you trust me anymore?"
"Why are you lying to me?" I said calmly as I stared at him.
He shook his head back and forth in confusion and I looked at the case under the table. "There is nothing in your case; you're not taking documents to anyone."
Edward's face turned red with anger and he grabbed the case and sat it down harshly on the top of the table. He opened the case to reveal nothing inside and I crossed my arms accusingly.
He ran his fingers down the side of the case and then punched a spot with his fist. A false bottom popped up and he raised it to reveal several cd's and papers and folders. He looked at me angrily and shut the case.
"I'm scared and confused Edward. I don't know who to trust," I tried to explain. Alice came over to hug me but Rose stayed back and glared.
"Bella, please trust us. Just stick with us and you will be fine," Alice said into my ear.
I nodded numbly and sat down on the side couch. Edward walked to the back and fell onto the couch in anger. He played with his fingers and refused to look at me. I watched him for several miles and finally got up and sat next to him.
"Sorry," I mumbled.
He didn't respond so I nudged him with my elbow.
"I can't believe after….everything, you would doubt me," he sulked.
I began playing with my own hands and wasn't quite sure what to say so I finally asked, "So, what's the plan? Are you going to pull in front of the capitol and walk inside?"
"No, we're going to the train station and we'll board a train to downtown and then take the train to Virginia, I need you to tell me where you're headed," he pushed.
I didn't know what it was, but something kept me from telling him the truth. I need to get to Richmond," I lied.
"Why?" he pushed.
"I'm meeting someone there, and then I'm done. That is all I know."
"An agent?" he asked.
"I have no idea," I responded.
"How will you find him?"
"He'll find me."
Edward gave me a worried look. "How will you know if he is the right person?"
I shrugged and Edward kicked the wall next to him. "You are either lying to me or you're a dead person," he said forcefully.
I stared into his worried eyes and said, "I don't want to fight with you Edward."
He took a deep breath and nodded, knowing I wasn't going to tell him everything I knew. I was feeling guilty for becoming so involved with him, but my heart couldn't be denied. I leaned over onto his shoulder and said, "We both have our secrets."
He leaned his head onto mine and sighed. It slowly grew dark and when we pulled into Fredrick it was decided to get rooms for the night and head into D.C at first light. The guys went inside to get rooms and Edward used our fake ID's.
As soon as we got in the room Edward told me to put on my swimsuit. "I don't want to swim tonight," I said sadly.
He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and said with irritation, "For me, please."
I opened my bag and pulled out my suit and went to the bathroom to change. We walked to the pool in silence and I was shocked when Edward didn't swim any laps. He stayed with me on the stairs and said with authority, "You need to be able to stay under longer without panicking. I'll go under with you and count loudly. Try to make it to ten."
"Ten," I repeated with shock.
"Okay, five and we'll work up to ten."
He held my hands and said, "Ready?"
"No," I yelled.
His jaw tightened and he exhaled loudly. I pulled my hand from his and said, "Just swim, I'll do this by myself."
"Yeah, right," he mumbled.
I was so angry I glared and him took a deep breath and went under the water. I tried to count, by two, and only made it to six.
I shot out of the water gasping for air to see Edward laughing. I splashed water on him and began to cry. He came over and pulled me into his arms. "I'm really proud of you," he chuckled.
"I can't do this, I'm too scared."
"Tell me why you're so scared, something had to have happened," he said in my ear.
"A childhood friend pushed me into a lake when I was little. I drowned and had to be revived."
Edward pushed back to look at my face to see if I was teasing him. "My God, why didn't you tell me that, I would have been more sensitive in our lessons?"
"More sensitive? I want them to stop," I cried.
"Tell me where you're going in Virginia," he said to my crying face.
"Not to the beach if that's what you think," I screamed at him.
He pulled me back into his arms and held me tightly. I relaxed against his chest as he rocked us back and forth in the water.
Suddenly without warning he raised me off my feet and threw me into the deep end of the pool.