"I woke up at the hospital"
"Why were you in the hospital?" Alice leaned forward, her hands reaching across the table slightly as if she was planning to place her hand over mind but decided not to.
"I was...the night before I was leaving my lab later than usual, it's on my university's campus."
I hesitated, I'm still uncomfortable thinking back on the event. It made my blood boil and made me scared all at the same time.
Jasper must have been getting some of this as he spoke up.
"You are uncomfortable?"
"Yes, it was not a pleasant scenario." There wasn't much more I could say to define my feelings on the matter. I ran my hands through my hair, agitated. I tried over the past few weeks to suppress my true feelings on the subject of that night. To not think about it, so I have not had time to process or restrain my feelings.
A waitress came and brought two coffees and a hot chocolate. Alice must have ordered them when I was changing.
"I sensed you are not much of a coffee person." Alice smiled.
"Yes, that's right. Thank you." I stared down at the steaming cup...not really seeing it anymore.
"Is there anything else I can get for you all?" The waitress seeming uninterested said as she looked down at her watch.
"No thank you." Alice said to her and the woman walked off. I glanced up to see no one else was in the cafe. We were the only customers. The staff seemed to have all gone into the kitchen, knowing the weather would keep most people at their homes today.
I looked back to Alice and Jasper, both of them waiting patiently for me to continue.
I sighed again.
"I was heading towards...the parking lot." I took another breath, man this was really difficult to talk about. My throat constricted by the stress, I took a sip of my drink, regretting it as it burned its way down my throat. I took a deep breath in to try and cool my tongue.
"That's when I heard...it sounded like two people were fighting. I walked towards the noises and that is when I saw it." I choked back the hot liquid that was trying to make it's way back up my throat again.
"We can hold off on this for now. I don't believe you're ready right now...especially to discuss it here. We can wait." It was Jasper who closed the distance between the three of us as he reached for my hand. I was very surprised at this...isn't he supposed to be the least comfortable at physical contact?
He sensed my confusion and retracted his hand back towards himself. I immediately felt sorry.
"I'm sorry, I was just surprised."
Alice as well looked a little surprised as she glanced to her husband but I guess decided not to speak on her thoughts.
"You're right...I don't think I am ready to discuss the events of that night. I'll skip over it for now."
They both nodded in unison and waited for me to continue.
"Well, so I woke up at the hospital. I was confused at first as to how I got there but I became even more confused as to why I did not recognize the hospital. You see, I work at my local hospital so I'm very familiar with it...even despite it's size, I've managed to see just about every part of it by then."
"Wait, you work at the hospital? But I thought you said you were leaving your university the night before." Jasper questioned me.
"Yes, I work part-time in the lab at the hospital and go to university full time...I also have my own research that I do for the university."
"Right...I see, you are a busy person then?"
"I was. When I did not recognize my surroundings I waved down a nurse and asked her where I was. After she questioned me she managed to inform me I was in Forks hospital. I laughed in her face...I thought she was playing a joke on me. How could I possibly be in a hospital in a state I had never visited before?"
"You've never been for Washington?" Alice asked me.
"No, never...though I have wanted to visit. From what I have read it's a beautiful state."
"She said some locals found me in the parking lot of the hospital half dead...said I was beat up pretty bad and had been choked but that they had no leads on who could have possible done it. I was able to believe this part, but I still couldn't figure out why I was at Forks. I didn't push much on the topic because I didn't want to be in the hospital any longer, so I made up a story about how I had gone on a road trip but that I couldn't remember much else. Eventually after a few hours I was discharged and that's when things got really weird. I had nothing on me except my school bag and my wallet which luckily I had cash in. I got to a motel and checked in but my card was declined so I used some of my cash and then asked if there was a computer I could use. I tried logging into my email, my school account, my facebook, my bank account but nothing worked, not to mention the computer was still dial up. My bank didn't even show up.
I gave up, I guessed that maybe the computers were just really old. I took out my phone but it was never able to be turned on so I asked the woman at the front desk to borrow her phone. I called my father but the number didn't exist. I tried calling my mother...my brother...my fiance...nothing. None of the numbers worked. I suppose this is probably when I began to panic.
I told myself that maybe because it was long distance the call would not connect. I got frustrated and left to go find something to eat. I stopped in at a burger shop and got some food. That's when I overheard a conversation in the booth behind me. It was Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton. They were discussing a dance that was coming up at their high school. You see...I just started to cry. Someone must have been playing some sick joke on me right? After the horrible night I had a few days before, I was being pranked. To wake up in a hospital on the wrong side of the country and then to try and get me to believe I am in a fictional world. It had to be a joke right?" I quietly laughed to myself...some sick joke.
"I'm not sure I am following." Alice looked to me concerned.
"What do you mean you were being pranked?"
"Let me ask the two of you something...you ever heard of Stephanie Meyer?"
They both looked to each other then back to me and shook their heads no.
"How about Twilight...you ever hear of a movie or book by this?"
"No, I don't believe I have." Alice answered.
"You see, where I am from, Twilight is a story about a girl named Isabella Swan and her love interest Edward Cullen."
Jasper and Alice immediately tensed and looked at my like I had two heads.
"That is...where exactly are you from?" Jasper said in a clipped tone. I couldn't blame him, after all it was hard enough for me to comprehend it and I am still working it out weeks later.
"I am from Florida."
"Well how popular is this book?" Alice asked.
"Very much so...and so are the movies. It's a series actually, four books in total. The problem is...it does not exist here. No one has heard of it and where I am from it was a top seller and the movies gained a huge popularity world wide."
"So why is this relevant to us?" Jasper again was beginning to get defensive.
"I think you know exactly why. Edward Cullen is your brother and Isabella Swan I am guessing has been his recent interest. What I am trying to say is I am not from here...but not here as in the state...like here as in this place does not exist. It is fiction where I am from and everyone I know...well knew does not exist here. So either I am bat shit crazy or I am dead and this is all my imagination."
"Jasper, she is telling the truth." Alice turned to her husband. Placing her hand over his arm.
"But that's impossible. You obviously must have some motive behind this. Alice we need to leave."
"I don't want to be alone anymore." I whispered.
"You don't think I know this is impossible? That is why I have been trying to find an explanation for all of this. I thought that I definitely have gone mad. So this was my last resort before offing myself. I opened myself up to ask Alice if she could meet me...if Alice could see me walking along the road and see that I wanted her to find me then this must be real right?" Without realizing, tears had begun spilling over my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away and apologized for getting carried away.
"Ask me whatever you want...do whatever you need to do to convince yourselves I have no other motives. I am out of options and I have given up."
We sat in silence for several minutes, I never raised my eyes to them. Perhaps I spoke too much. Gave too much information.
"We will take you to the rest of the family. Particularly I would like to see what Edward has to say." Jasper said definitely
"You are obviously human and not capable of escaping us or physically forcing us to do anything so for now the only threat to us you are is revealing our secrets. You will be staying with us until we decide what to do with you. Let's go home Alice." Jasper stood and walked out the door already leaving money for the drinks that were left untouched besides my sip.
I was disappointed by Jasper but not surprised. He was right after all...and who knows, perhaps I truly am crazy, or dead or maybe they can figure out a different explanation. My eyes met Alice's, she looked at me with worry but motioned for me to follow. My chest grew tight...I was going to meet the rest of their family. I was relieved to know that I would be meeting Edward, besides his negative outlook on things, his gift would at least be helpful to the situation. That is if the books have everything correct. I was nervous about meeting the rest of the family...I am certain they will probably behave the way Jasper is right now.
I should be grateful, they could have just denied everything and left me on my own.
I'll try to remain hopeful.