3. D R E A M
--
I had not expected to sleep that night – I had had every intention of laying curled in Edward's arms, simply enjoying his presence.
But like every night, exhaustion pulled me under eventually, blending my soft reality into the harsh angles of a dream.
I was moving; the air sped past me at terrifying speed, whipping against my skin, clawing me like fingernails. My eyes were open as wide as they could go, and though I did not try, it seemed that they would be impossible to close. The only sound came from the soft, crunching sound of feet beating the ground.
I came to a sudden stop as I reached the edge of a cool, clear lake. I was suddenly on my knees, staring into the water, searching . . .
I gasped in surprise at the face that glowered back at me.
Bree, the young vampire from the clearing.
Fear radiated through me as I stared into her unblinking red eyes, paralyzing me. I could not run, could not flee; I could only stare.
And then her lips twisted into an evil smirk, revealing her pointed white teeth. I waited for the familiar racing of my pulse, the tightening of my airways as I struggled to breathe . . .
Nothing. My heart had never been more still.
I was confused. Hadn't I been afraid? I was surprised at the sudden calm that settled over me. I suddenly realized that I was smiling, too – my lips had curled into a similar smirk.
I blinked at Bree's face, trying to make sense of what was going on. And then when I opened them again, the truth struck me.
The black hair that had framed Bree's face suddenly flowed down to her shoulders in lazy, mahogany swirls. The lips, still stretched into a tight smirk, were just a little too full for her jaw line.
She winked at me
I wasn't staring at Bree.
I was staring at my own reflection.
I awoke then, a scream ripping its way out of my throat. "Bella?" Edward's face hovered in front of my own, his hands lightly cradling my face. His golden eyes were deep with concern.
I shivered, but not from the cold.
"Bella? Are you alright?" His eyes searched my face, noting the trembling of my lips, and the chalky paleness of my skin; all of the blood had rushed from my face.
"I'm fine," I whispered, pulling my lips into an unconvincing smile. He frowned. "Bad dream?"
I nodded, wrapping my arms around him. The fear was dissipating now, replaced by the comfort of his touch, of his voice. It was just a dream . . .
"Would you like to go back to sleep?"
I shook my head. "I'm not sure if I can." The image of crimson irises branded my eyelids, burning brightly every time I closed my eyes for more than a few seconds.
"Do you want me to sing to you? I'll sing all night if it will keep the bad dreams away." He smiled now, though the concern was still deep in his voice.
"No, that's okay." I smiled back, my heart speeding again – only this time, it wasn't out of fear. "It's not like there's much night left, anyway."
He nodded. "That's true. Of course, there's enough left for me to otherwise occupy your time while you wait for Charlie to awaken . . ."
And with that, his lips were on mine.
--
"Where are you off to, today?"
Charlie and I had been sitting in silence at the breakfast table, the mood still slightly awkward after our conversation the night before.
I swallowed a spoonful of cheerios. "Um. I was planning on going to the Cullen's."
"Of course." His expression darkened, his eyes falling to rest on his coffee cup while he muttered something unintelligible.
"Uh, yeah. Alice wants to get started on the wedding planning. You know how she is with that kind of thing." I laughed weakly, in a poor attempt to lighten the mood.
"Right, Alice." He pursed his lips; I knew that I was about to receive another Charlie-esque lecture. I sighed, mentally readying myself.
"Bella, I know that you're marrying Edward . . ." His voice broke a little on the word 'marrying', his face turning red. He cleared his throat. "But remember what I spoke to you about a little while ago? About balance?"
I held back the urge to roll my eyes. "Uh, yeah. But Alice really needs me today."
"Bella, I know that you're not going over there just to see Alice. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you wouldn't want to have anything to do with the actual wedding planning at all."
I blushed. "Well, I do need to be fitted for the dress. And I would like some kind of say of which names go on the guest list . . ." I could only imagine what a nightmare that'd be – I could only hope that I'd be able to reign Alice in.
"Maybe that's true. But Bella, you're about to get married, you're going off to college . . ." He shook his head. "Time's passing too quickly, and I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet."
Our cheeks wore a matching shade of red.
"You know, Dad . . . the fact that you can't stand when Edward's around here doesn't help the situation. I'm sure he would be willing to come here, instead of having to have me go there . . ."
"Fine." He grumbled. "But remember – balance. It's not just about me, Bells. Your other friends – "
"Are still a part of my life, and I'll make time to visit them before I set off. I promise." I rolled my eyes at him, smiling lightly. Better to cut him off now, before he mentioned Jacob again . . .
"I'm glad you understand." He smiled back, patting the back of my hand. I cleared my throat.
"Just as long as you're nicer to Edward. After all, in a couple of months . . ."
" . . . he'll be my son-in-law. I know, I know." He frowned. "That's going to take some getting used to."
A gentle knock on the door set off my pounding heartbeat, an easy smile playing its way onto my lips. "Speak of the devil," Charlie muttered as I happily ran to the door, eagerly yanking it open.
Edward smiled crookedly as I greeted him with a warm smile, laughing lightly at my over-eagerness. He brushed a strand of hair from my face as he gazed at me with warm eyes; even the most minimal contact, his fingers lightly brushing against my cheek, sent shivers down my spine.
"Are we ready to go?" His eyes grew unfocused for a moment as he listened to Charlie's thoughts, his expression changing to one of amusement as he recalled our conversation. Rather than waiting for a response, he chuckled.
"You're right about Alice, you know. She's already heavily into the planning." He frowned in mock pity, his eyes alight with his enjoyment. "She plans to open fire the second you set foot in the house."
I groaned. "Do we have to go?"
"Unfortunately, we do. However, I do promise to make it up to you later." He clasped his hand in mine and gently brought it to his lips, brushing them lightly on the back of my hand. I shivered in pleasure.
"Let's get this over with, then, so that later can come sooner."
He laughed as he guided me out of the doorway, leading me to the ultimate destruction of my afternoon.