Raum
A Good Liar
The story blinkie is now available on h.t.t.p : / / myreadinglounge. blogspot. com/
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Chapter 6: "This Death that Accompanies Us"
This death that accompanies us
From morning till night, sleepless,
Deaf, like an old regret.
(Cesare Pavese, Death Will Come With Your Eyes)
Bella was already on her porch when the telephone rang; she rushed back inside to answer it.
Her father was on the other end of the line. "Hey, Bells. Were you running?" Charlie teased her, hearing that she was short of breath.
She snorted. "It's just that I was leaving and had to dash back."
"Are you going to La Push?"
She stiffened. "No." She had avoided going to the reservation since the last time she had talked to Jake, fearing that she wouldn't be welcome there anymore. "Why do you ask?"
"I've talked to Billy, and he told me it looks like Jake caught mono. Poor kid is real tired, and Billy said no visitors."
"No visitors?" she asked in disbelief.
"Nope. He's got a high fever, and it's catching. But don't worry too much. Jake'll be up and around soon enough. Be patient."
Bella wanted to ask if there was anything she could do for her friend, but thought better of it. "Are you coming home for dinner?"
"I hope so, but it's a busy day here. I'll keep you posted."
Bella hung up the phone and hurried to the grocery store. The less time she spent there, the more she would have for her detour. As quickly as she could, she put the filled bags in the truck and headed toward the Cullen house.
It had been barely two weeks since Edward had taken her to Neah Bay. Less than a month since the first time he had come back to her room, when she hadn't seen him. Yet, the girl who smiled as she left the main road and headed toward the Cullens' residence didn't resemble the broken one who had gone there chasing after a lost past.
Bella had always found Edward waiting for her out on the lawn. This time, the clearing where the house stood was empty. She got out of the truck and went to knock on the door.
"GOTCHA!"
She jumped. She spun around and found herself in Edward's arms. In a blur, he opened the door and carried her inside. Only when they reached his room did he put her down.
"You stupid vampire!" she yelled, raising a hand to slap him.
He laughed and took her by the wrists, stopping her attempts to wriggle her way out of his hold. "Oh, no, I can't release you," he crooned. "You'll hurt yourself if you hit me." He pinned her against the door and lowered his face to hers.
She glared at him, but his playfulness was already making her anger fade.
"Forgive me?" he pleaded. His lips brushed over hers, his cool breath sending shivers down her back.
"Don't do...it...again," Bella mumbled, her words interrupted by the small pecks he placed on her mouth.
"You mean I mustn't kiss you anymore?" Edward joked. "I thought you liked my kisses."
"You can be dumb for being a supernatural creature," she retorted, seeking his lips as he straightened his back and distanced his face from her. "I was referring to your prank."
He skimmed his nose along her neck, peppering it with a new trail of kisses. His hold around her wrists loosened, but when her arms were free again, she didn't slap him. She moved her hands around his waist, drawing him closer to herself.
"I'm glad you came," he whispered. "How long can you stay?"
She sighed. "Not long. I'm on my way back from the grocery and have to prepare dinner. But will you come to my room tonight?"
He grinned. "You know I will."
Bella left Edward's embrace and opened her backpack. "There's something I'd like to give you before I go."
"Have you bought me a mountain lion at the grocery?"
"Sorry, they're fresh out," she joked, relieved that he didn't seem so self-conscious about his nature anymore. She cupped his cheek, tracing the contours of the dark shadows under his eyes. "By the way, it seems you could use a hunt."
"You're right. I'll go immediately after you leave, so I'll be well-fed by the time I come to your place." He playfully ruffled her hair. "But if you haven't brought me a snack, what is it?"
She rummaged through her backpack and had to empty half of its contents onto Edward's desk before she could find the little gift she had bought for him.
"Here." She offered him a simple, rectangular workbook with a dark cover. The sheets were already set with the stave to write music. "I went to Port Angeles to find a birthday present for Angela and passed by a music shop."
He flipped through the blank pages. Memories from his human years, when he needed his music sheets to record his first attempts at composition, resurfaced. He recalled the day his piano teacher had taught him how to write musical notes – Edward had been fascinated by them. They were only small marks on paper, and yet they could make a melody come to life.
Bella tried to read his reaction to her gift. "I know you don't need it to remember your songs," she told him softly. "But would you write down the notes of my lullaby?"
Edward smiled at her. "Of course I will. Thank you for this. I'll begin to fill it immediately and tonight I'll bring it to you with all the notes in their right places."
Bella hugged him tightly, ready to take her leave. "Enjoy your hunt. I'll see you tonight." She quickly put her belongings back and left. When she drove away, he saw him waving at her from the window of the piano room.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
It was almost twilight when Bella parked in front of her house. She looked toward the woods behind it, where the shadows had already swallowed the dim afternoon light. The safest time of day for us, Edward had said. The end of another day, the return of the night. When he had spoken those words – was it really only a year ago? – Bella had felt saddened. He had only just begun to allow her into his acquaintance at that time and hadn't revealed yet that he spent his nights in her room. She had felt strangely hurt that he so welcomed the time of day which was for her the loneliest. After he had deserted her in the woods, those same words, and that same feeling, had haunted her every night.
But now, all of that had changed. Edward had returned to Forks. And recently, he had returned to visiting her at night as well. Now she welcomed the twilight just as much as he did.
A movement in the woods and a rustling sound among the leaves caught her attention. She got out of the truck and went toward the trees. It could have been an animal, but for a moment she had thought she had seen a man. Could Edward have changed his plans? She took her phone out from her pocket and checked it – he hadn't called.
"Edward," she whispered.
Bella looked around herself. There was no one on the road, but if it was actually Edward, he couldn't step out of the woods and risk being seen by her neighbors. So she kept walking. "Edward," she called again. "Is it you?"
"Bella?"
Her name was uttered by a voice that had a deep musical tone – the one she had heard only from vampires – but it wasn't Edward's. The person in front of her took a step forward, emerging from the shadows, and motioned to Bella to come closer.
"Laurent!"
She felt as if a gust of cold wind had chilled her, recalling that the vampire who was inviting her had belonged to James' coven when she had first met him. She tried to steady herself, considering that Laurent had changed and gone to Alaska to live with other vampires who refrained from harming humans.
Bella studied his face and didn't register any menace in his expression. "I thought you'd gone to Alaska. What brought you back?"
Laurent smiled, and then she met his eyes. She blinked, but what she had seen was real. Two scarlet pools glistened. "I'm doing a favor for a friend," he purred.
She tried to swallow, to no avail. Her feet started to ease back, but she froze when his eyes flickered down to catch the movement. "A friend?" she croaked. Was the friend one of the Alaskan vampires? What could they possibly want Laurent to do in Forks for them?
"You know her," he answered, his tone kind. "Victoria."
Bella's head spun. For a moment, all she could see was a black vortex. She realized she was fainting, but the expected fall didn't happen. He had caught her. She saw the tree branches moving around her as Laurent drew her into the woods.
"Laurent," she managed to splutter. "What are you doing? What does Victoria have to do with this?"
He released her from his grasp and looked down at her. People, the passing cars, the sound of neighbors' children playing – they all had vanished, since he had brought her to a clearing where he couldn't be heard or seen by humans.
"Victoria is sort of put out with you, Bella," he explained regretfully, as if he were talking to a child. "James was her mate, and your Edward killed him. A mate for a mate, that's what she wants. I've been sent here to get the lay of the land for her, so to speak."
Bella looked around herself frantically. "Where is she? Will she kill me?"
Laurent laughed softly. "No, I can assure you she won't."
Bella's cell phone began to vibrate in her pocket. Edward. Please, Edward, come here, she thought. The words she had told him less than an hour ago haunted her. It seems you could use a hunt.
Laurent narrowed his eyes at her when she moved to pick up the call. "Are we going to be interrupted?" he asked.
She halted, trying not to annoy him. "Edward is due to arrive," she lied, pushing all her bravado into those words.
He gave her a mischievous grin. "Is he? So I have to be quick." The vampire closed his eyes, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. "Mouthwatering," he whispered.
She stumbled back a step. "Haven't you stopped preying on humans?" she cried.
He smirked at her, a conspiratorial glance in his maroon irises. "I must admit that sometimes I cheat."
"Please," she gasped. "Don't do this."
"Oh, Bella," he sighed. "This is nothing personal, let me assure you. Just thirst. I promise I'll be very quick, and you won't feel a thing."
She cringed away. The memories of the unending pain that James' bite had caused when he had attacked her brought Bella to her knees. She shut her eyes, bracing herself for the moment when the monster would leap on her.
The moment didn't come.
A furious roar echoed in the woods, making them whip their heads in its direction. They froze as they saw a huge dark shape appearing from among the bushes.
It resembled a bear, but when it approached it became clear that they were facing a giant wolf.
Bella remained as still as she could, but her eyes darted from the beast to Laurent. The wolf headed toward the vampire, as if it hadn't noticed the weak human who would have been much easier to chase. Laurent crouched, ready to strike, his fingers curled into anxious claws. His human façade wasn't in place anymore: both he and the animal were ferocious predators in front of their quarry. As the wolf grimaced, revealing a line of dagger-like incisors, a snarl rolled out from between Laurent's teeth, the stone of his face molding into a sneer.
With a sudden bolt, the wolf descended on the vampire, throwing him to the ground, and ripping his clothes. The beast's fangs screeched against his granite skin, tearing deep and frightening gouges that bled a silvery glistening fluid all down his arm.
A sweet scent spread from the wounds. Like incense waves, it was heady at first and then became too strong.
In front of Bella's eyes, the long gash the animal's teeth had opened on the vampire began to fade, even as Laurent screamed and writhed and brought his knees up, searching for leverage against the giant frame of his foe.
Finally with a powerful kick to the wolf's chest he got to his feet again.
Laurent bared his sharp teeth, with his mouth open as if he were going to scream, and launched himself at his enemy.
Bella backed off as the vampire grabbed his attacker's shoulder and pulled until the bone crunched. The wolf lunged at Laurent's side and tore again with a hideous screech. Another heavy fist landed on the beast and flung it against a bush. A cloud of mold and fallen leaves surrounded the animal as it landed on the ground, making the bush's tiny branches splinter under his weight.
Laurent roared and took another swipe at his enemy. His fist caught the wolf's flank, and he pummeled it until a low yelp coughed out of the animal's throat.
The wolf's desperate plea shook Bella. She bowed her head and covered her eyes, not wanting to witness the animal's destruction. The same fate would befall her as well. Unless...she felt unsure on her legs, but she had to try to escape. She began to run, scrambling on her feet, but a protruding root made her stumble and fall.
A furious howl boomed. Bella looked up and saw a man sprinting toward Laurent. His speed revealed that he was a vampire, too.
"Edward," she murmured gratefully, her shoulders sagging in relief. Her lover's muscular arm hooked Laurent's neck and tugged, managing to take him off the wolf and lifting his feet from the ground. With a desperate blow, Laurent jerked his head back into Edward's jaw, thrashing in his grip until the two of them crashed into a tree with a force that snapped the trunk.
Before Edward could stand up again, Laurent whirled around. Bella couldn't see more than a blur as they twisted and struggled, sending wrecked branches flying. A metallic snap made her shiver; steel kept grinding against steel, like an endless car crash.
All of a sudden, the movement stopped. Edward's fingers were clutching Laurent's hair. Bella looked into her attacker's red eyes, widened in shock; his face was contorted in a scream, but no sound came out from his mouth. As if in slow-motion, her gaze reached Laurent's neck, where Edward's iron fingers had latched on and his teeth had bitten. And then there was nothing more to see: Laurent's head had been cut off from his body, which lay on the ground.
For a moment, everything went still.
A low whimper escaped through the wolf's teeth, but the animal didn't move.
Only when Edward's eyes met hers did Bella let out the breath she had been holding, and with it, a strangled sob. Edward dropped Laurent's head and took a slow, heavy step toward her, but he stopped in his tracks and turned toward the woods.
Another wolf was stalking toward him. The beast was as big as the one which was still on the ground, but had black fur, while the other's was russet.
"I mean no harm," Edward told the animal, as if it could understand his words. He tilted his head toward the wounded wolf. "He's still alive, but he needs help. Take care of him."
Edward took a step back, going toward Bella, but still shielding her with his body.
"Be quick and burn him to ashes," he instructed, pointing to the scattered remains of Laurent.
Two more wolves came out from the undergrowth.
Bella caught only a glimpse of them before they dragged away what remained of the vampire who had attacked her. Before she could take another breath, Edward scooped her up in his arms, his embrace tighter than it had ever been – to the point that it was almost painful. Regardless, she welcomed his steely hold. Silently, he cradled her against his chest and rushed toward her house.
"Charlie...at home," she stammered.
"He's not here yet. I can't catch his thoughts."
Edward set her on a chair in the kitchen and knelt in front of her, reaching up with both hands to cup her cheeks. His cold touch made Bella regain some consciousness; in the anxious mirror of his darkened eyes, she saw herself, still bewildered-looking, her mouth slightly open and her eyes unfocused.
"Can I fetch you something to drink?" he offered quietly.
Bella shook her head. "I need to call Charlie," she said, her voice flat. "He was supposed to be home for dinner."
Edward took her hand in his. "Do you want me to go while you–"
"No," she interrupted him. "Stay."
She made the conversation as short as she could. Charlie apologized for not having called earlier and informed her that he would stay at the station until late in the night. Bella suppressed a sob as she registered his words: Don't worry about dinner. Are you tired? Don't study too much, and get a good night's rest. She blessed the umpteenth contingency that had kept her father at work, safe from a danger he would never be aware of.
As soon as the call ended, Edward's arms went around her again, his fingers brushing through her hair with soothing caresses.
"How did you...?" she murmured.
He understood her question with no need for her to explain further. "You left a book on my desk. Since it was a textbook, I called you to ask if you needed it immediately for your homework, but you didn't pick up." He barked a bitter laugh, still processing what had happened. "You had a much bigger danger to be worried about than completing your homework, didn't you?"
"May we go upstairs?" she asked, the toll of the day weighing on her.
Her room provided them with a cozy refuge. They sat on her bed, and she glanced at her belongings. On her desk, there was the novel she had bought in Seattle, with the first gift Edward had given her when he had come back. A Space Needle bookmark. For anybody else, it wasn't but a little souvenir Bella could have purchased on her trip. But she kept it close to her all day, when she was at school or studying at home. It was a memento that he was back – a pledge of what he had promised her when they met in Seattle.
A shiver of fear shot through her at the thought that she had come so close to never coming back home again, her corpse discarded somewhere in the woods. She imagined Charlie's pain, knowing that his girl was missing again, maybe blaming himself for not leaving work sooner.
Bella raised her eyes and took in Edward's features. If he had arrived too late, nothing – his rage, his sorrow, his revenge – would have given her back to him. As if he had read her thoughts, he gathered her in his arms. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and placed his mouth on her skin. Her pulse was beating against his lips, and he let it echo in his body.
Bella gasped as suddenly Edward clutched her shoulders and kept her caged in his grip. He was frozen, his lips still resting against her neck. She trembled as she realized that he had stopped breathing, and knew what it meant. Her heart beat faster and faster, pumping her blood toward his mouth.
"Edward," she said as softly as she could, blaming herself for the tremor in her voice. "I trust you," she went on. He would never hurt me, she silently repeated to herself.
Abruptly, Edward flew to the farthest corner of the room.
She reached out a trembling arm toward him but halted as she recognized his expression. She had seen those eyes, black like onyx and yet somehow aflame. That hard grimace on his face wasn't new to her. It was the same grimace he had on his face on the first day they had met – the day when he wanted to kill her.
"I can't stay," he spat.
"NO!" she yelled. The violence of her scream made her throat ache, but she didn't relent. She stumbled toward him, not caring if, with her sudden fierceness, she was risking pushing him to a point where he wouldn't be able to control his thirst anymore. Edward didn't move from his corner or stop Bella when she went on in her outburst.
"Why?" she cried out. "Did what happened with Laurent remind you of what happened with Jasper? Do you want to run away again?" Her eyes brimmed with angry tears at the thought that he could consider making the same mistake again. "If you leave now, do it for good, Edward! Or is it your thirst? You never hurt me because of it, and I still believe you never will! But if it's the reason you want to leave, then don't resist." She shoved her wrists in his face. He turned sideways and clenched his teeth. "Drink my blood and take my life. If you break me again, you will destroy me anyway. I don't care."
"Enough!" he growled. "I must go, because if I stay I don't know if I can resist biting you!"
Bella shuddered at his confession, but didn't back off.
"It's not thirst, nor has it anything to do with Laurent or Jasper," he added, his voice less furious but still angered. "It's just my selfishness," he seethed.
He bored his eyes into her and she read the hatred in them. But it wasn't directed at her.
"Since I came back, you haven't asked me anything about you being changed into a vampire," he recalled. "I hoped you had understood, after all, that giving up your human life because of me would be something to regret forever. And yet, I thought that if you still wanted it, I would be up to discussing it with you instead of making every decision for you. But today I was too afraid that I would lose you." He choked back a sob at the memory. Head bowed, he pointed to the bed, where he had broken their embrace. "I was ready to bite you to make you like me. I want you with me, and a human life isn't enough."
"I want you, too," she managed to whisper, stunned by his words.
Edward cringed. "How could I give you such pain?" he murmured. "You would die the same way I did in Chicago almost ninety years ago, and I'd hate myself for torturing you that way."
Bella tried to not think about the agony of the transformation and pushed as much braveness as she could in her words. "But it'd be only for a short while," she objected. "Only for the three days of fire during the change."
He shook his head. "There's more."
She frowned at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
He took a deep breath, his mind going back to a faraway city in a distant time. "A couple of years after my transformation, I asked Carlisle to go back to Chicago. Obviously, we couldn't go out in public, so we went there for just a few hours at night. The first stop was at the house of one of my best friends. The last time I'd heard about him, he'd been infected by the Spanish influenza. I searched for his mind frantically, eager to know if he was healed and was back home, until I caught his thoughts and listened to him talking with his mother. I begged Carlisle to check on other people I knew. Some of them had died, but others were fine after the epidemic. I'm afraid that without Carlisle's help I wouldn't have resisted the desire to knock on their doors, to tell them that I was back, too." He grimaced at the memory. "I would have only scared them to death – or worse, I could have been their death," he mumbled.
Bella imagined Edward as he must have looked, terrible and glorious as a young god resurfacing from the underworld.
In a human gesture, he passed his hand over his face as he recalled the moment he had said farewell to his human life. "On the contrary, when we arrived at my house, I asked Carlisle to leave as quickly as we could. It was my home, but I couldn't live there anymore. Everything I had, every person I knew, was lost to me. My parents were dead, but what about yours, Bella? What about your friends or your plans? My body died during my change, but the person I'd been died that night, in front of the empty Masen residence. I had become a ghost. Is that what you want for yourself?"
Thanks for reading!
A question for you: who's the wolf?
The next chapter is due to be posted in two weeks. An Italian Winter is now complete!
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