Chapter 3

Bella made it down the stairs and rang the doorbell at the man's apt. As before, no one answered. As she was about to turn and leave she heard a high screeching sound inside the apartment. When she tried knocking then the door creaked open. Bella opened it a little farther and said "Hello, anyone there?" Trembling she yelled hello again and wondered what to do but the noise grew worse so she stepped inside. It was dark and smelled of booze inside and the noise was piercing her brain. Her first thought was the noise was a trapped bird screeching at the top of its lungs but moving toward the back of the apartment she soon realized it was just an alarm clock going off.

Making it to the bed, Bella reached across it to hit the alarm. She then took a huge sigh of relief just as a hand flew out of the nest of covers and grabbed her arm. She pulled in a breath to scream and another hand jerked up and clasped her mouth shut.

"Don't even think about it," a low raspy male voice said.

Bella's hands started doing the painful zinging thing and she started writhing around to get away from him. He pulled her farther onto the bed and came out of the pile of blankets to hover over her. The zinging had turned to a painful low burning now and she was gasping for air barely getting air in her chest. The man seemed to be in a lot of pain as well and he shifted and landed on top of her. His legs had her pinned. One hand still covering her mouth he dropped down. His eyes looked crazed as he lowered himself over her. She felt a sharp bolt of electricity and tears came pouring down her face. Then the zinging stopped and he looked up.

Bella saw a horrified expression on his face. He sank down on the bed and repeated "I'm sorry, so sorry", over and over. She smelled a strong smell of booze like it was oozing from his pores then and he fell to the side and started crying like a baby. He was still lying across her legs and she couldn't get up so she reached over and stroked his back to get his attention.

A weird soothing pulse came out of her hands and it glowed golden across his back. He turned and looked at her then and he was clear eyed. What beautiful eyes they were, Blue as an ice-cold clear lake. He looked like he hadn't slept or ate well in years and with lines permeating his features, the skin hanging off his bones and red streaking through those eyes, it made it impossible to tell whether he was 20 or 80.

"What just happened"? He asked, "What did you do to me"?

She mumbled into his hand and he lifted it. "What did I do to you, are you kidding me with that?"

He cleared his throat then sat up. Noticing he was naked (and what a sight that was) he pulled a sheet over himself. He sighed then turned and stared at the wall. "I guess you're right. I don't know what happened. When I woke, I noticed a strange glow of energy enter the room. I thought I was dead at first then when you leaned over me I thought I was dreaming. When you started to scream, I had to stop you. n I touched your skin and something whispered in my mind that were sent here to heal me of my addiction but I had to take the healing and not wait for you to give it to me, that you were the answers to my prayers. I still didn't believe you were real. When I grabbed you, it was like pure power and only after a time did I really realize you weren't a dream or some creature of light but a real person. I know in my head it was wrong to scare you like that but my body feels better than it has in years. It is like I was purged of all the bad things I have ever done to myself".

I sat up then and waited for him to look at me."This wasn't the first time it has happened. This was a better outcome though. The first time a foster father grabbed me when we were alone. He grabbed me and put my hand on him, a red light, full of heat came out of my hand, and he screamed. He left out of my room and I cried all night. The next morning he burst in the room and started yelling that I was a witch and that I had ruined him for life. I was thinking when it happened that I hoped he could never touch me again.

"How come the same thing didn't happen to me"? He asked

"I don't know why or how but I could feel that deep inside you there was good and hope. I waited and when you came back to yourself, I knew I could heal you somehow. I have never had the thought cross my mind that this curse could be used in that way. But earlier today something happened and I think my powers are changing."

"Okay, I have to ask. Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment"?

"My name is Bella and the landlord told me you were going to help move some stuff from upstairs down to the basement". "When you didn't show up I came to find you".

"Well Bella, my name is Edward and you should really keep out of strange men's apartments in the future". He hung his head then and said" I really am sorry about grabbing you and scaring you so bad."

"I'm okay! The time I told you about was the first time but not the last. This seems to happen repeatedly. Like I said this is just the second time it had that outcome. Usually it doesn't end so well."

He ignored her attempt at humor and asked, "How old were you the first time you did this?"

"I had just turned 13 it seemed to come with puberty."

"I am really sorry" Edward replied.

"We have things to move. Repay me by getting your butt moving".

"Yes ma'am. Anything you say I am now and forever yours to do with as you may".

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Bella jumped out of the bed, straightening herself up as Edward got some short's on, and answered the door. He went in the hall and came back with his head hanging down.

"Who was it"? She asked

"It was the landlord, he was wondering where you had got off to and he noticed I hadn't moved any of the stuff out of the hallway. He was so worried about where you were. You were here all this time while I was attacking you. I feel like such a scumbag."

"Now none of that, we already decided I forgive you and you were my slave for life and plus you need to get all that junk out of the hallway. Get moving or you can never repay me".

Bella didn't feel altogether as forgiving as she was being. Feeling that she would be crying in bed tonight, but somewhere in the back of her brain, she got the feeling that if she did not forgive him and try to put on a brave face he would spiral back down into drugs and alcohol again and he would eventually be dead. She also got the feeling he had a calling of some kind that was worth her forgiveness.