Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
Edward stared in mute horror as Bella ran into her house, slamming and locking the door behind her. He had heard the pain, clear in her voice, had seen her tears, and had been unable to do anything. He couldn't even deny what she was saying—because she was right. He was a horrible, terrible person, a hideous friend, and he hated himself for hurting her. Hated himself for never being good enough—not for Bella or Jasper or Tanya or anyone. Edward wanted to break down the door, wrap his arms around Bella and apologize, tell her she was wrong and that he would never hurt her or betray her, never. But he couldn't. Not with honesty. And he hated himself for being so weak.
Edward pulled away from Bella's house, staring wistfully at the door, wishing he was strong enough, good enough to be her friend, to be able to comfort her. But then again, he wished he hadn't hurt her in the first place. He had jumped to conclusions. He had seen Bella with Alice, and it was like losing Jasper all over again, only a hundred times harder, because Bella was so much more important to him.
Edward drove at top speed back to his house, slamming the car door behind him and storming straight up to his bedroom, completely ignoring his mother's kind greetings. He slammed his bedroom door shut behind him and locked it, making it clear that he didn't want to be disturbed. Edward fell face down onto his bed and he could feel tears prickling at his eyes. He hated himself even more—he had hurt Bella, he wasn't strong enough to apologize, and now he was crying like a child.
Edward hated himself, he loathed himself. He hated his life and everything about it, and he hated that Bella was so right about him. He hated how he wasn't able to be good enough for her, and how he would never be good enough for anyone else. He hated how he didn't seem to fit in with anyone, anywhere. He hated how alone and weak he felt.
Edward shoved himself off of his bed and wiped his tears away furiously. He pulled his books out of his backpack and started on his homework, hoping something as monotonous and mind-numbing as homework would keep his mind off of things he didn't want to think about. Edward worked until late into the night, trying to finish the homework he had been neglecting over the past few days. It was ten past eleven when he crawled into bed, staring out of the window right near his desk.
Edward wasn't really paying attention as he stared, but something caught his eye—something moving. With a streak of light and color, a shooting star made its way across the sky at rapid speed. Edward shot up and ran to the window, tossing it open and leaning out to get a better look. He knew it was probably just a meteor, or a trick of the light, but he was feeling desperate enough that he was willing to try anything. He kept his eyes glued to the shooting star and began speaking, just as the digital clock on his nightstand read 11:11.
"I wish that I was popular. I wish that Tanya wanted me, and that I wasn't hurting Bella. I just wish everything could be easy for me, for Jasper, for Bella. I wish that I had been born popular," Edward wished wistfully, knowing that wishing was useless and futile, but he couldn't help but hope. He let his eyes slide shut as he repeated his wish, once, twice, three times. When he opened his eyes again, the star was gone. He sighed, and turned back around, ready to fall into his bed and finally get some sleep. There was just one problem.
There was already someone sitting in it.
Edward let out a gasp of surprise, clutching a hand to his heart as he took a few rushed steps backwards and hit the wall, breathing heavily from the shock. The woman was small, childlike almost, with short brown hair and bright brown eyes. She had a smile on her lips and was twisting what looked like a stick between her fingers. She had on a simple sundress, despite the cold temperature of Forks. She wasn't looking at Edward—she was staring at the thing in her hands, the small, cylindrical piece of wood she continued to twirl in her fingers.
"Who are you?" Edward demanded instantly. The woman—or should he say girl?—didn't answer. She showed no sign of even hearing Edward, other than the slight twitch of her mouth—the corners lifted ever so slightly, into a mocking smirk. "How did you get in here? Why are you in here? What is that in your hands?"
"Who are you?" the woman mocked, letting out a trill of laughter. "Who am I? That's a very good question." Edward waited for her to clarify, but she didn't. She continued to twirl the stick in her fingers with the utmost tenderness, caressing it almost. Edward was too stunned to speak. He briefly wondered if he should call his parents, or the police. The girl laughed as if she could hear his thoughts.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Edward," she whispered. Edward shivered, wondering how this woman knew his name. Her voice was gentle, but there was an undertone of malice that made Edward's skin prickle with goose bumps. "No, I'm not a bad person. The opposite actually. I am the most powerful creature you will ever meet. I can make your wildest dreams come true—I alone hold the power, the fate of all human kind, right here in my hands." She gestured to the stick in her hands, her tone loving, as if it was her child, or a beloved pet.
"What is that?" Edward asked, without consciously deciding to do so. The woman continued to stare down at it—Edward noticed how long her fingers were as she twirled it, back and forth, back and forth. Edward thought she might not have heard him when she didn't answer, and opened his mouth to repeat the question. But he was silenced instantly when the woman held up one hand.
"This, my dear boy, is the key to your future. Your kind would call it a wand I suppose. This is more powerful than God's own hand. It is more powerful than any other instrument on the planet. But only for those who are deemed worthy enough to use it, or to have it used for them." She looked up for the first time, slowly, her eyes locking with Edward's. He was frozen, eyes wide. He felt a thrill of fear as he stared at her—she was beautiful, delicate, but Edward could sense that she was dangerous. "Why are you worthy? Why are you, a mere mortal boy, worthy of my magic, of my powers?"
"I…I don't know," Edward whispered, feeling frightened.
"Nor do I. You see, when I help people, it's a rare few. Rare, rare, rare. And these people—they are the most powerful of your kind. The ones with the kind of determination that can rule the world. I was there when every dictator was born, when every country and land was conquered, that was me. I gave those men that power, the power to rule the world. And yet, that's not even what you want." She stared up at Edward quizzically. "You only want to be accepted. Liked. But I suppose that other human's hold some sort of power over you? Maybe I'm wrong—maybe people themselves are the world's most dangerous weapons." She laughed and shook her head.
"So," she said conversationally. She sat up, her legs dangling off of Edward's bed as he continued to press himself up against the opposite wall. "You wish to be popular, hmm? To have been born with the natural good looks and easy going confidence that some of your kind seem to be blessed with? And you wish to be loved. Is that right?" Edward nodded, too afraid to speak.
"Well, I can help you with the first part of your problem. I can make you attractive to your kind, both your personality and your looks. I can make you friends with the people you desire. Lust and admiration, they are easy to manipulate. But as for the girl…I'm afraid there's nothing I can do," she said, and she sounded annoyed. "True love is something that can't be imitated. It's a powerful magic, some say the most powerful magic of all. But I don't believe it. I can't imitate it, but I can crush it, and I think that makes me more powerful than love, don't you think?" She stared up at Edward and batted her eyelashes. Edward was afraid. This woman was either crazy or he was, and she looked at everything the way a dictator did—what can she conquer, what can she destroy?
"So…you can make me popular? You can make me liked by the other kids? Like I was born that way?" Edward verified and he felt hope. If he had been born popular, maybe Bella's life would be better without him in it.
"Yes I can. I can make you the most well liked person on this planet. Everyone will feel a…natural attraction towards you. They'll be attracted to your looks and your laugh and the aura around you that says you're a natural born leader," she said. "I'll be turning you from an ugly servant into a handsome prince. From an alleyway mutt to a purebred. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
He did. He was shivering slightly from the thrill of it all, from the fear he felt of this tiny woman-child. "So I'm like a male Cinderella?" Edward asked sarcastically. The woman smiled wickedly.
"Exactly. Only your wish doesn't end at midnight. It's permanent. So I suggest you think it through first." Edward didn't hesitate.
"I want it." The woman let out a short, maniacal sounding laugh.
"Oh dear, the way you humans work is so predictable. Just wanting to be liked and loved." She laughed again, shaking her head. "No wonder so many of you believe lust is love. You're so eager to fall in love, to have someone love you that you decide to love just so you won't have to be alone. It's pathetic really." She laughed again.
"Are…are you going to grant my wish?" Edward asked timidly.
"Don't worry, child," she said, and Edward felt it was rather annoying of her to call him a child, when she looked no older than he did. "Your wish has been granted. Tomorrow morning you'll wake up and you'll be popular. You'll be better looking, more likeable. But I must warn you…there will be consequences. Every action in our lives affects every other person around us. This leads to this leads to this. You're changing a lifetime of choices by making this wish. Many things will be different. Every person whose life you changed, who you affected, will be completely different. Every choice that they made that was affected by you will be different. A lot of things will change. And you're going to have to live with that."
"I…I don't think I affected anyone that much," Edward whispered, thinking of Bella, Jasper, Angela, Ben, his parents. How would their lives change? He couldn't have had that much of an effect on them, right? Sure, he had been best friends with Bella since they were kids, but she was always so strong and brave. She made her own decisions, she didn't listen to him. Maybe she would change for the better without him around. It seemed likely.
"Well I suppose you'll have to wait and see, won't you?" the woman said with a large, evil grin. "You might be surprised by what you see."
"Anything will be better than this," Edward said without thinking. The woman snorted a laugh.
"Sure. Because you're life is so miserable. Parents who love you, a best friend who's in love with you, a family with money, despite the hard economic times, a one way ticket to an Ivy League school. I can understand why you must hate your life," the woman said sarcastically, mocking him. Edward clenched his fists. He just wanted her to leave already. She had helped him, and he was grateful, but he didn't want to be made fun of.
"Don't worry, boy, I'll leave," she said, as if she could read his thoughts again. He shivered. "Just remember—every choice you make affects everyone else, whether you know it or not. I won't be around to help you figure things out, so just remember, if you see something different, something you like…or maybe don't like…remember it's all your doing." She flashed a wide smile and Edward glared at her. Sure, she may be helping him out, but she was being awfully mean to him, something completely unnecessary.
"I'll keep that in mind," Edward said, and she laughed, shook her head, and stood. She approached him slowly, cautiously, and Edward froze in fear. Her eyes were watching him inquisitively, and Edward couldn't look away. He tried very hard not to blink.
"Strong," she murmured thoughtfully to herself. "Very strong. But strong enough? I suppose we'll have to wait and see." She laughed, a soft, twinkling laugh that sent shivers through Edward's spine.
"Lie down," the woman commanded suddenly and Edward blinked in surprise, jumping at the sound of her voice. She bit her lip to fight a laugh, but her laughter turned into a scowl when she realized he wasn't following her directions. "Are you listening? Lie down!" Edward half ran in his haste to listen. He lay on his bed, flat on his back, and stared up at the plain white ceiling. He took deep, even breaths.
"Close your eyes," the woman said in a seductive, soothing tone. Edward did as she asked without hesitation. He felt nervous with his eyes shut, but his other senses heightened. He could hear the soft patter of her dainty footsteps as she made her way towards him. He could nearly feel her presence as she hovered over him. He didn't dare open his eyes. Nerves, apprehension and excitement bubbled in his stomach. He briefly considered calling the whole thing off, but when he thought of Tanya, of the crushed look on Bella's face when he had left her this afternoon, and of the complete joy and happiness he always saw on Jasper's face, he stayed firm with his wish.
"Listen to my voice. Only the sound of my voice." Her voice was impossible not to listen to. A seductive purr, making Edward's skin tingle and shivers roll down his spine in waves. "Empty your mind. Clear it of all thoughts, only leaving those of exactly what you want, and only what you want. Listen to my voice, and think, think, and sleep. Sleep, my child, for in the morning, all of your dreams and nightmares will come true." The lullaby of her voice was impossible to resist. Edward felt sleepy even though moments before he had been as wide awake as possible. He didn't have the energy to fear her words, even though common sense told him he should. He just filled his head with thoughts of Tanya, of popularity, and of a happier life.
A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. My Microsoft Word stopped working, my internet was screwy, my dad's been in the hospital with stroke like symptoms and a seizure. Basically life's been busy and kind of sucky. Review!