When I opened my eyes in the morning their was something vastly different.
The light, the light was a clear light gray-green. Their was no fog veiling my windows. No rain.
I jumped up to look out my window and groaned. Snow, snow and ice. Ice is a very bad thing for me. I might as well call the hospital now and set up an appointment.
I really should go back to bed and skip today. I really, really should.
Charlie was already gone. Living with Charlie was a lot like having a place of my own, and I enjoyed the aloneness instead of feeling lonely. I could stay home, I could just not go to school and Charlie would never find out. But that would take advantage of his trust. I hate being a goody-goody.
I ate a quick breakfast of Count Chocula and a glass of orange juice. I slipped on a pair of black jeans and a Slipknot shirt. I felt a bit excited to go to school, and it wasn't for the stimulating learning environment, or to see my new so called friends. It was because I would get to see Edward Cullen again, and that was very, very, very stupid.
Since when did I, Isabella Marie Swan, the scary Goth girl want to go to school to see a guy? I should be avoiding him after my very embarrassing babble about my life.
It took everything I had to make it down the icy driveway. I distracted myself from thinking about Edward Cullen by thinking about Mike and Eric, the obvious difference in how teenage boys responded to me here. I think it's because I'm a novelty here, where novelties are few and far between. It's like first grade, and I'm the shiny new toy. Perhaps my clumsiness is more of a endearing charteristic more than just being pathetic. Some guys might enjoy a chance to be a knight in shining armor with the girl cast as the damsel in distress. Whatever the reason, Mike's puppy dog behavior and Eric's apparent rivalry with him was annoying. I prefer to be ignored by everybody. Well almost everybody-NO! Stop thinking about Edward flippen Cullen already.
That is a battle lost before it's begun, even I'm not stubborn enough to fight that fact.
My truck didn't have any trouble with the black ice. I drove slowly anyway, I didn't want to kill any innocents on my way to school. When I got to school I saw why it was so easy for me to drive in ice. On the black of my tires were criss crossing of silver. Charlie had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on my tires. My throat felt tight suddenly. I'm not used to being taken care of, and Charlie's concern hit a chord with me. My father actually cares about me, why did Renee have to be so selfish? If it wasn't for her I might actually know what it's like to be around someone who loves me everyday. I would know now, and I will take care of him to.
I was standing on the back corner of my truck trying not to cry. Amazing. As tough as I am, a small thing as snow chains brought me up short. Just goes to show, no matter how jaded you are, someone showing they care can affect you.
Then I heard a sound. It was a high pitched screech and it was getting louder, fast. I looked up and couldn't believe what I saw. I could see several things at once, I cant say if it all slowed down or if it sped up and my brain sped up with it, but I saw what I saw.
Edward Cullen was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. His face stood out from the sea of frozen masks of shock. A dusk blue van was sliding at me. It was spinning like a drunk sailor and was heading straight for the back of my truck. And I was standing in-between the two vehicles.
I was hit down, hard, but from my side not from the front. And the van was still coming at me, did I pass out for a second and then wake up from the adrenaline.
A low "oof" made me aware someone was with me, and I recognized the voice immediately. Two long white hands shot out protectively in front of me. The van shuddered to a stop right in front of my face. His hands stopped the van, am I dead? Their was a deep dent in the side of the van, who can honestly do that?
Then his hands moved again they blurred with their movement. One was gripping the body of the van, the other pulled my legs out as if I was a rag doll. I am slim, but my whole body is probably like dead weight right now. He dropped the van and it gave a metallic groan and the glass popped into the asphalt-exactly where my legs were a second ago.
It was absolutely silent a long second, almost as if in a dream, before the screaming began. I could hear more than one person, I heard both nonverbal screams and people screaming to call 9-1-1 and yelling directions. Yet all of that seemed to disappear when I heard Edward Cullen's voice in my ear.
"Bella? Are you all right?" He sounded anxious.
"I'm fine." My voice sounded weird, and I tried to sit up. That's when I noticed he was holding me to the side of his body in an iron grasp, it almost felt protectively possessive.
"Be careful." He warned, tightening his grip when he felt me struggle. "I think you hit your head."
I think he's right, theirs a throbbing ache centered above my left ear.
"Ouch." I whispered, surprised. Looks like the adrenaline's wearing off.
"That's what I thought." He said almost smugly, and I could feel my eyes narrow.
"How'd you get over to me so fast?" I said instead of going down any argument rode. He might be annoying sometimes, but the guy did save my life.
"I was standing right next to you Bella." He said, his tone was over serious. Even if I hadn't seen him over by his car four cars down I'd be suspicious. I turned to sit up and he let me, I told myself that his hands didn't seem a little wary to let me go. I looked into his eyes in the little space we had. His eyes where concerned golden color.
And then they found us, a crowd of people crying and screaming. Shouting at each other, shouting at us. I was ready to tell them to shut the hell up, I already had a headache.
"Don't move," someone instructed, I didn't mind being with Edward Cullen wasn't so bad.
"Get Tyler out of the van!" Someone else ordered.
Everything that happened I couldn't comprehend. All I really saw were blurs of colors. I tried to get up, but Edward's cold hand stopped me.
"Just stay put for now."
"Your hand is so cold, are you okay?" I asked instead of trying to get up again.
"I'm fine." He chuckled.
"You were over there." I commented suddenly remembering, his laugh stopped quickly.
"No, I wasn't." His expression was hard and dark, like a…vampire's.
"I saw you." I said, he might look scarier than the Wolfman but I was never one to scare easily. I was right and he's going to admit it, besides their's no such thing as vampires and werewolves.
"Bella, I was standing right next to you. I was going to ask you about…our biology homework." He seemed to pause to say what he was going to ask me about, but it was such a short pause I'm not sure. I am sure of one thing, he's hiding something. "When I saw the van coming I pulled you out of the way." He continued. Yeah, sure, that could be a viable explanation and I would probably have believed it except for one thing. How could he lift a whole van with one hand and get my legs from being crushed?
"Bella, I was standing with you, I pulled you out of the way." He said this as he unleashed the full power of his eyes on me. I would prefer the black, they stand out so beautifully against his pale skin, but oddly the yellow honey is also just as beautiful. I had to fight considerably to keep from falling under their spell, no one had ever been able to affect me like that.
"No," I could never give up a chance to be defiant.
"Please, Bella." He finally said while his honey eyes blazed to a hard golden hue.
"Why?" I asked, I haven't asked that since the 'why?' phase when I was a kid.
"Trust me," he pleaded and his softly masculine voice was overwhelming. I did trust him, I don't understand why but I trust him. I've never trusted someone before.
"Do you promise to tell me everything later?" I asked, because I just had to make sure.
"Fine!" He snapped, I didn't even blink twice.
It took two EMT's and two teachers, Mr. Varner and Couch Clapp, to move the van enough for them to reach us. Then the stretchers rolled in. Edward refused the stretcher with venom, I tried to do the same. However the little prick told them I'd hit my head and probably had a concussion. I did however tell the woman who tried to put a neck brace on me that if she didn't back up I'd put her in a neck brace. That extremely amused Edward, and extremely terrified the woman.
Even worse, Chief Swan arrived before I could get away.
"Bella!" He panicked as he saw me on a stretcher.
"I'm completely fine dad, their's nothing wrong." I said trying to get up but a man pushed me back down. I think I might be hallucinating, I could swear I heard a growl from the front, where Edward and the driver are.
While Charlie talked to the EMT on the way to the hospital I tried to remember everything. While they were lifting us from the cars I saw a deep mental dent in the truck door. It fit the continents of Edward's shoulder, as if he had braced against the van with enough force to do the car damage.
And his siblings. Their expressions ranged from disappointment to fury. Yet no concern. I'm an only child, but if I had a brother I'd be concerned about him being in-between two cars.
I tried to think of a logical explanation. Other than me being insane. I know I'm mad as a hatter, but not in that way.
They put me in the emergency room. A nurse put a pressure cuff on my arm and a thermometer under my tongue. While I wide eyed elementary school girl with blonde hair and green eyes watched. She must be a daughter of one of the staff, she wore an old nurse hat from the fifties that had the plus like nurse sign, like the red cross, only in blue and said future nurse.
There was a flurry of activity and another stretcher brought a boy to the bed next to me. I recognized Tyler Crowley from my government class under bloody bandages. Tyler looked way worse than I felt but he immediately started apologizing.
"Bella, I'm so sorry!"
"I'm fine, accidents happen. Besides, you look way worse, you okay?" I asked, yeah the guy nearly killed me, but it was an accident. That's why I don't really like driving, Renee had to drag me by the hair to get a drivers license.
He ignored me. "I thought I was going to kill you!" I was going too fast, then I hit the ice wrong." He shuddered, I could see how scared he must be.
"I'm fine, you missed me."
"How'd you get out of the way? One second you were there the next you were gone."
"Edward pulled me out of the way."
"Who?"
"Edward Cullen. He supposedly was standing next to me."
"Cullen? I didn't even see him…I was going so fast. Is he okay?" Tyler asked, as if the poor guy wasn't stressed enough with just nearly hitting me.
"I think so. He's here somewhere. They didn't make him use a stretcher, annoying hospital staff." I grumbled.
I knew it, solid proof. I had known I wasn't crazy before hand, at least not that kind of crazy, but it was good to have someone who saw the same thing as me.
They tried to wheel me away to the X-ray and I instead insisted on walking. They wanted to X-ray my head and ignored me when I insisted nothing was wrong, and a kind middle aged brown haired nurse gently told me I couldn't leave till I saw a doctor. So I was trapped in the ER, waiting-one of the biggest things I hate, second only to jocks and preps. Tyler's constant apologies and promises to make it up to me were easily annoying but I didn't say anything about him shutting up because the guy was pretty much a bloody pulp already. Finally I closed my eyes and pretended I was asleep.
"Is she sleeping?" I heard a musical voice ask. My eyes flew open against my will.
Edward was standing at the foot of my bed, wearing a stupid smirk. I glared.
"Hey, Edward, I'm really sorry-" Tyler began.
"No blood, no foul." Edward interrupted flashing a brilliant smile. He sat on the edge of Tyler's bed facing me and gave that stupid know it all smirk. As if I wasn't already angry that I had to get on a stupid stretcher and he didn't, all he had was to tell Tyler he was fine once and Tyler let off.
"So what's the verdict?" He asked me.
"Hmm…death is certain." I said and watched his eyes widen and his face pale, which caused me to bust out laughing. "Kidding. I'm fine, the stupid hospital won't let me out till I see a doctor though. Which with this being the ER we wont see one until around midnight, so I'm busting out, speaking of the hospital and all it's injustices, why aren't you strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?" Edward gave a crooked little grin at my rant about the hospital before answering.
"It's all about who you know, but don't worry. I'm here to spring you." Now that made my whole face brighten up, talk about a knight in shining armor.
Then a doctor walked around the corner. Hew was young, he was blond…and he was as handsome as a movie star. He was pale, and he looked tired with the circles under his eyes. From Charlie's description, this had to be Edward's father.
"So, Miss Swan," Dr. Cullen said, "how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," I said again, hopefully for the last time. He walked over to the light board with my X-rays on it.
"Your X-rays look good," he said turning the light board off. "does you head hurt? Edward said you hit it pretty hard."
"It's fine," I said while shooting Edward a death glare.
The doctor's cool fingers probed gently along my skull. He noticed when I flinched even though it was minimal.
"Tender?"
"Not really." I said, I'd had worse.
I heard a chuckle and saw Edward standing with a patronizing grin. I scowled at him, if only looks could kill.
"Well, you father is in the waiting room. You can go home now, but come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight."
"Can't I go back to school?" I asked, I was doing enough to Charlie, I didn't want to make him stay home with me to.
"I think you should take it easy today."
I glanced at Edward. "Does he get to go back to school?" I asked, normally I wouldn't mind and I'd just convince Charlie I was okay and tell him I called if I needed it. But I've never been one for double standards.
"Someone has to spread the good news that we survived." Edward said smugly, I was just about to tell him to fuck off when Dr. Cullen started to talk.
"Actually, most of the school seems to be in the waiting room."
"Oh no," I mumbled dropping my head into my hands. As if I don't get enough of those gossip mongers their in the waiting room. As if any of them actually care about me.
"Do you want to stay?" Dr. Cullen asked.
"No thank you." I said, I knew he was just trying to be nice but the sooner I got out of here the better. Away from the fake classmates and away from the annoying hospital smell that made me nauseous.
"I'm afraid you, Mr. Crowley, will have to stay a bit longer." Dr. Cullen said to Tyler.
As soon as the doctor's back was turned I moved to Edward's side.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I hissed under my breath and Edward's jaw tightened.
"Your father is waiting for you" he said through his teeth as a way to distract me.
"I'd like to speak to you alone, if you don't mind." Mind or not I was going to talk to him.
He glared before turning around and rushing out of the room. I followed and he turned back to me when we turned the corner into a short hallway.
"What do you want?" He said, going from smug to angry in two seconds flat.
"You owe me and explanation." I reminded him raising a eyebrow.
"I saved your life-I don't owe you anything." He said, his voice full of resentment.
"That would usually be true. But you did say you would, so start talking."
"Bella, you hit your head. You don't know what your talking about." He said in a voice like sharp knives.
That caused my temper, just cooling down, to flare again. "There is nothing wrong with my head."
"What do you want from me Bella?" He asked, going from resentment to exasperation.
"I want to know the truth, why I'm lying for you."
"What do you think happened?" He asked going back to resenting me again. Yet their was something more, curiosity perhaps.
"All I know is that you weren't anywhere near me." He opened his mouth to object and I quickly cut him off. "Tyler didn't see you either, so don't you dare say that I hit my head. The van was going to crush us both-and it didn't. Your hands left a dent on the van and my truck and your not even hurt. And the van would have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up-with one hand." I knew how crazy I sounded but I ignored it.
He was staring at me incredulously, yet his face was tense and defensive.
"You think I lifted a van off you?" His tone suggested that he thought all my sanity was gone, yet I realized it was all a lie. From living with Renee I could tell that what he said was a practiced line from a talented actor. He's lying.
I didn't call him on it, I merely nodded-calmly.
"Nobody will believe you." He said, dumb ass just admitted it.
"Who says I was going to tell anybody?" I asked raising a eyebrow.
"Then why does it matter?" He asked surprised.
"It matters to me."
"Cant you just thank me and get over it?" Anger has returned taking the place of surprise.
"Cant you just jump off a cliff? But seriously thank you." He seemed surprised again.
"Your not going to let this go, are you?" He asked after a few moments wryly.
"No." I said with a shake of my head.
"Then I hope you enjoy disappointment."
"I love it." I said more because I didn't want him to be able to have the last word. We glared at each other until a new thought hit me. "Why did you even bother?" I asked coldly.
"I don't know." He said, and he sounded vulnerable.
Then suddenly he was angry and he turned and strolled away from me. I turned and walked the opposite direction to Charlie.
The waiting room was even worse than I feared, every face I knew in Forks high school was there. Charlie ran up to me and I held my hands up.
"Nothings wrong." I heard a few groans of my classmates that they had no new gossip.
"Dr. Cullen saw me, he said everything is fine and that I can go home." Chess Club-Eric, Golden Boy-Mike, and Gossip Queen-Jessica were starting to coverage on us so I quickly all but pulled Charlie out of the hospital.
The car ride was quiet and when we got home Charlie decided to drop a ticking time bomb on me.
"Um…you should probably call Renee." Charlie said looking guilty.
"You told her?" I asked glaring slightly.
"Sorry."
I called Renee, she talked enough for three people about everything she was going through. She no doubt enjoyed telling her newest group of friends, a church, that her only daughter who wanted to come up to live with her father since she didn't ever really get to see him nearly died from a van in the school parking lot. That's Renee, ostentatious. She no doubt will make it seem like I made a miraculous recovery.
I went to bed early that night, Charlie's hovering was starting to get on my nerves. I thought about Edward that night as I changed into my pajamas, only afterwards did I realize I changed into Edward scissorhands pajamasand I couldn't help but know, subconsciously, that I had chosen that for Edward. I of course banished that thought right away.
That was the first night I dreamt of Edward Cullen.