Chapter Fifteen

Daytime

As soon as there was light enough outside Charlie stepped out again to take another sweep around the house to see if he could detect any signs of intruders, while Bella got the coffee started. It was going to be a long day and they both needed the caffeine. Once it started brewing she made her way into the bathroom to take a shower, hoping it would rejuvenate her as well as wash away the strangely soiled feeling she was left with after Edward's intrusion into their home. The pervasive memory of it was enveloping her mind and consuming her thoughts. The spray of water wouldn't wash away its shadowy residue but it would only help her feel a little better physically.

She undressed and stepped into the shower starting the water cold, hoping it would awaken her senses which were starting to feel heavy and dull from insufficient sleep. When the spray of ice cold water gave her the jolt she needed she turned the water to a more comfortable temperature and felt the heat seep back into her body. As she stood under the running stream she wondered what awaited her that day. As unlikely as it seemed would Edward even show himself at school after what he did? She imagined going to class to find him in his usual seat and looking up to greet her with that crooked smirk of his, acting as if nothing happened... the thought of it made her feel nauseous. She considered staying home from school that day, telling Charlie that she was too sick to go. Truth was she was feeling sicker by the minute at the thought of seeing him again. But staying home alone didn't make her feel any safer. She couldn't hide from Edward forever and she grew angry at the thought of hiding at all. If anyone should be too afraid to show their face it should be him. After all he was the creepy stalker sneaking into people's bedroom at night behaving like a psychopath. But then she remembered how he vanished so suddenly as if possessing magical super-human powers and she couldn't help but feel the fear return again. It wasn't physically possible for any ordinary human to move that fast. Try as she might she couldn't dismiss it all as her imagination. The heart pounding terror she experienced and all of her senses told her that she really was awake in that moment and what she saw was all too real.

Before she came to a decision on how best to respond to this bizarre incident she needed to first talk with Alice. At least that's what her instincts were telling her to do, and when all her other senses were either on overload from fear and confusion, or drained from physical and mental exhaustion, following her gut instincts seemed the way to go. For some reason besides her obvious familial connection to Edward, something told her that Alice would have more insight about why he was in her room and how he seemed to possess such inhuman abilities.

She finished her shower and quickly wrapped a towel around her before going into her room to dress. The more she thought of calling Alice the more anxious she was to talk with her. She hoped it wasn't too early to phone but she couldn't wait another minute. After absentmindedly picking out her clothes and dressing she picked up her phone off her dresser, sat on her bed and made the call. To her surprise barely one full ring sounded before she heard Alice's voice. It was as if she was expected her call and she sounded fully alert.

"Hi Bella."

"Alice…hi…" Bella wavered, not sure how to start the conversation.

"Are you all right?" the concern clearly sounding within her usually chirpy voice.

"I…well no…not really Alice…I need to see you before school today…there's something important I need to tell you…"

Alice heard the shakiness in her voice and knew she was obviously still terrified. She was feeling the anger towards Edward flare back up again, but needed to focus on Bella right now.

"I can be there in fifteen minutes. Would that be all right?"

After affirming that it would be fine and disconnecting the call Bella looked curiously at the phone for a moment, wondering if Alice somehow knew what happened, though it didn't seem likely. Surely Edward wouldn't have admitted to his trespass? No, if Alice knew of his offense it was unlikely that he would have readily admitted it to her or anyone else. Their last conversation now came to mind and she now remembered about Alice's psychic ability. Perhaps she did have an idea because of it, but that thought didn't give her much comfort. Now that Alice would be arriving within minutes she quickly grabbed her belongings stuffing them into her bag and went downstairs expecting that by now Charlie had returned inside the house.

He was sitting at the kitchen table sipping his coffee glancing at the newspaper in front of him, his eyes looking a little bleary from being up most of the night. He glanced up affecting a smile when he saw her. "Have some coffee?"

"Yeah…" She started to pour herself a cup before sitting across from him.

Lightly blowing at the steaming coffee in her cup, she then took a sip. The drink tasted more bitter than usual and she sat it back down.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked when he saw her face scrunch up in disgust.

"I don't know. Does this coffee taste weird to you?"

He took another swallow from his own cup. Not detecting any noticeable difference from his usual coffee he shrugged, "Tastes fine to me."

Bella chewed her lip, her eyes focusing on the dark liquid swimming inside her cup.

"Honey… are you all right?"

She briefly nodded, "Yeah, just a little tired I guess."

"Understandable given the night you had. But if you start feeling really sick don't be afraid to give me a call, or at least go see the school nurse. No sense in making yourself feel any worse."

"Okay, I'll be fine though. Alice will be here any minute and picking me up for school." She grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and took a bite. Though the apple was flavorless she chewed automatically knowing that a little food in her stomach would counteract the acidity of the coffee.

"I'm glad she's giving you a ride. I was a little worried about you driving the truck. Don't want you falling asleep behind the wheel."

If only that was the least of my worries… Bella thought.

Bella forced herself to eat most of the apple, wanting to finish before Alice's arrival.

Charlie left the table to prepare himself for work and suddenly the doorbell rang.

Bella grabbed her school bag and coat as she headed towards the door. She was anxious to get Alice alone and didn't want Charlie taking up time just for small talk with Alice. While she was glad he had taken a liking to her, this just wasn't the right time for them to engage in idle chit chat.

"Charlie I'm leaving!"

"What, already?"

"Yeah I need to discuss a school project with Alice before class starts. I'll see you later."

"Oh okay. Well take care of yourself. Remember, give me a call if you need –"

"I will, don't worry. Bye!"

Bella swung the door open and moved outside. Alice wore a black wool jacket, mostly for appearance sake since the weather was steadily getting colder. Also, it looked stunning on her, but Bella's mind was elsewhere to take much notice.

Alice quirked an eyebrow as the taller girl brushed past her. "Good morning to you too, Bella."

"Can we get in your car and go so we can talk?"

The serious tone and expression on Bella's face was to be expected. Alice merely nodded and they made their way into her brightly colored Porsche. She could feel the tension exuding from the teenage girl and hoped she'd be able to somehow put her at ease.

She turned to look at her wanting to take her in her arms and comfort the girl, but Bella didn't look like she wanted any physical contact.

"Should I drive to school or I can find a spot where we can-"

"No, not to school. Not yet anyway" Bella abruptly answered.

"Okay."

Alice turned on the engine and drove more methodically than usual, turning on a road that led into an area with one of the many nature trails towards dense forests. Bella was silent for the moment and Alice waited patiently to let her talk when she was ready.

She turned off the main road that took them to school, taking a detour that lead to a more secluded area and didn't have much traffic that time of day. Slowing the car to a stop where there was a niche off the side of the road, she turned off the engine and turned to look at Bella, still waiting for her to be the first to speak.

Bella looked back and for the first time that day made direct eye contact with her. When her chocolate brown eyes finally attached to the color of golden amber, it felt to Alice as if she were reaching some place deep inside of her.

Eventually she blinked then turned her head to the side, her gaze shifting outside the window. She breathed deeply and brushed a hand through her long russet hair, nervously chewing her lower lip as if carefully considering her words.

"Alice…before we go to school I need to know if Edward is going to be there."

"No one at home has seen him since last night. I'm pretty sure he's away and won't be showing up at school today."

Bella nodded and sighed in relief. She turned towards Alice and kept her eyes on hers this time as she spoke, "The reason I ask is because he was in my room last night." If she was looking for a reaction she didn't receive one from Alice, who kept her expression carefully neutral and said nothing for the moment, giving her pause to continue.

"I woke up and he was just standing there next to my bed. It scared the hell out of me. He looked like he wanted to kill me."

"I'm so sorry Bella." Alice replied solemnly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Bella's eyes flickered, her expression darkening as she continued.

"As if that wasn't enough of a shock, do you want to know what happened next?"

A barely noticeable nod was Alice's only response. Bella's voice took on a deeper and darker tone, a growing certainty in her voice conveying a strong belief behind her words.

"He just flew out my window. It happened so fast he was nothing but a blur and then he was gone. Just like that he disappeared before my eyes."

There was now a look of intense fear in her eyes and Alice instinctively reached out for her, placing the palm of her hand against her cheek which felt aflame against her cool skin. She felt Bella shiver against the touch.

"I promise you that I'm not going to let Edward near you like that again."

Bella pulled away from Alice and shook her head. It was the first time Bella rejected any display of affection from her and it stung the vampire a little.

"Why aren't you surprised by what I just told you Alice?" There was more than mere curiosity behind the question, there was a trace of suspicion.

Alice knew the direction this talk was going and couldn't see the outcome and it scared her. She couldn't bear the thought of scaring Bella away from her permanently. Not when she finally found the one person that made her feel more alive than she could ever remember feeling. She wanted to be completely honest, but how much was she ready to impart, and how much of the truth was Bella able to handle was uncertain.

She attempted to sound calm and rational. "Well it's no secret that Edward has taken an unusual interest in you. He has been acting strange lately…well more so than usual. And he didn't take your rejection too well. In fact things got a little out of hand at home afterwards-"

"I don't mean just that but what about the part where he flew out of my window!" Bella raised her voice in irritation.

"Well you must have been in shock when you first saw him. I'm sure it must seemed like-"

"I know what I saw Alice!" Bella's voice raised another octave. She was much more resolute about this than Alice had expected. Usually humans were eager to dismiss their supernatural experiences as nothing more than an over active imagination. It gave them a sense of security to believe that monsters like vampires weren't real. But she already knew that Bella wasn't like most people, it was one of the reasons she was so drawn to her.

When Alice responded with nothing more than a steady silence she continued.

"There is something more to this than just some boy with a weird fixation on me and crawling into my room in the middle of the night while I sleep. He's…nothing human can move so fast…one second he's standing there and the next he's nothing but a blur and gone… I think you know more about this then you're telling me and I have a right to know."

"Bella please don't be angry with me. I need you to trust me and give us some more time…I-I can't give you any answers right now, but maybe in time..."

"Time for what? You want me to trust you when you're trying to convince me what I saw was – what…just something I imagined because I was in shock? I know how strange this all sounds but you know what else is strange? You're not anywhere as shocked as I am - not only about he did, but how he did it! It doesn't make any sense. I haven't told Charlie who was in my room because I thought you would give me some answers. Instead you're making promises you can't keep and trying to convince me it's all just my imagination!

"I don't make promises lightly and I know this is too soon to tell you this, but you mean so much to me Bella. There's no way I would ever let any harm come to you."

"If he can fly in and out of my room in the blink of an eye how are you going to protect me?"

Alice opened her mouth to speak but she was unusually at a loss for words. Anything she said would lead to more questions, requiring her to divulge more of who - or rather what she was, and she desperately wanted more time with the girl before she could reveal her biggest secret with her. The fear that she was just not yet ready to know the full extent of the truth kept bubbling to the surface. Just one false step and she could scare Bella away permanently. All it would take would be for her to tell Charlie about Edward to arouse enough suspicion about all the Cullens to make it unsafe for them to stay in Forks. She didn't know it before meeting Bella, but she now realizes that she had waited her whole life for this one special person, the only person she ever felt bonded to before she even met her. After experiencing an inexplicable connection with her untethered by physical reality, something she instinctively knew was so rare and extraordinary…she just couldn't risk losing her so soon. The thought of telling her everything right now carried a sense of foreboding, not like her visions, but perhaps more of an emotional fear of loss. If the manner in which she revealed herself to Bella wasn't done at the right moment then she risked losing her for good. And in this moment Bella was already feeling enough fear and confusion. And painfully, there was also a degree of mistrust. She realized that she was now contributing to it by withholding that part of her she kept hidden, but feared telling her everything now would be too much too soon. She wouldn't blame the girl for pulling away from her, all humans should be wary of her kind. But even if she didn't run from her there's always the possibility that outside influences could find a way to tear them apart. As much as she loved the ethereal connection she had with Bella, she wanted to be close to her in the physical, everyday reality of their world as well.

She found it ironic that vampires usually had too much time on their hands, but now that she had found Bella time had become such an issue and had a strange way of moving events too fast.

If only I had a little more time…

Bella leaned back on her chair and her head fell back on the head rest. She closed her eyes and rubbed her eyelids tiredly. With a sound of resignation and futility in her voice she rasped out, "Let's just go to school. Please."

"If you're not feeling well maybe you shouldn't…"

"Of course I'm not feeling well. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let your creeper of a brother make me miss a day of school. I'll be fine. If you're not going to tell me anything then I'd just as soon we get to school."

Alice hesitated for a moment, wanting to reach out to touch Bella but keeping her distance. Though she sounded more tired than anything, she couldn't help but hear the reproach in Bella's remark and she felt badly for it. Since she couldn't think of what else to say she gave in, starting the engine and turning the car towards the main road that would take them to Forks High. The ride was silent as they both contemplated on the conversation, on what was said and what was left unsaid.

The cold grey clouds covering the town of Forks matched the mood within the car and neither of them was looking forward to another day of high school. Alice hoped that Edward's absence would be enough to keep Bella from changing her mind about telling Charlie who was in her room. She didn't see Bella doing this but humans were prone to unpredictable, sudden changes in behavior if they were under enough stress or if they were scared enough. All she could think to do right now was to try to reassure Bella that she would be there for her and hoped that Bella would eventually warm back up to her again. Edward hasn't been seen since his disappearance last night, which was no surprise to any of the Cullens. He must have known that if he had returned home after his latest trespass and letting himself be seen he would have been sent away. A brief image of him running through thick forests was all Alice could see when she tried to locate him with her visions. Either he hadn't decided on a specific path or something had impaired her ability to foresee the future. She reasoned that perhaps the intensity of her own emotions may be a factor in this, and she was making a concerted effort keeping them on an even keel.

When she pulled into the school parking lot it was nearly full as first class had just started. She parked the car, shut off the engine and looked towards Bella who had already grabbed her bag and was moving to open her door when Alice reached over and placed her hand on top of Bella's and gently squeezed her fingers to hold her steady.

"Bella, wait."

Bella slid her hand out of hers and opened the door. "We're going to be late for class. Thanks for picking me up and driving me to school."

She didn't wait for Alice's response before getting out of the car and walking towards the building. It pained Alice to feel her pulling away from her, her confidence in winning the girl over again waning with each step she took. As she left to follow her she hoped to find a way to bring the girl back to her before the day was out.

Mr. Molina stopped in the middle of his speech as Bella stepped into class with Alice following a few seconds later. They were only a minute late for class but Bella was too relieved at seeing the empty chair beside hers to care much about the tardiness.

"Nice of you two ladies to finally join us this morning", the teacher dryly quipped.

Bella didn't reply. She considered it an achievement to have to come to school at all today.

"Sorry we're late Mr. Molina. It's my fault, I was the one who drove us to school today and we got a little sidetracked", Alice responded politely.

"I just bet you did", snickered one of the boys sitting in the back of the class. Alice ignored the comment with the snide suggestive tone, while a few of his buddies giggled like the obnoxious teenaged boys they were.

"That's enough of that" Mr. Molina weakly admonished.

Bella cocked her head to her left side to pinpoint the source of the jibe and saw that is was one of the jocks from the football team whose name she couldn't remember. When he caught her glance he waggled his tongue obscenely and shot her a sly wink. Usually she wouldn't have given guys like this much of her attention, especially when they were trying to provoke it in such an obnoxious manner, but she was already feeling tired and irritable enough without the teasing. She glared at him and the cocky smirk he wore gradually evaporated. His stout face began to pale slightly under her fixed stare. He tore his eyes away from hers looking sideways and squirmed a little in his seat. Bella turned back and took out her notebook now exuding an air of indifference as she tried to focus on class.

Alice watched the brief exchange with mild curiosity. The boy with the big mouth –she remembers that his name was Alec – was a typical high school jock who relished the attention of girls, even if he had to resort to juvenile behavior in order to get it. So it was a little out of character for him to back down like he did, especially towards a female. She caught the look of uncertainty flitting across his large brutish face when he turned away from Bella's scrutiny, as if confused by his own reaction. Alice would have found it somewhat amusing, but her mood was too gloomy to give it much thought. She brought her thoughts back to the situation between her and Bella. Perhaps all she just needed to do was to give her some time and space. Last night she had acknowledged to herself that she was guilty of moving too fast with her, and she needed to try to slow things down a little. That was just before she got pulled into that strange ethereal state by her. Yet Bella didn't seem to have any recollection of their shared experiences, at least she hasn't mentioned it yet. Alice was starting to wonder if maybe it was only something going on in her own mind, maybe a type of premonition. Only it felt all too real to be something as simple as that. When she discussed it with Rosalie telling her what happened between them, the blonde vampire didn't know what to make of it. Her only discernment was, "This just keeps getting weirder" while looking mystified. Not exactly the insight he smaller vampire was looking for.

Alice was glad there wasn't a lab assignment today. She really couldn't be bothered to go through the motions and having to interact with another student. The teacher rambled on about material for an upcoming test while writing on the chalk board prompting everybody to start taking notes, which wasn't at all necessary for her so she tuned him out. While contemplating the dream-like experience she shared with Bella she thought about how amazing it felt to connect with her in such profound way. She began imagining how their meeting would have evolved had it not been for Edward's terrible intrusion. If their previous ethereal encounter was anything to go by, she was sure that it would have been an unforgettably intense, erotic experience. The thought triggered certain images of herself with the beautiful brunette as she fixed her gaze on the back of Bella, images started flowing more into a sexual nature when suddenly Bella squirmed a little in her seat...then she stopped her note taking. She turned her head sharply to look over her right shoulder and gazed curiously into the same pair of mysterious amber eyes which had unconsciously travelled down to her backside. Alice looked up at her in surprise, but managed to offer a friendly smile. Bella quickly turned back to resume scribbling in her notebook. Alice frowned. So was Bella going to spurn her efforts for the rest of the day or maybe even longer? It did strike her as odd though, that Bella turned to look at her just then, like she was somehow picking up on some of Alice's rather suggestive thoughts while she engaged in daydreaming.

The curious vampire decided to try something. She focused really hard and kept repeating the thought in her mind - Bella smile at me…Bella smile at me... It was a silent mantra building in intensity the more she repeated the thought. After about a minute of this she could see Bella fidget just a little in her seat …shaking her head slightly, as if struggling against this mental prodding. Suddenly, she abruptly jerked her head sideways and glanced behind her to look at Alice. However, she wasn't smiling. Her brow was furrowed and she looked slightly miffed. Their eyes locked for a moment and Alice quirked an eyebrow while beaming a smile. Bella looked confusedly at her for a moment, no doubt wondering what Alice was looking so proud about, but then after a moment something amazing happened. Alice detected the slightest twitch on the corner of the girl's mouth. It wasn't a full blown smile but more of a subtle, delicate upturning on the corner of her lips before revolving back and resuming the role of the attentive student. For Alice, it was enough for now.

In fact Alice was delighted as well as astounded by this. Bella definitely responded to her thoughts, but she wasn't sure if this was more from her own psychic influence or if Bella was really this intuitive, perhaps even psychic herself. As far as Alice knew she's never been able to influence another's behavior by sheer mental will power alone. There were certain vampires who excelled in this ability, and to a certain extent all vampires had some sway over humans, but not necessarily in willing a human to perform a specific act just by thought alone.

Although she was tempted Alice decided to let the rest of the class resume without any more attempts. It didn't feel right to try to influence Bella like this, but it gave her something else she needed to think about. Perhaps this was just part of the deep connection they shared or there was more to Bella than she had realized. It was all very interesting but she had to quell her excitement and try to figure a way to mend things between them without resorting to any type of mental manipulation.

As the class dragged on she glanced at the clock on the wall and for the first time that day wished that time would speed up just a little.

A/N:

Follow me on tumblr if you wish! - username also AeonUS (link in profile).