Chapter 5 – First Encounter
"Bella's awake."
Those two words had Alice so fast on her feet and flying up the stairs that it left Carlisle and Jasper gaping at each other, a curious mix of bemusement and concern curtaining across their faces. A scream, encased with heart-stopping terror, stripped their expressions into one of horror; in unison, they tore up the stairs, Esme on their tails having come in from the garden, with Edward, Rosalie and Emmett streaking out from their respective bedrooms. The entire Cullen family almost ran through the wall dividing the study from the hallway in their haste to heed the call of that primal scream. The scene before them had the entire family of vampires screeching to a halt in front of the gurney, almost tripping over each other in the now over-crowded study.
Bella was cowering at the foot of the gurney, knees drawn up to her chest with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her posture positively screamed fear; it leaked off her in torrents and one did not need to be an empath to drown in the terror that was radiating off Bella in waves. Her face was contorted with horror as eyes, blank with panic, bounced off each Cullen individual. The look had every vampire instinctively taking a step back.
Alice herself was slowly backing away from the terrified brunette; her hands were held up in front of her in a gesture that the pixie vampire desperately hoped conveyed her promise to do no harm. "Bella," Alice began tentatively and mentally cringed as her melodious voice, usually causing humans to swoon had an immediate opposite effect on the brunette. Bella flinched as if she had been hit and backed herself further against the wall, heartbreaking whimpers pouring over her lips at a mile a minute.
Alice made a discreet yet impatient gesture for her family to leave. While Carlisle's study was by no means small, having a mini contingent of vampires in the room only served to make the walls seem closer together. The petite vampire's shoulders slumped in slight relief as one by one; the Cullens shuffled out of the room. Only Carlisle hesitated; the doctor lingered in the doorway, throwing an uneasy look at Bella before sending a silent question in Alice's direction. Alice nodded tersely and Carlisle stepped back into the study, closing the door softly behind him. He purposely positioned himself away from the door as to not seem as if he were barricading the exit with his body.
"Bella," Alice tried again. She locked eyes with the brunette, pleading for the girl to see her sincerity that she was not here to hurt her. "I won't hurt you," Alice swore. There was a note of conviction in her voice that rang loud and true. "Carlisle won't hurt you either," Alice continued when Bella's still panicked induced gazed flicked over to the patriarch.
Carlisle tossed Bella a gentle smile, the ones pediatric doctors gave to their young charges in order to calm them down after being hustled into a strange unknown environment. "Hello, Bella," the doctor greeted quietly.
Bella struggled violently to steady her furiously racing heart; if she were not careful, it might very well just pound its way out her chest. She pulled the midnight blue blanket that had pooled at her feet back up over her knees, needing a barrier between her and the two vampires that were standing before her. "Wh-where am I?" she rasped, wincing when the words clawed its way up her over dried throat.
"You're at our house," Alice replied softly. She put down her hands and shuffled about on her feet. "You were so badly injured." The seer's voice broke as memories of Bella's torn, cut up and broken body crashed through her mind like a disembodied montage.
"You...you rescued me?" Bella's tone was incredulous. Vampires who rescued humans? 'I must be dead,' the brunette thought to herself. 'Or crazy.' She mentally nodded. 'I've officially lost my mind.'
"My brother found you in the forest," Alice offered. She deliberately left out the part where Bella was almost swimming in a congealed pool of her own blood. Some things were best left unsaid.
Bella's eyes clouded over with renewed fear at the mention of Emmett. She was in a house filled to the brim with vampires. This did not bode well with her. "What do you want with me?" Her jaw quivered and tears burned at her eyes, threatening to cascade a salty path down her cheeks.
Alice chewed at her lip; she wanted nothing more than to run to Bella and fold her up in her arms, promising from dusk until dawn that nothing and no one would ever hurt her. However, a sudden move like that would no doubt cause Bella to scream blue bloody murder. Therefore, she stood her ground. "I want you to be safe."
Bella barked out a laugh that was dark with sarcastic amusement. "You're a vampire," she rasped out.
"We don't feed on humans, Bella." The tall blonde man was addressing her now and Bella's eyes flitted over to him. "Look at our eyes, their color reflects our diet. Vampires who feed on human blood have red eyes. Ours are gold; we feed off animals."
Bella peered up into the doctor's eyes; indeed, they were a liquid gold, almost shiny in their intensity. Her gaze drifted over to his deathly pale skin. Again, despite this new revelation, Bella felt herself pressing her back firmly against the wall.
"Please, Bella," Alice's tone was pleading, begging. "Let's us help you." The seer was close to tears; she could feel the venom laced liquid seeping in from the corners of her eyes.
"How do you know my name?" Bella demanded. Her strength was coming back to her and she clung onto the knowledge with a quiet desperation.
Alice frowned. "I-I don't know." She could almost see the wheels in Bella's head turning at this non-explanation and grappled quickly at another answer. "I had a vision of you. I can see into the future," Alice responded.
"You have premonitions," Bella echoed back. At Alice's nod she continued. "You saw me getting hurt?" Another nod. "So you went to find me?" A third nod of confirmation. "Are you sure you're a vampire?"
Alice giggled despite the seriousness of the situation. Bella was half aghast and half charmed by how the sound sent a spread of warmth through her. "I am. But not the bad kind." She forced the hatred out of her last few words. Bella's tormenters would get just rewards. Right now, she had to concentrate on gaining Bella's trust. "Please, let's us help." Alice's voice had taken on a desperate quality again. "What can I do to make you trust me?"
Bella's dark chocolate brown eyes fixed itself onto Alice's honey colored ones. There was something about the spiky haired vampire that called out to her; something that screamed safety and protection. But she was a vampire! Bella chewed at the inside of her cheek, not knowing what to believe or think. She kept her eyes on Alice who did not break eye contact. In fact, Alice's eyes implored Bella to believe her; it was coated with such sincerity that it made the gold in the vampire's eyes swirl. Bella found herself suddenly transfixed by Alice's beauty; the soulful golden eyes peeking out from under long dusky lashes, the perfectly sculpted cheekbones and full red lips framed by a pixie like face. Alice was nothing if not enchanting.
"Gods, you're beautiful," the brunette blurted out. Immediately she blushed, the rouge spreading over her cheeks and heating up her face. She buried her face in her hands. "Oh my gods, I did not just say that," she mumbled into her palms, utterly mortified by her verbal diarrhea.
A smile ghost Alice's lips at the unexpected compliment. She shot Carlisle a withering stare as her sensitive ears picked up his quiet chuckle. He merely smiled in her direction, eyes twinkling with amusement. Alice rolled her eyes.
"May I offer you some water, Bella?" Carlisle asked, keeping his voice low and hushed in order not to alarm the girl. He smiled indulgently as Bella's still red-tinged face bobbed back up to look at him. He watched her hesitate for a moment before nodding. Carlisle moved to the door and twisted the knob. "I'll be right back." He closed the door behind him, leaving Alice and Bella alone.
"You keep food in the house?" Bella questioned curiously. Her eyes quested around her surroundings finding a perfectly ordinary setting of a study looking back at her.
"Not much, just to keep up the appearance of a kitchen," Alice answered. She inched forward slightly, barely moving an inch in Bella's direction. She saw that Bella had caught her movement and froze. "Do you mind if I sit down?" Alice gestured at the chair that was still by the side of the gurney.
Bella's hand reached up to tug nervously at her earlobe. "S-sure," she agreed, her voice weak with apprehension. However, the brunette was not sure if the apprehension was stemmed from her fear of Alice being a vampire or the fact that she was going to be in such close proximity to her.
Alice detected the shade of uncertainty in Bella's voice. "Maybe I should just stay over here." Alice was not willing to compromise the very fragile bond of trust they had started to weave.
The corner of Bella's lip curled. She waved a hand at the chair. "Please. Sit."
Alice watched Bella carefully for any signs of her retracting the offer. She painstakingly made her way to the chair, then slowly folded herself onto it, all the while keeping eye contact with Bella. When she was finally settled onto the furniture, Bella almost timidly stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Bella," she said.
Alice felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. Bella was presenting her with a peace offering. She lifted her hand and gently took Bella's hand in her own, shaking it slightly. "Hi, Bella. I'm Alice."
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