Chapter 17 – Discoveries
A/N - Apologies for the belated update. Work, writer's block, work; all are bad factors to posting the next chapter. This one's kinda filler just to get y'all off that semi-cliffhanger from the previous chapter. Hope it doesn't suck too much.
Alice looked up wordlessly at the patriarch standing on the base of the stairs. He wore a wide smile, which stood out oddly against his normally stoic appearance. Alice simply stared at him as if she could not comprehend what he had just said. Could it be? Bella was ok? Or were her ears deceiving her? Face potent with hope and disbelief; she sought for that glint of truth that would convince that skeptical voice that Bella was indeed, all right.
Jasper felt his sister's conflicting emotions. Nudging her gently, he began prying her off him. "Go to her, Ally," he said. "I'm betting you'll be what she wants to see when she first wakes."
Alice stumbled to her feet, her motor skills baffled clumsy by Carlisle's announcement. Contrary to how she reacted before when Carlisle first told her Bella had awoken, Alice now trudged a painstakingly slow path up the stairs, her every footstep mocking her, telling her that she was dreaming, that this was all one big cosmic joke. With the voice in her head warring with the hope in her heart, Alice's trepidation only blossomed. Turning the corner on the upstairs landing, she practically pigeon-stepped to her room, her booted feet inching forward one tiny step at a time. It seemed an age before her elfin figure finally found itself in front of the sturdy oak door. Alice studied the doorknob, almost as though she had no knowledge of how to operate such a simple device. Her body then took over, exasperated at her momentary befuddlement and one hand reached out, moving on autopilot. Nimble fingers fanned open to grasp the doorknob and muscles in her wrist tightened and twisted as it began to turn the knob clockwise but before the act could be completed, Alice staggered back, fingers slipped off the metal knob as a vision robbed her of her sight.
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Bella knew something was different. Not just with her but with her surroundings. She felt curiously weightless, like gravity held no sway over her body. The bed she lay on was incredulously soft, the sheets crisp and clean with a pleasurable hint of apple scented detergent. There was a captivating mixture of smells that permeated the room; honeysuckle, vanilla, oak, morning dew, fresh grass. All these aromas seemed enhanced, strong, even to Bella's normal sense of smell. Her ears also seemed to have developed higher sensitivity. She could clearly hear the wind sift its fingers through a thatch of leaves outside, causing the greenery to rustle and flutter. The flap of a pair of wings and a slight thump allowed her to conclude that a bird had landed on a branch outside her window. When Bella finally peeled open her eyes, she was greeted with the most startling sense of them all: her developed sight.
Everything was crystal-clear. The colors that painted her world were brighter, more vivid. The long stream of sunlight that shone through her window had intermittent rainbow speckles along its spine. The objects that made up the room were presented to her in a sharp kind of focus that had been previously unavailable to Bella; it was as though she had been seeing everything through a poor television reception. Now, however, everything came in high definition. Alarmed, yet unable to contain that seed of curiosity that grew within her, Bella turned to stare at the ancient tree that stood proud and tall at the corner of the window. She could see the glistening residue droplets of dew clinging to the tips of the impossibly green leaves. She could make out each line and wrinkled pattern on the surface of each leaf. The girl gawked as her eyes drifted down to the tree trunk; Bella could not only make out but she could count each groove that had been etched onto the bark by weather and age like she were standing next to the tree itself.
These discoveries caused Bella to sit up, ramrod straight. Although an instinctive reaction, the brunette immediately regretted such a bold move; her body yelled out in protest, revealing to Bella just what a roadmap of aches and sores it was. Her muscles seemed stiff and unused, weakened from immobility. There was a deep-seated weariness in her bones that spoke of sleeping much too long. Her neck felt crooked, her legs lying taut and in need of a good stretch. When Bella lifted a hand to brush fingers through the limp mess that was her hair, she found the limb in question to be sluggish and heavy.
Bella pondered all these observations as she shouldered into the knot of pillows that sat behind her. She wondered what had happened for her to be rendered to such a weakened state. However, before her brain could begin processing anything, there was the unmistakable snick that announced the opening of a door. The brunette's head snapped toward the door in response, a mind numbing fear that taste far too familiar raking through her veins. Pulse pounding a tattoo of beats under her skin, she watched the door open as if in slow motion before a tousled head peeked in from around the corner.
"Bella?" Alice emerged from behind the doorframe, teetering nervously on the balls of her feet. She tilted her head up, found Bella sitting up on the bed, head cocked and made a half choked cry before blurring forward and flinging both arms around Bella's shoulders.
Bella was hit immediately by the smell of honeysuckle and vanilla. There was also that cotton-candy sweetness that came with being a vampire but for Bella, the combination of these scents wafting off Alice was so strong that it empowered everything else. It filled her nostrils, running quickly down into her bloodstream like a drug. Needing more, she wrapped both arms around Alice, before burying her face in the midnight black hair and inhaling deeply. Eyes closed, she allowed the unique fragrance that was simply Alice to wash over her, soothing out nerves and calming her senses.
Bella was unsure of how long they stayed locked in an embrace but neither was willing to let go. For Bella, Alice was everything safe and everything home. Alice was the epitome of comfort and protection and Bella felt a painful yearning in chest as she continued holding Alice. She wasn't sure why, but she felt as though they had been apart for a very long time. For Alice, Bella had become her anchor, her reason for being. Knowing that Bella was indeed alive and well was a balm to her shredded soul and she could already feel the tears beginning to heal. She pulled Bella impossibly closer until a sheet of air couldn't come between the two meshed bodies and revealed in the warmth that was Bella.
Although Bella was seemingly content to lie in the confines of Alice's arms forever, her brain would finally not be ignored. it fired off one question after another in rapid succession, demanding remuneration in the form of an explanation. It distracted Bella enough so that she finally, albeit reluctantly loosened her hold on Alice. Taking the opportunity, the questions emerged like looming shadows over the horizon: why did Bella's bones not crack from under the force of Alice's hug? Why did Alice feel somewhat warm? Why were her five senses suddenly so attuned? Or…
"Alice?" Bella winced and flinched as soon as she spoke. The one word had forced the girl to realize that her mouth was drier than the Sahara desert, her tongue a virtual dried up riverbed and her throat parched and raw. Speaking proved exceedingly painful and sounding out Alice's name, however beautiful it was, was akin to swallowing a handful of razors…sideways.
Alice immediately caught that bolt of pain that skittered across Bella's features. "Let me get you some water," the vampire offered. She hopped off the bed and dashed into the adjacent bathroom, emerging scant seconds after with a filled to the brim glass. She handed it to Bella who immediately latched chapped lips onto the top of the glass and began gulping down the cold water greedily. All Bella could think about in those minutes she drank was how fresh and clean the water tasted. How it slithered down her tongue, reviving deadened taste buds. How it sloshed to the back of her mouth where it cascaded down the sides of an overly desiccated throat, lubricating the sides and running away the soreness. The ecstatic feeling did not last long, however. Another question niggled from the back of Bella's brain: why could she taste a hint of mountain air in the water? Was her sense of taste that sensitive? Her temples began to throb; too many questions were beginning to clutter her brain resulting in the beginnings of a headache.
Finally quenching her thirst, Bella allowed for a moment of silence as her now hydrated throat sung out its appreciation. Swallowing experimentally, she softly cleared her throat to test the ability of her vocal cords. Swiveling concerned eyes onto Alice, she constructed her question carefully but knew instinctively that what she was going to say would freak Alice out.
"Alice?" Bella's voice was husky and bruised months of disuse. She internally winced at how Alice tensed, her shoulders setting into a straight line filled with tension. But Bella needed answers. Sucking in a breath she verbally voiced out the one question that was shrieking at the forefront of her mind: "Alice what happened to me?"