EDITED RE POSTED, JAN 22
Title: Twisted Twilight
Author: Midnight
BETA: Moonlite
Synopses: A different version of Twilight. What if Renee never married Phil, but John Reed, a local cop. John is actually an alcoholic, and is abusive to Bella and Renee. It's after a brutal attack, that Bella decides to go to Forks to live with her Father. As Bella's life experiences have changed, so has our beloved story. See how!
Rating: T
chapter: Thirteen
Chapter Title: Diner
Warning: Includes mention of violence, and rape.
Author's Note: Alright, back to long chapter again, finally. I hope you all like it!! Enjoy, enjoy! Oh, and review!!! lol. Hope everyone had a good x-mas, and new years. I also had my birthday! Lol. Dec. 29- it sneaks up on me every year.
Special Thanks: LaoR, Koori Youkai Hime, Lily-Potter8, TwilightLoverxo, Crystallized Hope, TheKimikoGirl, Romance4ever, divine divinity, divine divinity, Stargirlrox-hearts-Avatar, A is for Angel, purple is my color, onyxrush707, Feenraix2, switzerland10105, GoldenPhoenix 12, Gothic Saku-chan, -Azn-Grl-Twilight-Fan-, fallingangels666, iluvSparklyVampires, RoryAceHayden147, mikan kisses, AJ Edwins, twilightlover, Little Silver Rose, bluehazegrl
A shiver ran down my spine by the threat in his voice; something told me bodies would be left to be identified.
"Jess! Angela!" I yelled after them, waving when they turned. They rushed back to me, the pronounced relief on both their faces simultaneously changing to surprise as they saw who I was standing next to. They hesitated a few feet from us. I twiddled with the zipper on my sweater, making sure it was up all the way.
"Where have you been?" Jessica finally demanded, her voice suspicious.
"I got lost," I admitted sheepishly, "And then I ran into Edward." I gestured towards him.
"I'm sorry I kept Bella from dinner for so long, we got talking and lost track of time I'm afraid," his voice was velvety smooth, but the edge of his anger was still pricing in his eyes. Jessica and Angela didn't seem to notice that. "Would it be alright if I joined you?" He added the silken, irresistible-ness on extra thick. I could see from their staggered expressions that he had never unleashed his talents on them before.
"Er... sure." Jess breathed, dazzled. I resisted rolling my eyes.
"Um, actually, Bella, we already ate while we were waiting- sorry," Angela confessed.
"That's fine- I'm not hungry." I shrugged.
"We, we're going..." Jessica pointed towards her car.
"I think you should eat something." Edward's voice was low, but full of authority. He looked up at Jessica and spoke slightly louder. "Do you mind if I drive Bella home tonight? That way you won't have to wait while she eats."
"Um, no problems, I guess..." She bit her lip, trying to figure our from my expression whether that was what I wanted. I winked at her. I wanted nothing more than to be alone with my perpetual savior. There were so many questions that I couldn't bombard him with till we were by ourselves.
"Okay," Angela was quicker then Jessica. "See you tomorrow, Bella... Edward." She grabbed Jessica's hand and pulled her towards the car, which I could see a little ways away, where she had previously pointed, parked across First Street. As they got in, Jess turned and waved, her face eager with curiosity. I waved hack, waiting for them to drive away before I turned to face him.
"Honestly, I'm not hungry," I insisted, looking up to analyze his face. His expression was unreadable.
"Humor me." I sighed.
He walked to the door of the restaurant and held it open with an obstinate expression. Obviously, there would be no further discussion. I walked past him into the restaurant, trying to calmly gather myself. It wasn't working; my thoughts were numerous, and incomplete.
The restaurant wasn't crowded- it was the off-season in Port Angeles. The host was female, and I understand the look in her eyes as she assessed Edward. She welcomed him a little more warmly then necessary. I was surprised by how much that bothered me; I had never considered myself to be the jealous type, particularly when we weren't even involved. She was several inches taller than I was, with a fairly pretty face, and unnaturally blonde.
"A table for two?" His voice was alluring, whether he was aiming for that or not. I saw her eyes flicker to me, and then away, satisfied by my obvious ordinariness, and by the caution no-contact space Edward kept between us- much to my dismay. She led us to a table big enough for four in the center of the most crowded area of the dinning room. I stepped closer to Edward without thinking; being around a huge group of people was not what I was in the mode for right now- in fact, I'd far prefer some piece and quite. Edward looked at me, sensing my distress. My face burned red, and I stepped away to sit down- but, Edward shock his head at me, to say no.
"Perhaps something a little more private?" he insisted quietly to the host. I wasn't sure, but it looked like he smoothly handed her a tip. I'd never seen anyone refuse a table in old movies. Then again; sometimes the way Edward acted and talked was like a different time period.
I suddenly remembered the book in my purse. Perhaps research later wouldn't be overly necessary depending on some answers I got tonight.
"Sure." She sounded as surprised as I was. She turned and led us around a partition to small ring of booths- all of them empty. "How's this?"
"Perfect." He flashed his gleaming smile, dazing her momentarily.
"Um"- she shock her head, blinking- "your server will be right out." She walked away unsteadily.
"You really shouldn't do that to people," I criticized lightly, "it's hardly fair."
"Do what?" His eyes were calming down, a sure sign that we was starting to relax. I need him to get his guard down- I needed him to know he could trust me.
"Dazzle people like that- she's probably hyperventilating in the kitchen right now." I chuckled at his confused expression, which seemed to confuse him more.
"Oh come on," I said lightly, "You have to know the effect you have one people."
He tilted his head to one side, and his eyes were curious. "I dazzle people?"
"You haven't noticed? Do you think everybody gets their way so easily?"
He ignored the question. "Do I dazzle you?"
"Frequently," I admitted. That seemed to please him, yet he slightly distort.
And then our server arrived, her face expectant. The hostess had definitely dished behind the scene, and this new girl didn't look disappointed. She flipped a strange of short black hair behind ear and smiled with unnecessary warmth. I felt the jealousy burn back up my throat.
"Hello. My name is Amber, and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?" I didn't miss that she was speaking only to him.
Edward looked at me.
"I'll have a Pepsi." It sounded more like a question.
"Two Pepsi's, please," he said.
"I'll be right back with that," she assured him with another unnecessary smile. But he didn't see it. He was watching me.
"What?" I asked, after she left, while absentmindedly playing with the zipper on my sweater.
His eyes stayed fixed on my face. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," I replied softly, surprised by his intensity. I looked down at my hands, which shook gently. My weak, weak hands.
"You don't feel dizzy, sick, cold...?" He trailed off.
"Should I be?" I asked, looking back up. He chuckled at my puzzled tone.
"Well, I'm actually waiting for you to go into shock." He face twisted up into that perfect crooked smile, but the concern was still in his eyes.
"I'm fine," I repeated. "I've had worse." Edward frowned, and his eyebrows pushed together. I looked back down at my hands- I was always saying too much around him.
"What do you mean?" he pressed.
"Nothing, I said nothing." I gave him a phony smile, but he didn't seem convinced.
Right on cue, the waitress appeared with our drinks and a basket of bread sticks. She stood with her face to as she placed them on the table.
"Are you ready to order?" she asked Edward. I bit back the nasty comment floating in my mind, as she pulled out her pad.
"Ladies first," Edward said smoothly, "what would you like Bella?"
She turned reluctantly to me, and gave me a rather bored expression. I couldn't believe how blunt she was being.
"I'll have the penne with blush, please." I smiled at her, very purposely glaring with my eyes.
"And you?" She turned back to him with a smile.
"Nothing for me," he said. Of course not.
"Let me know if you change your mind." The coy smile was still in place, but he wasn't looking at her, she left dissatisfied.
"Drink," he ordered.
I sipped at my soda obediently, and then drank more deeply, surprised by how thirsty I was. I realized I had finished the whole thing when he pushed his glass towards me. I paused for a minute, and bit my lip. He motioned with his hand for me to go ahead.
"Thanks," I muttered, still thirsty. The cold from the icy soda was radiating through my chest, and I shivered.
"Are you cold?" he asked, concerned.
"It's just the Pepsi," I explained, shivering again. A small voice in the back of my head told me that I shouldn't drink so much- I had a low tolerance for caffeine.
"Don't you have a jacket?" His voice was disapproving.
"Yes." I looked at the empty bench next to me. "Oh- I left it in Jessica's car."
Edward shrugged out of his coat. I suddenly realized that I had never once noticed what he was wearing- not just tonight, but ever. I just couldn't seem to look away from his face. I made myself look now, focusing. He was removing a light beige leather jacket now; underneath he wore an ivory turtleneck sweater. It fit him snugly, emphasizing how muscular his chest was.
He handed me the jacket, interrupting my ogling.
"Thanks," I said again, sliding my arms into his jacket. It was cold- the way my jacket felt when I first picked it up in the morning, handing in the drafty hallway. I shivered again. It smelt amazing. I inhaled, trying to identify the delicious scent. It didn't smell like cologne. He sleeves were much too long; I shoved them back so I could free my hands.
"Bella-" his voice was concerned, "are you sure you are alright?"
"Yes," I smiled weakly. He pushed the bread sticks towards me. "Really, I'm not going into shock."
"You should be- a normal person would be. You don't even look shaken." He seemed unsettled. He stared into my eyes. And I saw how much lighter his eyes were, lighter then I'd ever seen them- a golden butterscotch.
"I am shaken," I admitted, my voice severely disappointed. "I'm just good at hiding it."
"I suppose you're good at hiding a lot of things." Edward said softly.
"Normally," I agreed. We were both silent for a moment.
"I- I'm sorry if I scared you earlier." He whispered.
"You didn't." I assured him. "I feel very safe with you."
"This is more complicated then I'd planned," he muttered to himself. Edward shock his head, frowning. Internally he was battling a war against himself- anyone could see that. I decided to take advantage of his confusion, and lead it to my own objectives.
"You've got to give me some answers, Edward." I attempted to keep my voice stern, but I don't know if it worked. He looked up at me, bemused by my demand.
"Yes- no- to get to the other side-" I started to stand up- not that I wanted to leave- and he grabbed my sleeve. I'll admit, I was extremely thankful when he did- I didn't want him to realize the extent of my bluff. "Please don't go." His voice sounded pained, as he quickly whispered. I sat back down.
"Why?" I asked, softly. The warmth in his honey eyes drew me closer to him.
"I'll give you some answers, just please stay." He urged, ignoring my question. Good enough for me. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. The waitress strode around the partition with my food, and my mouth jumped closed. I realized we'd been unconsciously leaning towards each other across the table, because we both straightened up as she approached. She set the dish in front of me- it looked pretty good- and turned quickly to Edward.
"Did you change your mind?" she asked. "Isn't there anything I can get you?" I may have been imagining the double meaning in her words.
"No, thank you," he said curtly, "but some more soda would be nice." He gestured with a long white hand to the empty cups in front of me.
"Sure." She removed the empty glasses and walked away.
"Well?" he prompted, once she was out of ear shot.
"Wait," I muttered, as the waitress reappeared. She placed down two more Pepsi's, and walked away. I rolled my eyes as I looked over my shoulder and noticed she was defiantly adding a little too much butt-wiggle to her walk. I looked back to see that Edward hadn't seem to notice at all, but instead he was staring intently at me.
"Well?" he asked again, a bemused expression on his face. I took a sip of my Pepsi.
I started with the most undemanding. Or so I thought. "Why are you in Port Angeles?"
He looked down, folding his large hands together slowly on the table. His eyes flickered up at me from under his lashes, the hint of a smirk of his face. "Next."
"But that's the easiest one," I objected.
"Next," he repeated.
I looked down, frustrated. I unrolled my silverware, picked up my fork, and carefully spread a noddle. I put it in my mouth slowly, still looking down, chewing while I thought. It was tasty. I swallowed and took another sip of Pepsi before I looked up.
"Alright," I sighed. "Let's say, hypothetically of course, that... someone... could know what people are thinking, read minds, you know- with a few exceptions."
"Just one exception," he corrected, "hypothetically."
"Alright, with just one exception, then." I was thrilled that he was playing along, but I tried to seem casual. "How does that work? Are there limitations? How would... that someone... find someone at exactly the right time? How would he know she was in trouble?" I had been in quite the trouble, completely desperate- but now that whole event seemed so far away, like the events of years past. As I sat in booth with Edward Cullen, that parking lot seemed like a completely different world- as if I was treading the line between real and fantastic, and this was the beginning of the deciding chess move.
"If he had been paying close attention, as he should have been, then the timing wouldn't have needed to be so perfect," Edward's hand clenched into fists. "Only you could find trouble in Port Angeles. You would have devastated their crime statistic's for a decade, you know."
"We were speaking hypothetically," I reminded him jokingly.
He laughed at me, his eyes warm.
"Yes, we were- I apologized," he said.
"The stats will be deviated any ways, if someone doesn't stop them." I responded, while looking out the window. A part of me wanted to go back out there myself, make sure they never bothered anyone again. My fist flexed around the fork in my hand. But could of- would have- should of- didn't matter right now.
"How did you know?" I asked, unable to curb my intensity. I realized I was leaning towards him again, but didn't move away.
Edward seemed to wavering, torn by some internal dilemma. His eyes locked with mine, and I guessed he was making the decision right then whether or not to simply tell me the truth.
"You can trust me, you know," I murmured, while playing with my fork in my right hand, my left playing with the trim of his jacket.
"I don't know if I have a choice anymore." His voice was almost a whisper. "I was wrong- you're much more observant than I have you credit for."
"I thought you were always right." I teased.
"I used to be." He shock his head again, then smiled weakly, and looked to the full section of the restaurant. "Most thoughts are the same- money, sex, worry, vanity- cat," he added the last as a cook walked by. I chuckled. "The only difference is how they manipulate those thoughts. For the most part, it's always about what they want. But that doesn't make them unobservant." He trailed off, looking towards the far windows.
"What is it?" I asked, looking over.
"I was wrong about something else, too. You're not a magnet for accidents- that's not a broad enough category. You're a magnet for trouble. If there is anything dangerous within a ten-mile radius, it will invariably find you."
"And you put yourself in that category?" I guess. We both looked back to each other at the same time.
"Unequivocally." His face turned cold, expressionless.
"Thank you." My voice was fervent with gratitude- I don't think I could have survived that attack. If they didn't kill me, I'd probably have done it myself. "That's twice now." I put down my fork, and let both my hands sit limply on the table, inches from his.
His face softened. "Let's not try for three, agreed?"
I scowled, but nodded. He moved his hands, and let his fingers trace the back of my hand. They were cold, like always. I twisted my hands around, and for a moment, we held hands- his skin was also hard as rock, something I'd never noticed before. At the same time, we both pulled away.
"I followed you to Port Angeles," he admitted, speaking in a rush. "I've never tried to keep a specific person alive before, and it's much more troublesome than I would have believed. But that's probably just because it's you. Ordinary people seem to make it through the day without so many catastrophes." He paused. I wondered if it should bother me that he was following me; instead I felt a strange surge of pleasure. He stared, maybe wondering why my lips were curving into an involuntary smile.
"Did you ever think that maybe my number was up the first time, with the van, and you've been interfering with fate?" I speculated, distracting myself. He pushed his lips together, staring at me through narrowed eyes, deciding again. His eyes flashed down to my full plate, and then back to me.
"You eat, I'll talk," he bargained, ignoring my comment once again. I quickly scooped up another penne noddle, and popped it in my mouth.
"It's harder then it should be- keeping track of you. Usually I can find someone very easily, once I've heard their mind before." He looked at me anxiously, and I realized I had frozen. I made myself swallow, then stabbed another noddle and tossed it in.
"I was keeping tabs on Jessica, not carefully- her mind is aggravating to listen to, and only you could find trouble in a town this small- and at first I didn't notice when you took off on your own. Then, when I realized that you weren't with her anymore, I went looking for you at the bookstore I saw in her head. I could tell that she had the wrong one, because you I knew you hadn't gone in that one. I also noticed you walked south past it, so I continued on to another bookstore I knew, and waited. Randomly I searched through the thoughts of people on the street- to see if anyone had noticed you so I would know where you were. I had no reason to be worried... but I was strangely anxious...." He was lost in thought again, staring past me, seeing things I couldn't imagine.
"I started to drive in circles, still... listening. The sun was finally setting, and I was about to get out and follow you on foot. And then-" he stopped, clenching his teeth together suddenly in a fury. He made an effort to calm himself.
"Most people's thought are the same," I recalled. "The circle around self want, and accordingly, sex."
"I heard what they were thinking," he growled, his upper lip curling slightly back over his teeth. "I saw your face in his mind." He suddenly leaned forward, one elbow appearing on the table, his hand covering his eyes. The movement was so swift, it startled me.
"It was very.... hard- you can't imagine how difficult- for me to simple take you away, and leave them... alive." His voice was muffled by his arm. "I could have let you go with Jessica and Angela, but I was afraid that if you left me alone, I would go looking for them," he admitted in a whisper.
It was in that moment, that I saw him to be something much more then human. He was laying it right out for me- he was dangerous, particularly to people, and had a bad temper. Yet, he was so divinely human, constantly fighting with his inhumanity- leaving me to believe that he had once been human. And when I realized the depth of his complections, I felt deeply for him. I reached out to him, and let my hand rest on his arm. He opened his eyes, and looked up at me, a dark sadness echoing at me. I was so dazed in my own incoherent thoughts, that I said nothing.
"I should be consoling you, not the other way around." A soft smile reformed on his mouth. I pulled my hand back, and smiled at him.
"Life is never that simple. Trust me." He chuckled, bitterly.
"Don't I know it." He sighed, and I leaned back into the booth seat. "Are you ready to go home?"
"I'm ready to leave," I qualified, overly grateful that we had the hour-long ride home together. I wasn't ready for him to say goodbye. To be honest, I feared the cold, crushing loneliness that would consume me once he left. My minds eye flickered to the box in the bottom of my bag, but I shut it out quickly.
The waitress appeared as if she'd been called. Or watching.
"How are we doing?" she asked Edward.
"We're ready for the check, thank you." His voice was quite, rougher, still reflecting the strain of our conversation. It seemed to muddle her. He looked up, waiting.
"S-sure," she stuttered. "Here you go." She pulled a small leather folder from the front pocket of her black apron and handed it to him.
There was a bill in his hand already. He slipped it into the folder and handed it right back to her.
"No change." He smiled. Then he stood up, and I scrambled awkwardly to my feet.
She smiled inviting at him again. "You have a nice evening."
Edward didn't look away from me as he thanked her. I suppressed a smile. He walked close to my as we walked to the door, and held it open for me. I remembered what Jessica had said about her relationship with Mike, how they were almost to the first-kiss stage. I sighed. Finally, a person who I wanted to kiss me, and something told me it was the last thing from his mind. He seemed to hear me, and looked down curiously. I looked at the sidewalk, grateful that he didn't seem to be able to know what I was thinking.
He opened the passenger door, holding it for me as I stepped in, shutting it softly behind me. I watched him walk around the front of the car, amazed, yet again, but how graceful he was. I probably should have been used to that by now- but I wasn't. I had a feeling that Edward wasn't the kind of person anyone got used to.
Once inside the car, he started the engine and turned the heater on high. It had gotten very cold, and I guessed the good weather was at an end. I couldn't be happier. I was warm in his jacket, though, breathing in the scent of it when I thought he couldn't see.
Edward pulled out through the traffic, apparently without a glance, flipping around to head towards the freeway.
"Do you believe in destiny?" I asked softly. He looked at me, then back out the window. After a long moment, he opened his mouth to answer.