(19) Hurt
I heard the sound of crickets coming from somewhere. The melodic sound was weaving around my confused state. Chirp, chirp, chirp! I wanted it to stop. I sighed and moved the pillow in front of my face. Why were there crickets this time of year in Forks? Usually, I heard robins singing in the trees outside my window. Sometimes Edward hummed my lullaby close to my ear soft and lustrous. I reached forward automatically ready to encounter his cold arm lying next to me. I eagerly moved my hand to close the distance between us. My eyes were still closed.
I felt something rough and icy clamped around my wrists. I snapped my eyes open in a second. I saw a hulking figure glaring at me from the foot of the bed. I screamed so loud I almost blew my eardrums out!
I bolted upright and kept screaming my lungs burning from the exertion. I was hysterically crying and tried to move my arms to plunge myself off the bed. They were tied with clamps around my wrists. I pulled the wire and screamed again. The door exploded open and Alejandro stood in the doorway.
"What?" He asked Palo not me. Palo looked to his boss and shrugged his shoulders. Palo was the looming figure I saw when my eyes opened. He scared me to death.
"She woke up and started screaming." Palo explained and moved closer to the wall. He was wearing a different outfit this time covered from head to toe in brown leather. I saw Alejandro stare disbelieving at him and glowered at his answer.
Alejandro moved closer to me and perched on the bed. He was wearing a light blue collared shirt open halfway down his torso. His muscular body moved as the shirt conformed to his chest. The action caused his shirt to open wider and I saw a tattoo below his right bicep. It was a single red rose Spanish words winding around the vine.
"Did he hurt you, Bella?" Alejandro flinched and stared at me willing me to answer. He didn't flinch as my eyes continued to scan the room. I saw a ceiling fan above his head-whipping fast making his black hair blow around his face. The room was plain except for a bed and dresser. The bed I was lying on had a flowered sheet and white bedspread. It looked out of place in the colorless empty room.
"No, he scared me," I whispered and struggled to get back into a comfortable position. I felt the clamps leaving an uncomfortable indentation in my wrist. I moved my arm down on the pillow so the clamp would stop tugging on my arm. "Are these really necessary?"
Alejandro laughed quietly and moved his hand to tuck a lock of hair behind his ear. I watched his every movement making sure he didn't inch himself closer to me. "Yes and no. You were unconscious for a long time. I wasn't sure when you were going to wake up. I sent Malirosa on an errand and Palo was guarding you. I didn't want you to run away and scream when you saw him. Which you tried to do anyway! Palo would not have liked you running away from him. It could have been a dangerous situation."
"Can you take them off now? I won't run." I grumbled and saw indecision flicker in Alejandro's eyes. He was weighing the option and his mind was working overtime. Did they really think I could outrun them? If they did not only were they psychotic but also delusional!
Malirosa entered the room breaking Alejandro's concentration. She moved effortlessly as she put two bags on the dresser. She smirked, "I will stay with her now. You two run along." She used her hand to dismiss them. Alejandro stared at her for a second then gestured to Palo and they exited the room. I rolled my eyes and turned to Malirosa.
"Malirosa, can you please untie me? My hand is hurting really bad." I asked her as she bent down to adjust her shoe. I glanced at her and she ignored me. Of course, why did I think she would do anything less? I studied her outfit instead. She wore a pink wraparound dress with a necklace drooping below her cleavage. She had impossible stilettos on which laced around her ankles. She stood with her back to me and emptied out the bags.
I laid my head on the pillows and stared at the ceiling. I let my mind drift to the night before I left with Alice on our girl's trip. I remembered me and Edward's conversation that night. I asked him if he took me for granted. The words were wrong when I thought of them now. He didn't take me for granted I could easily see that. I took him for granted. I thought he could protect me and surpass any obstacle to be with me. I felt tears stinging my eyes. I was stupid, stupid to believe that.
I sniffled and tried to rub my eyes against my shirt. It was useless. The tears flowed down my face blurring my vision. I let everything I had bottled up in me release and I felt the tension liberate my body. I cried unable to wipe the tears. Malirosa continued with her task as if I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary.
She stacked a few items on the dresser but I couldn't see past the blurry tears and turned to the side. There was a small window with a white lace curtain tied to the side. I saw a field outside and the sun pooled underneath the window. It seemed dusky as if the sky was waiting to turn to night. I guess I could count all the stars in the sky tonight since she was ignoring me. There was nothing else to do.
Malirosa finished emptying the bags and put them on the floor. She came to me and stood beside the bed.
"Okay I will untie you." She said begrudgingly. I ignored her. I was past caring if she did or did not. She saw the look on my face and leaned closer to me. I could hear the empty breathing as she peered into my eyes. She probably figured I'd gone into shock.
She reached back and lightly slapped my face. I suppose for her it was light!
"Oww." I yelped and glared at her. She smiled self-satisfied and leaned over me. She gripped the first wire and it easily parted and my left hand dropped to the bed. She did the same to my other hand. My bones ached and the clamps on my wrists felt ten times heavier without the support of the wire. She reached down and broke the first clamp. She left the other clamp on.
"I might have to tie you again." She reasoned and moved the wire and clamp to the floor. She moved back to the wall and looked at me. "I'm going to bring you food and water." She stated coldly and left the room.
I looked around the room fiercely. I studied the small room and weighed different escape routes. I could run out the door down the hallway I thought, surely one of the vampires would catch me.
I went to the window and learned that it was bolted to the frame. I slammed my hand against the window pane in frustration. I heard a tiny crack and bit my lip from screaming. I started hopping up and down holding my hand. I ran to the bed and threw my face into the pillow screaming again. I stood like that for a minute and felt my hand go numb. I peeked at my hand and saw the contusion turning blue and purple.
I slammed my other hand on the soft bed and groaned. Malirosa entered with a small tray of food. She set in down in front of me and walked back to the wall. She stood there and stared at me. "What's wrong?" She said testily.
"Umm, I think I broke my hand." I whispered the numbness was fading and the pain was searing through my fingers. I couldn't pick up the fork let alone move my hand up and down.
"How did you do that?" She asked angrily and moved back to the bed. She sat beside me and studied my bruised hand. She touched it and I screamed from her poke.
"I will find a bandage." She moved to the dresser and opened the middle drawer. She searched each drawer coming up with nothing. She crashed the door back in.
"I need to go to a hospital!" I yelled in frustration.
"No, don't move." She walked out of the room cursing in Spanish.
I blew it! My one opportunity to escape and I break my hand. Great job, Bella! Maybe I could ram my head against the wall and kill myself. The thought lingered. No, I had to believe that Edward would rescue me! He was just taking a really long time to come here. He would come. He wouldn't let these Saligrosa vampires take me away?
Where were they?
Malirosa walked back into the room with Palo. She pointed at me. "Idiota, broke her hand." She rolled her eyes. Palo gave me an incredulous look and walked over to me. I turned away from him scared.
"Let me see!" He persisted. I moved my hand wincing as the pain shot up and down my arm. He didn't touch my hand. He studied my bruises and looked at Malirosa. "Give her aspirin." He got up and walked out of the room.
That's it! Give me aspirin. My hand was broken! What was aspirin going to do? I looked at Malirosa disbelieving.
"We live too far away from a hospital." She reached into the first drawer and pulled a pack out. She took four pills from the cellophane and brought them to me. She put them on the tray and walked back.
"I'll scream all night. I won't get any rest." I complained. I took the aspirin and swallowed them chugging the water. I sighed and leaned back against the pillow.
"If you do you will regret it."
"I don't care anymore." I sighed and closed my eyes.
"Eat your food." Malirosa ordered.
I opened one eye and stared at the food. It looked gross. There were brown lumps covered in red sauce and yellow pudding. "How am I supposed to eat? My hand hurts too much!" I grimaced and closed my eyes again. I was glad I couldn't move my hand the food looked disgusting. I wouldn't say that though for all I knew Malirosa cooked it. She was lucky she was unbelievably beautiful because she sucked in the kitchen.
I felt a movement on the bed. I opened my eyes in surprise. "I made this and your going to eat it!" Her eyes turned fiery.
"I'm not hungry. I'll throw up." I reasoned and stared at her in shock when she picked up the slop with a fork.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way!" She commanded and raised the fork to my mouth.
"What is it?" I breathed.
"Tripes."
"What is that?" I asked in confusion.
"Pig intestines." Malirosa stated and shoved the food in my mouth. I gagged and couldn't allow myself to chew the volatile food. She waited while I held my breath. The food didn't move from the corner of my cheek.
"Actually my hand is feeling better I can do it myself." I blurted. I moved the food to the other side of my cheek.
"Whatever!" She got up and went back to the wall studying me. Her expression changed. "You'll need your strength after all tomorrow is your wedding day." She turned her frosty eyes to me.
I leaned over the bed and threw up.
