Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to own these characters, they are the works of Stephenie Meyer, except Alexander, he's mine.
Chapter Nine: Friends
My dream that night was strange.
Alexander was the one that starred in my dream that night, instead of Edward. Usually it was Edward, with brief shots of Alexander and I dancing. But tonight, Alexander came to me in my dreams. He said the same things he said in the cemetary on the day of his funeral, but also included new information.
"Bella?" whispered a voice.
"Alex?" I murmered.
"Are you sleeping, Bella?" Alexander questioned me.
"I think so, why?" I inquired, curious.
"Good. Please, you must stay asleep. I need to tell you something." Alexander pleaded with me.
"Okay. And, what is it?" I asked.
"It's Edward.." he mumbled sadly.
"And what about him?" I asked, nervous.
"He's not safe." Alexander told me.
"Edward mentioned that himself." I told him.
"No, Bella. You don't understand. Edward is not good for you. You need to run away from him, now!" His voice rose louder.
"But, I love him!" I replied.
"That's no excuse, Bella. I know I said I wanted you to be happy, but now I am starting to realize. You will end up dying sooner or later if you are not careful. You should go back to Phoenix, with Renee. Staying here will only cause you trouble!" he warned.
"Alex, I am staying. I know you love me, and I do love you too, but not the same way. I know you are trying to protect me, but don't you want to see me happy?" I asked him.
"It's not that I don't want to see you happy, Bella! I want to see you so happy. Even if it's not with me. But, this is dangerous! Edward thirsts for you! I mean, over the top! That is one of the main reasons he is around you! To take in the scent of your blood. But, Bella, his attraction to you is nothing normal. Your blood sings to him! He has trouble controlling his thirst around you. Trust me, Bella! He is a sick boy." Alexander lectured.
"That still doesn't change the way I feel, Alex. I am already in too deep to change my mind. Although Edward has a strange attraction to my blood, I know there is something other than that. There is something there, a feeling." I replied.
"That's also a problem! The boy has already taken a liking to you. Once he falls for you, he won't leave you alone. That's how vampires are. Once they meet their "mate," they follow them for eternity. That's what it will be like for Edward, he will follow you for eternity. I wouldn't be surprised if he is stalking you right now! Watching over you as you sleep, following you home from school, standing in the shadows watching you, craving you-" he went on before I interrupted.
"Stop! I don't care about all of that!" I told him.
"You.. don't CARE? How could you not? His behavior is disgusting! His soon to be love for you will be an all-consuming, crushing love, that no force on the Earth would be able to tame it!" Alexander told me, sullenly.
"I can't do anything about it now. It's too late." I said.
"I am just looking out for you, Bella. Watching over you. I guess you could call me your Guardian Angel. That's what I am, an angel. I promise I will help you any way I can. I will not let you get hurt over some sick boy." Alexander vowed.
"I don't really think there is a need, but thank you. I really appreciate it." I told him. It was the first time I really looked over at him. He looked even better as an angel. His black hair shined with all it's strength. His green eyes sparkled in the white light. His skin turned white, like the bed we were laying on. He looked like an angel. He smiled at me, angelically. I couldn't deny the small, white wings shaping themselves out of his back. He was simply gorgeous. Breathtaking.
He told me he was going to be my Guardian Angel. I rather liked that. He would still somewhat be in my life. He would watch over me and protect me from danger. And, if he came to me in my dreams every night, I would have something to look forward to when I went to sleep.
"Well, Bella, I need to go back to the graces of Heaven. You would like it here, Bella. It's beautiful. Perfect. I will always be watching over you, and warning you, just in case you change your mind. I won't tell you what to do. I won't deny you your happiness." Alexander said.
That was all I remembered from my dream.
I limped out of bed, crutches in hand, and made my way towards the bathroom so I could take a shower and have my human minute.
I must admit, showering in a brace was hard work. My shower was a total fail.
I had to hold me braced ankle outside of the shower curtain. I was balancing myself on one foot, holding myself up with one hand. It was working for quite awhile, until I had to do my hair. I squirted out the shampoo on my hair and massaged it in with one hand. When I was finished with that I did the same thing with conditioner. Once that was out, my hand slipped from its grip on the wall, and I went crashing down. I lended on my thigh, making a WHAM sound. It hurt terribly.
"Ow!" I yelped.
"Bella? Are you alright in there?"
It was Charlie.
"Yes, dad, I am fine." I reassured him.
"Well, I am going to work now. Do you need a ride to school?" he asked.
"No, I will just call Jessica and have her take me." I told him.
"Well, okay. Have a good day at school, Bells." He told me.
"Bye, dad." I mumbled.
I finished my shower unsuccessfully. I probably left half of the conditioner in my hair and left myself with ten or so bruises. I hopped out on my good leg and limped back to my room. I put on a white t-shirt and plaid sweatpants. They wouldn't yell at me if I had a sprained ankle and I wore something comfortable. They couldn't. I dried my hair and found out I didn't leave any conditioner in, much to my relief.
I started my journey down the stairs, falling once again. I giggled at my bad luck.
I grabbed my school bag and made my way to the kitchen. I grabbed a granola bar and started to eat it.
Knock knock knock.
I jumped in surprise. Who would be coming to my door this early? I limped over to the door, and opened it.
There stood Edward Cullen, looking down on me, smirking.
"Um, what are you doing here?" I questioned him.
"Taking you to school." He smiled.
"Why?" I asked stupidly.
"Well, I certainly was not going to let you drive to school with a sprained ankle. Come on, I will drive you." He smiled again.
"Um, alright." I said quietly.
I followed him to the silver Volvo. He opened the passenger side for me, and helped me in. With a "thanks" from me, he closed the door and blurred to the other side before I turned my head.
He entered the driver's side and started the car. He pulled out of the driveway and sped down the road.
"You're not scared?" he asked all of a sudden. I jumped, he laughed.
"Shouldn't have spoken too soon.." he muttered, chuckling.
"No, it's not that. It's just that you startled me." I told him, looking into his deep topaz gaze.
"Does anything scare you?" he questioned.
"Yes." I said to him.
"Then what is it? It's hard to believe, considering I'm one of the scariest things in existence, that you are scared of anything." His laugh was dark.
"Well, I am afraid you will laugh at me." I shyly explained.
"I won't laugh." He sounded like he meant it.
"Do you promise?" I inquired.
"Yes." He sounded anxious.
"I am afraid of.." I started.
"Afraid of.." he went on, clearly eager for the answer.
"Spiders." I mumbled.
He was silent. He just stared straight ahead, his face indifferent. He clearly looked like he was going into shock or some other medical malfunction for vampires. Could vampires even get a disease? I had no clue.
He started laughing in the middle of my thoughts.
"I thought you said you wouldn't laugh." I reminded him. He immediately stopped laughing as I said that.
"I'm sorry, Bella. It just seems like a typical thing." He said, laughing again.
"What does?" I was confused.
"Being afraid of spiders. They are, what, one inch long? And humans are absolutely terrified of them. It doesn't make any sense." He was thoughtful.
"Well, that's easy for you to say. You don't have to worry about them biting you or trying to kill you." He started laughing again after I said this.
"It's not funny!" My voice was slightly louder."
"Sorry, again." His laugh dimmed to a laugh under his breath.
"It's alright." I reassured him.
"Is there anything else you are scared of? Any other common fears? Or not so common?" he beseeched.
"Not really. Maybe heights or the dark. More common things." I told him.
"Ah, that seems fairly reasonable." He said.
"I suppose." I ended that conversation.
We were quiet for a few minutes. That gave me time to think. Why would he want to know what I am scared of? I am not that interesting.
"What's your favorite color?" he asked, right out of the blue.
"My favorite.. color?" I asked, incredulous.
"Yes." That was all he said.
"Why?" I asked him.
"I thought I would ask some questions today." He smiled.
"Well, okay. Today? My favorite color would probably be.. brown." I stated lamely.
He snorted, "Brown?"
"Sure. Brown is a warm color. Dull, yes, but warm. It makes me feel warm inside, unlike black or grey. It kind of has light to it. Maybe one of the only duller colors that have that to it. Everything that is supposed to be brown, here, isn't. It's all covered in moss and other green blanketing.." I went on.
"You're right. Brown is warm." He smiled at me again.
I just nodded in response, blushing a little. When he looked at me I got really nervous. Maybe it was the effect of Alexander's warning. No, it started happening before that. Is Alexander.. correct? Am I in that much danger?
"What was your childhood like? What were you like as a child and a younger teenager?" he asked some more.
"Well, when I was a little girl I was a ballerina. Only for about three or four years, then I got into ballroom dancing. But, I loved it then. It wasn't as complicated as it is now, more fun. I was very social then, and responsible. I learned to grow up really early in life. When I was nine, I was cooking for my mother. Phil hadn't come into the picture yet, so it was just me and my mom. We did everything together. We went everywhere. She has always been my best friend, besides Alexander. They were the only ones who really understood me. As I started getting older, I became more.. aloof, if you could call it that. I was more into the intellectual world more than the social world. Sure I danced, but I never really talked to people. Alexander would talk to just about anyone; he liked people. I never had many friends, besides my mother and Alexander, but it didn't bother me at all. Actually, I rather preferred it that way, being alone. I never liked being around people. Alexander, I met when I was younger, maybe around seven years old. He was in one of my dance classes, we started talking, and we just clung together like magnets. We've been close from then and until he died. It's really painful to think about him sometimes, after all we have been through.." My eyes started to water at saying this. It was still strange not seeing him every single day.
"Wow, that sounds like a childhood not many children have." He said quietly.
"I suppose." I replied.
"So, Alexander was nothing more than a friend?" he asked even quieter.
"No, it was never that way for him either. Until recently. I don't want to talk about it right now. Maybe later. But, he and I have always been close friends. He never was mean to me. He was a gentleman, well, in public. He was a total goofball when it was just us together. He always made everything about me, I just recently found out." I went on.
"Will you tell how you found out he returned your feelings?" he asked me, eager.
"Maybe in the future. I don't want to talk about it right now." I replied to him, my hair covering my face.
"Alright." He sounded concerned.
"Do you still wish to go with me on Saturday?" he questioned.
"Sure, why? Oh wait! I still have to cancel the hotel. I can't dance with a sprained ankle." I was sad because of this. I really wanted to dance with Edward again.
"Okay, I was just wondering. Oh, and it's alright, we could always dance when you are healed." He flashed his gleaming pearly white teeth at me. Did everything about this man have to be perfect?
"What is your favorite kind of food?" he inquired.
"I'm more of an Italian person. I like to go to Italian restaurants all the time. Even though it's not the actual thing, those kinds of restaurants have good food." I smiled.
"I liked Italian food when I was human." He muttered.
"Well, that's one thing we have in common." I smiled again. He looked over, and he smiled a smile that reflected mine.
That was basically how our day went. He would ask me questions about myself, and I would answer. Sometimes we got to a resolution where what we liked were similar. We both had a strong taste in classical music, along with many other genres, besides country. Edward said he hated country. We also had a similar liking to book genres. He liked the darker poetry, and books. He also liked more classic writers. He said they made their stories more original. I couldn't agree more.
When I was about to open the door to trig, I saw a note on the door that read:
Class is canceled. Math teacher's meeting. Use the free time you have wisely.
-Mr. Maysen
Well, that meant free time for me. I could get caught up on some reading.
I wanted to avoid Jessica and her never ending chatter. I picked a place that she wouldn't stop by at: the library.
I walked in the door to the library to find that it was empty. I sighed in fresh relief. It was a great feeling to avoid Jessica.
I sat down by one of the windows and pulled out Harry Potter from my school bag. I opened to the chapter where Harry and his friends first find the three headed dog, Fluffy. After a few pages, I felt a presence behind me, as if someone was reading over my shoulder. I looked behind me to see Edward Cullen wearing a black trench coat. The coat fit him, dark and mysterious. A perfect look for a vampire.
"Do you mind if I sit down?" His velvet voice purred.
"No, not at all." I said while looking back down, trying to hide my blush.
Why would he skip class just to be here with me? Did he even want to be here? Or did he just have nothing to do? I wanted to believe he came here because he wanted to see me. The thought had me smiling widely, hidden by my hair, so only I would know.
"Harry Potter, huh? I read those books, they are alright." He sighed.
"Oh, I just started reading it about a week or so ago. It's interesting, so far." I muttered.
"You'll really start to enjoy it when you get onto later books." He gleamed.
We talked more about modern books and which ones we enjoyed. Even for modern culture, his taste was still on the dark side. I guess I could expect that, being a vampire and all. Something did tell me that he was a darker person in general, vampire or not. He seemed like he had a difficult past. That thought got me interested enough to ask him.
"How come you seem more of a.. darker person?" I asked him timidly.
"Well, I don't like what I am, so I guess that makes me a darker person, I guess you could say." He looked down.
He tried to get off the subject of him by asking me another question. We continued to converse all throughout the period. He asked about what we hated and what we liked.
"What do you hate, more than anything?" he challenged.
"Well, I hate it when people tell me what to do. Like, how to drive, for example. Even when I already know how to do it. When I was learning to drive, my mother would be so paranoid about it, that she would have to hold on to the side of the car for dear life. It was as if she thought I was going to crash or something." I laughed.
"Well, you must not be a very good driver then." He chuckled.
"Hey! That's not funny!" I giggled along with him.
"I am sorry, but I was just kidding." He smirked, but looked apologetic. I let it go.
When the period ended we walked to lunch together, talking about places I've seen and places that I wanted to see. He seemed unduly interested in what I had to say. A look of pure fascination crossed his featured everytime I talked. It was as if I were giving the information to a test than just telling him answers to his questions. I didn't understand him. He always seemed so bored looking.
We sat down at one of the vacant tables again, talking to each other about flowers and gemstones.
"What is your favorite gemstone?" he asked, a curious look hinting in his eyes.
"Topaz." I said automatically. I blushed deeply at the mistake I made. I knew it was because of his eyes. Before, my favorite gemstone was a ruby. The color of blood. Could it get any more ironic.
"You're blushing." He observed.
I just looked away, not answering his observation.
"Would you tell me why?" he pleaded.
"The reason my favorite gemstone is topaz is because it is the color of your eyes today. I suppose in about two weeks if you asked me the question again, I would say onyx." I mumbled, my face get hotter and redder.
The look on his face shocked me. He looked like he was about to cry, if he could. He looked utterly touched. He got over the look quickly, and it was replaced by a curious stare again.
"What kind of flowers do you prefer?" I sighed in relief at his question and answered him with the answer daisies.
The rest of the day was discussed over what movies I enjoyed and didn't enjoy, what smelled good and what smelled bad, over clothing and colors that went together, over cars I enjoyed, vacations I've been on, et cetera.
He drove me home that day, asking more questions about me in general.
"Why are you asking all these questions? It's not like I am interesting." I mumbled, heat prickling in my cheeks." I uttered sullenly.
"You fascinate me, Bella. No one has ever really done that before. It's kind of hard to keep me interested." He smiled.
After he said that I felt extremely special. He seemed to like me based on who I was, not what I looked like or what I had. I genuinely enjoyed that. No one has taken that much time to learn about me, mind Alexander. No one I truly liked, as in more than a friend.
He pulled out of the driveway quickly and sped down the street.
I walked inside my house to realize that Charlie was not home. I walked into the kitchen to find a note from Charlie.
Went to Billy's for dinner. Call if you need something. I love you.
-Charlie.
Hmm, a house all to myself. I rather liked that. I started to make dinner for myself, a sandwich, and went to go turn on the television. I never watched it much. I was in the middle of watching some lifetime show when the phone rang. I went to answer it.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Bella Swan?" A haughty, yet familiar voice reached the other line.
"Yes, may I ask who is speaking?" I answered.
"This is the owner of the hotel you were supposed to be dancing at this weekend." Her voice was very mean and nasally.
"How may I help you?" I tried hard to be polite.
"I heard you sprained your ankle. My daughter told me in case you were wondering." She sneered.
"Yes, meaning I cannot make the hotel this weekend." I muttered.
"Well, I guess that means you don't get the money we were going to give you! We could always find someone better." She said rudely.
"You do that." I replied.
She hung up.
I went upstairs to do some homework and get ready for bed.
I hopped in the shower and cleaned myself. When I got out I put on pajamas and crawled into bed.
That night I dreamt of Alexander, once again, warning me about Edward. Only this time, Alexander's warnings became reality, in my dream, of course.
AN: I am incredibly sorry it took almost two weeks. School has been catching up with me already. So, I may only post on weekends, or days I have off. Please review! I may update faster! Reviews are motivators, they keep me going!!! 333