Disclaimer: If I was Stephenie Meyer, the Twilight saga would not be over right now. This just proves that I don't own anything. :)
BPOV
"Oh no, no, no, no, no, NO!" It was the Friday of the party and I was in the Cullen household, being tortured by none other than the pixie herself.
How could she have me dressed up as this? I couldn't see what my costume looked like, but I could definitely feel it and with the mental picture she gave me, I didn't like it.
"But Bella! It looks amazing on you. That costume is probably the best one I made! Even Rosalie is totally jealous! But it fits you better so I thought you would like it. And I don't think you would have like the other costumes." By the way she rushed through her little "reassurance" speech, I would have had to say that she was nervous as hell.
"Alice, I have no doubt that the costume is beautiful, but seriously, did you have to dress me up as a bride?" Dressing up wasn't what got to me. It was the fact that she had dressed me up as something that I had learned to fear. A bride. Brides themselves aren't scary. It's what they represent. They represent the beginning of a new life, a ceremony that links a man and woman together for what is supposed to be a lifetime. Marriage. Ew. Maybe I wouldn't feel so bad about marriage had my parents, particularly Renee, not implanted the idea that early marriage or marriages in general, were horrible. Or maybe I would still feel that way. Charlie and Renee's marriage hadn't lasted more than a couple years and even then, they only stayed together for me. It was a sad truth, but the truth nonetheless.
"Oh Bella, you're not just any bride. You're a replica of Tim Burton's corpse bride! What do you think of that?" She said, obviously a bit smug that her brilliancy had shone through when it came to costume ideas. I slowed my breathing and prepared my voice to stay as calm as possible.
"I think that me, being a corpse, symbolizes death and the wedding dress symbolizes marriage. With those two symbols put together into one costume, I would have to infer that it means that marriages die. That's what I think of my costume." She released a frustrated growl and stomped her feet. I would have laughed at the situation had I not been the cause of her anger. I didn't mean to offend her but marriage wasn't one of my favorite topics of discussion. "Fine, Bella! But you will wear this costume whether you like it or not. I will not have you dressed in your normal clothes just because you don't like my costume." Her tone was angry and frustrated, but I could catch the hint of sadness stirring within her words. It felt as if my legs had moved on their own, trying to find their way to her using the sound of her steady breathing. When I reached her, I pulled her into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry, Alice. I love the costume; it's just that…marriage is a touchy subject for me." I could almost hear her mouth pulling into a grin as she pulled away and began jumping up and down, still holding my hands in hers. "Yes! Okay, well, hold on. I'm going to do your make up. We can leave your hair the way it is. We'll just need to give you your veil when we finish up with your face."
Luckily for me, Alice didn't need to do much with my makeup. My skin already being pale, she didn't need to use as much white stage makeup. Well, according to her it was white. After that, she supposedly lined my eyes with a dark purple shadow to give me the look of the dead. Just what I had wanted to look like, a corpse.
Unfortunately, the week before the party passed quickly. I had tried my best to imagine timing passing slowly, hoping desperately that somehow it would truly slow down and give me more time before I had to face Alice's wrath. But one good thing had come out of the week. Edward had proved to be one of the best friends I could have ever had. He was kind and sweet, compared to that first day of school. He was, by far, my best friend. We could talk for hours, which we often did, without getting bored of each other. The most random conversations could take place and we could continue them for days. We would even occasionally make little insider's jokes, confusing the others while we laughed our heads off.
I had even considered telling him about my appointments with Carlisle. "Considered" was the key word. To be totally honest, I was embarrassed to say that I was getting help for my mental state. Life had used to be so easy before. Before I was blind, I never needed help, physically or emotionally. Taking care of others and myself is what I had done for my entire life and now, having others try and take care of me was unnerving. Life before the blindness, before the accident, before...James. I felt tears well up again as I tried to push the thoughts asides. Then I remembered what had taken place at the beginning of the week; Monday to be exact. Edward's newfound friendship had affected his player ways. The player seemed to be no more, seeing as he spent most of his time with me. Needless to say, many of his old projects didn't exactly like me all too much at the moment and were doing anything they could to make Edward see "reason".
Flashback
It was Monday and my appointment with Carlisle had been scheduled for four o'clock in the afternoon. Turns out that Emmett had football practice, therefore he wouldn't be able to give me a ride to the Cullen and Hale household without their knowledge. That being said, Charlie offered me a ride. They knew how I felt about the appointments and didn't say anything more on the subject of me keeping it secret.
Lunch had been...interesting. Edward, who I had been conversing with all weekend, decided to sit with us at lunch. It was hilarious, seeing him act shy when he asked for permission to sit with us. But in the end, he had relaxed enough to be himself and laugh along with Emmett's ridiculous jokes.
"Oh my octopods, she's coming!" Why Emmett decided to say octopods over anything else would forever remain a mystery to me. I'm sure everyone was staring at him in confusion, that is, until we heard that heavily falling clicks of high heels coming towards our table. Then I heard the annoying popping of gum and the strong, sickly-sweet scent of cherry perfume. The same perfume that Lauren Mallory was so famous for wearing.
"Oh Eddie, why are you like, sitting over here?" I could have laughed at her improper use of the word "like". Of course she was one of those girls. The head hyenas always were. The audible growls coming from Alice and Rosalie were ignored as Lauren shifted from foot to foot impatiently as she waited for Edward to answer her or at least leave the table with her. Emmett cracked his knuckles in anger while Jasper remained as calm as can be.
"My name is Edward, Lauren. Not Eddie; E-D-W-A-R-D. And I want to sit here." The gum-popping got louder as Lauren leaned towards Edward to speak closer to his ear; she might have even been trying to give him a free show of what was in her shirt.
"Edward, I don't think it's, like, safe for you to be sitting here. Hasn't little Bella," she sneered my name like it caused a bad taste in her mouth, "here told you about what she is going to do today after school?" Immediately, I froze. She couldn't know, could she? I felt Edward lean forward in his seat, whispering in my ear. "What is she talking about Bella?" Lauren's high-pitched laugh was maniacal; evil. "Oh, so she, like, didn't tell you. Well, then I guess I, like, will. She has an appointment with your dad, for her mental health. That's right; little Ms. Blind-n-Perfect isn't so perfect." Her laughter continued as I felt my lunch slowly make it's way up my throat, causing tears to burn behind my eyes, but I wouldn't allow them to fall. I had held them off for more than a year; I could keep them back now.
What I didn't expect to hear was Jasper's normally soothing voice sounding more like a menacing calm. "Lauren, I am only going to say this once. If you don't leave now, I won't hesitate to stop restraining Alice from attacking you." Listening more closely, I could practically hear Alice grinding her teeth together in the struggle to escape Jasper's grasp. Lauren huffed angrily, though I could tell she was intimidated by Jasper's voice, and stomped away, her heels clacking against the linoleum floor.
The tense atmosphere slowly calmed down, probably due to the fact that Alice and Rosalie had started taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. I could feel everyone's stare on me, questioning why I had kept everything secret. They would hate me for not telling them. I may not have lied, but I sure as hell didn't tell them the truth.
"Bella...," Edward whispered, seeming hesitant. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys. I guess I was just….I don't know what I was feeling. I'm just sorry I didn't tell you." A lump had formed in my throat, causing my words to come out in a hoarse whisper. Suddenly, nearly everyone at the table stood. I assumed they were leaving, going to go find someone who was more worthy of their presence. But then I was engulfed in the arms of all my friends. The tiny arms of Alice were right around my waste while Rosalie's long, slender arms were around my shoulders. Jasper's arms were around Alice and I while Emmett's large, muscular arms were surrounding us all.
"Bella, what the hell is wrong with you? Did you honestly think we would care that much about you going to a psychiatrist?" Alice's voice was a bit frustrated, but otherwise, reassuring. I nodded, my eyes facing the floor as my face started burning. "Bella, we don't care. Just because you go see Carlisle doesn't mean that you are crazy. We know that. Besides, you are family; we stick together no matter what." Jasper's words hit me hard. I was considered family.
"Hey Eddie, what the heck are you doing over there? There's plenty of room for one more." Emmett's voice boomed and I was suddenly aware that Edward was now standing outside our group, not involved in the group hug. His long strides were quiet as he made his way to us and he quickly closed the gap between us. His arms wrapped around me and his hand brushed against my arm. An unfamiliar yet pleasant shock shot through me like electricity. The skin that had just made contact was on fire. A blush made it's way across my face again.
I'm sure our group looked crazy, all huddled together in a hug that wasn't breaking apart. When the bell rang, we walked away to our classes. Edward walked with me, being that we had the same class.
"Bella, we were serious when we said that you are family now; no matter what." I smiled at the thought.
End of Flashback
That afternoon, my appointment with Carlisle had gone the same as the first. He answered my questions about himself and vice versa. He carefully avoided anything that had to do with the accident or my blindness, something very different from the doctors that I had had before.
I was brought out of my thoughts by a certain little pixie with a low-tolerance to caffeine. "Bella, the party has started. I want you to make an entrance. Rosalie is going first, then me, then you, okay?" I think she was jumping up and down again. She just had to drink a Dr. Pepper right before the party started because according to her, the party would being going on all night.
I nodded, knowing that I wouldn't get out of making a grand entrance for this party. And luckily, Alice had allowed me to wear flats instead of the original death traps she had bought me, saying that it would allow me to walk around more. Just as I was about to walk out the door, a small hand was placed on my shoulder.
"Bella, you're the best friend I could ever have. I know I sometimes come out as too hyper or preppy, but you still stick around. You promise to be there forever?" I smiled. Alice had done the same thing for me. I knew how boring I could get. She was the best friend I could ever ask for, too. "I promise Alice. I'll be here forever." Her kindergarten logic seemed to have this nice effect on me. My childhood had been spent taking care of Renee, so I never actually got the chance to do anything with kids my own age. But when I came here, my childhood was kind of being given to me. I held out my pinkie. Alice linked hers with mine and we laughed together at our childish ways.
As we made it to the stairs, I breathed deeply as I concentrated on the walk I was just about to make. Not falling would be the main object of my entrance. I heard the whistle as Rosalie walked down the stairs in a manner that I am sure was graceful. Next, Alice's dance like steps made their way down the stairs. There was another round of whistles. I took one last deep breath and grabbed the railing. I stepped down each step slowly, using my cane to guide me down each step, just anticipating a fall at any moment. There were twenty steps the last time I counted. I heard a collective gasp throughout the room. A blush covered my face as I realized that I must look awful. When I reached the last step, the music in the room returned to its high volume and the party had begun. A hand clasped around my wrist, long fingers gently brushing against my skin, causing it to feel that same electricity again.
"You look beautiful," Edward murmured in my ear. I looked down, blushing yet again. I mumbled thanks and asked what everyone was dressed up as. He chuckled lightly and spoke. "Rosalie and Emmett are dressed up as pirates. Jasper is Link from Legend of Zelda. Alice thought he would look cute in that costume. Though he did admit that he enjoyed carrying around a sword and shield. He said it reminded him of the Civil War…though I don't know why. They were so gun-friendly back then." I think he was shaking his head. "And I'm dressed as a…." He mumbled something unintelligible. "What are you dressed up as?" He groaned and said, "A vampire." I laughed lightly. That just seemed so Edward.
"What's wrong with vampires? I actually like vampires; a bit more than werewolves, actually." I smiled kindly at him, hoping he could see the truth in my statement. I had actually always loved vampires. There was something mysterious and overall attractive about them that just seemed so amazing. They were like superheroes, in their own way, of course.
The smile in his voice was evident when he spoke. "Is that so? Hmmm, well, maybe being a vampire isn't so bad after all." I blushed again and walked with him out into the crowd of people. The sounds of people moving against each other were getting louder as I walked through the crowd. Edward's hand was on my shoulder, sending light shocks through it. I did my best to ignore the feeling. We made it to what I assumed was a less crowded part of the house and began to talk.
"So, Bella, why don't we continue our game? We each still have five questions each." I nodded and he started off. "Okay, you don't have to answer if this is too personal," I nodded my head and gestured with my hand for him to continue, "but how long exactly have you been blind?" I froze immediately. He must have noticed because he quickly tried to reassure me. "Bella, it's fine. You don't have to tell me. It's fine." The fact that this subject had bothered me for so long was too much. What happened had happened and there was nothing I could do about it. I would have to get over it.
"No, it's fine. I've been blind for a little over a year." It took everything in me to keep myself from tearing up. My throat closed up a bit, making me feel like I was about to start hyperventilating. Fortunately, the white makeup I was wearing was probably keeping me from looking green in the face. When Edward didn't speak, I started to fidget a bit.
"Bella, have you seriously been blind for only a year?" His voice was cautious. What was up with him? "Yeah…it's been a year since the…." I stopped myself from continuing. I couldn't continue. He must have been contemplating what to say next because he took a few minutes to reply. "That's not what I had assumed. It feels like you've been blind for years. You already read in Braille, you seem experienced when it comes to finding your way around. I guess I just assumed that you were much more experienced because of the amount of time you have been blind." I understood what he meant. Most people couldn't learn Braille in a matter of months. Most people took years to learn how to find their way around with only their four senses.
There was an uncomfortable silence between the two of us. It seemed like he was taking in this information slowly, allowing his mind to wrap around it. "I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." I needed to just get a moment to clear my head. His question had brought back memories that I didn't want to remember. My cane stayed safely in front of me, preventing me from running into the costumed dancers. I found my way to the kitchen, hoping to find a less crowded hallway. The upstairs had been blocked off so that no one could get into the rooms and do some unmentionable things, but I knew how to get through. I found my way up the stairs, looking for the closest bathroom. When I finally found it, I stepped inside. Just as I was about to close the door, something blocked it.
"Hello, Bella." The voice was slurred and so familiar. "Mike, is that you?" Before he answered, the door was pushed open all the way, sending me almost flying back into the glass door of the shower. The door was slammed shut again and the lock clicked on the door. "Mike?" Heavy footsteps made their way towards me, going slowly, like a predator hunting his prey.
I felt his breath on my face as he placed his hands on either side of my face, keeping me from moving. It smelled of heavy liquor and made me want to gag. "Bella, I know you want me as much as I want you." His head was leaned forward, causing his breath to spread across my neck, sending shivers down my spine. Suddenly, his mouth was on my neck, kissing and licking sloppily. I placed my hands in his hair, pulling hard in hopes to get him off of me. He just moaned loudly and continued with his business. "Mike, you're drunk. Get off now or I'll scream!" He didn't stop. This all seemed so familiar. The same drunken breath, the same strength, pushing me into a wall. Then I remembered where this déjà vu had come from. The night of the accident….
Instead of stopping, he just tried attacking my mouth with his. I turned my face away quickly. He growled angrily and his fist made it's way to my stomach. I groaned in pain, feeling the air from my lungs whoosh out of me instantly. I fell to the floor, clutching my stomach with my arms. I tried to scream, but I couldn't. His hands went around my neck, pushing my head onto the floor. I felt my mind feel dizzy, making it impossible for me to think clearly.
Why couldn't anyone hear me? Why wasn't anyone coming? And then I realized why. There was an extremely loud party going on downstairs from where Mike had followed me. I hadn't suffered enough after James got hurt, so now I was being punished. Great. Well, now justice was being served. I was getting my just dessert.
I felt my mind suddenly go blank. There was nothing. I had lost consciousness.
EPOV
Bella had gone to the bathroom and I was still contemplating what she had said. She had only been blind one year? It didn't make sense to me. Ever since I had met her, I had done my research. It took some people years just to learn how to live their everyday lives without their sight and here Bella was, living her life completely in less than a year. She amazed me in every single way.
When ten minutes had passed and Bella still hadn't come back, I went looking for her. Assuming she had gone to the upstairs bathroom where she wouldn't be bothered, I ran up the stairs and headed straight for the closest bathroom. Inside, I heard muffled groans and the sound of broken glass crunching on the marble floor. I knocked, but there was no answer. Thinking that maybe Bella had hurt herself, I gripped the doorknob. The door was unlocked when I turned the knob. Inside, there was something that I never wanted to see.
Mike was on top of Bella's body, his mouth connected to her neck where he was kissing her. At first, my vision filled with green jealousy; that is, until I saw that Bella was making no move to return these acts of lust. Her body was still, a large, visible cut on her head, and was being held down by Mike. Immediately, red replaced the green and I rushed towards him. I pulled him off her, pinning him again the hard wall and punched him in the jaw. My hand automatically began to throb, but I didn't care. I kept punching him until I heard a groan from the floor.
Bella was trying to lift her head, wincing as she felt the pain slowly engulf her. I kneeled beside her and pushed her gently back to the floor. "Shh, Bella, don't move. Just hold on." She passed out before I could say anymore. Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open to reveal Emmett.
"Edward-What the hell is going on here?!" I quickly explained to Emmett what had happened and he immediately grabbed Mike and prepared to give him a beating. I had to intervene. "Emmett! Stop, okay! We need to take care of Bella. Go tell Alice to get the First Aid Kit. She knows where it is." He quickly ran off to her while I put pressure on the cut on her head with a towel from the rack. It wasn't deep so it wouldn't need stitches. I did need to be bandaged though. Alice ran in a few seconds later, her eyes in shock from what she saw. She immediately ran over and threw the kit to me, grabbing Bella's hand.
"Bella, I'm so sorry!" Alice had no reason to be sorry. She hadn't done anything wrong. Only Mike was to blame for this. Bella still hadn't moved yet, making Alice worry even more. "Bella, you said you'd be here forever…" Alice murmured quietly, silent tears streaming down her face as she looked at Bella. Alice never cried, whether she was extremely happy or extremely angry, she never cried. This was the first time I had actually seen tears from her.
I quickly began bandaging her head, being careful to make sure that all glass was removed from her wounds. A glass container from the bathroom counter had fallen and she had landed in it, getting clear little shards of glass stuck in the back of her neck. After bandaging that, I checked her over for anything else. Her wrist looked bruised as well as her neck. My teeth gritted together in anger. Mike would pay.
Having lifted Bella off the floor, I quickly took her to my own room. I wanted to watch over her, which I could do so much better in my own room. Alice followed along, trying to clean up the tears that had trailed down her face and on to her costume. Bella's own costume now had blotches of blood on it, but was otherwise unharmed. She truly did look beautiful in it, even in this state. The black, flowered veil in her hair was still on, keeping her hair in place even though she had just been attacked. Her dress flowed down her body, slightly rising up her thigh when I carried her to the room. Still beautiful. She looked so much like Sleeping Beauty; lying peacefully on the bed.
It was all my fault that she had come up here, that she had gotten attacked by Mike. I had made her uncomfortable and hurt her feelings. Now she was hurt and it was my fault. I buried my head in my hands, trying to find a way to make up for my horrible mistake. What felt like hours later, soft groans came from Bella's not-so-lifeless form. Her hand slowly lifted up and fell back down on her head gently. She winced when her hand came in contact with her newly bandaged cut.
I stood and placed an arm on her shoulder, keeping her from moving anymore. The shock that had been going through my entire being every time I touched her came back. "Edward?" she whispered quietly. A thrill went through me when she recognized my touch, but it was short lived due to the visible flinch that shook her body. "Sh, Bella. You're alright. No one is going to hurt you now." Guilt clouded my mind, making me lower my head in shame. A small, slender hand grasped mine, pulling me forward slightly. I looked down to see Bella attempting to sit up, her eyes open, revealing her milky-white veiled eyes. I quickly placed my hand on the small of her back, lifting her carefully so her back rested against the headboard.
She mumbled a thank you and "looked" up at me. That was the thing about Bella. Though she couldn't see you, she would look at you directly when talking to you. "Edward, I'm so sorry! Did you get hurt?" I looked at her, astounded and a bit angry. How dare she be worried about me when she was just attacked!
"Bella, be worried about yourself before you worry about me! I should be asking whether you are okay. When I saw you on that bathroom floor…." I tried to shake away the images of her limp body on the floor, so helpless and fragile. I looked into her eyes to see that they were tearing up, but never did the tears come.
"I'm fine. I just didn't think Mike would do that. Oh no, did Emmett kill him?! He was drunk. He had no idea what he was doing and Emmett could get in huge trouble!" My fists clenched angrily at the mention of Mike, and my teeth ground against each other at the thought of her defending him. "Bella, how could you defend him when he just did that to you?! Are you insane, blind?" I instantly regretted bringing up her condition. Her eyes shut tight and her small hands clenched into tight fists. After shaking her head and relaxing herself, she spoke.
"Technically, I am blind. And just because Mike did that doesn't mean that he should be killed for it. Nobody deserves that…" She trailed off and seemed to be lost in thought. Something seemed off. I desperately wanted to know what she was thinking, but I couldn't bring myself to ask her. I had hurt her enough.
"Bella, you are staying here tonight, okay. I want you to rest. Alice will bring you some clothes if you'd like." She nodded and leaned her head back on the headboard. Her eyes closed and she relaxed visibly. I walked back to the couch and sat down, watching Bella. She must have fallen asleep in the time that I was watching her because a few moments later, her head rolled to the side. I stood and laid her down gently on the bed so she wouldn't hurt her neck. Her hand grasped my shirt as her face scrunched, her brows furrowing. She looked to be in pain. I tried to release myself from her grasp, but she only held on tighter. Quietly, so quiet that I didn't think I had heard her correctly, she mumbled something.
"Edward, don't leave. Please." Her saying my name in her sleep was amazing. The feeling that flowed through me was overwhelming, not allowing me to move backwards. Instead, I slid into the bed with Bella, leaving about a foot of space in between us. As soon as I laid down, she snuggled closer to me, her head on my chest. Her warmth was wonderful. I held her back just as tightly and allowed sleep to overwhelm me.
Okay, so obviously, you all have probably been wondering when and if I died. And if I died, you were wondering where my grave was so you could go and dance on it and curse me for all eternity for not telling you how the story ends. Well, I didn't die and if I did, I would want to be cremated. So you would have to spit in my ashes to actually curse me. Oh well.
And I am eternally sorry that I didn't update sooner. My only excuse is laziness and horrible writer's block.
I must tell you all that updating will get better because school started on Monday and I finally got my T.A (Technology Academy) laptop back. So that means that I have more computer time at school. Plus, all my classes this semester are really easy. Yes, I do love my English class! Mr. Ingram rocks my plain white tube socks!!
And last but not least, I would like to thank Aden101 for the word octopods!! I will be continuing the word challenge. This chapter was just way too important to be fooling around. Now, the next couple chapters are going to be intense. Bella's accident will soon be revealed, though I'm surprised you all haven't figured it out yet. I've done my research, so it is totally possible. Oh, and Edward and Tanya's relationship shall be revealed as well...soon.
This will be taking place soon people. Be patient. And now, please review. I swear, if you review, I will be overjoyed. And I already posted Isabella Marie Swan Volturi for those of you who haven't read it. Please read it. I will be updating on that one soon as well.
Oh and I just recently started a Myspace Bulletin story. It's called Plot Penguin vs. Brain Seal. It's an interesting battle between two arctic animals that somehow made their way into my mind. If you would like to read it, become my friend on Myspace. I finally was able to make it a public profile. Link is on my profile page.
