*A/N: written by the amazing tellingmelies. We don't own anything but our hearts and our minds.*
Chapter 6
BPOV
I awoke to the sound of a rooster crowing. A Rooster? We don't have a rooster. I slowly opened my eyes, squinting at the incoming sunlight. My eyes fell upon the yellow wall. Where am I? Some thing moved behind me and I froze. Very quietly I rolled over onto my back and stared at the lump next to me. I slowly drew back the comforter and found Alice curled up into a ball, her head tucked into her chest. I smiled at my best friend then felt that smile slip as last nights events came crashing down on me.
Ripping. Breaking. Pushing. Forcing.
Jake.
I bolted upright, eyes frantically searching the room. He wasn't here. He didn't come after me. I looked at the clock that was on the nightstand. 8:27. Oh God, I don't think I fell asleep until after 5. I plopped back down on the pillows; curling to my side desperately hoping sleep would find me again. I laid there for awhile, my eyes squeezed tight, but it never came. I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock. 8:48. Today was not going to be a good day.
With a groan I climbed out of the bed stretching my arms above my head. I felt a slight draft and looked down. I realized I had fallen asleep in the robe that Alice gave me and sometime during the night the ties must have come undone. I gripped the sides and pulled the together tying them while making my way to the bathroom. I closed the door and leaned against the counter. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and cringed. Falling asleep while crying is not a good look. My eyes were red and puffy, my cheeks were streaked with tear stains and clumps of my hair were stuck to them, the rest was sticking out at odd angles. I lifted one hand up to try to smooth it down and that's when I saw it. There was a sprinkling of purplish bruises around my wrist. I looked at my other wrist and found the same purple like a stain against my pale skin. I dropped my arms to my side and stared at my reflection. My shell looked back out at me. I decided to take a shower to make me feel slightly more human.
I went through the motions of starting the shower, undressing, and stepping in. Once the water hit me I felt the weight of everything that happened the night before. I leaned my forehead against the cool tile and let the water fall around me. I didn't even realize that I had begun crying again, the tears mixing with the water as it ran down my face.
I still couldn't wrap my mind around what had happened. Jake had tried to force himself on me. I choked out a sob at the memory. I had never seen him like that. I never thought that Jake would willingly hurt me, yet last night, I couldn't even find him when I looked in his eyes. I shivered even though the water was near scalding. Thank God for Alice. I don't know what I would have done if she weren't here. She listened patiently without interrupting while I told her what happened. I knew she was trying not to jump up and 'kick his brown sugared ass back to Santa Cruz" as she so delicately put it. The whole time I was talking to her I couldn't help the part of me that thought that I wouldn't have been put in this position had we not been here. I had told Alice this but she was quick to tell me that it didn't matter the circumstances, he had no right. I knew she was right. I really did. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I grabbed Alice's body wash and started scrubbing at my skin, at anything I could reach. I scrubbed until my skin was red then threw the loofah down. I watched the water swirl down the drain, taking last night's memories with it.
I would talk to Jake today. I would tell him that it was over. I froze; was I really just thinking that? Yes. Did I mean it? I thought back over our relationship. I had thought it was perfect. I loved him and he loved me. What more did I need? Apparently more. I realized last night that I was with Jake more out of comfort than anything else. He was familiar to me, comfortable. What frightened me the most was that I realized this while talking to Edward.
Edward.
I had never felt more drawn to a person than I did to him. I couldn't even explain it. Everything about me craved him, from my mind to my body and I just met him. I've never felt this strongly about Jake.
Jake, who had been jealous of Edward.
Jake, who came to my room drunk last night.
Jake, who had been thinking more with his lower half than his brain lately.
Jake, who unknowingly had ended our four year relationship last night.
I shut off the shower and stepped out. As I dried off I realized that all my clothes were in my room. Sighing, I slipped Alice's robe back on and walked back into the room. Alice was still a lump on the bed having buried herself under the blankets again. I tiptoed out even though I was pretty sure she could sleep through an earthquake right now. I paused outside my door wondering if Jake was still inside. I couldn't imagine him staying in there, but then again I didn't know how hard I had hit him. Was he still unconscious? What if he's waiting in there for me? What if he's mad? All these scenarios flashed through my mind. Suck it up, Bella. You can do this. Just open the door.
I took a deep breath and swung the door open. It came to a stop with a bang against the wall. Empty. There was no one in the room. I looked over at the bed. The blankets were strewn all over and glass still littered the floor but everything else was untouched. I pushed back the images that were threatening to overtake my vision and made my way to the wardrobe in the corner careful to avoid the glass. I grabbed a pair of jeans, a dark blue t-shirt, a new pair of underwear, and a bra. I quickly threw the clothes on and walked into my bathroom to finish getting ready. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and then threw my hair into a ponytail. I chanced a look in the mirror. My eyes weren't as puffy but my face still had some redness. Not a vast improvement but it would do.
I made my out of the room and back down the hallway. Both Alice's and Quil's doors were closed but I noticed that Jake's was wide open. I paused, not wanting to cross it in anticipation of seeing him. I knew I needed to talk to him, but I didn't know if now was the time. I sucked in a deep breath and all but took a running leap past the door. I didn't look back as I made my way down the stairs. As I walked past the library I couldn't help but smile as I remembered last night with Edward.
Edward.
I still couldn't believe how comfortable he made me feel. I felt more comfortable with him after one night than with Jake after four years. That should have told me something. I pushed open the door to the kitchen and froze. Edward was coming in from the back door with a basket in his hand, his hair glistening with dew, the copper shining in the morning light. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw me.
"Bella." He said in that velvet voice. "I didn't think anyone would be up this early."
I shrugged one shoulder, "What about you? Did you get any sleep?"
"I don't sleep, at all." He said seriously, his eyes staring into mine. I gulped. Then his face softened. "I'm just kidding. I do sleep, just not much. And especially when I have guests."
I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
He walked to the island in the center of the kitchen and set the basket down. I craned my neck trying to get a better view. He caught me trying to look and that sexy smirk played on his mouth. He tilted the basket towards me.
"They're eggs from my chicken coop out back." He nodded towards the back door. "I thought about making omelets once everyone was up, if you'd like."
"That sounds nice." I smiled. "And that explains the rooster I heard this morning."
"Laurent?" he asked, then smiled as I looked at him confused. "He's the rooster." He explained.
"You named the rooster, Laurent?" He nodded. "Why?"
"Why not?" he countered. Good point. "Do you want to see him?" He asked suddenly sounding a little unsure.
"Umm…sure."
His eyes lit up and he walked over to the back door pulling it open then looked back at me. I took a deep breath and walked past him out to into the crisp air. The sun was already up and a slight breeze was blowing through the trees. Edward slid past me and my skin tingled where his arm brushed mine. He walked down the steps, pausing at the bottom.
"This way."
I met him at the bottom of the steps and followed him as he led me deeper into the backyard. We didn't speak but I found that silence with him wasn't awkward; it didn't need to be filled with mindless chatter. I took the time instead to look around the yard. It was huge, nothing like the backyards in California where you barely had room for your dog. We followed a path through some trees where it suddenly opened into a meadow. I gasped. It was beautiful, shaped in a perfect circle lined with trees so it just let in the right amount of light. Off to the right and back a few paces, nestled in between another circle of trees, was the chicken coop. I turned to see Edward staring at me as if waiting for my reaction.
"It's beautiful." I whispered.
He looked around before looking back at me. "It's one of my favorite places out here. Even with the chickens." He added.
"They don't make a lot of noise?"
"Not really." He answered starting to walk towards the coop. "Only in the morning when Laurent sends his call to the world." He paused, looking back. "Was that what woke you?"
I shrugged. "Not really sure. I mean, I heard him when I woke up, but I don't really know if he was the cause. I didn't sleep well last night to begin with."
"Was it the room? The house?" he asked, his voice full of concern.
"No, no, nothing like that." I quickly reassured him. "The room is perfect." Just not what happened in it. I shuddered at the memory, crossing my arms across my body.
He stepped towards me, "Are you all right? You look a little pale." He reached out as if to touch my arm, but stopped right above me and quickly pulled it back.
"It's nothing." I lied looking down, not wanting to drag him into this mess. "Jake and I just kind of…um…got into a fight last night."
"Did he hurt you?" Edward asked, his voice gruff. I looked up and his green eyes blazed back at me.
My eyes widened at his close proximity and the harsh expression that now lined his features. "No, no…nothing like that…" I stammered searching for something to say. The intensity in his eyes was frightening. I took as step back. "I….he…"
"Bella? Edward?"
I spun around quickly catching my toe in root and felt myself falling. I closed my eyes, bracing for the fall when two arms grabbed me around my waist. I opened my eyes and found myself drawn against Edwards chest, my back to him, his arms around me.
"What did I say about being careful?" he whispered in my ear, his warm breath sending goose bumps down my body.
"Sorry." I swallowed, embarrassed by how loud it sounded. I could feel my cheeks getting warm and I knew I was blushing.
"It's Bella, it just comes naturally." I heard Alice say.
I felt my cheeks burn as I glared at her. She returned my glare with a sad smile. Her eyes silently questioning if I was ok. My eyes softened as I gave her a small nod. I watched her walk towards us, she was still dressed in her pajamas but had thrown on her UGG boots. Her eyes shifted from me to Edward then back to me rising slightly. I realized that Edward was still holding me. I straightened back up as he loosened his hold. I stepped away from him and his hands slid slowly down the sides of my arms. I wondered if it was my imagination or was he hesitant to let me go? As his hands fell away from my body I was immediately cold, my body missing the warmth that he provided. I wrapped my arms around my body and turned to Alice.
"What are you doing up?" I asked her. Alice rarely stumbled out of bed before noon if she could help it.
"I thought I heard you sneak out this morning after you used my shower. I couldn't fall asleep after that. You weren't in your room. I looked around downstairs and didn't see anybody, then I saw that the back door was slightly open and I figured someone was out here. I followed the trail when I heard your voices and voila! Alice is here! Oohh, are those chickens?" she squealed walking towards the coop.
"Was there something wrong with your shower?" Edward asked.
I opened my mouth to answer when Alice blurted out, "She slept with me. Jake was an ass."
"Alice." I pleaded.
She turned back to me and shrugged, "What? He was. He had no right to-" I was trying to silence her with my eyes, not wanting Edward to know. "-well, you know, confront you like that in your room." She finished. Edward was looking from me to Alice with a look of confusion on his face. His eyes finally came to rest on me.
"Does this have to do with the fight?" he asked. I slowly nodded.
"Fight, my ass." Alice scoffed.
"Alice." I hissed, throwing my arms up in frustration.
A large wrist wrapped carefully around mine as Edward slowly turned the inside to face him. His face hardened and his grip tightened as he stared down at the bruises.
"Did he do this?" he asked through clenched teeth. His voice was low, threatening. "Bella, did he do this?" he asked again more forcefully, looking up. I couldn't hold back the gasp that slipped from my lips. His eyes were no longer the bright green they had been but were darker, murkier. He didn't seem to notice my reaction; instead he lifted on hand and brushed my collarbone, fingers gliding over the chain of my necklace. The moment his fingers came in contact with the metal he let out a low growl and then he was gone. He moved so quickly that I fell forward from the loss of his weight. Alice was suddenly by my side.
"What the hell?" she shouted, helping me to my feet.
I pushed Alice away and turned towards the house. "He's going after Jake." I began making my way through the trees.
Alice ran up next to me. "Good. Someone needs to knock some sense into him."
"Alice, I don't want this." I exclaimed. "I just want to forget about it."
"Forget about it? Bella! You can't just forget about it." We were both running now. I could see the house and noticed the back door was thrown open. I ignored Alice and ran up the steps and through the kitchen. I made my way to Jake's room with Alice on my heels but when we got there the room was empty. We looked at each other confused. My eyes widened.
"My room."
I followed Alice down the hall to where my door stood open. We both came to stop at the doorway. Edward was standing in the center of the room, his back to us. I could see the muscles in his shoulders tighten with each breath he took. His arms hung loosely at his side, hands clenched into fists. His head was hung down staring at the broken glass at his feet.
I held my breath as he slowly turned around. His lifted his head and met my gaze. His eyes were a burning onyx.
"Where is he?" he asked, his voice trembling as if he had no control. It made the little hairs on the back of my neck rise.
I took a deep breath, "I don't know." I answered quietly. He looked back down at the glass and a tremor ran through his body. "I'm sorry about the glass. I'll clean it up."
He didn't answer, he just knelt down on one knee among the shards. I watched as his eyes raked over the mess almost frantically as if searching for something. He looked from the right to the left then suddenly his head snapped back to the right.
"Blood." He whispered.
Alice sucked in a breath. "Bella?" she asked in a small voice.
I shook my head, "It's not mine." I assured her. "It must be Jake's, from when I…um…" I bit my lip not wanting to remember. Alice ran her hand up my arm soothingly. I turned back to Edward. He was staring at the ground in front of him, his fingers hovering over a shard. His face was set in concentration as if he was struggling with his thoughts. One must have won out because he carefully picked the piece up and laid it on his palm delicately running his pointer finger over it. His eyes widened and he dropped the shard almost as if it burned him. He dropped to both knees and curled over, holding his head in his hands. His shoulders were heaving with the frantic breaths that raked through his body. Then as quickly as it began he was still.
I took a small step towards him. "Edward?"
He held up his right hand, "Just give me a minute, Bella." His voice was hoarse, laced with pain. I couldn't understand. Did he cut himself? I took another step when Alice grabbed my hand and shook her head. I don't know how long we stood there. Alice holding my hand. Me staring at Edwards crumpled form. Edward with his hand up, head down.
I waited. Waited for a sign that he was ok, anything. I didn't know why he was acting like this and it was starting to scare me.
"Edward?"
He lowered his hand and pushed himself off the ground so that he was back to standing. He looked around the room running his hand through his hair. He finally looked up and my heart ached. His beautiful face was twisted in some unknown pain. His eyes were back to green but now they glittered with sadness and confusion. I wanted to run to him. Every inch of my skin ached to touch him. To comfort him. And I had no clue as to what was wrong.
His mouth opened and closed a couple times as if he was trying to find the right words to say.
"Bella--I—I can't" and then he was gone, rushing past us in a blur of copper.
I gaped after him.
"What the hell?" Alice asked, stealing the words from my mind. "Ok, that was weird."
My thoughts exactly.
"Yo, where's the fire?"
We both turned to find Quil stumbling down the hall. His eyes were half closed with sleep and his hair was falling out of the ponytail he had it drawn into. He leaned against the doorframe placing a hand above Alice.
"'Sup, shorty."
Alice rolled her eyes, "Quil."
He stretched his arms above his head and I noticed Alice's eyes watched him carefully. This was an interesting development. I shook my head. I would talk to Alice about that when my mind was in a better place.
"Where's Eddie running off to? Dude almost knocked me over. Didn't say anything either. It was almost like he didn't see me."
Alice and I glanced at each other, neither saying anything. We didn't know what to say to even begin to explain what happened.
"Okay." Quil drawled picking up on the silence. "So, where's Jake? Let's get his ass and get this car shit dealt with."
I felt my body tighten when Jake was mentioned. Alice squeezed my hand.
"He's not with you?" she asked.
Quil shook his head, "No, man. I just woke up. Why would he be with me? If he was with any one he'd be up with his lady."
I squared my shoulders and faced Quil. "Let's just find him. We have a lot to figure out." I pushed past him and headed down the hallway.
Behind me I heard Quil exclaim, "What the hell happened here?"
"Shhh…I'll tell you later." Alice answered quietly.
I shut my eyes and continued walking. I made my way back downstairs. I had no idea where Edward went or why. I knew that it shouldn't bother me, but it did. I wanted to know why he just ran out like that. My only thought was that he was squeamish at the sight of blood. I knew that wasn't it, but nothing else made sense. And his eyes. Green then black. Eyes don't change like that. I stopped in the middle of the foyer and looked around. And where the hell was Jake? Part of me didn't want to find him, wanted him gone and left me free here. The other part knew that I had to talk to him, to finish this.
Quil shot past me, "Jake? Yo, dude, where you at?" he ran into the kitchen returning a few seconds later shaking his head. "Not there. You ok, Bella? For reals?" he stopped in front of me, his eyes full of concern.
"I will be." I answered.
He gave me a smile and wiggled his eyebrows, "Good. Cause you know you're the Snoop to my Dre."
I laughed. He winked at me and pulled me under his arm. We walked down a hallway looking in the rooms as we passed. We reached the last door at the end and Quil pulled it open only to reveal a brick wall.
"What the fuck?" he exclaimed.
"Bella? Quil? Where are you guys?" Alice's voice came drifting faintly through the hall, but not from the way we had just come.
"Alice?" I called back. I leaned my ear to the wall when Alice responded.
"Bella? I can barely hear you."
I looked at Quil. "It sounds like she's in here."
"That's a wall, Bella." Quil pointed out.
"No really Quil? Is that what it is?" I asked sarcastically. "I don't know. She sounds like she's behind this wall." I put my hands flat on the wall and leaned in. I heard a click and the wall shifted back and popped open to reveal another hallway. I jumped back.
"This place is like the fucking Mystery House. I mean, come on!" He sounded exasperated.
"Alice?" I called again.
"Bella?"
"It sounds clearer in here." I said to Quil stepping in. I felt the wall looking for a light switch. "Where's the god damn light?"
"Here let's just use this." Quil grabbed one of the lanterns that adjourned the previous hallway. He lit it up and the hallway flashed orange from the flame. We both walked in slowly. "I don't know about this. This never turns out good for the Scoobies."
"Alice, keep talking." I shouted out. "Come on, Shaggy." I threw over my shoulder at Quil.
"Ummm…k….so you need to get your asses out here because I need to talk to you both right now! This isn't funny!" she prattled on but it was doing its job, her voice becoming clearer with each step we took.
The hall became narrower the further walked down, twisting at odd angles, the ceiling sloping in so that it brushed against the top of Quil's head.
"Damn, there's a reason I hate the Mystery House." He mumbled behind me.
"Shhh…Quil. What the-?" we had reached the end of the hallway but the door that we assumed would be at the end wasn't there, there was just a wall.
"What the fuck?" Quil pushed past me and began running his hands up and down the wall looking for some handle.
"Quil? Where are you? You sound like you're right next to me." Alice's voice came clear as day through wall.
"There's gotta be a latch or something here." Quil muttered.
"Maybe if you push on it like I did?" I suggested.
"Bella? What the hell is going on? Where are you guys?" Alice shrieked.
"Alice, quiet!" I watched as Quil leaned in and put pressure on the center on the wall. I heard the same click I heard before and the wall popped out and slid to the right revealing Alice standing in the main foyer.
"Oh My God." She said shocked. Quil and I stepped out and turning around I realized that we were let out underneath the staircase. "How did you get in there?"
"This place is the fucking Mystery House redux." Quil exclaimed. "One minute we were in a hall, the next we're finding doors with walls behind them and then other walls are moving and secret passages are coming out." Quil was babbling. "How the hell are we supposed to find Jake? There's like thirty rooms here and if there's anymore of those secrets…."
"That's what I came to tell you." Alice interrupted. We both looked at her. "I think Jake left."
"What do you mean he left?" Quil asked. I just stared at her silently.
"Well, why you guys were off exploring the halls down here, I looked around upstairs. I went back into his room and that's when I noticed that all of his stuff is gone. Clothes, suitcase, everything." She looked at me, frustration in her eyes.
I shook my head, wrapping my arms around my waist as Quil ran to the front door. "He wouldn't leave. No, not even after---no, he wouldn't do that." I sputtered.
Quil turned and threw open the front door and ran out. "SHIT!" his piercing cry rang through the house as he stormed back in and slammed the door. "The fucking car is gone!"
My head shot up as Quil paced, "No way. He would never—" his voice trailed off. He turned back to us, "Maybe he just went to get it fixed, probably thinking he'd be back before we all woke up. Yeah, I bet that's what he did. Let's just call him." He reached into his pockets. "Shit, I left it in the car last night."
I looked at Alice, "My batteries dead and I don't have my charger, it's plugged into the car." I sighed. I didn't have a cell phone, never really feeling the need to own one. I was literally kicking myself now.
Quil ran into the study that was across the foyer. Alice and I followed him and found him behind a desk, a phone in his hand. He pushed the buttons a couple of times before throwing it back down.
"It's still dead."
We all looked at each other.
"He'll be back." Quil said, reassuring himself more than anything.
Alice looked at me. "What do we do now?"
I shrugged, "We wait and hope he comes back."
"And if he doesn't?" she asked.
"He will." Quil said from the corner.
Alice and I stared at each other both thinking the same thing. He wasn't coming back.
****
EPOV
I didn't stop running until I was in my room. It got loose. How could it have gotten loose? I slammed the door shut and leaned against it. My chest hurt and I was gasping as if I couldn't get enough air. I slid down the door with my head in my hands.
What have I done?
****
*Homygod, it's gettin' intense!
Here's to hoping that all reviews are like Alice, loving and supportive.*
