Disclaimer: Invisible people can't own Twilight.
Chapter Five
"No!" Bella says immediately, a little offended that someone would think she was dead – even if it was closer to the truth than was comfortable. After all, wasn't she laying unconscious in her basement with no way of getting back into her body? That was as close to dead as she could possibly get and she had the sinking feeling that she was in a coma – which was, of course, unsettling.
But, still, the fact was that she is living…just not conventionally.
Her offense might have been caused by the fact that she hadn't exactly come to terms with her current situation.
Or the fact that Edward's eyes had very briefly devoured her body – and the fact that he could see her when nobody else could.
As it was - since there was nothing she could do about it right now because Edward could see her and she wasn't dead – Bella felt her offense was well deserved. Besides, confirmed by a quick glance at her body, she looked just fine compared to the body that lay in the basement; not a single contusion or blood speckle, just perfectly pale skin, as apparently her injuries hadn't transferred to her astral body.
"I'm not dead," she says, her voice resolute, drawing Edward's attention away from her legs and the span of pale skin untouched by rain.
He frowns, shaking his head slightly, feeling his body relax – since he'd seen her in his driveway, his heart had been hammering and his entire body felt tense. Convinced that she wasn't dead, though he had yet to receive an explanation for her presence at his house, he could feel his emotions level out.
Edward was very aware of the reputation he had at school; he was a "rebel" just because he didn't like people talking to him for no reason; he was lusted after; he was unattainable. Edward wasn't sure how much of that was true, though, because in the comfort of his own home, he was really kind of lazy and bored a lot of the time – the fights he found himself in were mostly for entertainment, even with his quick temper. Maybe the only truth about his reputation was the general aloofness he displayed.
His frown deepens as he turns away from Bella and grabs his backpack from his car – Edward didn't know why she was here but he did know that she would be disturbing his peace, which was something he wasn't sure he was ready to give up, even for a very attractive girl. When he passes her on the driveway, he keeps his gaze forward, suddenly uncomfortable with the way part of his mind was lusting after his best friend's sister – wasn't there some sort of code about that kind of thing, anyway?
He looks back at Bella when he unlocks the door of his empty house, his brows furrowed.
She wasn't affected by the rain but he would still feel…bad if she was left outside. With a resigned sigh, he lets his eyes catch hers, steel and toffee clashing for the third time that day.
"You coming?"
Bella starts, a quick flinch of her limbs, as he addresses her directly. Her mouth twists into a subtle frown, her arms crossing over her chest.
Edward was inviting her inside.
When she had the idea to come here, she should have thought it out better – there were so many variables that she didn't account for, like Edward being able to see her. She didn't even consider the possibility of him inviting her into his home and now, faced with the invitation, she wasn't sure how to respond.
Edward was Riley's friend, not hers.
It was wrong of her to be at his home – she didn't even fully understand why she had thought to do so in the first place.
She should leave.
She should turn around and go back to her house, try to get into her body again or figure out why she was stuck in her astral form.
Tilting her head down, Bella sighs. Yes, those are things she should do.
But instead of following her better judgment, Bella follows the distinct pull in her gut, prompting her feet to move soundlessly forward.
For some reason, Bella felt like she had to be near Edward; maybe it was the latent ability of her dream walking, the premonitions manifesting in a different way now that she was in her astral body. And it wasn't even a strange consideration because, when she was dream walking, she relied on the same sense to tell her what to do or what to look at or what she should be paying attention to; now that she was indefinitely stuck like this with Edward being the only person to communicate with thus far, it was only logical for her to use that same subtle ability.
So lost in her thoughts, she missed the slight expression of relief of Edward's face as Bella steps under the cover of the porch – for a second, he had feared she would turn down his invitation, though he couldn't imagine why it would affect him so much. Aside from the obvious fact that she was Riley's sister, Edward had never paid Bella that much attention; it wasn't that she was forgettable, it was more like she was above all the drama of high school; she was unflappable and he liked that in a vague way.
Maybe his eyes had been opened up by her courageous – if not bizarre – acts of the day or maybe it was just the fact that today he noticed how many flecks of gold and silver were in her toffee colored eyes. In principle, Edward wasn't one to question everything; he took what life gave him and made the most out of it.
Today, life gave him Bella.
There was no reason why he should ignore that kind of offering; Edward was no fool.
Violent, maybe. Aloof, definitely. Foolish? Not so much.
Oddly, both teenagers are quiet as they step into the house, Edward reaching over to flick on the lights, bathing the small entry and the living room with yellowish light.
Bella is impressed with how clean his home is, especially for a teenager that lives alone. Sure, his black leather couch had stray articles of clothing and a gaming control on it and his floors could use a good sweeping, but Edward's house wasn't filthy. It was new and sparse – simple, with the barest of necessities. From what she could tell, the impressive television was the most extravagant thing in the home and she would bet anything that his freezer held at least three frozen pizzas, probably the same brand Riley liked to buy on the rare weekends that Charlie was called away. The walls were painted a noncommittal taupe, the hardwood floors a pleasant medium tone, and the set of built-in bookshelves filled with various video games, music and…comic books.
Almost as if Edward is following her gaze, the tips of his ears heat up and a surly frown crosses his face; he'd forgotten about the comic books and he wasn't used to being open to ridicule, though he doubted Bella would tease him for his rather extensive collection. He chances a glance in her direction, stunned to see the space next to him empty.
"Bella?"
Her head peeks around the corner, her expression almost bored. "What?"
Edward drops his back pack. "How did you move so fast?"
She hopes he doesn't notice the nervous tick of hers when she reaches up to twirl her short hair around a finger. "You're exceptionally unobservant?" Bella asks, hoping to evade his question.
It doesn't work; Edward throws her a dry look, rolls his eyes, and moves into the kitchen, where he preheats the oven and removes a frozen pizza from his freezer. The way the kitchen is designed gives Edward an unobstructed look into his living room, where Bella is examining his comic book collection with rapt enthusiasm, much to his discomfort.
And yet, despite the fact that she was in his home and the fact that he probably wouldn't figure out why she sought him out, he didn't dislike her presence; he actually felt very comfortable around her, if he ignored the sight of her toned, pale legs.
Setting his dinner in the oven, he clears off the couch. "So, not dead?"
"What?" Bella asks, turning away from his chronologically ordered collection of Batman comics.
Edward's steel eyes clash with her own. "Not dead?"
Bella shakes her head. "Alive." Kind of.
Edward squints at her. She looks real… "Are you sure you're not a ghost?"
"I think I would know," she tells him wryly, still standing in front of his bookshelf.
He nods, crossing his arms over his stomach, fingers tapping against his elbow. "Right. Okay. So, then, what are you doing here?"
Bella shifts uncomfortably. She knew, of course, that she would eventually have to explain why she was there or, at the very least, some of the idiosyncrasies of her astral form, but she didn't know it would be so soon. She eyes Edward warily, noting his relaxed posture and the bland look on his face; to her, it seemed like he was asking just to fill the silence.
But what to tell him? Obviously, telling him about Charlie was out of the question – what could Edward do about that and why would he even care?
Telling him about the astral form was another option and really the only thing she should consider telling him; better yet, divulging that particular information might explain some of her odd behavior from school earlier that day, which was a bonus. She knew people thought she was weird but she did have a legitimate reason for it and, since Edward was asking, she had no reason to keep a secret.
Besides, on the off chance that she could never get into her body, someone should be able to tell Riley and Bree what happened, especially since they couldn't see her themselves.
Bella nods, moving to sit on the opposite side of the couch, her legs folded underneath her bottom, unintentionally enticing Edward with a close-up examination of her skin.
She takes a deep breath, almost unwilling to believe what she was about to do. "I'm a dream walker. And I kind of got stuck outside of my body."
A/N: Yay, got this chapter out too! Finals are this week but the plan is still to update at least two chapters!
Shout out to the first ten reviews of the last chapter –
Night script – Yep, all the "super angst" is pretty much over lol Thank God!
HarbouringLies – Thrilled that you love it!
Brittany86 – Bella might take that hug! Lol
Twilight Rocker 12 – LOL I do have a life next week!
LunaDiSangue85 – I've always thought the concept of dream walking would be cool! Lol Originally, the characters in Psionics were supposed to dream walk but…..that didn't happen .
DoubleFate – LOL I kind of need to focus on both since this ones darker…
Sassy Mami – I'm giving another! And, for the record, Edward is the only one who can mysteriously see her!
Sarah Amin – Yep, his background is a little dark/sad. There's a reason for everything!
Siobhan Whitlock – Sorry! I forget about the triggers so next time, I'll give a warning! My bad!
Super special shout out to the first review of the last chapter – james3142 – Oh Edward ;) He is a clever little badass!
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.
~cupcakeriot