Disclaimer: Invisible people can't own Twilight.
Chapter Six
Edward blinks twice – a quick movement that was almost unnoticeable but one that properly communicated his shock or disbelief. "Dream walker…?"
Bella's fingers move up to massage her temples. "Yes." She could already tell that this might be a long explanation and, unfortunately for her, the astral form didn't experience tiredness; it was very possible that she could stay seated on the couch for endless hours without sleeping limbs or even a pang of hunger. She felt so disconnected from her body, much more disconnected than when she really was dream walking.
"So, not dead?" Edward asks again.
Bella's eyes shoot up to his, narrowed. "No. I'm not dead."
Edward frowns slightly. "Just making sure."
"My answer isn't going to change." At least, I don't think it will.
Edward leans forward, elbows on knees. "Dream walker," he repeats, casting another look towards Bella. Again, he notices how real she seems but, then again, her weight isn't sinking the cushions of his couch. He almost can't process that distortion.
"Yes."
"How does that work?"
Bella sighs, a hand reaching up to play with her hair, anxiety filtering through her system. Now would be the time to run away and forget about this whole thing – but the pull, the one her astral body recognized, was demanding she stay. At this point, it was beyond her to change what was happening; she could only go along for the ride and hope everything wouldn't fall apart on the way.
"It's something that runs in the family. Riley does it too," she tells him, leaning her head on the back of his couch. "He dreams in black and white, finds himself in major past events. He knows exactly how Lincoln was shot because he was sitting in the booth next to him."
"That's awesome," Edward smiles, and then gestures to Bella. "He does this…not-real-body thing, too?"
"No," Bella frowns. "No, that's just me. It's called an astral body, what you're seeing. Kind of like a projection screen at school, except that instead of projecting images, my mind projects me. Riley and Bree, they just see themselves in dreams. I get to change things, I get to move freely because of my astral body. It's a lot more complicated."
Edward nods, his mind eagerly absorbing all of this information – his brain always worked a bit like a sponge, soaking up knowledge and facts to be easily recalled later. "Like lucid dreaming."
"Sort of," Bella nods, finding herself at ease around Edward, though that wasn't completely odd.
It wasn't like Edward was a stranger – he and Riley hung out around the house all the time, almost every weekend. She didn't spend any time with him, of course, but she knew his favorite soda and how he liked his pizza and she'd always felt a little bit more safe when Edward was at her house. Of course, when company was over, Charlie wasn't home – there was never anyone outside of her family to see how her father treated her and she was under strict orders to make it seem like she and Bree shared a room when people were over.
Even if Edward was the most observant man in the world, he never would have known about her basement bedroom or any of the other things that happened at her home.
Her entire family was good at acting.
"So, this is your astral body?" Edward asks, breaking the silence Bella hadn't noticed. He eyes her legs again, making her shift self-consciously.
She nods, pushing aside the thought that Edward was taking this really well; but, then again, Bella didn't think she'd ever seen Edward over-react. The only thing that phased him in the slightest was the fighting he was famous for and even then, she'd seen the anger drain right out of him after a fight was over, almost as if nothing had ever happened.
It would only make sense that news like this wouldn't cause a massive reaction.
"And for some reason you can't get back in your body?"
"Right," Bella answers, pushing hair behind her ears. "I'm stuck right now, in limbo."
Bella jumps slightly when the timer for Edward's pizza goes off; Edward stands, moving to the kitchen, quickly pulling the pizza out of the oven and sloppily cutting it up, sliding half onto a paper plate and grabbing a Pepsi from his refrigerator. He stops halfway to the living room, raising an inquisitive brow. "Uh, do you want a slice?"
Slowly, Bella shakes her head. "No. I don't feel hunger in this body."
"Isn't that kind of weird? I mean, you see pizza and you smell it, right? But you don't hunger for it."
Bella plays with a strand of hair again. "I don't know. It just doesn't work like that."
Edward nods, taking a disgustingly large bite of pizza; Bella wrinkles her nose a bit, knowing that both Riley and Edward had a horrible habit of eating like beasts. After he swallows, he looks at her with sharp eyes. "Why are you here? Why not go to Riley?"
Almost instantly, Bella stands, completely offended for reasons she can hardly identify. But she is mad that he would ask that – why are you here?
Scowling, Bella wheels on Edward, who had dropped his pizza back on the plate in response to her quick movement. "Look, the only reason I think you can see me is because you're supposed to help me in some way. Help me get unstuck or figure out what I'm supposed to do. That's why I came here, not for any other reason. It's not like I want to be here."
Edward scowls. "Calm down. I didn't mean it like that."
"Then how did you mean it?"
He pushes a hand through his hair. "I didn't mean to offend you, okay? It's just…you don't talk to anyone. You're this enigma, all quiet and glaring and always with your nose stuck in those crossword puzzles. I just can't figure out why you would choose me of all people to go to."
Anger drains out of Bella instantly. "Oh," she says softly, stress apparent in her stiff movements as she collapses back on the couch.
Edward admires how flexible her frame is, her knees easily folding up to her chin, her arms around her legs.
Bella sighs. "Riley and Bree…can't see me."
Edward nods – it makes sense, to a certain extent. Her siblings can't see her, so she would have had to go to the next best option. "What about your dad?"
He notices the way her entire body stiffens, his brow furrowing. What could cause that type of reaction?
"Uh, he wasn't home," Bella says quickly. "Couldn't find him at the station, either. Must have been on a call."
Edward, thankfully, seems to accept her words as fact; meanwhile, Bella's entire mind is scrambling. What if Charlie could see her, too? That would be just the thing to piss him off. He doesn't even know about the astral body.
She hadn't considered that scenario – Charlie never even crossed her mind and he should have. He should have been the first thing she thought of, but he wasn't.
Edward was.
He seems to be thinking as he devours the pizza, white teeth ripping through crust and cheese. She admires the way his jaw flexes as he chews and wonders why she didn't notice before how attractive that part of his body was, so strong and stubborn it could cut glass.
Edward swallows, looking at Bella with intense steel eyes. "Okay. So, you're stuck and nobody but me can see you. And for some reason, I'm supposed to see you, right?"
Bella nods. "Right. In dreams, I usually can identify the most important thing to pay attention to or alter because of this…instinctual pull my astral body feels. Now that I'm astral in the real world, the pull is more definitive and it leads to you."
She might have imagined it, but Edward's cheeks flush the lightest pink. He acts very different in his home than he does at school – more relaxed, not as much of an asshole. Or maybe she only thought he was an asshole because she didn't know him that well.
"Why are you stuck?" Edward asks, breaking through Bella's slightly worrisome thoughts.
She shakes her head. She'd never really been one to assume and yet, she assumed so many things about Edward, so many obviously wrong things.
It made part of her feel bad.
"I'm just stuck," she says resolutely, forcing her mind to focus on the matter at hand; Edward couldn't know about how she got stuck.
Absolutely unmentionable.
Forbidden.
He just couldn't know.
"I fell asleep," she continues, lying easily. She lied so much already about her life, telling Edward this little fib was nothing. "I hadn't gotten good sleep last night because of…uh, Banner, actually-"
"Wait. So you dreamed that?"
"Nightmare," she corrects blandly. "It was a horrible nightmare. But yes, I did know it was going to happen."
Edward is gazing at her with an unreadable expression, somewhere between awe and shock and respect. "So the gun…?"
Bella frowns, pulling her knees closer to her chest. "In the nightmare, it was Angela who asked him about grades. She was the first one dead…and then more than half the class," she shudders, recalling the bloodshed vividly.
Edward is tempted to pull Bella to his chest, hug her, protect her from the images obviously vaulting through her mind.
He forces himself to resist.
"You did something really brave," he tells her. "At the time, I thought it was really odd because you never talk to Banner. But now, I can see what you were trying to do…prevent."
Bella offers him a smile, the corner of her mouth lifting on one side. "Thanks."
"It could have been your life, though."
Bella shrugs. "I've been doing this my whole life. I know how to handle myself."
Edward admires her strength, the nonchalant way she handles herself. He had so much anger in him; if he had been in her place, he just knew that the entire ordeal would have ended violently.
Still, the way she seemed to have no regard for her own safety was worrisome.
Edward wondered, absently taking his plate to the trash, if he would have the time to really know Bella – if he would be able to help her in the way her astral sense thought he could.
Clenching his fingers on the edge of his counter, closing his eyes, he hopes he can.
Something about Bella screamed for his protection.
He would be a fool to refuse her.
A/N: UPDATE ONE OF TWO!
Hello much larger audience! Finals went great so, as a reward, I'm giving you guys a double update. Yay!
Special shout out to the first reviews of the last chapter –
Savannavansmutsmut – Hmm…he did have questions! He's quick on the uptake though!
Dinotopian – Thank you!
Sarah Amin – I like the way you put it! Lol Dream walking is a walk in the park!
Love M Go Blue – Good catch! I would consider her legs toned though, because she is constantly moving around. She might be rather thin, but there is some meat on her bones. I love you a little bit because you keep me on my writing toes! The whole Charlie-Bella-Bree treatment thing will be revealed later….;)
Flavia Ribeiro – Glad you love it!
Merylin – Hmmm, it might be a little slow paced, but it's going to pick up. I have no idea how long this ones going to be!
Valentine Rain – They kinda wanna hug you!
PanteraFenix Negra – Welcome back old friend!
Siobhan Whitlock – I hope I'm keeping you interested!
Wheels2 – His entire past – and why he lives alone – will be revealed in due time!
Dipsydoodle – I think this Edward handles things well!
Debslmac -
Krystalwinds1990 – You know, I wrote his reaction and then I was like…"That wasn't very epic" lol Sorry if I disappoint!
Cici G – Yep, I guess these characters don't beat around the bush lol
Sassy Mami – All will be told in due time!
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.
~cupcakeriot