Disclaimer: Invisible people can't own Twilight.
Chapter Nine
Bella jolts, the oddest sensation of being moved even though she was motionless entering her mind; it almost felt like she was being lifted, carried, set down. It couldn't possibly be true, of course – she was sitting with her legs crossed, watching the cartoons Edward left on with a bored expression while he took a shower.
She knew she wasn't moving.
Her stomach drops suddenly – at least, her astral body wasn't moving.
Her real body though…
Fingers twist into black wool as Bella frowns, her shoulders slumping forward. It would be easy to find her body, easy to figure out what was happening, but cold fear was heavy on her chest.
She thought maybe it was best if she stayed in the dark for a little while longer.
She couldn't explain her reasoning, except perhaps to give credit to the abuse and the fact that, for now, she had reasonably escaped that fate.
But Bella wasn't delusional; eventually, she would have to go back, sooner or later.
She had the distinct feeling that it would be sooner.
Bella struggles not to tense up when Edward stalks out of his room, straight into the kitchen to rummage through his refrigerator, pulling out milk and orange juice and then turning to his blender. She watches with interest as he measures out the powder for the protein shake, adding milk and flicking the blender on while he poured a small glass of orange juice, which he drinks while the blender is going.
It seems like this was his everyday breakfast. Odd for someone who ate pizza almost every night, but he was on the wrestling team – this should be expected.
The near-constant frown that had been on his face since he woke up deepens as he transfers the thick protein shake into a tall travel mug. "What?" he snaps, irritated at the feel of her eyes on his neck. It was starting to creep him out, make his skin prickle, make him feel on edge.
Bella stands, averting her eyes, carefully schooling her expression. "Nothing."
One of Edward's large hands waves in her direction, though his eyes don't follow the movement. "Aren't you going back?"
Bella doesn't flinch. "I can't," she says. "I'm still stuck outside of my body. I can't just force myself in."
She feels like she's telling the truth because, despite the fact that she could go back and find her body, wherever it was now, she knew she still wouldn't be able to sink back into it like normal.
Edward sighs heavily, chugging a large portion of his shake. He clears his throat. "So what are you going to do all day? Just sit around my house? Or will you go play ghost somewhere else?"
Bella's brows furrow just the slightest – Edward was reverting back into the asshole she knew and tolerated. The almost sweet man-child from last night had disappeared.
She tried not to be too disappointed.
Instead, she focuses on the gut feeling that lead her astral body around. What would she do today? "I'll just be shadowing you."
Edward scowls briefly before his expression clears. "Great. Whatever. Let's go before I'm late."
The ten minutes it takes to reach the school is full of near-painfully awkward silence; Edward suddenly didn't want Bella around anymore and she felt compelled to be around him.
It was uncomfortable to say the least.
She couldn't help but compare Edward's behavior to Charlie's – why was it that people found her so undesirable? Nobody wanted her around.
It was a struggle to keep that particular pain from showing on her face, so Bella kept her eyes out the window, her mouth tight, her body as compact as she could make it.
She was stupid – she'd let her guard down in front of Edward, let him see a glimpse of the girl she knew she could be in response to the almost-gentle man he appeared to be at his home.
That was a mistake, clearly.
Bella tenses her body as another jolt runs through her – her real body is being moved again, quite quickly from the feel of it. Maybe she would be able to get back in much sooner, because last night she hadn't been able to feel her body at all.
Whatever Charlie had knocked around was apparently healing.
Good, she thinks with as much venom as she can, because I can't stand to be around this ass anymore.
Even she knew she was lying to herself.
Edward's presence, regardless of his asshole behavior, was warm, secure, safe – all feelings that Bella had been denied her entire life. She was addicted to the safety being around him promised and it was torture knowing that he didn't want her around, didn't want to see her or hear her, didn't want to even know her.
Why did fate put her with people who didn't want her?
It hurt, being unwanted all the time.
Edward pulls smoothly into a parking space, cutting the ignition and turning an irritated glare towards Bella, who wouldn't even look at him, which irritated him more, though he couldn't exactly place why. He took a second to study her posture, noting absently that she tried to make herself look as small as possible and suddenly her creamy pale legs didn't look so healthy any more.
It was weird.
Like a flash, Bella's body seemed superimposed over another version of Bella, one that looked beaten and broken and much smaller, almost to the point of being malnourished.
As fast as it happened, the image disappeared but to Edward, it seemed to last forever.
Because that random flash, that quick revealing image, made his stomach sink – the flash looked much more like the Bella he knew before she showed up on her driveway, at least, the weight of the flashed body did. He didn't know what to think about the dark cuts and bruises. He didn't want to think about them.
Bella didn't really explain all that much about the appearance of her astral body, except for the fact that she literally couldn't change what she was wearing.
She didn't indicate that her astral body, a projection of her mind, might be a representative for how she should look.
The Bella he remembered seeing in the flesh the other day was much thinner than the Bella in his car right now.
And it didn't make any sense until Edward thought about the bruises that the flashed image revealed.
What if someone…beat Bella so badly that she…
Edward's mind, sharp and quick, instantly deduced that that's exactly what happened to Bella. She wasn't parting with personal information or how she got like this, but the superimposed flash told Edward much more that Bella ever would.
Somebody beat her so badly, obviously hit part of her head so harshly, that her astral body was literally knocked out of her mind.
His hands tighten on the wheel. Who would do that? She's so fucking small, even like this. I'm at least double her size and maybe triple her weight. She's tiny. Whoever did this was a beast.
And that left the question of who.
Nothing came to mind.
Bella didn't interact with anyone at school, except sometimes Riley and Bree.
Edward wasn't blind though – he saw the looks she sometimes got from the seniors, looks that didn't seem to register to her, looks that she didn't seem to notice.
His eyes cut to his classmates milling about the parking lot – was it one of you?
He could hardly restrain the urge to turn on his car and drive back home, where he was on home territory and could better protect her.
He didn't, of course. He couldn't. How could he explain why he was so rude to her thirty minutes earlier or why he had this sudden, barely restrained urge to protect her.
Like Bella was his.
It was a ridiculous thought, one that sent his heart pounding and made his fingers tighten on the steering wheel.
The first bell rings, the warning bell, calling all students into the school with a shrill tone – and the sudden piercing noise snaps Edward out of his thoughts.
His eyes dart back to Bella – had he imagined that superimposed image?
No. No, he couldn't have.
Right?
He didn't have time to think about it.
Sighing, he releases the steering wheel, abolishing all thoughts of Bella and her issues from his mind. Now was not the time to be thinking about that shit anyway.
He opens his car door, grabs his backpack from the foot of the passenger's side of levels Bella with a steady stare. "I don't care what you do today, but don't distract me, okay? I have wrestling practice today."
As he closes the door, a grimace closes over his face – why did his words feel heavy on his tongue, like he shouldn't be saying shit like that to her?
He waits for a second as Bella literally passes through his car and comes to stand slightly behind him before he stalks towards the school. He tries not to let her meek behavior bother him, but it does. It really does. Where was the entertaining, sarcastic, witty, determined girl from last night? And why was he so irritated, acting like an asshole towards the only girl who had ever inspired feelings in him?
Neither Edward nor Bella notice that Riley's car is missing from the parking lot.
A/N: Well, that's another installment!
If you haven't seen Star Trek: Into Darkness yet, you should. That's an order! Yum, Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine in those butt-hugging pants? So good! I might have a thing for Spock – or maybe it's just a Quinto-obsession – but good Lord! *fans face* Anyway, Star Trek and Spock did inspire a sci-fi fanfiction that is currently plotting itself in my head…. ;)
Shout out to the reviews of the last chapter, because fanfiction messed things up and now I don't know who sent what or when –
boo1414 – Oh, cool! We have the same birthday!
shar76 – Nah, it should be easy enough getting back into her body…I think!
Dinotopian – Ah, since Bella's still a minor, Charlie can take her out of the hospital against doctor's orders and it's still legal!
Flavia Ribeiro – Or does she? Seems like he's figuring her story out!
solidae26 – lol I imagine her body is in a hospital gown by now!
james3142 – Ah, they are still kids. I think they're doing what they can while still being safe themselves. Fear does funny things to people!
Cici G – Ah, what's not up with Charlie, that bastard?
vampyregirl86 – I'll take "unique" to the bank! Lol
Valentine Rain – Yep, my last "teen year" lol
Sparklymagpie – There's obviously something very wrong with Charlie's head…
Sarah Amin – Ah, hate them, love them. They all do the best they can as teenagers!
jterry453 – lol I am writing books, kind of. All this that's on fanfiction is serving as rough drafts!
Nalia-R – Glad I could help!
Debslmac – I did enjoy it! That movie was amazing!
BMSCullen – Or the guilt is getting to him!
Sassy Mami – You should feel special!
LunaDiSangue85 – Lol well they couldn't admit her to the hospital or Charlie would know!
Twilight Rocker 12 – A spiked hammer coated in poison, acid and salt? Remind me not to piss you off!
Siobhan Whitlock – Such good questions that I can't answer!
Savannavansmutsmut – Hmmm, what will happen next?
Krystalwinds1990 – They are fraternal, so Bella looks more like Renee – sucks how that works!
Superspecial shout out to the first review of the last chapter – Thepinktabby – kind of sorry I made you cry!
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.
~cupcakeriot