Disclaimer: Invisible people can't own Twilight.
Chapter Eleven
Edward hadn't said a word to Bella since she snuck him back into school, easily evading the teachers wandering the halls, thus ensuring that his wrestling coach wouldn't kick him off the team.
He'd been brooding – silent, glaring, his body stiff.
It wasn't particularly odd behavior for him, he knew that, but it felt weird, because he knew he was brooding for a different reason.
Bella.
The girl he'd never paid much mind to.
He'd always known she was there – she was Riley's little sister, after all – but she wasn't a huge part of his life.
She was out on the wings, fluttering in his peripheral.
And he was furious about it.
How long had she been beaten?
He never thought it was weird that she preferred dark sweaters and hooded sweatshirts, things that covered her overly thin body; the climate of this town in particular was chilly most days, even in the summer. Her attire gave nothing away.
He also never paid attention to how she allowed her hair to hide her face, the short locks framing her delicate cheekbones, her gentle jaw, hair falling over her eyes and forehead – he assumed she just liked her hair that way.
He didn't pay attention to the pain in her toffee eyes, pain that was apparent to him now that he'd finally noticed something was wrong.
Edward never even gave a second thought to her standoffish attitude, the way she avoided everyone, including her siblings – he just didn't think it was too odd. He shamefully thought she was a bitch and he shouldn't have.
If he could, Edward would beat himself up.
He remembered what he'd said about her just the day before and clenches his fists tight.
God, but he was an idiot.
A blind fucking idiot.
Just like everyone else in this school.
He knew, from passing conversation, that Bella was in the top of the class – easily one of the smartest people in the school – and yet, for that accomplishment, nobody bothered to notice her bruises, her odd behavior?
And then there were her siblings – did they know? Did they know and not do anything about it?
He almost couldn't bear the thought.
As he changes in the locker room, quickly pulling on a black ribbed tank-top, his tight athletic black underwear and white basketball shorts, Edward also avoids Riley.
How can he talk to his best friend without blowing up with accusations?
He can't – so he avoids him and everyone else until it's time to spar on the wrestling mats, his mouth guard keeping him quiet as he circles with Riley.
Bella sits in the bleachers, knees pulled up to her chest.
He knew she didn't realize it, but her image was flickering between beaten and healthy, driving Edward mad with the mystery of it.
It made him so angry, so much more angry than he had been in a long time.
His parents had gone through a nasty divorce, the lawyer and the good doctor – the perfect, successful couple splitting up after fifteen years of marriage. It was a horrible ordeal, with custody battles and court hearings and attorneys in his mother's firm throwing ugly words at his father's attorneys. Just that was enough to give any kid some anger issues.
But none of that had been enough.
No, what made it all worse was the fact that it hadn't mattered in the end. While his mother was driving to the last custody hearing, she'd been side-swiped by a drunk driver, the rainy streets of Seattle providing the perfect setting to send her car tumbling, twisting, turning into a semi – she'd died instantly, still technically married to Edward's father.
It wasn't fair.
It made him so angry.
For six months, he got into any fight he could, avoided anger-management classes, acted out, put his father through absolute hell until he was sent to an intensive rehabilitation clinic for kids like him, kids with anger management issues, kids that were natural-born brawlers. And after that clinic, he was sent to this foggy little town, gifted a house and officially out of his father's hair, save for the outrageous monthly allowance that Edward saved for the most part.
Nobody knew that about him.
But he wanted Bella to know.
He wanted to share scars and pain and protect her.
And it seemed like everything was standing in the way.
"Edward, pay attention," Coach says, drawing him from his thoughts. "You need to work on your headlock, it's looking flat today."
Edward nods, silently agreeing that his moves were lackluster.
It was Bella.
She stole all his attention.
That made him mad, too.
Edward takes the opportunity to vent his anger at the entire situation when he spars again with Riley, throwing his body into well-remembered wrestling moves without holding back.
Riley is forced onto his back, his face red from lack of oxygen as he taps the floor, silently begging for an out.
Edward releases him.
Coach claps him on the back. "Take a breather, Edward. You're getting too worked up. This is just practice."
Edward wipes his forehead, sighing, nodding. He takes out his mouthpiece. "I'm okay, Coach. Promise."
He's not.
That doesn't matter.
Coach waves him off, convinced that Edward's head is cool again, and walks off; Riley winces when he stands up.
"You okay, man?"
Edward cuts his eyes to the side.
No, he wasn't okay. He wasn't fucking okay and neither was Bella.
He looks up at her, sitting daintily on the bleachers, hugging her knees, her chin balanced as she looks right back at him.
Her image flickers.
And, before he can even process the thought, Edward is opening his mouth. "Where the fuck is Bella?" he demands, turning back to Riley.
Riley's face pales.
Edward rounds on him, using his few inches of height to loom over his best friend. "You know."
Riley looks away. "I don't know what you're talking about-"
Edward clasps Riley's shoulder, pulling him to the side, just to the side of the bleachers where he'd napped earlier. "I'm not a fucking idiot. Bella really does have the nightmares, doesn't she?" he grits out, tightening his grip on Riley's shoulder. "She saves these fucking people and it doesn't matter, nobody knows. She prevents all this shit and she's rewarded with someone beating her-"
Riley slaps his hand away. "Keep your voice down."
Edward hadn't noticed that he'd gotten loud. He scowls. "Who is hurting her?"
Riley looks away. "Look, man, I can't say-"
"You fucking know and you let it happen-"
"It's more complicated than that-"
"The fuck it is!" Edward hisses. "I should beat your ass for allowing-"
"I've tried to stop it," Riley argues. "I have. I do the best that I can. But I have another sister to protect-"
"That's bullshit and you know it-"
"It's not bullshit-"
"It is! What about Bella? What about her life-"
"One more year and she's safe-"
"And where the fuck is Bella anyway? Her astral what-the-fuck-ever is following me around, giving me nightmares, making me fix shit and now she's flickering-"
"Edward," Riley says tersely, his firm voice cutting off the other teen, his icy blue gaze intense. "Edward, what are you talking about."
Mindlessly, Edward gestures to the bleachers. "Bella," he stresses, "was in my driveway last night, when it was raining, and she wasn't getting wet, like the weather didn't even matter. And now she's passing through car doors and preventing disasters and keeping me up at night. It's been a day and I feel like I'm losing my mind. What the fuck is going on? Do you do that shit, too?"
Riley shakes his head. "You're telling me that my sister's astral body is following you around?"
"Yes!"
Riley's brows furrow. "And you're having her nightmares?"
"Fucking yes, Riley," Edward says harshly. "Who the fuck hurt her? Why is she flickering?"
Riley's gaze seems lost. "You can see her," he murmurs. "You can see her astral body. Edward, we – I mean, Bree and I – we can't even see Bella's astral body. She's invisible like that-"
"She's not invisible to me," Edward claims resolutely.
And then, a soft voice, a feminine whisper. "Edward."
Edward's head turns sharply to the left, his eyes widening when he see's Bella's body flickering, almost fading completely out of sight only to come back full force, modeling bruise after dark bruise.
"Bella-"
"Bella?" Riley repeats, turning his eyes to where Edward is looking.
Nobody is there.
"Edward, something's happening-" she says, her voice wavering, full of static, like a radio falling out of tune.
Edward immediately moves towards her, his hands reaching for the tops of her arms, as if he can hold her to him, protect her – as if he can do something.
His hands pass through air.
"Edward, I-I'm returning to my body. God, it hurts! Edward-"
"Bella!" Edward yells at her fading image, his heart thundering in his chest.
"Edward-"
Edward clutches cold, empty air.
Bella is gone.
Rage and agony thunder through his head, his fists clenching tightly as he turns on Riley.
"Where the fuck is Bella's body?"
A/N: KEEP READING!
~cupcakeriot