AN: Hey guys :) I'm posting earlier than I expected but of course that's always a good thing. Stuff isn't so hectic right now so I'm gonna give you guys another chappie, it's the least I can do for that unintentional hiatus lol

Oh, I also want to clear the air here about some things: 1. Yes, Edward and Bella will most definitely be together, I'm a HEA gal (most of the time). Of course there will be drama, that's inevitable. 2. No, Bella is not an animal.. but she does change and that's all I'm saying for now. 3. People, this is a supernatural and romance fanfic so it will be a little "weird" or "over the top" at times. Like I've said before, there is a reason to all this. And a little insight to everyone: there are some surprise twists in this story that will be new for me but I think you guys will like it. Well, here's chapter 7.

Disclaimer: Twilight Saga belongs to Stephanie Meyer. All characters belong to her as well, I just like playing with them ;).

Chapter 7

I lay awake in my bed, looking at the red numbers on my clock that read 2:17AM. Every day has been the same: get up, shower, go to work, come home, and attempt to go to sleep. Of course I think about her though, I always do. I see bits of her everywhere. Whenever I feel the sun outside on those rare days of sunshine, I think about her warm and soft skin. And I think about her beautiful light brown eyes when I bought my hot chocolate from the hospital cafeteria the other day. This is driving me fucking mad. I sigh, irritated and get up. Since I can't sleep, I'll run. I get on my gear and my iPod, putting in my earbuds as I step outside.

It's still dark out here, it being super early and all but I don't really care right now. The ground is wet due to the nonstop rain but it made the air crisp and cool, causing me to pull my hood up. I start off the steps of my house, Nirvana singing to me as I run, focusing all my energy on running along the trail into the forest. As I run, I think about everything that's happened recently and I think about her, the way she felt in my arms when I held her that night I found her. I think about how her eyes tell so much, so much she never tells me. I feel like I've known her for forever but I barely know anything about her. I feel this strange connection with her, whenever she's around and it feels good. Familiar, actually. Very familiar I can't help but think and I stop myself from going down that road before I know it.

I'm running down the trail that leads to the river that divides my property and the land beyond it. I've grown up near ponds and lakes as a kid and found it nice to live next to it. It reminded me of the times Alice and I use to explore in them, looking at the different types of creatures and insects we could find. As I'm reminiscing, I see a flash of something and stop to turn my music down. No one is usually out here, seeing as my neighbors are miles away from my house. I silently and slowly walk back, taking out my earbuds. I just listen for a moment, not wanting my presence known. And when I do, I hear the most beautiful voice. I peak around the shrubbery along the river, hiding the owner of the beautiful voice and can't believe my eyes. Isabella.

It's her, in all her glory and thank God she had clothes on. There she sat, on the bank of the river in a white dress as if she was made to be there. She was picking the little yellow flowers on the banks as she sang, something I've heard before. I close my eyes and listen closely.

Can you feel me

When I think about you?

With every breath I take

Every minute

No matter what I do

My world is an empty place

Like I've been wandering the desert

For a thousand days

Don't know if it's a mirage

But I always see your face, baby

I'm missing you so much

Can't help it, I'm in love

A day without you is like a year without rain

I need you by my side

Don't know how I'll survive

A day without you is like a year without rain

Whoa, oh, whoa

I still stand there as I take in the song, listening to words and I feel a bunch of different things from it. I feel anger because she feels this way. She must because of all the songs to sing, she sung this one. Talk about mirage all right. If anyone is sad or upset, it should be me. She's the one running away from me. Then I also feel a bit happy because she feels the same way. I'm not the only one feeling like this. I step a bit closer and step on a branch, cursing under my breath as I look up. She does as well, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spy.." was all I could say at the moment. She nods a bit and bites that plump lip of hers. We stare at each other for a bit and I know we have to talk about this thing that keeps happening. Her leaving, this connection, the prophecy but I don't even know where to start.

"So.." I begin nervously. "Where did you go this time?" I wince a bit when I didn't hide the bitterness in my voice. She either didn't notice or chose not to acknowledge it. "I went home." She says simply and quietly. I think I know better but decide to ask anyway.

"Oh, you live-"

"No." She cuts me off.

"Well where do you live?" I ask hesitantly. She looks at me for a bit as if she were going to say something then shakes her head. "I can't tell you." I sigh heavily, looking at her still. I was angry and exasperated.

"Well what can you tell me? Because you seem to always can't tell me anything. Is it even bigger than you being Immortal because whatever it is, I can take it. If we are going to have any type of relationship, it would be nice to know some things about you, you know.."

She sighs a bit, biting her lip as she thinks about something. She gets up from her spot on the bank, coming a bit closer. She looks at me as she speaks quietly but loud enough for me to hear over the rush of the river. "There are some things you won't understand. We are from different worlds and there are just things you must not know, especially right now."

"Why especially right now?" I ask confused. She still looked at me but had a faraway look in her eyes before a look of determination crossed them. "I need to show you something first." She states matter-of-factly.

I nod, ready for her to tell me anything. "Ok, show me." She nods and takes my hand, her warmth creating tingles and sparks as she leads me deeper into the forest. We go up farther, higher where the forest isn't so dark. As we go higher, I see the sun almost making its appearance as it starts to rise. I look at the horizon, searching for whatever it is that she wants to show me. I then feel her hand on my face and I close my eyes because it feels that good. She nudges my face toward her and I open my eyes. Holy fuck.

I gasp a bit, in awe of her beauty. She glows with the sun as if she was born from it. Along with markings that appear as the sunlight shines on her skin. Her body is a work of art as more appear and I notice that they're pictures, like hieroglyphics. I wish I could read them because I wish to see the story they tell. From what I can see, they have appeared in lines that are so delicate and beautiful that they fit her perfectly, like small tattoos. From her neck up to her forehead and I can see them on her legs also. When I look up to her face again, I see her eyes closed tight as if anticipating something. I can't help but reach out and touch her cheek gently and she gasps, opening her eyes abruptly. I pull my hand away, afraid I had done something. "Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't.." She shakes her head, smiling a bit as she took my hand and placed it on her cheek again.

She smiles more at me, saying quietly. "Say something."

I say the first thing I can think to say. "You're beautiful." She looks down and I nudge her chin up gently. "You're beautiful." I say again, wanting her to believe it herself. She blinks a couple of times before whispering. "Thank you."

"Is this why you keep leaving?" Leaving me? I ask her and she nods, her eyes tearing up.

"Aw, baby. Don't cry." I automatically pull her into my arms, holding her as she clung to me tightly. I rub her back as she sniffles into my jacket. She pulls back a bit but doesn't try to move out of our embrace. She looks up at me, looking so small. "This doesn't happen often here, usually when I'm at home. I can control it but only when I'm concentrating. When I'm with you though, my walls come down and I forget all about it sometimes. You make me feel things I've never felt before and it's.. weird. But I like it." She adds quickly.

I nod in agreement and continue to touch her skin as the marks glow. "Are they hieroglyphics?" I ask. She smiles a bit and nods. "Yes." I look at her still as I try to figure out this girl, this enigma of a woman and she just smiles at me with her beautiful smile. She chuckles then, leading me out of the sun and under the shade of the trees. She brings me with her to the ground, still holding onto my hand. "I have hieroglyphics on my skin because it is the language of my ancestors. And the writing is telling stories from them. The story of the others who have lived before me and my own stories, when they connect to them somehow. It's a way to keep a significant memory from ancestors and passing it on to your descendants."

I smiles as she talks to me because this is the most I've ever heard her talk and she's actually sharing something about herself with me, something real and amazing. She smiles at me also, a little smirk curling from the side her lips and I smile more. She chuckles again, breaking me out of my thoughts. "So.. I'm willing to answer your questions but understand I might not be able to answer them fully. I can do my best to tell you as much as I can." She says simply.

"Why?" I can't help but ask.

She smiles but it looks more like a grimace and says quietly. "It's complicated."

"I'm sure I can keep up." I say confidently. She looks at me and I don't dare break contact. She gazes at me as if she can see right through me, into my soul and swallow hard at the thought. And after a while she nods, ageing with my statement. "Yeah, you can."

I smile, felling like a victory was won. Ok, Cullen, get to business. "So does everyone, where you come from, have 'stories', too?"

She shakes her head. "No. Only royal families, like mine, have them. Which is why it is important for me to always be on my guard."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well, some people feel are not keen on us being held in such power, because we look different from everyone else. This is most people's thoughts of how it is and that's not true. We are in power because we earned it. We keep the people safe, fed, and civilized. Just the way people do here."

"So where you're from is like here?"

"In a sense, yes. Of course we are different is some ways but what isn't different when compared to another? Is a red flower not a flower because it is a different color than a yellow one? Is a bird not an animal because it flies, unlike the animals who only walk? We are different, yet the same in some way or another."

I nod in agreement but smile. "So, what are some differences between us?"

She smirks a bit. "Well, I do not eat food."

My eyes widen a bit. "Really?"

She smiles and nods. "Yes. We are capable of eating the food that you eat but it has no nutritional value to us whatsoever. I have only eaten food when it was necessary, like in the company of Humans that I do not know. Then afterwards, I throw it up."

I chuckle a bit. "Gross but ok." She smiles more and nods in agreement.

The doctor in me is fascinated by the details I am given. "So what do you do to obtain energy?"

"I drink a special elixir that gives me energy, just as food and water does for you."

"So is it different for you with an elixir than it is with food? I have to eat at least two to three times a day sometimes."

"An elixir is only really required to be taken once every few days, a week at the most. But you can drink it once a day to keep up your strength."

I nod. "What happens if you don't take it?"

She says quietly. "After the second week, you'll see the changes in skin color. The skin gets pale and clammy and the bones protrude, skeleton-like. Just wasting away. I don't imagine that anyone would want to do that, not to themselves anyway." She had that faraway look in her eyes again, like before but she snaps out of it quickly.

She looks at me as I think of the next question I want to ask her. I know what questions I want to ask her.

What were you doing at the hospital on that night?

What were you doing outside my house that night?

Was that you who was standing there when Alice came over?

But I decide not to bombard her with all of them at once. "Was that you I saw.. when Alice came over?" A look of slight embarrassment crossed her face and she nods. "Yes.. it took me longer than usual to control this.." She gestures to her body, half way in the sun still. I nod, not really knowing what to say next. She then grabs my hands and they tingle yet again. "I'm trying, Edward. I really am." She said softly. I look at her and see that she really is. My heart swells a bit in appreciation at her effort so far.

"Are you still going to keep leaving?" I ask quietly. She shakes her head, smiling a bit. "Not as much as before, now that you know this much about me." I nod and touch her soft cheek again. "Just.. let me know next time, ok?" I say quietly.

"Ok." She nods, nuzzling my hand and for like the millionth time today I smile.

*~*FM*~*

I walk her back toward my house, hand in hand and we talk some more. She asks me about my family and friends. "I was adopted when I was first born so all I know is my parents and my sister, Alice. We grew up right here in Forks." She looks up at me. "What about your parents?" I wince slightly but recover quickly because just thinking about everything involving their death just brings back bad memories. "They passed away a few years ago." I say quietly. She still looked at me, her mouth parted. "I'm sorry." She says quietly. I nod and say quietly. "Me, too."

We walk in silence for a bit before she says anything. "Tell me about Alice?" she asks hopefully. I smile instantly, relieved of the change of subject. "Ally is great. She's my biological sister, my twin actually. She was always the sicklier of the both of us. Something I wish wasn't the case. She's deaf but lives life like every other normal person. But despite her physical differences she is still different, unlike anyone I've ever met. She's sweet and caring but a force to be reckon with. She's determined and strong, even when the chips are down. She's always been there for me and me her."

When I finish, I look at Isabella and she smiles brightly at me and I can't help but smile back. She shakes her head a bit, as if she was shaking a thought of her head. This is one of many moments that I have had with her that I could just glimpse in her mind to see what she was thinking.

"She means a lot to you." She still smiles and I nod. "Yes, she does." She still smiles as we walk before suddenly stopping. She had that look in her eyes again as if she wasn't fully there before turning to me. She opens her mouth before closing it as if she wanted to say something. Realization comes through me as she looks at me with pleading eyes.

"You have to go." I say. She nods, biting her lip. I sigh a bit but nod. "Alright.. well can I see you off?" She thinks for a bit before looking back at me again. "Not this time." I smile a bit, satisfied. At least she didn't say no.

She loops her arms around my neck as I wrap mine around her waist, hugging her tight. I bury my face in her hair, inhaling her scent to remember. Flowers, grass, fresh air, and something that must be her natural scent. I smile when I realize she's doing the same to me, her face in my neck. I pull back a bit, looking at her again before leaning in and kissing her soft lips sweetly. When we both pull away, there is a fierce emotion in her eyes. I already know it's really time for her to go when she starts to let me go. I feel an ache in my chest that I know all too well as I watch her as she starts to walk away, toward the river next to my house. When she gets to the shrubs she looks back at me and waves, smiling sadly before she continues to walk. That's when I think How is she getting 'home'? As I look to see where she went, she's gone in an instant. I hear the rustle of bushes and I run over to where I saw her just a moment ago. When I get to the river bank, there is no one there. Just the bubbles in the middle of the river. I look around for a bit, just confused as fuck. But somehow I know this is how she was getting home. I sigh as I just stare at the bubbles, watching them dissipate by the second.

Damn, I miss her already.

AN: Wow. So took longer than I expected because it was longer than I expected. The longest so far I believe. So woot! Lol Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm confident I explained more about Bella than before and now you understand what she was hiding. I couldn't find any pictures close to what I was happening to Bella's body so I hope I described it to your liking. Also, the 'stories' are really important when it comes to Bella and some other characters in the story so look out for mention of it again. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to PM me and I will most definitely answer them to the best of my ability. Have a wonderful, safe weekend everybody and see ya soon! :D

Song: Love You Like a Love Song by Selena Gomez

Fic Recs

Sear by Rochelle Allison

Breaker Baby by ThisIsReallyHappening

Crossing the Lines by sheviking