Bella McLeod
Healer
This is my first Twilight fic, and it is a femlash, featuring Bella and Rosalie as a couple. So, if you don't like, please head somewhere else.
As an introduction, you may want to read "Snape McLeod" since the Bella that trained Tobias there is the same one here, only a decade later. It's not a requirement for you to read it, especially since I will try and untangle things as the story progresses. I altered the timeline to fit my needs, so… she met Snape in 1997, they parted ways in 2000 and it is now 2011, when she moves to Forks with Charlie.
Bare in mind that I do not own Twilight, nor its characters, so if you recognize any of them, THEY'RE NOT MINE. I only own the idea of making Bella Swan part of Clan McLeod.
I also not own the Highlander series, characters and concepts.
Remember to leave your reviews…
Bella McLeod
Chapter 04
Healer
The rest of the week was uneventful. I slowly got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to recognize, even if not name, almost all the students at school. Rosalie however didn't come back to school. Every day, I watched with rapt attention until the rest of the Cullens entered the cafeteria without her. Then I'd sighed and joined in the lunchtime conversation. At the time it centered around a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was putting together. I was invited, and I had agreed to go, I guessed it would be good to go there and make sure how long the land is and routes to get in and out of there, being it Holy Ground and all.
By Friday I was perfectly comfortable entering my Biology class, no longer concerned if Rosalie would be there. For all I knew, she had dropped out of school. And disappointing as that sounded, I tried not to think about that, but I couldn't totally suppress the slight worry that I was somehow responsible for her continued absence, ridiculous as it seemed.
My first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Charlie, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the weekend. I cleaned the house, got ahead on my homework, because what else was there for me to do now that I was pretending to be a student again, and finally wrote both to Clara and Tobias, who refused to use one of those 'annoying muggle contraptions', I'd learnt what Clara had done to Tobias, at least what she claimed she had done, Tobias as a gentleman, refused to say what exactly had happened, so it didn't seem that bad, and then again, Tobias always was a bit overdramatic and she loved messing with other Immortals' heads.
I did drive to the library on Saturday, but it was so poorly stocked that I didn't bother to get a card; I would have to make it a point to visit Seattle soon and find a good bookstore.
People greeted me in the parking lot Monday morning. I didn't know all their names, but I waved back and smiled at everyone. It was colder this morning, but happily not raining. In English, Mike took his accustomed seat by my side. We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights. It was straightforward, very easy, even for those who had not read it through yet. All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. More comfortable than I had ever expected to feel in highschool anyway.
When we walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks, my nose.
"Wow," Mike said. "It's snowing." I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face.
"Oh boy" There went my good day. He looked surprised.
"Don't you like snow?"
"No" I said seriously.
Mike laughed. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. We both turned to see where it came from. I had my suspicions about Eric, who was walking away, his back toward us, in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike apparently had the same notion. He bent over and began scraping together a pile of the white mush.
"I'll see you at lunch, okay?" I kept walking as I spoke. "Once people start throwing wet stuff, I go inside." He just nodded, his eyes on Eric's retreating figure. Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; apparently it was the first snowfall of the year. I kept my mouth shut. Bad memories inevitably came with snowfalls. Two of my most painful deaths so far, one of it actually being my First.
I walked alertly to the cafeteria with Jessica after Spanish. Mush balls were flying everywhere. I kept a binder in my hands, ready to use it as a shield if necessary. Jessica thought I was hilarious, but something in my expression kept her from throwing a snowball at me herself. Mike caught up to us as we walked in the doors, laughing, with ice melting on the spikes in his hair. He and Jessica were talking animatedly about the snow fight as we got in line to buy food. I glanced toward that table in the corner out of habit. And then I froze where I stood. There were five people at that table again.
Jessica pulled on my arm. "Hello? Bella? What do you want?" I looked down.
"What's with Bella?" Mike asked Jessica.
"Nothing," I answered. "I'll just get a soda today." I caught up to the end of the line.
"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asked.
"Actually, I feel a little sick," I said, my eyes still on the floor. I waited for them to get their food, and then followed them to a table, my eyes on my feet. Of all the possible times for her to come back, she had to choose the day I was feeling down. I sipped my soda slowly, my stomach churning. Twice Mike asked, with unnecessary concern, how I was feeling. I told him it was nothing, but I was wondering if I could play it up and escape to the nurse's office for the next hour. I decided to allow myself one glance at the Cullen family's table. None of them were looking this way. I lifted my head a little. They were laughing. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett all had their hair entirely saturated with melting snow. Alice and Rosalie were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else.
I examined Rosalie the most carefully. Her skin seemed less pale, the circles under her eyes much less noticeable. But there was something more. I pondered, staring, trying to isolate the change. She looked lighter somehow.
"Bella, what are you staring at?" Jessica intruded, her eyes following my stare. At that precise moment, Rosalie's eyes flashed over to meet mine.
I held her gaze before slightly nodding her way in way of greeting, then I focused back on Jessica. I was sure, though, in the instant our eyes met, that she didn't look harsh or unfriendly as she had the last time I'd seen her. Less hostile.
"Rosalie Hale is staring at you," Jessica giggled in my ear.
"She doesn't look too angry, does she?" I couldn't help asking.
"No," she said, sounding confused by my question. "Should she be?"
"I don't think she likes me," I said after a moment.
"You do like her, though, am I right? Angela explained me about it and I wasn't sure I believed her" She said knowingly "Anyway, the Cullens don't like anybody so don't take it personally… well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But she's still staring at you."
"Stop looking at her," I hissed. She snickered, but she looked away. I raised my head enough to make sure that she did.
My phone ringing interrupted us then, I picked up the call and walked over to the entrance while Mike went on about an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school he was planning.
"Hey Duncan. Long time" I said at the main door of the cafeteria, not really wanting to get out in the cold.
"It's already been a week. How's my girl doing at school?" he asked amused
"Oh, suddenly I'm your girl again?" I asked smiling softly. "Can I move in with you for a while now?"
"You can't possibly be doing that bad. And, you know you've always been my girl. I've raised you to be the woman you are now… Oh, wait, I don't know if I want to take credit for that"
"Great, thanks Dad. Now you've managed to make me feel a lot crappier"
"What's going on Bella?" He asked now, worry evidence in his voice "Has Clara contacted you?"
"Nothing. Just, the fact that I don't like school and homework and all that stuff. And Clara and I have been communicating by e-mail. You know that, right?" He muttered his acknowledgment. "It snowed today." I added
"You alright?" he asked concerned
"I'm coping. Should be fine. It's just… you know. Gab and me… and me and Clara way back…Anyway, what's up?"
"Nothing, just wanted an update. Charlie says you've not talked to him that much"
"Oh, and what am I supposed to talk to him about? He already knows everything in my past Dad, it's his job after all. And there's not been anything to report to him. And what might be considered important, he already knows. Actually he asked me to stay away from her and her siblings" I said before I could stop myself.
"Wait. You're not mad only because of the weather or Charlie or the school. You're mad because there's someone you actually like there. This is priceless."
"Don't mock me Duncan, please. And I do feel terrible about the snow" I sighed
"Sorry Bella. Anyway, we could come and visit you. Though I don't think we can manage before Clara or Tobias show up"
"They're coming? None has said anything to me"
"Tobias is. I told him about the legends of La Push. And he stated he wanted to learn more about it, so he might go there. And since I know you told Clara where you are, I am pretty sure she is already on her way to meet you, planning whatever mischief she can"
"Well, Tobias should be safe there; it's Holy Ground after all. I might head there in a few days, with a bunch of kids here"
"Bella, I have to go. Some business to take care off."
"Duncan, be safe. Let me know you're fine ok?"
"Absolutely."
Just when I hung up, the bell rang, so I had to head to class.
Once inside the classroom, I saw with relief that my table was still empty. Mr. Banner was walking around the room, distributing one microscope and box of slides to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes, and the room buzzed with conversation. I kept my eyes away from the door, doodling idly on the cover of my notebook. I heard very clearly when the chair next to me moved, but my eyes stayed carefully focused on the pattern I was drawing.
"Hello," she greeted in a quiet, yet musical voice. I looked up, stunned that she was speaking to me. She was sitting as far away from me as the desk allowed, but her chair was angled toward me. Her dazzling face was friendly, open, a slight smile on her flawless lips. But her eyes were careful. "My name is Rosalie Hale," she continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You are Bella."
My mind was spinning with confusion. Had I made up the whole thing? Was this snowy day really messing me up so much? She was perfectly polite now. "So now you want to speak to me?" asked a little annoyed "How do you know my name anyway?"
She laughed a soft, enchanting laugh. "I think everyone knows your name. The whole town's been waiting for you to arrive." I scowled.
"No" I persisted. "I meant, why did you call me Bella?"
She seemed confused. "Do you prefer Isabella?"
"No, I happen to like Bella. I try to use Isabella only on formal settings," I said. Like a challenge for my life, I thought grimly to myself "But I think Charlie, I mean my dad, calls me Isabella behind my back, that's what everyone here seems to know me as," I tried to explain.
"Oh." She let it drop.
Thankfully, Mr. Banner started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the lab we would be doing today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as lab partners, we had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. We weren't supposed to use our books. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right. "Get started," he commanded.
"Want to go first, partner?" Rosalie asked. I looked up to see her smiling making her so beautiful that I could only stare at her like an idiot. Roses indeed I repeated in my mind "Or I could start, if you wish." The smile turned into a smirk; she was probably wondering now if I was mentally competent.
"No," I said "I'll go ahead." I was trying to show off, of course; after all, I'd already done this lab, and I knew what I was looking for. It should be easy to impress her, if I ever managed to get my footing back and stop acting like a moron. I snapped the first slide into place under the microscope and adjusted it quickly to the objective. I studied the slide briefly. My assessment was confident. "Prophase."
"Do you mind if I look?" she asked as I began to remove the slide. Her hand caught mine, to stop me, as she asked. Her fingers were ice-cold, like she'd been holding them in a snowdrift before class. But that wasn't why I jerked my hand away so quickly. When she touched me, it stung my hand as if an electric current had passed through us. "I'm sorry," she muttered, pulling her hand back immediately. However, she continued to reach for the microscope. "Prophase," she agreed after taking a look, writing it neatly in the first space on our worksheet. She swiftly switched out the first slide for the second, and then glanced at it cursorily. "Anaphase," she murmured, writing it down as he spoke.
I kept my voice indifferent. "May I?" She smirked again and pushed the microscope to me. I looked through the eyepiece eagerly, only to be disappointed. Damn it, she was right. Rosalie turned to be a tough cookie to impress. "Slide three?" I held out my hand without looking at her. She handed it to me. I took the most fleeting look I could manage. "Interphase." I passed her the microscope before she could ask for it. She took a swift peek, and then wrote it down. We were finished with the other two slides before anyone else was even close.
I could see Mike and his partner comparing two slides again and again, and another group had their book open under the table. This left me with nothing to do but try to not look at her…unsuccessfully. I glanced up, and she was staring with a curious look at me.
Mr. Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab, and then stared more intently to check the answers.
"So, Rosalie, didn't you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?" Mr. Banner asked.
"Bella," Rosalie corrected automatically. "Actually, she identified three of the five."
Mr. Banner looked at me now; his expression was skeptical. "Have you done this lab before?" he asked. I smiled sheepishly.
"Not with onion root."
"Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"
"Yes." I lied, and as soon as the word was out of my mouth, I could see Rosalie stiffening for a second.
"Well," said Mr. Banner after a moment, "I guess it's good you two are lab partners." He mumbled something else as he walked away. After he left, I began doodling on my notebook again.
"It's too bad the snow's already melting, isn't it?" Rosalie asked. I had the feeling that she was forcing herself to make small talk with me.
"Not really," I answered honestly, instead of pretending to be normal like everyone else.
"You don't like the cold." It wasn't a question.
"Or the wet. At least not of this kind" I answered truthfully
"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live," she mused.
"Right, you have no idea," I muttered darkly. She looked fascinated by what I said, for some reason I couldn't imagine, that made me smile. Her face was such a distraction that I tried not to look at it any more than courtesy absolutely demanded.
"Why did you come here, then?" No one had asked me that, not straight out like she did, demanding.
"It's… complicated."
"I'm all up for complications," she pressed. I paused for a long moment, and then made the mistake of meeting her gaze. Her golden eyes confused me, and I answered without thinking.
"My father fell in love," I said.
"Your father?" She asked clearly confused now
"I mean, mother, Renee. She fell in love with Duncan. And they're of course, moving in together. Not that they hadn't been living together already, but…"
"That doesn't sound so complex," she interrupted my rambling, but she was suddenly frowning. "When did that happen?"
"Officially, last September. I think." My voice sounded sad, even to me.
"And you don't like him," Rosalie surmised, her tone still kind.
"Duncan is great. Too old, maybe, but really nice. I love him"
"Why didn't you stay with them?" I couldn't fathom her interest, but she continued to stare at me with penetrating eyes, as if my life's story was somehow vitally important for her.
"I was going to. But something happened and Duncan thought best for me to stay with Charlie for a while at least" I smiled. "Plus Duncan tends to travel often" I added as an afterthought remembering that was part of the official story.
"And your mother agreed to send you here so that she could travel with him." She said it as an assumption again, not a question. My chin raised a fraction.
"No, she did not send me here. I guess you could say in the end, I sent myself." Her eyebrows knit together.
"I don't understand," she admitted, and she seemed unnecessarily frustrated by that fact. I sighed. Why was I trying to explain this to her? She continued to stare at me with obvious curiosity.
"I have traveled around too. I had moved out a while ago. When I came back, hoping for a nice family time. I learned that Duncan and Renee were planning on moving out. As I said, something happened and I couldn't move with them. Duncan did not think it wise for me to move out by myself so soon after that so he helped me make arrangements for me to move in with Charlie to Forks, where I was borned." I said as truthful as possible without actually saying the truth behind all that. Duncan feared I would fall into depression after losing Gab and being 'forced' to stay away from Clara for a while.
"But now you're unhappy," she pointed out.
"And?" I challenged.
"That doesn't seem fair." She shrugged, but her eyes were still intense. I laughed without humor.
"Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair."
"I believe I have heard that somewhere before," she agreed dryly.
"So that's all," I insisted, wondering why she was still staring at me that way.
Her gaze became appraising. "You put on a good show," she said slowly. "But I bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see." I grimaced at her, "Am I wrong?" I tried to ignore her. "I didn't think so," she murmured smugly.
"Why does it matter to you?" I asked, partially irritated. I kept my eyes away, watching the teacher make his rounds.
"That I am still trying to figure out myself." she muttered, so quietly that I wondered if she was talking to herself. However, after a few seconds of silence, I decided that was the only answer I was going to get. I sighed, scowling at the blackboard. "Am I annoying you?" she asked. She sounded amused.
I glanced at her without thinking… and told the truth again. "Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself. I had this whole speech prepared for you to hear out after how you acted around me on my first day here. Yet here we are. You acting the complete opposite of that, and me saying nothing of what I originally wanted to… I guess my friend Clara and Duncan are right, they always call me an open book." She frowned.
"Actually, I find you very difficult to read." Despite everything that I'd said and she'd guessed, she sounded like she meant it. "But let me assure you, I know when someone's lying to me. And you threw some of those into our conversation. Curious as to why"
"You must be a good reader then," I replied as calmly as I could.
"Usually." She smiled softly.
Mr. Banner called the class to order then, and I turned to listen. I was in disbelief that I'd just explained, sort of, my life to this beautiful girl whom I may or may not like for more than just a shag. Yes, I was looking forward to meeting her and maybe get together, but somehow I lost sight of that and ended up being as truthful as I could while we talked. While Duncan would be proud, I was not sure this had been the smartest way to go about it. She'd seemed engrossed in our conversation, but now I could see, from the corner of my eye, that she was leaning away from me again. I tried to appear attentive as Mr. Banner illustrated, with transparencies on the overhead projector, what I had seen without difficulty through the microscope. When the bell finally rang, Rosalie rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as she had last Monday. And, like last Monday, I stared after her in amazement. Mike skipped quickly to my side and picked up my books for me. I imagined him with a wagging tail.
"That was awful," he groaned. "They all looked exactly the same. You're lucky you had Hale for a partner."
"I didn't have any trouble with it," I said, for some reason stung by his assumption. "I've done the lab before, though," I added before he could get his feelings hurt. Why was I suddenly caring about teenagers and their feelings?
"Hale seemed friendly enough today," he commented as we shrugged into our raincoats.
I tried to sound indifferent. "I wonder what was with her last Monday." I couldn't concentrate on Mike's chatter as we walked to Gym.
When I opened my eyes in the morning, something was different. It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy day in the forest, but it was clearer somehow. I realized there was no fog veiling my window. I jumped up to look outside, and then groaned in horror. A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted the top of my truck, and whitened the road. But that wasn't the worst part. All the rain from yesterday had frozen solid, coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns, and making the driveway a deadly ice slick. Charlie had left for work before I got downstairs. In a few ways, living with Charlie was like having my own place, and I found myself reveling in the aloneness instead of being lonely. Maybe that was Duncan's plan. Giving me some sort of freedom and independency again, while at the same time having someone around in case I needed something or went down any kind of rabbit hole. I think he was trying to prevent another fiasco like my "post-First Dead era". Specially considering the similarities between that and my most recent one where I lost Gab.
I threw down a quick bowl of cereal and some orange juice from the carton. I felt excited to go to school, and that startled me. I knew it wasn't the stimulating learning environment I was anticipating, or seeing my new set of friends. If I was being honest with myself, I knew I was eager to get to school because I would see Rosalie Hale. And that was very, very stupid. I should be avoiding her entirely after Charlie's warning too. After all, one never knows how long I will be able to stay, a few years at most… then again, if things worked out we could do the high school romance and if anything I could end it when we were to go off to college. On the other hand, I was a little suspicious of her; I was still put off by 180 she pulled on her behavior towards me.
It took every ounce of my concentration to make it down the icy brick driveway without falling down. I almost lost my balance when I finally got to the truck, but I managed to cling to the side mirror and save myself. Clearly, today was going to be nightmarish. I thought about skipping school today. It's not as if there was anything for me to actually learn today. But a thought of Rosalie's perfect face had me shutting down that possibility. I did want to see her and talk to her some more.
Driving to school, I decided it would be safer to leave my sword with my coat in the cab of the truck today. It wouldn't be good to have it around with all this kids and all the icy paths out there, besides, in the off case another Immortal came to challenge me, I could always request for it to be away from the student population.
My truck seemed to have no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. I drove very slowly, though, not wanting to carve a path of destruction through Main Street. When I got out of my truck at school, I saw why I'd had so little trouble. Something silver caught my eye, and I walked to the back of the truck, carefully holding the side for support, to examine my tires. There were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around them. Charlie had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on my truck. My throat suddenly felt tight. Charlie's unspoken concern caught me by surprise. Maybe reading all about me in my previous Watchers' journals, was useful in the end. He knew at least how I felt about this weather, even if we hadn't really talked about it.
I was standing by the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the sudden wave of emotion the snow chains had brought on, when I felt the Buzz and at the same time, while trying to locate where it was coming from, I heard an odd sound. It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I looked up, startled. I saw several things simultaneously. The adrenaline rush always seems to make my brain work much faster when I am about to die, so I was able to absorb in clear detail several things at once. Rosalie was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. Her face stood out from a sea of faces, all frozen in the same mask of shock. But of more immediate importance was the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck, and I was standing between them.
"Crap. Not again" I managed to mutter bracing myself for the impact, hoping that at least this time it was fast.
Just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, something hit me, hard, but not from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the icy blacktop, and I felt something solid and cold pinning me to the ground. I was lying on the pavement behind the black car I'd parked next to. But I didn't have a chance to notice anything else, because the van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and, still spinning and sliding, was about to collide with me again. A low growl made me aware that someone was with me. Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of me, and the van shuddered to a stop a foot from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent in the side of the van's body. Then her hands moved so fast they blurred. One was suddenly gripping under the body of the van, and something was dragging me, swinging my legs around like a rag doll's, till they hit the tire of the black car.
A groaning metallic thud hurt my ears, and the van settled, glass popping, onto the asphalt, exactly where, a second ago, my legs had been. It was absolutely silent for one long second before the screaming began. I could hear more than one person shouting my name. But more clearly than all the yelling, I could hear Rosalie's low, frantic voice in my ear.
"Bella? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." My voice sounded strange. I tried to sit up, and realized she was holding me against the side of her body in an iron grasp.
"Be careful," she warned as I struggled. "I think you hit your head pretty hard." I became aware of a throbbing ache centered above my left ear.
"Oh," I said, surprised. "How in the…" I trailed off, trying to clear my head, get my bearings. "How did you get over here so fast?"
"I was standing right next to you, Bella," she said, her tone serious again. I turned to sit up, and this time she let me, releasing her hold around my waist and sliding herself to sit closer to me again. I looked at her concerned, innocent expression and was disoriented again by the force of her golden eyes. And then they found us, a crowd of people with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other, shouting at us.
"Don't move," someone instructed.
"Get Tyler out of the van!" someone else shouted. There was a flurry of activity around us. I tried to get up, but Rosalie's cold hand pushed my shoulder down.
"Just stay put for now."
"But it's cold," I complained. It surprised me when she chuckled under her breath. There was an edge to the sound. "You were over there," I suddenly remembered, and her chuckle stopped short. "You were by your brother's car." Her expression turned hard.
"No, I wasn't."
"I saw you." All around us was chaos. I could hear the gruffer voices of people arriving on the scene. But I obstinately held on to our argument; I was right, and she was going to admit it.
"Bella, I was standing with you, and I pulled you out of the way." She unleashed the full, devastating power of her eyes on me, as if trying to communicate something crucial.
"No." I set my jaw. The gold in her eyes blazed.
"Please, Bella."
"Why?" I demanded.
"Trust me," she pleaded, her soft voice overwhelming. I could hear the sirens now.
"Will you promise to explain everything to me later?"
"Fine," she snapped, abruptly.
"Fine," I repeated angrily, exasperated, by her stubbornness and the Buzz still present. It took six EMTs and two teachers to shift the van far enough away from us to bring the stretchers in. Rosalie vehemently refused hers, and I tried to do the same, but the traitor told them I'd hit my head and probably had a concussion, which I knew by now, that even if I had had one, it would have been completely healed. It looked like the entire school was there, watching soberly as they loaded me in the back of the ambulance.
Rosalie got to ride in the front. It was maddening. To make matters worse, Charlie, Chief Swan, arrived before they could get me safely away.
"Isabella!" he yelled in panic when he recognized me on the stretcher.
"I'm completely fine, Char…Dad," I sighed. "There's nothing wrong with me." He looked pointedly at me and I nodded, as well as I could, to reassure him. He nodded back and turned to the nearest EMT.
I considered the jumble of inexplicable images churning chaotically in my head. When they'd lifted me away from the car, I had seen the deep dent in the black car's bumper, a very distinct dent that fit the contours of Rosalie's shoulders… as if she had braced herself against the car with enough force to damage the metal frame… And then there was her family, looking on from the distance, with expressions that ranged from disapproval to fury but held no hint of concern for their sister's safety.
I tried to think of a logical solution that could explain what I had just seen, a solution that excluded the assumption that I was insane, because not one among my kind was that fast or strong.
Naturally, the ambulance got a police escort to the county hospital. I felt ridiculous the whole time they were unloading me. What made it worse was that Rosalie simply glided through the hospital doors under her own power. I ground my teeth together. At least the Buzz hat stopped now, so it must have been someone near the school grounds.
They put me in the emergency room, a long room with a line of beds separated by pastel-patterned curtains. A nurse put a pressure cuff on my arm and a thermometer under my tongue. Since no one bothered pulling the curtain around to give me some privacy, I decided I wasn't obligated to wear the stupid-looking neck brace anymore. When the nurse walked away, I quickly unfastened the Velcro and threw it under the bed. There was another flurry of hospital personnel, another stretcher brought to the bed next to me. I recognized Tyler Crowley from my Government class beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped tightly around his head. Tyler looked pretty beaten up, but he was staring anxiously at me.
"Bella, I'm so sorry!"
"I'm fine, Tyler… you look awful though, are you all right?" As we spoke, nurses began unwinding his soiled bandages, exposing a myriad of shallow slices all over his forehead and left cheek. He ignored me.
"I thought I was going to kill you! I was going too fast, and I hit the ice wrong…" He winced as one nurse started dabbing at his face.
"Don't worry about it; you missed me."
"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there, and then you were gone…"
"Umm… Rosalie pulled me out of the way." He looked confused.
"Who?"
"Rosalie Hale, she was standing next to me." I didn't sound convincing at all.
"Hale? I didn't see her… wow, it was all so fast, I guess. Is she okay?"
"I think so. She's here somewhere, but they didn't make her use a stretcher." I knew I wasn't crazy. What had happened? There was no way to explain away what I'd seen. They wheeled me away then, to X-ray my head. I told them there was nothing wrong, and turns out I was right, not a concussion, not even a little scratch anywhere. I asked if I could leave, but the nurse said I had to talk to a doctor first. So I was trapped in the ER, waiting, harassed by Tyler's constant apologies and promises to make it up to me. No matter how many times I tried to convince him I was fine, he continued to torment himself. Finally, I closed my eyes and completely ignored him. He kept up a remorseful mumbling.
"Is she sleeping?" a musical voice asked. My eyes flew open. Rosalie was standing at the foot of my bed, smirking. I glared at her. It wasn't easy.
"Hey, Rosalie, I'm really sorry…" Tyler began. Rosalie lifted a hand to stop him.
"No blood, no foul," she said, flashing her brilliant teeth. She moved to sit on the edge of Tyler's bed, facing me. She smirked again. "So, what's the verdict?" she asked me.
"There's nothing wrong with me at all, but they won't let me go," I complained. "How come you aren't strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?"
"It's all about who you know," she answered. "But don't worry, I came to spring you." Then a doctor walked around the corner, and my mouth fell open. He was young, he was blond… and he was way too handsome, more than any movie star I'd ever seen. He was pale, though, and tired-looking, with circles under his eyes. From Charlie's description, this had to be Rosalie's father.
"So, are you Miss Swan?" Dr. Cullen asked me,
"Bella" I told him.
He nodded in acknowledgment "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," I said. He walked to the light board on the wall over my head, and turned it on.
"Your X-rays look good," he said. "Does your head hurt? Rosalie said you hit it pretty hard."
"It's fine," I repeated with a sigh, throwing a quick scowl toward Rosalie. The doctor's cool fingers probed lightly along my skull.
"Tender?" he asked.
"Not really." I'd had worse, much worse. I heard a chuckle, and looked over to see Rosalie's patronizing smile. My eyes narrowed.
"Well, your father is in the waiting room, you can go home with him now. But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."
"Can't I go back to school?" I asked, wanting to go back and discover who was causing the Buzz.
"Maybe you should take it easy today."
I glanced at Rosalie. "Does she get to go to school?"
"Someone has to spread the good news that we survived," Rosalie said smugly.
"Actually," Dr. Cullen corrected, "most of the school seems to be in the waiting room."
I moaned, covering my face with my hands. Dr. Cullen raised his eyebrows. "Do you want to stay?"
"No, no!" I insisted, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and hopping down quickly.
"Take some Tylenol for the pain," he suggested.
"It doesn't hurt," I insisted.
"It sounds like you were extremely lucky," Dr. Cullen said, smiling as he signed my chart with a flourish.
"Lucky Rosalie happened to be standing next to me," I amended with a hard glance at the subject of my statement, who stiffened.
"Oh, well, yes," Dr. Cullen agreed, suddenly occupied with the papers in front of him. Then he looked away, at Tyler, and walked to the next bed. My intuition flickered; the doctor was in on it. "I'm afraid that you'll have to stay with us just a little bit longer," he said to Tyler, and began checking his cuts. As soon as the doctor's back was turned, I moved to Rosalie's side.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I hissed under my breath. She took a step back from me, her jaw suddenly clenched.
"Your father is waiting for you," she said smugly. I glanced at Dr. Cullen and Tyler.
"I'd like to speak with you alone, if you don't mind," I pressed. She glared, and then turned her back and strode down the long room. I nearly had to run to keep up. As soon as we turned the corner into a short hallway, she spun around to face me.
"What do you want?" she asked, sounding annoyed. Her eyes were cold again. Her unfriendliness startled me. My words came out with less severity than I'd intended.
"You owe me an explanation," I reminded her.
"I saved your life, I don't owe you anything." I flinched back from the resentment in her voice.
"You promised."
"Bella, you hit your head, you don't know what you're talking about." Her tone was cutting.
My temper flared now, and I glared defiantly at her. "There's nothing wrong with my head."
She glared back. "What do you want from me, Bella?"
"I want to know the truth," I said. "I want to know why I'm lying for you."
"What do you think happened?" she snapped. It came out in a rush.
"All I know is that you weren't anywhere near me… Tyler didn't see you, either, so don't tell me I hit my head too hard. That van was going to crush us both, and it didn't, and your hands left dents in the side of it, and you left a dent in the other car, and you're not hurt at all, and the van should have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up…" I could hear how crazy it sounded, and I couldn't continue. She was staring at me incredulously. But her face was tense, defensive.
"You think I lifted a van off you?" Her tone questioned my sanity, but it only made me more suspicious. It was like a perfectly delivered line by a skilled actor. I merely nodded once, jaw tight. "Nobody will believe that, you know." Her voice held an edge of derision now.
"I'm not planning to tell anybody." I said each word slowly, carefully controlling my anger. Surprise flitted across her face.
"Then why does it matter?"
"It matters to me," I insisted.
"Can't you just thank me and get over it?"
"Thank you." I waited, fuming and expectant.
"You're not going to let it go, are you?"
"No."
She sighed "In that case… I hope you enjoy disappointment." and then I felt it again, the Buzz.
I tensed up and started to look around, trying to make sure that there was a way out of this situation. I noticed that Rosalie was looking strangely at me.
"I have to leave. Now"
She frowned and I started walking to the opposite direction of where the Buzz was coming, but it was closing in on us. Rosalie was following me closely.
"What is it Bella?" She asked concerned.
I was at a loss of words, I was about to tell her to get out of here when I heard someone call my name.
"BELLA!" I turned around and was faced with my best friend.
"Clara!" I smiled widely at her. "You scared me. Was that you at school?" I asked, forgetting completely that Rosalie was by my side.
.
REVISED A/N(April 2021): Howdy! I seem to be hearing that greeting a lot lately. Feels weird to use it myself. BTW, Happy Birthday to me! Want to leave some reviews and tell me what you think so far? Especially if you are reading this fic for the first time. That would be the perfect gift… just saying.
Anyway, as far as subtle changes go, only a couple of more chapters on this subtle side before going completely out with the changes planned for Bella and Rosalie here… most interactions will remain, just a tad bit different. Hopefully you all still like it.
Original A/N: Okay. Still a lot like the original, I know. However, things are about to start to be a little different from cannon. Just remember that first chapters are to set the story plot and situations, so I decided to use canon for this.
Hope you liked it so far.
I believe next chapter is going to be this same one, but from Rosalie's POV. Not sure yet. What you think? This same one or next part of the story? (either way, with Rosalie's POV)
Also, brace yourself, Rosalie has a power too. Don't worry, is not what the other's have. It is inspired a bit in "Heroes" and Sylar. Though by that I don't mean she is a psycho killer like he is, and she most certainly is not going to be mopping around and Emo like, like Edward.
Both, Rosalie and Bella will have to fight for each other, because well, they're both kind of afraid, not of putting the other at risk and all the I'm dangerous for you stuff, but by the intensity of how they actually feel.
Leave your reviews…
Oh, and if you have a twitter account and are interested, follow me at OriginalHealer