Authors Note: I have posted several chapters before this, make sure you have read those first. I also post to AO3 first, under the same name.
I ask that no one complains about the small changes I am making to some of the lore. It was odd to me that there were no consequences for vampires forgoing human blood. There is more to come, of course. I am not rewriting Twilight for no reason. Also, for those who might have an issue with my portrayal of Edward; he was a creep in the original, but it was made out to be romantic. He was abusive, manipulative, and scary. Not to forget that he even said that vampires are made to lure in prey. this would mean the manipulation of thoughts and senses. Hence some of what Bella is experiencing.
i
Bella felt like she was suffocating. Her body was aching, and her mind was in panic despite the deep confusion settling over her. Edward was in the driver's seat, not bothering to buckle his seatbelt, and rigidly moved the car out of the parking lot of the school.
Edward hadn't asked what her address was- that's what cleared the fog in her mind. He seemed to be driving determinedly in the opposite direction too. Her instincts told her not to question him, but she couldn't help it.
"Don't you need my address? You're going in the wrong direction," She said, trying to keep her anxiety in her chest and not her throat. She didn't need it creeping out in her voice.
Edward barely glanced at her. His gaze was kept forward, and his facial expression went tight. "I thought perhaps now would be a good opportunity for that date. Perhaps a short walk."
Bella's mind immediately went "Nope! No thank you- absolutely not-" but she didn't have the ability to voice that issue. His facial expression immediately shut out the idea of telling him no. His eyes, the same amber as his sister's, had gone black as if the pupil had blown to the size of his iris. This, along with the deeply etched glower, she knew she was safer saying nothing at all. (Another lesson learned in childhood. A negative answer invited more pain than nothing said at all. Something she wouldn't let any future children think. A 'no' should have always been an option for her).
Bella turned her attention to the passing landscape instead of bothering to respond. It was all a blur- the car was going much faster than it should. Her heart lurched into her throat as he sped around a corner. They were outside of town already; her dread grew even as the fog and his smell began to overwhelm her again. He was going to kill her- she was sure of it.
ii
The car was nestled off the road and against the thick tree line. The silver Volvo would have stuck out more if the sun had been out. With the thick clouds, that had only just stopped dropping rain onto them, the car looked more dull, even against the green landscape.
Edward had gotten out of the car first, coming round to Bella's door to open it and help her out. He ignored the very clear discomfort on her face as she hesitantly took his (very cold) hand.
She hated touching him, and she hated getting out of the car. She was going to die, doing the very thing she had been told to avoid from a young age. ( "Don't get into any car with strangers. Tell someone you trust if someone tries to make you get in with them." Her dad would be so angry when he found out). Her heart fluttered in her chest, and her body began to cold sweat. She was following this hateful stranger into the forest, a barely visible trail behind them. If anyone found her body at all, it would be long after the crime. Her dad and Jacob would be the only ones to suspect Edward.
Bella followed silently, focusing her eyes on the ground, holding back tears that began to creep up. She stumbled over a fallen bench, and cold hands caught her swiftly. Even after he had let her go, walking forward again, she could feel his fingers imprinted on her skin. It was like a frozen brand.
Her dread melted away after that. The dread transformed into a depressing acceptance. She knew that whatever happened next would be awful, and no amount of fear would fix it. If she was lucky, she could beg in just the right way, and make it out alive.
Edward stopped when they made it to a wide-open clearing. The dark clouds were beginning to disperse above them. Bella faltered as she stepped in with him. The trees at least made her feel more secure She had a better chance of running and losing him in there. A better way to hide. Here? He had clear sightlines, and he was definitely faster than her. Her small body would be of no advantage here.
Bella surveyed the meadow a little more, trying to work through her headache and think of a way out of her situation. The whole time she could feel Edwards' eyes on her. He was staring intently, the dangerous look back in his eyes.
She could feel it now; her instincts were screaming at her. Her body was twitching with the effort it took to not break out into a sprint. She finally decided to face her threat head-on; she turned to look at him, not breaking eye contact. If she was to die, she would do it with courage. She had faced terrible things before, all with a brave face, it would not change now.
"Little Singer," He began, his voice velvet. "There is so much to say and do."
The change in tone, and his words, unsettled Bella. Her disorientation washed over her again, and she gave him a puzzled look. ( "What does that even mean?" she thought to herself ).
He gave her one of his wide smiles- all teeth. (Her eyes lingered on the white teeth- the sharpness was irregular). "I was going to kill you, but I think you knew that already."
The blase way in which he said it caused her to waver, taking a single step back. He took it as an invitation to close the space between them. His hand, cold and pale as ever, reach up to her face, cupping her cheek. His touch was gentler than it had been before. "But how am I to kill you? You smell so sweet, Little Singer."
Bella hiccupped a sob as the fear finally overcame her again. The tears rolled down her cheeks, falling along his hand. He tilted his head, removing his hand to stare down at it. His face twitched a bit, and then he licked his fingers.
"Yes, even your tears taste sweet." He gave her a contemplative look, and then took her hand and dragged her to the center of the meadow. "You can feel it. I know you can. I am not like you- no."
Bella could only nod, her breath shaking and her tears still flowing. She wanted to go home. She wanted her dad and Jacob and that stupid diner food her dad used to share with her when she was little. She wanted to enjoy the rain and First Beach and sit in her truck with Jacob. She didn't want to be here, with this monster of a person who took joy in her fear.
Edward shifted, looking up at the sky for a moment before going back to taking in Bella's form. "You know what I am, don't you?"
Bella nodded again. She could remember Jacob's words. He was a Cold One. He was a beast of thirst. It showed in his unnatural beauty and symmetry. It was in the way he moved. It was in the dark looks and the changing eyes. It was in the way he could hurt her without trying.
"I want you to say it before I show you." He grinned, seemingly taking delight in the dry swallow and shaking he caused.
Bella didn't want him to show her. She wanted to go home.
"Vampire. You're a vampire," She said. Bella gripped the bottom of her sweatshirt with her hands, ignoring the lightning strike of pain in her arm.
"Yes, I am." Edwards' eyes went back t the sky, delight taking over them as the clouds parted. A single ray of light came through and struck the hand he had held out.
Bella's shock grew as his hand began to smoke. It was glittering, but it had flames growing on it. Edward took a step back after she had seen it clearly. He watched her reaction keenly.
Her eyes were wide as she looked at him, and then up at the parted clouds. It was real- all of it was real. She was stuck in the middle of the woods with a vampire who was out to get her. he said he had planned to kill her before. What now? What pain did he have planned?
"Normally we do not burn, but that is the price for those of us who do not consume human blood, at least not commonly. Alas, now it is harder to go out into the world anyways." He was right up on her again. Bella shivered at the coldness of his body, and she thought of home again. She needed to make it. She said nothing.
"You are wonderful to smell, Isabella. It is like pure heaven. That is why I cannot kill you. I'd hardly be able to resist your blood once it was spilled. Why waste it, when I can keep you and enjoy it longer?" His voice had shifted to that velvet tone again, and he dipped his head down to her throat. His nose brushed against her, and she sobbed audibly again.
Edward sighed and pulled back from her, breathing in deeply as he did.
"If you want to make it out of this alive, Little Singer, you will tell no one. You are to remain by my side. If you listen and listen well, you and your loved ones will make it out of this ordeal, alive and well," He said. His hand drifted to her hair and he played with it like Alice had just that morning. "You are so beautiful, Isabella. Hopefully, you will come to enjoy my companionship as I will surely enjoy yours."
And with that, he led her back into the woods, and to the car.
Bella wasn't sure if she would have preferred death. There was surely pain to follow this.