Chapter 39

I didn't know what was happening. Fear gripped me as I felt the fire envelop my entire body, and then, with the loudest explosion I had ever heard, I witnessed the flames surge outward with tremendous force. From a distance, I could barely discern Alice's frantic scream of "Bella!" Frozen in shock, I stood still, my senses gradually returning from their overwhelmed state. As the thick smoke slowly began to dissipate, the grim reality unfolded before me – I was encircled by utter destruction.

As the smoke cleared further, I could gradually make out the shocked and awestruck faces of all the Cullens, who stood there in a state of disbelief, their wide eyes fixed on me. I looked down, afraid of what I would find, but saw to my horror that all my clothes had either vaporized or blown away, leaving me standing there completely nude. I quickly lifted one arm to cover my breasts and used my other hand to shield my privates. What the fuck had just happened?

Now that my modesty was intact again, I looked over my body more closely to check for injuries, but I appeared okay somehow. Glancing around, it looked as if a bomb had gone off. The ground directly under me lay scorched black, and much of the driveway around me appeared odd, as if it had started to melt. Gazing behind me, I noticed that Edward's Volvo, which had been near the garage, had been blown against the garage and now rested on its side. The entire side that had faced me, now pointing skyward, was scorched black, and the tires were still on fire. Holy fuck. The garage also displayed damage where the Volvo had collided with it. Turning back to inspect the house, I felt relieved that I had been far enough away not to cause any significant damage, but I did observe that almost all of the windows on the front of the house had shattered. Taking stock of how I felt, I realized that the restless sensation that had caused whatever that was had vanished.

"Hey, guys," I said a little uncertainly. "I bet you don't see an exploding woman every day." I attempted a small, half-hearted laugh, but I couldn't muster the humor to lighten the mood. My recent explosion still had me in mid-freakout. I looked over the Cullens to make sure they were okay. They all had expressions of shock frozen on their faces, but other than that, they looked fine as well. I couldn't help but notice that Edward had his hands covering his privates. I idly wondered if I had just been the first live, naked woman he'd ever gazed upon.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Carlisle inquired with concern, his tone carrying the professionalism of a doctor. "May I approach you now?"

"Yeah, actually, I'm feeling normal again. Still really confused, but I'm alright. That has certainly never happened before. That was insane. I'm glad I ran outside when I did. If I hadn't, who knows what damage would have happened to your home. Ah... sorry about the car, Edward."

As Carlisle reached me, he took a quick glance all around. "Yes, well, the important thing is your health and safety, Bella. Don't worry about anything else. Alice, could you go inside and get some clothes for Bella? I'm sure she doesn't like standing in front of us like she is."

Alice spoke right up. "Sure thing. Hang on, Bella. I have some clothes I bought for you in my room." I watched her zip back into the house.

Carlisle began a cursory examination of my body, mirroring the check I had just conducted to see if there were any injuries resulting from the explosion. His voice carried a sense of astonishment as he spoke, "Amazing, Bella. You don't appear to be injured at all. When you exploded like that, I feared the worst, especially since the explosion seemed to have emanated from within you."

I was calming down quickly, and could finally think rationally again. "I know. The only thing I can think of is that my shield must have protected me. What happened kind of follows a theory I had; that I was constantly building up power, and my abilities were what was letting it out as an outlet. Maybe the power inside me just reached a level where my abilities could no longer work as a conduit to let it out, and it had to escape the only way it could - resulting in the incredible exploding woman. Thank god it happened around you guys and not in front of Charlie or other humans. That one would have been hard to explain away."

Alice zipped back to where she had been standing next to the other Cullens, but now she was holding a neatly folded pile of clothes. Carlisle examined me carefully, perhaps assessing whether it was safe for me to move. He asked, "Do you feel well enough to go in and change?"

I pondered it for a moment and realized I truly felt normal again. "Yes, surprisingly, I feel just fine, and I don't think we'll have a repeat performance anytime soon. Well, at least I hope not." I walked up to Alice and was about to reach out and take the clothes. Then, I remembered I was naked, and it didn't fail to pass my notice that Edward, not to mention Jasper and Emmett, were all staring at me with moon eyes. They really needed better poker faces, or Alice and Rosalie would get pissed off. "Come on, Alice, let's head to your room so I can get changed." As I walked by Edward, I allowed myself a sly glance down at his crotch, which he was still covering, before meeting his gaze again. A mischievous smirk and a wink were my parting gifts as I continued toward Alice's room.

Inside Alice's room, I stopped covering myself and accepted the clothes from her with a grateful smile. As I made my way to the bathroom to get dressed, I heard Alice's voice from the other room, laced with relief and genuine concern.

"I'm so relieved you're okay, Bella," she exclaimed. I could hear the strain in her usually unflappable demeanor. "That was one of the scariest things I've ever witnessed, and trust me, being a vampire, I've seen things. I had no inkling that anything like that was going to happen. Since I don't receive any visions of you or when you're around, it caught me completely off guard. Are you absolutely sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I think I'm fine," I replied while inspecting myself in Alice's full-length bathroom mirror. To my astonishment, I looked perfect; somehow, I wasn't even dirty. I ran my fingers through my hair, checking to see if it was singed, but it appeared unscathed as well. God bless that shield; it saved my ass for sure today.

I quickly got dressed and walked back into her room. Alice's taste in clothes was impeccable, as always. I now had on a pair of snug-fitting jeans and a light blue blouse. The shoes were a tad fancy for everyday use, but they fit. I gave Alice an appreciative smile. "Thanks for the clothes; these look great."

I kept replaying the event in my head, over and over, struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that I had just exploded and caused such destruction. "I really need to get a handle on whatever happened just now. I can't allow it to get so bad that it happens again," I mused, mostly talking to myself, then heard a giant crash coming from outside and looked to Alice questioningly.

"The men just righted Edward's car… It didn't make it," she said with a shrug.

I cringed a little. I knew the Cullens were beyond rich, but I still didn't like that I had caused so much damage to their property. I was aware that Edward could hear me and probably see me through Alice's thoughts. Hmm, I probably shouldn't have been so carefree walking around nude in front of Alice just now. Eh, it didn't really matter; he had already seen everything and more through Angela's thoughts.

"Hey Edward, maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Now you can get a little sportier car... perhaps even get a live naked girl inside it all for yourself." I shot a couple of cheeky winks toward Alice, just in case he was watching us. "Let's head out to the backyard and discuss what just went down. Maybe we can all brainstorm some ways to ensure this never happens again."

We made our way downstairs and headed out through the kitchen's rear door into the backyard. The rest of the Cullens were already gathered there, evidently having overheard Alice and me chatting. I took a seat with them at the picnic table, which they owned for some inexplicable reason, probably for all the barbecuing they did outside.

"Alright, everyone. I assume you heard, let's harness all that vampire brainpower of yours and figure out how we can prevent the 'atomic woman' from making an encore appearance."

We talked for a long time. Initially, Carlisle prompted me to describe in intricate detail all the sensations I had felt before, during, and after the explosion. In return, I asked them to recount what they had witnessed during the blast. Emmett, in his usual rash manner, suggested lighting me on fire to test my newfound fireproof status, but I swiftly vetoed that idea.

Then, Jasper had an intriguing notion: what if I could deliberately replicate the phenomenon? His rationale was that since I appeared unscathed after the explosion, it likely released whatever pent-up energy had been accumulating within me. Thus, by inducing a controlled explosion at a time and place of my choosing, I could potentially keep myself regulated and prevent any future unforeseen accidents like the one today. His theory seemed sound, provided his hypothesis was correct.

All the Cullens moved to the back porch steps as I went and sat down cross-legged in the middle of their backyard, not wanting to cause any harm to them or their house. Emmett, probably just looking for an excuse to spray me with the white foam, kindly fetched the fire extinguisher.

I took on the task, similar to what I had done in the past when attempting to learn a new ability. I closed my eyes and endeavored to recall every sensation I had experienced while expelling the energy during the incident. I sat in deep contemplation, systematically exploring my body with my mind, striving to recreate the events precisely.

Eventually, a sensation akin to what I had felt before the explosion began to emerge. It lacked the urgency of impending detonation, but as I concentrated on it, it took on a malleable quality, reminiscent of how I manipulate my shield ability. My focus was entirely centered on this sensation, and I tried every conceivable method to elicit some form of reaction to my efforts.

Suddenly, I heard Emmett's voice. "What are you doing, Bella? Your body seems to be emitting a faint glow."

I opened my eyes, and damn, that was freaky; it did look like my body had a faint glow to it. I stopped what I was doing with my mind, and the glow stopped. When I started it again, the glow returned.

"It seems to be me. I'm doing something in my head which is causing this. I think it might be a very low-power version of whatever caused that explosion," I explained. I watched my body intently as I repeatedly initiated and halted the glow. I wanted to become familiar with the process; it was oddly enjoyable, like flipping a light switch on and off.

After a while, I decided to try and infuse more power into it. As I did, my body appeared to glow even brighter. I paused for a moment, contemplating my next actions. While I was eager to explore this newfound ability further, a lingering fear of causing another explosion around my body gave me pause. Plus, there was the matter of these brand-new clothes Alice had just given me. Yeah, I certainly didn't want to ruin them.

So, I considered the possibility of directing this power away from my body. With that in mind, I began focusing on the nearby picnic table as my target, employing the same mental technique I used for manipulating objects with my shield. However, this time, I applied the technique to see if I could make an item glow. For a solid ten minutes, I worked at it, but I saw no immediate results. Nevertheless, I remained undeterred, and after more time passed, the center of the picnic table started to emit a faint, ethereal glow.

"Wow, look at that, guys. Bella can make things glow with her mind," Emmett said, smiling as he clearly found this all quite cool. "Can you make me glow, Bella?"

I shook my head; Emmett was far too reckless. "Are you sure about that, Emmett?" I concentrated on the picnic table, attempting to infuse it with more power. I observed in amazement as the glow intensified, growing brighter and brighter. It had now become almost blinding in its brilliance, and I hoped that one last, forceful push would produce the desired results. I wasn't certain how much more power I could summon. I gave it my all in one final surge, and the picnic table exploded in a fiery eruption. Well, shit, I probably should have been focusing on a tree stump. "Sorry, Esme," I called out in a tone tinged with embarrassment. I've got to stop destroying the Cullens' stuff, or I won't be invited back.

Esme surveyed the fiery remains of her picnic table as Emmett hurried over and, at last, managed to employ his fire extinguisher.

"Don't worry about it, dear. We have a replacement in the shed. Vampires tend to break things, especially Emmett, so I've learned to keep duplicates handy."

Emmett had extinguished the fire that had reduced the picnic table to smoldering ruins. A broad grin adorned his face as he admired his handiwork before addressing me.

"Yeah, on second thought, Bella, I don't think I need to glow," he remarked. I nodded in agreement.

I thought over all that had happened, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet. I had to get this power under control and quickly. It would not be safe for me to live in human society if I was a powder keg that could go off at any moment.

"Alright, I think I have a very rudimentary grasp of what happened to me. Hopefully, by incorporating this explosion ability into my practice sessions, I'll learn to control it and avoid any incidents like the one earlier today. I'll be here for another month before I move to California, so that should provide a good opportunity for testing and ensuring that I'm okay."

"That all sounds well thought out, Bella, but please humor me," Carlisle implored, his concern evident in his eyes. "Let me give you a full physical and take some blood samples just to ensure you're alright. It will put my mind at ease."

I had never been a fan of visiting the doctor, and I hadn't since this whole ability thing happened last year, but I could see the logic in Carlisle's request. I knew that when I told Demetri about what happened, he would be very worried, and if I could say Carlisle had given me a clean bill of health as a doctor, it would certainly ease his concerns.

"Okay, Carlisle. I see your point," I acquiesced. "Let's do this now, and then I should probably head back home. How about I return tomorrow for more testing? Don't worry, Esme; I've learned my lesson, and any further experiments will be done far from the house." I saw her smile at me with an encouraging nod.

"Emmett," I added with a grin "I'll even show you a fun new way I learned to use my shield. I didn't get a chance to tell you guys about it earlier. You're going to love it." Emmett rubbed his hands together with a big grin on his face, clearly looking forward to tomorrow. I then followed Carlisle inside, and we made our way up to his office.

A short time later, after Carlisle had finished poking and prodding me, along with sticking me full of holes to get at my blood, Alice drove me back to my house. Before I got out of her car, I turned to her with a grateful smile. "Thanks again for all the help, Alice. This day sure turned out differently than I was expecting. I'll see you tomorrow."

Alice grinned at me. "No problem, Bella. Well, it can definitely be said that you make our lives more interesting. When we relocated to this quiet little town, the last thing we expected was to cross paths with someone like you." Alice leaned over, bumping her shoulder into mine, making me smile even wider. "I couldn't be happier. It's hard to make friends when you have so much to hide. So, do you plan to drive tomorrow, or will you be running again?"

"Oh, I'll probably be running unless it's really pouring out. Hmm, maybe I should take a change of clothes with me, just in case during my tests, we have another occurrence of 'pop goes the Bella,'" I said, watching Alice try to hold in her snickering.

"In any event, let's make sure to find a wide-open spot in the forest. Hey, maybe we can go to that area where we played baseball. I'd really like to let loose with my abilities and make sure it doesn't trigger myself going nuclear. Plus, I think you guys would have fun playing along in such a wide-open space. Don't tell Emmett, but I'll give you a hint at what's to come." I leaned in and whispered, "Walking on air."

"Sounds fun. We'll definitely take a trip to the baseball field," Alice chimed in with enthusiasm. "See you tomorrow, Bella."

I nodded, got out of the car, and waved goodbye as Alice drove off.

Thankfully, I had left my phone inside the Cullen house before I made my mad dash for freedom. My keys, unfortunately, had been lost in the explosion. I went up to the door, and luckily, it was unlocked. Being a Sunday, Charlie was home.

"Hey, Dad," I called as I entered through the front door.

"Hey, Bells. How was your visit with the Cullens?" Charlie, who had been in the kitchen, said, meeting me at the front hall, and we went together into the living room.

"Great, Alice had already told them a lot about our trip, but they wanted to hear my account as well. Plus, the girls all wanted to hear about Demetri. You know, girly stuff."

Charlie grunted. It seems he doesn't want to gab about girly stuff with me. Shocker.

I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing while pondering what had happened. Damn, I really hadn't expected that I was going to blow up like that. After lunch, I gave my mom a call. This was the first time we would be speaking since I got back from my trip.

"Hi, Mom. I'm home," I said, smiling while relaxing in my bed.

"Bella!" I could hear the happiness in my mom's voice. "How was your trip? Tell me all about the places you visited. What were the men like over there? Any intriguing love affairs you'd be willing to share?"

I grinned; I had missed talking to my mom. "Well, I don't know if I want to share everything, but how about I tell you the big news first? You were actually pretty close just now. While I was in Italy, I met up with Demetri again. We've actually been staying in touch this past year. Well, one thing led to another, and we're going to give a long-distance relationship a go, mom."

"Oh, Bella," my mom exclaimed, joy evident in her voice. "I'm absolutely thrilled to hear that. You know, I had a feeling about you two when I met him. He couldn't take his eyes off of you. Please, tell me everything!"

"Okay, okay, but I was thinking. I'm going to arrive at my campus a few weeks before classes start in order to get settled. I was hoping you might be able to visit me for a few days. We haven't seen each other in a year, and I'd really like to spend some time with you before the craziness of college starts."

"That's a great idea. Of course, I can come for a few days. I'd love to see you, honey. Okay, now back to that hunky man you landed. Tell me all about it." Smiling, I kicked off my shoes, getting comfortable for what was sure to be a long conversation with my mom.

Later on in the night, I received the call I had been waiting for. I closed my bedroom door for the privacy I needed and answered, hopping onto my bed.

"Bella," just hearing Demetri's sexy voice sent my heart racing with a mixture of excitement, desire, and longing.

"Hi, I've missed you. Did you make it back to the castle smoothly?"

"Of course. I know it's only been a day, but I'd really like to see you. Any chance we could chat on the computer? I have mine all set up." He sounded so hopeful, and the anticipation in his voice matched my own excitement.

"Sure, my laptop is on too," I replied eagerly. "I was thinking the same thing. I'll turn on the video chat right now. See you in a sec."

I placed my phone down, excitement bubbling within me. Snatching up my trusty laptop from beside me, I rested it on my lap and promptly fired up the video chat software. The anticipation was building as Demetri's smiling face soon filled my screen. I couldn't help but grin in response. After the day I had endured, seeing him was a welcomed respite.

I picked up my phone and playfully quipped, "Later," before hanging up. Then, I turned my attention back to the screen and chuckled, "What do you know, it's later."

Demetri laughed. "So, how are you? Did you have a nice day relaxing after all your globe-trotting?"

How do you tell someone that their significant other exploded? Someone needs to write a book for shit like this. I'll just have to wing it. "Well, I certainly tried to have a relaxing day, but it didn't quite go as planned. Now, I want to preface this by saying I'm completely fine, as you can see, but I did have an incident earlier."

"What happened?" I could hear the worry in Demetri's voice and see it on his face. It already looked like he was getting ready to bolt and fly right back to me.

"Well, I was at the Cullen house, actually hyping you guys up when I started feeling restless again. Unfortunately, unlike before, the feeling didn't go away but got stronger and stronger, and, well... I don't really know how to explain it other than I exploded."

"What! Bella, do you need me to come to you? Please explain yourself," Demetri's voice crackled with concern, and I could sense the urgency in his words. Shit.

"Well, my shield completely protected me, so I'm fine. But, let's just say the Cullens were lucky I ran outside when I did. I'm pretty sure their house would be gone now if I hadn't. So, please relax, and I'll explain everything in more detail. But first, let me say that after the incident, I felt completely normal again. In fact, I spent some time working on this new ability, if one can call it that, and I can actually replicate it. I'm quite sure this will let me control it in the future so it never happens unexpectedly like that again. It's a good thing, Demetri. Now, let me start from the beginning, and I'll tell you everything."

We spoke for hours, and thankfully, after a good while, I managed to calm Demetri down. As our conversation eased into a more relaxed tone, I was even able to draw out some playful remarks from him. It became clear that he would be okay.

Knowing this, I then shared with him the new way I had used my shield before the incident, and he responded with 'oohs' and 'aahs' at all the right moments. Our conversation was just what I needed after a stressful day, and by the time sleep called, we were able to exchange words of love, allowing me to drift off peacefully.

Let me know your thoughts. Next chapter Bella starts college!