Chapter Twenty Eight
Edward's POVI held Ara close, hearing her heart slow from the panicked pace it had been at. Her thoughts had been becoming darker in the past week, more often cycling towards anxiety, to which she always had a physical response. I had done my best to combat it, being there for her when I knew she needed me, but with the frustrating way her brain worked I couldn't always catch her in time. Luckily now I had seen the sharp slam from peace to panic her brain had done, going from the almost sweet tasting thoughts that always seemed to have a slight green haze to them, straight to the cold melancholy and physical agony of memory. When I really stopped and focused on her thoughts I saw how each one had a thread that led through it, like a glittering gold strand, it was always connected in the most bizarre way however. Just now I had watched her go from thinking about the beautiful landscape of Denali, to thinking about name meanings, to thinking about names she loved, to the story of Anastasia Romanov, to the song Once Upon a December, to the peppermint and milk drink mentioned in the movie, to interior design. All without even leaving her initial subject in the car about the meanings behind the names. She always did this, leaving me guessing. Some of her thoughts came and went so quickly I questioned if she was even aware of the blinding speed at which they popped up. Even now her mind toyed with dream concepts as she slipped deeper towards her rem cycle.
While I patrolled her mind, ensuring she slept peacefully, I heard the concerned thoughts of Esme. I do hope she's okay, I wouldn't even need Jasper's gift to feel the terror that had built in her. Esme's eyes flashed back towards Ara's curled figure in the back seat, a sympathetic look overtaking the golden pools of her eyes. I do love to see him so happy with her. It's been too long.
I turned my attention away from Esme's thoughts, hoping to give her a semblance of privacy in her mind, though this meant I was automatically attached to Carlisle's thoughts, where he ran through the possibilities of what Ara's ability could mean. Are humans evolving faster than I thought? He mused to himself as he took another turn, now accelerating the car to a speed that would leave Ara in a tailspin. Should she become a vampire, would she- my growl interrupted his train of thought. I had been barely aware of it escaping my mouth until the sound hit my ears. I'm sorry Edward, I didn't mean I would change her, I was merely running through the possibilities of what she could do if it were to be her desire.
"I don't care, Carlisle. Arabella has made it abundantly clear she has no desire to join me in this damned existence." I spoke through clenched teeth, earning a disapproving look from Esme for my tone. No amount of love for my adoptive parents could make me soften it however, and I continued fourth. "I have every intention of honoring that wish, and I will stand in the way of anyone who thinks otherwise."
"Edward, please." Esme spoke in a softened tone, bringing my attention to the volume I had spoken in. "None of us wish to take Ara's choice from her, surely you must know that."
"I promise, Edward, I was only looking at it from a medically curious perspective." Carlisle stared at me through the rear view mirror, his deep honey eyes boring into mine. After a tense few minutes where Carlisle only partially paid attention to the highway he was flying down. Finally I conceded and returned my gaze to Ara, who had begun to snore softly.
Just studying her peaceful face I took in every detail of it. The freckles danced across her cheekbones and under eyes, her eyebrows a delicate red color, eyelashes matching when she didn't place mascara atop them. If her eyes were open I would see the most complex blue I had come across in my many years, flecked with gold and green directly against her pupil before giving way to deep oceanic and cobalt blues. Her cheeks were full, and held asymmetrical dimples at the slightest smile, her smile being infectious the moment it breaks on her face. The most amusing thing about her face, to me, was that while she slept she almost always had the most serious look etched into the way she held her mouth. It made me realize early on that she didn't have a natural smile, but instead her lips had a slight downturn to them that allowed a heart melting pout while she slept. It nearly made my dead heart shutter at the idea. I placed my chin upon her head, allowing her to nestle in further and give a soft sigh. I never had to worry about her becoming frigid while she slept like this, because oftentimes she would get so hot in the middle of the night she threw her blankets off and woke up woozy. As I peered out the window, feeling the soft breath like fire against my collarbone billowing out from her nostrils, I delved into her mind. When I did this, it was almost as if I slept too, watching her dreams play out the way she did.
The tendrils of Ara's dream were only just starting to grip her mind, but I stayed and watched anyway as it took shape. She was in a forest, the sun glittered through the trees and gave brilliant gold patches to the rich soil on the forest floor. She wore a blue satin ball gown that seemed to remind her of the Cinderella dress. The birds chirped peacefully around her and the sound of music and laughter lilted in from a clearing just beyond the trees. Slowly she walked forward, gathering her dress in her hands as she did so. As she crunched through the brush of the forest floor, no clear trail in sight, she smelled a familiar scent. Lavender and lilac. Without really thinking about it she broke into a run and burst through the tree line, being bathed in the golden rays as she did so. In the middle of the clearing stood two individuals, one glittering much like myself when exposed to sun, who had hair as fire red as Ara, and another older individual who held a wireless radio in one hand while adjusting the long and thick brunette locks with the other. The brunette woman did not seem to notice nor mind the glimmering skin of the obvious vampire, but Ara tensed immediately. "Mom?" Her word broke the laughter and the brunette looked around the redhead. "Oh mom it's been so long!" Ara began to sprint, the front of her dress fully gathered in her arms, but she immediately stopped cold in her tracks when the other individual turned around. Clothed in a plain gray tee and flared dark wash jeans, the individual held a stark difference to Ara. What met Ara was blood red eyes, and her own face. "No." The word left her mouth in a tumble as the red eyed version of her only smiled maliciously. "No it can't happen like this." Her vampiric form lunged at the same time that she released a scream in her kind that shattered the dream like glass. It faded away and was replaced with the image of her sitting in that very clearing, atop a picnic blanket instead. She sat there waiting, before looking to the sky and taking a deep breath. "Edward?" She didn't speak the words, she only thought them. "Can you wake me up when we get to the airport? I don't want to miss the flight." She acknowledged that I wouldn't be able to answer her, then returned to a casual dream state.
I was so taken aback by her casual awareness in the middle of a dream that I snapped out of her mind and found myself staring at the landscape of Washington just outside the window. The conclusion that her nightmare may have woken her just slightly and she had become aware of my presence, settled in my mind. I listened to her heart rate again, it was uneven but calming back down, as was her breath. We rode the rest of the way to the airport in the continued silence, at least I did, Carlisle and Esme murmured a quiet conversation in the front seat. I gave them their desired privacy and dipped back into Ara's mind, where her dreams had taken a more peaceful turn. I did however wish that when I appeared in her dreams I was human, though I knew that was unrealistic.
When we finally pulled into the airport and the entire car was unloaded, I woke Ara. All she had to do was walk onto the plane, we were parked directly on the tarmac anyways. She was always so disoriented when she first woke up, but now seemed to take the cake. An angry line set between her brow as she stretched her shoulders and legs, looking like a pissed off starfish. She sat up right and allowed me to lead her from the car, rubbing her eye and yawning the whole way. After we boarded the plane Ara nestled into my side, earning a chuckle from me. "I thought you didn't want to miss the flight?" I murmured in her ear as the engine kicked up to a dull roar. She looked up at me with a tired smile and simply shrugged her shoulders.
I thought that but now I'm just super tired. Ara responded in her mind.
I laughed, settling my nose and lips against the top of her head and inhaling the sweet scent. She smelled of lilacs and pomegranate overtop of the burning sensation in the back of my throat. It was such an easy burn to ignore, even when she had come into the hospital that first day, broken and bleeding, she remained unappealing to my pallet.
The takeoff for the small business jet was relatively easy, and while Ara had intended on falling back asleep, she sat admiring the view- well what little she could see if it at night- from her window. When I moved my mind to hers and peered through her eyes out of curiosity, I found she could see the glittering snow that was illuminated by the full moon. The far off signs of larger cities twinkling in the night, and the stars overhead. The way Ara's mind automatically started to find words to describe the sights always amused me. She settled on calling the cities Small waterways made of pure light and the snow that covered the February landscape as A dusting of fine white glitter that shimmered of its own volition. The view of the world she had made me find beauty in my own enhanced sight, and I felt it truly made me a better person for it. Too often did I take for granted what my damned existence gave me, but seeing the world through Ara's eyes always made my heart feel as if it would start beating again at any second.
Once the plane began its descent Ara naturally began her timeline countdown. She lined up in her mind that while we were seeing Eleazar four days ahead of schedule, she only had another week until the impending threat would arrive in Forks. As the final procedures were finished on the landing strip and we began to gather our bags and head to the car, I heard Ara's thoughts become more dire. She held fear that even Eleazar wouldn't know what to make of her, and a larger fear that the Denali coven would entirely refuse to help as a result of her human status. She tried to combat the fear with positive thoughts, but none took hold easily, all the meanwhile we loaded up into the next SUV, this one having all terrain capabilities per Alice's insistence. Once she settled into her seat she leaned into my side and stared out the window again, all hints of exhaustion gone from her body as her mind reeled and fought against the cycling thoughts of dread. I draped my arm around her back and rubbed circles in her forearm with my thumb, hoping to bring some comfort to the turbulence that was her mind. Never had I wished so desperately to have Jasper's gift over my own,
But here I sit.
Helpless.