Chapter Thirty Two
I was trapped, and the scream wouldn't rise in my throat, the tears stinging my eyes as I kicked fruitlessly against the immovable force. "Edward!" I screamed finally as my lungs flooded with air. My face was hot and red, my ears rang, and my lungs pricked with pain on every inhale. Finally, it stopped, Edward had stopped tickling me. It was my own fault I had gotten into the situation, I had been teasing him mentally the entire drive back to Forks from the airport. Now we sat in my room, I had abandoned the act of unpacking just moments before he had launched himself across the room. My father wasn't home, he was away at work with Maddie, and I wasn't set to meet Gi for another two hours. This combination of details had led to this brutal attack launched by Edward. The air around us seemed to glow, his hand was still on my side as we laid on the window seat, the mid afternoon light filtering through the dense blanket of clouds.
"Do you concede?" He asked, his face barely a foot from mine, his eyebrows raised in a playful challenge. I studied his face, enamored by it being so close to me. His eyes had deepened into a warm amber, I found myself lost in them for just a moment as they held my own gaze. I felt the cold velvet touch of his fingers against the nape of my neck. Something about it all made me aware of how in deep I was with this man. I also realized that he was as lost in my eyes as I was in his, and that he wasn't paying much attention to the gears that were turning in my head. I started moving slowly, not enough for him to really register in the moment.
"I don't know," closer, "do I?" Closer.
"I would say it was in your best interest." His words were quite, drawn out, like it took an actual effort to say, but I moved closer nonetheless.
"Oh, so you are an expert on the best interest of humans now?" Closer yet again.
"I did study the medical sciences, you know." A coy smile played on his lips, he was still staring unblinking into my eyes, and I took the jump. I closed the last bit of distance, leaving only an inch between his lips and mine. Our nose's bumping softly.
"In what? The sixties when lead paint was still widely used?" My breath mingled with his deliciously at this distance.
"Ara," Edward's voice was caught between a whisper and a groan.
"I'll never concede." When he didn't pull away immediately I took that as a green light and moved forward, just brushing my lips against his, letting him take the final move forward. Edward. Kiss me. I knew that I would grab his attention more by thinking his name first, and I was right. His breath hitched, his fingers tangled in my hair, and his face closed the barely discernible distance between kissing and not. The exchange was intoxicating, and I realized how much I wanted to kiss him more. I was undoubtedly trapped by the feeling.
He broke back from my lips after a moment, a small laugh breaking his silence. "Only you would successfully sneak up on a vampire."
My head was swimming with euphoria, but that wouldn't stop my teasing for even a moment. "A mentalist vampire nonetheless." I tipped my chin towards him, brushing my lips against his once again. "Now what's the hold up buddy? Get back over here." My voice was barely a whisper, not even the strongest ears could have heard me across the room, human ears that is.
"Yes ma'am." He chuckled again, his voice taking on an almost husky tone to it. My hands found their way into his hair, twining themselves gently into the bronze locks. When he brought his lips down to me, my euphoria continued again. No struggle that would come in the following week would break the feeling I had now. This was what so many of the greats had written about, why Romeo would kill himself for Juliet, and then Juliet herself for him. This feeling was what drove Elizabeth and Darcy to marry, what consumed Cathrine alive for not allowing herself to love Heathcliff. Suddenly all the sappy romances made sense, and I knew my twelve year old self would find me disgusting for the thought. The image of twelve year old me sitting on my bed staring at my current self in disapproval made me laugh against Edward's lips, my cheeks reddening, and the grip on his hair loosening as I jostled with laughter.
Before Edward could break the kiss however, I regained my composure and allowed the kiss to deepen. Allowing myself to be all consumed was far too easy, made only easier by the slow roll as Edward pulled us both upright on the window seat. He placed his back against the wall of the alcove, pulling me into his lap. Both of his hands were on my cheeks now, his thumb tracing down my neck and along my collar bone. As the kiss deepend, my breaths seemed more shallow, my heart thundering in my ears, and my face burning hot. I felt the self conscious monster that lived in me rearing its ugly head, I was suddenly aware of my entire body, of the mole that Edward's thumb brushed over on my collar bone. I was aware that my lips had been chapped and they were likely rough, that my hair was slightly oily after all the travel. Without thinking much of it I pulled back from the kiss slowly, breaking the connection I coveted. "Alright sailor," My voice sounded almost foreign through my swollen lips. "I think I ought to actually finish unpacking before I meet up with Gi for Prom planning."
"Oh I guess," Edward gave me a teasing eye roll, smiling sweetly before brushing a few of the strands of my hair behind my ear. I found it impossible to pull myself away from him, to get up from the window seat and walk to my bed. I was sure my legs would act as if they were made of jelly, and as long as his amber eyes had me trapped. "What's going on in that head of your's?"
"What, can't mentalist me?" I poked his chest playfully as I leaned back slightly, still aware of every part of my body that was in contact with his.
"I don't think mentalist is a verb." He moved his hands from my face and rested them on my hips.
"It is when I use it like that." I tapped his nose with my finger. The attempt to summon the strength to stand was futile, but I continued the internal effort.
"Well in that case," He laughed and shook his head, "no, I can't mentalist you right now."
"Such a shame." I teased, attempting to avoid the question.
"Ara."
"Edward?"
"What's going on behind those eyes?"
"Mostly life sustaining functions." I gave a chuckle.
"Ara, please." He gave me the famous disapproving look I had only seen him shoot at Rose before she had started to warm back up to me.
"What! Am I wrong?"
"You know what I meant, Ara."
"Nothing's going on." I poked his shoulder and turned my eyes to his chest.
"You're a worse liar than you think." His left hand reached up and hooked my chin, pulling me back up to look at him, his right hand still resting squarely on my hip. The sensation of fire rising up my neck and onto my cheeks felt overwhelming, but I was locked into Edward's sight again. "What are you hiding?"
"Nothing, nothing, I just…"
"Just…?" He rubbed a finger along my lips, like he was attempting to unlock the secrets that sat behind them.
"Just…" I felt silly as the words died on my tongue. "Just… human things."
"Human things?" He began to trace my cheekbone, his eyes soft as they studied me.
"Yeah, human things, ya know… nerves. Things like that."
"It's something else isn't it?"
"No…" I lied.
"Ara."
"Nope! We aren't doing this again." I went to pull myself up, but found I was trapped by his hand on my hip.
"Arabella." He lowered his brow, his expression more serious.
Oh shit. Full name. It's really nothing. I promise.
"Arabella Viviana Jacks."
Oh, full full name. Edward I swear. I'm fine, just being ridiculous.
"If you're ridiculous then I'm down right insane. Now speak, or think, just answer." He huffed the words as he leaned his forehead forward, setting it on my own, his left hand still tracing the line of my cheekbone.
"Edward…" I whispered, the closeness of our faces making my cheeks feverish again. I just… "It's…" You see… Tears began to spring into my eyes, my vision blurring. I feel really self conscious right now… and I don't really want to talk about it, I don't know where it came from, it just did and I feel really stupid for feeling it. "Edward I swear. It's nothing." The words came out my mouth broken, in the form of a sob. It wasn't until then that I realized the tears were pouring down my cheeks full throttle. Edward's face seemed to shatter when my tears broke down my face, he dropped his left hand to my shoulder, and pulled his right hand up to my back. We sat for a moment like that before I was suddenly pulled into a hug, he held me into his chest, and I felt myself curl inward. "I'm okay, really." I spoke through the sob, clutching the fabric of his shirt in my desperate fingers. "Just being silly in the grand scheme."
"For once Ara, stop looking at the grand scheme, please." His voice rolled over me like the waves I had so often surfed with Jacob Black before the summer ended.
"Sorry cowboy," I cracked a smile against Edward's chest, laughing lightly. "Looking at the grand scheme is my specialty."
"No, actually I believe that's Alice's specialty." He teased back, pulling back from the hug after a moment. "Now how about this, you sit here and relax, I will unpack for you."
"Edward." I stuck out my bottom lip and pulled my brow together, looking at him with what Gi had once coined in the sixth grade my "may die of cardiac arrest due to cuteness overload" face. "You really don't have to."
"Too late, I'm doing it." He pecked a kiss on my nose before depositing me on the opposite side of the window seat. Soon enough he was a blur around my room, placing clothes in the hamper and sliding my book back onto its shelf. "Did you want to change before Gi got here?" He stood in front of me, looking curiously for my response.
"No, we are just doing prom committee stuff, I think my jeans and tank top should be fine." I swished my hand dismissively in the air.
"How did two freshmen land on the prom committee again?" He asked curiously, kneeling down to crouch in front of me. "Isn't that usually the juniors?"
"Yes, but with Gi's ability to undermine literally any student council, anything is possible." I gave a halfhearted smile, still not fully recovered from the mild snap I had just experienced. Twisting a strand of the flamingo pink hair in my hand I looked into Edward's eyes once more. "Do you wanna watch an episode of Doctor Who with me?" I knew his answer already, he never turned down watching my shows and movies with me.
"Of course." He pecked a kiss on my forehead before grabbing my laptop and sitting on the bench seat sideways, pulling me to sit with my back against him like I had done so many times before.
"Where were we?" I asked as I powered the laptop up and began scrolling through my downloaded episodes.
"We are almost caught up, you told me we were just starting series seven when we got back." He spoke with his lips against the back of my ear, sweeping my technicolor hair to the opposite side.
"Oh my favorite Doctor." I smiled brightly as I double clicked on the first episode of Matt Smith's reign. "We are breaching into some light piracy territory if we catch up too fast. But if we catch up fast enough, and you don't mind sitting through ads, then I have a legal method that won't make my dad frown at me." I tipped my head back, looking at his upside down face, the glory of him washing over me just before the opening sounds burst out of my Bluetooth speakers that had been placed on the window sill. My attention snapped back to the screen, and I leaned back against his cold chest, feeling his arms circle around me comfortably.
I could be content, surely nothing could get worse than what I had already experienced.
•••
Gaia laid on my bed next to me, arm thrown over her eyes, and a soft snore filling the silence. Prom planning had run later than we planned, ironically, and she decided to crash with me. I was all for it, having not spent nearly enough time with my best friend recently. She did grill me over Edward, demanding more of an update than what I had been giving her since the Halloween dance. She wasn't upset at our distance however, she understood better than anyone. Gaia was such a busy individual before adding in romance, but the one that was slowly budding between her and a girl ahead of us in school left me squealing with delight.
Once Gaia had finally fallen into a deep enough slumber, I rolled over in my bed and began texting Edward.
I'm really sorry I couldn't hang out tonight, Gi is just really tired. ~Ara
You really don't have to apologize, I'm glad you're spending time with her. She's your friend after all. -Edward
I know I know ~Ara
You should sleep -Edward
No. ~Ara
Please. Don't make me come over there. -Edward
Uhhh maybe that's exactly what I'm trying to do ;) ~Ara
Just sleep, I won't let anything happen to you. -Edward
Omg ~Ara
What!? -Edward
You're hiding in the bushes aren't you? ~Ara
No. -Edward
Eddie Eddie Eddie. It's the trees then. ~Ara
Maybe -Edward
Freddie ain't got nothing on your dream stalking abilities -_- ~Ara
Just go to sleep -Edward
Night Eddie Freddie ~Ara
Goodnight Arabella -Edward
I smiled as I shoved my phone under my pillow and nestled further down into the warmth of my bed. When Gi rolled over I froze, thinking she had been woken up by my screen. Relief flooded me when a hard snore ripped through her, and while I stifled a laugh, I found myself drifting off as well. It was a dreamless sleep, my fears of the events that would happen this week unable to grip me with so many of my loved ones nearby.
When Gaia and I woke the next morning, she borrowed a pair of my jeans and one of my graphic tees. I threw on a similar pair of jeans and grabbed my favorite supernatural shirt, shooting a text over to Edward that Gi and I would go to school together. It had been so long since I had ridden the bus, I was afraid I'd miss it. I ran down to pour us coffee, she raided the pantry for food, and we both fell back into the rhythm we had before Edward had come around. It was like eighth grade all over again, Gaia and I had been left to our own devices so often that we had basically lived together for that entire year. It wasn't amazingly ideal at that time but now we jumped at the chance to have the whole house to ourselves. Over the summer we would have the chance to have my house to ourselves for a week, my dad having a sheriff's retreat to go to. The week following that Charlie would go to California to meet Bella. She had stomped her feet and refused to come to Forks last year, and Jake seemed significantly heart broken by the idea of her not returning. I was less impacted after becoming such close friends with Gi. But with Charlie leaving for a week, Gi and I were going to house sit for him. He was giving us each forty dollars to split the week, and while that wasn't a large amount of money, for two girls who could only work under the table for almost another year, we took what we got.
"Oh hey!" Gi turned around with poptarts in her hand, ready to exchange one for the coffee I had just finished pouring. "Is your dad going to let you get your temps next month? March is the half year mark for you after all." She wiggled her shoulders excitedly.
"Yeah, he said I can sign up for drivers ed through the school's summer program." We did the hand off as I swept my bookbag up and offered her the bag she had brought over to study with. Ironically, Gi was always prepared to accidentally stay the night, she blames her mom's fire drills, I blame her virgo rising. "Is your mom going to let you take your test this month? You are a month older than me anyways."
"Oh I didn't tell you! I took it this weekend! I start drivers ed today!" She quickly ripped her wallet out of her bag and procured the vertical state issued ID. I stared at the hard plastic with my best friends information and face printed on it, and suddenly it all felt too surreal as wel walked out my door and locked the deadbolt.
If things don't go well… I won't even have this kind of card to identify myself with…
As the thought passed through my head, I received a text at the same moment. As I slowly handed the card back to Gi, I fished my phone from my back pocket.
I promise -Edward
I cracked the smallest smile, knowing the weight these two words held, also aware of the fact that this meant Edward was still hiding in the trees. Eddie Eddie Eddie. I teased him mentally, my heart too full for any other response. Lucky for me the bus pulled up at that moment, gaining me a curious glance from the bus driver before his eyes landed on Gi.
Once we were at the school, the rhythm was slightly off, things seemed different about today but I couldn't place my finger on what it was that was so different. Sure that I would inevitably discover the change, I continued on with my day as close to normal as possible.
"Have you still not figured it out?" Edward asked as we walked to lunch together.
"No! And you're still not allowed to tell me. I have a feeling I'll figure it out during lunch." I pointed a determined finger at him, furrowing my brow and setting my jaw.
"Okay, okay I won't." He laughed as he led me into the cafeteria. We sat in silence for nearly a minute before I realized what was missing in my day. Jessica Stanley. She wasn't here, she almost never missed a day, matter of fact she was the perfect attendance queen. Some of the teachers marveled at her ability to show up every single day but still fail a class. I however knew it was because she was busy listening to the gossip instead of the lecture. She always had her phone on its dimmest setting just below her desk chatting away with Lauren. Honestly Jessica could use some space from Lauren as is, she had been a decent friend to me before she found friendship with Lauren. "So you've finally noticed." Edward chuckled quietly as we took our spot in the lunch line.
"Wait, she wasn't here before we left for Alaska either! Is she okay?" Worried thoughts began to wrack my brain.
"She is so cruel to you, and you're still concerned with her well-being?"
"Of course. I'm not a monster. She used to be amazing to me until she got an ear worm." I picked up my tray, snagging a ceasar salad box and a bottle of apple juice.
"Stomach doing better today?" Edward asked as he took note of the food choice I had made.
"A little, still not great." I shrugged and watched as Edward grabbed an apple and a fruit parfait.
•••
I learned a lot of valuable things in lunch, first and foremost, that Jessica had been checked into a hospital. Edward refused to reveal the kind of hospital, but that the cover story was that she was on vacation to see her Aunt in Wyoming. Second and most intriguing, that Lauren wasn't even privy to the lie. Third and far from least, Angela was the one who knew it all.
I understood I couldn't share the learned information with Gaia, though I wanted to so desperately. Instead I mused about what could be happening, hoping nothing too serious had happened to Jessica. For all that it was worth, Jess had been my friend until Lauren snaked in and filled her head with biases and half truths. Edward assured me that there was still some portion of Jess that thought fondly of me, that this too would pass and we could be friends again some day. Lauren was just the problem that lied in the grass between Jess and I's friendship. That knowledge softens my heart a little more, until I sit silently with my hand trapped in Edward's. The rest of the day slips by relatively unnoticed by me, I'm sitting in the yearbook room watching the staff flit about in a mad rush. Some new photos had been captured and were being divided between the yearbook and the newspaper, layouts were being debated and denied. It was an easy buzz of movement that allowed me to sit quietly atop one of the tables. The thing I didn't anticipate was my complete lack of awareness, as Alice now stood in front of me with a cheerful smile. I met her with a look of confusion to only be met with a smile. "Edward needed to hunt, Emmett is going with him, come on Jasper's in the car!"
I smiled gladly and followed her dancing frame out to the car, Jasper sat in the driver's seat and smiled brightly at Alice as we came into his view. I imagined how Alice must seem like a huge ray of sunshine to Jasper some days, her warmth was almost tangible even to me. Then curiosity began to grip me, I realized I didn't know much of the stories of the other member's of Edwards family other than just Edward and Carlisle. What were their lives like before vampirism? The question gripped my mind and wholly consumed me and I found myself ready to ask them how they met, though of course Alice being Alice, she knew the question that was about to be asked and began an answer. "In a diner, in 1943, in Philly."
"Really? So recently?" I asked in shock, acknowledging the usual long spanning timelines of the Cullen's. Jasper seemed only mildly confused at first before he realized Alice had seen my question.
"She walked right up to me like we had known each other all our lives and told me I kept her waiting long enough." His smile was infectious, and Alice beamed beneath it.
"Well you did. Twenty years." Alice tsked and gave him a quick peck on the cheek as we rounded the corner before the last stretch of road to the Cullen house.
"Why didn't you just go find him after you knew where he was?" I asked Alice, earning a smile from Jasper that he shot me through the rear view mirror.
"He had to come to the conclusion himself. He was still with his old coven." She clarified, which only confused me more.
"Old coven? So you weren't nomads before?" That's when I learned a very valuable piece of information. Jasper was from the civil war, naturally I was guarded, but upon sensing my disdain he clarified further.
"I defected. I was supposed to join the Texas Calvary, but I was on my way north. I didn't agree with what the confederacy was doing, I wanted to join the union. Would have been the youngest soldier too." He smiled, clearly caught in days past. "I lied about my age in a letter, sent it north, I was going to find passage up the Mississippi. They were expecting me in Cincinnati to help defend it after Lexington had fallen." His face tightened and he remained silent for a minute as he turned the car onto the long driveway that led to the garage. "That's when Maria intercepted me. It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't stopped to help evacuate a town. I thought they were some of the women who had gotten separated. I may have been defecting, but my mother would have had my head if I wasn't a gentleman." He parked the car and we all climbed out, emptying into the garage just to pause as Jasper continued his story. I leaned against the red vehicle I had helped Rosalie with, and found myself listening intently to Jasper's words. "After Maria turned me, she kept me in Texas, down south newborns are a commodity. No surprise that they are more obsessed with the acquisition of land than they are with the freedom of individuals." He spoke the words as poison, clearly still tainted angrily by what he had gone through. "I was more of a commodity to her, she very quickly realized what I could do, and in turn what it could do for her. When I finally left, Alice was waiting for me. I kept moving north, hoping the union had won and I'd find something better. Of course by the time I reached Ohio, the Great Depression had taken hold… I did a lot of regrettable things in that time, but it wasn't until I stepped into that diner years later that I found Alice sitting at the bar like she had been waiting since the doors opened that day." Jasper turned to look at Alice, who was beaming at him, and they shared a tender moment that warmed my heart.
"With all that said," Alice spoke musically, turning to me. "We are going to be your entertainment for the night." She grabbed my hand and began skipping towards the house, but every inch we drew nearer made a sense of dread double within me. By the time we were at the house, Jasper looked at me with wild worried eyes.
"Was it the story?" He asked, not explaining to Alice what our interaction was. "I'm not that person anymore, it's been a very long time." Jasper shook his head, looking almost as panicked as I felt.
"No… it's something else… I don't know." I sat down on the final step before the front door, placing my head between my knees as I controlled my breathing.
"Arabella?" Alice sat next to me, and just as she placed her hand on my back, my head began to scream. I heard a small gasp escape from Alice at the same time that images of blood soaking into the ground filled my mind. I was done for at that moment, I pitched over the side of stage steps, gripping the railing for support, and emptied the contents of my stomach into Esme's roses, which had gone dormant for the winter. Jasper was holding my hair while throwing worried glances between me and Alice, who I now saw was gripped in a vision, and staring off at the sky with eyes that focused on something beyond even that.
"Go to her." I said weakly, holding my own hair back after Jasper dropped it and dashed to hold a position in front of her. He studied her face and held her hands, his body language screaming of love. The sentiment was all but lost on me as I vomited once more into the thorns. Once I was done, I laid my cheek on the porch and curled against the stairs, too weak to move. The image of the blood was still fresh in my mind, but something else played at the edge. It was my blood. I wasn't sure how I knew, I just did, but it was my blood that soaked into the pine needles and snow patches of the dim forest floor. I closed my eyes and tried to purge my mind of the images before Edward would see them, spending all my effort on it until I heard Alice and Jasper begin to move toward me. Something was telling me that I didn't have another week, that the attack would be today, and when I opened my eyes Alice's face basically confirmed it. "It's today, isn't it?" I received only a grim nod before Jasper lifted me from the porch and brought me inside.
"Emmett and Edward are on their way back, but they are a few hours out." Alice spoke quickly, she had her phone in her hand and was typing furiously fast while she spoke. "Carlisle is at the hospital, he's going to end his shift earlier than he planned and head home. Rose and Esme are on their way back from Seattle." Of course they were all so spread out, that's what triggered the change in timeline. They would have been a unified front otherwise. The sense of dread began to set in, not for myself however, for my friends and family. Jasper of course picked up on this dread, and I felt a wave of calm set over me. Little did he know that would give me the clarity of mind to plan how I would draw the fire away from town. I understood how Alice's visions worked well enough to not set any concrete plans, but the musings were enough.
My phone went off in that moment, and I knew it was Edward, and I could barely bring myself to read the message.
Ara, I'm on my way, don't do anything rash. -Edward
No promises 3 I love you -Ara
Arabella please -Edward
I locked my phone and slid it into my pocket, giving a small sigh. "I'm going to go to the bathroom… wash the taste out of my mouth." I earned a distracted nod from both Jasper and Alice, then walked off in the direction of the first floor bathroom. I rinsed my mouth, knowing they could still hear me, as my mind began to tick through the possibilities of what was to come. I needed to get to the river, it was far enough that any fighting wouldn't make it to the reservation or the town. I knew Carlisle had to be close, and once he was here it would be impossible to get away. But Jasper was distracted by Alice, and Alice was distracted by the future. I'm going to hide in this bathroom until it's all over. I thought to myself as I locked the bathroom door and looked at the small window that opened to the side of the house. I'm going to stay here and wait until Edward comes to get me. I left the sink on as I slid the window open. Maybe I'll even sit in the bathtub, they are comfortable after all. I had no idea if my impromptu diversion was working, but I turned off the sink anyway. And I'll listen to music, so I don't have to hear what any of them are saying and make myself panic more. I slid my phone out, opening my music app and playing my longest playlist. Edward would hear it when he came up and recognize the music as what I listened to to calm myself. I just had to hope that my lack of emotional climate would be lost on Jasper and my lack of real decisions would be lost on Alice. I'll just sit here, listen to the music, and wait for Edward to come get me. I climbed out the window.
The drop from the window wasn't massive, thankfully, and the snow had drifted there making my landing muffled. Unfortunately for me I wasn't in exactly running shoes, or snowshoes, so the first ten feet of my journey involved high stepping through knee deep snow and cutting a path through the sparkling unbroken snow. Once I was in the forest the snow tapered off, though it still stood several inches high. My calves were frozen now that the air had time to rip at them, my jeans somehow becoming even more adhered to my body, and my shirt offering no additional warmth. Thankfully I still wore my Carhart, and while the wind that whistled through the trees now was still ice cold, my coat could provide at least a little warmth, albeit not a lot.
After a bit more walking the forest gave way to the denser foliage, making the snow drop off to random thick patches and blown in drifts. Years of hiking had led me to being able to handle this, though I did wish I wasn't wearing converse. The canvas shoes were so soaked and frozen that I'm sure my socks had fused with the interior. I'm just going to stay in the bathroom. I remembered to think, hoping this was still working, though I was sure I would be the first to find out if they were on to me. I started feeling a sense of dread again, and realized it was my instincts kicking in and telling me something was wrong. I broke out into a run, the cold air slamming down my chest. I need to make it to the river before anything can happen, I need to make it far enough away that nobody can get hurt but me. I need to run faster. The thought slid through my mind before I could truly grasp what happened, and I knew Alice would see what was coming next and how it had come to be. I could see how it would play out in my mind. Alice would gasp, Edward would be just close enough to see it in her head, he would break the door open to the bathroom and see the window I left open and my phone sitting on the high wall of the tub. He would jump out the window as I had and come after me at that blinding speed of his. I wouldn't stand a chance. Faster. My feet obeyed. I was flying towards the river, I could see where the snow was picking up in thickness.
The river was in view, the snow up to my ankles- and then I felt like I had been hit by a truck. No, that would imply I flew away from the impact. I was plucked. Something had grabbed my coat by the hood and ripped me from the ground. My first thought was a branch, but I didn't hear the breaking of wood that would surely be associated with such a violent kickback. Then I hit the ground, flat on my back, and knocked what little air I had straight out of my lungs. I stared above me at eyes as bloody red as I had seen the first day of this odd nightmare, and in a pale hand I saw the most unbelievable thing. My hospital band. Things started clicking together in my mind, things I hadn't considered since Edward first explained it all to me.
I was staring at the nurse who had walked in and seen Edward sparkling in the sunlight. She didn't forget what she had seen, she didn't leave. She stood there, memorized our faces, and came back. But why? I still didn't have enough air in my lungs to ask the question that screamed out of me, but I didn't have to. The nurse dropped down from the tree limb she had intercepted me from, and crouched over me. She still wore the hospital scrubs, though now they were speckled with blood of various ages. "You…" her voice was full of malice, "you have no idea the suffering you caused, do you?" I couldn't speak, so I shook my head slowly, still gasping for air. "Of course you don't, how could you. You only just fell in love. Good. That's what I was waiting for." She smiled a sick and twisted smile, her teeth unnaturally white against the deep crimson of her mouth. She had just killed someone recently, I could smell it on her breath as she spoke. "I needed you to be in love, so that you could feel the loss I felt, so you could both feel the loss I felt, when you had those two rip Ronnie apart." Ronnie must have been the vampire who attacked me that night. "It wasn't his fault you know, he told me you were a singer." If I lived to see Edward again, I would ask him what the hell she meant, but now I was just concerned with the idea that I was laying in ankle deep snow. I just finally caught my breath, but now there was a hand clasped over my throat. "He was going to turn me, you know? I had to find some other vampire and convince him I was worth the trouble."
"O-oh r-re-really?" I gasped out weakly.
"YES!" She snapped in my face, her own expression twisted into agony. "I couldn't get close enough to kill you as a human, that damn man wouldn't leave you alone." She lifted me off the ground, her hand still gripping my throat. "Then the guy I bribed with opioids couldn't get close enough to you because of that mangy mutt." She spat the words at me, and at the mention of Maddie being a "mangy mutt" I felt my own rage double. That's when another puzzle piece that couldn't quite fit slid into place, the Slim Shady wannabe who seemed to make almost a beeline for my room, that was her. "So, I had to break in myself and get something I could track you with. What more fitting than something you wore the day my Ronnie died." She waggled the band in front of my face. Suddenly she dropped me, and I landed at her feet like a ragdoll.
"Why go through all that trouble?" I gasped, holding my throat that was already sore and likely bruising.
"Because I wanted to see you suffer, and once I realized I wasn't going to do it as a human, I wanted to see you and that boy fall in love just to have it ripped away like I did." Her words grated angrily, and she swiftly kicked me in my stomach before pinning me with her foot. "I was going to rip him apart in front of you, but now that I'm also immortal that just won't do." She leaned closer to me, applying more pressure to my chest as she did so. "Besides, you smell so good."
"Well," I was getting really tired of being breathless, but her foot on my chest didn't leave me much room to breathe, "you're shit out of luck there." I coughed and attempted to pull in a deep breath, failing miserably. "I love him, but he's not returned the favor yet."
"Oh he loves you, why else would he stay with someone so needy? Honestly, you think you're special?" She let out a hard laugh, but I heard something beneath it. A roar. I would recognize that inhuman sound anywhere.
Edward.
She must have missed the sound, because I was back in her grasp again, now pinned to a tree. "And you darling, are going to make a delicious meal." She barred her teeth and began to tip toward my throat- then she was gone. Ripped away from me just inches before she could break the skin. In her place, topaz eyes.
"Arabella!" Edward said breathlessly as he cupped my face, and I wanted so desperately to kiss him, but the nurse was still out there. Just as I feared, something literally pulled Edward away from me. He was thrown into the tree across the way, and in his place was the nightmare nurse once more. Edward was up and running at us again, but he couldn't stop her from grabbing me and launching off the ground with me. She perched in a tree, her hand at my throat and another pulling my hair to tip my head back by force. That's when I felt the calm wave over me, and then both Jasper and Alice dropped from higher in the trees. The surprise attack made her drop me, and as Edward careened up from the ground to meet me, I still caught a couple branches with my head on the way down.
I crashed into his arms, and he dropped us back down to the soft pine ground of the forest, the screams above indicating the fight was nearly over. Pain was radiating across my body, and my head felt heavy, but Edward set me down gently. "Don't move, don't move, I don't know what all is broken." He whispered, his voice broken. Dark spots swam in my vision as I felt something hot trickle down my scalp. I reached my hand into my hair despite the request for my stillness, and felt the hot slickness I knew to be blood meet my fingers.
Ahh. So that's what that meant. I thought involuntarily of the images I had played in my head.
"Ara?" Edward asked, his hand brushing down my face softly. "What was that?"
"Nothing." I whispered feebly. I let my eyes fall shut, just to have them pulled open a second later and a light shone brightly in them.
"Arabella, you've got to stay awake for me." Carlisle's voice pounded against my skull, somehow it was hot and bright all the sudden. That's when I heard the crackle, it was a fire. Falling asleep felt so wonderful, but I kept getting roused back by Carlisle or Esme, both of whom worked overtop of me. I heard Carlisle say I only had bruising on my ribs, and that the biggest concern was my spine. Suddenly Edward reappeared, and strapped something annoying around my neck that I kept fumbling to pull off and getting scolded in return.
I felt the vague sensation of moving, then lights blared in my eyes again. I slipped away into only a vague awareness, catching various words spoken by each of the Cullen's.
"Stay awake"
"Just bruising"
"matches car crash injuries."
"no, I don't want to stage a car crash I'm just saying!"
"just pick a car…"
"you are not touching the bmw!"
"Ara, please stay awake."
"She can hear us."
"Can you take this somewhere else?"
"They just left, she will be fine, just don't let her sleep."
"Wake up."
"It's done."
"Time to move her."
The sense of moving was only just barely lost on me, then the unfamiliar voices came in.
"Fifteen year old! Car crash. BP 100/80! Signs of concussion, possible broken ribs!"
"Trauma 1 and someone call the station! This is Derek's kid!"
"Who else was in the car? She can't drive yet!"
"Esme Cullen, 's wife, she's okay. Carlisle met her at the scene, she refused medical care."
"Isn't she dating that Edward boy?"
"Is that the big one?"
"Get her to CT!"
I must have fallen asleep, because after a while it all got silent, and then I heard my name very softly spoken. When I opened my eyes my dad was staring at me. "God kiddo." He had been crying, I could see the evidence on his face. "Don't scare me like that." He rushed to the bed, kissing me gently on the forehead. "Would it be too much to ask that none of us ever drive over that bridge again?" That's when I realized something horrible.
They chose to stage the accident at the same bridge my mother died at.
•••
I got out of the hospital a few days later, and retired to my home for a week, which lined up almost perfectly with the beginning of spring break. During the entire time I refused to see Edward, and wouldn't answer his texts and calls. I was too angry that he had allowed them to put my dad through hearing about the accident on that road. Once I finally saw him, it was at his house, which I had ridden my bike to. The sun was shining, the warmth had come and melted all the snow, and the rain was beginning to threaten more and more. Not today however, it was uncharacteristically sunny, and thus the Cullen's were trapped away from the human gaze.
I was met at the end of the driveway by Edward, who seemed curious by the request he had received via text just an hour ago. I climbed from my bike and propped it against the closest tree before walking over to meet him. I was fully healed now from the encounter near the river, and I felt myself wishing to reach out to him and hold him like I hadn't been for so long. The love in my heart sang, but so did the hurt. "Edward." I said painfully, having already fully adopted the idea of the nickname of Eddie. He saw this in my thoughts and plainly on my face, and his own face dropped suddenly.
"Arabella, please don't do this." He stepped forward, catching one of my hands within his own. Electricity sang up my arm, but left scorch marks as it did.
"I have to." I felt the pain of my words begin to echo through me, aching more than any of the wounds that had been inflicted in the past. "The fact that you let them even consider let alone follow through with that plan." I shook my head and pulled my hand from his. "Edward, did you even stop to consider what that would do to my dad?"
"Ara-"
"No! No, you let them stage a car accident in the same spot my mom died!" My voice had taken on a tone I associated with harpies, and I backed away from him slowly. "This shouldn't have even been a boundary I had to consider putting up Edward! I don't care if it was the road with the least witnesses! YOU PICK ANOTHER ROAD!"
"Please I-" He reached out to me but I threw my arms up in defense.
"Edward- I can't do this." I fought back the tears that threatened their way forward. "I tried to forgive you, but this!? This is just… it's too much." I backed further away, Edward now basically a statue of pain. "It's over. Just… leave me alone." I spun on a dime and grabbed my bike, quickly jumping on it and riding away as fast as the wheels would carry me.
After about five miles of riding, unable to look back to see if he still stood at the end of the driveway, I stopped. I crashed into the ditch in a fit of tears and sat shrouded by the shrubbery. After a few minutes of sobbing, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and began looking through my contacts for the one person I knew I could talk to about all of this. The line rang three times before it stopped and I received an exhausted sounding answer. "Hello? Ari?"
"Hey? Sam?" I suppressed a sob, sniffling as I wiped my nose. "Can you come pick me up?"
(A/N IMPORTANT!)
Hi! So! I am going to be going on a hiatus until September 1st. I have a lot of things going on in my life, and in all honesty I was suppose to be on my hiatus as of the first of June. But here we are, July 17th and Im writing this on a sunday night like I dont have work in the morning. ANYWAY! Yes i will be coming back, Yes i will write some chapters while I am gone so that when I come back you dont have to wait super long between, and yes I will let yall know if I have to extend the hiatus for mental health reasons (hopefully not, my birthday is in september and im really not trying to be struggling mentally 5 years in a row on my birthday.) But thats neither here nor there, anyway, I hope yall liked this chapter. Its 8k words so like it def took some time to write on my end. If you noticed a typo or something let me know I will gladly fix it, im just terrible at editing and literally do it all myself. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your summer (or winter for my souther hemisphere readers) and I will be back september 1st with Arabella's sophmore year and 16th birthday.
~Ash
P.S. Im literally so sorry, I keep forgetting to post the updates on here. I post on Wattpad and Ao3 as well under the same name (SimpleEllegance) So if youre ever curious you can always find me there! If I dont show up on September 1st I definitly reccomend checking either of those sights and if I have updated- i will take no offense to you letting me know that I forgot to publish here. (I get distracted and publishing on here has so many more steps than it does on the other two)