Chapter seven: Different

Bella woke up earlier than usual, she didn't feel as tired like she usually did on a normal school day. Her nightmares were lessening, her good dreams even lesser. She twisted the ring she had started wearing on her thumb around as she tried to figure out what felt different. She felt like something was off, like the air surrounding her body was moving in a different direction than it usually did. Like her bloodstream had slowed down. She could hear more birds chirping away outside, she leaned back and placed her head back against her pillow as she closed her eyes to focus on the sounds around her. If she focused hard enough she could hear Charlie getting ready to leave in the kitchen downstairs, it's part of the playlist of her life. Charlie rustling in the kitchen or snoring in his room, the creaking of the house or the chirping of birds nearby.

"Old walls." She mumbled as she stopped twisting the ring around her thumb and sat up. She rolled her neck, cracking it loudly in the process and she frowned at the slight itch etching itself into the scar on her wrist. She eyed the odd and unnatural scar sceptically. She hadn't paid much attention to it these past seven months. The weather was usually cold enough to wear long sleeves, the clothing she preferred anyway. She scratched at the healed scar absentmindedly until it stung, she had broken some of the skin surrounding it but not a single scratch on the scar itself.

Groaning at herself with irritation she moved to the bathroom to take a warm shower. As she strolled into her room she felt that same shiver start from the nape of her neck, making her turn around faster than she thought she could. She had been searching for a particular shirt, hunched over in just her towel when the feeling had crept onto her. She instantly moved to the window as she looked outside, the sun was still coming up as she looked out into the faint morning light. There was nothing there.

"What the hell is wrong with me." She murmured as she walked back, taking out the shirt she had been looking for. She was about to take off her towel when a sudden feeling of uneasiness swept through her again. She sighed and moved to the window so she could close the curtains instantly relieving her uneasiness.

The next day she woke even earlier, her sleep had been brief since she couldn't fall asleep but she wasn't tired. I'm sure I'll be tiredd by the end of the day. She thought to herself as she entered the bathroom, Charlie was still in his room.

She frowned when she took in her reflection, leaning closer and closer to the mirror until her nose was pressed against the cold surface. She flinched back at the sudden coldness of the mirror, she hadn't been expecting to bump into it. The image of herself getting vague due to her breath against the mirror. Her usually chocolate brown eyes suddenly had flecks of dark brown in them, they looked closer to dark brown than chocolate brown. The ring around her eyes also looked slightly darker, her skin looked paler and smoother than ever.

"Everything alright Bells?" Charlie asked from the door opening, watching her almost pressing her face against the glass.

She turned towards him, blushed and frowned, moving closer until she was standing in front of him. "Do I look different to you?"

"What…" He started hesitantly, "is this one of those moments where there's no correct answer?"

"I'm serious dad!" She exclaimed, he took a step back and tilted his head as he observed her. Moving his hand under her chin, tilting her head.

"I guess you're paler than usual."

"What about my eyes?"

"Do you think there's something wrong with your eyes?"

"I don't know, don't they look darker somehow?"

He frowned and moved her head closer to the light above them, "I don't know Bells." He frowned deeper and moved his hand from her chin to lay flat on the top of her head. "Are you taller?"

"What?" She said with confusion.

"Yeah, you look taller." He said as he looked her up and down. "Come on," he sighed as he pulled her downstairs. There were faint pencil marks against the doorpost of the pantry.

"Really." She said with a laugh in her voice as she stood straight against it.

"Look at that." He said as he placed a ruler above her head, drawing a straight line. "You are taller." He said as he motioned for her to move and look at the line he had drawn about an inch above the previous line.

"Huh." She said with a confused look on her face.

"Guess you'll turn out to be taller than your mum." He said as he eyed her again, he shrugged as he turned to take his jacket before leaving the house. Leaving a perplexed Bella behind, leaning against the frame of the door.

A sudden poke against her cheek woke her from her deep thoughts, Angela smiled at her. "You were really out of it this time."

Bella blushed, "Sorry." She mumbled as she looked down at her notes, not remembering half the page she had written down.

"Have you been using something different for your skin?" Angela whispered without looking at her, pretending to be busy with some exercises. Bella frowned, "No, I just use this store bought brand. I couldn't even tell you the name to be honest. Why?"

Angela shrugged, "Your skin just looks really nice these days. Didn't you used to have freckles."

Bella moved her hand to her cheek, "I guess?"

Angela chuckled, "You guess?"

"I don't know, I guess I haven't really paid much attention to it."

"Well," Angela laughed as she circled another answer on her sheet, "I thought you did, but you don't seem to have them anymore."

"Weird." Bella murmured as their teacher berated them for whispering, she turned back to her notebook and let her hair fall in front of her face. Biting her lip she noticed how her lip didn't feel chapped like it used to, it felt smooth and even.

She was leaning her face against her hand when another feeling of uneasiness spread over her, starting at the side of cheek but quickly creeping over her entire form. She snapped her head towards the window at the other side of the classroom, staring at the bright red coloured trees outside the window whilst remembering following Edward into the forest once upon a time. It felt like a lifetime ago, she closed her eyes briefly before moving her head towards the front of the classroom again. Sighing as the feeling of uneasiness lingered in her chest. Freezing as she noticed Edward's cloudy form staring at her from the corner of the classroom, her hands started shaking and her pen snapped between her finger, ink splattering over het notes and fingers.

"Oh my god." Angela exclaimed as a singular drop landed on her hand, quickly looking beside her and noticing the state of Bella's notes and hands.

"I think I picked up a broken pen this morning." Bella said tensely as her teacher told her to go the bathroom.

"Would you like me to come with you?" Angela asked kindly.

"I'll be fine." She said tensely before quickly thanking her friend. Her shoulders were tense as she quickly moved through the empty hallways. Had the lights always been this bright? She wondered as she picked up her pace, the sudden tingle in at the back of her head made her spin around. She swore she had heard something.

She told herself to not be ridiculous, this is a school Swan. She thought to herself, of course you're going to hear people.

Her fingers felt even colder than they already were after continuously running them under the cold water, the ink wasn't really coming off and the already barely filled soap dispenser was now completely empty. She had gotten out a little but as she kept pushing it nothing came out, she wanted to grab some paper towels to dry her blue-stained hands, but the container was empty too.

"Great." She mumbled to herself whilst wiping her was hands on her jeans. Once her hands were only slightly damp instead of dripping wet, she placed her hands on either side of the sink and hung her head, trying to control her breathing.

"You're fine." She whispered to herself. "It's not real." She clenched her eyes shut and took five deep breaths before straightening her back and looking into the mirror, coming face to face with Edward's shadowy form, she didn't freeze this time, only sighed with a deep sadness that filler her chest with a stinging pain.

"What are you doing here?" She murmured, but he wouldn't speak when his shadow-self appeared. "Of course you're not going to say anything, why would you." You mumbled as she rubbed her face.

"I'm so done with this." She hissed through her teeth looking at his perfect face which was laced with sadness and pain. "No, you don't get to look at me like that." She said with venom in her voice.

"You're the one who left and yet here you are, literally haunting me."

He didn't move, only looked down at his dirty shoes.

"How do you expect me to move on if I keep seeing you like this. Seeing you in my dreams is one thing but seeing you like this, while I'm trying to cope and live my life? I can't keep doing this."

His dark eyes met her darker ones, he took one long look at her before closing his eyes and disappearing.

"I'm actually going crazy." She mumbled before straightening herself and leaving the bathroom.

The forest ground was crunchy underneath her feet. She felt steady and confident as she made her way through the thick trees and bushes. She had worn a new, thick raincoat just in case. Charlie had given her one alongside some nice and sturdy walking shoes and thick socks, all wrapped up in massive box with a bow on for Christmas.

"If you ever want to go on walks again, you need to have some proper gear kid." He had joked. So now she made her way into the forest, toasty warm and comfortable. Her new phone was pushed somewhere deep inside an inner pocket of the jacket, just in case. A freshly scribbled note about her whereabouts left in the middle of the dining table in the kitchen, stuck down with a small piece of tape, just in case. Charlie had become increasingly more worried about her, she had once upset him by showing up two hours late because she had lost track of time in the library at school. He had been on the verge of being frantic. It had taken Bella wrapping her arms tightly around her father's middle before he had stopped rambling. He had sat her down afterwards and they had both agreed on a set of ground rules.

She wanted to think somewhere her mind wouldn't race a million miles per hour, so she had settled for going into the woods. Trying not to think of where their meadow was, she knew she wouldn't be able to find it so she made her way until she found a nice looking tree trunk that she could sit against. She leaned her head back against it and stared at the sky above her, her view obstructed by leaves and branches as her body started shaking and tears started running over her cheeks when she thought of him again.

She knew she had to let him go but how could she when her heart would just quicken at the mere thought of him, it banged. Each heartbeat felt like a fist pounding against her chest, like a bullet leaving a gun, like a stone impacting the frail glass of a broken window. So hard and fast that she was sure her heart was going to crash straight through her chest and land in front of her on the dirty ground, surrounded by leaves and small cracked off branches.

"Bella?" A rough voice sounded not so far away from, she quickly wiped her tears away and scrambled up. All she could see in the distance was the large form of a man walking towards her with a bare chest and short, black hair.

She squinted her eyes at him, "Jacob?"

"What are you doing here?"

She looked around and shrugged, "I was just walking. What are you doing here?"

"You were sitting." He said with a frown.

"I wanted to rest before going back home." She bit back before adding, "You didn't answer my question, have you cut your-"

He raised his brows and scoffed at her, ignoring her as he interrupted her, "I can't believe you're still upset about those leeches leaving town. Honestly Bella, it was months ago and they-"

"What did you call them?" Bella interrupted his angry speech as she paled. He noticed her face and instantly froze. "People." He said again whilst nodding rapidly at himself, '"I said I can't believe you're still upset about those people leaving town."

"That is not what you said." Bella said heatedly.

"It is."

"Don't lie."

"I am not!" He said as his shoulders started shaking, Bella took a step back as a wave of panic and danger crashed into her. She suddenly noticed he had a tattoo on the side of his arm "What the hell, when did you get-" She started as he looked at her with angry eyes before running away the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" She called after him, but he ignored her as he picked up his pace.

"Jacob!" But he was gone before she could even think of following him.

"What the actual fuck." Bella said with wide eyes as she turned around and made her way back home again. Charlie welcomed her with a deep sigh of relief and a hug before making her a cup of tea.