Eventually it was time to try school again. I had a lot of work to do before I was caught up on school work. I needed exercise to strengthen my lungs. I had my new ID although it was all in a ziplock. I needed a new wallet. Before the first bell rang I understood I'd been protected at home. School was a new kind of horrible.
Rumours, insinuations, intrusive questions, it didn't stop.
I flopped at my regular lunch table. Jessica warned me my beau was looking betrayed and that I should go eat lunch with him.
"Okie Dokie in a minute. Jess, Ange, do you want to take Taekwondo with me? I mean you were right there in Port Angeles. It could have been either of you. The lessons are Tuesdays and Thursdays in the rec centre. Come with me."
Lauren decided that this was a good time to point out that neither of them had been stupid enough to go wandering alone through dark alleys.
I could very faintly hear Edward growling.
"Lauren that man targeted, raped, killed several girls, just be thankful you weren't one of them because someone was going to be," I answered tiredly, getting up and turning away. I was learning Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" tonight. Who needs sleep when you can play the violin defiantly.
"I'll see you on Tuesday," called Angela who I think had been driven by Lauren being awful into coming to Taekwondo in solidarity.
"Me too!' added Jessica.
I smiled back at them as I went to join Edward. "Thanks."
"Horrible day," I confided to Edward as I sat with him.
He pulled out a thermos. "Esme made you ginger tea with honey." He opened it for me as an over enthusiastic vampire had tightened the lid down. "Esme found a patch growing when she was out for a walk in the woods."
I smiled at the thought of the vampire mom ferociously hunting but pausing in delight at finding wild growing ginger to make tea for a friend.
"That was kind of her. You have to give her the biggest hug ever. I didn't think ginger grew naturally in Washington state. I thought it was more tropical."
"I don't know where she found it. It was probably a rewilded area." Edward admitted. "You know Esme agrees with the list."
I blinked stupidly in confusion. Vampires often forgot human memory was not as photographic as theirs was. What was Edward talking about?
"About hugs being one of the best things in existence, absolutely somewhere in the top ten," he clarified in a whisper. He squeezed my hand gently but was looking at the tea rather than meeting my eyes.
The week was a frantic mess of catching up on midterms and assignments while still doing the regular schoolwork. I did the Math midterm with zero prep on Wednesday and aced it. Thursday the Government teacher gave me a now or never ultimatum on the midterm so I took the test. I did so badly the day hiccuped into repeat until I got a B. By then I was a green belt in Taekwondo rather than a white belt. I just muttered to the sensei that I'd taken a little Taekwondo before.
In honour of my own pathos I worked out how to play "The World's Smallest Violin" by AJR. Right! Now that everyone's properly feeling sorry for me along with myself, on to the rest of the week.
I had no idea how I was going to fake Spanish through a written and oral midterm on Tuesday next week. I suspect the answer was I'd be a black belt by Wednesday.
"Carlisle was sure you were going to lose your year but look how well you've done," Edward encouraged.
I wanted to hit him over the stupid head with my biology book when he said that. He seemed impervious to my glare of death. I was beyond exhausted. Stupid supportive helpful vampire.
I had to go after school for a check up with Carlisle. Carlisle said my blood pressure was too high. My blood oxygen levels had dropped. The congestion in my chest sounded worse and I was running a low grade fever. All this explained why my energy levels and strength reserves were lower than they had been. Moving forward I needed more sleep, more protein and iron in my diet. Then with a slight smile he tacked on at the end, "...and possibly more dark chocolate. It'll help lower your blood pressure."
"Too much too fast?" I asked to clarify.
He nodded and added that he wanted me on oxygen while sleeping again for a few days.
"Well, Charlie's going trout fishing with Harry Clearwater so I guess I have a date with my bed but I doubt I'll sleep. Too many make up midterms due. I wonder if the school'd let me drop Spanish. Do I really need grade eleven Spanish to graduate?"
"Most colleges recommend three years of a foreign language on their applications, but seriously Bella, slow down or you'll end up back in the hospital." Carlisle answered.
I'm fluent in Japanese but have zero years of study I realised. Grade nine or ten Spanish would have made this grade eleven Spanish so much easier. I need to actually learn this dumb language.
"..Bella?" Carlisle repeated, sounding a little concerned. I wonder how long he'd been calling me.
"Sorry, Carlisle I'm tired. I spaced out."
Edward, who'd insisted on taking me to the hospital for my checkup and had no doubt been listening, looked concerned. He drove me home smiling a little when I fished out a favourite CD from under the seat, Vivaldi. He watched as my left hand flicked through fingering and I closed my eyes, nearly falling asleep on the short drive home. He escorted me up the hazardous stairs, catching me when I again tripped on my way up. He laid out the books and study materials he'd helped me bring home.
"You look stressed out," I observed putting my other school things away and staring longingly at my pokemon pj's. Four thirty was too early for pj's but they were so warm and comfy.
Edward rolled his eyes at me. "Bella you've got a fever and you're under doctor's orders to rest just put them on. Besides, you make a cute Pikachu." He grinned a little.
"Are you a closet Pokemon fan?" I teased with an answering smile.
"No, I'm an Isabella fan. Those silly Pikachu pyjamas always make you smile and nothing could be more beautiful." He rested his head on mine for a moment sighing. "Just focus on getting better and I'll stop looking stressed out," he explained as if that was the simplest thing ever.
I slept through dinner, waking only for a few sleepy moments to the dim light of the nightlight as quiet, gentle, cold hands hooked up my oxygen and encouraged me to drink a little water. It was just after midnight. I know Charlie didn't know Edward liked to sneak into my room but Edward would have told Charlie about the doctor's appointment and the Dad squad still conspired. No worries then. Carlisle had said he wanted me on oxygen tonight and Edward had probably thought he could hook it up without waking me.
So, I slept for fifteen hours straight. Edward was still sitting in the rocking chair. The sun was up. He was reading a book.
"Good morning. Have you been there all night?" I asked.
He gave me a cheeky 'vampire's do what vampire's want' grin and didn't directly answer.
"Charlie's off fishing already. There's a note for you on the table downstairs. You're to eat healthy food for breakfast not just cold cereal and he wants you to call to check in as soon as you're up. He was a little worried by how tired you were and was considering cancelling his fishing trip but he also feels indebted to the Clearwaters and would have felt bad for cancelling."
(I know Poptarts are Bella's favourite. I hate them with a passion but I do like Cheerios with Fruit loops sprinkled on top.)
"I know vampires don't sleep but surely just sitting there all night must be incredibly boring," I protested.
"We don't sleep but just sitting quietly contemplating something calm and peaceful is sort of our equivalent."
"So It's like watching Animal Planet? It's not about being interesting, it's just restful? What did you do before you found my rocking chair? Actually don't answer that. I know you. You were just twitchy and grumpy like everyone else when they don't get enough rest," I teased, climbing out of bed, turning off the oxygen and heading to the washroom.
"Pretty much," he agreed. "While you get cleaned up, I'll make you breakfast.''
"I hope this doesn't mean I have to get dinner for you because chasing down a wild animal sounds like a rather ambitious undertaking for me. I'm sure it would at least provide you with many hours of gloriously ridiculous entertainment though."
Edward puttering in the kitchen laughed and called up that he preferred mountain lions.
"I'll get right to work on that, after I figure out how to pass Spanish," I called down.
"I thought you were a vegetarian. Last time I checked bacon wasn't a vegetable," He called up.
"That's Charlie's. He's a junkfoodarian; bacon, burgers, pizza, fries and donuts. I think the greens in the house since I moved here vaguely offend him but he's also somewhat of a you-put-it-in-front-of-me-good-enough-atarian."
"So is the vegetarian thing from your mother?" Edward asked.
"No she's a you-put-it-in-front-of-me-good-enough-atarian too. I cook. I choose what to eat." I came downstairs towelling off my hair, curious to see what Edward had attempted to cook.
It was a very nice looking omelette. He looked very pleased with himself. I tried it. "Oh dear," I couldn't force myself to swallow it. "I hope you won't be horribly offended if I don't eat this. Oh, oh… I'm eating seventeen year old cinnamon that was labelled paprika and you found the decorative salt shaker not the one we use. Renee filled it with sugar to sprinkle something or other. Renee boobie trapped your best efforts. My first week here her ancient boobie traps got me too. Also, that wasn't caviar. That was Charlie's fishing bait. It's not for human consumption."
"Why was it in the fridge?" He protested looking alarmed. "I haven't poisoned you have I?"
"Charlie catches fish to eat. Why would fish bait be poisonous?" I asked, rinsing my mouth out with water. I heaved a sigh and set my water glass down then started to snicker.
Edward looked embarrassed but I couldn't help it. It was funny. Eventually he relented and chuckled a little at the humour of it.
"Well you have to eat something," he protested.
So I cooked a japanese breakfast, Charlie wasn't here to complain. Rice, vegetables, a little miso soup, a small portion of salmon, a boiled egg and some pickled beets.
"Itadakimasu," I spoke with the appropriate small bow.
Edward looked at me a little oddly as I pulled out chopsticks. "What does Itadakimasu mean?" He asked.
Oh dear, if I explained properly the day would repeat so perhaps a little truth but not the whole truth. "This is a Japanese style breakfast. In honour of that it's a Japanese well, sort of grace? It translates to, 'I humbly receive.' "
"Do you make Japanese style breakfasts often? It looks much healthier than cereal."
"No, Charlie already complains Renee turned me into a new age weirdo because I'm a vegetarian but he's fishing so I can eat whatever I want or were you put off by my breakfast too? If you want to eat mountain lions in front of me I won't complain."
Edward sat down then started lecturing me about how it wasn't safe to be anywhere near a vampire that was eating. When he finally wound down I asked if he really thought a girl who fainted when someone else pricked their finger would need to be warned off of getting up close and personal with a vampire's eating habits. He conceded the point.
When the question of what I wanted to do with the day came up I sighed. I know I should be studying. I had midterms in Biology and Spanish. I hadn't finished the course work in either subject. I also had a health project and an English essay on a book I hadn't started reading.
I looked at Edward. "There is no way on God's green earth I'll be ready for any of the midterms and essays I have due next week."
"I can get you ready for Biology. Study Spanish tomorrow and I'm certain Carlisle will happily write you a note to get an extension on the essays."
"Sensei, you seriously want to waste a gorgeous sunny Saturday in what's normally the rainiest town on the planet trapped inside studying with me?" I wanted to see him sparkle. I like sparkly things.
"You betcha young padawan," He answered with a grin. "Sun isn't really my thing anyway. I'll show you later. It's kind of horrible."
"Oooh Star Wars fan. Cool. You're sure you couldn't be bribed into binge watching the whole series instead?" I'd forgotten Star Wars had a revival still going in 2005.
He was a good teacher and he knew biology like nothing else. He wasn't human though and it showed.
"Edward, humans can't focus forever without breaks. I'm not going to retain anymore right now. It's why I'm making so many mistakes now. I need movement, a change of focus and fuel. Sorry, I don't want to disappoint you but there's nothing left in my tank." I looked outside and pouted. The sun had gone away.
The phone rang.
It was Renee. She was very excited because Phil had gotten a permanent position on some kind of baseball team and she'd bought a house in Jacksonville and I could come home because they wouldn't be moving all the time and I'd be away from all of that horrible stuff that had happened in Port Angeles. Wasn't it exciting and she wanted to surprise me and this is why she hadn't visited when I was in the hospital and wasn't it wonderful. And oh Sweetie Pie you're going to love Jacksonville and before I could get a word in edgewise she hung up.