A/N:
I fear that this chapter doesn't make much sense, but as I explained in the group, my head hasn't been in the right headspace for writing these last few months. So, please bear with me.
I'd like to address a few questions. Yes, this is sticking to canon Twilight. They are vampires. No, I am not sure if it's a HEA, nor if they will be able to save her on time.
I am sorry again if this chapter is jumbled.
"Bella."
Hm?
"Bel-la, wake up."
What?
"Isabella, wake up?!" A feminine voice whisper-yelled as she shook me slightly.
I gasped, as my eyes snapped open and I opened my mouth to scream.
Her cold, hard hand slapped over my mouth, as she hushed me. Her light honey-colored eyes widened as she hovered over me.
"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk." She tells me calmly.
I blinked, as I slowly nodded, briefly wondering what would happen if I tried to press the red call button, as I tried to keep my hands from twitching in the direction of the button itself.
"Don't do it. You'll only cause me from having to delay this talk. Which will be happening either now, or later this week. So, why not avoid prolonging this and just go on with it? Do you truly want me to keep bothering you? Because I can, trust me." She tells me threateningly, before turning to pull up a chair. "I'm going to let go now. Scream, and I will be back every night until you listen to me." She adds.
I sighed in defeat, before motioning for her to continue, as I move my jaw experimentally.
She sighed, "I want to start by saying who I am… I am Alice Cullen. I'm —" She began before I cut her off.
"You're one of the five children he adopted, right? He's told me all about you as he does his daily check-up. Why are you here, Alice?" I asked.
She got a faraway look, before her eyes glazed over. "You're dying?" She asked, as her eyes began to shine with unshed tears.
I nodded, "I am. Why do you care?" I asked.
She sighs, "I care because you are very important. Or at least you will be to our family. In the future, sometime soon." She states immediately.
I frown at her response, "How am I important to your family? Did you all not move here about a year or so ago?" I asked, confused, "How can I be important to your family if we've never even crossed paths? I've been in and out of this god-forsaken place since the beginning of last year. Answer me." I demanded.
She gapped at me, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
"Right. Important." I sighed, as I laid my head back onto the pillow.
Silence submerged the room, as she sat there looking down at her hands.
"You're right. We haven't crossed paths, and- and you're right. We haven't met properly, but can you trust me for a second?" She asked.
I gave her an unimpressed look, before shaking my head at her. "Didn't your parents even warn you to never speak to strangers when you were little?" I retorted.
She shook her head, "I don't know. I can't remember. My real parents have been dead for a long time." She whispered.
I blinked, as I felt my face heat up. "I'm sorry for your loss," I whispered.
She shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I hardly remember them, most of us hardly do." She responded, distractedly.
I nodded, before looking down at the hands on my lap.
"Bella, what do you know about vampires, werewolves, and all the other folklore?" She suddenly asked.
I gave her a dull look as I pointed to the pile of books that had only grown since I had been admitted here.
In truth, my parents, specifically my father, had gone to the local Walmart and bought me a handful of books, sometimes a dozen or so, from varying genres.
I tended to usually spend my time scanning the pages of those books, before skipping to the ending—usually a happy one.
I've read between drama, romance- which was given to me by my mother, historical, suspense, classics- which were brought from our house, mysteries, horror, and crime—even supernatural books.
Between last week's, and this week's bunch, I had taken to reading romance, I needed a little bit of happiness in my life, however small it may be.
"Well? Do you?" Alice interrupted my revere.
I nodded, "Yes. I do, if you would turn your head, you'd notice the piles of growing books in the corner of that room." I told her, pointing to the books.
She nods, "Well, do you believe in the supernatural?" She asked, skeptically.
"No. I do not. Do you think if there were anything extraordinary out there I would be trapped in these four walls? In this condition? Slowly decaying at the tender age of seventeen?" I retorted.
She flinched, before nodding, "I am not here to make you feel uncomfortable…" She trailed off.
I huffed before looking towards the door, "Then why are you here? Are you here to talk circles around me like your brother did?" I finally asked.
She shook her head, "But now that you've brought him up.." She trails off.
I sigh, "What about him? Are you here to plead his case? To tell me what he didn't? Because he kept saying that he needed to speak to me, yet he never got to the point." I pointed out.
Alice rolled her eyes at me, "No, he didn't. But how could he when you called our father and brothers to force him to leave?" She retorts.
I smiled angelically at her, "Well, you see, I am dying, Alice, and since I know my end is coming, I want seclusion, privacy, and peace. I have made my mind up on this. That is why I called your father here. Now, instead of asking all these questions, tell me why you are here. I am starting to feel tired." I said.
She sighed, "Isabella, you are very important to us. You are going to be what completes my family or what breaks them apart." She finally states.
I hummed, "Why did you ask about whether or not I believed in the supernatural?" I asked.
Her tiny shoulders shuddered as her eyes clouded over once more, "Because it is a part of this world. It's all around you." She says tentatively as she stands up and turns towards the door.
Before I can ask what she means, she is gone, and the door opens. Doctor Cullen walks in a moment later, a small silver tray in his hand, and the other with a clipboard.
"Isabella. Alice." He mumbles as he moves to sit both down by the bedside table.
I frowned, "How did you know she was here?" I asked, surprised.
"I can smell her perfume, and hear her in the bathroom. Are you alright?" He asks me.
I nodded, swallowing, "Yes…just feeling the exhaustion." I whispered.
He nodded. "The medications the nurse administered to you earlier may have worn off already, is there anything else you feel?" He asked, concerned.
I nodded, "Pain- Pain in my left side." I mumbled, as I winced and tried to adjust my position on the stiff bed.
He frowned as he silently asked me if he could check my side.
I sighed, before turning onto my right side and sighing as I heard him slip on a pair of latex gloves, and pull up my hospital gown.
I felt the cool of the stethoscope against my skin as he listened to my lungs, and sighed, "Have you been having shortness of breath?" He asked me concerned.
"No more than usual. I am a bit more tired than I was earlier but I figured it was due to being unable to sleep." I replied.
He sighed, "I'm going to need to take some tests to make sure but I think your bronchitis is back." He informed me.
I nodded slowly as he helped me roll onto my back. "Does that mean I have to get the mask now?" I asked, quietly.
He made a face before nodding. "To administer the mediation. I will be back with everything in a little while. Get some rest while I come back." He tells me.
I nod, before sighing and trying to relax into the mattress.
The moment that Dr. Cullen was gone, Alice slowly made her way to the same seat she was in before we were interrupted.
"I need to go back to sleep." I told her.
She nodded, a sad expression on her face. "Before I go, I just want to ask something of you." She said.
I sighed before nodding, as I felt my eyes growing heavy.
"Let Edward come to see you." She finally said.
I thought for a moment before finally nodding, "Alright. Tell him to come tomorrow." I answered before allowing myself to fall asleep.
The following afternoon, after finishing the tests, and came back with the results.
As it turns out my bronchitis was back, and it brought a friend. Pneumonia. I could already feel the exhaustion grow more and more as time went by.
The oxygen mask was placed around midday and had been on as a precaution.
I hated this.
I didn't want this.
But I continued to 'fight' as I felt my lungs burn after every breath I took. My body aches as if I had done calisthenics all morning. Or ran up and down the stairs of the hospital.
As I was finally beginning to fall asleep, a sharp, rapt knock resounded from the door.
I let out a slow breath as I heard the door open.
"Isabella?" Edward called.
"Come in." I softly said, not having the strength to be louder.
He silently made his way over to the chair that remained next to the bed and folded himself into it.
"What do you need?" I asked, quietly.
He remained quiet for a few minutes before he sighed, "Alice told me she came to visit you last night… and that you two spoke before you started feeling sick." He told me quietly.
I nodded my head as I tried to stay relaxed.
He sighed, "The reason Alice asked you to allow me to see you is because I- I needed to see you." He admitted.
I nodded, "Why did you seem so urgent yesterday?" I asked.
He sighed, as he ran a hand through his hair, anxiously looking around the room.
"If you aren't going to talk, then leave. I do not have the energy to be asking questions." I weakly told him.
He nodded, "Alice told me of what you spoke about. Do you truly believe that humans are the only thing out there?" He asked.
I shrugged, "Whatever is out there isn't my problem seeing as I won't be living for that much longer." I mumbled, weakly.
He flinched. "Are- Are you sure that there is nothing to be done?" He asked me.
I nodded, "My immune system is too weak. While you sit here, breathing perfectly fine on your own. I am growing weaker and weaker by the day. A cold could quite literally kill me. I have bronchial pneumonia, and I am growing weaker by the hour. The medications help with the pain and aches that my body and lungs feel, but… I don't want to keep living my life like this." I told him.
He frowned at me as I stared back, "You're dying…" He whispered in shock.
I nodded, "That is what I said." I breathed.
He suddenly shook his head, and stood up, "No, I won't allow it to happen." He tells me.
I scoffed, "Ah, so you want to prevent it. Cool. When you find a cure, make sure you use it on the next person with this condition, because by the time you do, I'll be long gone." I responded, before rolling my eyes at him.
He shook his head viciously, "No, not if I-" He began to say as walked in.
I watched as they had a silent exchange before a deep noise emanated from Edward's chest as he protectively moved towards me.
I gasped as I looked up, noticing his eyes darkened.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Jasper, Emmett, and Alice walked in.
"Edward, don't. You'll endanger all of our lives." She told him, as she tried to step closer.
Before she could, however, Jasper extended his arm and shook his head at her.
"He won't hurt me." She calmly tells him, as she steps around him, only for him to move along with her and shake his head vehemently.
This continued for a few minutes, before Carlisle sighed in exasperation, "That is enough. Isabella is a patient here. She needs her rest, you all need to leave." He commands, but no one moves.
Instead, I hear a gasp before I feel myself go airborne.
A moment later, a sharp tug pulls from my arm, and I let out a pained yelp, as I feel my body get pressed into what felt like a wall of concrete, constricting the air in my lungs for a second before my head swims, and everything goes dark.
When I come to, it hurts to breathe a lot more than before, and I am breathing with the mask on my face once more.
I almost let out a surprised squeak when I saw Dr. Cullen standing by my bed, an apologetic expression immediately appearing on his face.
"I am so sorry for how my son has acted earlier this afternoon." He tells me as I frown at him.
I nodded in response before tilting my head, "Why does he keep getting defensive whenever I tell him that I am dying? Why does he keep asking if I believe in the supernatural? Are you all a part of a brainwashing cult or something?" I asked, amused.
His expression changed almost immediately. "There is only so much I can explain, especially here of all places." He tells me, evasively.
I let out a slow breath, wincing as I did.
"Bella, we're are- a part of- for better lack of words- of the supernatural world." He finally says.
I stare at him in disbelief, waiting for him to tell me that he is joking but his expression remains serious, and I realize he isn't joking.
"Come again?" I asked.
He nods, "My family and I are - we are far from ordinary- a part of the supernatural world, one of which we believe you will become a part of if you allow us to save you." He tells me.
I stare back at him in disbelief, eyes widening for a second before I feel my head spin, and everything darkened.