Overview

Hi Roses! I've got a few little housekeeping notices to go over today, as I've been doing a bit more editing and polishing. As a bonus for putting up with me, I've also included a sneak peek of the next chapter which I'm looking for feedback on. Here's the contents of today's post:

1. Reworked Dream

2. Other Changes

3. Sneak Peak

Reworked Dream

If you read the last chapter before I'm posting this, you'll want to read the reworked dream below – the version I published was a placeholder that I planned to rewrite but forgot to replace, and it's kind of important!

–

I attached a stitch marker and tidied away my project. After getting in bed, I was asleep the moment my head touched the pillow. On any other night, I'd be thankful, but perhaps due to my late-night window sitting, my night was plagued with disturbing dreams.

It was twilight at the high school, the trees strung with glowing paper lanterns, the air humming with music and conversation. I was running across a manicured lawn towards the treeline of pines where Alice disappeared earlier today. Except I wasn't chasing Alice, someone or something was chasing me.

I entered the forest and immediately I was swallowed by the darkness. The high school disappeared from behind me, the noise drifting across the field stopped. I wasn't at the edge of the treeline anymore, but a clearing, deep within the forest. I stopped to catch my breath, falling on sore, bare knees. My dress was a royal blue, with a sweetheart neckline and chiffon skirt, ripped to ribbons by the wicked briars that had whipped at my skin as I ran.

A low growl resounded through the clearing, originating from behind me. I wept because I couldn't run anymore, and because my only protection was with him. Edward stepped forward into the clearing now, arm around Rosalie's neck as she cried softly. A smirk played on his lips. I was a sight for sore eyes, crumpled at his feet like a flightless bird – and he was the cat who got the cream.

The moment he broke her neck, a tremendous weight on my back pushed me forward, forcing my face into the damp earth. I screamed, dirt filling my throat, and awoke in the blackness of my own room.

–

Other Changes

On other chapters, changes are mostly minor tweaks to bring back some characterisation and material I liked from the original drafts. Fresh eyes and all that! But you're not missing too much, so no need to reread those unless you feel like it.

Some scenes with added dialogue/thoughts from the original drafts include meeting Edward, meeting Rose and the lunchtime chat. I also brought back some of Rose's fire and sassiness that I lost along the way and made Bella a little less jumpy and fragile – I wasn't doing well mentally when I wrote the current edition, and it shows haha. But I'm doing great now!

–

Sneak Peek

Overall, I want everyone to be able to enjoy the Rose and the Wolf, but I also enjoy exploring serious themes in my writing, in the hopes that someone will see themselves in my characters and feel represented, then see themselves get the happily ever after they deserve. I'm also a huge horror fan, and my writing is often influenced by the books I read.

For the chapter I'm currently working on, I'm trying to find the balance between these conflicting goals. The chapter begins somewhat gruesomely, and I'm worried that will scare readers off, but at the same time, I think this was a good way to convey the danger Bella is in without harming her directly – there's only so many broken bones she can have! (Kidding.)

So, if you have any feedback on the darker themes of the fanfic, please share it. You can either review, direct message me here or on discord (.clfrd)

As promised, here's your sneak peek! Trigger warning for dead birds, warnings are placed at the beginning (/TW) and end (TW/) of the triggering passage. Stay safe and enjoy!

–/TW–

In the dim light, I could barely make out the warm shape in my hand. I reached for my light switch and immediately regretted it. The bird in my hand was a creamy white and could have been sleeping – if not for the nasty bend in its neck. I sucked in a shocked, gasping breath and let out a strangled scream, dropping it in a shower of white feathers. It joined the other birds littered around where I had slept, which were significantly more mangled.

I scrambled away from the pool of gore soaking into my bed and began to hyperventilate, flapping my hands in a repetitive motion. Dad was at my side in a second, though I hadn't heard him enter the room.

He gripped my wrists tightly and lowered his head to fill my vision. His lips were moving, he was clearly trying to communicate something – but I couldn't hear anything over the breathless sobs wracking my chest. Charlie quickly realised that stilling my hands made things worse, and pulled my head into his chest instead, stroking my hair protectively.

I'm not sure exactly how long I stayed in that position, but I eventually regained my hearing.

"Dad?" I croaked out, my voice hoarse.

"Yeah, Bells?" His voice sounded rougher than usual, and I wondered idly if he had shed a few tears too.

"I… I'd like to take a shower now."

Charlie hesitated, holding me at arm's length and examining my face. Finally, he responded.

"Okay. I'll put you some clothes outside the bathroom door. No sense in you looking at this longer than you have to. We'll get to the bottom of this, I swear it."

I nodded and he pulled me back into his arms, squeezing me tight. He planted a whiskery kiss on the top of my head.

"Love you, Bells."

"Love you too, dad." I replied, allowing the tears to flow freely down my cheeks.

As I showered, I scrubbed my body, and especially my hands, red raw; It was my attempt at washing the memory of the bird's still warm body from my skin... Then, with growing horror, I realised it was still warm. That meant that someone – and it had to be Edward – had planted it probably moments before I awoke. I shivered involuntarily, despite the scorching temperature of the water.

–TW/–

I turned the shower off with a squeaky twist, wrapped myself in a towel and lightly padded to the door, unlocking it. Droplets of water dripped onto my toes from my long, wet hair. I slowly creaked open the door and reached my hand out for my clothes, half expecting a cold, pale hand to grab me instead.

With my hand safely returned, I relocked the door and began getting changed. As I reached for the shirt, a hastily-scrawled note fluttered out.

"You had no comfy t-shirts, have this one,"

I scrunched up my face. I had plenty of comfy shirts. But as I lifted the t-shirt to view it, I laughed to myself, recognising dad's intentions immediately.

It was a baggy men's t-shirt, khaki green, with a giant largemouth bass on the front, giving a wink. 'Women love me, fish fear me,' it read. I rolled my eyes and put it on, immediately designating this my new favourite shirt.

Charlie wanted me to laugh, he wanted me to find comfort in something that reminded me of him – and it was certainly working thus far. I put on the baggy mom jeans he'd paired it with, tucked the shirt in roughly and braided my wet hair to the side so it was out of my way.

I found Charlie in the kitchen, pacing as he called the station. While I waited for him to finish, I plopped in a chair and traced the scratches on the table with my finger absentmindedly.

As he hung up, he turned to me. "Sorry about that, I just had to let them know I won't be working today. Do you need me to call your school?"

"Why? We won't be late if we leave soon."

Charlie paused, staring at me incredulously.

"I'm not just trying to be brave," I added hastily, "School gives me structure and structure is comforting to me."

Charlie ran his fingers through his hair and continued his pacing.

"I'll take you, but we've got to have a talk first," he warned, lowering himself into the seat opposite me.

"I think we can both agree that Edward is behind this – it ain't natural, that's for certain. That means he was inside the house. Now, I'm not blaming you if you did, but did you leave your window open last night?"

"I… I don't think so. But, maybe," I lied.

"Well, hopefully he came through a window, we can be more careful locking those. When I checked this morning, the front door was still locked. If we've both still got our keys, he can't have come through there."

Charlie fished in the pocket of the jacket draped over the back of his chair, producing a full set of keys. I wandered to the coat pegs by the door, checking my own pockets.

"No missing keys for me either," I confirmed, before sitting back down.

"The windows and doors are the only possible points of entry into the house. Since there's no damage to any of them, as far as I know, your window being open is our best theory."

I nodded in agreement.

"As much as I want Edward to be punished, I can tell you now, Bells, we don't have enough evidence to make an arrest yet. I can give a warning, but that might make you more of a target if he's the revenge sort, which I'd bet on. That's not to say he'll get off scot-free, okay? I will sort this out, I just need to be smart about it."

He sighed. "You're a woman, so you probably know the deal better than I do. The law isn't set up to protect victims, especially victims of people like Edward. His family's educated, rich and, well, white. Sad to say, but that makes a difference to some folks on the force."

"To do something officially, we'd need a hell of a lot of evidence. And don't you worry, Bells, we'll get it. In the meantime, you need to take this as seriously as I do. That boy butchered those birds. That ain't normal." He shook his head.

"So, no more alone time, okay? Stick with your friends and come straight home after school. That Fair?" He asked, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

"Fair," I replied, with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.