Disclaimer: Original characters and part of the plot belong to Stephanie Meyer

Chapter 7 – The Dream

I then started crying quietly.

Bella POV

If it weren't for me, Charlie wouldn't be dead. If I hadn't caused him to kill James, Victoria wouldn't want to take revenge. Forks wouldn't have lost its Police Chief.

And I hadn't even told Charlie that I loved him. I never had.

With all these thoughts going in my mind, I cried myself to sleep.

It was very dark inside. The only light was from a window. And the light, though it was sunlight, was slightly light green in colour and was only a sliver.

The floor, walls and ceiling were wooden. But it was hard to identify them since they were covered with dust and cobwebs. The wood creaked as I stepped closer to the window.

I saw a forest full of trees. There were birds singing, and far away, I thought a heard an elephant's trumpet. Where was I?

Just a millisecond later, as the sunlight brightened, I saw a hand raise towards the window. The hand was put by its owner on the windowsill and it exploded into a million reflecting shard of diamond. Another second later, I realised it had not exploded. The skin was reflecting the sunlight in a way I knew only one creature's skin could. Vampire.

My heart quickened. But something told me this vampire wouldn't hurt me. I stepped closer. But the sight I saw had me reeling in agony and made my knees buckle.

The most terrible of all the sights I had ever dreamed of seeing greeted me. I saw a devastatingly beautiful face. But it was tortured. The most beautiful face of a tortured soul. The face was perfect and angular — high cheekbones, strong jawline, a straight nose, and full lips. It was topped with a head full of messy hair in a beautiful shade of bronze.

Edward.

My hand went to my chest as I struggled to catch my breath. At that same moment, I realised the look on his face. It was that of a man tortured to the wildest realms possible. His face was… heartbroken. Why?

He was sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest, one of his hands around them. His face was towards the window, and his eyes stared blankly outside. It was like one gust of wind would blow him away, as if he were trying to hold himself together with his hands.

His eyes were coal black, and the dark circles beneath them showed he hadn't hunted for possibly at least three weeks. Why was he starving himself?

"Bella," he mumbled. His voice was hoarse and broken, if velvet could be hoarse at all. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you." He buried his head between his knees and I could see the silent sobs raking through his body.

He loved me.

My heart broke even more terribly than before at the sight of him.

"Edward," I realised I had said it aloud as his head snapped up to me.

"Bella?" he said, his head whipping from one side to another, his voice confused. "Where are you? What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Edward, I –"

I had raised my hand towards his to touch his palm. But my hand went through as though it were made of air. Then suddenly everything started breaking and blotching like watercolours. Scenes rushed past me as I was sucked away from him. I screamed out his name.

I woke with a start. It was a dream, I realised. But was it true? Or was it just my imagination thinking of impossible things?

But why was Edward sitting like that? I recalled the way he said he was sorry and he loved me. Had he lied that day in the woods. As I thought more about it, it seemed not only possible, but also probable. But why would he lie so cruelly about something so serious?

Hundreds of questions went around my head. I looked at the clock. 2:30 am. It was usual for me to wake up by 5 now-a-days. I did not require as much sleep before.

My head was now full of thoughts that needed processing. But I couldn't find it within me to think about them now. I decided to do it when I woke again.

I flopped back down on my bed and closed my eyes. For the first time in months, I finally had a few hours of dreamless sleep.