Monachopsis (E. Cullen+ B.Swan) ✔️

Chapter Four

Adrenaline junkies and lame zombie movies...

Over the next few months Bella and Everest became inseparable. They had an unspoken agreement that they wouldn't speak of what had destroyed them, but anything else was fair game, and the more they got to know each other; the more drawn in to each other they found themselves. It seemed that the sudden flourishing friendship between the two poured relief into the hearts of both of their families. However it seemed that Charlie Swan, although relieved that Bella seemed to come back to life around Everest, was still pressuring her to hang out with some of her old friends, and so Everest and Bella found themselves in Port Angelas watching a lame zombie movie with Jessica Stanley. It was Everest's first time properly meeting the girl, due to Bella and Everest mainly eating at the abandoned Cullen table;however she could honestly say that she wasn't very impressed.

Walking away from the theater Bella and Everest were walking hand-in-hand while occasionally nodding along with Jessica's rambling.

"I don't get why there are so many zombie movies, is it like a metaphor for consumerism? Not that you would know anything about it, you didn't buy anything today. At least Everest bought a book." Jessica states, glancing up at Bella before looking to her feet once again.

"I bought something." Bella mumbles in a halfhearted defense as Everest rolls her eyes at Jess and rubs her thumb against Bella's hand soothingly, gaining a small smile from the girl.

"Socks don't count." Jessica retorts. "'Course I was surprised you even called."

Everest gritted her teeth to prevent herself from snapping at the girl as Bella grows uncomfortable.

"Yeah I've been...kinda out of it." she mutters.

"Kind of? I mean, at first I was worried. Then I'm like, okay, she's still bumming? It's not like I wasn't going through things, too. Like Mike deciding he wanted to "just be friends?" that was really hard and --" Jessica begins to talk about herself for the thousandth time this trip when Bella gets distracted.

"Hey girls, you wanna ride?" an unfamiliar voice reaches the trio.

Jessica immediately looks away and Everest scoffs in disgust but Bella seems entranced, lost in memories. Suddenly time seems to slow as a voice spoke at Bella's ear and she jumped.

"Move Bella."

Bella nearly collapsed at the sound of his velvety voice in her ear. Her knee's threatened to buckle and her legs shook. She turns her head to find Edward, yet it wasn't really Edward, it was an apparition that was blurry around the edges and sort of see through. Time speeds back up as he disappeared as a concerned Everest walked through him, rubbing Bella's arms worriedly.

"Are you okay B?" she asks, her voice soft.

Bella blinks slowly as her eyes focus on Everest and she nods slowly before looking around for Edward again.

"Guys lets go.' Jessica whines, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I...I just want to see something." Bella mumbles.

Almost as if in a trance Bella begins to walk over to the group of shady looking bikers.

"Alright boys, we got a taker!" one of the men crows.

Bella ignores Everest's scared call for her to return and stumbles backwards as Edward appears back in front of her.

"Bella. Turn around, this is dangerous." he tells her sternly.

Her brows furrow, and she takes a small step backwards and he disappears. Looking around for him, she steps forward again and Edward reappears.

"Stop. Now." he demands.

A small smile drifts to her lips as she reaches the bikers. As she reaches them she realizes that these were not the same men from last time and voices her surprise.

"Oh...you're not them." she mumbles.

Meanwhile Everest is almost in tears and panicking as Bella continues to talk to the shady bikers, and nearly cries out in panic as she gets on the back of one of their bikes and speeds off.

"Oh my god, oh my god, did she really just do that?" Jessica screeched incrediously.

Everest didn't answer as her mind reels with panic from what could happen to the girl she has grown fond of. Her chest begins to feel tight, as if someone had a hand in her chest and was squeezing her lungs to prevent her from breathing properly.

"Oh my god Everest are you okay?" Jessica asks, sounding a bit panicked herself as she places a hand on Everest's arm.

Everest shakes her head as tears stream down her face, and chokes out;

"Panic...attack..."

The next few minutes consist of Jessica trying to calm Everest down, and Everest watching the empty road, begging in her head for Bella to show up okay and in one piece.

As if the Gods had heard her pleads, Bella does show back up on the back of a disgruntled and freaked out looking guys bike. She quickly jogs over to the girls, her face creasing in concern when she see's Everest on the ground fighting to get her breathing under control.

"Everest? Are you okay?" she asks, kneeling in front of the distraught girl who immediately wraps her up in a tight and fierce hug.

"Never, never do that to me again you bleeding idiot." she cries into Bella's neck. "I thought you were going to get abducted or in an accident, you weren't even wearing a helmet." she scolds through her tears. Bella rubs Everest's back soothingly and mumbles apologies and reassurances in her ear as the distraught girl tries to get a handle on her breathing.

"Hey!" Jessica snaps, making Bella look up at her.

"Are you insane? or suicidal?" she asks her.

Bella shakes her head dazed as she mumbles to herself;

"The more dangerous...the more real it was."

Unfortunately Jessica heard her.

"So, what? You're an adrenaline junkie now? Go hang-gliding or bungee jumping, don't be a complete freak and hop on the back of some loser's bike! You gave Everest a damn panic attack and I thought I was going to end up in an FBI interrogation room." she snaps before stomping off to the car.

Bella sighs and pulls Everest to her feet.

"I'm sorry Ev, I didn't mean to scare you." she says softly, tucking the girls hair behind her ear.

Everest wipes her tear stained face and Bella feels a pang of guilt shoot through her.

"It's okay B." she mumbles before continuing; "If you wanna ride bikes we'll figure it out in a safer way, wearing the proper safety equipment though please."

Bella nods solemnly as Everest grabs her hand lightly and pulls her in the direction of Jessica's car. The only thing going through Bella's mind was that if it took her doing something dangerous to see Edward again, even in her mind; she was going to do whatever it took.