Crescent Night

Chapter 15

I shook off the intrusive thought and kept listening. By the time she had calmed down it was two in the morning. We hung up with a promise to see each other tomorrow and reassurance that James was dead in a ditch or something.

The house was quiet, as expected for this time of night. I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt antsy and unsure, should I call Alice and Jasper? Or maybe my mom? No, I couldn't tell either of them this. I couldn't tell my mom for obvious reasons, and if I told Alice and Jasper, Edward would find out within the hour. The opposite of what Bella wanted.

I busied myself aimlessly for about an hour, organizing my room, listening to music, getting a snack, and nothing got rid of my nerves. So I decided on a shower, perhaps that would tire me out enough to sleep.

The warm water relaxed my shoulders and fogged the glass on the showers sliding door. I tried to let the water just wash away all my worries, trying to let them go like Dr. Douglass told me. I shampooed my hair slowly, trying to take everything in.

Slowly, all I focused on was the sound of the shower. The running water, and it's loud pitter patter in the tiles.

Bella?

I looked up suddenly, shampoo getting in my eyes.

Bella, where are you?!

I didn't recognize that voice. And I didn't know where it was coming from. It seemed like it was right in my ears.

I thought you'd make this more entertaining for me, but you humans continue to be predictable!

I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. I know what this is. I'm just stressed, I've been stressed for weeks now. I combed my fingers through my wet hair. This will pass, I just need to stay calm.

She was never here.

I continued with my shower. But the voices got louder and more animated, drowning out the sound of the shower. Then I could see something moving in my peripheral vision. I looked up next to me, the room was now dark, and I could see movement through the fog in the glass door.

I hope you don't mind me leaving a little message for your boyfriend, Edward, was it?

I stared at the unclear shapes behind the glass. Had other visions been this vivid? This long? I didn't know who the man was, I couldn't place his voice, but the other person was Bella. He was taunting her, but her voice was angry if wobbly. What was this?

It wasn't until I heard Alice mention that I found the courage to wipe away the fog and really see. It was a ballet studio, old by the looks of it. And there was Bella, facing off with a tall blonde man holding a camera in her face. I watched as their back and forth continued. Suddenly Bella threw an old television on the ground and sprayed it with something. There was a pause, then another, where nothing happened. And when that ended, everything began moving too quickly.

I looked on in horror as Bella fought off the man, who in his anger began changing, his features and voice becoming something terrifying. I covered my mouth to keep myself from screaming when he tossed Bella across the room. She landed painfully, mirror shards falling around her. Edward appeared soon after, and I thought it would end, until I saw the man bite brutally into Bella's forearm, earning a painful scream from her and Edward.

"No!" I placed my hands once again in the glass, and that seemed to end the illusion. Everything came back to me all at once, the sound and feeling of the water, the bathroom was filled with light again, and all I could see through the glass was the rest of the bathroom.

I took a step back, hugging myself tightly, until I hit the cold tiles on the wall. I slid down into a fetal position, and once again, tried to make sense of everything.

I didn't get much sleep, the images from the bathroom lingering in my mind. But no matter how tired I was, I promised Bella I'd go see her today.

I stood on her porch, knocking every so often. I could hear loud laughter from inside, so they probably couldn't hear me. I sighed, not knowing what to do. Miss Jennifer told me people kept their doors unlocked often, and people just walked into their friends houses unannounced. Something I experienced first hand when a friend of hers walked into the house when I was home alone, prompting me to call the police. But no matter what the norm was around her, I still didn't feel comfortable just barging in. So I waited.

After a few minutes the voices began getting louder approaching the door, then the door opened suddenly and I was face to face with a tall, long haired Native American man. Boy? I couldn't gauge his age. He stared at me for a moment then turned his head slightly and yelled something over his shoulder.

"Hey Charlie there's a girl on your porch!"

Soon after i saw Bella's dad come up behind the guy, an older looking Native American man in a wheelchair following close behind him. I waved pathetically.

"Oh Elle! Bella told me you were coming!" He patted the guy's shoulder, "This is Elle, Bella's friend from school."

"Oh!" The guy said, "Sorry, you caught me off guard! I'm Jacob!" He offered his hand out. I nodded and took it, I kind of remembered Bella mentioning a 'Jacob' before.

After a few awkward introductions I truly didn't care about, I was finally able to see Bella, who was sitting on her living room couch with her leg raised.

"Your family friends are energetic." I said sitting down next to her carefully. She laughed.

"That's just Jacob and Billy, they've been coming almost everyday. And I'm pretty sure Billy is angry with me for scaring Charlie, but there's nothing I can do about that." She seemed to relax slowly.

"So, what now?"

"Well, Charlie went with Billy and Jake to get some fish they have frozen at Harry's place," she shrugged, messing flipping through TV channels, "So it's just us for now, we can order food if you want."

"Maybe later."

For a while, things seemed normal, for all anyone knew, Bella did break her leg falling down some stairs. We began watching a movie, and then Bella reached out to get something on the coffee table.

"I'll get it-" I gave her her glass of water, but my eyes stayed glued to her bandaged forearm. She didn't notice.

"Thanks"

"No problem."

She continued to focus on the movie, but my mind was back in the shower last night. Surely that wasn't a bite, she'd be a vampire by now, right?

It's probably from a mirror shard.

She must've cut it when she hit the floor.

It's nothing.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened to your arm?"

She looked at me, grabbing her forearm instinctively. My gaze stayed fixed on it.

"I cut it."

"How?"

"With glass- I don't know- why does it matter?"

"Please show me." I looked up at her eyes.

"What? Elle what does it-"

"Please." My voice cracked. She looked at me, then her bandaged arm, and nodded. She took a breath and began undoing the bandages. "Just don't freak out okay?"

There on her forearm, was a large jagged bite mark.