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[Twilight] Daybreak (Part II)
Shame I can't count this as part of my NaNo. I think I'm already up to like 6k with this fic, and it's probably about half-way done now? I don't know if it counts, since it's just a series of vinginettes that somehow form a plot when they're put together in a certain order. ♥ Please don't let the Twilight name scare you off, since I swear the only thing they share with the books are the names and the Cullen family sans Edward.
Title: Daybreak (Part II)
Fandom: Twilight [heavily AU]
Summary: Bella just can't seem to keep herself out of trouble, and now it seems she has a guardian angel? She's determined to look for it no matter what.
Disclaimer: Leaf and my vision of guardian angels are the only things that belong to me in this fic. Everything else, sadly, belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
1o.
The house was quiet when she walked back inside. Edward had probably gone home (good riddance!), and Charlie was attempting to make dinner for the evening. Bella strode over to him, sighed, and wrangled the wooden spoon from him.
"What's the occasion?"
Her father apologetically smiled. "My old friend Billy and his son Jacob are coming over for dinner."
"Who," She questioned, keeping her gaze on the boiling water.
"You haven't seen them in a long time," Charlie admitted, "But you used to go fishing with them when you came for the summers as a kid. Do you remember?"
She knew she came to Forks during the summertime, but she didn't remember much about it. She closed her eyes, straining hard to see if there was some memory deep down inside her. She probably remembered... Biting her lip, she questioned, "Did Jacob have a sister?"
"Two. Rachel and Rebecca."
A smile danced upon Bella's lips. "I remember," She cheerfully answered. "He was really young then, wasn't he?"
"That's right. Do you need any help--"
Bella cut him off with a sigh and a light poke with the wooden spoon. "Just set the table... and um, stay away from the kitchen. This is my forte."
Charlie sighed, but obeyed her request anyways. Both of them knew that if Charlie tried to cook, he could've easily burned the house down.
11.
The door opened, and a dark-skinned teenager trailed in behind his wheelchair-bound father. Smiling at Charlie, his eyes then fell upon Bella.
"You're Isabella Swan?"
It felt like a statement more than a question, and Bella could feel herself turn a pale shade of pink. She nodded, studying him a little longer. He looked tall, but he was younger than her, right? She had always remembered him as a little kid.
"It's nice to see you again, Jacob."
He beamed. "You too." He then glanced at the couch, laughing as he looked back at Charlie. "What, Ed isn't here too? I totally expected him to be on the couch and watching something stupid on TV."
Bella inwardly cursed. It seemed like everyone in this stupid town was well-acquainted with Edward Masen. Jacob looked back towards her and flashed her a grin. "Oh, you don't like Ed very much? I guess I wouldn't like a teenage boy practically living in my house too if I were you."
With that, he plopped on the couch, keeping an eye on Billy as he and Charlie struck up a conversation and talked idly. "How old are you now, Bella?"
"Seventeen," She admitted, keeping her attention on the spaghetti as she added the red sauce. Content that dinner looked appetizing, she put the final dish on the table. "How 'bout you?"
He shrugged. "Fifteen." Letting the TV blare in the background, he walked over to her and stared at the table hungrily. "Boy, that looks way better than the pizza Charlie usually has us bring from the reservation."
Oh! Charlie had told that to her earlier: Jacob and his father were Native Americans and lived at La Push, this reservation near Forks. It was actually pretty interesting to Bella; she didn't remember knowing an actual full-blooded Native American as a kid.
"You wanna eat," She finally managed to say, containing her thoughts to the back of her mind. "It's ready and everything."
"Of course," He beamed. "Hey, Dad! Charlie! Dinner's ready!"
The two teenagers took their seat at the table and talked the evening away. It had been so long since Bella had had an Edward-free evening, and to be honest? She was thoroughly enjoying herself.
12.
Everyone knew when the Cullens weren't in town. Bella could easily sense the lessened tension in the air; everyone got along. It was like the Cullens refused to get along with the townspeople. She thought it was odd yet mysterious of them at the same time. Surely four siblings could get along with this crowd easily - they were sophisticated and had this worldly aura around them.
On second thought, that was probably why they wouldn't get along. Forks was a small town, and everyone knew each other's business. The Cullens probably didn't want to offend them.
Oh, it was very odd to Bella that her thoughts revolved around them and Edward these days. She had a good number of friends that cared for her (and not in that semi-fake way that Jessica did, as she was still jealous of Edward's feelings towards her. What feelings? Jessica could have him!) and family that supported her. She didn't need to wonder about a family that didn't even know her name.
Edward was at his locker this morning when she walked into school, noticing the sudden happiness around her.
"It's happier, isn't it," He remarked to her as she passed by him.
She slowly nodded. "... Why?"
"The Cullens are out hiking," He shrugged. "They heavily believe in being alone with nature. It's quite odd if you ask me."
There he goes again with his odd speech patterns. Bella shrugged in response, stifling a giggle. "Not as odd as everyone being happy they're gone."
"The family feels like a restraint towards the town. It's no wonder they're so happy."
Bella thought about that for a moment. "It's like the Cullens don't belong in Forks. ... Edward, do you ever think that we belong here?"
His face became solemn, turning away from her as he stared into his locker. "Sometimes I do," He admitted. "But I can never find the answer to that question. Maybe... it's better if we never knew that answer."
13.
She didn't know how she managed to convince him to head out to the forest that afternoon. The fact that it wasn't raining helped tremendously, but still! Edward had basketball practice, didn't he?
Ah, well, he skipped it to go explore the woods with her anyways. Bella was oddly enjoying this. She knew the Cullens wouldn't be here - they tended to hike out of state according to the rest of Forks. But this was her forest. And well, Edward knew this area better than she ever would. (She would've asked Mike or Jacob, but she didn't want them to get the wrong idea. At least with Edward, he always seemed to realize that she wasn't interested in him.)
"It's so beautiful," She murmured as they slowly navigated broken tree branches, falling leaves, and the occasional frantic squirrel. Edward nodded in agreement, taking her hand as they continued their walk.
She wanted to take that hand out, she really did! But when you only had him in a strange forest for protection (yes - that was her true reason, you were going to hang onto his hand.
He stopped for a moment, staring at a giant tree before them. Bella quizzically looked at him before she was prompted to follow his gaze. And then she too stared in amazement.
There was a giant treehouse nestled in the branches, and a young child was gently swinging on a swing off one of the branches. The song was low-pitched yet calming at the same time, despite Bella being unable to make out the words.
She stared at the child for a while before it stared back at her. It jumped and tried to blend within the forest. Edward immediately seized her hand, still looking at her intently, before he said, "... Where's your family?"
The child shivered, darting its eyes to the floor. "I-I do not know," She (he?) shouted. "They have left me."
Edward's eyes widened; he immediately hugged the child, glancing over his shoulder at Bella.
"We need to get out of here," He whispered. "Something's coming."
14.
Bella stayed where she was. What was coming? "Edward, could you please explain what's going on?"
"There's no time," He hurriedly responded, taking the child's hand as they started to dash through the trees. Bella tried to keep up with him, but he was just too fast! Why couldn't he... why couldn't he...
Immediately stopping, Edward knelt to the child's level. "Child."
"My name's Leaf," The child responded, staring at him with solemn eyes. "... Are you going to hurt me like your kind hurt my family?"
Edward's eyes widened again. He immediately shook his head no, his face becoming paler by the second. "No, of course not. We need to get you out of here. Something bad's coming."
A wave of understanding washed over Leaf's face; she nodded immediately and turned her attention towards the forest's exit. "I am leaving. Take care of her," She pointed to Bella before she ran (no, it was more like glide) past the trees with relative ease.
Still kneeling, Edward motioned Bella towards him. "Get on my back."
"W-why?"
"Just do it!"
Bella quivered. How could she? Not if she didn't even know what was going on! "Edward, please explain to me---"
Within seconds, Edward had her pinned against a tree. Bella tried to punch him - how dare he try to kiss her here! And now! - but it was pointless. He had her bound against the top, refusing to let go.
"Don't. Breathe." He instructed her softly. "Everything will be all right."
Her face felt heavy; she could see looming shadows in the distance below her. They were searching for something, but for what? They seemed... hungry. Ravenous. She was told not to breathe, but! But! She would die if she didn't. She took a sudden, sharp breath.
The shadows growled before turning their eyes on her. Edward made a face and looked towards her before he looked towards the sky.
The last thing Bella remembered was seeing Edward's blue eyes. After that, everything suddenly turned black.
15.
The darkness was cold and windy. Bella shivered, slowly opening her eyes. There was someone -someone who wasn't Edward - in front of her. His hair was light blonde (almost white) and his skin was flawless. Something about him just glowed.
His wings flapped in the sky.
Wait. She was flying? She immediately clung tighter to the person; he wobbled from the sudden impact. "Hush, Isabella," He murmured, his voice sounding like honey. (She could listen to it forever!)
"W-who are you?"
She could see him smile despite her blurry vision. "Your guardian angel." His wings flapped again, and they pressed on in the sky. Bella tried to look down, but all she could see were patches of color underneath the clouds. (Were they really that high up?)
She smiled to herself. "Thank you for saving me from those shadows."
"You could see them?"
"Yeah. They looked hungry." She paused for a second, leaning in closer to her guardian angel. "... Where's Edward?"
"He was able to get out safely," The angel said softly, slowly heading towards the earth. Bella clutched her forehead; it hurt just trying to look down at the incoming earth. Within a few minutes, they had reached the grounds just before her house.
The angel dropped her softly by the ground before turning to leave.
"Wait," Bella found herself saying.
He turned back, smiling, as he placed a finger to his lips. "Stay safe, Miss Swan." He disappeared into tens of thousands of sparkles as he descended into the sky again, and Bella found herself clutching to two of his white feathers. She muffled a cry before passing out onto the grass.
16.
"Bella! Bella, wake up!"
Again? Bella opened her eyes, rising up to see Jacob's worried face beside her. Tilting her head to the side, she watched Leaf timidly walk in. He immediately brightened up, offering a smile as he sat at the foot of Bella's bed.
"G-good morning," She said to them.
Both of them exchanged glances. It was Jacob who finally said, "... Bella, it's about 10 o'clock."
Oh. Oh! Then her guardian angel had brought her back safely after all. Jacob must've been the one who brought her all the way to her bedroom. But what about Leaf? What were they going to do about him?
"Hey, Jacob?"
He blinked. "What is it?"
"Thanks for taking care of me," She answered. "... Have you met Leaf yet?"
Jacob nodded. "Yeah. Seems she's from the Cherokee tribe. Not sure how someone from that reservation came all the way up to Washington, but... she'll be in good hands." Come to think of it, Leaf was rather dark-skinned for her age - and she did look a lot like Jacob.
Leaf tugged on Jacob's arm. "Excuse me."
Both Bella and Jacob tilted their heads to the side. "Mm?"
"... I am not a she."
...
THUD. Leaf stared at both of the fallen teenagers before sighing as he tied his long, dark hair into a ponytail. "I really look like a human girl? That is a little distressing."
17.
A few minutes of awkward silence filled the room. Bella blushed when she looked back at Leaf. It was true that he looked a lot like a girl - he had the build of a petite girl with gentle, sweeping features, and a loosely defined cheekbone. It didn't help that he had long hair like Jacob, either.
"I'm sorry, Leaf," Bella apologized. "I... had no idea you were really a boy."
Leaf shrugged. "I do not mind."
"You talk awkwardly," Jacob jokingly called, nudging Leaf a little. "Heck, you even fooled me." Turning his attention back to Bella, he added, "So, you're okay? Charlie was really worried about you when you were just passed out on the yard back there with bird feathers."
Bella clutched her comforter. She couldn't tell them that she had really seen her guardian angel. They'd think she was mad! "... Really? I don't remember what happened before then."
"Leaf filled me in," Jacob sighed. "Seems that you, Edward, and he had run into trouble with a particularly violent bear. Charlie and the cops are going to hunt for it first thing in the morning."
Bella's eyes widened. Was that really all that had happened? Couldn't be. If it were just a bear, he would've told her so. And she could've actually been able to breathe.
"Is... Edward all right?"
"Of course," Jacob replied nonchalantly. "It's Ed. He always manages to turn out okay in the end."
He leaned in, ruffled Bella's hair, and smiled as he turned to leave. "We'll be leaving Leaf with you until Dad and Miss Elizabeth figure out what to do. That's fine with you, right?"
Bella nodded. Jacob grinned one last time before he left through the door, nearly bumping into the wall.
18.
Despite the fact that she was perfectly fine, Charlie insisted that she stay home one more day. Something about not letting the trauma get to her? Either way, Bella wasn't too happy about staying home alone. She would have to hear their scapegoat - the bear - get shot and know that the bear wasn't the reason for all their problems.
Jessica came by after school, mainly to tell her that the Cullens were back in school. It felt gloomy with them back, she had said. Everyone could feel their presence despite them keeping to themselves. Bella had smiled a little and groaned at the homework, but enjoyed Jessica's company anyways. She even urged Jessica to hint Edward about the upcoming prom - he would enjoy her company there.
Oddly enough, Jessica shook her head. "I'm over Ed," She had said cheerfully. "I think I'll go ask Mike instead!"
Her visit was painfully short, but her next visitor, Edward Masen, was an unexpected surprise.
"I thought you had basketball practice."
"I wanted to see you," He said, carefully balancing a tray of chicken noodle soup as he walked in and set it on her. "And besides, I doubt Charlie can cook as well as Mother can."
She smiled, lifting the spoon to her mouth and blowing on it before she took a sip. "Mm, it's delicious."
"Glad to hear it," He beamed.
She finished the soup, then set it aside as she moved closer towards Edward. "Um, thank you."
He blinked. "What for?"
"My guardian angel. You're right. I really do have one."
A soft smile came upon his lips. He leaned back in his chair, saying, "Oh? Are you sure you're not dreaming?"
"Of course not," I pouted. "Dang it, Edward. I'm really going to find out who he is."
Edward just grinned even more. "Why don't I save you some time and tell you it's me."
"Now you're just being ridiculous."
He frowned. "Am I?"
"... A-anyhow, I'm glad you came to visit me."
"You're welcome," He replied, heading towards the door, tray in hands. "But good luck. I hope you find out who your guardian angel is."
And with that, he descended the stairs and left Bella alone to dream.
19.
Everyone at school was reluctant to look at Bella again for the first few days. This whole deal of nearly getting attacked by a bear was ridiculous! Most people avoided her, even if they didn't realize it. Edward didn't seem to be getting the same treatment; he was instead fawned over by the girls and constantly asked if he were okay.
It made sense to Bella. They knew Edward longer than they knew her, so of course they'd worry about her. But that didn't explain that Cullen's worried look as she took her seat in English class.
This Cullen had jet black hair styled into spikes. She had a pixie build and smile, capable of doing as much mischief as she pleased. But today, she was worriedly glancing over at Bella every now and then, frowning even as she was doing classwork.
Finally, Bella marched over to her after class and said, "Is there something on my face?"
The Cullen girl shook her head, still frowning. "Of course not. It's just that... were you really almost attacked by a bear?"
Bella shrugged. "I don't remember what happened. I'm sorry... uh..."
"Alice," The Cullen girl finished. Managing a smile, she said, "It's finally nice to meet you, Bella. But please don't get attacked by bears again?"
Bella apologetically smiled. "I'll try not to, thanks."
As she walked out of class to meet with Edward, she saw people staring at her and then at Alice, who waved at her as if they were life-long friends. Edward stared, rubbing his temples as they walked to their next class together.
"Please, please tell me your secret to becoming friends with a Cullen," Edward sighed.
Bella weakly smiled. "Then get almost attacked by a bear?"
"That makes absolutely no sense, Bella," Edward made a face.
"But it's true! She was so worried about me because I was almost attacked. How weird is that?"
"Very," Edward agreed as they walked into their classroom. "Very much so."
2o.
Between becoming friends with the previously antisocial Alice Cullen and keeping Edward and Jacob from worrying about her, Bella's life had slowly become even more hectic than it had already been. Forget about acing those tests; her social life was crazy enough as it was!
And then there was Leaf. No one really knew what to do with him, but he made himself useful around the Swan household as he helped out with dinner and cleaning around the house. He didn't go to school - which was weird, considering how much like a child he looked - and yet was one of the most intelligent children she had ever met in her life.
Renee was quite fascinated with him too. Every time she called Bella on the phone (which was rare these days, as the two had mostly kept in touch by e-mail), she just had to speak with Leaf too. The poor boy was overwhelmed the first few times, but he and Bella's mother had quickly become fast friends and talked about everything and anything - including Bella's potential boyfriends.
(Poor Leaf still didn't know what a boyfriend was. He naively told Renee that he was Bella's boyfriend, much to her chagrin.)
"You haven't walked in the forest since that day, right?" Renee worriedly asked her on the phone that evening. Bella shook her head, reminding herself to say "no," since her mother wouldn't be able to see her panic-stricken face. She had thought about going in there to see her guardian angel again, but she also felt guilty. He didn't need the extra worry of looking for her!
She didn't know what kind of angel he was (she had scoured the internet for details, but the most she could find so far were classes of angels. Seraphs were the highest class - she doubted hers would have time for her if he was one), and... well, life was too busy to make everyone else worry.
So she just cheerfully talked an idle conversation with her mother about the nuisance that was Edward Masen. But to her surprise? Her mother just giggled and said, "Wow, it sounds like you're close to him. Maybe he'll be your boyfriend."
Bella immediately hung the phone up and told the stunned Leaf and Charlie that "Renee's phone was breaking up anyways."
Title: Daybreak (Part II)
Fandom: Twilight [heavily AU]
Summary: Bella just can't seem to keep herself out of trouble, and now it seems she has a guardian angel? She's determined to look for it no matter what.
Disclaimer: Leaf and my vision of guardian angels are the only things that belong to me in this fic. Everything else, sadly, belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
1o.
The house was quiet when she walked back inside. Edward had probably gone home (good riddance!), and Charlie was attempting to make dinner for the evening. Bella strode over to him, sighed, and wrangled the wooden spoon from him.
"What's the occasion?"
Her father apologetically smiled. "My old friend Billy and his son Jacob are coming over for dinner."
"Who," She questioned, keeping her gaze on the boiling water.
"You haven't seen them in a long time," Charlie admitted, "But you used to go fishing with them when you came for the summers as a kid. Do you remember?"
She knew she came to Forks during the summertime, but she didn't remember much about it. She closed her eyes, straining hard to see if there was some memory deep down inside her. She probably remembered... Biting her lip, she questioned, "Did Jacob have a sister?"
"Two. Rachel and Rebecca."
A smile danced upon Bella's lips. "I remember," She cheerfully answered. "He was really young then, wasn't he?"
"That's right. Do you need any help--"
Bella cut him off with a sigh and a light poke with the wooden spoon. "Just set the table... and um, stay away from the kitchen. This is my forte."
Charlie sighed, but obeyed her request anyways. Both of them knew that if Charlie tried to cook, he could've easily burned the house down.
11.
The door opened, and a dark-skinned teenager trailed in behind his wheelchair-bound father. Smiling at Charlie, his eyes then fell upon Bella.
"You're Isabella Swan?"
It felt like a statement more than a question, and Bella could feel herself turn a pale shade of pink. She nodded, studying him a little longer. He looked tall, but he was younger than her, right? She had always remembered him as a little kid.
"It's nice to see you again, Jacob."
He beamed. "You too." He then glanced at the couch, laughing as he looked back at Charlie. "What, Ed isn't here too? I totally expected him to be on the couch and watching something stupid on TV."
Bella inwardly cursed. It seemed like everyone in this stupid town was well-acquainted with Edward Masen. Jacob looked back towards her and flashed her a grin. "Oh, you don't like Ed very much? I guess I wouldn't like a teenage boy practically living in my house too if I were you."
With that, he plopped on the couch, keeping an eye on Billy as he and Charlie struck up a conversation and talked idly. "How old are you now, Bella?"
"Seventeen," She admitted, keeping her attention on the spaghetti as she added the red sauce. Content that dinner looked appetizing, she put the final dish on the table. "How 'bout you?"
He shrugged. "Fifteen." Letting the TV blare in the background, he walked over to her and stared at the table hungrily. "Boy, that looks way better than the pizza Charlie usually has us bring from the reservation."
Oh! Charlie had told that to her earlier: Jacob and his father were Native Americans and lived at La Push, this reservation near Forks. It was actually pretty interesting to Bella; she didn't remember knowing an actual full-blooded Native American as a kid.
"You wanna eat," She finally managed to say, containing her thoughts to the back of her mind. "It's ready and everything."
"Of course," He beamed. "Hey, Dad! Charlie! Dinner's ready!"
The two teenagers took their seat at the table and talked the evening away. It had been so long since Bella had had an Edward-free evening, and to be honest? She was thoroughly enjoying herself.
12.
Everyone knew when the Cullens weren't in town. Bella could easily sense the lessened tension in the air; everyone got along. It was like the Cullens refused to get along with the townspeople. She thought it was odd yet mysterious of them at the same time. Surely four siblings could get along with this crowd easily - they were sophisticated and had this worldly aura around them.
On second thought, that was probably why they wouldn't get along. Forks was a small town, and everyone knew each other's business. The Cullens probably didn't want to offend them.
Oh, it was very odd to Bella that her thoughts revolved around them and Edward these days. She had a good number of friends that cared for her (and not in that semi-fake way that Jessica did, as she was still jealous of Edward's feelings towards her. What feelings? Jessica could have him!) and family that supported her. She didn't need to wonder about a family that didn't even know her name.
Edward was at his locker this morning when she walked into school, noticing the sudden happiness around her.
"It's happier, isn't it," He remarked to her as she passed by him.
She slowly nodded. "... Why?"
"The Cullens are out hiking," He shrugged. "They heavily believe in being alone with nature. It's quite odd if you ask me."
There he goes again with his odd speech patterns. Bella shrugged in response, stifling a giggle. "Not as odd as everyone being happy they're gone."
"The family feels like a restraint towards the town. It's no wonder they're so happy."
Bella thought about that for a moment. "It's like the Cullens don't belong in Forks. ... Edward, do you ever think that we belong here?"
His face became solemn, turning away from her as he stared into his locker. "Sometimes I do," He admitted. "But I can never find the answer to that question. Maybe... it's better if we never knew that answer."
13.
She didn't know how she managed to convince him to head out to the forest that afternoon. The fact that it wasn't raining helped tremendously, but still! Edward had basketball practice, didn't he?
Ah, well, he skipped it to go explore the woods with her anyways. Bella was oddly enjoying this. She knew the Cullens wouldn't be here - they tended to hike out of state according to the rest of Forks. But this was her forest. And well, Edward knew this area better than she ever would. (She would've asked Mike or Jacob, but she didn't want them to get the wrong idea. At least with Edward, he always seemed to realize that she wasn't interested in him.)
"It's so beautiful," She murmured as they slowly navigated broken tree branches, falling leaves, and the occasional frantic squirrel. Edward nodded in agreement, taking her hand as they continued their walk.
She wanted to take that hand out, she really did! But when you only had him in a strange forest for protection (yes - that was her true reason, you were going to hang onto his hand.
He stopped for a moment, staring at a giant tree before them. Bella quizzically looked at him before she was prompted to follow his gaze. And then she too stared in amazement.
There was a giant treehouse nestled in the branches, and a young child was gently swinging on a swing off one of the branches. The song was low-pitched yet calming at the same time, despite Bella being unable to make out the words.
She stared at the child for a while before it stared back at her. It jumped and tried to blend within the forest. Edward immediately seized her hand, still looking at her intently, before he said, "... Where's your family?"
The child shivered, darting its eyes to the floor. "I-I do not know," She (he?) shouted. "They have left me."
Edward's eyes widened; he immediately hugged the child, glancing over his shoulder at Bella.
"We need to get out of here," He whispered. "Something's coming."
14.
Bella stayed where she was. What was coming? "Edward, could you please explain what's going on?"
"There's no time," He hurriedly responded, taking the child's hand as they started to dash through the trees. Bella tried to keep up with him, but he was just too fast! Why couldn't he... why couldn't he...
Immediately stopping, Edward knelt to the child's level. "Child."
"My name's Leaf," The child responded, staring at him with solemn eyes. "... Are you going to hurt me like your kind hurt my family?"
Edward's eyes widened again. He immediately shook his head no, his face becoming paler by the second. "No, of course not. We need to get you out of here. Something bad's coming."
A wave of understanding washed over Leaf's face; she nodded immediately and turned her attention towards the forest's exit. "I am leaving. Take care of her," She pointed to Bella before she ran (no, it was more like glide) past the trees with relative ease.
Still kneeling, Edward motioned Bella towards him. "Get on my back."
"W-why?"
"Just do it!"
Bella quivered. How could she? Not if she didn't even know what was going on! "Edward, please explain to me---"
Within seconds, Edward had her pinned against a tree. Bella tried to punch him - how dare he try to kiss her here! And now! - but it was pointless. He had her bound against the top, refusing to let go.
"Don't. Breathe." He instructed her softly. "Everything will be all right."
Her face felt heavy; she could see looming shadows in the distance below her. They were searching for something, but for what? They seemed... hungry. Ravenous. She was told not to breathe, but! But! She would die if she didn't. She took a sudden, sharp breath.
The shadows growled before turning their eyes on her. Edward made a face and looked towards her before he looked towards the sky.
The last thing Bella remembered was seeing Edward's blue eyes. After that, everything suddenly turned black.
15.
The darkness was cold and windy. Bella shivered, slowly opening her eyes. There was someone -someone who wasn't Edward - in front of her. His hair was light blonde (almost white) and his skin was flawless. Something about him just glowed.
His wings flapped in the sky.
Wait. She was flying? She immediately clung tighter to the person; he wobbled from the sudden impact. "Hush, Isabella," He murmured, his voice sounding like honey. (She could listen to it forever!)
"W-who are you?"
She could see him smile despite her blurry vision. "Your guardian angel." His wings flapped again, and they pressed on in the sky. Bella tried to look down, but all she could see were patches of color underneath the clouds. (Were they really that high up?)
She smiled to herself. "Thank you for saving me from those shadows."
"You could see them?"
"Yeah. They looked hungry." She paused for a second, leaning in closer to her guardian angel. "... Where's Edward?"
"He was able to get out safely," The angel said softly, slowly heading towards the earth. Bella clutched her forehead; it hurt just trying to look down at the incoming earth. Within a few minutes, they had reached the grounds just before her house.
The angel dropped her softly by the ground before turning to leave.
"Wait," Bella found herself saying.
He turned back, smiling, as he placed a finger to his lips. "Stay safe, Miss Swan." He disappeared into tens of thousands of sparkles as he descended into the sky again, and Bella found herself clutching to two of his white feathers. She muffled a cry before passing out onto the grass.
16.
"Bella! Bella, wake up!"
Again? Bella opened her eyes, rising up to see Jacob's worried face beside her. Tilting her head to the side, she watched Leaf timidly walk in. He immediately brightened up, offering a smile as he sat at the foot of Bella's bed.
"G-good morning," She said to them.
Both of them exchanged glances. It was Jacob who finally said, "... Bella, it's about 10 o'clock."
Oh. Oh! Then her guardian angel had brought her back safely after all. Jacob must've been the one who brought her all the way to her bedroom. But what about Leaf? What were they going to do about him?
"Hey, Jacob?"
He blinked. "What is it?"
"Thanks for taking care of me," She answered. "... Have you met Leaf yet?"
Jacob nodded. "Yeah. Seems she's from the Cherokee tribe. Not sure how someone from that reservation came all the way up to Washington, but... she'll be in good hands." Come to think of it, Leaf was rather dark-skinned for her age - and she did look a lot like Jacob.
Leaf tugged on Jacob's arm. "Excuse me."
Both Bella and Jacob tilted their heads to the side. "Mm?"
"... I am not a she."
...
THUD. Leaf stared at both of the fallen teenagers before sighing as he tied his long, dark hair into a ponytail. "I really look like a human girl? That is a little distressing."
17.
A few minutes of awkward silence filled the room. Bella blushed when she looked back at Leaf. It was true that he looked a lot like a girl - he had the build of a petite girl with gentle, sweeping features, and a loosely defined cheekbone. It didn't help that he had long hair like Jacob, either.
"I'm sorry, Leaf," Bella apologized. "I... had no idea you were really a boy."
Leaf shrugged. "I do not mind."
"You talk awkwardly," Jacob jokingly called, nudging Leaf a little. "Heck, you even fooled me." Turning his attention back to Bella, he added, "So, you're okay? Charlie was really worried about you when you were just passed out on the yard back there with bird feathers."
Bella clutched her comforter. She couldn't tell them that she had really seen her guardian angel. They'd think she was mad! "... Really? I don't remember what happened before then."
"Leaf filled me in," Jacob sighed. "Seems that you, Edward, and he had run into trouble with a particularly violent bear. Charlie and the cops are going to hunt for it first thing in the morning."
Bella's eyes widened. Was that really all that had happened? Couldn't be. If it were just a bear, he would've told her so. And she could've actually been able to breathe.
"Is... Edward all right?"
"Of course," Jacob replied nonchalantly. "It's Ed. He always manages to turn out okay in the end."
He leaned in, ruffled Bella's hair, and smiled as he turned to leave. "We'll be leaving Leaf with you until Dad and Miss Elizabeth figure out what to do. That's fine with you, right?"
Bella nodded. Jacob grinned one last time before he left through the door, nearly bumping into the wall.
18.
Despite the fact that she was perfectly fine, Charlie insisted that she stay home one more day. Something about not letting the trauma get to her? Either way, Bella wasn't too happy about staying home alone. She would have to hear their scapegoat - the bear - get shot and know that the bear wasn't the reason for all their problems.
Jessica came by after school, mainly to tell her that the Cullens were back in school. It felt gloomy with them back, she had said. Everyone could feel their presence despite them keeping to themselves. Bella had smiled a little and groaned at the homework, but enjoyed Jessica's company anyways. She even urged Jessica to hint Edward about the upcoming prom - he would enjoy her company there.
Oddly enough, Jessica shook her head. "I'm over Ed," She had said cheerfully. "I think I'll go ask Mike instead!"
Her visit was painfully short, but her next visitor, Edward Masen, was an unexpected surprise.
"I thought you had basketball practice."
"I wanted to see you," He said, carefully balancing a tray of chicken noodle soup as he walked in and set it on her. "And besides, I doubt Charlie can cook as well as Mother can."
She smiled, lifting the spoon to her mouth and blowing on it before she took a sip. "Mm, it's delicious."
"Glad to hear it," He beamed.
She finished the soup, then set it aside as she moved closer towards Edward. "Um, thank you."
He blinked. "What for?"
"My guardian angel. You're right. I really do have one."
A soft smile came upon his lips. He leaned back in his chair, saying, "Oh? Are you sure you're not dreaming?"
"Of course not," I pouted. "Dang it, Edward. I'm really going to find out who he is."
Edward just grinned even more. "Why don't I save you some time and tell you it's me."
"Now you're just being ridiculous."
He frowned. "Am I?"
"... A-anyhow, I'm glad you came to visit me."
"You're welcome," He replied, heading towards the door, tray in hands. "But good luck. I hope you find out who your guardian angel is."
And with that, he descended the stairs and left Bella alone to dream.
19.
Everyone at school was reluctant to look at Bella again for the first few days. This whole deal of nearly getting attacked by a bear was ridiculous! Most people avoided her, even if they didn't realize it. Edward didn't seem to be getting the same treatment; he was instead fawned over by the girls and constantly asked if he were okay.
It made sense to Bella. They knew Edward longer than they knew her, so of course they'd worry about her. But that didn't explain that Cullen's worried look as she took her seat in English class.
This Cullen had jet black hair styled into spikes. She had a pixie build and smile, capable of doing as much mischief as she pleased. But today, she was worriedly glancing over at Bella every now and then, frowning even as she was doing classwork.
Finally, Bella marched over to her after class and said, "Is there something on my face?"
The Cullen girl shook her head, still frowning. "Of course not. It's just that... were you really almost attacked by a bear?"
Bella shrugged. "I don't remember what happened. I'm sorry... uh..."
"Alice," The Cullen girl finished. Managing a smile, she said, "It's finally nice to meet you, Bella. But please don't get attacked by bears again?"
Bella apologetically smiled. "I'll try not to, thanks."
As she walked out of class to meet with Edward, she saw people staring at her and then at Alice, who waved at her as if they were life-long friends. Edward stared, rubbing his temples as they walked to their next class together.
"Please, please tell me your secret to becoming friends with a Cullen," Edward sighed.
Bella weakly smiled. "Then get almost attacked by a bear?"
"That makes absolutely no sense, Bella," Edward made a face.
"But it's true! She was so worried about me because I was almost attacked. How weird is that?"
"Very," Edward agreed as they walked into their classroom. "Very much so."
2o.
Between becoming friends with the previously antisocial Alice Cullen and keeping Edward and Jacob from worrying about her, Bella's life had slowly become even more hectic than it had already been. Forget about acing those tests; her social life was crazy enough as it was!
And then there was Leaf. No one really knew what to do with him, but he made himself useful around the Swan household as he helped out with dinner and cleaning around the house. He didn't go to school - which was weird, considering how much like a child he looked - and yet was one of the most intelligent children she had ever met in her life.
Renee was quite fascinated with him too. Every time she called Bella on the phone (which was rare these days, as the two had mostly kept in touch by e-mail), she just had to speak with Leaf too. The poor boy was overwhelmed the first few times, but he and Bella's mother had quickly become fast friends and talked about everything and anything - including Bella's potential boyfriends.
(Poor Leaf still didn't know what a boyfriend was. He naively told Renee that he was Bella's boyfriend, much to her chagrin.)
"You haven't walked in the forest since that day, right?" Renee worriedly asked her on the phone that evening. Bella shook her head, reminding herself to say "no," since her mother wouldn't be able to see her panic-stricken face. She had thought about going in there to see her guardian angel again, but she also felt guilty. He didn't need the extra worry of looking for her!
She didn't know what kind of angel he was (she had scoured the internet for details, but the most she could find so far were classes of angels. Seraphs were the highest class - she doubted hers would have time for her if he was one), and... well, life was too busy to make everyone else worry.
So she just cheerfully talked an idle conversation with her mother about the nuisance that was Edward Masen. But to her surprise? Her mother just giggled and said, "Wow, it sounds like you're close to him. Maybe he'll be your boyfriend."
Bella immediately hung the phone up and told the stunned Leaf and Charlie that "Renee's phone was breaking up anyways."