Chapter I
Title: Shadow and Sunshine
Pairing: J/B, some E/B
Rating: PG-13
Summary: On their honeymoon, Bella is torn away from Edward when they are attacked by a strange group. Although Bella survives, she ends up stranded at a mysterious school with no memory of her prior life. As her new life begins to fall apart at the seams, Bella must piece together the clues to her past.
Disclaimer: You probably already suspect that I'm not Stephanie Meyer.
Chapter One
So go, go away, just go, run away.
But where did you run to? And where did you hide?
-Disenchanted, My Chemical Romance
Bella was curled up under the warm, heavy comforter, determinedly ignoring the irritating voice that was steadily growing louder.
“…breakfast so we can get going! It’s almost eight o’clock, you twat.”
The covers were suddenly and unceremoniously yanked off, and Bella glared up at the brunette towering over her. “I was sleeping, Sera.”
“Oh, and here all I did last night was spend my bloody time knitting. Up, up, up!” Sera gestured violently, dark curls bouncing wildly.
“I’m moving, I’m moving.” Reluctantly, Bella sat up, stretching her long arms above her head and yawning. “I think I was having a dream.”
Sera rolled her eyes, lifting her shoulders. “Congratulations! We’ll write out the award letter later, shall we? And may I remind you that it is now-” she made an exaggerated show of checking her delicate silver watch-“eight-oh-three?”
“Yes, yes, eight-oh-three. Got it.” Bella shuffled towards the bathroom, scratching her arm sleepily. “Just give me ten minutes.”
“Five. Five minutes, Bella!”
“Um-hmm,” she mumbled, pulling the door shut behind her and tugging off her tank top. The remnants of her interrupted dream tugged insistently at her, as if something were just beyond her reach. Bella turned the old tap on, ignoring its creaks of protest, and stepped under the lukewarm stream of water.
There had been darkness-trees so thick that she was unable to see anything else, though she’d had the unsettling feeling that something was watching her. The air had been cold enough that her breath came out in small puffs of white. And-what had that been in the distance? Were they screams, or howls?
Bella screwed up her face and scrubbed her hair fiercely, feeling the familiar surge of frustration.
Once she was reasonably clean, Bella turned the tap off and, wrapping a towel around her middle, made her way back into the bedroom.
“Well, it’s about time. Bella, my love, are you trying to infuriate Ben this early in the morning?” Sera surveyed her friend skeptically from where she sat stretched out in the window seat.
“Ben likes us,” Bella insisted, tugging on a pair of well-worn jeans. “And he’s harmless. What did a philosophy teacher ever do to anybody?”
“We’re going to find out if you don’t pick it up. I’m telling you, that man is more than he seems. One day he’s going to go mental on everyone and try to turn us all into pigeons or something.” Sera looked mildly cheered by this thought. “I hope I’m still here to see it.”
Bella shot her a look, yanking a comb through her still-wet hair. “Ben’s not a witch, Sera. And I wasn’t aware you were planning on leaving us anytime soon.”
“So? You’re our token human, love.” Sera grinned, knowing the sensitivity of this topic. “That means a checkmark in the ‘other’ category for our favorite instructor. And who says my graduation assignment won’t happen soon? I’m at the top of my game.” She grinned, pretending to flex her bicep. “I’m ready to move on, see the world. Intimidate a few low-level warlocks.”
“Uh-huh. Let’s get going, Supergirl.”
“I like to think I’m more of a Batgirl,” Sera mused, following closely behind. “Black is a much more flattering color for me, don’t you think?”
The car ride over was relatively quiet, with Sera humming quietly to herself, tapping her thin fingers to the beat lightly. Bella stared out the window silently, lost in thought.
Reaching into her coat sleeve, she gently pulled her bracelet out. She tilted her head, admiring the way the gem-could it really be a diamond?-caught the light and sparkled. But what really intrigued Bella was the odd little wolf charm. Pulling her wrist closer, she squinted at what was definitely a wolf, intricately carved.
What could it mean? she wondered. Could it have been a gift from her parents? Or from a friend?
“Sera?”
“Hmm?”
Bella lowered her arm and turned to look at the brunette, bracing her body against the seat. “What if my family doesn’t know I’m alive?”
Sera looked at her sideways, face softening slightly. “Then it’ll be one big happy reunion when you show up.
Bella’s shoulders drooped, and she turned around again. “Right. And how am I going to do that, exactly?”
“Everything will come back to you eventually.” Sera rubbed her forehead with one hand. “I know this can’t be easy, but there’s got to be a reason you’re here, Bella.”
“Of course,” Bella said, shaking her head. “You and your fate business. How did I forget?”
“I’m not the only one who thinks that life is more than a string of coincidences,” Sera drawled. “Paid attention to any classes lately? That’s practically all they drill into your head. Well, that and ‘save all humans’.”
“It’s not save all humans.” Bella gave her a mildly irritated look. “It’s more like-protect the innocent.”
“Uh-huh. What about you, Miss Bella?” Sera wiggled her eyebrows playfully, never taking her eyes off the road. “Do you think you can take on a big, evil vampire to save a little old human?”
“I don’t know.” Bella made a face, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “Apparently someone thinks I can. But what if…?”
“What if… the world ends tomorrow? Bella-I mean this in the most affectionate, loving way.” The car rolled to a stop sign, and Sera turned in the car seat, pointing one pale finger for emphasis. “You have got to get a hold of yourself.” She turned back, and the car resumed it’s steady pace. “That kind of thinking will just tear you up inside, and it won’t get you any closer to the people you left behind.”
Bella leaned her head back against the headrest, and closed her eyes. “I know you’re right.” Her hand closed over the bracelet, protectively. “But you don’t know how it feels when something is missing inside of you, and you don’t even know what it is.”
Bella didn’t have to open her eyes again to know that her friend was frowning. “Not exactly, no,” Sera admitted. “But fate is a funny thing, Bella.”
The small Toyota made a neat right-hand turn into the parking lot, and Bella unclipped her seat belt. “I hope you’re right.” She got out of the car, shouldered her bag, and surveyed the old building critically, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.
“They really need to do some remodeling, you know.”
“Yes. They are definitely taking this protect-the-innocent business too far. We’ll have a proper discussion with Evelyn about reorganizing the school’s priorities.” Sera smiled, straightening her sunglasses. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d rather not test out my theory about Ben and the pigeons today. Let’s walk quickly.”
Bella chewed on the cap of her pen, listening doubtfully as the plump, Asian girl with glasses perched on the edge of her seat spoke rapidly.
“I’m not saying that every vampire in the world is evil,” she said, emphasizing her point by banging on her desk. Next to her, Micah jumped. Bella could here faint snickers come from behind her. “But the point is there’s a difference between friendly toleration and actual friendship.”
Ben nodded, seeming to consider her point. “Is that what the rest of you think?” he called out, leaning against his battered desk. “What about werewolves? Or witches?” He raised his eyebrows.
There was a faint rumbling amongst the students, and Bella saw the corners of his mouth twitch.
“Witches-we’re not evil.” Micah spoke up, peering through the thick lenses of his glasses earnestly. “What I mean is we’ve always followed the whole threefold rule. Witches started all of this.” He motioned clumsily, indicating his surroundings. Bella saw several nods. “We would never hurt another person, especially a human. Most witches go out of our way to protect others.”
“Yeah, most,” somebody mumbled behind her.
“But unless everyone in this room is a vegetarian,” Bella pointed out, setting down her pen, “we’re responsible for the death of another living thing.”
“Very interesting point!” Ben enthused, clapping his hands together. “So what you’re saying is that the issue of witches and humans is no longer relevant, Micah?”
A tall, thin boy with shaggy red hair raised his hand. “There’s a difference between taking a human life and taking an animal’s life,” he retorted, loudly. “Humans-as well as witches, thank you-are capable of feeling. Witches came to a decision regarding human life hundreds of years ago. Vampires didn’t.”
Sera spoke up. “I’m no bigger fan of vamps than the rest of you lot, but that seems flawed. Who says animals can’t feel?”
“But,” Bella mused aloud, playing absently with her bracelet, “why do vampires have to kill in order to survive? If, in theory, they could find a willing donor and not kill them-”
“Or even hunt something other than humans,” the redheaded boy interjected. “They don’t have to kill people. It’s just their bloodthirsty nature-they prefer to.”
A general silence fell over the room, and Bella looked around. She remembered Ben’s explanation as to how they found her during a raid on a vampire’s home. If the others hadn’t rescued her, would she be dead by now?
Bella wracked her brain, wishing desperately that she could remember how she had ended up there in the first place, but as usual, nothing came.
As the class shuffled out of the room a few minutes later, Micah wrapped an arm around Sera’s waist and tilted his head, looking questioningly at Bella. “What’s up? Your face got kind of-melancholy at the end there.”
“Oh.” She mentally shook herself. “Sorry. I suppose I just got lost in thought.”
His blue eyes were sympathetic. “Yeah. Easy to do, I guess.”
She looked away and, out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw him affectionately ruffle Sera’s hair. A sharp pang shot through her chest as she focused straight ahead, swallowing. Surely she, too, had been part of a couple once.
“I think Micah and I are going to go grab some coffee.” Sera’s voice broke into her thoughts, and Bella blinked.
“Oh, all right. Have fun.” Bella tried to smile, but the couple looked unconvinced.
“Why don’t you come?” Micah suggested, looking concerned. “We can stop at the new bookstore.”
“No, no,” Bella said hastily, running her fingers through her dark hair. “It’s fine. You two go… I think I’d rather be alone for a bit.”
“If you’re sure.” Sera’s heart-shaped face was unconvinced. “Don’t forget you have Madeline at one.”
“Keeping track of my schedule now?” Bella asked, with forced lightheartedness.
As she watched the couple amble away arm-in-arm, Bella fought back another wave of loneliness. “Somebody loves me,” she mumbled to herself, tucking her hands in her pockets and trudging along slowly.
Chapter Two