Twiblight continues from ten thousand fathoms.
Chapter Five of Twiblight (Parts One, Two Three and Four)
She was floating far away from herself in a plane of darkness. The Fade, she realised, just like in the Harrowing. She felt no connection to her body, she was let loose from it to soar throughout the ethereal. She walked through the mist, looking for the way back to herself.
And realised she was not alone.
There was someone walking through the mist towards her. The closer they got the more agitated Bella became. What if it were a demon, she had no way of protecting herself like this. Her one offensive spell wouldn't kill anything outright and there was no one here to save her, no strong spirits to hide behind this time.
But what came though the otherworldly mist of the fade was not a demon, it was not even a spirit. It was... herself. Bella stared in incredulous wonder at her double, who was exactly like her in every way, except for the eyes. The other Bella had eyes of pure darkness, no iris, no whites, there was nothing but blackness from lid to lid.
"Who are you?" Bella asked.
"I am you," The other Bella replied.
"But you have really weird eyes, do you wear contacts?" The original Bella asked.
"I am the you that exists in the mind of the world that is yet to be born," The doppelganger replied.
"Huh?" Bella One said.
"Oh for... I am one vision of a possible future. A future you that may yet come into being." Bella Two said.
"So... I'm going to get contacts then?" Actual Bella asked.
"No, you are going to have to make choices Bella, and people will live or die by your words." Blood started to seep from the Not!Bella's dark eyes. "I made poor choices," she continued as wounds in her arms opened up and bled copiously, "I cannot save myself, but I can at least try to warn you."
"Eww, blood!" Bella exclaimed in an exclamatory manner. "I'm gonna pass out!"
The Not!Bella smiled as blood ran in torrents from every pore in her skin, every orifice in her flesh. She was all crimson and melted away as the One True Bella lost her grip on the Fade and began to fall back into herself.
She was being carried, held tightly and yet lightly in someone's strong arms. Whoever was carrying her was treating her like a precious and delicate object. It was a romantic notion to her, to be carried swooning in the arms of a big strong man. Bella hoped it was a big strong man who was carrying her and not Wynne or somebody because that was like the opposite or romantic or whatever.
Bella felt fingers brush gently across her face, she knew that touch. Of course, it had to be Cullen that was carrying her, who else could have rescued her from her awful predicament of falling into a two foot gully? She wanted to squirm with embarrassment and pleasure but it hurt too much to move.
She was being put down gently and his touch receded from her. "Nooo.... Cullen... don't... leave..." She mumbled.
"I'm not going anywhere... Bella," Cullen whispered in her ear. It was the first time he had called her by name. Bella closed her eyes and blissed out to oblivion, feeling utterly safe with him. What harm could she possibly come to when her dark Templar angel watched over her?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cullen shuddered, not from the cold, though he was soaked to the bone, but from suppressed desire and self-revulsion. Bella was such a pure soul, he observed, stroking her sleeping face. She was entirely too trusting, stubborn and faithful to a flaw. The way she had stupidly ran after him in the storm was endearing, her complete lack of perspective and woeful sense of self-preservation made him smile despite himself. She was like a little lamb, fallen asleep in the lion's arms.
But it was dangerous, he wanted her in every way and her unquestioning trust of him burned him right down to the depths of his cold heart. He prayed for the healers to come and take her away from him, because the longer he kept looking at her milk white neck, the longer he kept stroking her wind-tangled hair, the more he wanted to possess and consume her.
The first person to arrive to answer his hoarse shouts was Wynne. She took in the situation with one glance and her lips went very thin. She called for other healers to take Bella away to clean her wounds and fix her broken leg. When Bella was taken care of, Wynne quickly took Cullen aside.
"I think you'd better tell me what happened to her," Wynne said simply.
"I went out for a walk," Cullen said, keeping his tone neutral.
"In a storm?"
"I like being wet," Cullen said, "Bella came looking for me, I guess she was worried. She fell and I heard her crying out in pain." The memory of the sound made him burn with sudden thirst and he clenched his firsts, driving his nails deep into his palms.
"So it was an accident? It happen while she was say... running away?" Wynne asked, carefully.
"You can ask Bella if you don't believe me, I only brought her in. I don't appreciate being treated as though it were my fault she fell."
"I suppose not," Wynne said, dismissively and walked away.
Cullen opened his hands and slowly, delicately, licked his palms. But it is my fault, Cullen thought, I have to tell her to leave me alone, for her own good. The blood was salty on his tongue but it did nothing to satiate his hunger.
He walked out into the night, his fingers curled like claws.
She was floating far away from herself in a plane of darkness. The Fade, she realised, just like in the Harrowing. She felt no connection to her body, she was let loose from it to soar throughout the ethereal. She walked through the mist, looking for the way back to herself.
And realised she was not alone.
There was someone walking through the mist towards her. The closer they got the more agitated Bella became. What if it were a demon, she had no way of protecting herself like this. Her one offensive spell wouldn't kill anything outright and there was no one here to save her, no strong spirits to hide behind this time.
But what came though the otherworldly mist of the fade was not a demon, it was not even a spirit. It was... herself. Bella stared in incredulous wonder at her double, who was exactly like her in every way, except for the eyes. The other Bella had eyes of pure darkness, no iris, no whites, there was nothing but blackness from lid to lid.
"Who are you?" Bella asked.
"I am you," The other Bella replied.
"But you have really weird eyes, do you wear contacts?" The original Bella asked.
"I am the you that exists in the mind of the world that is yet to be born," The doppelganger replied.
"Huh?" Bella One said.
"Oh for... I am one vision of a possible future. A future you that may yet come into being." Bella Two said.
"So... I'm going to get contacts then?" Actual Bella asked.
"No, you are going to have to make choices Bella, and people will live or die by your words." Blood started to seep from the Not!Bella's dark eyes. "I made poor choices," she continued as wounds in her arms opened up and bled copiously, "I cannot save myself, but I can at least try to warn you."
"Eww, blood!" Bella exclaimed in an exclamatory manner. "I'm gonna pass out!"
The Not!Bella smiled as blood ran in torrents from every pore in her skin, every orifice in her flesh. She was all crimson and melted away as the One True Bella lost her grip on the Fade and began to fall back into herself.
She was being carried, held tightly and yet lightly in someone's strong arms. Whoever was carrying her was treating her like a precious and delicate object. It was a romantic notion to her, to be carried swooning in the arms of a big strong man. Bella hoped it was a big strong man who was carrying her and not Wynne or somebody because that was like the opposite or romantic or whatever.
Bella felt fingers brush gently across her face, she knew that touch. Of course, it had to be Cullen that was carrying her, who else could have rescued her from her awful predicament of falling into a two foot gully? She wanted to squirm with embarrassment and pleasure but it hurt too much to move.
She was being put down gently and his touch receded from her. "Nooo.... Cullen... don't... leave..." She mumbled.
"I'm not going anywhere... Bella," Cullen whispered in her ear. It was the first time he had called her by name. Bella closed her eyes and blissed out to oblivion, feeling utterly safe with him. What harm could she possibly come to when her dark Templar angel watched over her?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cullen shuddered, not from the cold, though he was soaked to the bone, but from suppressed desire and self-revulsion. Bella was such a pure soul, he observed, stroking her sleeping face. She was entirely too trusting, stubborn and faithful to a flaw. The way she had stupidly ran after him in the storm was endearing, her complete lack of perspective and woeful sense of self-preservation made him smile despite himself. She was like a little lamb, fallen asleep in the lion's arms.
But it was dangerous, he wanted her in every way and her unquestioning trust of him burned him right down to the depths of his cold heart. He prayed for the healers to come and take her away from him, because the longer he kept looking at her milk white neck, the longer he kept stroking her wind-tangled hair, the more he wanted to possess and consume her.
The first person to arrive to answer his hoarse shouts was Wynne. She took in the situation with one glance and her lips went very thin. She called for other healers to take Bella away to clean her wounds and fix her broken leg. When Bella was taken care of, Wynne quickly took Cullen aside.
"I think you'd better tell me what happened to her," Wynne said simply.
"I went out for a walk," Cullen said, keeping his tone neutral.
"In a storm?"
"I like being wet," Cullen said, "Bella came looking for me, I guess she was worried. She fell and I heard her crying out in pain." The memory of the sound made him burn with sudden thirst and he clenched his firsts, driving his nails deep into his palms.
"So it was an accident? It happen while she was say... running away?" Wynne asked, carefully.
"You can ask Bella if you don't believe me, I only brought her in. I don't appreciate being treated as though it were my fault she fell."
"I suppose not," Wynne said, dismissively and walked away.
Cullen opened his hands and slowly, delicately, licked his palms. But it is my fault, Cullen thought, I have to tell her to leave me alone, for her own good. The blood was salty on his tongue but it did nothing to satiate his hunger.
He walked out into the night, his fingers curled like claws.