Crescent Night

Chapter 5

I could feel someone's arms around me from behind, but I wasn't paying them any mind as I watched and screamed as people surrounded the collided vehicles. Someone's cold hands cupped the sides of my face.

"Eleonor, Eleonor!"

Was that Alice? I didn't know, I couldn't hear her over the rain drops. One of the arms that held me from behind went to cover my eyes. It was only then that I realized I was no longer standing. The icy gravel of the ground dug into my balled fists.

"Eleonor, calm down" was that Jasper whispering in my ear? "It's alright, everything is alright"

I thrashed around, trying to remove his hands from my face.

"No, no! Bella's dead, she's dead!"

"Bella's fine! She's okay!" Alice removed Jasper's hand from my eyes and motioned my head in the direction of the crash.

"No, no! No quiero ver, suéltenme!"

"Eleonor, open your eyes" Jaspers voice rang like a low song in my ear "please"

Against my wishes, my eyes opened. Through my tears, and panicked eyes, I saw no blood.

No blood was pooled beneath the van, nor splattered on Bella's truck. Bella herself was nowhere to be seen, her body no longer lifeless, pinned between the cars.

People surrounded the crash, a few glancing back at me, and I could hear the faint sounds of a siren.

It was all in my head, nothing had happened. No one had died. I felt my heartbeat in my ears, and I could no longer breathe.

Jasper placed a hand on my chest, as if he already knew what was about to happen. He pushed me back, my back pressed against his chest. Pitiful attempts at breathing left my mouth in fast gasps of air.

I couldn't breathe.

Jasper continued to speak softly into my ear, I think he was instructing me to breathe with him. To calm myself. Alice held my hands in her's, she spoke too, but I couldn't hear her. Something like anger crossed her face and she turned and screamed something at some of the onlookers.

I closed my eyes. When was the last time I'd had a panic attack? What did I do then? I tried to remember what Dr. Douglas told me to do. She told me to ground myself, focus on where I was, not what was happening. So I did.

I focused on the cold icy ground I could feel through my clothes. On the feel of Alice's equally cold hands around mine. And Jasper's chest pressed against my back and his hand on my chest instructing me to breathe.

I think I calmed down after that. I can't remember much after the crash itself. But the next thing I knew I was in an office at a hospital, someone was shining a light in my eyes.

"Do you feel dizzy or lightheaded?" It was a man's voice behind the light shining in my face.

I only shook my head in response.

"That's good" the light was turned off "Can you tell me your full name?"

"Eleonor Marie Gonzalez Medina" I answered shakily.

"Good, thank you"

I looked up at him and instantly knew who he was, even though I'd never met him before. He had the same yellow eyes as Alice and Jasper, as well as the same offensive attractiveness. This was Carlisle Cullen.

He turned, addressing Alice and Jasper, who wore anguished faces in the corner of the room.

"She's alright, she didn't go into shock" his explanation seemed to ease their worries. "The rest will have to be left to Dr. Douglas" he turned to me then "She's been notified of what's happened, she's on her way here."