Recommence ° Edward Cullen[Rewriting]

[010]

Chapter Ten | Hunger in the Dark

Warning: Attempted sexual assault

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"You are smoking in that, Alex!" Jessica's voice cut through the hum of the boutique, drawing curious glances from nearby shoppers. Angela stifled a laugh behind her hand, while Bella, ever the quieter observer, just smiled softly. Alex arched a brow at her reflection, tilting her head as she turned slightly in the mirror. The dress, crimson satin with delicate lace tracing along the neckline, hugged her figure as if it were made just for her. The colour was bold, daring even, and there was something about it that felt right. "I told you red was your colour," Angela said, smiling warmly.

"Yeah, if she wants to make every girl at prom hate her," Jessica muttered with a grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. Alex caught it in the reflection but didn't bite. She only smirked faintly, brushing back a curl over her shoulder. "I'd apologize," she said lightly, "but that would mean I'm sorry." Angela snorted, trying to hide her amusement as Jessica blinked, unsure how to respond. Bella, meanwhile, was busy pretending to admire a rack of pastel dresses to avoid getting dragged into it.

After another moment, Alex turned from the mirror, murmuring, "I'll take it," before disappearing into the fitting room to change. Inside, the noise of the shop dulled, replaced by the soft rustle of fabric. She pulled the zipper down, the dress sliding off her skin like silk as she shimmied it past her hips. Her phone buzzed from where she'd left it on the bench, and Alex reached for it, the dress pooling at her feet. The screen shone brightly up at her. 

Red looks good on you. Her brows rose, lips twitching. The corners of her mouth curved into something half-amused, half-exasperated as her fingers swiftly moved across the phone's keyboard. It's rude to stalk women, Cullen. She hit send, then leaned against the wall of the small fitting room, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was slightly tousled from running her hands through it, and her cheeks were faintly flushed from the worsening throbbing in her head. 

The phone buzzed again. I wasn't stalking. Just. . . passing by. Coincidentally. Alex huffed, rolling her eyes even as a small smile betrayed her. Coincidentally enough to text me mid-dress change? There was a pause between his response, long enough that Alex had time to re-dress and walk out of the dressing room, making a beeline to the front. "Can you put this aside for me?" She asked the woman behind the desk as she glanced at her phone. Coincidentally enough to see you looked beautiful. Alex stilled, eyes fixed on the message as it lit up her screen.
The simple honesty of it caught her off guard, her chest feeling warm for a few moments too long before she gathered herself, flashing the store associate a disarming smile before she made her way back to the group of girls. Flattery will get you nowhere. His answering message was full of cheek, and Alex could almost see his expression and hear his voice with it. We'll see about that.
"Alex," Bella called as Jessica and Angela held their respective choices. "We were thinking about grabbing something to eat. There's this restaurant a couple blocks down the street with really good nachos." Alex pursed her lips, considering the invite until her head throbbed in warning. Her eye twitched in the effort to remain focused. "I think I'll skip this one." She murmured, offering the girls an apologetic smile. "I'm good," she cut in before Bella could ask, "Just need some air."

Her sister frowned, trailing after Alex as the girl beckoned them to follow her to the front of the store. "Are you sure? It's getting dark soon." The brunette murmured, passing the dress folded over her arm into Alex's open hands. "I'll be fine," Alex reassured, laying the dress on the counter as the woman from earlier procured her dress without prompting. "I can take care of myself, Bells. It's okay."

The associate cashed them out, Alex occupied with the transaction, but she was still aware of Bella's anxious expression. "Still, maybe I should—" the onyx-haired girl shook her head gently, hiding a wince as the motion aggravated her headache. "I'll be quick, Bells. I just need a little quiet before heading back." She leaned back against the counter, folding their receipt as the older woman draped plastic over the dresses. "Promise I won't go far," she added.
Angela looked over from where she stood at the other register, cashing out. "We'll keep you something sweet just in case." That earned a small laugh from Alex. "Deal." When they exited the store and stepped into the cool air of the night, the girls split ways, with Alex lingering behind. Looking around at the shopfronts painted with the gold and orange rays of sunset as the day faded away, Alex felt the urge to find somewhere dark and dismal to curl up and close her eyes.
Tense, she turned down the sidewalk in the opposite direction from where her sister and her friends had gone, walking without purpose. She just needed a minute, just long enough where the pounding in her head would reach a crescendo and she would be used to the pain, able to tolerate company for just a little bit longer. Her throat convulsed around her next swallow as pain lanced behind her eyes, her steps faltering in rhythm. It felt like her skull was tightening, like every seam of bone was threatening to split apart.
Alex sucked in a breath through her teeth, wincing. The ache was spreading downwards, crawling beneath her ribs and twisting in the dark space between her lungs. It moved as if it were alive. Her eye twitched as her pulse jumped high in her throat. Something bad was happening, and it was happening now.

An alley came up on her right as she staggered along, Alex ducking into the concrete corridor as the world around her hummed faintly, low and discordant, as if the stone around her was vibrating. Her eyes blinked rapidly, trying to clear the blurriness clouding her vision, but it did nothing as the air thickened around her, feeling stagnant and heavy with pressure that pushed against her skin like static. Her heart thundered in her chest—like it was ready to give out, she recalled Edward's words absently.

The world around her seemed to tilt, distant lights bleeding at the edges, sounds echoing too sharply, colours shining too brightly. Sweat clung to her skin as she rubbed at her sternum where that awful pressure coiled tighter and tighter, like something trapped inside was trying to claw its way out.