Familiar Strangers (A Twilight Fanfic)

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

There was no tension between Bella and I in the car. The tension weighed on Bella's shoulders. She didn't seem relieved about this meeting with the Cullen's which made me feel a bit more at ease, but my nerves were in a craze of sorts. I knew to be silent, allowing her time to decide how to handle this situation. I wasn't at all pleased with her decision to go alone, but this was her battle, not mine. I had troubles agreeing to it though and still worried and I had to address it before we arrived in the high hopes that she would change her mind.

“Bella, are you sure they will not hurt you?”

Bella didn't turn to me as I drove. Her face looked out the passenger window, but I could tell that she wasn't particularly looking at anything out there. She sighed deeply and spoke,

“Gabriel.” the air coming out of her as if it were her last. “I don't think they could hurt me anymore than they already have.” The misery that they put her through angered me, but again, Bella had enough to deal with without me adding to it, so I left my emotions out of the equation.

“Stop here.”

I pulled over, but couldn't for the life of me figure out why we were pulling over to the side of a wooded area. I was becoming more apprehensive by the second. The address she gave me wasn't too far from here. Bella turned to me and said,

“Gabriel, it will make matters worse if I have you drop me off in the driveway, so right here would be best. I'll figure out how to get back when I'm finished here okay.”

Determination was set deep in her eyes, but human's wavered easily when their emotions played a roll. I had no room to say much there because the better part of my human traits decided to leave mine intact. I was just as susceptible of being hurt emotionally as humans. My witch blood streamed side by side with the vampire blood making it impossible for the vampire blood to completely take over. Vampires could easily cut off their emotions if warranted. I could not do that if I tried and right now, I was having a difficult time. Watching her get out of the car to handle this alone was hard enough. Hoping that this wouldn't be the last time I saw her, was what hurt just thinking about it, so I tried not to, but it was a hopeless effort. I couldn't speak as she closed the door. A lump formed in my throat. Bella bent down and rested her arms on the open frame of the window and said,

“Gabriel, I wish you wouldn't worry. I can handle this and...I will be back.” her smile melted my slow beating heart and yet I still worried if it were true. I gave her a look of approval so she could go. When she turned and began walking away, my smile faltered as I drove off.

****

My nerves should have been raging inside with what I had to face, but I had no problem in that department for some reason, a reason I couldn't explain. I knew I was close enough that they would hear my steps even if I wasn't to the driveway yet and I figured that they would come out here to see me, but I was wrong. I was actually happy about that, it gave me time to decide what my next move should be. If they thought for one minute that them coming back would change what they did, they were wrong and I was about to make that abundantly clear. I found two things at that point; one being the driveway to my past and the other being my backbone that I should have had long ago.

When the house came into view, I was surprised of how much animosity I had towards it still as if the house itself hurt me. I thought of how strange that sounded in my own head, but then realized that it was not the house, but the people inside of it that did this to me and I was about to face the humiliation and my broken soul all over again as if for the first time.