The Willows (book three)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5-Ocean’s POV:

I pull back slightly, my astonished expression holds it's reaction. By the passing minutes I didn’t noticed my length of silence. Edward’s brow furrows as he stares deeply into my eyes, “Ocean?” He says. I blink a few times and sit up straight. I consume a few breaths, containing myself before I say anything I shouldn’t. I need to know though. The people in my life were such a blur that I am anxious to know.

I turn to Edward to find him already looking at me. I want to get this done and over with, so I part my lips to speak, “Do I know you?” He's taken by surprise at my abrupt question. It is hard to read his expression by this point, but I spend the time trying to find out what it was. Confusion? Maybe but I didn’t know, too many thoughts and worries to think straight. 

He looks at me again, “No.” He says softly. The evident pain in him to say it as he blinks slowly in the middle of the word. I don’t get it, why doesn't anybody want to tell me they know me? If I did something I didn’t know what. I hate not knowing, it hurt me so deep in the soul that sometimes I can’t bear it.

He look at me and I look at him. Nothing more. Edward’s eyes drop to the paper airplane necklace around my neck and he stiffens.

"Where’d you get that?”

“I found it in my room the day I came back and I just liked it.” I say, a smile building on my lips.  

He turns in his seat and unlocks the doors to the truck. I take off my seat belt and open the door. I jump down onto the paved driveway but turn to him for the last time, “Thanks.” I say, “For everything.” He doesn’t look at me but nods anyway. I turn away, taking a step away from the truck, when he speaks up, “Ocean?” I turn back to him, hopeful eyes staring at him, “Yeah.” He looks at me dead on, the look almost stops my heart, “Promise me something?” I nod towards him, unsure though of what he would want, 

“Don’t trust the blood eyes.” 

It falls silent, I am completely bowl over. The phrase Blood eyes is so familiar but so vague that I can't connect it to my life enough for it to be understandable. I can’t define what he means behind that, or if there even is something behind it. I just nod reluctantly, closing the car door behind me and walking inside, glancing over my shoulder for the last time.

Harry’s POV:

Watch her walk up to the front door and escape inside. I can't believe the pain I felt when I said she didn't know me. I don't like lying to Ocean, especially about my identity. I back out of the drive way and drive down the dirt road. When I am halfway to the highway I pull over to the shoulder and dial Gemma's number on my phone. She quickly picks up.

“Really?” She says immediately, “Edward? That's the best you could come up with.” I laugh putting my forehead to the steering wheel, “I was under pressure and didn't get time to think thoroughly."

"Might as well nickname her Bella and call this Twilight." I burst into hysterics with her, my stomach aching after a while, "It is my middle name and was the easiest thing I could come up with.” 

“Well, thank god your middle name isn’t Francis or who knows where that would’ve went.”

I laugh with her and sit up straight again, letting my undone seat belt be retracted back behind the seat, “She said and I quote ‘I don't know what would have happened if Edward wasn't there.'”

“Really?”

“Yeah she talked about you for a couple of minutes.” It hurts me to think of holding her in my arms again, to feel her body so close to mine that our hearts connect so perfectly. I hate to not have my other half. But at the same time I'm keeping her safe for a while.

"Now lets talk about something." Gemma says after seconds of silence, "You said that you weren't going to go near her, I thought that was the plan?" I sigh, "I know but I also said that if I had to get involved I would. Besides I can't stay away from her."

"Clearly." Gemma remarks under her breath, "Anyway, if this interferes with the plan you have to stop."

"I'll try, I promise. But it won't be that easy. After what happened tonight I can;t just let her free." I explain in hopes that Gemma will understand, "I understand just don't mess up everything we have going right now."

"Okay." I agree, the silence emerges again, “Is she sleeping?” I ask.

“Not yet, she’s in the bathroom I think getting ready for bed. I’ll call you when she’s asleep.”

“Thanks.”

We hang up and I take a deep breath. Our faces were so close tonight, it took every strength I had in me to not kiss her. I know that what I was doing, I was doing for her. For us. 

Ocean’s POV:

I stare at my reflection in the mirror. Edward’s eyes replay in my head, they were my favorite thing to think right now. I look at my face in the reflection. The purple bruise on my left cheek hurt a lot even without contact. The bleeding stopped on my lip but the cut is still prominent. I look at myself for a long time. I want the wounds to go away, I want them gone from my skin. That's what I really want, throughout all my thoughts that was my main thing right now. I channel my brain and put my eager feeling of the wounds to heal inside my hope. Maybe if I wish for it enough it might happen. I'm not that superstitious but maybe I can try it.

Nothing happens and I laugh at myself washing off the face cloth in the sink. But then I realize my bruise isn’t aching like it was before, the pain has simmered. I quickly look in the mirror. The edges around the bruise were closing in turning back to my normal shade of skin. I gasp and step back, hitting the wall, eyes wide with sock but I continue watching the process happen. The bruise disappears all together. My lip does the same action and I watch just as amazed.

When the healing was done I pull at my lip and cheek but the bruise and cut are truly gone, no coming back. I can’t fully process what I just saw, let alone believe it is true. I splash water on my face and wipe the moisture away, walking out of the bathroom and into the hallway. I stop when my thoughts began to ponder about the room next to mine. I walk to the closed door and try the door knob again. Locked. I sigh in frustration and picture his green eyes to calm myself again. 

I saunter into my room and shut the door behind me. Crawling under the blankets, I lose myself in my trail of thoughts. I touch my cheek again and the pressure doesn’t irritate it, I touch my lip and it doesn’t sting the flesh. The wounds were really gone, and I have to repeat it to myself a number of times trying to convince my doubting thoughts that this is real.