Dusk

#34

Bella

When I woke up I was confused. My thoughts were hazy, still twisted up in dreams and nightmares; it took me longer than it should have to realize where I was.

This room was too bland to belong anywhere but in a hotel. The bedside lamps, bolted to the tables, were a dead giveaway, as were the long drapes made from the same fabric as the bedspread, and the generic watercolor prints on the walls.

I tried to remember how I got here, but nothing came at first.

I did remember the sleek black car, the glass in the windows darker than that on a limousine. The engine was almost silent, though we'd raced across the black freeways at more than twice the legal speed.

And I remembered Alice sitting with me on the dark leather backseat. Somehow, during the long night, my head had ended up against her granite neck. My closeness didn't seem to bother her at all, and I was getting use to the cool, hard skin they all had.

Sleep had evaded me; my aching eyes strained open even though the night finally ended and dawn broke over a low peak somewhere in California. The grey light, streaking across the cloudless sky, stung my eyes. But I couldn't close them; when I did, the images that flashed all too vividly, like the slides behind my lids, were unbearable. Victoria's hungry expression-- Rosalie's brutal snarl, teeth bared-- Edward's resentful glare-- the look in Rosalie's eyes after she kissed me goodbye...I didn't like to see them. So I fought against my weariness and the sun rose higher.

I was still awake when we came through a shallow mountain pass and the sun, behind us now, reflected off the tiled rooftops of the Valley of the Sun. I was too tired to be surprised that we'd made a three-day journey in one. I stared blankly at the wide, flat expanse laid out in front of me. Phoenix-- the palm trees, the scrubby creosote, the haphazard lines of the intersecting freeways, the green swaths of golf courses and turquoise splotches of swimming pools, all submerged in a thing smog and embraced by the short, rocky ridges that weren't really big enough to be called mountains.

Other than Jasper asking for where the airport was, it was really quiet. The only noise was the faint purr of the car engine.

Though, now that I'd chased the memories down, I did have a vague impression of leaving the car. I had no memory of this room.  

I looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. The red numbers claimed it was three o'clock, but they gave no indication if it was night or day. No edge of light escaped the thick curtains, but the room was bright with the light from the lamps.

I rose stiffly and staggered to the window, pulling back the drapes.

It was dark outside. Three in the morning, then. My room looked out on a deserted section of the freeway and the new long-term parking garage for the airport. It was slightly comforting to be able to pinpoint time and place.

I looked down at myself. I was still wearing Esme's clothes, and they didn't fit very well. I looked around the room, glad when I discovered my duffel bag on top of the lower dresser.

I was on my way to find new clothes when a light tap on the door stopped me.

"Can I come in?" Alice asked.

I took a deep breath. "Sure."

She walked in, and looked me over cautiously. "You look like you could use some more sleep, Bella."

"I'm fine," I told her.

She drifted silently to the curtains and closes them securely before turning back to me. "Thirsty?" she asked, noticing the slight hoarseness of my voice.

I shook my head but nodded toward her. "What about you?"

"Nothing unmanageable. Jasper's fine, too." She smiled. "I ordered some food for you, it's in the front room. I almost forgot that you have to eat more frequently than we do."

She took my hand carefully and led me through the door into the living room of the hotel suite. I could hear a low buzz of voices coming from the TV. Jasper sat at the desk, phone in hand, not paying attention to what was on.

I sat on the floor next to the coffee table, where a tray of food waited, and slowly ate it; I wasn't that hungry.

Alice perched on the arm of the sofa and stared blankly at the TV.

Once again, Jasper broke the silence. "So far, they're good. Nothing's going wrong."

Jasper's statement calmed me down immensely. My stomach wasn't in knots anymore, thankfully. I ate a bit more food at the good news.

While I was eating, I felt a wave of ease wash over me. I looked at Jasper who only smiled at me. I nodded my thanks. But still, I eyed the phone multiple times.

As the afternoon wore on, I went back to bed, simply for something to do. Alice followed me casually, as if by some coincidence she had grown tired of the front room at the same time. I lay across the bed, and she sat, legs folded next to me.

"Alice?" I asked.

"Yes?"

I kept my voice calm. "What do you think they're doing?"

"Carlisle wanted to lead the tracker as far north as possible, wait for her to get closer an ambush her. Esme and Edward were suppose to head west to keep James behind them. I image things are going well if they haven't called yet."

I only nodded. "And everyone's okay?"

"Of course, Bella. Neither of them are a danger to us," she explained. "Now, I'm sure that's not the question you really want to ask, hmm?"

I wasn't too surprised that Alice knew what I really wanted to know. "How do you become a vampire?"

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No I am NOT back for good, I finally just had some free time. So will I update Run? Probably.

Anyways...say if I wanted to change my user name...what should it be? I'm drawing blanks.

Don't forget, I also have a second account that could use a new name.

So how was your Friday the 13th? Jason didn't pop up, so there's my answer. You can take that any way you wish.

Bye (for a while)!