Mortality

Catalyst

I'm running through a forest, the trees too dense to see through, the sun too low to color the sky. There is a path under my feet, but it's thin and covered in hazards. I've already cut my face tripping over a root and a stone. But I have to keep going. He's right behind me, I know he is. I can see his eyes.

His empty void eyes.

And his bitter laugh.

"Run, little girl...." God, his voice is on the wind. "With your heart racing, you smell even more appetizing."

He's going to kill me, he's going to ... to ...

"Bella, run!" I skid to a halt, turning in time to see two figures charging at each other.

"Edward?" Two seconds later I'm in my bedroom, staring at the ceiling. Maybe I should ask Dr. Cullen about sleeping meds. Might stop the stupid dreams, or at least let me feel rested after them. I sit up, hair a cloud around my head.

I swear, if any of these come true, I'm suing God for damages.

I trudge to English class, my backpack dragging behind me. I didn't realize I was over twenty minutes late until Mr. Jameson cleared his throat, barely pulling me from my daze. His arms crossed, and his face highly disappointed.

"Thank you for joining us, Isabella."

"I'm sorry, sir, my truck didn't want to start today."

"Don't even worry about it, everyone gets one free tardy from me. Just take your seat, we haven't got all day." I nod and hurry to my desk, noticing right away that Mike is on the other side of the classroom, Eric in his usual spot. He shrugs at me, and we both focus on the lesson. The only thing I pick up on is the reading is Dracula – my bitter laugh making some of the students jump – the rest of the class becomes one muddy mess.

In what feels like a second and yet is just as exhausting as a full day, I sit at the Mike-free lunch table, everyone but Edward and I chatting about the weather this weekend. No rain or overcast for 24 hours. And a temperature higher than I've heard since I've come to Forks — a full seventy degrees! I would share their enthusiasm, but God help me, I just can't.

Every two seconds, Edward's eyes are on me and the buzzing makes my eyes water. It hammers, attempting to crack my skull wide. I know Eric just said something to me, but I don't understand what. Once the buzzing vanishes, I speak up.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said, are you still good for La Push on Saturday?"

"Oh ... well, I gotta talk to my dad first, but he's best friends with Billy Black, so it shouldn't be too big of a deal." I take off my glasses and lay my head in my arms. "If I don't get grounded."

"Because of yesterday? What, you still haven't told him?" Jessica pipes in, her voice squeaking at the end of her questions. I groan.

"I have, but he was dead tired, so it probably hasn't clicked with him yet. With my luck, he'll be ready with a lecture when he gets home." Everyone nods and mutters in understanding, but continues to talk about the trip. Even Angela, the normally silent one, is giddy about hearing the Quileute read them The Raven Tales, or at least buying a copy of their book for her own.

A light tap on my shoulder causes me to turn my head. Edward is smiling at me, his eyes brighter than I've ever seen them. And his skin has ... a sickening pink hue to it. He leans over and whispers in my ear with his haunting voice.

"May we sit alone today? I want to talk to you."

I nod, moving over to one of the few empty tables with him. Why I follow him I really don't know, but the slight silence is nice. We sit down, him across from me, and his eyes on the table behind me. I take a quick peek. His family is eyeballing us, their eyes just as bright red as his. One theory confirmed.