Falling for a Dark Soul

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: None of this mine, nor do I claim to be Stephenie Meyer. I just like to dabble in the playground that she created with Bella, Edward and her Twilight characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

So, yeah ... Edward's trying and we'll hear more from him soon. Up next is Bella.

Chapter Three

Bella

True to his word, Edward gave me what I requested. I worked from home two days a week and it gave me the flexibility to help my sister acclimate to her new home. I got to know some of the other mothers in the neighborhood and with the help of the preschool and daycare facilities, I found a grief counselor for both of us. We'd already had our first two appointments, establishing a relationship with the therapist.

Katie and I fell into a comfortable routine. My sister was further coming out of her shell, growing to love Chicago and having me as her sole caretaker.

If only I could feel the same way.

Today, however, I was about ready to stick my head in the oven. It was early October and the weather had begun to turn chilly. Katie was home sick with a cold. Or, at least, that's what the doctor at immediate care told me. I'd never been around Katie when she was sick, only taking her when she was healthy and for the weekend prior to my parents' death.

With the cough and fever, I thought she'd caught some exotic disease. The doctor reassured me that it was simply a nasty head cold. She would feel better with time, some chicken soup and over the counter cold medication. Vicks was a freaking God-send.

"Bella," Katie whined from her bedroom. "Can I have a frozen pop?"

"You just had one, Katie," I said, trying to focus my attention on the latest design for New Moon Cosmetics. They'd loved my ideas. Victoria and Laurent, the owners of the company, requested I be their main contact, leading the team. For the other advertising campaigns, I worked in the background. Katie padded into the office, crawling into my lap. She felt warm and was incredibly snuggly. "Kit Kat ... I love you, sweetie, but ..."

"Please, Bella?" she whimpered, putting her head on my shoulder. "Can we just cuddle on the couch and watch some television?"

"Okay," I sighed, standing up and carrying her to the living room. She was laying on me, her legs on either side of my hips. She'd snuggled like this with Mom whenever she felt upset or sick. I know I was a poor substitute for Mom, but I did the best I could. I just gently ran my fingers through her curls while I had the Disney channel on. Within a few moments, she crashed, snoring loudly. I picked up my cell phone and set an alarm. A nap sounded like a good idea.

A few hours later, my alarm was going off and I was sweating. Katie's fever had spiked. She needed some of her medicine. I settled Katie onto the couch, covering her with a blanket. I made her some chicken soup and got her some children's Dayquil. As I was working in the kitchen, my cell phone vibrated. I saw it was Alice. I swiped my finger across my screen, "Hello?"

"Bella, I'm so glad you picked up. I know that today is one of your telecommute days, but I'm desperate," Alice breathed. "Something happened with the New Moon campaign, with the photo shoot. I need you to come in and talk to Victoria."

"Alice," I frowned. "My sister is sick and I can't leave her with a sitter. She's running a high fever and is just miserable."

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't be begging you to come in if it weren't such a ginormous clusterfuck," Alice said. "Victoria hates the model we chose, saying that the model is too fake, with Botox and fake books. She also wants a more natural esthetic."