When I opened my eyes in the morning, something was different.
It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy day in the forest but it was clearer somehow. I realized there was no fog veiling the window.
I jumped up to look outside, and almost yelled in joy.
A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted the top of our truck, and whitened the road. Even better still, all the rain from yesterday had frozen solid â¼ coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns, and making the driveway an ice slick. I knew Bella would be grumpy this morning when she saw what lay in wait for us, but I couldn't help my excitement.
Dad had left for work before we got downstairs. In a lot of ways, living with Dad was like having our own place.
I threw down two quick bowls of cereal and some orange juice as Bella came moping down the stairs. I felt excited to go to school, and I could see Bella oddly felt the same way, despite her grudge with the weather. I found myself wondering what class would be like with my new biology partner.
I felt stupid, because I didn't even know him. He was also the adopted sibling of the boy who drives my sister insane. I also saw him openly laughing at me yesterday. I should be embarrassed, dreading the thought of having to sit beside him.
It took every ounce of my concentration to make it down the driveway alive, mainly because Bella was clinging onto me trying not to slip and fall. I almost lost my balance when I finally got to the truck, but I managed to cling to the side mirror and save us both. Clearly, today wasn't going to go as well as I was hoping.
Riding to school, I distracted myself by thinking about Mike and Eric and the obvious difference in how teenage boys responded to us here. I was sure I looked exactly the same as I had in Phoenix. Maybe it was just that boys back there had watched me pass slowly through all the awkward phases of adolescence and still thought of me that way. Perhaps it was because I was a novelty here, where novelties are few and far between. Possibly, my crippling anxiety and silence was endearing to some. Whatever the reason, Eric's overly-helpful behavior was disconcerting. I'm sure Bella thought the same thing about Mike Newton.
Our truck seemed to have no problem on the black ice that covered the roads. Bella drove very slowly, though, not wanting to carve a path of destruction through Main Street.
When I got out of the truck at school, I saw why we'd had so little trouble. Something silver caught my eye, and I walked to the back of the truck â carefully holding the side for support â to examine our tires.
There were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around them. Dad had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on the truck. My throat suddenly felt tight. I wasn't used to being taken care of, if you didn't count Bella and I taking care of each other, and Dad's unspoken concern caught me by surprise.
"Hey, Alex.." I looked over the truck towards my sister. "I think I'm gonna stay here for a second, you know, brace myself for today."
It was obvious that she was watching Edward, who stood across the parking lot by his car with all of his siblings, but I wasn't going to point out to her that I knew that.
"Okay, Bella. Just don't be late." I started walking towards the school, leaving her with that. I can understand why she wants to brace herself. Just last week, we were speculating why he hated her and then, yesterday, he struck up a conversation like everything was normal.
As I was reaching the school doors, I wondered if I needed a break. I had a run-in with one of those siblings, too. It was almost as surprising as Bella's. I stopped just in front of the doors to think when I heard an odd sound.
It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I turned around, startled.
I saw several things simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies.
Instead the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster, and I was able to absorb in clear detail several things at once.
Edward Cullen, along with his family, was staring across the parking lot at my sister with a face that looked a lot like shock, an emotion I'd never seen him express. But of more immediate importance was the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the corner of our truck and my twin was standing between them. In another instant, I realized Edward was no longer by his car, seemingly disappeared. And I was screaming. I saw the van collide with the truck, but I no longer saw Bella. Thinking the worst, I was still screaming, my lungs burning, threatening to cut me off, when I felt two solid arms latch around me.
"We gotta go. Now." A familiar voice, impossible to not recognize, whispered in my ear. And then we were moving.
Everything was impossibly green as we moved through the trees surrounding the school. We were going way too fast. I wasn't one to get motion sickness, but this was something else entirely. Before I knew it, I was standing in the U-shaped clearing I'd found the other day. When we stopped moving, the arms that were wrapped around me let go after a couple long seconds, landing me gently on the ground. Without thinking, I grabbed one of the hands to steady myself and instantly recoiled. These hands were near-freezing.
I turned around and saw sandy blond hair, but without the cocky smile I'd seen before. This was all serious. A face with beautifully delicate features fashioned into a hard line, brows furrowed together. Dark eyelashes lowered over gold colored eyes. This time, I didn't think it was a trick of the light.
"Christian..?" Confusion riddled in my voice.
"I'm sorry if I was rude, Alex..andra." I heard him linger on my name. He respected that I didn't like the nickname. All of his posh attitude from before was gone. He seemed polite, considerate even.
"What the hell just happened?" My voice was almost a scream.
Christian hesitated for a long while. It seemed he didn't know how to answer me. "You saw too much. You had to get out of there."
The shock drained out of me with those words and my memories came crashing back. "My sister! Bella!" I couldn't get out any more words. My throat tightened for the second time today, but for a completely different reason from before. I fell against one of the collapsed tree trunks and sunk into the wet grass. A sob threatened to escape my throat, but now was not the time.
"Your sister is fine. I can give you my word on that." Christian replied apologetically, as if he regretted not mentioning that earlier.
I gave him a look that probably resembled confusion and apprehension.
"You saw it yourself, remember?"
As he said that, I recalled Edward seemingly disappearing. If Christian could pick me up and get me to this clearing in less than five minutes... I put the pieces together myself. Edward Cullen must have saved her.
"Why am I here? Why did you take me?"
"We had to go. You saw him. So did your sister. It wasn't safe anymore."
My head was spinning. If I'd tried to stand up, I would definitely fail.
Seeing whatever look I had glued to my face â shock, fear, disbelief â Christian began to explain. "Your sister should be on the way to the hospital with Dr. Cullen and probably your dad right now. Which means the rest of my family is going to be discussing what to do with you two. The only thing I could think to do was run."
Dad. He was probably worried about me too right now, wondering why I wasn't with Bella. It wasn't until moments later that I processed that he said his family would be discussing what to do with us. What did that mean? Why would they do anything at all? Sitting in silence, I allowed my heart beat to slow. If he could move me this easily, if Edward could reach my sister in half a second, if he thought it was dangerous for Bella and I now... What are they?
I turned to face Christian while trying to discreetly move away from him. He noticed the movement and a small part of me felt bad about it.
"What are you?" I asked.
After a pause that seemed like forever, I got my answer.
Christian hung his head low, almost embarrassed. As a misty rain began to lightly fall, trying to dissipate the snow from this morning, his voice was almost a whisper, but it was as cold as the ice outside.
"We're what your storybooks would call a monster." When he looked up, a smirk I'm becoming all too familiar with played across his lips. His gold eyes seemed to glow for a second and the soft rain stopped. Well, I wouldn't say stopped, more like froze midair.
I was in shock. I could see the rain in perfect clarity, each drop, unlike when rain was normal and it looked like it was coming down in lines. I reached my hand out to touch one and to my surprise, it fell. I heard an intake of breath beside me.
"How did you do that?" Christian said.
"Do what?"
"You released the drop..." he trailed off. I suppose this wasn't a normal reaction, but neither was freezing the rain, so we were even.
"I think I should be asking you how you did this." I said, motioning all around me. "You said people would call you guys monsters. Why?"
"I can't tell you. Not yet, at least. To keep you safe."
Incredible, really. He can show me that he can run a mile in 10 seconds, probably less and that he can freeze the freaking rain, but can't tell me how. Thinking of running reminded me.
"Take me to the hospital. I need to see Bella."
He hesitated a bit on my request, but eventually stood up and held his hand out to me. Remembering how cold his hands are, I braced myself before taking it and pulling myself up. Christian was basically a full foot taller than me and it was obvious to me now as I looked up at him. His eyes lit up once more and the rain began again. He let go of my hand then and even though there was no heat between us, I could've sworn it felt colder. He picked me up, this time bridal style, his arms solid as iron. At least I knew he wouldn't drop me.
"Ready?" he asked.
I nodded. Thankful at least for a warning.
When we got to the hospital, Christian walked me to the front doors and then disappeared. I assumed he'd gone off to find his family. It was time for me to find mine, now. As I walked through the doors, my dad, who was pacing, stopped as he saw me. I could see him physically relax as he walked up and hugged me.
"Where were you, Alex?" His voice a mixture of worry and anger.
"One of the Cullen's caught up to me in the commotion at school and got me away. He brought me here, actually." It wasn't a total lie.
"Oh." He seemed to be taken off guard by my reply when I saw Bella walk through the doors behind my dad. The look on my face was enough to make him turn around. I felt like I could cry.
"There's nothing wrong with me," Bella said as she put her hands up. Dad and I rushed over to her.
"What did the doctor say?" Dad looked like he could faint.
"Dr. Cullen saw me, and he said I was fine and I could go home." Bella sighed. I realized then that almost everyone from school was in the waiting room, quietly listening in. "Let's go," Bella urged.
Dad put an arm behind Bella's back and I came up on the other side of her. Together we walked her to the glass doors of the exit. Bella waved at our friends as we passed and she let out a breath of what I think was relief when we settled into the cruiser.
We drove in silence, all of us apparently lost in our own thoughts.
When we got to the house, Dad finally spoke.
"Um... you'll need to call Renee." He hung his head, guilty.
The look on Bella's face said it all. "You told Mom!"
"Sorry."
Mom was in hysterics, of course. I listened to Bella tell her she felt fine at least thirty times. I could hear her begging Bella to come home, seemingly forgetting the fact that I existed and that home was empty right now. I decided to tune out the end of the conversation as I went to lay on my bed.
Despite everything in our room being near identical, our bed sheets were different. Dad, not knowing what Bella liked and not wanting to ask, got her a purple bed set. Mine was identical in cut and style, but a dark forest green.
I was settling into my covers when my phone beeped. I flipped it open and saw a text from an unsaved number.
I told you she was fine. I hope you're ok too.
I didn't need three guesses to figure out who sent that text, but I'd probably need three to figure out how he got my number.
I snapped my phone shut and lifted my head to see my sister staring at me, one eyebrow raised.
"What was that about?"
I didn't know if I should tell her, thinking about Christian's warning from earlier. After a couple minutes of silence, I decided since she was now entangled with Edward for saving her life that she should probably know.
"Christian Hale." I said.
Bella shot up from her lying position on her bed. She sat on the very end and stared at me with bewilderment. "Edward's ...cousin, Christian Hale?"
"What other Christian do you know?"
"You gave him your number? He asked for your number? Wait," she stopped her rambling, "When did this happen?"
"I didn't give him my number. But we talked today when you..." I trailed off. "I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't blow off what happened. He just took me and ran."
Bella definitely looked a little crazy as she moved from her edge of the bed to mine. Now in my personal space, she pressed me for more information. "Like, kidnapping you? Or... ran ran?"
I remembered that Edward had also moved with incredible speed earlier and Bella must've noticed. She probably also understood that whatever Edward was, so was his family. I gave her a knowing look and she almost squealed.
"I knew it! He's keeping something from me."
It was my turn to give her a quizzical look. "Edward?"
"Yes! I wasn't going to say anything, because it wasn't really up to me to tell and I'm still confused about it, but if you noticed too... I confronted him about it, but he won't budge. He keeps insisting that I hit my head and was hallucinating."
"I saw him, too. Christian wouldn't say much. Just that people call them monsters."
I could see the wheels in my sister's head turning, now. She wanted to know just as badly, if not more, than I did. I recalled what Christian had done to the rain today. Part of me wanted to keep that part to myself, our little secret, but I knew that Bella would want to know so I ended up telling her everything that happened in the clearing.
By the time we fell asleep, we had run through a million different possibilities on what the mysterious bunch of siblings could be.