Twilight Fan Fiction ❯ In The Shadow Of The Sun ❯ Moonlight ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Edward watched Leina as she walked into her house and disappeared behind the door. He sat there for a moment, nervously running his fingers through his hair. Should he stay and make sure that Ayden and Emma didn't break the promise?

"No. I should just go home... Alice will see if anything happens," he told himself. Feeling way more agitated than he knew he should, Edward threw the car into reverse and made his way out of their driveway.

"I wonder what they're doing right now... are they scared?”

Edward shook his head. He had to stop thinking about this. If he kept thinking about her-... them, then he’d make himself go crazy by being so agitated and worried.

But no matter how hard he tried to block the thoughts out, he continued to ponder what they were doing... how they were handling the situation... the whole entire drive back to his house.

Edward parked into the very large garage that his family shared. He quickly got out of the car, shutting the door a bit harder than usual. He walked into the house. Just by listening, using his gift as well, he knew where every member of his family was. Carlisle and Esme were up in Carlisle’s study, while Emmett and Rosalie were out in the backyard. Jasper was up in the room that he and Alice shared, while Alice herself was... standing right in front of him.

“How are they handling it?” she asked, her high voice filled with concern.

Edward sighed. “Luna’s worried, but she’s trusting us to tell them if something changes. Leonna is extremely worried about Leina and how she’s taking it, and she doesn’t know who she should trust. Leina herself...”

He dropped off for a moment, trying for the umpteenth time to hear Leina’s thoughts. It was just as silent as ever. He sighed with frustration.

“I don’t know... at times, she seemed scared. Or at the very least, shocked. But then when I asked her whether she was all right, she told me that she was fine, and that she was just tired.”

“Such an ordinary, common response... but it makes me think that she is not all right at all...”

Alice nodded. “I’m pretty sure that Leina doesn’t like to show people when she’s afraid... she hates showing weakness...” she said quietly.

Edward thought about that for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Alice looked at her brother’s expression. “You’re worried for her,” she said, not as a question, but as a statement.

Edward bit his lower lip. “Do you think that you could-”

“Don’t worry; I’m watching the future for any possibilities that she could be hurt by Emma,” Alice assured Edward.

“Has she... thought of anything...?”

“She tried to think of some way to get around Ayden’s power...”

Uninvited flashes of the scenarios that Alice had seen shot through Edward’s mind. How she would sneak away when Ayden went to go feed... ease her way into Leina’s bedroom...

“Stop,” Edward said aloud, grimacing. “Can you please keep your visions to yourself?”

Alice grimaced back, “Sorry about that... I'll let you know if I see anything."

Edward nodded. "Thank you."

Alice grinned at her brother. "Of course... that's what future-seeing siblings are for, right?"

Edward managed to crack a smile, then went up the stairs.

Once he was in his room, Edward remembered that he was still in his Alice-chosen prince costume. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a pair of nice, designer jeans and a gray sweater that Alice had gotten him for Christmas some number of years ago. He quickly un-buttoned the prince-shirt and pulled the soft gray sweater over his toned upper body.

Finally done changing, Edward pressed "play" on his stereo system and laid down on his couch. He closed his eyes, trying to get as close to sleep as was vampire-ly possible. He tried to drown out all of the voices he heard in his head, including that of his family, until all he could hear was the melodic sound of Debussy's "Nocturne" filled his room.

"I really do need to calm down about this..." Edward thought rationally. "those three will be fine. They have taken care of themselves before coming here to Forks," he pointed out to himself.

Edward tried to stop all thoughts, even his own. He drowned out all sound, with the exception of Debussy's melodies, and focused only on the music.

But as the tone of the music changed, so did Edward's focus of thought. As the minor chords played and changed, he started envisioning Emma's face, contorted with rage and hunger.

Edward sat up, rubbing his temples, irritated that his calming-exercise hadn’t worked.

“How can I be calm...? With all of this happening, how can I just sit still, knowing that she’s out there? That she might try to hurt....her....?!” Edward thought, agitated with himself.

Was Emma actually planning something to defy Ayden? Would she try?

“I wish I knew what she was thinking..."

Edward stopped. He did have his gift... would knowing Emma’s thoughts ease his mind?

“I have to try,” he murmured.

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on Emma’s “voice.” She wasn’t near Edward, and her “voice” was not familiar to him, so he had trouble locating it. Once he finally did, he shut out all other voices, and listened hard.

“But Ayden told me not to... she said it isn’t time... They’ll get mad at me if I try, I know they will. Oh... but the smell of that girl... absolutely delicious! What if I snuck away while Ayden was feeding- no,” she mentally reprimanded herself, “Ayden told me not to. Oh, but her blood! What an appealing scent! If only I could get her alone, and then-... but no, Ayden said I would be a bad Emma if I did that....”

At last, Edward couldn’t take anymore. He pulled his concentration away from Emma and was back to the murmur of inconsequential thoughts.

So, she wanted to go and get Leina, but she knew that Ayden would seriously hurt her if she even attempted. Her internal battle was horrible. Even as Emma imagined biting into Leina’s neck and tasting her incredible-tasting blood, Edward could feel the own monster within himself urging him to try it himself.

Edward shook his head, repulsed by his own uncontrolled urges. Even though it was in his nature, he couldn’t excuse himself. He knew better than that. Then, as Edward was thinking about the monster within wanting to go do the same horrible things to Leina as Emma wanted to do, a sudden desire grew inside him to go see Leina.

It was almost as if he couldn’t control himself. Edward got up from his couch and was almost running down the stairs. He was almost in a trance; something had just come over him... and he had to see her. He didn’t know why... but he had to see her.

Alice was sitting downstairs, reading a book. She looked up as Edward came into the room, a small smirk on her face. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist going and making sure she was safe. It all ready took you this long.”

“Is that why I’m going...?” Edward wondered to himself. Then he realized that it was true. He wanted... needed... to make sure that Leina was safe. He needed to know that she was okay, and no vampire or anything else in the world had tried to harm her.

Alice merely smiled kindly up at him. “Go, Edward.”

Those words were all he needed. He found himself bounding out of the house, running past Emmett and Rosalie in the backyard. He heard their shouts behind him, and heard their confused thoughts... but he didn’t stop. He was running through the forest at his top speed, weaving in and out of the trees. He never hit any of them, and he never tripped; his reflexes were far greater than that.

Why her? Why did he feel this way about her? This... protective? Edward had never felt this urge to shield a particular human from harm. He had just accepted that they were different than him, and had grown distant to them. He couldn’t talk to them; there was too much of a risk. So, in his mind, why should he care for them? These fragile, almost helpless humans?

Then he realized that those exact words were the reason why he felt the need to protect Leina. In her world, she was an extremely smart, strong, independent girl. But when vampires were involved, Leina was as fragile as a new spring leaf. No matter how much she wanted to, she would never be able to physically stand up to a vampire; they were built for strength and speed. She was so easily broken.

“And that’s why...” Edward thought, strengthening his reason and resolve to go see her.

Edward broke out of the trees into the clearing that held Leonna, Luna, and Leina’s house. As silently as he could, he walked over to the back, to where Leina’s balcony window was. He climbed up the stairs and onto the balcony. Her curtains were shut, so he couldn’t see whether she was still awake. But he couldn’t see any light coming from the other side, so he figured she must have been asleep.

“It is almost three or so in the morning.”

His cool fingers touched the handle of the glass window. He expected to feel the resistance of a lock... but it slid right open. Leina had accidentally left the balcony glass door unlocked.

“She didn’t even lock it...” Edward thought in a moment of panic. “What if Emma had come to try and take her? She could have walked right into the house! It’s a good thing I came, then...” he told himself. Edward knew that it was only something he told himself to make him feel better, but there seemed to be some truth in it.

Edward pushed away the curtains, and saw her. All he could see of Leina was her brown hair and the tan skin of the very side of her face. She was facing away from him and her covers were pulled up above her chin.

Regardless, the tension and anxiety that had seemed to weigh Edward down lifted. He knew... without a doubt... that she was all right.

“She’s okay... she’s not hurt... now leave,” his rational, inner voice of sense told him.

Yet Edward found that his body didn’t listen to his mind as he moved silently toward Leina’s futon bed. He sank down onto the floor next to her, looking at her. He could see her face now, resting peacefully in a look of beautiful sleep.

It fascinated Edward; Leina sleeping. Such a simple concept, yet not one that he could fully grasp. Of course, Edward knew what sleep was and new the concept of it... yet he would never fully understand. Vampires could never sleep, and this is why Edward was so awestruck at the tranquility he found on Leina’s face.

He sighed as quietly as he could, trying not to wake her.

"Just stay here for a while longer... then leave!" that stupid rational voice told him again.

Edward nodded, even though the voice was only in his head. He looked back at Leina. She was... shaking.

"What's wrong with her...? Is she cold?" Edward wondered. He raised his hand to pull her blanket closer to her.

"Don't..."

For a moment, Edward thought that she had awoken. He moved his hand back, but then he realized that she was merely talking in her sleep.

"So... why is she shaking?" Edward raised up on his knees to get a better look at Leina.

Leina's eyes were scrunched together, her mouth a hard line. Her hands were now balled up into fists.

"Away... get away from me..... you can't hurt me."

Leina was dreaming. But about what?

"No..." she whispered, "don't do this... don't you dare hurt him! Stop, just make it go away...."

"Leina," Edward whispered, "What's wrong? Who's being hurt?"

"Stop!" She had started to yell now. "Get away from him.... don't touch him! Just make the pain go away!"

Edward felt his chest clench. "Who, Leina?" he whispered more urgently. "Who is being hurt?"

"You can't hurt him... he didn't do anything... just leave him out of it...."

"Who is she talking about?!" Edward screamed. He wanted to touch her, but something held him back.

"Just hold on... We'll get through this... Edward..... don't die on me... don't leave..."

Edward froze. She was dreaming about him. It wasn't her own pain that she was worried about. It was his. In her dream, Edward was the one being hurt. From the way she was talking, it sounded like (in the dream world), she was injured as well. But she didn't seem to care. She was worried about me.

I felt something completely new. He couldn't explain the feeling that had just come over him. In all of his a hundred plus years, nothing had touched him like this.

Edward slowly reached over and took her hand in his. Her hand felt so... warm, in comparison to his own. It felt... wonderful. He slowly stroked the top of her hand with his thumb. He tried to be as gentle as possible, his fingers as light as feathers on her skin.

Then he saw her eyebrows smooth out, and a small smile spread onto her face.

"She must be dreaming happier things now..." he figured.

Then she whispered something. "Edward..."

Edward smiled just a little, his mouth turning upwards at one corner into his classic crooked smile. The only light in the room was from Edward's ocher eyes, glowing as he gazed down at a sleeping Leina.