Twilight Fan Fiction ❯ The Fragrance of the Perfect Lie ❯ The Ghost of Another Past ( Chapter 8 )

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

By the time they reached the reservation, the sun was hanging low in the sky. Bella’s eyes widened in alarm as a large group of shadows gathered around the van once they were parked in Jacob’s driveway. Even as the shadows crept closer and closer, Jacob and Billy continued to stay silent. Their relatively slight frowns seemed to deepen and light creases appeared on their foreheads.

“They’ve requested us to meet on the beach.” Billy informed gravely.

As Jacob exited the van and helped wheel Billy out, Bella warily observed the shadows as she too stepped out of the van. Her face paled as she studied the shadows and discovered that she recognized the grim faces surrounding her. The faces of Ember, Quil, Kim, Emily, and Bella’s once beloved friends glowed in a variety of anger, fear, and curiosity.

Bella shyly hung her head low and fixated her gaze upon her feet as she followed Jacob. A minute later, they reached a brilliantly lit campfire with bone-bleached benches. As Jacob and Billy sat down next to each other, the curious gazes of the Council quietly studied her still figure.

“Sit.” Billy commanded in a slightly impatient tone.

After taking a seat, she anxiously continued to stare at her slightly worn out sneakers. The rest of the council now averted their gazes from Bella to Old Quil Ateara.

“I imagine that you already know why you are here Isabella. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.” Intimidated, she thought it best to take on a polite and formal speech around the Council.

“First of all, do you have an explanation of why you seem to be familiar with our ancient legends? If you are as familiar with our past as Jacob and Sam informed us, you would know that our secrets mustn’t be shared with anyone outside of the tribe, except for life long partners, correct?”

What should I tell him? Bella’s heart began to pound loudly in her chest. Would they believe that I know all about their past based on a dream? As the seconds uncomfortably passed by, she decided that it would be best if she stuck to the truth. Who knows what would happen if she did tell them a lie? No, even if she wanted to lie to them, she didn’t have the heart to go through it.

“Shortly after I moved to Forks, I had this dream - ” And so for the next thirty minutes or so, she explained to the Council every dream she had concerning the Cullens and their tribe. She couldn’t manage to relax even for a single moment under the emotionless stares of the Council through out her lengthy explanation.

Bella’s breath caught in her throat as she waited for someone - anyone - to break the silence. Besides the steady breathing of the Council and the crackling from the roaring fire, a deathly sort of silence enveloped the black night.
The ancient faces before her continued to remain emotionless as they contemplated her words. To her surprise, even Jacob continued to stare blankly into the crackling flames. She began to nervously twiddle her thumbs as she silently prayed for them to believe her.

“I do not mean to be disrespectful, but I refuse to believe in Bella’s story,” Sam shook his head in disbelief. “How can a mere human know of our past and supposed future through lucid dreams?”

“Be patient Sam, we must consider all possibilities before any of us can make assumptions,” Billy intervened with a stern glare. “We cannot be sure of everything around us. I personally think that Bella may have psychic abilities.”

“Perhaps, but I have my own theory that could fully explain her story. I must ponder on it longer though before I express it to you,” Quil Ateara Sr. said slowly. “Bella, you mentioned that the Cullens exist in both reality and your dreams. They are currently human, correct?”
“Yes…” Bella replied hesitantly, not sure where he was going with this.

“Good, good,” He mumbled to himself while rubbing his hands together. “You may leave now. We will discuss among ourselves what will be done and let you know our final decision as soon as possible.”

“I’ll drive you back to your house,” Jacob muttered, walking quickly towards the end of the beach.

Still perplexed, Bella silently followed him to his driveway. She wasn’t sure whether she should be relieved or worried about Quil Ateara Sr.’s reaction. He did ignore Sam and consider her words, but on the other hand, she would still have to go back to meet with the Council all over again. Who knows how long it would take for them to come to a final agreement?

Completely consumed with her thoughts, she accidentally ran into Jacob’s back.

“Oh, I’m sor - ” Her apology was cut short by a fierce growl.

“Those stupid dogs are nearby again! I’ll have to report this to Sam,” Jacob exclaimed, his teeth gnashing together. “Bella, could you wait here for a moment?”

“Okay.” She replied, but Jacob had already disappeared. A wave of shivers ran down her spine, but it wasn’t from the cold. Her legs froze in place as a long series of hot breaths ran down her neck.

“W-who is there?” She stuttered, her hands growing cold.

“You’re clearly not a werewolf. You reek of human,” An unidentifiable female voice sneered. “Are you one of the tribe’s mates, or are you simply at the wrong place at the wrong time?”

“Neither,” Bella whispered as her heart pounded frantically in her chest.

“Well then,” The voice growled. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if I borrowed you for a while, would they?” The voice laughed shrilly. “I promise to deliver all 206 of your bones back to them.”

A vicious snarl came from behind, and Bella fearfully covered her head with her arms. Shutting her eyes, she heard a mixture of growls and yelps. After a minute or two, the snarls ceased, and heavy hand took a hold of her shoulder.

“Are you all right?” Sam asked in an alarmed tone. Over his shoulder, she saw Jacob (in human form) stomp angrily towards his house.

“Yeah, thank you,” Bella said in a small voice. “Who was that?”“I think it would be better if I drove you back to your house.” Sam replied, ignoring her question. He left her there and after a few minutes, he returned in a tan Toyota.

The drive back to her house was a fairly short one. They had mostly ignored each other, except for when they quietly bid their farewells.

“Thanks for the ride.” Bella said gratefully. She fished through her jacket for her house key. A loud creaking noise alerted her to Charlie, whom was standing on the door mat with a cautious expression.

“Did you have fun over at the La Push reservation, Bella?” Charlie asked with his arms folded.

“Yeah, it was pretty neat,” Bella said as she walked past him and entered the kitchen. “There was a campfire going on, and I chatted with Jacob Black for a while.”

“I’m glad that you’re fitting in around here so quickly,” Charlie remarked as he flopped onto the couch. “How are things going on at your school?”

“Things aren’t too bad,” Bella replied, heating up a plate of pasta in the microwave. “The classes and the people are…interesting.”

Yawning widely, Bella made herself a cup of apple juice and slowly ate her meal. She had a lot on her mind, and she was strangely looking forward to her latest dream. She craved for Edward’s electric touch and his velvety voice whispering sweet-nothings in her ear. As soon as she was finished eating, she prepared to go to bed.
“Good night!” Charlie exclaimed from downstairs.

“’Night!” Bella yelled impatiently, accidentally slamming the door behind her.

A storm had broke out earlier, so she had a hard time falling asleep. After retrieving another blanket onto her bed, she fell into a comfortable sleep.

A loud ringing echoed in her ears, growing more and more annoying by each passing second. Groaning, she shifted to her left and continued to ignore her alarm clock. A few minutes later, she winced as rays of sunlight burned into her eyes.

“Bella, you have school today. Get ready before you’re late,” Charlie said, exasperated. “Maybe you should only visit friends on the weekend.”
“I’m getting up,” Bella groaned, slowly slipping out of her bed covers. Still exhausted, she reluctantly took a shower and managed to get ready before school started.

As she rode to school, it finally hit her why she felt extremely odd. She couldn’t remember her dreams from last night, which automatically meant that neither Edward or any of the Cullens had visited her.

All day, she ignored her teachers’ daily lectures and instead obsessively pondered on the possible reasons of why dream-Edward hadn’t visited her last night. Even during Lunch, while surrounded by the Cullens and her other friends, she subconsciously ignored their chattering. In Bella’s mind, she was surrounded by her colorful meadow in the freezing arms of Edward.

“I love being with you more than I do being trapped in a world where you don’t exist.” Bella expressed with a happy sigh.

“I don’t understand what you mean Bella,” Edward replied with pursed lips.

“I mean, I like the other Edward fine, but it’s just not the same.”

Troubled by this, Edward gently pried Bella out of his arms.

“You couldn’t possibly mean it, could you?” Edward asked in a low voice. “Listen to these words and take them to heart. Do not dwell on these dreams so often. I won’t be around for much longer, and I couldn’t bear seeing you this unhappy…”

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say,” Bella replied quietly, feeling utterly confused. “I’m not unhappy.”

Edward merely stared deep into Bella’s tear-filled eyes with a sad smile.

“Bella!” Alice exclaimed sharply, yanking Bella out of her bittersweet daydream. “You’ve been pretty out of it lately. The cafeteria is nearly empty.”

“Sorry,” Bella mumbled an apology while collecting her backpack together. “I haven’t been sleeping well lately because of the rain.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Edward had been trying to catch your attention all through out Lunch.” Alice remarked, exiting the cafeteria.

For the rest of the school day, Bella tried her best to concentrate on her studies and friends. Even as she did this, Edward’s sorrowful smile flashed brightly in her mind every time she closed her eyes.

“I’m not as unhappy as Edward believes I am,” Bella thought. “Right?”