The Cullen Project *Editing*

Chapter 6

That night I dreamt of a meadow. It was a beautiful summer's morning and my mother cradled a baby in her arms. It was a baby I soon recognized to be me. The summer wind swirled my mother's hair around her face. She looked content. I was surprised to see that her eyes were gold.

She let the baby me crawl around in the grass. I explored my surroundings, grabbing little dandelions and running my hands over the moss. Eventually I became sleepy and Bella picked me up again. She closed her eyes and breathed in the warm air and then she was gone in an instant.

The wind blew again and the grass swayed with it, as if she were never there. But as soon as she was gone, another took her spot. He was beautiful too, but menacing. His skin was almost translucent, like an onion's, which greatly contrasted with his long black hair. Just like my mother did, he inhaled the summer air and then smiled. It was a beautiful smile, but yet terrifying at the same time. He inhaled once more and then opened his eyes. They were crimson. As quickly as he came, he was gone.

The wind still blew as if he was never there, but the atmosphere felt different. It had that strange pressure to it...the kind you feel when you know something truly terrible is about to happen.

I woke with a start drenched in sweat and gasping for air. To some people, my nightmare wouldn't have been scary at all. To me though, it was terrifying. I couldn't get that face out of my head! He was so delicate looking, yet so menacing at the same time. And those eyes... I shuddered at the thought of those crimson irises. It was just a dream, I told myself. More like a nightmare, actually... But I had seen my mother alive. And that was hardly nightmarish.

I closed my eyes as I remembered her perfect angelic face, her long brown hair, and her sweet golden eyes...my eyes flew open at that thought. My mother's eyes were chocolate brown, not gold. Confused, I quickly got out of bed to check the picture underneath the floorboard. I stared at the picture before me. Yes, her eyes were definitely chocolate. My father was the one with gold eyes. Then again, It was just a dream, I reminded myself once more.

But it wasn't. It couldn't have been. It was much too real and too complicated to be a dream. And this had not been the first of them. As creative and open-minded as I was, I can't be that good. My mind was nowhere close to being capable of conjuring up such dreams, right? No, this was definitely real. I could feel it. And if these dreams were real, well, then I'd better start figuring them out.

I hopped up off the floor to check the clock on my nightstand. It was only a little after six. Normally I would've hated myself for getting up so early, but today, it worked out perfectly. I would run, I decided. It would help clear my thoughts. I would run and find this meadow, which hopefully, was somewhere near Forks, and figure things out.

I did everything in a rush. I washed my face, fixed my hair, put on clothes appropriate for running, put on my running shoes, ate a granola bar, and brushed my teeth in a matter of fifteen minutes. I grabbed my sketchbook and a pencil from my desk and flew down the steps. I tore off a sheet to write Grandpa a quick note so he wasn't worried.

Grandpa-

Out for a run. I'll be back sometime between 8:30 and 9:00. See you soon!

-ECM

Satisfied, I left the note on the counter and was out the door by six-thirty. I jogged off to the woods in the backyard and didn't stop until I was pretty far in. I then decided it was safe to start.

I've always known I wasn't normal besides the small things like my temperature and my heart-rate. I could also sense when people around me were deep in thought. When they were thinking really hard, my head hurt just a smidge, and most of the time I got the general gist of what was bothering them. I could intentionally do it, but I didn't most of the time, because it made me feel even more like a freak. The majority of the time, I didn't even try, it was just like a sixth sense. But I could also run. Not just run, but really run. I didn't have to think-my feet just carried me to the destination I saw in my head. It was like I was flying. The speed was exhilarating.