Evasive Darkness

Chapter Three - There and back again

Chapter Three – There and Back Again

My eyes flew open. All the tiredness that I was just overcome with was gone. Again? I thought to myself but secretly I was glad to see the cream on cream room. Everything was in the exact same place as where it had been when I went to sleep and I knew that this was no ordinary dream that I was having. How many times had I tried my hardest to fall back into the same dream again? And now I had managed it without even trying to.

What is going on? I thought to myself as I pulled myself into the bathroom and pulled a brush through my hair. Once I had congratulated myself on wrangling it into something that resembled presentable I went straight to the closet. I fished through the drawers until I found a respectable outfit in a pair of black skinny jeans and an oversized t-shirt. Even though I couldn't hear any rain outside, I knew that it most probably wasn't sunny so I pulled on a black cardigan over the top and grabbed my parka on the way down the stairs.

"Wow. Are you going for a rock star look today?" asked Mum from the kitchen bench.

"What?" I asked her, blushing slightly as I looked down at my outfit.

"You look great," she corrected, "It's just more black than normal." I shrugged.

"Suits the mood apparently," she remarked as I put some toast in the toaster.

"I'm not in a black mood," I snapped, and she smiled with a look that clearly questioned my response. "I'm just tired," I said softer now. And it was surprisingly true. I hadn't slept now in two nights and even though I wasn't physically tired I felt mentally exhausted.

"You don't look tired," she told me as I put spread on my toast. "And I have to go to work. But I'll see you when you get home." I wasn't a question.

"See you," I stuck a cheek out as she kissed it and walked out the door.

I ate my toast quickly but it was still too early for me to leave to school. I decided that if I was going to be here then I needed a plan. The fact that I could see and feel everything as if it was real was beginning to override my mental reasoning that this was a dream.

I frowned at myself. I was going crazy. But still I lay on the lounge and decided that I was going to avoid thinking about anything in Edward's company and I was just going to get on with things here like I don't know anything. I decided that at this point in time just seeing how things played out would be the best idea. After that decision was made I felt surprisingly more upbeat. I liked to give myself rules to follow; it helped me think that I at least had something in my control. So with my rules in place I left for school. I didn't mind that I was slightly early. I sat with Bella and Mike in English class and then Mike walked Bella to her next class while Eric walked me to the Gym, all the while he was glaring towards Mike. This brought a wide smile on his face and Eric seemed to cheer considerably at the idea that I thought he was funny. He launched into an even more animated re-enactment of something he did over the summer holidays. In gym I met up with Jessica, who chatted to me comfortably while we played Volleyball. At lunchtime the groups seemed to converge into one large group that now included Mike and Eric. The group seemed to centre on Bella and me, but I could see that her mind was elsewhere as her eyes flashed towards the Cullen's table. I didn't even look over – I knew that Edward wouldn't be there.

"Um Bella," I said as soon as it looked like everyone else was in their own conversations. "I was actually wondering what you were doing after school today?" I was surprised at how nervous I was feeling. "It's just that my mum is on my back about meeting my friends. It tried to tell her that I've only been here two days but she doesn't seem to count that as an excuse and it is just that you're new here too." I was blabbering now and Bella smiled at me.