Falling To The Sun | B. Swan + E. Cullen

huit

Roman woke to a scream that ripped through and shattered her eardrums. She rolled off the bed with a crash, landing funny on her hand and hitting her head on the way down. The world was fuzzy for a moment, spinning before it caught up to her. Bella.

She sat up, pushing herself back onto the bed. The girl had pressed the pillow to her face, eyes screwed shut as she screamed, and Roman rushed up to her side, wincing as her wrist twinged with pain at the sudden movement. She would need to ice it later just to be safe.

"What's wrong? Bella?" she pressed, urgent, as the girl continued to hold the pillow with a white-knuckled grip. "Talk to me."

She made a croaking sound in her chest, a broken noise that got stuck the more she tried to force it out.

It came out as a strangled, muffled word, one that she didn't understand.

"Bella?"

Her head snapped up with a whimper and she found her arms full of a blubbering, mumbling girl that clung tight, holding her as if she was going to disappear.

"Are- are you okay? What's the matter?"

The brunette doesn't say anything, only holding her tighter. It was strange, a different kind of fear and anxiety that she's never seen on the other girl before. It brought worry to wash through her in waves, weighing down with an oppressive weight that had her shifting uncomfortably, moving to cradle her better, closer to her chest.

It was a surprise that Chief Swan hadn't come running in to see her, with all the stories that they've both told her about night terrors and screaming, Roman really thought that he would have been quick with how often he's been forced to do so.

Warm brown eyes, chocolate and deep, turned to blink up at her. They were dry, motivated, as she jumped from the bed, only turning back to press a quick kiss to her forehead.

"We have to go."

"What?"

Bella fumbles through her closet, grabbing a random and clean outfit before hastily changing in the middle of the room. Roman squeaked, heat flooding her chest, spreading to her cheeks, and she forced her eyes closed, hands coming up to slap over her face.

"We have to go speak to Jake. It has to be now."

Her tongue is heavy, like lead, and she has to force the words out, force them to be straight and intelligible. "I don't understand. What's going on?"

"Roman, please, you have to trust me."

And she does, her heart thudding in her chest, pounding in her ears as she nods stupidly, agreeing without a doubt. She gets up to change as well, grabbing a comfortable pair of leggings and a large t-shirt. She would be fine with her jacket, her hair pulled up in a high ponytail.

Then she was rushing down the stairs after her, racing behind with heavy steps as she struggled to put on a pair of socks, Bella's name at the tip up her tongue.

They ran into Charlie halfway down the stairs, dressed and ready in his uniform for the day, an extra layer of warmth pulled on over his coat. Roman's stomach dropped, that gleam in his eyes something she would recognize anywhere. It was that sort of silent look, the one where her mother would come home and sit at the kitchen table, staring blankly at the dull walls as she thought, boots leaving a trail of dirt from the front door.

It was always difficult when there were animal attacks because untrained hikers veered from too far from the path. It was worse when an animal was outright violent when something has gone wrong along the way to make them needlessly vicious. Those wolves were a danger in size alone.