Bella is back to acting normal after that day on the Reservation. She takes back to my side like nothing ever happened; the only way that I know I didn't make it up is because I'm a vampire and, every so often, she looks guilty and bites her lip. I'm wary to push her, and she seems wary to push me as well. I have enough sitting in her room, watching her read Shakespeare and shake her leg like something is wrong, leaning back in one of her chairs. It's driving me nuts, and I have to contain the sudden anger that blossoms in my chest. She can't just do this - she can't shut me out, she can't pretend like everything is okay, and she certainly can't pretend like she didn't ignore me for almost a week.
"Bella, do you know how my power works?" I ask it suddenly, startling her.
"What?" She looks up from where she's perched behind her laptop, dog-earing her book. "I'm not sure what your power is, Greta. Truth be told, I'm not even sure that you have a power."
"It's some conglomeration of empathy and telepathy. But I need contact. Did you know that?" She shakes her head and I let the legs of my chair fall to the ground. She looks startled, again, by how casual my movements are. I take only a few steps toward Bella, acting overly casual so I don't seem like I'm chastising her. But I am. "I can't seem to riddle you out. I can feel your emotions, keep tabs on you when you're away - not that I enjoy doing that, it's more of reaching out and finding you if something is wrong - but I can't get into your memories."
"You can see people's memories?" Bella sits forward, eyes wide, trying to decipher what I'm getting at. I pull my hair back off of my neck, twisting it into a bun. "By touching them? Like, skin to skin?"
"I just need a few seconds of skin to skin contact, yes, and then I can rifle through their memories at my will. It's overwhelming, only for a second, but I remember everything that flashes in front of me. I can't do that for you. It's frustrating." Our eyes meet and Bella flushes, uncomfortable by my lack of blinking. Not that I need to blink, sometimes I stop when I want to get my point across. This is one of those times that I want to get my point across.
"Yeah, you're not the first one to tell me that. Why did you bring this up?" She breaks the eye contact and fiddles with one of the pages of her book.
"Because that means you have to talk to me." Bella blinks owlishly, a blush crawling up her neck and face as her heartbeat quickens. "I don't know how the other vampires did it, this you feel guilty and do your best to make everything better by acting like nothing is wrong, but since I can't see your memories or rifle through your head, you have to communicate. Something is bothering you and, if I'm being honest, something is bothering me, as well." I rub a hand down my face walking toward Bella. "You just dropped off the face of the earth, Bella. Not that I'm saying you can't do that, it's just not healthy for either of us. Unless I'm misreading and we're not really friends. That's awkward then, because according to your father I'm staying the weekend. But ignoring me like that? That's not something that friends do, or healthy adults do."
"We're friends!" Bella stands, upturning a pencil holder on her desk, "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to someone caring whether or not I ice them out or not. And, well, you didn't seem upset after what happened on the Rez. I just thought everything would be better if we ignored it."
"My arm got ripped off by your friends, Bella. I don't think that's something we can ignore."
She makes a face and looks away, holding her stomach as if the thought makes her sick. "I'm sorry that happened. I'm sorry that... You know, that me not talking to you put you in that situation."
"It's not your fault. I put myself in that situation, not you. I made my choices."
"I don't want you to hate me, or the pack." Bella confesses, avoiding my eyes. Her heart is fluttering like a butterfly, and I can practically feel the anxiety weeping off of her and puddling on the floor. "Or Jake, either. It was all a misunderstanding. It was all just a big misunderstanding, because they're kids. Every single one of them is a kid, except for Sam. And even then, he's only eighteen."
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From Eden
Fanfictionas soon as greta starts hanging out with bella swan her never-ending life finally has some spice. and some dogs. and some painful memories dug up for everyone to see. she doesn't regret finding bella in that meadow for one second, but how do you fin...
