Chapter Text
It had been a week. A week since he left her. Seven whole days since he had felt real, tangible.
Fourteen days ago Edward Cullen had broken Bella Sawn’s heart, but at least he had still been there.
But now? Now he was gone entirely.
Bella didn’t know what to do with that knowledge. Not now, not a day ago, and definitely not a week ago, when she had fallen to her knees in the forest behind her house. And in that moment she really had thought that she might never emerge from it again.
Then she had been found.
Maybe she still wishes that she wasn’t. She sure as hell didn’t feel like she wasn’t equally as lost anymore. Her room left her feeling so…okay, when none of this was, was it? It wasn’t her normal. It wasn’t what Bella was used to. Her room shouldn’t look like nothing had happened. But the fact that it did, the surface level normality of it all, only plunged her further into despair as the days continued to pass.
And so, as sleep started to overtake her for the nth time of the day, her eyes still stung from the near fortnight of crying—a seemingly new pastime for her. The empty feeling echoing inside of her made her feel all sorts of rotten, like some carcass drying out in the sun with no one who cared in sight. There was nothing she could do to make it better, there was no fixing anything. She’d just have to continue as this thing that she’d been reduced to.
Some loud honk was what jerked her awake not a moment after she had thought she’d finally get some rest. It startled her enough that she almost fell form her bed—
Bella frowned.
Whatever she was on was definitely not a bed. It was way too hard and had gaps in it. But, the thing is, she could’ve sworn that that’s where she fell asleep a minute ago. Was she really that deluded by now?
But no, as her consciousness came back to her, she heard more and more noises, as if she was near some street, nearer than she could possibly be in her room.
She opened her eyes. The first thing she was was the clear sky that loomed above her. It still had a slightly dark pink hue to it, so it was likely the morning. It seemed she had slept longer than she thought.
Next she looked down and would you look at that? She was on some…bench. And as she didn’t even know how to begin to process that, she gazed around, very quickly realising that she wasn’t near her home at all.
Because she knew Forks. Just like she knew that there wasn’t a park like this anywhere near it. It had all these fancy gates and fences that weren’t really common use in most parks these days and the cars that drove on the road next to it looked equally as bizarre.
Bella wasn’t some expert on old things, alright, but she was sure this whole…look was at least a good six decades before her time. If the surrounding objects didn’t give it away then the people certainly did. Which man wore a top hat in the 2000s? Not to mention the overly extravagant gowns of all the women.
Was she dropped on some movie set in her sleep? To help cope with her heartbreak? Bella wasn’t sure how that’d help besides just the initial confusion of it all taking her mind off of things. Whoever did this didn’t think things through much at all.
And her right hand. It hadn’t stopped aching for a second since she woke up and, quite frankly, it was starting to annoy her. The doctors had sworn that this scar of hers would heal quickly and yet again here she was, in pain, dazed and—
She was brought out of her thoughts by a young girl who was approaching her. Was she some actor on this set? “Hello,” she had begun meekly. “Are you alright, madame?” She asked next, curiosity winning over the shyness she’d been battling at first.
Bella raised an eyebrow at the title, but decided that, yes, perhaps speaking with this strange girl would be to her benefit, even if she didn’t look any older than 10. “Hello.” She tried to smile, not wanting to be impolite. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“What are you doing laying on that bench at this hour?” The girl continued to stare at her.
“Uhm.” Bella knew it wasn’t the most eloquent response on her part, okay? Leave her alone. “Don’t you want to bring me to the director?” She asked another question instead. “Or, you know, a producer. That’d work. Or just anyone at all, anyone who is here.”
“You’re weird,” the little girl said, it was more of a statement than anything else. “As are your clothes. I don’t know any directors, but I could take you to my sister? She would probably like you.“
“Thank you?” Bella was a bit confused. This wasn’t what she had aimed for, but whatever, at least she could talk to someone (presumably) older than this child.
She hesitated a bit before asking the next question, not sure if she fully wanted to know the answer. “Hey.” She took a deep breath, “do you know where we are?”
That earned Bella another questioning look. “We are in Biloxi, Mississippi,” she said so matter of factly that Bella had no choice but to trust her words. Or trust that at least the girl thought them to be true.
“Huh?” The word slipped past Bella before she could stop it. It just couldn’t be true, could it? How on earth would she have gotten to Mississippi of all places in her sleep?
But if it was true then…her surroundings. Was this not a movie set? If not, then: “What year is it?” She uttered the question quickly, halfway hoping that this kid would miss it.
However, if the even more scrutinising look she got from that was to say anything then that was likely not the case. And, alas, with a bit of trepidation the girl answered. “It’s 1920.”
Bella couldn’t help the way her eyes widened at the information. Sure, she had a good eyesight and could see that the environment around her wasn’t exactly the average thing one would see in the 2000s or even 70s, but to have it confirmed outright?
But there was just no way. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be.
Bella shook her head. There was still the chance that this was just some very oddly vivid dream. Sure, everything she saw and touched felt real, but maybe her mind had just become unexpectedly good at playing tricks on her.
“Miss? I’m sorry, but I have to get going.” Bella was brought out of her thoughts by the sentence, quickly gazing up. “I’ve spent long enough out here as is,” she shrugged as she answered the unspoken question.
Bella scrambled to quickly gather her thoughts. There was no time to linger on whether this was a dream or not, she didn’t want to be left completely clueless and alone. She had to talk to someone, properly, she had to—“Wait. Could I come with you?”
“Sure. Why not.” It seemed the girl had decided that Bella was harmless enough, despite the odd circumstances surrounding her. Besides, she had even offered to take her with her before, so it was time to follow through.
Bella nodded, thankful, and got up from the bench to follow the kid walking in front of her. The journey wasn’t long, just a few blocks. Luckily for Bella her companion had stopped asking questions when they were about half the way there, likely growing bored with Bella’s non answers and general puzzlement.
They, or more specifically Bella, stopped in front of a store. Given the look of the building, it was likely that she simply lived above it, an arrangement that was still very common.
However what really got to her was that happened next; a soft voice which she knew all too well had spoken all of a sudden. “Cynthia, did you get everything mother asked for?”
“Yes, Mary. Can I go play with my friends now?” The girl was bouncing with energy, finally free from chores.
The same person with that voice turned around at that and Bella felt her knees give out, having to support herself on the nearest counter in order to not fall completely.
The smile that was on that face vanished at the commotion, now noticing the obvious stranger in the store. “Who’s this? You know we’re not open yet,” she scolded.
“Oh! Don’t be too angry. I found her laying on a bench? I don’t know, it’s weird, anyway she asked if she could tag along.” The little girl—Cynthia Bella had learned—shrugged, her mind on other things. “Can I go now?”
But Bella paid attention to none of that. “A-Alice?” Her voice was blank with disbelief. She still couldn’t fully believe what she was seeing. That was Alice. Her face was exactly the same, well, maybe a bit softer and round and with a few more blemishes, but like Alice nonetheless. The only part which had made Bella hesitate was the long hair cascading down from her shoulders and her electric blue eyes—she hadn’t known that Alice had had blue eyes, had she?—but even then…that had to be her. Somehow. In some way.
All Bella got was a frown before this Alice lookalike answered her sister, probably. Bella was honestly too distracted to be sure. “Go ask mother, I wouldn’t know.”
And that was how Cynthia walked to the back of the store, leaving Bella alone with this…Alice.
She was given another once over before getting a proper to response to her blurted out kind-of sort-of question. “I suppose you could call me Alice, but most people call me Mary, Mary Alice Brandon.”
So she had been right? It was Alice. The possibility was definitely bigger now than it had been before. Bella didn’t know she had had another name.
“Bella Swan,” she mumbled out quickly, realising her further silence was bordering on rude. Sue her for still not wrapping her head around whatever this was.
It made no sense at all. Why was Alice in her dream (or something)? And why did she look so different from when Bella had known her? She still wasn’t a hundred percent sure that this truly was the Alice she had known, but she did know that Alice was from somewhere near Mississippi, if nothing else. And, well, if she looked the same and if her name included Alice then it wasn’t impossible at all.
“Well then, Bella Swan, if I may ask, how did you know my middle name?” And, alright, Bella had kind of walked into that one.
“I uh,” she stuttered dumbly, her eyes slightly wet from all of the shock. She didn’t expect—nor was she ready—to see her or any of the Cullens, for the matter. Though this Alice had said her last name was Brandon. Same difference.
She didn’t really know what to say, what excuse to give. Should Bella just give no fucks and tell the truth? Was it worth the risk? There was still the likelyhood that this was a dream (or that’s the notion that she clung to anyway).
“You told me.”
“Did I? I’m pretty sure that I haven’t met you before today, though,” Alice responded with a confused smile, equally puzzled and amused by Bella’s presence it seemed.
But as for Bella…that wasn’t something she had wished to hear and she didn’t realise it before this very moment. And she knew that this was probably different, if not for another reason then because of the period. And yet…wow, she couldn’t help thinking. So she didn’t even exist for the Alice in her weird time travel dreams. Wasn’t that just a joy to know.
“Am I really that insignificant for you?” The words were out before Bella could stop them. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to. “You can just go ahead and befriend me, then dump me, leaving me completely alone and now, on top of it all, you’re acting like it never even happened?” The sheer audacity. After this she was done with the Cullens for good.
But when—instead of anger or guilt—Alice’s expression morphed into that of utter sadness, Bella didn’t know what to do. This wasn’t what she had expected (or perhaps even wanted). “Please forgive me if I did something to offend you, but I really don’t recall us meeting. I’m positive that this is the first time.” Alice fidgeted, visibly more anxious after Bella’s outburst.
And Bella didn’t want to believe her. She didn’t. She wanted to cling onto this anger, she needed some form outlet.
However, what else could she do? Alice sounded so very honest that she had no choice but to trust those words.
Her head was starting to pound. Was was going on? She had tried to pinch herself once, when she had just woken up, but that had done nothing but hurt. She tried again just now, more subtly this time around, but to no avail. What was this? What was she supposed to do?
But after a bit more of time she nodded to herself, deciding that it wasn’t the nicest to lay out her frustrations on this dream Alice of hers. If she really didn’t remember, then it truly was the wrong time to be angry. Even if this was a confrontation which she wanted, she now realised.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have taken this,” she gestured around and then at herself, “out on you.” Bella apologised. “I’m not really sure what’s going on right now…”
“It’s alright.” Alice shrugged. “Do you wish to talk about it?” She inquired, showing more kindness to her than Bella would’ve shown herself; she had done nothing to deserve it.
“I don’t know if I should, you see, it’s a bit crazy.” Bella grimaced. She wouldn’t believe whatever time travel dream mumbo jumbo that would come out of her mouth either. Plus, if this really wasn’t a dream like she hoped (prayed), then it wouldn’t do good to reveal the existance of vampires either, much less that she was one (how else would she explain that she first met Alice a good one hundred years in the future?).
“I think I’m pretty good with crazy,” Alice chuckled in response. Which, fair. If anyone had any idea of how it felt to deal with time in a weird way then it was Alice, that is if she still had her visions as a human.
Bella couldn’t help thinking that, nonetheless, this was kind of selfish of her.
But she also desperately needed someone to talk to. Her mind was a mess and she wasn’t sure how long she could put up with whatever this was alone.
She’d simply have to say open ended things, not refer to vampires and not seem too suspicious. If her path ever led her to that in the future, then she’d just have to figure it out then. For now she had time.
So Bella sighed and started. “Well, for starters, the last time I checked it wasn’t 1920 and you had just left together with all of your family. It honestly feels like the universe is pulling a grand joke on me,” she admitted in the end.
“When you last checked, what year was it then?” At least it seemed like Alice seemed interested enough to hear her out and not deem her entirely insane.
“Let’s just say it was...a while from now.”
Alice raised an eyebrow. “So you’re, what, from the future?”
“Guess so.” Bella had no clue if Alice had believed her at all or was just going along with her story for the fun of it.
But after a few seconds, Alice was practically bouncing from excitement, her eyes shining and all her previous reservations gone out of the window. “Jolly! What’s it like? How long has it been? Can women vote? Is that why you’re wearing such odd clothing? What—“
Bella cut off her array of questions, laughing at the other girl’s enthusiasm. It was endearing. Oh this was definitely Alice. “Chill out, we have time, you can continue to grill me later.”
“…what’s that?” Alice asked so quietly that Bella barely heard her.
”What? Grilling?” Ah, was it not a common thing yet? “Uh, I meant you can ask me questions later too, you know.”
Bella’s smile only got bigger at Alice’s pout.
After her small moment of sulking, just when Alice was about to (most likely) as something else, a far away look took over her face and her body went incredibly still.
Bella knew that look.
Whenever Alice had a vision as a vampire the exact same thing would happen, albeit with a bit less stiffness (perhaps because vampires were naturally less animated than the humans around them, unless they were faking it that was).
“What did you see?” Bella inquired when she was certain that Alice had come out of her vision. It was the same question that she’d always asked whenever Alice had seen a glimpse into the future.
Instead, Alice flinched. “H-How did you…” Her face was full of shock, her face even paler than before. Did people not take well to her visions?
The corners of Bella’s mouth turned downwards, though she tried to hide it, and she quickly took one of her hands in her own to try and calm Alice down a bit. It was warmer than she was used to. And softer. “It’s alright, you can tell me.”
“Are you not...bothered by it?” Her voice was quivering. This lack of confidence was admittedly new to Bella.
“No. Why would I be? They aren’t anything bad.” Alice had to know that, right?
All Alice did for a few seconds was stare at Bella, before she moved to hug her, tears in her eyes. The physical contact was a bit unexpected, so Bella fumbled slightly with her hands, but managed to firmly hug Alice back after that small initial struggle.
What startled Bella more was how real the hug felt. It was so real, in fact, that Bella had begun to question the possibility of this merely being a dream more than she had wanted to. She could feel the warm body against hers, feel it breathe (which was strange) and that was something her mind just couldn’t comprehend as fake.
Could one smell other people’s scents in their dreams? Well, either way Alice’s was different. It wasn’t as floral or sweet as it had been when she was a vampire, rather there was a more earthly vanilla undertone to it that was, and always had been, just purely Alice.
When Bella managed to finally pull herself out of her stupor, she swallowed. “Hey, what happened?” Concern had overtaken her shock.
“Why is it that you do not see me as some freak? As a witch?” Her voice cracked one the last word and Bella moved one of her hands to Alice’s head, petting it slowly, trying to at least provide some small amount of comfort with the action and hoping she wasn’t grossly overstepping Alice’a boundaries. “It’s the first time that anyone isn’t distressed by it, by…me. Why aren’t you?” Her voice trembled and Bella could feel a distinct wetness on her shoulder.
“Alice, you are wonderful.” Bella had no way to really make sure that Alice got her sincerity besides gently nudging them apart and looking the other girl directly in the eyes, steadfast and honest. “I have no reasons at all to dislike you. None.” Not this version of Alice anyway. “Besides it’s the people who belive in these stupid superstitions and gossip that are missing out.”
“Do you really mean that?” Alice’s eyes were a bit red, but she wasn’t crying anymore.
“I do.” She pulled Alice back into the hug and let them stay like that as long as the girl seemed to need.
A few minutes later Alice had finally gathered herself enough to suggest that they sit around the table, instead of standing like they were, in the middle of the store. Bella hadn’t realised quite how awkward that might’ve been to see.
“Do you want to talk about your vision?” Bella asked again, carefully, now knowing just how much of a sore topic they were.
“It wasn’t anything that important,” Alice answered, this time a timid smile forming on her face. “Just the weather. It’s going to rain tomorrow,” she finished, but not before adding, “I love the rain.”
Bella nodded in encouragement, glad that the earlier hesitation and loathing were mostly gone from her voice. But before she could put together a proper response, Alice had already started.
“Why do you call me Alice?” She changed the topic, too curious not to. “You did say that I told you my middle name, but why use it?”
Bella frowned. “I never knew that it was your middle name. You go by Alice, always have. For as long as I’ve known you anyway.” She didn’t know why Alice seemingly preferred…Alice. Was it a preference or did she not know her full name for some reason? She knew that human memories tended to get fuzzier over time for vampires and maybe she had disliked it so much that she simply forgot?
Alice hummed, seemingly thinking it over.
“Mary!” Someone interrupted, startling both the both of them.
Alice looked over her shoulder. “Yes mother?”
A woman Bella hence presumed to be Alice’s mother walked into view not a moment later. The resemblance was quite striking, both of them looking nearly identical, save for their ages and Alice’s blue eyes.
“Would you please watch over the boutique during the evening? I have somewhere to be.”
“I can do that,” Alice answered politely, nodding.
“And who might this be?” Her mother turned to look at Bella, who was still seated at the table.
Bella scrambled out of her seat like it had burnt her and held out her hand. “Oh, hello my name is Bella, Isabella Swan, Mrs. Brandon. I’m a friend of Alice’s,” She finished, somewhat clumsily.
The mother regarded her curiously, perhaps because of her clothes. Bella had no clue. But she did move to shake her hand And Bella felt like a rock was lifted off of her chest. “I say, a friend! My name is Lillian Brandon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine Mrs. Brandon.”
“So, where are you from, if I may ask? I believe I haven’t seen you around these parts before.” And while she may have smiled, but Bella nearly choked at the question. Shit.
What does she say to that? She had never been very good with lies. “Err...I’m from a small town in Washington.”
“I see.” She hummed. “And how do you know Mary Alice?”
“Bella and I have been corresponding via letters for a few years.” Alice jumped in and Bella couldn’t be more grateful for it. She had always been better at making up stories on the spot. “We first met a long time ago, at one of my summer camps and we’ve kept in touch since.”
“Alright.” her mother, Lillian, had looked a bit skeptical, but decided in favour of the story in the end. So she moved on. “In that case are you staying here with your family?”
And Bella panicked. She had nothing to say to that either. Even more—she now realised that she had absolutely no place to crash at (should this indeed be more permanent and not just a dream, but either way she was fucked, because she’d need to give some form of logical answer).
“Actually, there have been a few complications and Bella got separated from her parents. Would it be too rash to let her stay here for the time being?” Alice asked, her voice sure. Bella had been saved once again. Alice was an angel. “She can stay in my room, I won’t mind, and help with chores,” she added in the end, just in case.
“Well...since it is the first time you’ve ever brought a friend home, I suppose I’ll make an exception just this once,” Lillian answered with a sneaky smile, not outright opposed to the idea like Bella had feared.
Alice grinned brighter than Bella had ever seen before. She had no clue what she had done to earn her trust so completely, so quickly, but she was glad for it. She wouldn’t hurt Alice.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” The other girl yelped as she leapt up to hug her mother, who was so clearly taken aback by the action that Bella nearly laughed.
More than anything else though, this felt...nice. Nice in a way that Bella hadn’t felt for more than two weeks (and especially the last one). This was simple and sincere and, most importantly, she realised that she hadn’t thought of Edward even once while in this weird situation of hers.
She was finally beginning to feel good again, the lightness of the world slowly seeping back into her, even if at snail’s pace.
And then her fucking alarm clock rang. Forcing her awake and into reality with such a force that she felt dizzy for a good thirty seconds at least.
She had just began to make sense of the situation and now she was here, again, more confused than before. If she had just woken up, then was all that really a dream? The notion felt odd to her. Why did she dream of Alice of all people? Why and how did her brain make up all of this period stuff?
But alas, the alarm wouldn’t stop blaring and her thoughts were all sorts of jumbled, so she decided to get up and try to make sense of all of…whatever this was later.
She got up, took a long shower to cool down and ate some cereal for breakfast; she was too tired to make any sort of scrambled eggs or toast or anything that required any sort of prep and/or cooking.
She hadn’t gone to school for equally as long as she’d been broken up with, but her deal for a week long absence with Charlie was coming to an end and, much as she loathed the idea of it at that moment, she also didn’t want to disappoint him.
And, well, he also might’ve told her that if she didn’t hold up her end of the bargain he’d send her back to Jacksonville, to live with her mom.
Additionally, whatever had happened last night had also boosted her mood considerably when compared to all of the previous week. She felt more alive than she had in quite a bit.
Which meant that, yeah, Bella eventually got out of her house and mechanically started her truck. It roared to life like always and the new radio she’d gotten from Emmett was still missing from its spot, which Bella tried her best not to stare at.
At least the noise of her beast was there to comfort her if nothing else. She’d grown to like it over time, finding the lack of silence nice, even if Alice had always made quite the drama out of it every time she bummed a ride. Bella almost smiled at the thought until she didn’t.
She parked at her usual spot. And when she got out of her truck to join her friends, who were standing a few slots away, she realised that it was relief which overtook her when they looked happy to see her.
She continued to ignore Mike, who seemed especially eager and clearly had yet to get the message that she was, in fact, not interested. One, because she had just been dumped (like damn give her some more time?), two, he really rather type and three, well, there were many reasons and Bella honestly couldn’t actually believe that she had already spent so much time thinking about the guy. It was a bother more than anything and she was exhausted enough.
It seemed fate had other plans, though, and there he was, jogging towards her in order to reach her a bit before the others. “Bella! Where were you? I mi—I mean we missed you.”
“Yeah, hi.” She really didn’t feel like speaking to him.
Luckily Angela, Jessica and Eric caught up with him a moment later so she was saved from alone time with Mike. Bella knew it wouldn’t have lasted long either way, but the less the better, because she truly was in no mood to deal with his advances.
“Hey guys.” She tried to smile, keyword being tried, because she had a thin suspicion that it most likely came out more like a grimace.
But when all of them had started to speak to her, and she appreciated it, she did, she had quickly been overwhelmed. She hadn’t actually been ready for this. Not ready at all, she registered too late. And so it ended up being a battle where she didn’t want to tune them out, but she did. She did and she felt endlessly bad for it.
Because even if she had felt lighter this morning, the hole Edward had left was still there. As big as ever, demanding to be acknowledged. She saw him everywhere around her, the memories never ceasing to haunt Bella. These two weeks of him ignoring and then abandoning her had passed like years. She needed him to be by her side now more than ever. Wasn’t he supposed to be the love of her life? How could he just leave her like that?
She understood that some mere human like her truly was too puny, too insignificant, to be with someone so perfect. And so perhaps she shouldn’t have been so surprised that he found her unfit, after all, she was quite the mess. She wouldn’t want herself either. Not when he had such an incredible family and talents beyond this world and she had…nothing. She was bland and ordinary.
But then why try at all if he was only going to be disappointed? Surely he had understood this mundanity. Had it all really just happened to test his tolerance when dealing with a singer? Had that been the only truly alluring thing about her, despite him claiming otherwise at first? And when he had realised that he really could withstand the call to her blood, had he seen no further use for her? Had she turned into a liability that easily?
It was the ringing school bell that startled Bella out of her musings. When she looked up her friends were gone, with the exception of Angela, who lingered by the main entrance as if she hadn’t been able to decide whether to leave and not be late or wait for Bella. She was thankful for the consideration.
She ran to join her and, while she definitely was not good company, at least she didn’t walk to her first class alone and that, somehow, was already more than she had expected.
In spite of her efforts, things didn’t change much and the rest of the day still passed in more or less of a blur. It would’ve been annoying if she had the motivation to truly care. She wanted to be back to normal, to pay attention—even if the situation was far from it—but it seemed like her mind was against all of that. It was as if Bella had been submerged underwater and no one could pull her out, although she could hear the occasional muffled mumble from a distance.
For example, she knew that at lunch her friends, but mostly Angela, had tried to reach out to her more properly, but she just hadn’t been able make herself answer to anything at length. It had felt like her lips had been glued together and each word would’ve taken more effort than it was worth. At one point she remembered hoping that her friends knew that this wasn’t intentional on her part, but even that concern faded quickly, a larger current sweeping it away.
If all that had stared back at her by the end of the whole ordeal was a random baton, likely given by Angela, then, well, she couldn’t blame them. She was better off in solitude. She’d rather take that than seem like some friend who got the kicks out of being shitty.
The final class had also snuck up on her before she knew it. She remembered equally as little from that, despite PE being such a physical lesson. It was quite the achievement, knowing her proficiency in it and all. Usually she’d stumble at least ten times and perhaps fall flat on her face on top of that.
That was basically how she had arrived back home, with barely a clue of what she had done the entire day. Not that she particularly cared.
She had then moved on to do her homework and cook some form of dinner for Charlie; a routine that she was well versed in after a year and could likely do in her sleep. Her focus had kept drifting throughout, so that was likely a good thing. Usually she’d grumble at least a bit about Charlie’s lack of cooking abilities, but what was the point?
When her father had finally returned home, they had eaten more or less in silence. He had simply told her that he was proud of her for going to school. Then he had stuffed a fork full of spaghetti into his mouth. That had suited Bella just fine. If he had tried to truly converse with her, it wouldn’t have amounted to anything besides growing his concern.
Bella had been too tired to keep up then and she was too tired now, as she collapsed in her bed after potentially wishing her father a good night. She wasn’t sure if she had really done it or not. The fact didn’t feel significant at all. Who cared? All that she could really feel was an insurmountable weight, pushing her further down into the seabed and her consciousness fading.
“Bella. Bella? Bella!” A voice called out. It was distinctly familiar, but she currently had no desire to deal with whatever or whoever that was. Wasn’t it obvious that she was busy trying to get some rest?
Next thing she knew, she felt her body slipping from a hard edge and as she let out a whine, after being forced to scramble and to catch herself, her eyes opened.
Her first thought: since when had she been sitting?
The second: why was Alice looking at her?
“Huh?”