chapter 16 sunny mornings

Thankfully, that next day was a Saturday. If it had been a school day, Bella probably wouldn't have gotten up in time. She awoke gradually that morning, the feeling of sunlight warming her face. She woke up without opening her eyes, letting her senses slowly click on. At first, she wasn't quite sure what had happened the night before, but then it all came to her, like the flow of melting ice. She supposed she should still be angry, or at least slightly upset. But her temper tantrum along with Edythe's visit had calmed her. Now, she felt nothing but deflation and exhaustion of the whole thing. Her eyes slowly opened to see the golden rays of the sun peeping through the glass. That's when she noticed she was the only one on the bed. She sat up and looked around. It was sunny... so maybe she went home? More then likely. It disheartened her a bit – she was hoping to wake up to her. She caught herself in that thought. What a strange hope... She wasn't quite sure why she wanted to see her that morning so much. It was probably because of her comfort from the night before. Lately, Edythe had been showing a bit more of a tender side. She guessed that she just wanted to feel as much of that sweet center as she could, considering how terrifying things were becoming. It was more then welcomed in uncertain times. She slipped out of bed and yawned, scratching her temple. She could still feel dried tears on her cheeks. She must have looked a mess. Walking into the bathroom, she turned on the light and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was worse then usual, and her eyes were still slightly puffy from the day before. With a sigh, she washed her face and turned to leave for breakfast, when she noticed something.

Laying in the concaved form of her bath tub was none other then Edythe. She was sleeping, curled up with her feet beneath the faucet. Bella went to her knees, glad she hadn't left in the middle of the night. She watched her, curiously. She was so peaceful when she slept. Her breathing was easy, her worn, sunken eyes closed gently. She seemed to be comfortable enough, her hands acting as a pillow beneath her cheek. Bella glanced at the sun that splayed across the top of her bed and then looked to Edythe. Thankfully, the bathroom did not have a window. She probably came in here to sleep at dawn. Just as the night before, her hand went forward and stroked her hair. She wondered just when she slept. She went to school in the day time when it was clouded. Maybe she was only able to sleep on weekends and the days where it was too sunny? She must have been drained every day coming to school. That would partially explain her sour attitude in class. Well, partially, anyway. Something told Bella that she had other reasons for being so crude. Part of it was probably the fact that she needed to keep her identity secret. As she ran her fingers through her soft hair, she winced and shifted in her sleep, turning to her back. She pulled back her hand, but she did not stir. Not wanting to bother her further, Bella left, turning off the light and leaving the door open a crack. She wrote a note that she'd be back for her later. They were running out of groceries, and going shopping might make up the fact that she had worried Charlie yesterday. So, after doing something with her hair and changing into new clothes (she fell asleep in her jeans and sweater the night before), she moved downstairs to the kitchen. Charlie was currently making sausages, one of his favorites. Bella hugged him around the waist.

"Morning," she said kindly. Charlie looked at her, a bit surprised.

"Hey kiddo," he said, patting her head. He shifted on his crutch, flipping the sausage in the pan. "How are you doing, Bella?"

"Ok I guess." She leaned against the counter, watching him cook. Breakfast was his thing. He enjoyed doing it by himself. Bella supposed it had to do with some sort of rugged man image to get up early and cook meat. "Look, I'm sorry I scared you." She rubbed her arm, figuring she'd tell him the truth for once. "My... girlfriend from Arizona. She broke up with me the other night... I was just really upset." She rubbed her temple. "And a lot of stuff's been happening lately... Yesterday, Jessica was annoying me, so I just sort of snapped. I'm sorry if I worried you, Daddy..."

"Awe, it's ok." He kissed her forehead. His whiskers tickled her skin. Going back to his frying pan, he grunted. "So she dumped you then? Ah, I'm sorry to hear that sweetie. But if she doesn't realize just who she's letting go, then that's her loss. She'll be regretting it, you mark my words."

Bella gave him a warm smile. "Thanks Dad. Do we need anything from the market?" After a breakfast together, Bella made a list and stepped outside to head off to the store. Despite the sun, there was still a considerable amount of snow on the ground, the bright sun acting as a farce to feign warmth. So, she dressed warmly and left her home. She got only two or three feet, when she realized that she wasn't supposed to leave unsupervised. She frowned, looking to the sky. There was no way they would attack her on such a bright day. Still... She tapped her lip and sat on her porch steps, before flipping open the phone and dialing Julie's number. She really didn't feel like bothering her, but the last time she did something she wasn't supposed to (taking off her cross) she heard about it. She'd rather not go through that again. Not after she and Edythe had moved into such a friendly place. After a short conversation, Julie agreed to come along and picked her up. It wasn't that far to the store, so Julie offered to take her somewhere along the way. Bella insisted that she didn't want to be a bother, but Julie was adamant.

"Might as well," she said as they came to a stop sign. "I drove all the way out here." She smiled at her. "Or do you just want to take advantage of my kind heart without doing anything to repay me?"

Bella rolled her eyes, a smile twitching on her lips. "Alright, fine. Where do you want to go? And just so you know, I already ate..."

"Hm... well how about some coffee?" Julie suggested.

"That sounds ok." Bella wasn't much of a coffee drinker, but she enjoyed a hot tea now and again. Julie pulled up to a small coffee shop and parked just outside. The two then shuffled into the cafe and put in the orders. They then took a table in the corner, sitting across from one another. Bella got a good view of the shop from where she sat, as well as through the window, the name of the place backwards on her side of the glass. "I've only come here a couple of times with Jessica and Angela," she confessed, looking at the soft brown walls. It was a quaint little place, an even mixture of modernism and a woodsy feel easily detected in the air. There were several framed pictures along the sides, some of them showing obscure celebrities that Bella couldn't quite name.

"So how are things?" Julie asked. Bella directed her attention to her. She had a slight look of worry in her steely gaze. "I heard you lost it yesterday at school."

Bella frowned. "Word travels fast," she remarked.

Julie chuckled. "Not that hard for it to spread when you're being monitored." Julie took off her gloves and ran her fingers through her sable hair. "So anyway... what happened? You went home early... without a guard, might I add." She didn't seem to happy about that part.

"Well the important thing is I got home safely, right?" Bella put her chin in her hand and told her the story of her unfaithful girlfriend. It seemed with each telling, it got easier. Bella guessed this was part of the healing process, as it were. Julie became quite ruffled at the story, nostrils flaring.

"What a bitch," she said indignantly. "You were too good for her anyway."

"You don't have to humor me," said Bella. She sighed, tapping the table as their drinks were brought to them. "Carrie... she's a nice girl. She really is. She's just..." She frowned. "...a girl," she finished.

"No excuse," Julie snapped, hand on her cup. "None at all. If that were me, I wouldn't even look at another girl, no matter how far apart we were."

"You're sweet," said Bella with a slight smile.

"I'm serious," she persisted. "I would never do something like that to you. And last time I checked, I was a girl too."

"Well maybe you and Carrie are just different."

"I'll say." Julie took a swig of coffee. "I'm a lot different then a cheating prick, I'll tell you that right now."

Bella laughed a bit. "Easy now. You're more upset then I am."

"I can't help it!" Julie continued. "Hell, Bella! I've known you all my life, practically. To see you pushed around like that... Dammit, it just makes me pissed!"

Bella put a hand on hers. "Woah there, Fido," she joked. She sighed and looked out the window, her jaw still tight in frustration. "Listen... I appreciate it. I really do. It's nice to know that you care about me." She smiled kindly and she looked to her. "But I'm fine. Really. I had a little blow up yesterday, but I'm still surviving. I'm tough!" She then held up an arm as though flexing. A humorous gesture, as she barely had fat on her arms, let alone muscle. That got a bit of a laugh out of Julie and she shook her head. A thought came to Bella after that. "That reminds me." She looked up from the rim of her drink. "Julie..." She glanced around and lowered her voice. "Well... I've been thinking. I've come across the nomads a couple times, and all I can do is hold my cross and hope they're not hungry. Is there anything I can do?"

Julie sighed. "Short of caring a large stake with you everywhere you go? Not much."

"There's really nothing I can do?" Bella wasn't expecting that. She was certain that there could have been something more she could be doing to protect herself.

"Afraid not," Julie grunted. There was a silence as Bella stared at the cup in front of her. It was disheartening at the very least. She was hoping that she could do more then cower and hide behind her body guards. Julie leaned forward and gently took her hand. She looked up to her smile. "Hey... don't feel too down. Anyone else in your position wouldn't be able to get through the day without freaking, much less see what they could do to help."

"I just feel like such a damsel in distress." She sighed, propping her chin in her hand.

"Trust me," said the girl. "You're a lot more heroic then you know."

Once they had finished their drinks, they went to the store and filled up on groceries, all the while, Bella wishing she could pick something up for Edythe as well. She had been so sweet, staying over night for her. She knew this was the case. Why else would she risk waking up to the sun? But short of decapitating a rat and pouring the blood into a wine glass, she wasn't sure what she could do. Once the shopping was over, she spent the rest of the day making up with Jessica. She assumed she'd be sore after Bella had called her a dumb bitch in front of the whole class. And boy was she right. Jessica just about had a tissy fit ten times over when she called to apologize. But after a half day or so of talking – and Bella having to retell the story of her heartbreak – all had been forgiven. She then snuck into the bathroom to check on her sleeping Dracula.

She hadn't moved from her spot all day. Perhaps the most she had done was shift spots. She wished she could do something to block the sunlight through her window and convince her to come to bed. However... she guessed sleeping in a bath tub was quite similar to sleeping in a coffin. Although, many coffins had velvet or cushion lining. Then again, when she peered into Alice's room, she noticed that the vampire had a bed, not a coffin. Maybe the whole thing was just hype and superstition? She slipped out of the bathroom, not wanting to wake her up, and spent the final daylight hours doing her homework. She had an English paper due in two days that wasn't even being close to done. Once she had finished a few good paragraphs, the sun had set behind the canvas of trees. Just as she was putting away her books, she heard a shuffle from within the bathroom. Looking up, she spotted Edythe slipping into her room, yawning widely and rubbing her sunken eye.

"Evening," said Bella pleasantly.

"Morning," Edythe grunted. She found herself on the edge of the bed and yawned a second time, patting her open mouth.

"Sleep well?" she inquired.

Edythe shrugged. "I slept ok." She looked to her. "What about you? You seemed fine through most of the night..."

"I was out cold," said Bella, pulling her legs in to cross. She smiled kindly. "I can't thank you enough for staying with me last night. It meant a lot."

Edythe stared at her for a moment and then looked away. "Oh... well..." She rubbed the back of her neck and cleared her throat. "Just... doing my job, you know?"

Bella kept her smile. They both knew that a vampire couldn't enter a human's dwelling without being asked. The reason Edythe needed permission every single time she came in. So she would have been perfectly safe without her presence. "Doing her job" indeed...

"Well I do appreciate it," she continued. She paused as she heard Edythe's stomach rumble. "Hungry?" She still felt bad for not doing anything to help her with that.

"I haven't eaten in a week," she confessed. Bella blinked in confusion.

"Wait... but I thought you brought blood to school with you? In your thermos?"

Edythe sighed. "It's different then feeding," she explained. "That blood... it's stationary. It keeps me alive, but it's hardly a meal." She paused. "It's sort of like... If you ate toast every day and that's all you ate, but then every once and a while you got hot pancakes and sausage."

"Now you're making me hungry," said Bella lightly. "Speaking of which, I was about to go down for dinner." She paused. "Why don't you do the same and then... well then can you come back?" She felt selfish for asking for another one of her nights, but she couldn't help herself. Even now, when she was calmed and at ease, she still requested her presence. She was afraid she'd go back into what she left behind that night. It almost scared her, going back to being that angry.

"Sure," she agreed without so much as hesitation.

"Really?" Bella perked up, smiling brightly at her. "Thank you, Edythe..." She leaned forward and hugged her neck. She stared at the ground and she looked at her. "Something wrong?"

"I'm... just kind of confused." Bella let her go and sat on her knees, looking at her. "I... haven't really had physical contact like that in a long time... and even then it wasn't like what you just did..."

"What? Hugging you?" Bella frowned at her. "You've never been hugged before?"

"Well I have," Edythe explained. "Just not so..." She paused. "Innocently. At least not in such a casual, friendly way." She stood, rubbing her face. "Ah, I'm not making sense. I'm sorry. I'll go now."

Bella stood as well, taking her hand. She looked to her, eyes curious. Leaning in, she once more kissed her stone cold cheek. "I do it when I want to be close with someone..." She felt heat rise to her face. That didn't exactly come out right. "Erm... what I mean is... When I like them..." That still didn't sound right. "Ugh... when they're important to me." That sounded... a bit better.

Edythe just stared at her. "I'm important to you..." she repeated. It was more of a statement then a question.

"Of course you are," she said. "You're... well..." She looked down. "I know I said you didn't have to be... but I'd like to think of you as my friend." She chanced a look back up to her. She was staring at her, the same, unreadable face she wore that moment in the truck. Then, her lips turned up into that rare, gentle smile that she wore right after it.

"Yeah... I'm your friend, Bella." This time, she put her lips on her cheek. It caused her to become more flustered then she probably should have been, her cold lips shocking to her hot face. She opened the window and perched on it, her figure darkened by the puce and pink light of the late sunset. "I'll be back later. I promise."

She had said it with such sincerity, Bella had no choice but to believe it.