Dine&Dash Chap9 (Part 1)

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, quotes, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners and are simply used under 'fair use'. The original characters and plot are the property of the KittyTylz author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement intended. This story is written for the legally recognized adult population. 

Dine and Dash

*~*~* Chapter Nine – Unthinkable, The Promise *~*~*

 “Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart.” (Louise Erdrich)

Edward.

His name is running through my mind like a broken record. I can't even begin to name all the things I feel when I think about him. And it's so overwhelming because he's all I can think about. I'm smiling to myself like an idiot at random moments and it's freaking me out because it's the first time the sensation of being overwhelmed feels so amazing.

Water drips down my bare body as I slide open the shower door and walk out. My feet padding softly passed my hanging towel, moving me closer to the mirror instead. With a damp hand I swipe at the steam gathered on it from my shower. The newly formed droplets run down in trails quickly, allowing a vaguely obscured view of my reflection. It's enough for me though. My fingers lift up in slow motion, my eyes watching every movement in the glass. My eyes drink in the flesh as my fingertips make contact with the bare wet skin of my breast. Light as a feather it traces the flushed damp skin, my eyes staring in wonder at the dark red mark bruised with his teeth indents on the inside of the swell. A flash of his hair, the sensations that made me pant while he made said mark, goes through my mind and I quickly pull my hand away. Panting yet again as if he's doing it right that second, I blush realizing what I was about to do snatching my hand away from the swell of my chest fast.

My smile stretches along my blushing face again and I turn to grab my towel covering my chest up and making sure not to look at the mark for a second time lest I attack my boob again. I dry down quickly, before slipping on my PJ's and running off to bed. The swollen burn between my legs is uncomfortable as I try to ignore it and what thoughts of him had made me almost want to do.

Cue blush here…

~.~.~D&D~.~.~

The night is black. Time itself has stopped. I'm frantically looking around Jake’s house wondering what exactly I'm supposed to be doing there. I know in the pit of my stomach that there's a process.

A process that must be followed.

A process I can't for the life of me remember!

The infernal buzzing in the distance is harboring my dream process. In essence it's a relief. My dream scares me to death every time, in every sense it calls me to death almost every night.

 A recurring nightmare I have no chance of defeating. The same darkness awaiting me each night.

Slowly my subconscious starts to fight my sleep and I'm drawn out.

My eyes open lazily. I rub at them and try and remove the comforter that's tangled around my feet from my less than peaceful sleep. Then I hear the chime again. Craning my neck toward the door in the darkness it hits me almost too late that we have a call. I hop and skip from the bed, hobbling sleepily toward the hall phone. I pick up the receiver just as I hear fiddling on the other side alerting me that someone's about to hang up.

"Hello!?" I say pretty loudly, then cringe because dad's probably just gotten to bed.

I look toward his door quickly hoping I haven't disturbed his sleep, his tired snore tells me I haven't. That case about the supposed Seattle killer being near Forks was really taking its toll on him. My heart started constricting at the thought of it. My poor dad… I hadn't even seen him properly in days. He'd been pulling double shifts and getting no time off. He assured me that there was nothing to worry about, that it was more on the outskirts of town, far from him. But the more time he put into this case the more wary I became of the danger factor.

"Bells."

I hear on the other end.

"Took you long enough."

"Was sleepin' Seth," I yawn loudly and he snickers on the other end.

"Sorry, shortie. Look just wanted to make sure you got home 'kay."

His voice is now filled with stern concern and my brain finally kicks in. Pushing past the cloud of sleepiness I remember that someone had called Angela.

"Yeah, I got home fine Seth,” I answer distractedly because I quickly move on to my main concern, “How's everyone at the Res?"

"We breathe sis."

He jokes, making light of everything like he usually does.

"Hey, we ain’t gon' be around tomorrow. I'll drop your cell off at Charlie's place day after 'kay? You gonna need a ride to school or somethin'?"

I'm secretly thrilled for numerous reasons. One, no one thinks I snuck off with Edward Cullen. Two, I snuck off with Edward Cullen. Three, there's no impending war regarding my kidnapping. Four, guess who's got Edward's love-bite?

Then I feel ill at the thought that they're so trusting of me and I'm being a monumental ungrateful bitch. I don’t want to lie to them, even if it is by omission, but this is so much bigger than what it would be if I were a normal girl with a normal family who was interested in a guy they don’t approve off. That would be simple. But I was around this life long enough to know how different it was for us. I think back to the night that the Wolves had found out about Nell’ Ombra, the dark Forks street and the sounds of bone crushing violence that had happened between them and the Fangs. This was gang loyalty and a dangerous rule broken, I  had to be quiet, it would keep things calm and safe for everyone.

Guilt is a horrible demon though. It can’t be fought. It squashes you from the inside. Choked up, I want to tell Seth that I miss him and I appreciate him and I'd love for him to drop me off at school because he's a pain in the ass but I love him so hard and now desperately want to spend time with him. But I know that'll raise all kinds of questions in his mind so instead I say, "That'll be fabulous Seth."

"Sweet. Fetch ya the normal time. Night B."

"Night Seth," I smile ruefully knowing he's none the wiser. "SETH!" I raise my voice fast, yet again hoping to catch him before hangs up.

"Yeh?"

He sounds slightly alarmed, holding the phone to his ear again quick.

"Can you come a little earlier?" I ask knowing that he wouldn't have to rush the ride that way.

He snickers on the other end.

"Sure Bell. I'll wake my ass up at the crack of dawn, drive to your shithole, and then kill time doing  absolutely  nada at the Res before that shithole that I go to starts for the day."

"Twit," I grumble, he laughs his head off. Always killing the moment. Annoying ape! Okay, fair enough he didn't really know we were having one. "I haven't seen you in a while."

He sobers and I can practically hear the smile on his face through his tone.

"Sure, sure Babybell. Miss you too. Check ya Friday."

He ends off absentmindedly and I’m on edge, knowing him well enough by now to know by his slip up goodbye that he's up to something.

"Go home Seth!" I whisper yell.

"Relax we're all careful and shit. Gonna hold hands and sing Kumbaya with the boys down in South Bend."

My heartbeat runs wild in my neck, rushing up to my head. "What the hell are you doing there!?" I shriek in disbelief, "Dagger Runners, Seth!?  Seriously!"

The South Bend, Dagger Runners, is another one of the rival gangs. They've got a bad rep, almost as bad as the Shadows Fangs and Grey Wolves. They're from, you guessed it; south side. They're heavy on bloodshed and they're run by egomaniacs that the Wolves have irregular head to heads with. They're dangerous and they hate the guys.  The feeling’s mutual. It's safe to say that the Wolves hate them almost as much as they hate the Shadow Fangs. The gang is notorious but the one thing that holds them back is that despite being severely lethal, they're never smart about what they do and how they do it. Basically they're lethal amateurs. But lethal never the less. Edward and Sam put thought into every move they make, it makes them invincible but the Dagger Runners, they're gun happy idiots who talk a lot of smack and shoot if you call them on it. I don't see what could be more hazardous to one’s health, both their own and others, than trigger happy amateurs!

"Seth, the fuck— Why you freaking her out over dumb shit."

"And get your ass here jackass, it's almost show time."

I hear Jake and Sam's voice respectively distantly through the line. Seth in turn gives them a, My bad man. Yeah, yeah. Shut the fuck up I'm on my way. Then he gets back on the line with me.

"B I gotta bounce. Hey pack me a lunch Friday 'kay."

He says quickly as an afterthought and I can tell it's really time for him to go. I can hear their hurried footsteps in the background, something’s about to go down. He's still such a kid, I love him for it but it makes me worry even though I know he's as extreme as the others.

"Be careful—,” I say running a hand across my forehead, “Please— just be careful!"

"We'll live B. Just make sure I survive the lunch."

He snorts a chuckle distractedly.

TWIT!

I don't cuss at him because I can tell by the silence that follows that playtime's over officially and he's tense.

"Later."

He says forcefully bright for my benefit. And the line goes dead.

O' dear God.

            ~.~.~D&D~.~.~

I had little to no sleep last night. I can thank Seth and Edward collectively for that. Had Edward never given me a peek into what his gang does, I would've never figured my gang was probably in the exact same boat and just keeping it from me for many,  many  years. And if Seth hadn't slipped up last night, then I would've been asleep without a care in the world, instead of wringing my hands and staring out the window willing the morning to come round so I had one less day to go through before I could do a head count of my guys and make sure everyone got back safely from South Bend.

Of course on the up side, I didn't sleep so I didn't dream. But right now I'm so exhausted I don't know if I should be grateful for the lack of nightmare or grumpy for the lack of sleep.

Not having gotten a wink of sleep since I put down the phone last night gave me a lot of time to think. I was stuck in Charlotte's web and she was only too willingly spelling me out the various bouts of shit I was faced with.  I was lying to my family. Taking advantage of their trust. I had undeniable feelings growing toward Edward. How would I explain if I got caught? Who would I choose?

I had to keep it quiet because if I had to choose, my heart would break. Absolutely shatter! I'd never been so vulnerable before in my life. My overprotective annoying brothers, I love them with every fiber of my being, it’s in my blood, we’re too close for too long and have been through too much. But there’s also Edward and I can’t explain what I’m feeling. It’s so strong and undeniable; I can’t stop the way it is and how it grows the longer I’m with him. It’s like magnets, regardless of the distance, the pull is always there just waiting to be acknowledged and brought together. The way I feel about him is so different to how I feel about everyone else, I’ve never experienced anything like it… just thinking about him makes me smile since yesterday… if I'm being honest, even  before  that! No matter how hard I fought him since the day we’d met, at some point while I was with him, I was  happy… I was  carefree… I just felt so free… I had a clean slate, no heat about Renee, no sympathy, no drama or tainting by her or anything else. When I was around him just felt like, cut and dry, Bella. It made it easier to breathe when I was around him, for some unexplainable reason, for the first time in my life even when I thought of Renee around him it didn’t hurt.

Despite its truth though, I feel guilt towards the Wolves. I felt like a husband who was cheating on his wife, buying her flowers to ease the guilt after sleeping with his secretary under the pretext of a business trip or late business meeting. I wanted to make it up to them by being absolutely perfect for them where I could. But I couldn't give up Edward. It was out of my hands, even if I wanted to, something, that deep rooted connection, just wouldn't allow it. Even the thought of it made me want to throw up. A new development that amazingly enough  also made me smile!

I'm a monster.

           

~.~.~D&D~.~.~

When school starts things are fine but as it progresses I find my attitude  minimally  changing.

I'm not a bitch. I'm not a pushover but I'm also not a bitch.

It slowly begins to bother me that everyone is so scared of me. They're ridiculously nice when they absolutely have no other choice but to talk to me and it's freaking me the hell out.

All I wanted them to do was leave me alone… not kiss my ass like I'd kill them if they look at me wrong...

One consolation though, at least I know there's no way in hell the Wolves are ever finding out about the tree or Edward and I, from this freaked out bunch.

I go through the motions until the bell sounds for lunch, then I hightail it past the cafeteria to the bleachers. Breathing a sigh of relief when I see Tyler sprawled out on the furthest one from the school, smoking something that smells potent.

I approach him with caution because I'm still not used to Shadow Fangs, you know innate survival instinct and all that. He knows I'm coming toward him even though he's facing the other way. His head snaps towards me, his gaze murderous. I stop dead in my tracks, my breathing ceases. He does a double take when he sees me. A long uncomfortable silence follows. Well uncomfortable on my side because quite honestly I don't think it's genetically possible for a Shadow Fang to feel out of their comfort zone. True to form, he sure doesn't.

I let out a long breath and nod my head at the bleacher he's at. He raises a brow as if to say, 'What of it?'

I decide at that point to speak because he clearly isn't planning on opening his mouth to make this less awkward. He really is comfortable.

"Can I?" I ask motioning to a spot not too far off from him.

That takes him slightly by surprise but he takes it in his stride and shrugs nonchalantly. "Knock y'self out."

"Thanks." I grab my stuff and sit next to him. I briefly go over the notion that this isn't a good idea because the hair at the back of my neck refuses to go down. We're still quiet as I watch him light another joint. Fishing through my bag just so I have something to do I pull out his books and hand them to him. "Thanks for these."

"Keep 'em, I'll look you up if I ever get to class again."

He grins evilly but I find myself laughing softly because I can picture Seth if he were in La Push right now probably doing the same thing, if at any point he loaned me his old books. How either of them manages to pass their classes without actually attending any of them is beyond me.

"An' you're welcome," he clicks his tongue akin to a cowboy and winks at me like we're old friends then goes back to his joint with a bored expression.

Taken aback— no,  floored— I wonder what brought that on and look behind me to where his gaze had flashed seconds before doing it and to my utter alarm I see a bunch of kids scurrying away at the far end of the field.

I turn back to his resumed nonchalant stance now that everyone that had been snooping has left me alone and can't help but grin back at him as he stares out at nothing ahead of him, in a cloud of smoke.

Yet another surprise. I find myself thinking that maybe Tyler isn't so bad.

~.~.~D&D~.~.~

My day runs smooth as silk. Oddly enough, I enjoyed sitting with Tyler. No one ever came toward us and he didn't seem to mind my presence too much. He did his thing and I did mine. What  very  contrasting  things  those were! But that's beside’s the point. The point  is  the second I walked back into school for my next class I realized sitting next to Tyler could very well become a habit of mine.

I managed to finish up all my homework during lunch and it ensured that no one was in my hair. More importantly it made sure no one made attempts to scout me out. Because scouting me out was something everyone seemed to do when they thought I wasn't looking. They wouldn't dare utter a word, they'd go so far as to even silence their breathing, but inadvertently their curious eyes would seek me out and monitor my behavior. It was like being a show monkey and I couldn't wait for this whole thing to blow over because if it didn't happen soon I was going to blow a fuse that was certain to land me in a mutha-load of trouble back home.

I was relieved when the day came to a close.

The rain had slowed to a light drizzle and it was all kinds of enjoyable considering how heated I had been feeling during the course of the day under the scrutinizing gaze of the school. The cool spray on my face calmed me down and I found myself walking home unhurriedly in it. White demon smoldering into the cold breeze as I smoked and cut through the woods towards my house.

Dad was at the station and the Wolves were out of town, I didn't have a phone to call anyone and frankly I couldn't picture myself cramped in the bus today with Forks Highs ‘owl crowd’.

Pull after pull, step after step, I continued until I got to the filter. The house was still out of sight and I had a long stretch of forest ahead of me, with too much to think about, so I fished out my pack again and slipped a gentle demon between my lips. The nicotine was a welcome distraction to both my thoughts and nerves. Cupping my scarred hand against the lighter to protect the flame, I pulled and watched the end light up gleefully in a bright red glow.

My head picked up suddenly at a noise to my right.

It was distant and rustled but quickly moving closer. Footsteps. My pulse picked up wildly. Hurried stomp after stomp in the wet earth, someone was in a definite rush and unknowingly headed in my direction.

Craning my neck, I saw the blurred figure of a guy. Head down as he ran, he was dressed in dark jeans and a black hoodie, the color of his sneakers were impossible to make out due to how amazingly fast his feet moved through the shrubbery and how caked they were in mud. He was tall and frightening in just the way he moved.

I didn't need to see his face that was blocked by the dark hood thrown over his head to know he wasn't one of the good guys. He had a slight limp, most likely from a cramp or hurt knee, I settled on the latter because his attire was covered in smudges of dirt and from the looks of him he'd been gunning it for a while like a bat outta hell. He was freakishly swift.  Very  agile, I amended too late.

It happened out of nowhere, leaving neither me nor the guy racing through the trees, any time to react.

Grabbing onto a tree to pivot himself, he lithely turned and swung over a branch, not realizing I was frozen on the other end. Curiosity really did kill cats. We collided and the jolt sent my cigarette flying across the air into the wet bushes at the foot of a tree.

He was far taller than me and his chest felt like a ton of bricks against my head.

"THE FUCK—," his voice is gruff but velvety deep as he cusses loudly, stumbling in his step because of our crash.

My eyes bug out because for a moment I swear I think I heard Edward. But this was definitely not Edward.

He grabs me just before I make contact with the ground, pulling me up to my feet as his dark flashing eyes glance at me then dart around the wooded area. I can tell instantly that he does it simply on instinct, because his senses are gang-like heightened, he's either being chased or running from something. I'm so sure of it, it terrifies me.

Swallowing hard, fear runs through my blood stream as I look up at him, cursing the fact that I'm shorter than him and by mistake can actually make out the face to the man. The way he's acting I'm sure being seen won't be too high on his list of list of priorities. Like Murfy's bloody Law, my one glance just has to reveal this guy is strikingly good looking even grimy and dangerously alert with his eyes darting frantically around on survival instincts. He reminds me so much of Edward I end up doing a double take. The jolt threw his hood slightly back, revealing to me the shadow of a worn-out but clearly strong man who must have quite the record on his head with the way he's been bolting. Panting heavily from exertion, his veins pulsed and protruded angrily down his neck. He looked familiar which was amazing because I was sure I'd never met this guy before. He was way older than me, but still young, maybe in his mid or late twenties, at most very early thirties. Stray greasy strands of hair fell into his dark, dangerously alert eyes with burning green flecks in them. His face had a strong, angular bone structure and stubble growing against his sharp chin, all things considered the guy was gorgeous like a certain Shadow Fang I knew, but there was something about him I couldn't quite place.

He's visibly exhausted, Lord knows how long he's been bulleting through the harsh forest but he's amped with all the adrenaline pumping wildly in him and just like that I realize why he seems so familiar, of course I'd recognize him… It's his traits and predatory air that I recognize! He's just like the guys, only I have no idea who he is and now I've seen his face!

His sporadic gaze shoots in all directions, making mental notes of his surroundings. Quickly I divert my eyes, hoping I can pretend like I've seen jack-shit about him. Little by little, I reach my fingers into the side of my bag and fish out the switchblade Seth gave me when I turned 13. Flicking it open silently, I hide it against my wrist just like he taught me to do. I might be overreacting but let's call this guy Mr. Menacing. Because this guy freaked me the fuck out, I knew what guys on the other side of the law looked like and he was definitely one of them!

He hastily glances over his shoulder, confirming my suspicions about him running from or to God knows what. He let's go of my upper arm unaffectedly, his face is expressionless but his gaze still holds the dark, mysterious and calculating ire from whatever it is that he's left behind him during his race as he stares into the distance.

Now that I'm looking down, I see scratches on his hands as they leave me, a lot of them are ripped open in places from the trees and dotted with blood, there are tears and pulls in his clothes with damp, mud smears from the forest as well. The one thing that catches my attention the most though, is a tattoo on the index finger of his right hand. Three small, rectangular strokes, none of them matching in length or width or even balanced in a straight line for that matter. The skin from between said finger and his thumb is red and a little blistered, my mind immediately flashes me image after image of him regularly firing a gun with that very hand. I stop myself from thinking any further, fisting the blade tighter in my hand I force myself to stay calm.

I can feel him turn back around to my direction, but he still doesn't pay any mind to my presence, he's looking above my head into the distance of where he was running before I crashed him. My breath catches waiting for his next move…. Being kidnapped by Edward is one thing, being taken hostage because I've seen too much by a perfect stranger is a completely other! To my utter relief he isn't bothered with me, he's seems to have got his bearings sorted because he slips past me and bolts like lightning again, no sign of the fatigue I know he's feeling visible as he runs.

Everything happens so fast, mere seconds pass and the whole encounter is over with a cow-boyish nod from the guy as he flies down the forest in the general direction of the river with an out of breath, 'Thanks', called at me over his shoulder, rough and condescendingly through his ragged breathing.

Thanks for what? I couldn't care less. I exhale a heavy gulp of air and follow suit but I run in the opposite direction of him, clutching onto the blade for dear life.

Never fucking walking this way again!

~.~.~D&D~.~.~

My trip home after that encounter was in a word; fast.

I got in and slammed the door behind me so quickly that if I'd been auditioning for Speedy Gonzales I'd win the part against Speedy himself.

I slide the latch into place and turn all the locks, bolting the door shut. Trying in vain to calm my ragged breathing, I check again to make sure the door is locked securely, and stand on my tip toes and peek through the glass to make sure no one is lurking outside.

Dad's not home and that unsettles me for the first time since I was a little kid. The house is creepy silent and vacant, leaving my imagination much room to run wild. The perfect setting for a horror movie if this guy were to show up.

Sprinting up to my room, paranoid as hell, I shoot a quick glance at the front yard to check for suspicious activity, and then I remember I'm in the Chief of Polices' house, and find myself calming down, fractionally.

Dragging a hand through my hair roughly, I slip the switchblade into my pocket and jog towards dads' balcony, grabbing the hall phone on the way with unsteady fingers. I shake out my hands, clenching them into a fist and releasing, trying to calm down but nothing works. I dig into my hoodie for my Marlboro and come up short. Patting myself down, I still find nothing. Then I suddenly recall the guy in the forests afterthought, 'thanks'.

He must've pocketed my pack when he steadied me.

In any usual case I would be annoyed. Ticked the hell off. But in this instance I don't care that he not only stole my pack, but also gallingly had the balls to thank me for it. I'm just happy he left as a happy-camper. It's better than having pissed him off. This way he's got one less reason to follow me even though I was privy to the fact that he was in the forest and I'd probably seen his face. I'm happy. I’m happy. I’m happy!

Who'm I kidding? I’m not happy!

I'm alone at home! I don't know when dad's going to be back! The Wolves are in South Bend! And I bumped into a stranger that was clearly on the run and therefore probably did  not  want to be seen! I'm freaked the fuck out!

As it stands, I'm at my wits end but any semblance of what's left of my nerves is shot to hell when I see someone with a black hood over their head walk by my neighbor’s patio. I shriek like a banshee, my heart hammering against my ribcage as I force myself to calm the fuck down. I grip the blade firmly in my hand, backing away from the glass slide door only to realize it's actually my neighbor out there emptying out his trash when he turns back to his house and I see his face.

"Fucking hell!" I yell and grab the phone tighter. Image after image of the guy plays in my head again and my mind runs off to Edward. I have no idea why but it does. I swallow thickly and dial the first number I can think of with blood pounding thunderously in my head and for some reason it's not my father’s…

"Cullen."

His voice is gruff but I can still feel the velvet undertones caress my ear. Cold and precise, he's in gang mode. I stall, immediately regretting calling. "Hey…"

"Bella?"

His voice loses the dark edge and I realize he hadn't looked at the call when he answered.

"Sorry are you busy?" I ask. It's a dumb question because he obviously is, I can hear the gunning of engines, yells of guys in the background and then his footsteps against concrete as I presume he walks away.

"Nah."

He dismisses harshly getting straight to the point.

"What's wrong?"

It completely throws me that he knows something's wrong with only a handful of irrelevant words exchanged between us. "Nothing," I find myself lying for his sake more than mine, "Think you could pick me up earlier please?"

"Yeah. Where are you?"

As he asks me the question I hear a car start up.

"What's up?"

Again I lie. "I just don't want to be alone," keeping my voice even and calm I go on, "I'm at home— Charlie's." I clarify, he doesn't wait for me to go on.

Deep, silky and commanding, his voice cuts me off as the roaring engine grows louder

"Sit tight. I'm on my way."

And then the line goes dead.

           

~.~.~D&D chap9 cont~.~.~