*by Stephenie Meyer*
TWILIGHT - chapter 3 - PHENOMENON
When I opened my eyes in the morning, something was different.
It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy Tag in the firest, but it was clearer somehow. I realized there was no for veiling my window.
I jumped up to look outside, and then groaned in horror.
A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted the oben, nach oben of my truck, and whitened the road. But that wasn't the worst part. All the rain from yesterday had Frozen solid - coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patters, and making the driveway a deadly ice slick. I had enough trouble not falling down when the ground was dry; it might be safer for me to go back to bett now.
Charlie had left for work before I got downstairs. In a lot of ways, living with Charlie was like having my own place, and I found myself reveling in the aloneness instead of being lonely.
I threw down a quick bowl of cereal and some orange saft from the carton. I felt excited to go to school, and that scared me. I knew it wasn't the stimulating learning environment I was anticipating, oder seeing my new set of friends. If I was being honest with myself, I knew I was eager to get to school because I would see Edward Cullen. And that was very, very stupid.
I should be avoiding him entirely after my brainless and embarrassing babbling yesterday. And I was suspicious of him; why should he lie about his eyes? I was still frightened of the hostility I sometimes felt emanating from him, and I was still tongue-tied whenever I pictured his perfect face. I was well aware that my league and his league were spheres that did not touch. So I shouldn't be at all anxious to see him today.
It took every once of my concentration to make it down the icey brick driveway alive. I almost lots my balance when I finally got to the truck, but I managed to cling to the side mirror and save myself. Clearly, today was going to be nightmarish.
Driving to school, I distracted myself from my fear of falling and my unwanted speculations about Edward Cullen Von thinking about Mike and Eric, and the obvious difference in how teenage boys responded to me here. I was sure I looked exactly the same as I had in Phoenix. Maybe it was just that the boys back Home had watched me pass slowly through all the awkward phases of adolescence and still thought of me that way. Perhaps it was because I was a novelty there, where novelties were few and far between. Possibly my crippling clumsiness was seen as endearing rather than pathetic, casting me as the damsel in distress. Whatever the reason, Mike's welpe dog behavior and Eric's apparent rivalry with him were disconcerting. I wasn't sure if I didn't prefer being ignored.
My truck seemed to have no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. I drove very slowly, though, not wanting to carve a path of destruction through Main Street.
When I got out of my truck at school, I saw why I'd had so little trouble. Something silver caught my eye, and I walked to the back of the truck - carefully holding the side for support - ti examine my tires. There were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around them. Charlie had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on my truck. My throat suddenly felt tight. I wasn't used to being taken care of, and Charlie's unspoken concern caught me Von surprise.
I was standing Von the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the sudde wave of emotion the snow chains had brought on, when I heard an odd sound.
It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I looked up startled.
I saw several thing simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster, and I was able to absorb in clear several things at once.
Edward Cullen was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. His face stood out from a sea of faces, all Frozen in the same mask of shock. But Mehr immediate importance was the dark blue transporter, van that was skidding, tires locked and squeeling against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice oder the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck, and I was standing between them. I didn't even have time to close my eyes.
Just before I heard the shattering crunch of the transporter, van folding around the truck bed, something hit me, hard, butnot from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the icey blacktop, and I felt something solid and cold pinning me to the ground. I was lying on the pavement behind the tan car I'd parked Weiter to. But I didn't have a chance to notice anything else, because the transporter, van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and, still spinning and sliding, was about to collide with me again.
A low oath made me aware that someone was with me, and the voice was impossible not to recognize. Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of me, and the transporter, van shuddered to a stop a foot from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent in the side of the van's body.
Then his hands moved so fast they blurred. One was suddenly gripping under the body of the van, and something was dragging me, swinging my legs around like a rag doll's, till they hit the tire of the tan car. A groaning metalic thud hurt my ears, and the transporter, van settled, glass popping, onto the asphalt - exactly where, a Sekunde ago, my legs had been.
It was absolutely silent for one long Sekunde before the screaming began. In abrupt bedlam, I could hear Mehr than one person shouting my name. But Mehr clearly than all the yelling, I could hear Edward Cullen's low, frantic voice in my ear.
"Bella? Are Du all right?"
"I'm fine." My voice sounded strange. I tried to sit up, and realized he was holding me against the side of his body in an iron grasp.
"Be careful," he warned as I struggled. "I think Du hit your head pretty hard."
I became aware of a throbbing ache centered above my left ear.
"Ow," I sagte surprised.
"That's what I thought." His voice, amazingly, sounded like he was suppressing laughter.
"How in the..." I trailed off, trying to clear my head, get my bearings. "How did Du get over here so fast?"
"I was standing right Weiter to you, Bella," he said, his tone serious again.
I turned to sit up, and this time he let me, releasing his hold around my waist and sliding as far from me as he could in the limited space. I looked at his concerned, innocent expression and was disoriented again Von the force of his gold-colored eyes. What was I asking him?
And then they found us, a crowd of people with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other, shouting at us.
"Don't move," someone instructed.
"Get Tyler out of the van!" someone else shouted. There was a flurry of activity around us. I tried to get up, but Edward's cold hand pushed my shoulder down.
"Just stay put for now."
"But it's cold," I complained. It surprised me when he chuckled under his breath. There was an edge to the sound.
"You were over there," I suddenly remembered, and his chuckle stopped short. "You were Von your car."
His expression turned hard. "No, I wasn't."
"I saw you." All around us was chaos. I could hear the gruffer voices of adults arriving on the scene. But I obstinately held on to our argument; I was right, and he was going to admit it.
"Bella, I was standing with you, and I pulled Du out of the way." He unleashed the full, devastating power of his eyes on me, as if trying to communicate something crucial.
"No." I set my jaw.
The Gold in his eyes blazed. "Please, Bella."
"Why?" I demanded.
"Trust me," he pleaded, his soft voice overwhelming.
I could hear the sirens now. "Will Du promise to explain everything to me later?"
"Fine," he snapped, abruptly exasperated.
"Fine," I repeated angrily.
TWILIGHT - chapter 3 - PHENOMENON
When I opened my eyes in the morning, something was different.
It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy Tag in the firest, but it was clearer somehow. I realized there was no for veiling my window.
I jumped up to look outside, and then groaned in horror.
A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted the oben, nach oben of my truck, and whitened the road. But that wasn't the worst part. All the rain from yesterday had Frozen solid - coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patters, and making the driveway a deadly ice slick. I had enough trouble not falling down when the ground was dry; it might be safer for me to go back to bett now.
Charlie had left for work before I got downstairs. In a lot of ways, living with Charlie was like having my own place, and I found myself reveling in the aloneness instead of being lonely.
I threw down a quick bowl of cereal and some orange saft from the carton. I felt excited to go to school, and that scared me. I knew it wasn't the stimulating learning environment I was anticipating, oder seeing my new set of friends. If I was being honest with myself, I knew I was eager to get to school because I would see Edward Cullen. And that was very, very stupid.
I should be avoiding him entirely after my brainless and embarrassing babbling yesterday. And I was suspicious of him; why should he lie about his eyes? I was still frightened of the hostility I sometimes felt emanating from him, and I was still tongue-tied whenever I pictured his perfect face. I was well aware that my league and his league were spheres that did not touch. So I shouldn't be at all anxious to see him today.
It took every once of my concentration to make it down the icey brick driveway alive. I almost lots my balance when I finally got to the truck, but I managed to cling to the side mirror and save myself. Clearly, today was going to be nightmarish.
Driving to school, I distracted myself from my fear of falling and my unwanted speculations about Edward Cullen Von thinking about Mike and Eric, and the obvious difference in how teenage boys responded to me here. I was sure I looked exactly the same as I had in Phoenix. Maybe it was just that the boys back Home had watched me pass slowly through all the awkward phases of adolescence and still thought of me that way. Perhaps it was because I was a novelty there, where novelties were few and far between. Possibly my crippling clumsiness was seen as endearing rather than pathetic, casting me as the damsel in distress. Whatever the reason, Mike's welpe dog behavior and Eric's apparent rivalry with him were disconcerting. I wasn't sure if I didn't prefer being ignored.
My truck seemed to have no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. I drove very slowly, though, not wanting to carve a path of destruction through Main Street.
When I got out of my truck at school, I saw why I'd had so little trouble. Something silver caught my eye, and I walked to the back of the truck - carefully holding the side for support - ti examine my tires. There were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around them. Charlie had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on my truck. My throat suddenly felt tight. I wasn't used to being taken care of, and Charlie's unspoken concern caught me Von surprise.
I was standing Von the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the sudde wave of emotion the snow chains had brought on, when I heard an odd sound.
It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I looked up startled.
I saw several thing simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster, and I was able to absorb in clear several things at once.
Edward Cullen was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. His face stood out from a sea of faces, all Frozen in the same mask of shock. But Mehr immediate importance was the dark blue transporter, van that was skidding, tires locked and squeeling against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice oder the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck, and I was standing between them. I didn't even have time to close my eyes.
Just before I heard the shattering crunch of the transporter, van folding around the truck bed, something hit me, hard, butnot from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the icey blacktop, and I felt something solid and cold pinning me to the ground. I was lying on the pavement behind the tan car I'd parked Weiter to. But I didn't have a chance to notice anything else, because the transporter, van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and, still spinning and sliding, was about to collide with me again.
A low oath made me aware that someone was with me, and the voice was impossible not to recognize. Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of me, and the transporter, van shuddered to a stop a foot from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent in the side of the van's body.
Then his hands moved so fast they blurred. One was suddenly gripping under the body of the van, and something was dragging me, swinging my legs around like a rag doll's, till they hit the tire of the tan car. A groaning metalic thud hurt my ears, and the transporter, van settled, glass popping, onto the asphalt - exactly where, a Sekunde ago, my legs had been.
It was absolutely silent for one long Sekunde before the screaming began. In abrupt bedlam, I could hear Mehr than one person shouting my name. But Mehr clearly than all the yelling, I could hear Edward Cullen's low, frantic voice in my ear.
"Bella? Are Du all right?"
"I'm fine." My voice sounded strange. I tried to sit up, and realized he was holding me against the side of his body in an iron grasp.
"Be careful," he warned as I struggled. "I think Du hit your head pretty hard."
I became aware of a throbbing ache centered above my left ear.
"Ow," I sagte surprised.
"That's what I thought." His voice, amazingly, sounded like he was suppressing laughter.
"How in the..." I trailed off, trying to clear my head, get my bearings. "How did Du get over here so fast?"
"I was standing right Weiter to you, Bella," he said, his tone serious again.
I turned to sit up, and this time he let me, releasing his hold around my waist and sliding as far from me as he could in the limited space. I looked at his concerned, innocent expression and was disoriented again Von the force of his gold-colored eyes. What was I asking him?
And then they found us, a crowd of people with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other, shouting at us.
"Don't move," someone instructed.
"Get Tyler out of the van!" someone else shouted. There was a flurry of activity around us. I tried to get up, but Edward's cold hand pushed my shoulder down.
"Just stay put for now."
"But it's cold," I complained. It surprised me when he chuckled under his breath. There was an edge to the sound.
"You were over there," I suddenly remembered, and his chuckle stopped short. "You were Von your car."
His expression turned hard. "No, I wasn't."
"I saw you." All around us was chaos. I could hear the gruffer voices of adults arriving on the scene. But I obstinately held on to our argument; I was right, and he was going to admit it.
"Bella, I was standing with you, and I pulled Du out of the way." He unleashed the full, devastating power of his eyes on me, as if trying to communicate something crucial.
"No." I set my jaw.
The Gold in his eyes blazed. "Please, Bella."
"Why?" I demanded.
"Trust me," he pleaded, his soft voice overwhelming.
I could hear the sirens now. "Will Du promise to explain everything to me later?"
"Fine," he snapped, abruptly exasperated.
"Fine," I repeated angrily.
God and His priests and His kings
All were waiting
All will wait
As they go over
Mmm, held between heaven and hell
As they're dancing
As they dance over and over
Over
Cold
Cold
Crimson and bare as I stand
Yours completely
Yours as we go over
Sing for the lion and lamm
Their hearts are hunting
Still hearts hold ever and ever
Ever
Cold
Cold
God and His priests and His kings
Turn their faces
Even they feel the cold
Ooooooh, ooooooh
What Du are given
Can't be forgotten
And never forsaken
What Du are given
Can't be forgotten
And never forsaken
What Du are given
Can't be forgotten
Cold
All were waiting
All will wait
As they go over
Mmm, held between heaven and hell
As they're dancing
As they dance over and over
Over
Cold
Cold
Crimson and bare as I stand
Yours completely
Yours as we go over
Sing for the lion and lamm
Their hearts are hunting
Still hearts hold ever and ever
Ever
Cold
Cold
God and His priests and His kings
Turn their faces
Even they feel the cold
Ooooooh, ooooooh
What Du are given
Can't be forgotten
And never forsaken
What Du are given
Can't be forgotten
And never forsaken
What Du are given
Can't be forgotten
Cold
Touch me I'm cold, unable to control
Touch me I'm golden and wild as the wind blows
And tumbling, tumbling, don't go fascination
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
Let me come closer, I'm not your shadow
With our eyes shielded from the oncoming count
It's not hard for us to say what we should not
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
Touch me I'm cold, unable to control
Touch me I'm golden and wild as the wind blows
And tumbling, tumbling, don't go fascination
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
Let's get lost
Let's get lost
Let's get lost
Let's get lost
Touch me I'm golden and wild as the wind blows
And tumbling, tumbling, don't go fascination
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
Let me come closer, I'm not your shadow
With our eyes shielded from the oncoming count
It's not hard for us to say what we should not
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
Touch me I'm cold, unable to control
Touch me I'm golden and wild as the wind blows
And tumbling, tumbling, don't go fascination
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
If just for tonight darling, let's get lost
Let's get lost
Let's get lost
Let's get lost
Let's get lost
An innocent child in New Orleans
A simple girl from simple means
Walked the rails
Rode her thumb
She hitched a ride with everyone
The regular, she’d rearrange
The girl knew how to chop and change
Chop and change (Ooo)
Chop and change (Yeah)
Chop and change (Oh, oh, oh)
Chop and change (Yeah) alright
Took a job working late
Jacking cars from out of state
She found no Liebe in this town
So she’d never mess around
Had no luck, but ain’t it strange
The girl knew how to chop and change
Chop and change (Oh, oh)
Chop and change (Come on, come on, come on, come on yeah)
Chop and change (Chop and change)
Chop and change (Oh)
Alright
A simple girl from simple means
Walked the rails
Rode her thumb
She hitched a ride with everyone
The regular, she’d rearrange
The girl knew how to chop and change
Chop and change (Ooo)
Chop and change (Yeah)
Chop and change (Oh, oh, oh)
Chop and change (Yeah) alright
Took a job working late
Jacking cars from out of state
She found no Liebe in this town
So she’d never mess around
Had no luck, but ain’t it strange
The girl knew how to chop and change
Chop and change (Oh, oh)
Chop and change (Come on, come on, come on, come on yeah)
Chop and change (Chop and change)
Chop and change (Oh)
Alright
It's all hats off now, all drum rolls and applause
Von slight of the hand Du will turn them into dust
A face to face Du will lead them Von the fall
A track fiend and the saw dust
You're allowed to stare it out
It’s all good luck charms
All trying to understand
Indeed inside me will always hope for worse
Du say Du keep them close by
They're closer than Du think
A track fiend and the saw dust
You're allowed to stare it out
Weiter spring will bring Du back again
You'll sigh and crack the whip for us
And maybe Du will be the one
Who'll draw the line in the sand
For us to crawl
It's all past bats now
All painting gorgeous time
And maybe when the night comes
You'll open up the cage
You'll open up the cage
Von slight of the hand Du will turn them into dust
A face to face Du will lead them Von the fall
A track fiend and the saw dust
You're allowed to stare it out
It’s all good luck charms
All trying to understand
Indeed inside me will always hope for worse
Du say Du keep them close by
They're closer than Du think
A track fiend and the saw dust
You're allowed to stare it out
Weiter spring will bring Du back again
You'll sigh and crack the whip for us
And maybe Du will be the one
Who'll draw the line in the sand
For us to crawl
It's all past bats now
All painting gorgeous time
And maybe when the night comes
You'll open up the cage
You'll open up the cage
Other lives, always tempted to trade
Will they hate me for all the choices I made
Will they stop when they see me again
I can’t stop now I know who I am
Now I’m all yours, I’m not afraid
And you’re all mine, say what they may
And all your Liebe I’ll take to the grave
And all my life starts now
Tear me down, they can’t take Du out of my thoughts
Under every scar there’s a battle I’ve lost
Will they stop when they see us again
I can’t stop now I know who I am
Now I’m all yours, I’m not afraid
And you’re all mine, say what they may
And all your Liebe I’ll take to the grave
And all my life starts
I’m all yours, I’m not afraid
And you’re all mine, say what they may
And all your Liebe I’ll take to the grave
And all my life starts
Starts now
Will they hate me for all the choices I made
Will they stop when they see me again
I can’t stop now I know who I am
Now I’m all yours, I’m not afraid
And you’re all mine, say what they may
And all your Liebe I’ll take to the grave
And all my life starts now
Tear me down, they can’t take Du out of my thoughts
Under every scar there’s a battle I’ve lost
Will they stop when they see us again
I can’t stop now I know who I am
Now I’m all yours, I’m not afraid
And you’re all mine, say what they may
And all your Liebe I’ll take to the grave
And all my life starts
I’m all yours, I’m not afraid
And you’re all mine, say what they may
And all your Liebe I’ll take to the grave
And all my life starts
Starts now
I think I know what’s on your mind
A couple words, a great divide
Waiting in the wings, a small respite
Crowding up the foreground from behind
Even though you’re the only one I see
It’s the last catastrophe
Place your bets on chance and apathy
Take anything Du want, it’s fine
Keep up the slow life for the night
Don’t take it back, I’ll just deny
This constant noise all the time
Even though you’re the only one I see
It’s the last catastrophe
Place your bets on chance and apathy
From the wind in front of me
Even though you’re the only one I see
It’s the last catastrophe
Place your bets on chance and apathy
From the wind in front of me
Even though you’re the only one I see
A couple words, a great divide
Waiting in the wings, a small respite
Crowding up the foreground from behind
Even though you’re the only one I see
It’s the last catastrophe
Place your bets on chance and apathy
Take anything Du want, it’s fine
Keep up the slow life for the night
Don’t take it back, I’ll just deny
This constant noise all the time
Even though you’re the only one I see
It’s the last catastrophe
Place your bets on chance and apathy
From the wind in front of me
Even though you’re the only one I see
It’s the last catastrophe
Place your bets on chance and apathy
From the wind in front of me
Even though you’re the only one I see
Situations are critical
Du got to look first before Du go
If Du wasn’t too sure then now Du know
The situations are critical
Wait, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
Wait, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
Deep into the darkness where I hide
The monsters are buried down deep inside
Du never know when they’re satisfied
Buried down deep where the sun don’t shine
The monsters are buried down deep inside but
Wait, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
You’re wasting away, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
Deep into the darkness where I hide
Deep into the darkness where I hide
Wait, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
Oh wait, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
You’re wasting away, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
Deep into the darkness where I hide
Deep into the darkness where I hide
Deep into the darkness
Du got to look first before Du go
If Du wasn’t too sure then now Du know
The situations are critical
Wait, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
Wait, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
Deep into the darkness where I hide
The monsters are buried down deep inside
Du never know when they’re satisfied
Buried down deep where the sun don’t shine
The monsters are buried down deep inside but
Wait, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
You’re wasting away, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
Deep into the darkness where I hide
Deep into the darkness where I hide
Wait, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
Oh wait, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
You’re wasting away, ok, you’ve got to look before Du go
Deep into the darkness where I hide
Deep into the darkness where I hide
Deep into the darkness
Up with your turret
Aren’t we just terrified
Shale, screen your worry
From what Du won’t ever find
Don’t let it fool you
Don’t let it fool you, down
Down’s sitting round
Folds in the gown
Sea and the rock below
Cocked to the undertow
Bones, blood and teeth erode
With every crashing node
Wings wouldn’t help you
Wings wouldn’t help you, down
Death is around
Prayer in your smile
Du barely are blinking
Wagging your face around
When’d this just become
A mortal home
Ahhhh
Won’t, won’t, won’t, won’t
Won’t let Du talk me
Won’t let Du talk me, down
Will pull it taut
Nothing now
Aren’t we just terrified
Shale, screen your worry
From what Du won’t ever find
Don’t let it fool you
Don’t let it fool you, down
Down’s sitting round
Folds in the gown
Sea and the rock below
Cocked to the undertow
Bones, blood and teeth erode
With every crashing node
Wings wouldn’t help you
Wings wouldn’t help you, down
Death is around
Prayer in your smile
Du barely are blinking
Wagging your face around
When’d this just become
A mortal home
Ahhhh
Won’t, won’t, won’t, won’t
Won’t let Du talk me
Won’t let Du talk me, down
Will pull it taut
Nothing now