The Whispering Woods

Chapter Fifty

Bella stared up at the dark sky where two moons shone down at her. Comprehension eluded her for several moments when she realized it wasn't real. There didn't seem to be any sound other than the thudding of her heart; instinctively, she knew it was a dream.

Or another plane.

She could make out the ragged outline of a forest in the vast lake's reflection. The shore had to be at least a mile away. There was no artificial light anywhere; the starlit sky appeared the brightest she'd ever seen. After a few minutes of searching, she couldn't find the big dipper. The two moons threw her off, and yet, they seemed familiar.

She'd seen them before, possibly in a dream. This one felt different, though. Her dreams were often so vibrant she had to shield her eyes, unaccustomed to the array of colors and their brightness.

Wherever she was, it was dark, devoid of sound other than her body. Already she could make out the sound of her blood rushing through her veins, the squishy sound of valves opening and closing in her heart. It would drive her insane if she couldn't focus on something else.

Anything.

She startled as something hit the back of her boat; the cascading ripple sounded loud to her. Afraid to turn, aware she could see in the dark with a clarity not known to humans, her curiosity got the best of her. She turned to face whatever hit her.

"Please don't be a body," she whispered. She couldn't understand why she was dreaming, when the last thing she remembered was she and Edward heading toward a love shack at the edge of town.

A deep shudder moved through her, the vibration sending another ripple through the lifeless lake.

"Please be okay, please be okay." She opened her eyes and gasped, a whimper escaping her.

In a boat that appeared to be sinking fast, lay an unconscious Edward. "Baby! Wake up!" she screamed. The sound seemed to reverberate around her, sending another shudder up her spine. "If you die here, you could die out there!"

She intuitively knew she stated a fact.

Careful not to tip over the boat, she used her hand to turn toward Edward's boat. "Edward! Wake up! I need you!"

Edward heard a voice cry out to him, his body instantly priming itself for battle. His charge needed him, to fight, to protect…to love her. "Bella," he called out, but soon groaned in pain. He opened his eyes, expecting to see her pretty face, but there was nothing except darkness.

Fear and adrenaline coalesced inside him; the potent mix took the edge of the pain off and had him sitting up. It was too dark to his right, but the light of the moons on his left allowed him to see Bella paddling toward him.

Paddling toward him, tears streaming down her cheeks, she yelled, "Your boat is sinking! I don't think you could swim for long since you're hurt!"

"That explains my wet pants. Fuck! What the hell happened?" He couldn't remember past wanting to pull over on the side of the road to bend Bella over the hood of his car.

"Move it, Edward! Stop fucking thinking with your dick!"

Fuck, she was pissed.

"I can barely see anything, which is fucking weird considering there are two fucking moons. Or haven't you noticed?"

"We don't have time for this, Edward. Get in my boat; it's not taking in any water." The side of Bella's boat met his, and she felt her wet hand close over his arm as he reached for her.

"What if it's not strong enough?" Fuck, if he was going to put her at risk, he could swim for a bit.

"Don't even think about going all Titanic on me."

"Fuck that shit," Edward grumbled and swung a leg into the boat. Water sloshed everywhere and into Bella's boat. "Damn, we're going to topple over."

"Hold on to me," she whispered. Her boat trembled, and then rose an inch above the water.

"What the fuck?"

She didn't wait for him to get his bearing, tipping his boat until his body tumbled into her lap.

He looked up at her. "Since when could go all Jedi on me and move things with your mind?"

"I figured if we're dreaming, I could control shit here."

"Then we wouldn't have nightmares, love," Edward murmured. He burrowed his face in her lap and groaned. He was cold and wet, and now his pants were uncomfortable.

"We've been in each other's dreams before." Her words sounded unsure but Edward thought she was right.

"This feels different."

It felt both unreal and too real. As if they had one foot in reality and another in this dream world.

"Maybe you can will your clothes to dry." She rubbed hot hands over his wet clothes, noting the way he shivered. Though the surroundings were devoid of wind or anything other than water and darkness, it was unreasonably cold.

Edward closed his eyes, focusing only on Bella, the way her hands hovered over his body. Shudders moved through him, his head aching in a way he had never felt before. He needed to warm up, and though Bella was helping, it wasn't enough. Not fast enough, he felt as if he was fading fast.

"I wish we had a fire or something," she hissed. Edward's body was cold, so damn cold, she feared he was in shock. He hadn't been in the water that long, had he? "This isn't real, Edward. You can manipulate things if need be."

Why couldn't she do anything after saving him from the boat? Had she used up her ability? Were they that limited here? Why wasn't he opening his eyes?

"If you don't do something, we're both going to die here!" She shook him and felt the tears before they started to spill over.

"It's okay, Princess." Edward groaned and turned around.

Bella screamed as Edward's fingertips darkened and shaped into claws. His eyes snapped open, appearing as if a fire glowed from within them.

AN: It's been a while. Life is a lot, like more than I can handle sometimes. Finding balance to do what I love, aka writing, is hard. Anyway, I have some time and managed some words. Thanks to Midnight Cougar, her magic wand helps all this sound more magical. Thanks to your support and sticking around and reading.