Damsel in Distress

Edward was, to put it simply, annoyed. Alice had let slip that he would supposedly fall “head over heels” for a girl and refused to give him any further information. “Just let it happen naturally!” She had insisted, but he did not plan to do so.

“Just spare me some minute details,” he pressed. “Tell me something about her, Alice.”

His favorite sister, who was currently not his favorite person in the world, temporarily paused in compiling her mental inventory of favorite shoe designers in reverse-alphabetical order. “Ahem, well…” she trailed off. Edward groaned.

“There really is another reason you aren’t telling me about her, isn’t there?”

Alice shrugged delicately. “She has a tendency to hit people. You’ll see what I mean very shortly.”

Sure enough, ten minutes later, Alice dragged Edward to the front of the school. There was a pretty, toned and well-built girl beating the hell out of a six-foot-boy. “What’s the matter, can’t handle a little fight in a girl?” she hissed. The male appeared much like a member of a gang to Edward, who did not want a bloody scene in front of the school. Blood…speaking of… The scent of the new girl’s blood suddenly hit him like a freight train and Alice caught his arm before he sent himself reeling back several yards to get away.

Concentrate on what’s happening, not what you smell, Alice advised from her thoughts. Suddenly, the boy lunged from the ground and Edward stepped smoothly forward, catching his fist before it collided with the girl’s face. “Stop.” Edward warned, giving a dark look to the boy, who immediately began to size him up. Tightening his grip on the human boy’s, the boy shrank back.

“Who the hell are you?” demanded a voice from behind him. “Back the hell off.” It was the girl. Edward groaned in his mind as the intoxicating scent surrounded him, and he fixed her with a stern look as the thuggish boy ran away.

“It’s not becoming-” he began.

“It’s very rude to break up a fight you have no place in,” she interrupted, blazing blue eyes searing into his. They were a vivid, bright blue. “Then trying to lecture me about it. I don’t care who you are or what you’re made of. If you step into one of my fights in the future, it’s you that I’ll tear to shreds.” She stormed off without another word, swinging her leg over a black motorcycle and riding off without a helmet.

Emmett smirked, having been one of the now dissipating group of watchers. “Nice job, Edward.” He snickered. “You really love saving danger-magnetic damsels in distress!”

Edward groaned. “Someone please shoot me.”

*a week later*

Allison was in Port Angeles, in an alleyway with the same thug that had tried to give her a beat-down at school. Except this time, the loser brought backup. Alli smashed the first guy coming at her in the face with her elbow, kicking him in the stomach and swinging a roundhouse kick behind her to catch the other lackey off-guard. She smashed his face in with a few right hooks, straining her ears of the original idiot that she’d embarrassed before. Where the hell was he?

The answer came with a crushing blow to her side, a nasty, victorious grin on his ugly face, brandishing a wooden rod in the air. Kicking her leg out, she tripped him and he dropped the stick. She started to stand, but he pulled her down by the ankle. Alli couldn’t break her fall and fell on her back, hitting her head on the cement. Blinking rapidly, she tried to clear the spots from her vision. Her assailant didn’t help her much as he began to throttle her.

She wasn’t in a good position to punch, so she scratched at his face and neck with her nails as she kicked weakly but repeatedly between his legs. He bellowed in pain and backhanded her before standing and kicking her in the ribs. Alli gasped in pain, but curled up into a ball and took another couple of blows to the side- long enough for her to restore her vision.

Unfortunately, she had also taken enough kicks to her legs by now that she couldn’t trip him again. He raised another object, a metal rod this time, and she braced himself for the impact. The sharp end did come flying at her head, but impaled a hole deep inside the brick wall behind her, sinking halfway into it.

O.O Her eyes bugged out. This creep may have caught her off-guard enough to bruise her, but he was not strong enough to hammer a stick of metal into stone.

Glancing up, Alli saw the bronze-y haired boy from school that had broken her fight up a week before. She was secretly grateful for him this time though, with the creep now pinned by his neck against the opposite brick wall several feet above the ground. Then, her pride kicked in and she stood up, masking the pain in her side and lower body as she tried to make out the words Nosy Bronze Dude was saying lowly to the rogue, whose face was turning rapidly purple from being choked.

Nosy Bronze Boy dropped him, and he scrambled away without looking back. Alli tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around. His eyes were black, though she could swear that they were ochre the last time she saw him…they were sexier black…

Nosy Boy smirked, as if he knew something about her that she didn’t. Alli glared, pointing a finger just under his nose because that was about as high as she could reach with her arm hurting. “What did I tell you?”

Bronzey smart-assed, “I have a feeling that you are just about to tell me.” Alli glared.

“I said, and I quote-”

“-you really plan to quote yourself word for word, don’t you?” he rudely interrupted with a corner of his lips turned up sexily .

“I don’t care who you are or what you’re made of. If you step into one of my fights in the future, it’s you that I’ll tear to shreds,” Alli quoted in perfect recitation.

“Good memory,” he commented, a smirk present on his face, begging her to slap off. So she did, or rather, tried.

CRACK! “Fuck!” she hissed. “You broke my hand!” Edward tried- and failed –to contain his laughter. Alli was in disbelief. “You break my hand, and you laugh?!”

Edward finished his chuckling and stopped. “I’m sorry, I should have warned you that, er, that might happen. I should have introduced myself- my name is Edward-”

“-lovely. Now please just leave. Me. Alone! She stalked angrily to her bike, wondering where the nearest place was to get a bandage to wrap her hand. It was going to be hell to ride back with a break or fracture.

“Wait,” Edward called, following after her. “At least let me take you back to Forks. My father is a doctor and he can bandage your hand, since the hospital is closed to minor injuries at this time of night…”

Alli sighed and leaned against her bike. The last time she had wrapped her broken hand incorrectly, she had hurt it, started throwing things and messed it up even further, also managing to set her kitchen on fire. “Fine,” she sighed. “What should I do with my-” she stared as Edward lifted her bike and loaded it into a jeep. Alli blinded rapidly, trying to rid herself of the hallucination that Bronzey/Edward had just lifted her 424-pound 2001 Suzuki GS500E into a jeep without straining a single muscle. With one arm.

“I didn’t get your name.” Edward’s smooth voice broke her from her thoughts and she looked over to see him holding the passenger door open. It was strange to see him perform such a gentlemanly task, though she supposed that in his own twisted way, breaking up her fights may have been his interpretation of saving her soul/femininity.

“It’s Alli.” She accepted his hand with her good hand, to step into the high seat. His hand was cold, but everything in Washington was. Hell, she was. She decided to be nicer to him now that she understood his saving-her-soul complex. Honestly though, pride aside, she was well-aware that he had also saved her from a concussion just now and that it was her fault that she broke her hand. Did he have a face surgery to put steel plates in his face?

Somewhere in her subconscious mind, Alli noticed Edward start the car and begin to drive. If she were completely honest with herself, she would admit that Edward Cullen was as handsome and attractive as the Forks High girls squealed about and insisted. However, her second brain was a filthy liar and so she convinced herself that the momentary attraction she felt when touching his hand was a side-effect of spending too much time around the bird-brained females of Forks High. Turning her face to watch the scenery pass, Alli slowly relaxed and allowed the cool air to wipe the blush from her cheeks.

Edward looked at the young woman sitting by his side. Several strands of dark hair had fallen over her eyes and the smooth curve of her cheek where it had escaped her high ponytail, and his hand ached to brush it aside. A small smile played on his lips at her secret thoughts of him. Staring deeply at her and gathering what he could of her thoughts, he tried to analyze it collectively. After several long minutes, he realized that she was lonely- and in reality, completely alone. Alli knew no other way to release her emotions outside of aggression, nor did she feel safe if anyone thought of her otherwise.

Oddly enough, understanding her put him at ease. The wind blew strongly around them, surrounding him with her scent, strong and beautiful. He had begun to enjoy its fragrance, appreciating it rather than feeling the urge to fall into a bloodlust because of its appeal. It suited her, slightly sweet but overtaken by a strong spice. Alli held an unconventional type of beauty, cut with an athletic build with slight curves concealed beneath her form-fitting black clothes. Her hair was parted in the center with long layers, pulled away from her face to prevent it from obscuring her vision in fights. Her desires were fairly simple, wanting to go to college to discover what was most interesting in life until it was over. Edward frowned- not at the revelation that he had been eavesdropping on her thoughts all week, but that Alli found no particular joys in life. She felt no desire to end it, but neither did she feel a need to continue living it.

“What are you thinking?” Alli unbuckled her seatbelt with her unbroken left hand, watching him. They were parked in front of the large Cullen house. “You seem deep in thought."

“It was nothing in particular,” he answered smoothly, though he knew that she did not believe him. Alli shrugged, unconvinced but also knowing that it was none of her business. Sticking her nose into places they didn’t belong usually got her into trouble- which she managed to do just fine without being nosy to begin with. She hopped out of the car and followed Edward to the front of his house, then upstairs where his father, Dr. Cullen, expertly bandaged her hand without screaming or setting anything on fire. His younger sister, Alice, twirled into the room not long after they had, and officially introduced herself.

Alli was doubtful when Alice informed her with no uncertainty that they would be great friends. That, however, changed the second the shorter girl mentioned shopping. They ended up talking for hours about the newest trends and their favorite designers, and made plans to go shopping at multiple locations. Alli always wore the same types of clothes- skinny jeans, leggings, black tanks and tee shirts, but she still loved designer brands and (the newest!) leather jackets. She found herself immersed in the newer denim jacket trend as well, though of course, she only bought black ones. Alice insisted that she was going to buy a dark blue one on Saturday, though Alli was confused as to how she could be so sure.

It was very dark out, at 4 a.m., but Alli stood to leave. “It was really fun to meet you- I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” Alice had her cell and would say more about their shopping plans later.

“You can’t! It’s late out and it’s dark,” Alice protested in her wind-chime-like voice.

“Yes, I can,” Alli answered back in a sing-song voice to mock her new friend. “Bye…” She breezed to the front door to see Edward standing in her way. She sighed and took a deep breath. “Thanks.” It really was the first time she’d ever said it. Alli wasn’t the type to accept any favors, so she really had nothing to be grateful to others for.

Edward raised an eyebrow at her sudden change in attitude. “For saving me- I was caught off-guard. And for letting me break my hand on you, I guess, because I got to meet your sister and she’s awesome. Bye!” She tried- and failed- to pass him. Alli sighed. “Must I have manners again and say ‘excuse me’?”

He gave her something between a smirk and a smile. “You can’t ride home bruised and with a broken wrist. I’ll drive you home tomorrow. You can stay in my room tonight.”

Alli raised her eyebrows at him. “That is one of the lamest pickup lines I’ve ever heard- and your dad’s upstairs.” Edward groaned. Emmett was right- he did always pursue danger-magnetic damsels in distress. Except in this instance, she was the one causing him very high levels of distress. And if Alice had anything to say about it, it would not be ending for a very long time…