sparks fly~ paul lahote

ⅱ. loneliness and isabella swan

Monday evening came and Diana was left alone. She had spent the majority of the day, befriending Bella and fighting her thirst for the girl, so it was time to relax. Edward had offered that she stay at the Cullen household, and she would for the first few nights, but just until she had gathered the courage to visit her own house.

The one she had built with him. It wasn't far from the Cullens' house, actually, but it was smaller and more like a cabin. She had been wanting to visit it for years, but she had never had enough courage to do so. It wouldn't be easy to live there without him.

So, since she was staying for a few nights, she began to wander through the Cullen household. There was hardly any furniture left behind. The bedrooms were completely bare, and the library was empty. The house was cold and empty, and Diana was suddenly sad.

She wondered what it would've been like to live here and be a part of the family. She had met Carlisle, long ago, and Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett. But she didn't spend enough time with them to meet Alice and Jasper.

No one was mean, or unwelcoming, they just weren't family. Diana often thought that the only reason they had accepted her in the first place, was because Edward was her brother. They were kind, just not... her kind.

Diana had to learn on her own, how to feed on animals, she'd had a harder time than anyone when it came to the transition, and of course, Carlisle tried to help, but she rebelled against everything her new life brought her.

Yes, she felt awful and she hated killing people. But, in those days, all by herself, she hadn't known there was another way. She had fought her instincts to the best of her abilities, but that had almost killed her. She had started the slow journey to healing but tragedy struck and sent her back into wreckage.

After losing her mate, Diana hated everything that became of her. She had lost her way, so drastically at one point, that she had turned to the Volturi. That had to be her second biggest regret. Aro adored Diana's gift so much, that he had tried to stop her from leaving. Diana shuddered as she remembered Felix's arms around her, restraining her.

She had burned down their little throne room, for that.

Diana chuckled, remembering her old ways. She started so many forest fires... never without gain. It was her... ruse, you could say. Hikers get trapped in a deadly forest fire and they're expected to never be seen again, easy meals without having to leave behind a body, never leaving behind an explanation.

Things were easier but bloodier and full of guilt. At the thought of blood, Diana got up from her seat on the couch and moved about the kitchen, pretending that there was so much for her to do. So much dusting and cleaning and rearranging. She didn't take a seat for the rest of the night.

⎿✶⏋

Diana had made sure to get into as many of Bella's classes as she could, so they talked quite a bit. When Thursday came, they were well acquainted.

The girls left art class a few minutes late, walking side by side to Diana's locker, "So, you like art," Bella shrugged, flipping through her friend's sketchbook. There was one page in particular, of a beautiful wolf with a forestry backdrop. The wolf was snarling and had there been no emphasis on the moon or the swirling eyes of the wolf, he would look quite terrifying.

Bella had felt closer to Diana than she had ever felt towards her other school friends. Had anyone asked Bella why she hung out with Diana, her answer would've been, "She looks like him... she looks and sounds and is, so much like him" and that was the truth. Bella picked up on lots of different things that reminded her of Edward.

For example, Diana and Edward not only shared similar hair color, and facial structure, but their body language was also strangely unique to the two of them. They moved gracefully, confidently, but hesitantly like they were holding something back. They also had the same color-changing eyes, Diana's were a striking gold color today, but they were a deep honey color just yesterday.

Bella knew Edward was a vampire, and she almost thought Diana might be too. But, she was so warm, and her skin was pale but not pale like a vampire's, and she didn't sparkle in the sunlight either, so Bella concluded that Diana was not, could not, be a vampire... but there was still a sliver of curiosity. Diana couldn't really just be a human, right?

"I like to draw landscapes; the trees and the sky, the stars and the moon. I didn't even think of it as being art, it's just what I do to pass the time," Diana said, shrugging.

"Well, you're incredible," Bella sighed, handing Diana's book back to her, "Any other secret talents I don't know about?"

Diana chuckled, "Oh, you have no idea."

She opened her locker and shoved a couple of books inside, when she pulled one off the top of the pile though, a necklace slipped out of its pages. Bella picked it up and turned it over in her hands.

It was a small golden heart, and it looked old too, she noticed. Bella handed it back to Diana, "It's really beautiful, was it a gift?"

"Uhm, yeah, yeah it was," Diana said. She took a second to study the thing. It used to mean so much to her... the necklace still meant the world to her, but the person who gave it to her? Well, they were fading from her memory. And she hated it. Diana tossed it back into her locker and slammed the door on it. Bella didn't say anything, and that had to be why Diana continued to hang out with her, aside from her duty to her brother she admired that Bella wasn't nosy. She cared, but not just because.

The girls silently made their way to the lunchroom. Neither one bugging the other about what every little thing they did meant. Just enjoying the fact that they had someone who would stand by them... someone who would walk with them.

The girls got to the Cullens' old table, placed their things at their seats, then made their way to the salad bar. Diana grabbed a carton of carrots and celery while Bella made an actual salad. After sitting back down, Bella noticed how little Diana had gotten. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Diana had never gotten a full tray of food, and she'd never even finished what little she did get.

"You don't really eat much, do you?" she asked. Something in her mind stirred when Diana replied.

"I'm on a diet."

Bella couldn't understand why that sent off red flags to her, Diana had been nothing but kind. And there was absolutely no way she could be a vampire. Still, something was off, and Bella was determined to find out what.