Chapter Text
Story twilight
Everything was going exactly as planned.
Just like Ericka and Clarissa had seen.
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Ericka walked toward Bella, noticing her studying the chains wrapped around her tires.
“Good morning, Bella,” she said with an easy smile.
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Bella barely had time to respond.
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A high-pitched screech tore through the parking lot.
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Both girls turned at the same time.
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A blue van was skidding wildly across the ice—tires locked, spinning out of control.
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It was heading straight for them.
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Across the lot, Edward Cullen stood frozen in horror.
So were Alice. Jasper.
Nathan.
Lina.
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Everything slowed.
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The van spun—
Closer.
Closer—
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Ericka moved first.
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Bella didn’t even see her move.
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Something slammed into her—hard.
A hand cradled the back of her head just before it hit the icy blacktop.
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The world cracked into sound.
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Metal groaned.
Glass burst.
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And then—
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Impact.
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Ericka felt it.
A cold, solid force colliding into her side—
Edward.
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Without thinking, both of them moved.
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Hands out.
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The van shuddered—
Then stopped.
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For a single second—
Everything held.
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Ericka adjusted Bella’s legs, shifting them just enough—
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The van slammed down exactly where they had been.
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Silence.
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Then screaming.
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“Bella? Ericka? Are you alright?!”
Edward’s voice cut through the chaos—low, frantic.
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“I’m fine,” Bella said, though her voice sounded distant, wrong.
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She tried to sit up—
But realized Ericka was holding her tightly against her side.
An iron grip.
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“I’m okay,” Ericka added, her voice rough.
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Edward glanced at her hand.
“Be careful. I think you hurt it—protecting her head.”
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Bella winced.
“Ow…”
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“That’s what I thought,” Edward said, almost sounding like he was trying not to laugh.
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Bella blinked, trying to focus.
“What… how did you—”
She looked between them.
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“How did you get over here so fast? And how did you move me like that?”
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Ericka inwardly groaned.
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Edward answered quickly.
“I was standing right next to you.”
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“No,” Bella said, her jaw tightening.
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Edward’s voice dropped, urgent now.
“Bella, please. Just trust me.”
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Sirens echoed in the distance.
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Bella looked between them again.
Confused.
Frustrated.
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“Will you both explain this to me later?” she demanded.
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A beat.
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“Fine.”
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Both Ericka and Edward answered at the same time.
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Teachers and EMTs rushed in, shouting over each other.
“Don’t move them!”
“Get Tyler out of the van!”
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“No!” Ericka snapped sharply.
“Don’t touch him—call the ambulance!”
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Her tone cut through everything.
No one argued.
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Bella was fitted with a neck brace despite her protests.
Edward refused a stretcher outright.
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Ericka just accepted a check, ignoring the pain in her hand.
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As Bella was loaded into the ambulance, Ericka glanced back once.
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At the van.
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At the dent.
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At Edward.
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And for a split second—
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Something passed between them.
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Not surprise.
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Recognition.
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This wasn’t supposed to be just him.
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And now—
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It wasn’t.
Bella didn’t understand how Edward got there.
She didn’t understand how Ericka moved like that.
But what unsettled her most—
was the feeling that neither of them had acted by accident.
Like this moment…
had already happened before.