WHAT!
Chapter 1: Winner
In seconds I was standing in the living room, as was every body else, staring open mouthed at the screen. Sure enough, there she was. Bella. Walking out onto that brightly lit stage with the crowd cheering. Her smile was shy but friendly, and she had a guitar in one hand. I could see she had a little make up on, not much, but more than she used to wear for certain, and she was wearing her own jeans and the blue blouse that always looked so wonderful on her. None of us could make a sound. I could feel eyes on me, but I ignored them, focused on the image on the screen.
Bella sat down on a high stool in center stage and propped her guitar
up on her knee, gently adjusting the microphone in front of her.
“I wrote this song for my best friend,” she said, her sweet voice
sounding clear as crystal through the speakers. “I hope you like
it.”
The crowd applauded, and several people screamed. She smiled and
focused on her instrument. They fell silent as she found the chord
she needed, and began to play. A little string quartet played along
with her for a few bars. Then, she sang.
“You've helped heal these wounds during the past few months, oh oh
And I can't thank you enough,
Always put a smile on my face, made sure that I was always better than ok,
Always wanted you to stay, please stay.”
A drum kicked in with the beat as the chorus started, drowning out the strings, though they remained, and the amplification of Bella’s guitar rose so it could be heard.
“I hear his voice in my head,
Distracts me from what you just said,
The memories are going dead,
From my consciousness.
Danger brings him close,
And when the memories fade I need a stronger dosage,
Now both of our promises are broken.”
In the next instrumental, a piano added to the mix of instruments, playing a very familiar melody. Before I could work out what it was, she was singing again.
“You're my personal sun when my mind blows a fuse,
And I sincerely hope that I’m not using you,
You mean a lot you do,
Thank you,
And even though I am really missing him,
You calm the pain, I feel your outer warmth within,
Is my life a living sin,
Surviving on adrenaline?
I hear his voice in my head,
Distracts me from what you just said,
The memories are going dead,
From my consciousness.
Danger brings him close,
And when the memories fade I need a stronger dosage,
Now both of our promises are broken.
They are broken,
This wound on my chest that he left open,
You held it together with your bare hands,
The decision I’ve made,
You will never understand.
Cause the lullaby he hummed in my ear would never,
No the lullaby he hummed in my ear would never,
Could never disappear.”
I knew the melody now, as it played underneath her singing and she sang about it. It was the lullaby I wrote for her almost a year ago. Did she remember it? Did she know it that well, that she could write it down and tell a pianist how to play it? Obviously she did.
“I hear his voice in my head,
Distracts me from what you just said,
The memories are going dead,
From my consciousness.
Danger brings him close,
And when the memories fade I need a stronger dosage,
Now both of our promises,
I hear his voice in my head,
Distracts me from what you just said,
The memories are going dead,
From my consciousness.
Danger brings him close,
And when the memories fade I need a stronger dosage.”
She continued to play to the end of the song, and the crowd roared as the last notes of the guitar faded away. She smiled and waved as the presenter crossed the stage to her. Tiny tears sparkled on her cheeks, but she looked triumphant as she climbed down from her seat and began to talk to the presenter. She seemed so confident, not at all frightened or uncomfortable. The Bella I knew would be blushing bright red by now, but she seemed perfectly happy.
I didn't realise I was being moved until I felt myself pushed down onto the sofa next to Alice. Esme perched on the arm rest beside me, smiling kindly down at me when I looked up.
“I thought you had better sit down. You honestly looked like you
were going to fall.” she said, her eyes soft.
Alice began to rub my shoulder. “I didn't put it on on purpose
Edward; I didn't know she was going to be on the show. I just came
across it when I was channel surfing, and it looked good.”
“It's ok.” I wanted to say, but the link between my brain and my
mouth was obviously faulty, because what came out instead was, “She
remembers.”
“Of course she does.” Esme answered gently.
“Let's give Edward some peace shall we?” Carlisle suggested, and
there was a series of murmured agreements. One by one, my siblings
and the Denalis left the house and vanished into the woods. Only
Alice stayed, sitting beside me on the sofa and resting her hand
comfortingly on my shoulder. Together, we watched the other two
contestants sing a second song each before Bella came back on stage
and gave a rendition of 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' that had the
female judge in tears and the other two utterly speechless. Her voice
was beautiful, ten times better than her fellow finalists, and there
really was no question of who would win. Of course, Alice made sure
to text in her vote for Bella, then took my cell phone out of my
pocket and did the same for me. I didn't care. I was too busy
watching.
Eventually, the presenter got ready to announce the winner. All three acts stood on the stage, the boy in the middle with Bella on his right and the other girl on his left, while the presenter stood above them on the balcony. Despite my certainty that she was the best, I found myself nervous, and desperately hoping she would win.
“Ok, here we go. It's the moment you've all been waiting for, the moment these three performers have been building up to since their first auditions. They've all come a long way, but only one can be named this year's American Idol, and win all our fabulous prizes. I’m being given our results right now, and I can tell you that our third place goes to...”
There was a tense silence, broken only by the ominous background
music; not even the crowd was making a sound.
“Caroline Porter, from Green Bow, Alabama!”
There was a loud cheer, and the girl collapsed to the ground in
floods of tears. Bella and the boy rushed to comfort her, as did the
judges who stood off to one side, and she was escorted gently off
stage. The boy reached out and gripped Bella’s hand tightly, and a
stab of irrational jealousy went through me. She smiled at him
quickly, then returned to worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
“Our condolences to Caroline, didn't she do great everybody?”
Another round of applause. I was beginning to get impatient.
“Well, we're down to our final two; Jack Marsden, from Los Angeles,
California, and Bella Swan, from Forks, Washington. One is our
winner, one is joining Caroline and our other contestants, and going
home empty handed. Ladies and gentlemen, I can tell you that the
winner of American Idol is...”
The crowd were not silent this time. They roared and cheered and
screamed and chanted the name of their favourite at the top of their
voices. Jack smiled and waved, while Bella carried on biting her lip.
Now she looked more like the girl I remembered. All her confidence
had drained away as she faced the chance that she wouldn't win; you
could see how much she wanted it, how much she craved it. We all
waited for the presenter to say the name of the winner.
“Isabella Swan!”
The stadium erupted. The screams of the crowd were deafening as the lights came up in a blazing burst and confetti canons exploded. Scraps of red, white and blue ticker tape rained down on the stage. Bella’s mouth had dropped open in surprise, and she seemed unaware of everyone around her, even as she was embraced by Jack and the judges. The camera swooped up and around the studio to show the crowd on their feet, cheering. Alice leaped up from the couch and began to dance around the living room, shouting, “Yes, yes, yes! I knew it! I couldn't see, but I knew she would do it!”
Slowly, a smile spread across my face as it sunk in that she really
had won. She seemed to realise it too, because she did exactly the
same thing, at exactly the same time.
The presenter caught up to her then, and began to ask her questions. Bella was almost speechless with shock, but she did her best to answer each one. I kind of zoned out, listening to her voice more than her words, and watching her face. Then the presenter asked her something that made Alice, Bella and I all freeze.
“You said early on in the competition that you were just recovering
from a bad break-up. What do you think that guy thinks of you now?”
She seemed to consider her answer for a moment. “I think... if he's
watching... I don't really know. I’d like to think that he is happy
for me, but I don't expect anything else. He made it very clear that
things aren't the same between us, for him at least.”
The presenter nodded, wisely choosing to end his questions there.
“Well, how about you give us one more song to finish, huh? Do you
think you're up to that?”
Bella smiled widely and nodded. “Sure, one more song can't hurt.”
Bella smiled widely and nodded. “Sure, one more song can't hurt.”
“Alright! Ladies and gentlemen, your American Idol, Bella Swan!”
The crowd cheered again as everyone except Bella and the musicians left the stage. She whispered in the ear of the guitarist and he nodded. Then she grabbed the microphone next to him and came to the middle of the stage.
“This song is for my ex-boyfriend. If he is listening, I want him
to know that I mean every single word.”
I expected her to sing a typical break-up song, something telling me that she didn't care any more, and she wouldn't take me back if I begged her. But, as usual, she surprised me.
“A chair is still a chair,
Even when there's no one sitting there.
But a chair is not a house,
And a house is not a home,
When there's no one there,
To hold you tight,
And no one there,
You can kiss goodnight.
A room is still a room,
Even when there's nothing there but gloom.
But a room is not a house,
And a house is not a home,
When the two of us are far apart,
And one of us,
Has a broken heart.
Now and then, I call your name,
And suddenly your face appears.
But it's just a crazy game,
And when it ends,
It ends in tears.
So darling, have a heart,
Don't let one mistake keep us apart.
Well, I’m not meant to live alone,
Turn this house into a home.
When I climb the stair and turn my key,
Oh please be there,
Still in love,
With me.”
The program ended, and Alice turned off the TV. Silence engulfed us for a moment. Then I stood up.
“Edward?”
I didn't speak. I just decided.
Alice smiled. “I knew you'd come around eventually. She'll be at
the Marriott hotel in LA until Friday. Take Carlisle’s care, I’ll
let him know you have it. Go; she's waiting for you.”
I grinned at her, my first proper smile in months. “Thanks little
sister.”
She rolled her eyes and began shoving me towards the door. I didn't
need telling twice.
I had only one thought as I started the engine of Carlisle’s
Mercedes and began tearing down the highway towards the Canadian
border.
Time to get my Bella back.
