Beneath the book cover, I've posted Chapter One for you.
You will also find a way to download a PDF of Evening Star at the bottom of this page. If it doesn't work, e-mail me at CassandraMLowery@gmail.com, and I'll e-mail you either a PDF formatted for your computer or a PDF formatted for Kindle and other e-readers. Just let me know which one you would like.
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| Book Cover by KimmieDee
Disclaimer: All
characters, settings, plot, etc., are the property of Stephenie Meyer and any
other respective owner; I only stroll through her world and play here and there
with the results of her brilliance. The original plot line, settings, etc., of Evening
Star are the property of the author. The author is not associated with the
owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise in any way. No copyright
infringement is intended, only bows of humble obeisance to Stephenie Meyer for
her sheer genius.
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Evening Star
Fan Fiction
by Cassandra Lowery
Chapter
One: The Prom
I held Bella on my lap, her head laid
trustingly against my shoulder. The music from the prom sounded behind us,
reminding me of why we were here, why I had insisted on taking Bella to this
dance, knowing how much she would resist. Alice had been right: she never would
have come if she had known about the prom beforehand. I gathered her to me more
tightly as twilight morphed into night, a clear night—an unusual sight in
Forks, with its constant cloud cover. As we sat under the madrone trees, not
needing to speak, the stars slowly appeared, one by one, spreading across the
sky in the beautiful patterns of their ancient myths. We watched, spellbound,
by the majestic light show of a perfect, starry night, the evening stars
seeming to wink at us personally. I
could have stayed there, Bella curled in my lap, for eternity.
But soon I could hear couples slipping
from the gym, looking for the privacy that we had sought, thus disturbing
ours. A familiar giggle almost made me
turn my head to glance over my shoulder, but I resisted the impulse to see what
Jessica and Mike were up to as she led him toward another grouping of madrone
trees.
Bella also noticed that we were no
longer alone. Reluctantly she shifted in my arms, pulling her heavy plaster
cast awkwardly over my leg and setting both feet on the grass. I heard her sigh
softly, as if she, too, were loathe to let this moment go. But both Mike's and
Jessica's thoughts and intentions were quite clear...and more than a little
distracting. Rather than let her see what Mike and Jessica were doing in their
semi-private area from which emanated the distinct sounds of lips moving
together frantically and the crush of
Jessica's silky dress against Mike's tux, I rose to my feet and, wrapping my
arm firmly around Bella's waist to help her to her feet, started to lead her
back to the gym. But as we stood, Bella's poor sense of balance, more of a
problem than usual because of the cast on her leg as well as our long time
sitting still, caused her to stumble forward. I immediately caught her, both my
arms around her waist as she collided with my chest. She quickly took advantage
of the situation, wrapped her arms around
my neck, raising her face to mine in the starlight. Every thought of Mike and
Jessica behind us disappeared as she smiled at me slyly, her chocolate eyes
warm and melting.
“You did that on purpose,” I accused
softly, holding her even more closely against the pleated front of my tux.
Bella said nothing. She smiled up at
me a little flirtatiously, and I found myself staring at her full lips. A
hunger grew in me … not mere thirst at her incredible scent which still burned
my throat with each breath I took … but the hunger to kiss Bella and never,
never stop. As our eyes looked deeply into the others', I heard her breathing
accelerate and her heart begin to race. I had to be so careful with her...so
careful. Her human system reacted so strongly to my presence that I couldn't
help feeling a slight chill run down my spine...a chill of fear. She was so
delicate, so easily broken. I could kill her if I lost control for a
split-second.
I could never lose control with her.
And it was so difficult as Bella
constantly undermined that self-control. Here she was, smiling up at me, her
eyes deep pools, inviting the kiss that I wanted to give her so badly. And how
I wanted to kiss her, to crush her against me and kiss her as passionately as I
could.
If I did, she would die. It was truly
that simple.
All these thoughts flew through my
mind in the split-second before Bella had twined her arms fully around my neck.
She leaned into me, reading my hesitation, knowing well the reason for it. I
could feel the indecision on my own face. And then I felt it fade as I bent my
head and carefully, gently, touched my lips to hers. Her mouth was so soft, so
warm, her breath so sweet. Her warmth permeated her delicate dress and my thin
tuxedo shirt until I felt warm all through, as if I were a human man and not
icy stone.
And then Bella pulled herself even
closer, her heart pounding unevenly in a way that I should be used to by now
but which still concerned me. Reluctantly I loosened my embrace and reached
behind my neck to pull her arms away, stepping backward and breaking the kiss
at the same time.
She wasn't the only one who was
breathing more roughly than normal.
Taking a deep breath that burned my
throat despite my hunting only last night, I forced myself to laugh gently at
her pout, trying not to think of how close she came, each time we kissed, to
the possibility of death. My mere existence put her at risk each and every day,
much less allowing her to get so close to me, undermining what little
self-control I had. I wanted her so badly, but it was not at all possible. I
was not a human male, even if Bella made me feel more human than I had ever
thought possible....
I reached a finger toward her, smiling
down at her as I traced her pouting lips with the barest touch of my index
finger. She stopped breathing. Immediately I dropped my hand to my side to find
hers; relief flooded through me as she took a deep, steadying breath and gave
me a weak smile.
“Shall we return to the dance?” I
asked, tucking her hand into the crook of my elbow in the fashion of a century
ago.
Bella wrinkled her nose at the
thought, then nodded. As we turned to walk back to the gym, I felt Mike's eyes
on us and felt his flare of anger. I had not noticed that while my thoughts
were consumed with Bella—her lips, her warmth, my waning control—Mike had been
watching us over Jessica's shoulder. I had hoped that now that Mike and Jessica
were together, he would let go of his obsession with Bella. And he did … most
of the time. But upon occasion—and this was one of them—he betrayed his thoughts
all too clearly. I had to admit that I couldn't blame him tonight: Bella looked
incredibly beautiful. As I helped to support her as she limped along with her
cast, I looked down in admiration at Bella's slender figure wrapped in the
gorgeous blue dress—French in design—that Alice had provided for her, her
un-casted calf shapely with the height of her stiletto heel. As we walked, she
seemed to sense my stare and glanced up at me shyly, my favorite blush coloring
her delicate cheekbones a deep rose, almost causing the few freckles across her
nose to disappear entirely. Her lips parted slightly as she drew in a deep
breath, her eyes searching mine.
“What?” she hissed at me.
I couldn't resist making her blush
even more deeply … even if I had to reign my control in tighter than ever … not
the self-control of physical attraction but the control of the outlandishly
provocative scent of her blood.
“You are undoubtedly the most
beautiful girl in this room,” I told her as I lifted her slightly over the
threshold of the gym doorway and we entered the thronging prom crowd. My stare
was more than admiring; it was captivated. And she knew it.
She snorted indelicately, and I
laughed, swinging her into my arms and lifting her so that her feet were atop
mine. Once again, we swirled with the music, and her eyes were alight with
enjoyment.
“I told you it was all in the
leading,” I teased.
Pulling herself closer to me, she
laughed softly. “I admit it...you were right.” She frowned slightly. “You're
always right.”
I smiled down at her. “But of course,”
I whispered. She fisted her small hand and struck at my shoulder in mock anger.
“Be careful,” I warned her, laughing, “you could break more bones....”
She nodded in agreement. “You're
right.” She groaned softly. “Again.”
I laughed again and whirled her
expertly through the crowded dance floor. We didn't speak for a little while.
She seemed to be intent on enjoying her prom despite her vociferous objections,
and I was thrilled to see her gaining another human experience, another human
memory. This prom was a rite of passage for humans, and I wanted her to enjoy
her human life. And I was happy to be part of her life, part of every part of
her life—despite the unavoidable danger my presence put her in, directly or
indirectly.
We twirled past Alice and Jasper who
were dancing beautifully together. Bella threw them a smile over my shoulder,
but I froze so suddenly that she almost fell. Only my arm flying round her
waist to steady her kept her from falling flat.
“What is it?” she asked anxiously, her
eyes scanning mine.
“Nothing,” I murmured, starting to
dance again. But as I turned Bella expertly to the beat of the music, I glared
daggers at Jasper, and he knew why. He had caught Bella's scent and had allowed
his imagination full rein. It was bad enough, dealing with the often admiring
and sometimes impure thoughts the human males directed toward Bella—hardly a
boy here had failed to note how unbearably beautiful she was this evening—but
thirsting for her blood in the middle of the dance floor? It was too much for
anyone to bear without objection.
Besides that, it simply wasn't safe.
Jasper's control was poor. I had
worried incessantly about her safety with Jasper while we tracked James weeks
ago. I couldn't call her on my cell to check in because James would have heard
us, so while the vast majority of my mind was devoted to the capture—the failed
capture—of James across the wilds of Canada, part of my mind was imagining
horrors untold of Bella's close proximity and sweet scent causing Jasper to
lose control, his injuring or killing her. I had tortured myself, imagining her
death over and over. Or worse than her death: her transformation into an
immortal being, a monster without a soul, without a hope for heaven. My imagination
had run wild constantly, and fear had gripped me so thoroughly that I had found
concentrating on the pursuit of James difficult. And then to finally arrive in
Phoenix and discover her missing.... Swallowing hard, I pushed the thoughts
from my mind and attempted to smile down at Bella's confused expression.
“Sorry, Edward,” Jasper thought
towards me. “It just...caught me unawares. I wasn't expecting it.” I lifted my
eyes from Bella's and gave him a hard glance, then deliberately danced away
from Jasper and Alice, putting half the gym floor between us in only a few
seconds. Over Bella's shoulder I saw Alice with both hands on Jasper's face,
trying to soothe him, and Jasper's unhappy expression gave me a stab of guilt.
Just a small stab, though. Bella's safety was of the utmost importance. It was
my job to protect her now...from danger, from her own attraction to that
danger, from her regrettable bad luck, from Jasper, and...yes, even from
myself.
“Edward?” Bella whispered.
With great effort, I managed to smile
down at her, watching the crease across her forehead relax, seeing the worried
light fade from her eyes which again became warm and inviting. And lovely. I could lose myself in their brown
depths...and did, completely and absolutely. We continued to dance, her feet on
mine, her arms wrapped around my neck and mine around her waist, and time
seemed to melt away as we lost ourselves in each others' gaze....
Enjoy!!!!
--Cassandra :)
