Beneath this Sky by Bedelia
Reported by April Salter/Fryegirl
I'm not a very gushy person, but when I read greatness, I want everyone I know to have that same experience. This fic, gahhh, I have no words.
Author envy; that's what I have.
From the prologue to the very last sentence, this tale is engrossing, imaginative and intricate. You'll spend the first ¾ of it collecting all the puzzle pieces and making guesses over what the final image could possibly be. And let me tell you, it's better than all your guesses.
I know the usual way to interest someone in a fic they've never read is to give them an awesome synopsis, but I can't do that. You need to not know what you're getting into because uncovering it on your own is one of the most amazing aspects.
I can give you some mind-easing basics, though. It is ExB HEA. They're both human, along with one of the best Jessicas ever. The rest of the crew are vamps, and the wolves also have a part to play. Some might call it post-apocalyptic, but it's set in current time (for when it was written) with an altered past.
If you can handle a plot that always has you wondering what's next, writing on the level of pattyrose (and I do not say that lightly), possible tears and chills racing across your skin, then please, go read this story now! How this fic isn't a “classic” already is beyond me. And, please, review, review, review!
I'm going to leave you with a scene. This one stands out to me. It showcases the author’s effortless style and awesome dialogue, without giving anything away.
"How long is your break?" he asked.
Glancing at her watch, she frowned. "I have about ten more minutes."
"Would you like to take a walk?"
"With you? Um, I don't know."
"Just a quick one. Around the block, maybe. We'll be back before you know it."
Something foreign tingled over her scalp and trickled down her spine. Suddenly, she felt light and airy. A laugh sneaked through her lips, though she couldn't say what was so funny. Everything was right in the world. The alley was charming. Broken glass may as well have been gemstones, given the way it glimmered. The shadows lurking in corners were cozy. A walk sounded like the best idea ever. She couldn't sit still―couldn't contain the euphoria that pulsed through her like an orgasm.
Why wasn't it wise or safe or whatever to take a walk in the middle of the night with a strange vampire? She couldn't remember, not with all of that lovely darkness begging to be explored. Maybe Jake would be upset, but she could make him understand, couldn't she? If he saw everything through new eyes, the way she did, he would walk with them and they would be friends. He probably wouldn't even care that Jasper was a vampire.
Jasper extended a hand―such a nice hand. It was pretty, like the rest of him, like everything in the world. Before Bella could take it and tether her floating body to the earth, the hinges of the door let out another groan.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Oh, it was Emmett. A different Emmett, though. Bella's Emmett never spoke in that voice―so hard and rough. It was like listening to a freight train try to form words. The pretty hand vanished as a body slammed against the wall of the bar. Emmett pushed a thick arm against Jasper's throat until red dust scattered onto the ground: crumbled bits of the bricks at Jasper's back.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Emmett asked again, this time in a whisper.
Jasper's eyes went wide, as if he was just waking up. With that, Bella's good mood popped like a soap bubble.
What had he done to her? More importantly, if Emmett hadn't shown up, what would he have done to her? Jasper's gaze flitted to Bella as anger seeped in and set her trembling. No. No. How dare he? She wasn't going to end up as some vampire's midnight snack.
Maybe Emmett would let her borrow his hand so she could punch said vampire without hurting herself.
"It wasn't planned," Jasper said, "if that counts for anything."
Emmett growled. "It really doesn't."
Jasper's mouth moved in the same way Garrett's had on the day the visitors showed up. All Bella heard was a low whoosh that went up at the end like a question, but it made Emmett press harder.
"Yeah, and Rose does too, and you know it," Emmett said.
"I do. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Instead of shoving him back inside, like Bella expected, Emmett escorted Jasper to the end of the alley. Just before Jasper ran into the street, Bella thought she heard Emmett say something about Raiders.
"Look," Emmett said as he walked back to her side, fiddling with the strap of his eye patch, "you should probably stay away from him as much as you can. He's kind of dangerous, and―shit. That just makes him sound more appealing, doesn't it? I know I probably seem paranoid and over-protective, but I don't want to see you get hurt."
Glancing at her watch, she frowned. "I have about ten more minutes."
"Would you like to take a walk?"
"With you? Um, I don't know."
"Just a quick one. Around the block, maybe. We'll be back before you know it."
Something foreign tingled over her scalp and trickled down her spine. Suddenly, she felt light and airy. A laugh sneaked through her lips, though she couldn't say what was so funny. Everything was right in the world. The alley was charming. Broken glass may as well have been gemstones, given the way it glimmered. The shadows lurking in corners were cozy. A walk sounded like the best idea ever. She couldn't sit still―couldn't contain the euphoria that pulsed through her like an orgasm.
Why wasn't it wise or safe or whatever to take a walk in the middle of the night with a strange vampire? She couldn't remember, not with all of that lovely darkness begging to be explored. Maybe Jake would be upset, but she could make him understand, couldn't she? If he saw everything through new eyes, the way she did, he would walk with them and they would be friends. He probably wouldn't even care that Jasper was a vampire.
Jasper extended a hand―such a nice hand. It was pretty, like the rest of him, like everything in the world. Before Bella could take it and tether her floating body to the earth, the hinges of the door let out another groan.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Oh, it was Emmett. A different Emmett, though. Bella's Emmett never spoke in that voice―so hard and rough. It was like listening to a freight train try to form words. The pretty hand vanished as a body slammed against the wall of the bar. Emmett pushed a thick arm against Jasper's throat until red dust scattered onto the ground: crumbled bits of the bricks at Jasper's back.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Emmett asked again, this time in a whisper.
Jasper's eyes went wide, as if he was just waking up. With that, Bella's good mood popped like a soap bubble.
What had he done to her? More importantly, if Emmett hadn't shown up, what would he have done to her? Jasper's gaze flitted to Bella as anger seeped in and set her trembling. No. No. How dare he? She wasn't going to end up as some vampire's midnight snack.
Maybe Emmett would let her borrow his hand so she could punch said vampire without hurting herself.
"It wasn't planned," Jasper said, "if that counts for anything."
Emmett growled. "It really doesn't."
Jasper's mouth moved in the same way Garrett's had on the day the visitors showed up. All Bella heard was a low whoosh that went up at the end like a question, but it made Emmett press harder.
"Yeah, and Rose does too, and you know it," Emmett said.
"I do. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Instead of shoving him back inside, like Bella expected, Emmett escorted Jasper to the end of the alley. Just before Jasper ran into the street, Bella thought she heard Emmett say something about Raiders.
"Look," Emmett said as he walked back to her side, fiddling with the strap of his eye patch, "you should probably stay away from him as much as you can. He's kind of dangerous, and―shit. That just makes him sound more appealing, doesn't it? I know I probably seem paranoid and over-protective, but I don't want to see you get hurt."
The story is told in third person, focusing on Bella. My advice. Don’t let that aspect carry any weight when you’re trying to piece it all together or come up with possible scenarios. Open your mind to all the possibilities!
Awesome side note for readers who like couples aside from ExB, she has other stories that I can't imagine being anything other than amazing. Some people just have it, and this girl does.
Run, Read, Review,
Fyre
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8396816/1/Beneath-this-Sky
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments ...