Official Description: Recovering from a serious illness, Edward knows what it is to be invisible but obvious to everyone around him. Bella, who has watched a loved one die of protracted illness, understands the tightrope-act of life in an unpredictable body. Alienated by his disease, Edward finds a friend in Forks’ newest resident. The only problem is that she sees far more than anyone else does – including the things he doesn’t want seen.

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For some sick, masochistic reason, I am a sucker for cancer stories. Give a character a potentially fatal illness, and I’ll read it, from the tear-your-heart-out angst of White Blood to the nail-biting journey of Tripod. I’ve probably read every cancer story in the Twi fandom, but none have the quick pace and snappy dialogue of Dead on My Feet, by Cesca Marie.

The story unfolds in week-long increments, each day often comprised of a single scene. Edward’s cancer has just gone into remission when a new girl starts school. He’s painfully thin, bald, and still puking his guts out half the time, including during their shared biology lab. Unlike most of the Forks High population, new student Bella Swan is blunt, outspoken, and doesn’t avoid his obvious illness, throwing Edward for a loop. Their quick wits are the driving force behind the fic, and I’m often reading with a wry grin, such as during this exchange (Bella is first):

“Do you treat all women like dogs?”

“Only the bitches.” I sit down and open my biology books. I’ve taken Mom’s snapdragon planters away from the windows for this and lined them up along the island. We’ve got four colors we can crossbreed: red, yellow, white and pale pink. We have to do the math for our hypothesis and projections before we can decide which colors of plants we’re going to sexually violate and in what order. I term that process “plant raping” and Bella looks at me with badly feigned concern and asks, “Were you molested as a child?”

Alice overhears the question on her way by and stops in front of the kitchen door. “What are you talking about?” she demands shrilly.

“Church.”

“Edward.” She stamps her little foot.

He thinks she’s an enemy, but as they get to know each other, she might actually be finding a way past the barriers he’s erected during his illness. Mindful of his finicky stomach, she makes him soups and invites him along on outings, becoming his first friend in Forks.

I click the link for each update while biting my lip, hoping like hell this story has a happy ending, and crossing my fingers that there won’t be a relapse. The pace is so fast and furious that I don’t even find myself looking for these two to hook up, or for lemons to pop up. All I want is for them to come to some sort of non-combative friendship and for Edward to be healthy. It’s a unique fic, and I’m a sucker for great dialogue, which makes this a win in my book.

P.S. The last time I guest reviewed a fic for Fictionators, the fic was pulled. PLEASE don’t let this happen again or I’ll think I’m a blight upon good fic.

This is one of those stories that just… I don’t even know how to explain it. It grabs you, and literally, as you’re reading it, makes you feel like someone has their hand in your chest and is squeezing it. The situation, the characters, everything is just so real. It’s obvious that Cesca Marie has done her homework, or has personal experience with what these protagonists are experiencing and it clearly shows in her writing.

Don’t let the summary deter you from reading. Yes, there’s sadness, and reality and a lot of emotions, but most of all, there is hope. Hope for Edward and for what he’s found in his friendship with Bella and hope for their future together and for him remaining healthy. I highly recommend checking this story out, you won’t regret it.

If you’re looking for a fic that will grab you from the beginning, keep your attention, and deliver heartfail with a side of hope, Dead on My Feet is the fic for you. Cesca Marie has brought something completely new and different to the table with this one, it’s got a little bit of everything.

Even though it appears that Edward and Bella can’t stand each other, it’s their banter that I instantly fell in love with.

“Bullshit you’re into football.”

“No. But my dad is.” She smirks at me. I don’t like it. “Nice hat.”

“Nice tits.”

“You’re such a shit.”

“Are you going to buckle down and do our homework or what?” I nod to the open book on the table.

“I think a brain-damaged monkey could do this, so you definitely can too.” She drops the textbook in front of me. “It’s my turn to do nothing.” She slouches down in her seat and begins to doodle on her notebook.

This Edward is so different form almost any I’ve read, he’s strong but broken. Bella is the new girl who gives as good as she takes. If that hadn’t been enough to keep my attention, there are little moments of sweetness slipped in that kept me racing to the next chapter.

Arizona puts a hand on my back. “I can walk you to the nurse’s office, if you want.”

“I’m alright.” Actually, I don’t trust myself to stand up right now. She rubs little circles on my back with one hand and does our entire assignment with the other. It’s just a few slides to identify and a lab form to fill out.

“You don’t have to keep doing that,” I say of her hand.

“Do you want me to knock it off?” I don’t answer, because asking her to keep going sounds pathetic. It’s sort of amazing what being touched will do for a person during illness. It certainly makes a case for Jesus’ laying-on-of-hands miracles.

I’m without a doubt in love with these two. I can tell it’s not going to be and easy journey, but I’ll be along for the ride.

I was skeptical of this story based on the summary and general premise, but once I gave it a chance and got started, I was hooked. Maybe you’re thinking what I was: “Who wants to read about a kid with cancer? Depressing!” ::sad panda:: You’ll be surprised, though; Cesca Marie uses Edward sickness, the way he regards himself, and his ostracization from his peers to paint a portrait that is still heartbreaking, but full of life.

It’s true that his peers know very little about him, especially since he was still new to the school when his treatments began, but as the story unfolds, it’s easy to see how he’s done some of the excluding himself. Yet it’s understandable. He’s so afraid to let people in, even though he may not necessarily recognize it as fear…as a self-defense mechanism. He doesn’t want constant reminders of his condition or all the things he can’t do at this point in his life.

Then Bella comes along. She’s not a cure-all. She doesn’t make things better. Hell, it’s hard to tell if she even likes him. But she provides a kindness and understanding that no one else has, and even through the irritation, Edward is drawn to her. For whatever reasons motivate her, she continues caring for him and doing nice things as well. Their friendship is traditional, nor are there any guarantees where it will lead, but it fills a void in Edward’s life, and that is what makes Dead on My Feet such a captivating read.

Bella and Edward both have lives separate from the other, yet they’re continuously pulled together. Not all their secrets have been revealed at this point, and it’s hard to say how everything will turn out. But the message of hope rings clear, through the muck and heartbreak Edward faces and Bella remembers from her past.

It’s a unique read, and I hope you enjoy it.

It’s like I don’t know myself anymore. I blame Bri. I was once a card-carrying, number-crunching wussperv and now–I can’t get away from the emo.

Like Algie and Meg said, this story is awesome. Bella is the new girl who meets Edward in Biology class. High School-fics are my favorite, and I especially love this Edward and Bella. She’s snarky and he’s sarcastic. She keeps him on his toes and won’t let him just drift through. He wants to be seen as more than the boy who’s sick.

“Because!” She’s pissed me off to bad I can’t help but shout. Raising my voice is the only way I can keep myself from tearing her head off. “It’s the most obvious fucking thing about me! It’s what everybody fucking notices! I was a person before, God damn it, not a fucking diagnosis! I don’t want you to have any fucking details because I don’t want you to think of me in terms of my illness! Do you know how humiliating it is to be reduced to numbers and labels and a fucking progress chart, taking poison for medicine and feeling like shit all the time?”

I love the format of this story and how it flows. I love how observant he is. I love that this Alice loves Harry Potter and Edward calls Bella a cow. I just love all of it. I am really glad that Cesca Marie has labeled this as Romance, and I am really holding out for an HEA here. Check out this fic, I think you’ll be glad you did.