James POV:
I sat on the large sofa in my living room, a book in my hand. I heard the soft footfalls of tiny feet. The feet were getting closer, there was a soft thump and I knew exactly who it was. No matter how many times she tried, there was no way my little uncoordinated sister could ever sneak up on me, I resisted the urge to laugh as I hear her pick herself up from yet another fall. I remained quiet as she tiptoed closer to the back of the couch.
I heard her muffle a giggle, and then... I pounced. Jumping over the back of the couch and catching her as she tried to run away. She squealed and laughed as I swung her around in my arms laughing with her. I fell back on to the couch still holding her small, giggling body.
"I almost got you that time!" little Bella taunted. I laughed,
"Almost," I said lying slightly so as not to harm her fragile self esteem.
"Whatcha reading?" Bella asked.
"Dracula." I answered.
"Again!" Bella groaned, "Why don't you read anything good, like maybe Cinderella or Snow White?"
"Those are girl stories."
"So!"
"Admit it; you want me to read to you again."
"No!"She blushed, that was one of the many things amazing about Bella; she came with an internal lie detector, "Well maybe ...Yes." I laughed; it was so easy to read her. She frowned at me.
"Ok, I'll read to you tonight." I said giving in to the sad look on her face; she was so adorable when she was mad.
"Why not now?" she pouted.
"Well because you are supposed to be getting ready for your dance recital." I told her, she rolled her eyes at me.
"I wish that mom would of just let me quit," she looked down, "I'm a horrible dancer, I just know that it will be a disaster." typical Bella so serious even at only seven years old.
"You're a wonderful dancer Bella." I said giving her a hug.
"Don't lie," she whispered, "I suck."
"Bella," I looked at her sternly, "You do not suck, don't ever say that about yourself, you're going to do just fine, you'll see." I ruffled her hair, "Now go get ready or you'll be late." she smiled a small smile and went up the stairs to her room.
I smile to myself; Bella doesn't ever see herself clearly.
***
I made my way backstage to look for Bella. I found where all the other little girls were but Bella wasn't there. Slightly curious I went to check the dressing rooms but she wasn't there either. I was getting worried when my mother came up behind me.
"James you'll have to talk to her, she refuses to come out!" Renee cried.
"Where is she?" I asked. Renee pointed down one of the many hallways.
"She's in the first room," Renee told me clearly worried, "She was crying and I'm afraid she might be hurt but she wouldn't let me in!"
"I'll see what's wrong." I told my mother as I walked past her down the hallway. I stopped at the first door and knocked softly.
"Bella?" I called, "Bella, can I come in?" there was no answer but I heard quiet sobs coming from inside so I slowly opened the door. Inside the room was nearly empty save for the many mirrors and practice bars that were placed around the room. I looked around trying to find the source of the crying. Then I saw her, sitting in the corner with her knees to her forehead.
"Bella." I whispered as I went to her. She didn't look at me when I sat down next to her, "Oh Bella." I crooned as I pulled her over to me and she curled up in my lap, "Bella what's wrong?" she shook her head and sobbed louder, "I don't understand Bella, you did wonderful! You were so beautiful up there!" this time she looked up at me,
"You're just saying that." she whispered.
"Bella, I would never lie to you." I told her sternly. Her eyes betrayed her disbelief, "You know I wouldn't."
"Promise?" she whispered.
"I promise." I said sincerely.
"Ok," she nuzzled her head in the crook of my arm. We were silent as I slowly rocked us back and forth, "James?" she asked.
"Hmm."
"Thanks, I love you." I smiled as I looked down at her,
"I love you too"
I heard soft foot falls, I thought that it would be Renee coming to check on us and was startled to see a man standing there,
"Aww, that's so sweet!" he mocked, Bella looked up with a startled expression, "I hate sweet!" the man...hissed? I pulled Bella closer to me.
"What do you want?" I asked eyeing the man, he was tall and very good looking, almost like one of those models in magazines, his skin was pail white and his eyes ... his eyes were downright terrifying. They were bright red and showed nothing but hatred and another emotion that I didn't understand... hunger?
The man laughed, "What do I want?" he laughed again, it was a deep bass laugh that almost came out as a growl, his eyes turned dark and he pounced. I managed to throw Bella away before he landed on me and she went sliding along the hard wood floor smashing in to one of the mirrors sending a cascade of glass on to her fragile frame. I tried to push him off but with no avail, his skin was so cold and hard it felt like stone. His head turned sharply over to where Bella was, and I saw blood trickle down her arm. The man's face went from want to need as his eyes grew so dark that they looked black, then he was gone, I was stunned by the suddenness of it and when I found him next he was somehow on the other side of the room and in his arms was, "Bella!" I shouted and tried to run to her, but the man disappeared again and ended up behind me. I spun around to face him. He still held Bella her feeble attempts to get away having not the slightest affect on him.
"Let her go!" I yelled. He set her feet on the ground and held her by her left arm. Bella tried to pull away, reaching for me. I stepped forward and reached for her but she disappeared, they reappeared a few feet away, he was now holding Bella's arm up higher so that her feet were dangling above the ground, Bella kicked and hit him with all her strength but he didn't even flinch. The man moved her wrist in front of his face where her blood was smeared and inhaled deeply. My mind figured out what he was going to do a second before he did it, and I ran at him with new found strength and yanked Bella away from the man, but not before his teeth bit in to her wrist. I heard her scream in pain, I tried to pull her toward the door but a strong hand stopped me. I pushed Bella away and tried to make him release his grip but it only got stronger. My shoulder started to ach and I heard the bones crack; I saw his mouth move to my shoulder and screamed out as his teeth sliced through my skin, crushing my shoulder bone. He dropped me to the ground and moved back to Bella who was now curled up in a ball sobbing. I tried to move, to get up and go to her but every motion sent waves of pain making me collapse back down.
The man picked Bella up and looked almost curiously at her wrist where he had bitten her; there was now a crescent shaped wound that matched his teeth perfectly. I was suddenly angry at the man, for marking her so permanently, for holding her the way he was. I tried to get up once again this time succeeding to lift myself in to a seated position, I grunted with the effort. The man turned and looked at me with a confused look but the he looked back at Bella, he leaned in as if trying to hear something that was very quiet. He looked back at me with an almost sad look in his eye, like he had done something wrong. He carefully laid Bella back on the ground she looked so peaceful that she could have been sleeping, but I knew better. I slid myself over to her, oblivious of the pain in my shoulder. I fumbled around her wrist searching for a pulse, then I found it relief fell over me followed by extreme panic, her pulse was slowing.
"Bella!" I cried, "No Bella!" I didn't know where the man was, and I didn't care. Bella was dying and I didn't know what to do, "Help!" I called to anyone who could hear, "Help Somebody!" I could feel the tears slide down my face but I didn't try to wipe them away. Bella's lips twitched slightly like she was trying to say something, I leaned forward, "James," She breathed, and her heart stopped
"No!" I shouted. I would not let her die. I tried to do CPR breathing in to her mouth and pumping her chest, making her lungs work. All the time vaguely aware of a burning sensation spreading from my shoulder. Slowly I felt her heart start to beat on its own, and I nearly cried out in relief. I had brought her back!
There was a pounding at the door, "open the door!" a booming man's voice shouted from the other side.
"James! Bella!" I heard Renee shout from behind the door. I looked down at Bella, she was still motionless, I felt her wrist again; her pulse was still dangerously slow.
"Open this door or we will break it in!" the man on the other side of the door shouted. I opened my mouth to shout back but something stopped me. A hand came out of nowhere and clamped over my mouth. I tried to pry it off but it wouldn't budge, another hand grabbed my arm and started to pull me back away from Bella. "No!" I shouted but it came out as a muffled mumble because of the hand. The hands dragged me back in to the deepest shadows in the corner of the room behind one of the large mirrors. The hands didn't let go and they showed no sign of tiring so I stopped trying to break free instead I watched Bella intently trying to find some sine that she was alright.
I heard the man shout from the door again, "Alright! I'm coming in!" there were three loud thuds against the door and on the fourth one the door crashed open and bright light flooded in from the hallway outlining a group of figures. A gasp went through the group when they saw Bella lying on the floor, it wasn't until then that I realized that she was covered in blood and some blood had started to pool around her.
"Bella!" Renee screamed and ran toward her small body; a large man followed her,
"Call 911!" he shouted to the group and many people shuffled around in purses or pockets searching for their cell phones. I looked over to Renee and saw her cradling the unconscious Bella in her arms looking around the rest of the room franticly, "James! James!" she shouted. I wanted to shout back at her but he hand, still at my mouth, wouldn't let me. Instead it pulled me back farther in to the shadows.
I heard many frantic voices telling the 911 operators to send an ambulance as fast as possible. Renee suddenly cried out louder,
"She's not breathing!" she cried and the group rushed to see if they could help, "Oh Bella!" Renee cried.
"The ambulance is on its way!" someone shouted. The hands holding me in place took advantage of the momentary distraction and dragged me over to one of the windows that were still hidden in the shadows. He opened it quietly and climbed through pulling me after him. All of a sudden everything around me blurred and wind whirled past me, we were moving so fast that I started to get dizzy trying to keep my eyes open. I felt that the burning in my shoulder had spread throughout my whole body without my noticing, because I was so intent on helping Bella. But now I felt it with full force and I cried out. It burned so bad, like I was being stuck into fire. The pain overwhelmed me and I blacked out.