We were driving down the freeway. The cacti and teal splashed pools iced the dry red lava on the ground.
I was in the backseat with Alice she was staring outside. Sorrow covered her face full of remorse and betrayal. It's not her fault we did not see that coming.
The Mercedes purred louder as I heard Edward and Carlisle talking very fervently.
As I said, none of us saw it coming.
How could this hurt come between everyone? My heart ached as I thought about the four missing people in the Cullen family. Everybody counts.
My eyes drifted asleep; hopefully I will be in a happier place soon.
"Bella!"
The voice yelled.
My heart pounded. I ran so hard trying to get away from everything but I know I won't win. I am physically not able to do it.
"NO! YOU CAN'T!"
I knew that voice now. It was Emmett.
"Emmett!" I yelled. "Where are you?"
SNAP!
I took in a breath. No. No. No!
I ran back to my fate to see him or I should say "it" was hanging its head over ashes. Rosalie's, Jasper's, and Emmett's.
A hot tear ran down my ice-cold cheeks.
It heard my presence. It lifted its head from the ashes and walked cunningly over to me.
"I was wondering where you were Bella." It said. "We have so much catching up to do."
Then it lunged toward my throat
I took in a breath.
"Oh my God". I whispered. I trembled from my nightmare.
I looked around. Everybody was staring at me. Everybody looked like the same horror drawn face I've seen once before. Except for Alice. Her face was impassive.
"It's nothing." I assured them. "Really it's okay".
"Bella. What happened?" Edward said worriedly.
"Nothing". I said pleasantly.
"You can tell us Bella. We need to know, are you hurt?" Carlisle asked.
"No! No!" I almost yelled.
"Then what is wrong?" Edward yelled.
He swung in the back seat and held me. "Carlisle! Something is wrong with her! She is hallucinating!"
"No I am not! Now relax and go back in the front seat with Carlisle." I said very agitated. But Alice was already in the front seat.
"Something's wrong." her angel voice said. "Somebody's got them." She turned around to face me. "What exactly did you dream about Bella?"
I told them. I told them everything. My heart hurt, like somebody was squeezing the strength out of me.
All the time as I told them this compelling nightmare, their faces were in horror. Mine was too.
We finally got to the Cullen's house in Vancouver. We all went into the house. In the living room we stayed trying to sort everything out to see if I really wasn't crazy. But it was so hard to tell. It felt so real.
"Tell me what he looked like again, Bella". Alice murmured.
I closed my eyes tying to think. DARK was all I thought.
"I told you I could barely see." I breathed, "I think that thing was an it. Dark, dark, dark. I remember the thing wanted me to—"
"To what?" Edward asked.
THUNK!
"Alice?" Carlisle murmured. "Are you okay?"
"NO! NO! NO!" her voice trilled
I looked to Edward. He was looking at her with suspicion and doubt at the same time. "What is it?" I whispered to him.
"Don't move." He replied cautiously.
Alice was moving frantically. Her screams and cries were piercing. She went everywhere through the house trying to find the missing key to the puzzle we've been thrust upon. I tried so hard not to cry but the pain overwhelmed me.
ESME… Edward's cold hand rubbed my back. She ran in so many directions but then she stood in one spot and looked me in the eyes and said: "It happened." Alice replied. "It happened!""What happened Edward?" I whispered back.He looked into my eyes, his face full of disgust. "Your dream." He replied.
"Esme." I gasped. " Where is she?" I looked at Edward. "She wasn't in my dream. Where is she?" I repeated.
"Bella, love, we don't know where she went." His voice heartbroken, "I don't know; Alice is not letting me in. Something is blocking her mind away from me."
"Alice." I said. " Please. Tell me what is going on."
"Nothing, Bella dear." A voice said coming out of her small body.
JANE!I screamed. Edward put his hand over my mouth. "Shhhh" he soothed. "Shhhh"
"N—but-wh-?" I stumbled. "That is not Alice! No! No!"
"Calm down Bella dear." Edward murmured.
NO! This is all WRONG!I looked to Alice's face. It did not look like her even though that was her body. Then I yelled:
"You stay away from us you—you—YOU PARISITE!"
"Bella dear. I think that you might need some sleep. You seem a little stressed about the disappearance of them". She said sweetly
I ran away from all of them but surely I did not get anywhere with them.
"Edward, could you please get her?" Jane said.
Then suddenly two stone-cold arms around my waist.
"Shhhh Bella it is okay." Edward whispered
"No! No it is not okay!" I screamed to my love. "That is not ALICE!"
"Carlisle, could you help me?" he asked.
Edward held my arm out and I felt this sharp sting on my forearm. I yelled I thrust at the pain and then suddenly my body felt limp. My eyes closed.
"Shhhh, Bella I love you. Go to sleep for now my love."
BLACK…YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO WIN, BELLA. DON'T EVEN TRY.
I don't need this now
BUT YOU DO THOUGH, LITTLE BELLA, I'VE GOT THEM UNDER MY THUMB.
Where are they, Alice, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, and Esme?
THAT IS FOR ME TO KNOW AND FOR YOU TO NOT KNOW. I WILL GIVE YOU A HINT. THEY ARE NOT IN THE SUN.
Why are you doing this?
ARO SENT ME. I AM JUST DOING MY JOB.
What job? And plus how can you get in her body.
TRANSFORMATION, LITTLE BELLA. I CAN CHANGE INTO ANY BODY I WANT TO. AND A JOB THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.
Why are you in my head?
No one. Quiet.
My eyes flickered open. I saw nobody. I looked around and then suddenly cold arms wrapped around me.
"Wh—"
"Shhhh" Edward murmured. "It's okay. Just me."
I suddenly relaxed.
He suddenly moved to where I was laying on his lap with my head on his shoulder.
"I love you," he whispered. " Please don't scare us like you did."
"Bu—"
"Shhhh" he murmured. "Just relax. Please"
"You think that I am a lunatic!" I yelled. I lifted myself off of him. "Is that what you think I am."
"Just relax." He whispered.
"NO!" I screamed. I stormed off out of everything.
I kept running off into the cold winter snow with nothing else on but jeans and an old winter coat.
He didn't believe me. NOBODY!
The cold froze me. No warmth. No water.
Then all of a sudden my legs collapsed to the freezing cold snow. Every part of my body was numb. I shivered involuntarily. I'm dying.
I love you Edward. I pray for you to, to live.
I WON.
Yes. You did.
NOW YOU KNOW WHAT MY PLAN WAS. TO KILL YOU.
I didn't answer.
Nothing to say.
You did win Jane.
I'm dead.
"BELLA!"
"BELLA!"
"Oh, that poor thing. She must be freezing. Rosalie, go and get her some blankets," Esme said.
Rosalie came back with the blankets. I wrapped them over my body so tightly smelling that wonderful embroidered smell. Hmmm.
"Esme, Rosalie?" I asked.
"Everybody is here." Carlisle assured.
I opened my eyes and did see everybody. Emmett stayed behind me. They all looked at me with earnest love. Except for Emmett. Emmett with a big grin on his face.
"It is nice to see you again Sleeping Beauty" he smiled.
"You too Emmett." I smiled back.
I looked to Edward. "What about Alice? Where is she? Is she okay?"
"She is fine just getting over a huge headache. Jasper is with her." He confided
Emmett gave me a huge hug with Edward, Esme, Carlisle, and Rosalie. I blushed.
"Love you little sis." Emmett smiled.
Rosalie came forward. "You are my sister and I am sorry that I couldn't be one for you when you needed one." She kissed me on the cheek. Redness bloomed on my cheek where she had kissed it and everybody laughed.
"Me too, Rosalie." I smiled back at her.
"We should get her inside. She is freezing." Esme smiled. "Bella, we really did miss you."
I smiled at all of them. I am so lucky to have a family that cares about me.
Without a word Edward lifted me up and brought me inside. "I told you everything was going to be okay". He smiled and then kissed me by the burning fire.
I am finally home.
IT IS NOT OVER
We all gathered around the fireplace. After a while Alice and Jasper came in. Alice gave me a huge hug and said: "I'm sorry that I tried to kill you." Everybody laughed.
"It's okay Alice." I assured. "That wasn't you."
"I know but I just don't feel that right about that." She shivered. "That is just not like me." She gave me another hug and then looked to everybody. "I figured it out!" she yelled excitedly. As you know, Alice hates being blind.
As I was just about to hear Alice this high pitched screaming bellowed my ears leaking inside my head.
I WILL KILL YOU LITTLE BELLA!
NO YOU WON'T! THIS IS MY FAMILY AND YOU CANNOT HURT THEM!
I DON'T WANT TO HURT THEM BELLA, I WANT TO KILL YOU!
WHY ARE YOU STILL IN MY HEAD?
BECAUSE I AM NOT DONE YET SO JUST SHUT-UP AND LET ME TAKE OVER!
I screamed so hard and loud. I thrust my arms to my ears. In an instant I felt cold arms around me.
"Carlisle! What is wrong with her?" Edward yelled.
"Bella! Bella!" he screamed again.
"SHE IS NOT HERE!" the voice screamed out.
"It's Jane!" Alice screamed. "That is not Bella!"
"She did it to Bella now!" Rosalie agreed.
"Carlisle! Do it!" Edward yelled now.
NO!
"I AM HERE!" I yelled. I broke through Jane this time.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screamed at Jane.
NOBODY WILL EVER LOVE YOU! I yelled louder in my head
LEAVE!
Gone.
"Bella! Bella!" Edward yelled.
"I'm here. I'm here". I barely whispered.
She is gone and she will never come back.
A moment later I woke up and got my thoughts together and said:
"What the heck! Wh—what was that? How can she get in my head?" I looked to them.
"Because of me." Alice whispered. "When I touched you she passed through me to you."
"But she did it before!" I freaked out.
Everybody looked at me incredulously. Esme- worried, Emmett- scared (hid behind Rosalie), Rosalie- worried and annoyed, Jasper- incredulous and overwhelmed, Alice- same as Esme, Edward- horrified, Carlisle- expectant?
"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked.
"When you and Edward knocked me out and I was sleeping she started to come in my head and threatened me." I trembled at the thought of it.
"What did she say?" Carlisle asked.
I told them everything that she said. After a second Jasper came up… hesitant as usual.
"Why are you worried?" he asked, "She is gone now".
"I'm fine, really." I assured him.
He looked at me with doubt and then suddenly a sudden whoosh of peace devoured me.
"It's not that, Jasper," I said.
"I know. You were wondering where we were weren't you?" he said.
Jasper looked to Edward. Edward just nodded once.
"It was a trick" he said "We knew the Volturi were on the move. Everything was an act instead of her vexing you and Alice. We needed to defend ourselves."
We sat in the living room. He told me everything. Whenever I got scared about something a rush of bliss would thrust upon me. That dream was a vex too. It was a trick that Jane had created to be able to get inside my thoughts.
"Not mentally, physically. She could get inside Alice and when she touched you Jane sleeked into you. The touch that Alice gave you only made her presence stronger. But she is gone; I can assure you with that. She was in Alice all along. She made you go to sleep. She created that nightmare and every other hurt you had." Jasper explained.
"But what kind of power is that?" I asked, curiosity leaking through my mouth.
" Jane invaded your body and mind by touch. We call it 'vated' a Greek word, which means 'to invade'. There are not many people who have it or people that can get away from the power. You are one of the lucky ones. Nobody could help you even if they truly wanted. I couldn't even." He explained.
"But, what about Alice? Is Jane still in her?" I asked.
"Don't worry, she isn't in Alice as we speak." He murmured. "Jane already passed through Alice. Jane is not dead" he answered one of my other questions. "She is back in her own body at Volterra—like she should be."
"Thanks Jasper." Well that took most of my stress off!
"My pleasure". He said politely. "It is nice to have you around. If you ever need to talk; I'm here."
I looked at Jasper. He was sincere. I smiled at him. "It is nice to have you around too."
"Well I'm going to go. Alice and I are going to go hunting." He smiled. He really did miss Alice. Anybody could.
Jasper left and before I could move there was two cold arms wrapped around me.
"I love you," he said.
"Love you too." I touched Edward's face.
