Fooled
"Who are we going to see again?" I questioned for the fifth time. I couldn't help but wonder again, after repeatedly forgetting. The price of being nervous. He turned to me and gave me a stern look then chuckled.
"Bella. You've been asking me constantly since we left. We are going to see Cornelius, one of Carlisle's old friends. He heard about us and," He paused; a look of curiosity crossed his marble face. "Well, I guess he wants to meet you. He didn't really explain…" He trailed of into his insignificant, undecipherable mumbling.
I turned my head away from him and gazed out the cockpit window. I could see the rippling waves of the Atlantic Ocean and another thought popped into my brain.
"Where does he live? I know you haven't told me this yet." He turned his head in my direction again and raised his eyebrows.
"Oh sorry. I'm just a little nervous, I guess." He smiled and reached for my hand. I winced at his cold skin.
"Don't worry Bella, everything will be fine. He lives on an island off the cost of Africa." He shrugged. "Well I guess if you think three hundred miles is just off the coast." He pondered. "It's uncharted." He then happily stated with a smile.
"Oh, well, that's nice. Um, but I have another question."
"Yes?" He asked politely.
"How does he, uh, hunt? You said he doesn't have the same hunting habits as your family does." I was shaking slightly and my voice didn't help hide that either.
Edward's face grew dark as he opened his mouth to speak. "Yes. That's true. Carlisle tried once to convince him to change his habits, but he," He struggled to find the right word. "Won't." He turned away from me and looked ahead. "Out of everyone that Carlisle has tried to convince, he was the one who was the most determined not to listen." I shivered and he turned to meet my gaze. "I was hesitant to bring you to meet him, but he told me that he would not harm you, and he is not one to break his word."
I shuddered and he smiled reassuringly; trying to lighten up my mood. It didn't help. At that moment I wished that Jasper were here. I turned away from him to gaze at the ocean again. The gentle movement of the waves calmed me slightly.
Suddenly I could feel his hand against my chin and he gently pulled my head around to face him again. His liquid eyes held all the relief that I would ever need and my worry washed away more quickly than Jasper's ability ever could. I sighed and let Edward's hand support my head. "Bella," He whispered. "I will never let anyone hurt you. Nothing's going to happen. I want you to trust me, ok?" I nodded weakly and closed my eyes; letting his thumb stroke my cheek.
We sat in silence the rest of the journey, but it was not uneventful. Sometimes he would grab my hand and press it to his face, making my heart flutter. Other times he would just hold my hand; cradling it in his like it was a fragile glass ball. As time passed, I could eventually make out the shape of a small island in the distance, which made me anxious again. Edward squeezed my hand for support. A thought flicked into my head.
"You never answered my question." I stated smugly.
"And which one was that?" He answered cheerfully.
"The one about how Cornelius hunts."
I should have predicted that the look on Edward's face would not be one I would like. He glared at the helicopter's windshield with a fury that scared me.
"Edward?" His grip tightened on my hand and he sucked in a ragged breath. I kept my eyes on him until he spoke.
"I'm sorry Bella, but now's not the best time." His tight grip on my hand loosened, and he glanced at my face. "Sorry, I must have scared you." His tone was sincere. I shook my head.
"No I'm ok." I lied. He didn't buy it.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I didn't mean to," I cut him off as I reached for his face.
"Edward," I said as I stroked his cheek. "I'm ok. Really." I tried to sound confident as I reassured him. It worked. He smiled and gently squeezed my hand again.
We were close to the island now and I realized that it wasn't as small as I thought. It stretched out for at least four miles, with a jungle of a forest in the center and a beach circling it. My mouth hung open. Edward chuckled.
"Not your normal everyday homestead, is it?" He mused.
"No." I breathed and pointed toward the island. "This is uncharted?" He laughed.
"Yeah. Hard to believe isn't it?" I nodded my head as my mouth gaped in awe.
"I mean, this is huge! Edward, how did he get this?!" I screeched.
"We have our secrets." He chuckled and flashed a gleaming smile in my direction.
We were now hovering over the beach, and I was about to ask where we would land when I noticed the flat surface of a cement landing pad ahead of us. Edward gently guided the helicopter to the pad and began to descend. The craft didn't even jolt when it gently touched down on the ground, and Edward began to unbuckle my seatbelt.
In one of his lightning fast movements, he was already opening the door to the cockpit on my side. He offered me his hand and quickly pulled me from my seat.
I took in the beach and the forest that was only twenty feet away from us. I gasped. "Wow." Edward chuckled again and took my hand and turned to walk. I resisted and he turned back to me again, a question on his face.
"What is it Bella?" He grabbed my other hand. I shivered.
"I don't know. Something feels wrong. I'm," I was about to apologize, when he swept me up in his arms and kissed me hard. I gasped and clung to him; forgetting what I was going to apologize for. We parted slightly and he smiled at me.
"Bella, I don't want you to worry. What can I do to assure you that everything is fine?" Concern echoed in every perfect word that came out of his mouth. I struggled to regain my train of thought.
"I know. It's probably just because I'm nervous. I really haven't met any other people like Cornelius other than the Volturi, James, Victoria, and Laurent." I shivered. "I guess they weren't the most splendid people I've ever met." His concern softened.
"I guess you have a point." He aggreed and set me back on my feet and we began to walk along the beach. The sun was beginning to set and I could hear seagulls calling in the distance. It seemed like the perfect moment and I looked out at the waves.
"Pretty isn't it?"
"Yes." I breathed and looked at his face. I took in the wonderful contours of it and also noticed that he looked less pale in the setting sun. I squeezed his hand and smiled at him.
"I thought that you would like it here. It," He stopped and his smile faded.
"Edward? What is it?" I asked, concerned. Suddenly his eyes grew wide.
"No!" He whispered in absolute fury and scooped me up in his arms again. He turned around and began to run.
He did not get far.
Suddenly in front of us were two figures; a man and a woman. Edward stopped suddenly and glared at them, but did nothing. I turned to look at them and was instantly shocked by who they were. Edward quickly spun the other way and stopped again in front of a vampire I didn't recognize.
He was tall and extremely muscular. He reminded me vaguely of Emmett, but with long blond hair. The last thing I noticed was his eyes, they pulsed vibrant red.
"Cornelius," Edward pleaded and held me tighter. Cornelius's look became sincere.
"I'm sorry Edward. He took Andrea. There is no other way." At his words, Edward began to back away from him.
"No!" He yelled.
"Please, Edward." Cornelius held out his arms to Edward, as if he wanted to take something from him. With a gasp I realized what he wanted. I clung to Edward with all my strength, they wouldn't take me. Edward spun around to face the two figures again.
"Alec. Please, don't." Edward pleaded again. From behind us, I heard Cornelius speak.
"Come now Edward, you don't want to drop her." He stated sternly. Edward didn't notice him. Beside Alec, Jane smiled.
Edward looked at me, and I stared back at him. "I'm sorry Bella." He apologized and tears began to streak down my face. Edward set me back on my feet. In his eyes I saw the one thing that would haunt me forever;
There was nothing he could do.
I screamed in anguish as he crumbled onto the sand.
