Prologue
The secret is how to lie.
The young woman clutches herself for dear life, as if she would fall apart if she lets go.
"I am leaving." The finality of the statement hangs in the air like a foul smell.
"But you can't leave me! I need you..." Bella's words trail off into a desperate whisper. She finally looks up at the majestic sight before her; a supernatural beauty of mystery and power.
Edward looks down to Bella's face, his features cracking with dire emotion. "I'm too dangerous for you. You're not safe as long as you're with me. I can't stay."
At that Bella crumbles to the ground, panting with painful emotion anticipating the imminent loss. "Edward..." Bella covers her face with her hands. Now she is shamelessly letting her tears run freely.
Bending a knee Edward crouches down to Bella's level. Gently brushing her hands away from her face, he lifts her chin so that he can get one last long look at what he will be leaving behind. Their eyes lock for what seems like eternity. As if in a trance Edward slightly raises Bella's face and plants one last delicate kiss on her lips before disappearing into the night.
Bella is left lying alone in the newly fallen autumn leaves.
It is done.
"Brava..." The single word lightly touches Bella's mind. "You have done it. You sent him to his death." Out of the darkness a figure materializes and elegantly glides towards Bella. "I thought he would never leave. So weak. So Stupid!" The red headed female known as Victoria extends a hand urging Bella to get up.
Bella roughly grabs onto Victoria's out stretched hand and hoists herself off the ground. "To think one such as I could ever love a beast such as him." Bella laughs bitterly.
"Wipe your face! You play the silly weak human too well." Victoria softly runs the back of her hand down Bella's wet cheek. Victoria slowly lifts her wet hand that she had wiped across Bella's face to her mouth and licks it. "Mmm I can never get enough of weak human emotion."
Bella shrugs away from Victoria giving her a morbid look. Turning her back to Victoria she looks up towards the sky. "Why do you have to be so gross?"
Victoria steps towards Bella and puts her right hand on her shoulder. "I am a vampire who loves a human."
Bella turns around and faces Victoria so that she can look at her face. Frowning, "what do you mean you love a human? Who is this human that you could have such tender feelings for?" Rolling her eyes she turns around and gazes longingly towards the distance again.
Victoria steps around in front of Bella, sighing she takes Bella into a tight embrace. Victoria brings her lips to Bella's ear, "I love a human, a human I cannot eat. This human's blood is toxic but smells irresistible."
Pulling away Bella retorts, "we had a deal. No strings attached. Your only job was to help me get rid of Edward." Lifting her chin in defiance Bella straightens to her full height in hopes of intimidating the creature who is now confronting her.
Shaking Victoria hisses, "how could you deny me? You know you feel the same! I won't let you refuse me!" At that Victoria lunges for Bella but is deflected by some unseen supernatural force.
"How dare you! You think to over take me?" Laughing Bella mocks, "I am not sure you are entirely aware of what you are dealing with!" Lifting her hand Bella throws another invisible force at Victoria. Victoria flies into a nearby tree with a thunderous crash.
Sliding down to the base of the tree Victoria falls forward into the ground. Shaking she lifts herself up so that she is on her hands and knees. "What are your real intentions for Edward's death Bella?" With a timid hand Victoria wipes the blood off the side of her mouth and glares at the wicked being that put her into this position.
Bella slowly walks over to Victoria and stands hovering over her head. "Stand up leech and I will tell you as much as I think you deserve." Victoria obeys and stands up.
Pacing Bella laces her finger behind her back. "Edward and I have had a very long history together. He does not know this but I remember." Pausing for effect, Bella continues, "Yes, I am older than you may think. And I intend to see Edward die. Thanks to you there is now a pack of newborns on his heels eagerly waiting to tear him limb from limb."
Victoria wide eyed exclaims, "What are you?"
Bella brings her face inches away from Victoria's, "are you not curious as to how I was able to deflect you and cause you pain?" staring Victoria straight in the eyes, "or how I could have known Edward for so long? Come now Victoria are you not just a little curious?" Leaning the last inch Bella kisses Victoria hard on the mouth.
Victoria roughly pushes Bella away, "I could kill you."
Bella steps into the light, revealing her true nature. Where once there was a scared pitiful young woman, now stands a creature that only nightmares could conceive of. Stretching out her blacken scaly arms Bella laughs in delight at the thought of a puny vampire threatening her with death. "And to think just moments ago you wanted to, how shall I put it, pounce me? You know I should kill you for even trying. I think I shall let you live, you suit my cause well."
Victoria stands in the shadow of the creature that used to be Bella. All she can do is nod because to disobey now would be certain death. Shyly Victoria voices her question, "what is your cause?"
Flexing her mutated boney ridged wings Bella stares down on Victoria. "I want to eliminate the male race." The more the light of the moon hits Bella the more she is revealed. Bella is completely bald except for a few strings of hairs on her head. Her entire torso is bare exposing her prune like breasts. Bella's entire body has completely transformed and she no longer resembles a human being. Her skin is the blackened ash of a devastating fire and instead of feet she now has hooves. "Men are the enemy, we must destroy them all!"
Victoria cowers, "then why do you want to kill Edward first? Why not attack main global government's, why not infiltrate the Volturi? You are powerful enough, why use me?"
"Edward is none of your concern! He and I have a past that predates everything. He may not have any recollection, but I remember. He must be destroyed!" The creature that once was Bella points a sharpened withered claw at Victoria's chest. "Are you with me or do you want to die now?"
Victoria slowly licks her lips weighing her options. What turned out to be a somewhat pleasant night for Victoria ended up being a night of Ultimatums. If she denies Bella she will die, if she decides to stick with Bella's crusade she dies. "I am with you." Better to die at the hands of the Vulturi than to suffer a fate worse than death at the hands of Bella.
Bella eyes Victoria with a gruesome look in her eyes. "Good, now it will begin."
Struggling with her words Victoria replies, "how shall we do this?"
Bella's hallow laugh echoes through the trees scattering the birds from their roosts. "The secret is how to lie..."
To be continued...