PREFACE
Fear is a funny thing. Fear is known throughout a person's life. First, at the infant stage, the baby is afraid of new surroundings and new people. Then, we venture into the children stage, where the child is afraid of monsters under beds, and being the new kid at school (although that one can also be in the adolescence stage). Next is the teenage stage ( I know this one all too well), where for normal teens, there is the basic fitting in at school and looking hot.
But for me, I was afraid of fitting in with a bunch of vampires (Yes, I know, ironic). I met Edward about five years ago and I already have a daughter. I guess you can say that I was afraid of things going too fast, but I can't do anything about now. I am a vampire after all. Renesmee is now about four years old and she already looks like a thirteen year old. Ugh. Another fear that is common for parents is their child growing up too fast. I also know this one all too well.
VACATION?
"Bella?" Edward asked in his velvety voice.
"Yeah?" I asked, my voice trembling. He started to stroke my hair. "It's going to be alright, okay? Jacob will take good care of her." He kept stroking. "I know, I know…" I said, my voice still shaking.
He got up and scooped me off the couch. He walked over to our bedroom and put me down on the bed.
"If we are going to take a vacation, you need to calm down. Jacob will take good care of Renesme."
I closed my eyes. Why did Jacob have to imprint on her anyway? I barely see Renesmee, my own daughter, because Jacob is too protective over her! The only good thing that came out of this is protection. Protection. Edward and I are freaking capable of that. I guess I should be grateful, but I can't.
"It's only for a week, love," he soothed. I opened my eyes to look at him. His topaz eyes swirled as he gazed down at me.
Though even Edward couldn't erase the nervousness I felt at the thought of leaving Renesmee here with Jacob for a week.
"But what if something happens while we're gone?" I asked.
"The werewolves are perfectly capable of keeping Renesmee safe. Not to mention that she's half vampire. She'll be fine."
"But-"
"Bella, look at me."
I lifted my eyes up to look at him.
"Renesmee will be OK," he said sternly.
"OK," I repeated.
"Good. Now grab your things and let's go. You don't want to miss the plane."
The corners of my mouth lifted up a little. The plane could be taking off in ten minutes and we wouldn't be late. I loved being able to run like that.
"That's the spirit. Now come on. We really don't need to be late."
AT THE AIRPORT
"Okay, so the plane will be departing from gate 7." Edward explained. I scanned the departure room. Gate 7 was on the other half of the airport. I pulled down my hat and pushed my sun glasses up. Alice and Jasper have been away for a while and we couldn't predict if the weather would be nice or crappy (which would be way more convenient if it was crappy.)
"Let's go this way." Edward said. He took my hand and guided me to the gate. I gave the boarding agent our tickets and repositioned my purse on my shoulder. Here we go.
As we walked down the long jetway, I couldn't help but think what could go wrong back at home. Thank god Edward can't read my thoughts. For one, Renesmee could be killed, if that was even possible. Or, she could be kidnapped. Nah, Jacob would be constantly in her shadow. Maybe she'll get lost in the woods while Jacob was taking one of his ten hour naps.
"Bella, love it's time to sit down." Edward tugged at my sleeve. "Oh…" I stammered. I plopped down onto my seat and put my purse under the sad excuse for a seat. First class alright. The first class section of American Airlines was actually not that bad. Except, for the somewhat comfortable red velvet seats and the lack of a personal TV which really sucked, really sucked.
"How long is the flight going to be?" I asked.
"Well, since we are flying to Hawaii from Washington, it will be about twelve hours." He replied.
I readjusted my neck and closed my eyes. An old human habit. I tried to ignore everything that was going on around me. A flight attendant came out and showed us how to use a life jacket in case the plane crashes in the ocean . Luckily, If that happened, Edward and I would survive.
12 HOURS LATER…
The plane landed at about 3:30 am. Finally. I got up and grabbed my purse from under my seat and started to walk down towards the exit.
"Have a nice day." A flight attendant smiled as she guided me out of the plane. I couldn't help but laugh when she giggled and stared at Edward.
"The luggage would be over here at the B flight baggage claim center." Edward said, his voice becoming a little tight. We walked over to the baggage carousel. The only two bags on the belt were his and mine. Edward picked them up with ease.
"I'll go get the rental car, but you stay here." He reasoned.
"Okay, that's fine." I crossed my legs.
As Edward trudged away, my iPhone buzzed in my pocket. I got it out and scanned over the screen. 'Unknown Caller'. I tapped answer.
"Hello?" I asked
"This is a life or death situation." The raspy voice stated.
"Wait, what?" I said, "Is this some sort of prank?"
"You will do what I tell you to do without any questions. Got it? Oh and don't think you'll get away from this, I know what your secret is."
Oh crap.
The raspy voice continued. "I have your daughter here captive. I will release her if you come and sacrifice yourself. The instructions for doing this task are simple. One, you tell your Edward that you want stay at the house while he hunts. Two, you leave a note explaining that Carlisle wanted some help, and he wanted Edward to stay in Hawaii. Three, you obviously leave with none of your belongings. I will be waiting for you in the Hawaiian International Airport."
I was completely speechless. I had to save her. This couldn't possibly be a prank. He knows too much.
I thought back to when I thought James had kidnapped my mom. It was a bit hard to call back because I had been human at the time, and this was a memory that I hadn't tried so hard to remember. He had been bluffing. But I didn't want to take my chances.
"Okay" I croaked. The other line hung up.
"Love, are you okay?" Edward cooed. He anxiously stared down at me with his beautiful liquid topaz eyes.
"Er yeah…." I rubbed my arm.
"Are you sure?" He asked, standing me up.
"Yep!" I smiled, maybe a little too enthusiastic.
"The car is waiting outside, let's go." He said, taking my hand.
We stepped out into the humid air. Edward took out a pair of keys which probably belongs -knowing him- to an Audi. He hit a button which unlocked a silver car. I walked over to the other side of the car and went in. The interior of the car was more expensive looking than the outside, with leather seats, a huge radio, and a built in GPS. He took the keys and started the car and steered towards the highway. On the way to the mystery house, Edward lectured me about how safe Renesmee would be. He must of told I was worried because I was biting my fingernails. Again, another old human habit.
The house Edward bought looked more like a fancy villa style hotel.
"Holy crap." I stammered. I still wasn't used to the whole rich thing yet.
Edward laughed.
He scooped me up and opened the huge wooden door and carried me throughout the rest of the house. The interior was decorated to a tee. I giggled the whole time he carried me. My hat and my sunglasses fell off. To bad this is only going to last twelve hours. Edward through me down on the bed.
One by one, he tore off my shirt, jeans, and started to kiss my whole body. One kiss at a time. He got on top of me and started to kiss me some more. I repeated.
"Okay Edward." I stopped him.
"Yes, love?" He replied in his velvety voice.
"I really want to go take a bath or something, you know? I really need to have some personal time to wind down." I said, emphasizing the personal part.
"Okay, what ever makes you happy." Edward replied, just a tad annoyed.
"Okay.." I said slipping out of the bed.
I walked down a hallway and finally found the bathroom. I turned on the water and took a bathrobe from the hanger and put it on. I also turned on the sink just to be safe so he wouldn't hear me. I got my phone out of my purse, which I pre-planted in the bathroom. I hit the contacts icon and hit Rosalie.
"Hello, Bella." Rose said relaxed.
"Hi, can you do me a huge favor?" I asked her, sounding desperate.
"Yeah sure Bella, what's wrong?" She asked, sounding worried.
"Well, okay, so I just got a phone call from this strange vampire…" I
told her about the phone call.
"Oh my god!" Rosalie cried.
"Please, I'm meeting this vampire at the airport tomorrow morning and I want to do this alone. I don't want to put Renesmee at risk. Please don't call or anything." I pleaded.
"Okay, but If I don't hear from you in less than twenty-four hours, I'm coming after you." Rosalie promised. She hung up.
I turned off my phone and slipped into the bathtub.
THE NEXT MORNING….
"Bella, do you want to go hunting?" Edward asked me.
"Um no, I want to take some pictures and relax." I said, resisting the burning feeling in my throat.
"Is there something bothering you?"
"I'm fine," I replied, maybe a little too quickly.
"Okay, love." Edward said, seeming to buy it. "I'll see you later." And then he flashed out.
After, I quickly grabbed a piece of paper and wrote:
Dear Edward,
I'm sorry I disappeared without telling you. I'm going to be going home. Carlisle wants some help and he wanted only me to come. He wants you to stay here and relax. Everything is going to be alright.
Love You!
Bella
P.S. I left all my luggage here, I'll be back soon.
I grabbed a piece of tape and stuck it on the door leading to the deck. I grabbed my purse and opened to door. Bye, I love you.
2. The Surprise
I parked in the airport parking lot. My hands were still shaking from the nervousness of the events that follow. Edward tells me that vampires don't get that nervous that often, it's just their inner human instinct. But I disagree. I was fearful for two things. One being Renesmee, and how this could be a hoax, like the last time I got a mysterious phone call. Two, being for my own life. It's silly to worry since I, myself am a vampire.
"You got this." I said, reassuring myself. I stopped the car, took out the keys, and opened the car door. "Here we go, no turning back." I said again.
I walked all the way over to the airport entrance. I opened the double doors, my hands shaking in the process. Most of the lights were off, since there was basically no one here. I walked over to the baggage claim and sat down on a bench.
"Hello." The same mysterious voice said. I spun around.
The man that the voice belonged to was surprisingly attractive. He had long brown hair, stopping at about his ears. He was dressed in a black suit with a red tie sticking out. His shoes looked very expensive. And I mean very expensive.
"Oh um Hello." I said, searching for words.
"Oh Bella, you're so vacuous." The man said.
"Excuse me?" I practically shouted.
"Well, you didn't do a very good job with that note." He replied, playing with his tie.
"Wait, back up. How do you know wh-" I started
"Bella, I guess you don't know so I'm not going to count this against you. Okay, so I have pretty much every one of your precious Cullen's talents." He cut me off.
"Wow, um that's-" I started again.
"Yes, weird. Well, I guess you should come with me. I mean, that's why you're here right? For your daughter? Yes, that's right. I do have her captive. Oh, yes I guess I am an ass, but you might as well come along with me." He said, gesturing towards the north parking lot.
I got up and followed him. God I'm screwed.
His car, of course would match his personality. Rich. It was a red convertible with what looks like a black leather interior.
"Here you go darling." The man opened the passenger's door. I got in. Almost as fast as he closed the door, he was in the driver's seat.
"I guess I should tell you my name, since you've been wondering." He said. "My name is Richard, I'm not a vampire, well I guess I could be. If I were able to catch somebody like that."
I stared at him in horror
We ended up in a mansion. I should've known. But I didn't really process how it looked.
Renesmee. Renesmee. Renesmee. Renesmee. Renesmee.
"Where is she?" I demanded.
"No need to be impatient," he said disapprovingly.
"Where is she?" I said, louder this time.
"Right this way."
I followed him into the mansion. We crossed a huge front hall to a door on the other side. He held the door open for me, and I felt pure hatred toward him. But if I tried to strangle him, who knows what he'll do to Renesmee.
So I trekked down the winding stairs until I was sure that we were completely underground. We finally reached the bottom, and I took in my surroundings. Marble floors, white walls… it looked like a five-star hotel. But I wasn't fooled.
Richard led me to a white door that fit in perfectly with everything else. He opened the door.
"Renesmee!" I exclaimed at the sight of her.
I rushed over to her and scooped her up into my arms.
After a long time, I pulled apart and looked at her. She had small cuts and bruises all over her. I noticed that she held her arm carefully.
"What's wrong with your arm?" I asked worriedly.
She lifted her hand and pressed it to my face. She was in the woods. A man dressed in black from head to toe came into view and grabbed her arm, so she tried to pull away. I heard a sickening crack, and winced.
"Are you okay?" I asked Renesmee.
She nodded her head.
"I assume that you would like to stay with your daughter, rather than by yourself?" came a voice from behind. I had all but forgotten Richard.
"You assume correctly," I replied bitterly, still facing Renesmee.
"I'll leave you to… adjust," I heard the door close.
I scanned the room, which also looked like it belonged in a five-star-hotel. There was a huge closet fully stocked with clothes for Renesmee and I, an open door that I could see led to a bathroom, and two beds.
I couldn't see any possible ways that Renesmee could escape. If I tried, I was sure he would bring me back.
All of the panic and fear that I had been holding back washed over me now. What would Edward think when he realized that I had lied? Would I ever see him again?
"Mom." Renesmee said, her voice sounding off.
"What is it darling?" I said, stroking her hair.
"I lied to Jacob. I told him that I was going into town, but I was really going to the meadow that you and Dad showed me. I wanted some alone time" She cried. "I was so stupid to lie. So stupid."
I took her shoulders. "Renesmee, honey, I don't blame you. I would of done the same thing. Jacob must be getting kind of annoying hanging over you 24/7 like that. But, you need to tell me exactly what happened. How you were brought here."
"Well," She croaked. "I was sitting in the meadow, drawing some of the scenery, and Richard came out of the woods. He said that he was one of your friends. I asked him what his name was and I didn't know him, but something about him at the time was, well, alluring. Kind of like uncle Jasper's gift- to be able to change the mood of the people around him. But not in the romantic way though, that would've been weird. He took my hand and speed through the woods. I couldn't keep up with him. As you can see, I was scratched and bruised." She took a breath.
"Oh my god. Renesmee honey, I'm so sorry. This must of been so scary." I hugged her.
"After, he told me to stay in this-" she paused. "Hotel room."
That little ass-hole. It's official, I hate him.
"Do you know anything about why we are here though." I said, staring at her.
"No, he just through me in and said to wait." She shrugged. "I've been here for only a day." With that, the huge brass doors swung open. But, in the process, two paintings fell from the walls on either side.
"Hello, Bella, nice to see you again." Richard and his 'gang' filled into the room.
"Why in the hell do you have us held captive here?!" I demanded.
"Well," Richard started, "I wanted to say something before I begin."
I galred at him.
"Yes, I know. Stop calling me an ass. I get it. But what I'm about to do to Renesmee is going to be extremely painful. I just wanted to give you a chance. A chance to save Renesmee. You can well, as you say, 'volunteer' to undertake this task." Richard smoothed his hand through his hair.
"Wait, what the hell do you mean?" I hugged Renesmee tightly.
"I mean that I'm going to take Renesmee's soul away." He smirked.
I started to laugh bitterly. "You can't do that, she's a vampire."
"On the contrary, yes I can. I know it's unusual and it seems impossible, but yes, I can. But by the thoughts I am reading I can tell you want to take her place." Richard sat it the nearest chair and crossed his legs.
"Yes, that's right you prick." I stated coldly.
"Bella, no need for harmful insults, I'm only here to help you." He said.
"Okay, so what is this 'task'?" I asked him.
"I'm so glad you asked. But first, we need to make something clear. I am well, a demon." He smirked again.
Renesmee clung tighter to me and whispered "Please, mommy, don't do this!" I smiled and mouthed: I have too.
"Okay, what will you do?" I said, trying to sound brave.
"I am going to 'travel' into your brain and soul. I will basically take control of all of your thoughts and actions. But, sadly, in the process you will become a healthy human again. I know, scary. But don't worry! You won't age any older than nine-teen. And yes, you will be able to get hurt and have anything else happen to you that could of happened when you when you were human. As I said before, the process with be extremely painful and will last five days." Richard explained.
All of a sudden, the obvious washed over me. It all added up! The creepy statements, the weird gifts he possess, the amount of money this guy has. He was a demon. What did he say? After I asked him about being a vampire? "If I were able to catch somebody like that." Oh my god. No.
"Okay, what happens next?" I asked, pushing down the nervousness in my stomach.
"Edmond, Charles, take her to the hitching post." Richard demanded. Two men dressed in black advance towards me with a blindfold and a bag.
"Wait, wha-" I was stopped as I was blindfolded and bagged. This is it, this is the end.
~EDWARD'S POINT OF VIEW~
I walked up and back across the beach. Why was Bella so tight? I don't even understand. She was all happy then after I got the rental car from the airport, she was smiling and laughing. I started to head towards the deck on the other side of the beach.
"What is this?" I mumbled. I picked a small note off of the door handle. I glanced over the note quickly and rushed inside. Something was wrong. Quickly, I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Carlisle's number.
"Hello, Edward." Carlisle said.
"Hello, Carlisle." I responded "Can I talk to Bella?"
"Well, Bella isn't here. She never came by. Why? What's wrong?" His voice tightened.
I stood there in horror.
"Wait, Bella left a note saying how you needed help and you wanted me to stay here." I panicked.
"Okay, Edward. Don't worry, we'll find her. That reminds me. I need to tell you something." His voice tightened again.
"What's wrong Carlisle." I said.
"Renesmee is missing. We looked all over for her. But I have a funny feeling that this has something to do with Bella's disappearance." Carlisle sighed.
I started to pace back and forth.
"This can't be happening." I shouted.
"Edward, calm down, we'll find her." Carlisle promised.
"I'm just so worried about her and Renesmee. Do you think the Volturi have something to do with this?" I asked.
"Probably not. It wouldn't surprise me if they are involved in this." He responded.
"Wait. Renesmee and Bella are missing, I think Bella might of went to find her. Maybe we should check Bella's phone to see who she called." I suggested. "That could give us a lead."
"That's a great idea." Carlisle agreed. "Check her phone and call me back." I hung up.
I put down the phone and looked around. Bella's phone laid on top of one of the blue throw pillows on the sectional. I walked over and picked it up. I turned on the phone and checked her recent calls. A 'Unknown Caller' called her at about 4:00 am. I hit the 'listen to call' icon on the screen.
"Holy shit." I screamed. Why would she not tell me about this? I quickly reached for my phone and dialed Carlisle's number.