Edward, she found me.
The meadow was dead. I trailed my fingers through the dry, beige grass. It was parched and wilted under my touch. My chest felt like it was collapsing in on itself. Falling into me to crush my internal, widened the hole in my chest that burned raw. I clutched my chest, trying to stop the hole from consuming my body. The last part of my being that was left to be damaged. I hoped it would cave in, that the only part of me that I could feel- apart from emotional pain and hurt- would disintegrate, taking what was left of me, with it. But I knew I had to fight on. For Charlie and Renee. Maybe even Jacob is he recovered.
With weak knees, I rose to my feet, slightly unsteady and looked around the barren field. Something contrasted against the crispy beige of the field.
A rich red.
My breath quickened as I recognised the feral posture. A slim female was staring directly at me from across the field. My blood boiled and I felt my feet stumbled back a few steps. My heart quickened and strained against my ribs like an animal begging freedom from a cave. But, my eyes stayed locked onto the figure. The red billowed out from the figure as a short wind passed through the clearly where we stood, locked in eye contact. I could guess my skin had gone pale as the blood drained from my face and my mouth popped open.
A gasp escaped.
The figure was tactically moving across the field, as if trying to avoid detection from something I had not noticed or maybe wasn't eve there. My muscles contracted to hug my bones, trying to blend into one another and disappear. I knew who this was. Who had found me at my most vulnerable. All alone in a field most of Forks would not have discovered. Nobody knew where I was. And she'd found me.
Victoria.
I knew I couldn't run fast enough. Not against a vampire. Not against that vampire. She would've learnt from the best and no human could outrun a hunting vampire. I closed my eyes and felt my knees buckled. I was so scared. The last time I had been in danger by Victoria was when her mate, James, had tracked me and lured me to my almost-death. He had sadistically tortured me and bitten me, forcing…him… to suck the venom from my veins. Victoria could do the same.
But worse.
With the poison of revenge in her mind, she would stop at nothing to avenge James. And that would mean my death. As slow and cruelly as possible just so Edward- cringe- could suffer the turmoil and pain she did. Although, Edward wouldn't know because he had left. Leaving me unprotected.
Victoria was closer, her malicious smirk visible across her pale face, crimson eyes burning with delight. I almost jumped when I heard him. Bella run.
"I can't, she's seen me" I murmured to him with a sad smile.
Bella, run. For me.
"It won't work Edward" I cringed at his name as I addressed him directly.
"Exactly."
Victoria had a firm hand curled in a claw around my shoulder. It hurt as she applied inhuman pressure upon it. I fought back a yelp of protest.
"Why don't we take a little trip home and leave little Eddie a note?" She whispered evilly.
I fought back the bile as she used a derogatory name for Edward. She was playing up the drama. Big time. She knew that he had left. She knew everything. She'd found me and now she knew exactly what she was going to do with me. She was going to make me suffer for James's death. It was the end.
It was time to pray that it would be over soon.