Chapter 1: Desperation
Edward was taking me to his house, again. He said it had something to do with last minute planning. He was too nervous to leave me alone or even with one of his family members, sticking to me like glue. I was surprised to find that several of the wolves were at the house, in human form. Sam, Seth, Paul, and Jacob all stood at various places in the Cullen's living room, looking thoroughly uncomfortable, aside from Seth. The Cullens greeted me cheerfully but I couldn't bring myself to respond accordingly.
"Oh come on, Bells," Emmett guffawed at my grimace, "You don't actually think we are in danger, right? This will be easy!" I ignored him, looking up at Esme as she approached and brushed the hair out of my face, her mother looking concerned.
"We will take care of you, sweetheart. You have nothing to worry about," she promised. I shook my head.
"That's not what I'm worried about," I replied.
"Of course not," Edward muttered, "always worrying about everyone else." He smiled half-heartedly at me but I could see the underlying fear for my safety, as well as the determination to fight. I pressed myself closer to him.
"Be that as it may, your safety is something we need to discuss," Carlisle interjected. "The topic came up at the training session but it has not been decided how Bella will be protected during the fight." The wolves and vampires' eyes alike were on him now, the wolves knowing this was the reason they had been convened here.
"I don't see an issue with leaving her with Seth," Jacob spoke up.
"Hey! You can't just assign me to babysitting! I want to fight!" Seth protested.
"You are not prepared for this fight, Seth, you are too young and inexperienced," Sam snapped back. Seth backed off, the Alpha's tone bearing down on him.
"Yes, however, Jasper has insisted that we need to have as many as possible on our side, so the numbers do matter. We would prefer Seth to fight, since you say you have Collin and Brady at the reservation. Edward is also needed at the fight, because his ability is the one of the most helpful, along with Alice. Edward should not stay with Bella regardless, because chances are if whoever this is is after Bella, they will almost definitely recognize Edward's scent as well." Everyone listened to Carlisle's logic and it looked like they all agreed to it.
"What do you propose then?" Sam asked seriously. Carlisle hesitated before responding.
"I have contacted a…friend, if you could say, to take Bella away during the fight," he said. Everyone was surprised.
"A vampire?" Esme asked to which Carlisle nodded. I looked up at Edward and he looked shocked at Carlisle's suggestion. He also looked frustrated and I had seen that often enough to know Carlisle was hiding something from him.
"You are proposing to leave Bella with a complete stranger, a vampire no less, which I assume is not on the same diet as you are?" Jacob looked enraged. Carlisle met his gaze calmly.
"Not a complete stranger. A friend of the family. Well, actually, she's more than that…" Carlisle trailed off as he turned to gaze at Edward, who had frozen in place. I looked up from his embrace at his face and was shocked by his expression. It was horrified, and angered.
"You called her?" Edward spit through his teeth, combining a hiss and a growl at his father. Everyone was taken aback; no one had ever seen Edward speak this way to Carlisle before. His arms had tightened on me unconsciously, as if to protect me from something.
"Edward," I said as I gently pulled at his arms. He relaxed his grip on me instinctively, looking down at me with a daunted expression. He took a deep breath to calm himself before looking back at his father.
"No way," he said, voice and eyes hard. Carlisle shook his head, running his hand through his sleek hair.
"There really isn't a choice, Edward. She is already on her way. She will be here in a few minutes," he said. Edward hissed again.
"I'm not letting her anywhere near Bella," he snarled.
"I'm sorry but but can you please tell who the hell you are talking about?" Emmett complained, annoyed. I agreed with him, as did everyone else. Edward didn't answer so Carlisle did.
"Edythe," he said. Everyone looked as confused as I did, aside from Edward, who looked furious. Carlisle looked Edward directly in the eye as he elaborated.
"Edward's sister."
The Cullens were in disarray. None of them knew what to do. Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie had turned to interrogate Carlisle and Edward, demanding answers. Edward would not utter a word, so Carlisle was left to explain.
"She and Edward were both in the hospital in Chicago. Both of them were dying. And I changed both of them. She left not long after her newborn years, right before I found Esme."
"You had a sister and you never told us?" Alice demanded of Edward. I looked at him, my own face showing hurt because I hadn't known about it either. He met my gaze and sighed, pressing a hand to my cheek.
"She is not a topic I want to discuss. You didn't need to know about her," he said to everyone.
"But how did I never see her in any of my visions? I should have, if she's been around all this time," Alice began rambling, more to herself than anyone in particular, but Edward stopped her.
"You never saw her because I have not made any decisions in reference to her since she left," he responded curtly. Alice stared at him in confusion, as did everyone else.
"You never wanted to see her? Never talked to her?" she asked. Edward shook his head with one firm movement. I stared at his face, my own thoroughly confused and shocked. He seemed so…angered by the thought of his sister. What had happened? I had never seen him have this much animosity against anyone except James and Jacob. This surely couldn't be just sibling rivalry.
But none of us were allowed to question any further, because all of the vampires and werewolves froze in place, their sensitive ears picking up on the car that had apparently just turned onto the long driveway. Edward pulled me with him upstairs, leaving me in his bedroom. Annoyed, I waited until I was sure he was back in the living room before I made my way back to the stairs. I heard the car stop in front of the porch and the slam of a car door.
Not a moment later, the doorbell rang. I could hear low voices speaking, but I could not hear the dialogue. I slowly descended the stairs, curiosity overcoming me. I was halfway down when I was able to take in the vampire before me. Her pale skin and exquisite beauty were not a surprise to me, but I was taken aback at the more distinct features. Her hair was the same hue as Edward's, metallic bronze flowing straight down to past her shoulder blades. Her facial features were so similar to his, but still distinct in their own right. She literally looked like a female version of Edward, except she was my height and slender.
Her eyes were the only distinction; very odd, they were a warm orange color, not the gold or black or red I was expecting. I was confused by the hue but not disturbed, more intrigued than anything else. She was standing by the door, Carlisle angled behind her and to her right, obviously the one who had let her in. Her eyes took in the rest of the Cullens appraising her and then the wolves in the background. I saw a slight wrinkle in her nose at the apparent werewolf scent in the room. She was facing Edward, gazing back at his hard expression evenly. Apparently, she had just formally greeted him.
"You're not wanted here," he snapped at her. I flinched at the venom in his voice and the rest of the Cullens stared at him in surprise, Esme in shock at his behavior. Carlisle looked disappointed while also admonishing.
"I know that. I came because I was asked to," Edythe replied impassively, no emotion in her face.
"And now you are being asked to leave. Before you are forced to," Edward snarled.
"Edward," I admonished. Though I didn't speak very loudly, they all heard me. Edward lifted his gaze to me, frustrated that I had not stayed upstairs. Edythe looked to me too, taking me in fully for the first time. I felt surprised and slightly embarrassed by Edward's behavior toward his sister and felt the urge to apologize to her for it, though she seemed to expect his hostility.
"So you're what this whole army is about?" she asked me, one delicate eyebrow raised. "Seems a little ridiculous, if you ask me." Her words themselves would normally insult me, but the way she said them, the way she held her body, shifting her weight to her right leg and crossing her arms lightly across her chest, gave off a different impression. I smiled a shy smile at her, shrugging my shoulders.
"I've found that most vampires are a little over the top in their reactions," I replied. She smiled at me, amused and friendly.
"I agree," she said with a side glance toward Edward, who was staring her down. She turned to Carlisle.
"So what is the plan?" she asked him.
"We have arranged with her father to have her for the weekend. You will take her and keep her from the fight as long as needed." he replied. Edythe nodded but there was strange glint in her eye.
"Well, the weekend is only a few days away. Let's see if we can get an extended vacation, huh, Bella?" she asked me. I was surprised at her forwardness, but the charisma exuding from her was catching. Along with my curiosity, I was interested in extending the weekend trip, if only Charlie would agree. I nodded, both excited for the prospect but nervous about Charlie's and Edward's reaction. I didn't have to wait for the latter's response.
"No," Edward growled fiercely, shooting up the stairs to stand in front of me. "Absolutely not."
"Edward, it will be okay. You can focus your energy on the fight. I know you don't like being away from Bella, but it will make this ordeal over quicker," Carlisle coaxed him, trying to get him to see reason. He shook his head.
"I don't want you anywhere near Bella," he said scathingly at Edythe, who didn't react.
"Edward, enough, you're being impolite," Esme chastised, fed up with his behavior. He didn't respond.
"Edward, you don't trust your own sister?" I asked quietly.
"Not in the least," he spit at the vampire in question. Edythe sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically and leaned against the back of the couch next to her, crossing her arms across her chest. She acted as though she were patiently waiting for a toddler to finish his tantrum.
"What is it with you?" I asked, circling around him. "Carlisle trusts her."
"Carlisle doesn't know her like I do," he hissed, his black eyes on his sister, who smirked.
"You don't know me as well as you think you do," she replied back, an almost taunting and joking edge in her tone. I heard another low growl building in Edward's chest but Carlisle stepped in.
"Enough, both of you. Edythe, you can try to get more days. Bella can go with you, and then we will go from there," he said firmly, trying to divert the conversation. Edythe shrugged, pushing off the couch and making toward the front door.
"Her father's name is Charlie," Carlisle informed her. She turned around and walked backward as she looked to him, smiling while twirling her car keys on one finger.
"I know," she said matter-of-factly. The she turned her eyes to me.
"Come on, Bella," she said. I followed almost immediately, half expecting Edward to pull me back. I glanced at him as I passed, but he was now glaring at Carlisle. Not doubt there would be an argument once we left. I followed her out on the front porch but skidded to a stop as I gaped at the car that was parked there. It was expensive, I could tell just by looking at it, a sleek, sporty design in glossy white. I saw a three-pronged triton on the front grill and tried to remember the name that went with the symbol.
"Maserati," Edythe said and I looked up at her as she leaned against the driver's door as she waited for me to get in. I complied, opening the door and sliding in carefully. I gaped at the inside, the black leather with red interior lighting and accents on the seats. There was a touchscreen in the middle and the dashboard was covered in dials and controls that I couldn't even begin to understand.
The others had followed me outside and they seemed as shocked as I was as they stared at the car. Jacob and Paul looked about ready to drool and Emmett let out a low whistle. I could see Edythe smirking outside the car. She hadn't moved when I had gotten in; apparently, she was expecting the attention and the question to follow.
"Is that the GranTurismo?" Jacob said the name with longing. Edythe nodded, watching the obvious envy on their faces.
"There's no way, it's still in production," Rosalie protested, but her eyes were huge.
"I have connections," Edythe said simply before sliding into the driver's seat and pressing the press-start button. The engine ignited, purring in the background. Edythe looked past me through the window, to the boys on the porch, her expression amused as they asked her to rev it. After a half-second of deliberation, she complied, pumping the gas pedal a few times before throwing the car into drive and departing. She laughed quietly at the wolf whistles from Jacob, Paul, and Emmett behind us.
I was watching her, analyzing her movements cautiously. No matter how comfortable and charismatic she was, she was still virtually a stranger. Carlisle trusted her, though, which counted for something.
"So what's the probability of getting a couple of extra days from your father?" she asked. I shrugged, not really knowing how he would react to Edythe. She nodded, seeming to understand that.
"Oh, and thank you for wanting to apologize for Edward's behavior, but don't feel bad. He does that to me all the time; I got used to it after a few decades," she added nonchalantly. My eyes widened in shock and she saw that, meeting my gaze evenly.
"You…" I couldn't find words. She nodded, answering my unspoken thought.
Hey guys, so it's been a long time but I've been ridiculously bust with school and sports. I have had a competition every weekend since the last time I posted and this the first weekend I've had free to even think about updating any of my stories. Hope you're not mad :)
Here is Chapter 1 of my new story. I have no idea where exactly I'm going with this; I just wanted to try it out for fun and see where it leads and who is interested, especially since there aren't a lot of "Life and Death" stories yet.
Speaking of which, I have been toying with the idea of doing the one story that everyone thinks about in terms of Edythe and Beau — what if the same kind of thing happened to them and Edythe had gotten pregnant? How would that change the game? It's still very rough so tell me if you guys would even be interested in something like that or you think that would be weird.
On another note, YES I AM STILL GOING TO UPDATE AMETHYST. I was working on the next chapter earlier tonight but decided to take a break and write and post this instead :) It will hopefully be up soon!
Also, if you want to see what the car looks like, you can look it up on Google :)
Sorry this is so long and thank you if you have read up until this point :)
Love you all and I hope you enjoyed this chapter and would like more! Your reviews would be very much appreciated and enjoyed! :)
~Melinda :)
