Senseless
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: The original characters, story concept and setting do not belong to me. They, in fact, belong to Stephanie Meyer.
This is the sequel to Bella's Talent. You may want to read that first. If you decided not to just as a mini recap, there is a new vampire in Forks and Bella's talent is painting. They are trying to get word of their situation to the Denali coven and the La Push wolves for help. Any questions PM me! Thanks!
Edward's POV
Bella cuddled deeper in my arms. Her hair brushed against my face. Her delightful scent hit me full force. I struggled to remain composed with Bella in such close range. She felt me tense ever so slightly and glanced up at me cautiously. Her intelligent brown eyes were filled with worry. I smiled at her and she snuggled her face back against my chest. We stood there for a long, precious moment. Then I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I slowly released Bella. She looked up at me, all the horror of our current situation reflecting on her face. I wanted nothing more than to protect her from it all. Then I heard Emmett's voice. He stuck his head through the doorway and said,
"How do you propose we get the word to the vampires in Denali? The dogs, we can verbally tell or have Bella, here,--" he pointed to Bella. "--tell her friend Jake. But what about the Denali coven?" Emmett asked. I thought about what he had said. There was no way someone would want to go out there and leave the rest of us to cope with this new female. Since that's the case, what other way of getting the message out is there?
I glanced over at Bella. Her stunning face was concentrating hard, probably mulling over what Emmett had said and considering what there is to do about it. "And I'm guessing just sending a letter is out of the question, right?" Bella stated. I grinned. Emmett smiled as well.
"For all we know, the female has access to the post office. Even if she doesn't, we can't take the risk of our vulnerability fall into the wrong hands. Plus, we don't want it getting lost in transit." Emmett answered. Bella nodded in understanding.
We spent several more minutes in silence, considering other means of communication with the Denali Coven. I let my gaze drift out the window as I thought. Outside, the view was picturesque. The sun was shining down, as bright as ever. A gentle breeze passed through the surrounding trees, sending several leaves fluttering gracefully to the ground. Spots of sunlight filtered in through the treetops in a random, yet enchanting pattern. I could hear distant birds singing joyously, their happy songs bouncing off the tree trunks. The entire scene was the complete opposite of how we were all feeling. In our current situation, we were helpless and in danger.
I looked to Bella. Her gaze had also traveled to the window. She had a solemn expression on her face. Then all of a sudden a smile broke out on her face. As always, I became curious about what was going on in her head. "What are you thinking?" I asked quietly. Bella's eyes flickered to me. She blushed.
"I was just wondering if we could get out hands on a carrier pigeon... but there probably aren't that many here in Forks, huh?" Bella responded. I grinned. I could tell that Bella was trying her hardest not to let the seriousness of the situation become unbearably overwhelming. Bella's smile faded and she turned back towards the window. "We aren't getting anywhere." She muttered glumly.
"Is Carlisle thinking about this dilemma as well?" I asked, my eyes shifting to Emmett. His brow was furrowed in thought. He glanced at me, nodded, but didn't say anything.
Several more silent, unsuccessful minutes passed. No one had come up with anything. "Is everyone downstairs helping with this?" I asked. From the looks of it, we needed as many minds focused on this problem as we could get. As if she was cued, Rosalie's figure appeared in the doorway. The three of us turned to her, hopeful for good news.
"One of us has to leave." Rosalie stated bluntly. I heard Bella take a sharp intake of breath. I extended my hand to her. She took it gratefully. I gave her delicate hand a gentle, and hopefully reassuring squeeze. Then I turned back to Rosalie.
"Are you sure there's no other way?" I questioned, although I had a feeling I knew what the answer would be.
"Unless you guys thought of something; no, there is no other way. Taking the news there in person guarantees that it won't be intercepted and that's what we need right now. A surefire way of informing the Denali Coven." Rosalie answered placing her hand on her hip.
"Who would go?" I asked. I took a step towards Bella. I wanted to make it clear to all that there was no way I would be leaving her again. Rosalie was about to roll her eyes and make a comment at my gesture but Emmett stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Either Emmett, Esme or myself." Rosalie answered with a careful glance in my direction.
"Why?" Bella inquired softly. She looked at me and smiled slightly. I knew she shared my thoughts, and was relieved that I would remain in Forks.
"Well, we're basically unaffected by this female because, as far as we know, she can't control anything about us. Edward, Alice and Jasper would be too much at risk. We want Carlisle to stay as well, to kind of keep everything straight." Rosalie explained. Bella nodded her head in understanding. Rosalie glanced at Emmett. He stared intently back at her.
"I'll go." they said in unison.
"How about we go downstairs and discuss this further." I injected, before either of them could say anything. I tugged gently at Bella's hand and we hurried out the door. AS we proceeded down the stairs I heard Emmett and Rosalie leave my room, whispering loudly to each other.
Down in the living room Alice, Jasper, Esme and Carlisle were standing in a circle. All four pairs of eyes shifted to us as we entered. Bella's grip on my hand tightened as she noted the solemn expressions on each face. "Emmett and Rosalie have both offered to go to Denali, only they won't decide who exactly." I quickly filled in seconds before Rosalie and Emmett entered the room. Rosalie strolled gracefully to the nearby couch and settled on it with a sigh. Alice moved over to join her and perched daintily on the couch's arm. Emmett leaned on the doorjamb not far from where Jasper was standing.
Esme look at Carlisle, a sad look in her eyes. Even without reading her mind, I knew what she was thinking. She didn't want to send either of her children away. Carlisle raised his hand and stroked Esme's cheek softly. "We need to decide which one of you will go." Carlisle stated, turning his attention back to us. Emmett looked at Rosalie.
"Rose..." he began.
"I'll go." Esme interrupted before he could continue. All eyes focused on her. Rosalie rose from her seat on the couch. She seemed to pause a moment to think, then walked to Esme.
"I think that's a good idea." Rosalie declared. She looked around at all of us, almost daring us to say otherwise.
"Why?" Bella asked. Her question was almost inaudible, even with our heightened senses. Rosalie focused on Bella, her amber eyes blazing. Bella shrank back and I took a protective step in front of her. By now Emmett had come to join us in the center of the room, followed by Jasper.
"Well, you know why Alice, Edward and I can't go right?" Jasper said gently before Rosalie could say anything. I sent him a grateful smile. Bella nodded. "And you understand why Carlisle should stay?" he continued.
"Yes." Bella said slowly. She tucked a flyaway strand of her hair behind her ear.
"Well, I guess Esme didn't want Rose or Emmett going out given the current problem, so she volunteered to go herself." Jasper finished. "Right?" he looked to Esme to make sure he had gotten it right. Esme nodded. I noticed that the sad look in her eye was gone, replaced by a different, determined one.
"So with that figured out, how are we going to tell the wolves... though that's much easier I guess." Alice said. A distinct shiver of dislike passed through the loose circle we had formed, excluding Bella, of course.
"That would be my job, right?" Bella said. Esme glanced at Carlisle. Alice lightly bit her lower lip. Jasper dropped his gaze to the floor and Rosalie sat back on the couch, a smug smile pasted on her face. There was something they weren't telling us. Something they discussed while Bella and I were upstairs. Something I couldn't read in their thoughts.
"What?" I very nearly growled as I said this. I hated secrets, especially when they involved my dear Bella. I could see a worried expression pass over her features. I pulled lightly on the hand I was holding towards me. I took Bella in my arms and calmed significantly. "What?" I repeated slowly.
"We think it would be best for Bella to stay as far away from this as possible." Carlisle began. "In her own home, if possible. The female didn't pay a lot of attention to Bella. she said herself that she thought we brought her along as a snack—" he shot Bella an apologetic look. She blinked in acknowledgement. "—maybe the female will forget about her if she stays at home. After all, the female doesn't know where Bella lives." There was a very short moment of silence.
"And you think she'll be safe!" I exclaimed louder than necessary. "The female is out there in the city. She wants to expose us to the humans. There's a great chance she'll recognize Bella as the 'snack' we let go! With all her vampire abilities, the female would have an easy time getting Bella." I felt Bella wince.
"Edward, calm down." Jasper said softly. I glared at him. How could I possibly calm down?! I turned and pinned my icy gaze on Carlisle.
"If it'd make you feel better, one of us can guard the house at all times, as long as we can't be seen." Carlisle said, his voice still as calm as ever. "What do you think of all this Bella?" Carlisle asked. It was then that I realized that Bella hadn't hardly said a word. I pulled her closer to my chest and rested my chin on her head. I drew a deep breath and let her scent waft over me, instantly calming me down.
"Well..." she began.
Bella's POV
Now that I was asked my opinion, I wasn't quite sure what it was. Yes, I wanted to be safe, but I also wanted to be with Edward and the rest of the Cullens. But then, being with them would put both me and their family in danger.
"Well..." I repeated lamely. I glanced at each of the beautiful faces before me. Craning my neck, my eyes rested on Edward's perfect features. Could I really just sit at home knowing that Edward was in danger? Or any of the Cullens for that matter? But would I really be of any help if I did stay with them.
"I don't know." I concluded. I looked over to see Rosalie roll her eyes. Alice and Esme smiled at me.
"I still think Bella would be safer at her house." Carlisle said with a glance at Edward.
"And I still think she should stay with us. It would make me feel so much better." His voice dropped at the last sentence. I could barely make out what he had said. Carlisle's gaze softened and he looked from Edward, to me, then back to Edward.
"Maybe you're right..." Carlisle let his sentence fade away. Without anyone talking, the room became eerily quiet. In fact, the only sound I could hear was my own breathing. The Cullens, not needing to breathe, all stood extremely still, much resembling statues. I tried holding my breath so I wouldn't be the only one making noise. Of course that didn't last long. After a minute or so, my lungs began to burn. I let out my breath in a loud huff.
Alice giggled and Edward let out a soft laugh, breaking the silence. "We'll just go with the flow so to speak." Carlisle explained. "As long as Bella's not in any immediate danger, she can stay with us, However, Edward, if things get too dangerous and we can get Bella to her house safely and unnoticed, that's where she'll be. Understood?" Carlisle asked, looking straight at Edward. I heard Edward breathe a sigh of relief.
"Understood." he answered. "But what if, when things get dangerous, there is no way to get Bella home without the female noticing?" Edward asked.
"Then we do our best to protect her, of course." Emmett answered matter-of-factly. I smiled in his direction, knowing just how willing he would be to fight. Carlisle nodded.
"So now what?" Alice asked.
"I guess we go to the wolves." Jasper answered. He took Alice's hand as she cringed with disgust. I turned around to face Edward.
"I can help, right?" I asked softly. He nodded and kissed my nose. I heard Rosalie sigh dramatically. I wanted to turn back and glare at her. As I started to move, Edward took my face in his cool hands. He pressed his icy lips against mind and gave me one of those perfect, toe-curling kisses. I closed my eyes and twined my fingers in his tousled bronze hair. His hand moved to the back on my head and he pulled me closer. The kiss became more passionate and I let my lips part. Then, suddenly, Edward went rigid. I opened my eyes and noticed that the room was empty.
"Did I...?" I began, but Edward put his finger over my lips. He swiftly moved over to the window.
"I could have sworn I saw..." He said, his voice trailing into silence. He shook his head. I walked over to him and twined my arm through his.
"Let's go talk to the wolves." I said, trying to change the subject. Edward grimaced and he turned to me. Then he smiled and pressed his lips against mine, lightly. The kiss was quick but I still felt my heart pounding in my chest. Apparently Edward heard it too because he laughed. Staring into his eyes, I felt safe. I knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to me.
"Let's go." Edward said smoothly. And with that, we left, on our way to the La Push Reservation.
REVIEW!! I know it's been forever since I finished Bella's Talent, but now I have this one! Plus, this is probably the longest chapter I have ever written, reader, you should be proud! Anyway, as you can tell this story remains without a name. Hopefully I will come up with one ASAP. Include suggestions in review! Thanks! Luv ya!!