"Victoria!" I yelled. I pulled up my sleeve, exposing my arm to the cold.
Both seemed to be oblivious to my presence until I had spoken. With the rock in my braced hand, I racked it across my arm. The rock sliced through the skin easily. The warmth of my blood ran down to my elbow, dripping in the pure snow. I kept my eyes connected with Victoria's.
Victoria's eyes widened. I watched the frenzy in her eyes form. Her crazed, frenzied, hesitation gave Edward the chance to free himself. Her grip on his throat was lost and he slammed his fist into her head. Victoria was thrown back from the cliff side. She skid in the snow until she came to a slow stop.
Edward lunged at me, instantly gaining distance between Victoria and myself. He ripped his sleeve off and wrapped it around my bleeding arm. It wasn't long enough to cover my whole cut, but it was better than nothing.
Victoria was on her feet, stalking towards us. Edward stood between Victoria and me. I felt the cliff against my back. We were back at step one again.
"Give up, Victoria. You're never going to touch her." Edward said.
Victoria smiled wickedly. I felt a shiver creep up my spine, it reminded me of James. "Are you ever tired of being wrong?" My hand gripped the back of his jacket.
"I won't let her get closer. I promise." he said. His arm was blocked her way and my way to move.
"One thing I've learn, Edward, is to never make a promise you can't keep." she taunted.
Edward stiffened. That's when I saw them. A second army of newborns. Not a numerous as the first, but enough to cause a problem for us. They walked from the forest slowly. My mind flashed to the exact moment I'd seen Victoria, James, and Laurent break from the forest last year. It was the exact same terrifying look, but without the grace, they had. The newborns were careless, and clumsy.
"Edward." I whispered.
Edward's arm gripped mine. "I'll keep my promise, Bella."
"That's not what I'm worried about." I replied.
"My safety is the last thing you should be worried about." he said. His gripped my hand carefully.
"Take them." Victoria ordered.
The newborns moved toward us. Whether they were intentionally taking their time or not, it was very nerve wracking. For me at least. Edward seemed just as calm as he had been.
An ear-splitting howl tore through the air. Several large figures rained from the sky in front of us. The entire pack stood between the newborns and us. Seconds later, the rest of the Cullen's joined the ranks. Alice and Jasper were at our side. Carlisle drifted to my right. Emmett stood closest to the wolves, eager to continue the fight.
"We should thank you, Victoria, if it hadn't been for you, we never would've formed this alliance." Edward explained.
"Then why don't we see how far this alliance goes, when you're all left in pieces!" she yelled.
The newborns attacked.
Alice had me on her back before I knew it. We were running through the forest from the fight. Esme and Carlisle were right beside us. Three wolves kept our back guard up. Behind us, I could here the screams and cried of the newborns dying. I didn't dare look back. Whether I saw them die or not, I couldn't risk seeing Jacob or Edward injured.
A newborn lunged out at me. Alice jumped out of the way, giving Esme a clear shot at them. I held on tightly as Alice picked up speed. The fields blended together as we ran. One by one, newborns fell around us. Each one fell screaming in agony. Each scream hit me every time. They didn't deserve this. It was Victoria's fault for their death, not the Cullen's, not theirs.
"Bella?"
My thoughts were so wrapped up in all the death and carnage, I hadn't noticed we'd stopped. I was sitting on a rock in the baseball field. Alice was kneeling in front of me, a panic-stricken expression held her.
"I'm alright." I said. My breathing and heart rate said otherwise. My heart was beating wildly in my chest and my breathing was shallow.
"Funny." Alice mumbled. She took my arm and slowly peeled back the fabric.
Carlisle took over form there. Alice stood and moved next to me. Carlisle pulled the entire strip off my arm and inspected it. While Carlisle cleaned and patched up my arm, I kept my eyes back where the fight was taking place. The screams were hardly audible now, but my thoughts began dragging towards their unnecessary death.
"Alice, how many were there, total?" I asked.
Alice turned her head toward me. Her eyes were wide with uneasiness. They shifted from me to Carlisle, who nodded. "Close the one hundred. At least twice as many as I saw."
"You probably saw only the first wave." I said.
"Looks that way." she replied.
"Can the others keep this us?"
A hand touched my left shoulder. I looked up to see Esme. She knelt down next to me, "You forget who're you're talking about, Bella. Those boys live for things like this, sadly enough. But with you in the middle of it, they'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, just like Alice, Carlisle, and myself will."
"But is my life worth one of yours?" I asked softly.
Esme seemed shocked by my morbid question. She was rendered speechless, which didn't insult or surprise me.
"If one family member is in danger, then should the family protect them?" Carlisle asked.
My head shifted to Carlisle.
"The truth is Bella, no matter how much you protest to it, our lives are worth risking for yours. You're part of this family and we won't leave you in the danger we put you in. If it takes a life, we'll pay it, if just to keep you safe." Carlisle explained. He tightened the bandage around my arm. "There. Now, try not to reopen this again."
I nodded. Like I would ever need to. I looked back at Esme, who seemed to relax. "Sorry."
Esme smiled at me, "To be concerned is nothing to be sorry about. I'm not upset with you at all Bella. I'll just have to be prepared with your arsenal of questions next time."
We laughed slightly. A howl broke through the air. We turned and looked toward the battle.
"Sounds like it's over." Esme said.
"Yes, there's the smoke." Carlisle pointed. A small grey cloud peeked over the trees.
"Here come Jasper, Emmett, and Rose." The two broke from the forest, perfectly fine. I waited for Edward to follow, but he didn't.
I turned back to Alice. She was standing next to us, but perfectly still.
"Alice?" I asked.
She was silent. That was not a good sign.
I stood and walked in front of her. Her face consisted of a blank look, a vision. Then her expression broke as she gasped. Her hands shot to her mouth and her body trembled.
"Alice!" Esme cried.
Suddenly the air was pierced with a terrifying howl. Everything froze in its place, even me. I had never heard such a cry before. My heart shattered within me.
The pack returned the howl and took off back toward the fight.
"Carlisle, go with them!" Alice ordered.
Carlisle broke off after the pack before I could blink. My heart began beating faster. Someone was hurt, badly! I counted all who had been with us when the cry sounded…Seth, Jacob and Edward were still missing! My hands trembled with anticipation by my side.
"What happened?" I asked.
No one answered. They all turned toward the field, waiting.
I walked in front of Alice. "Alice, what happened?"
She was still silent.
"Alice, please, Seth, Jacob, and Edward are still there! Half the pack and Carlisle ran after them! Now I need to know right now, Alice. Who is hurt?" I demanded.
Alice gave no reply. I sighed in frustration and turned. I started on foot toward the field. I wasn't going to be left in the dark, not when Jacob and Edward were still unaccounted for.
"Bella." I froze as Alice called me. "Jacob…and Edward…were hurt."
I heard Esme's gasp. "No."
"Damn!" Emmett cursed.
I was still. My eyes lifted from the snow into the sky where I had last seen them. Both? Both of them? No. No! It can't be! I can't lose them. I can't lose both of them! My body trembled in the snow. Edward no! I can't lose you again!
"Emmett catch her!" Alice ordered.
I hadn't noticed I was falling. But I was. Tears dropped from my eyes just like my body dropped toward the ground. The frozen forest blurred with my tears into blackness.
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Ok, so I'm a little mean here. Sorry. Review please.