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2. The Escape

~ Mackenzie ~

"Do you think we've run far enough?" Brandon asked me.

How was I supposed to know? I still couldn't believe that we had run. We must be crazy! No one turns away from the Volturi. Well, not unless you want to die. Yet, when Aro's attention turned to Caius and Marcus to begin their counsel, we did. Ran so fast we were almost flying. I wasn't even sure why we had left.

My fear wouldn't subside. I was scared of the Volturi. I wondered how long it would be before Demetri tracked us. How long before they tore us to pieces. They would come after us, wouldn't they? Maybe they didn't notice us when we left. Of course, they noticed. They noticed everything.

I thought they would have found us by now. We were half way across the country, heading east. Maybe the fight took longer than we thought it would. I'd never seen anyone stand up to the Volturi. I had never seen the Volturi prepare to fight a coven that appeared so together. They looked strong, so confident in their abilities. Why else would all those other vampires show up to defend the Cullens?

The Cullens. I was afraid of them too. What if they won? It was a stretch, but it was possible. What if they had figured out a way to destroy the Volturi? They would be coming after us. I'd seen the Volturi fight. Their punishment did not allow for survivors. Occasionally one of the guilty would repent and want to join the Volturi. Aro granted those pardons selectively. I knew he wouldn't pardon Brandon and me. Neither would the Cullens.

So, either way, we weren't going to make it. I just wish I knew how long we had. I was not ready to die. It had only been six short years ago that I first became a vampire. It felt like yesterday and I wasn't ready to let it go yet.

"Mackenzie. Mackenzie? MACKENZIE!"

I startled as I heard Brandon calling me.

I answered his question. "I don't know. How far is far enough? Is there such a place as far enough?" I started to panic.

We had run all day and through the night. The sky had begun to lighten slightly. It wouldn't be long before the sun rose on another day. And no matter how far we got, it didn't make me feel better. What was the point in running if we'd be found and killed eventually? But I couldn't not run and just wait around for them to find us. I couldn't decide what would be worse – being destroyed by the Volturi or the Cullens.

He stopped running and turned to face me. "Everything is going to be fine," he tried to assure me, "and you need to relax."

I knew he was right. But how was I supposed to relax? We had never been in a situation like this before. How was I supposed to calm myself down when I knew that there were vampires coming after us to destroy us? That I didn't know. Freaking out I understood… I was good at that. Relaxing, not so much…

He walked over to me slowly, cupped his hands around my face, and stared into my eyes until I regained focus and looked back into his.

"You need to calm down. You know, breathing into paper bags doesn't work for vampires." He grinned at me.

I smirked at him. He was so cute when he tried getting me out of my head. I could easily get lost in my head, wrapped up in my thoughts. I had always been this way, even as a human. I was surprised that even after I was changed, my brain still worked the same way. Granted, my immortal mind had a lot more room in it and allowed me to focus on many things at once, but I just used that extra room for more thoughts, instead of enjoying the extra space.

He leaned in and kissed me. I loved kissing Brandon. I could spend all day kissing him… and all night. He pulled back and started laughing.

"What is it that you're thinking about now?" he asked me, shaking his head.

I gave him my most innocent look and said, "Nothing."

He started kissing me again and I had to force myself to pull away from him.

"We need to keep moving," I started.

He nodded. "Where are we going?"

It wasn't a rhetorical question. He knew me well enough to know that I had been trying to figure things out. I was the planner. I always had a plan. He would be perfectly content living each day as it came. Even for eternity. I planned everything. Well, I did not plan on running. No, that was Brandon's idea. More of a spur of the moment, ask questions later, idea. I had no choice but to follow him.

But he was right. I had been formulating a plan. Even though I had never been there, I knew enough about the area. The city was heavily populated and the northern region would provide the cover we were so desperately seeking.

"I think we should go to New York," I told him, "somewhere upstate."

He laughed. "I knew you had come up with something," he teased. "What's in New York?"

It was more about what wasn't in New York. "It's on the other side of the country," I said quietly.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him. "It really is going to be okay," he whispered in my ear. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I love you," I whispered back.

"Always and forever," he said, looking into my eyes, before he kissed me.

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