Chapter 3-Memories Don't Lie

XXX

Bella-

I awoke with the first rays of the clouded dawn, as was usual. The night had been similar to every other, endlessly and hopelessly miserable. I sat up yawning in bed, scrubbing the sleep from my weary face with my palms and glancing at my rarely used alarm clock. I discovered, to my dismay, that it was only 5:00 am. I groaned, no one should wake up that early on a Saturday.

Then, as the fog finally cleared from my sleep deprived mind, I remembered the events of the previous evening. I had felt true and honest terror, knowing that any of those four men could have killed me...or worse. But I didn't understand what had stopped them in their pursuit? Surely they wouldn't have been keen to give up such an opportunity so quickly if something else hadn't distracted them. But what?

I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know. But with those questions swirling in my head, memories arose from the first time that I had been mercilessly pursued by another group of men on a dark street. The silver Volvo fishtailing around the corner, the image of him as he had stepped out of the car, the confession that had occurred afterward, all flashed through my mind. I felt tears spring to my eyes, 'I'll never see him again.' I thought to myself.

It was then, with my utter despair threatening to overwhelm me, that I decided to go to a place where I could easily remember him. The Meadow.

I rose from my bed and, after listening to Charlie leave for his fishing trip with Harry Clearwater, headed to the bathroom to shower and dress. A short time later, I had finished my usual morning routine and was pulling my hiking boots onto my feet. I grabbed a granola bar and ate while I located a few items that I thought I might need, placing them in my backpack, (after emptying my lesson books onto my desk.) I felt a little guilty as I realized how Charlie would feel about my going hiking alone, but I pointlessly ignored the nagging feeling. I simply couldn't stay in the house another day.

I walked out into the brisk morning air, hopped into my truck, and set out driving in the direction that he had instructed me to go, all those months ago. I abruptly realized that the feeling of being watched had returned, nagging constantly at the corners of my mind much as it had the day before. I continued onward, however, eventually pulling to a stop on the shoulder of the familiar dirt roadway.

It was a cloudy, gray day, but surprisingly no rain fell-a very nice day, for the Forks area. It took me a few minutes of studying the needle of the compass and the markings on the worn map, before I finally figured out the correct direction. I set off unreservedly into the woods.

The forest was full of life. As I walked, I listened to the sounds of nature. The birds where chirping sweetly overhead, the insects buzzed noisily, and the scurry of tiny field mice could be heard through the undergrowth. But despite all of this, the forest seemed...creepier than usual. It reminded me of my most recent nightmare. The sense of unease grew stronger as I walked deeper into the trees.

It was becoming difficult for me to breathe, not from over exertion but because the hole emblazoned into my chest was gaping open. I tried my best to banish the ache from my thoughts, but unfortunately it was always there in the back of my mind.

Some time later, the density of the forest began to lessen and the gray light from overhead, once again began to shine down amongst the trees. I sucked in a deep breath, as I arrived at the edge of the familiar clearing. I tightly shut my eyes and stepped forward. When I built up the courage to open them, the sight that met my gaze was disheartening.

Everything- the grass, the trees, the wildflowers, were all dead and gone. Reminiscent, in a way, of what my life had become. Overtaken with emotion, I fell to my knees, gripping the brown grass in a white knuckled grip, as I let the pent up tears fall freely.

I'm uncertain as to how long I sat there, wallowing in my grief, before I became aware of another presence slowly walking toward me across the expanse of the clearing. I looked toward the person, silently cursing the unwelcome intrusion, and took in the sight of them. The long dread locks, the utter grace of his body's movements, and the blueish overtone of his dark skin,...Laurent. He walked forward in a stately manner, stopping mere feet away from me, and turned his head in a questioning glance.

"Bella." he finally breathed.

"Laurent." I choked, in a quiet voice.

He grinned, "To be frank, I did not expect to see you here." he said, as he strolled ever closer to me, his expression bemused.

"Isn't it the other way around? I do live here. I thought you'd gone to Alaska." The last that I had heard of him, he had gone to the Denali coven to try their lifestyle of animal blood.

"You are right," he agreed. "I did go to Alaska. Still, I did not expect...When I found the Cullen place empty, I thought that they had moved on."

"Oh." I bit my lip as the mention of the cursed name once again set the hole in my chest agape. I took a moment to compose myself before I answered. Laurent waited with curious eyes.

"They did move on." I finally explained.

"I am surprised that they left you here. Were you not a sort of a pet of theirs?"

"Something like that." I smiled wryly, despite the situation.

"Hmm." he murmured, thoughtful again.

At that precise moment, I realized exactly why he looked the same...too much the same. After I had been informed that he had gone to Denali, I had pictured him, on the rare occasions that I thought of him at all, with the golden eyes that the Cullen's had had.

I sucked in a deep breath and took an involuntary step back, now fully aware that I was in the presence of a predator and I was his most likely prey. His dark scarlet eyes followed my every movement.

"Do they visit often?" The question took me by surprise, whilst I was trying vainly to slow my heart rate.

"Yeah, all the time." I said, deciding to lie in hopes of saving myself.

I watched breathless as he took a very deliberate step forward.

"Did Victoria ever find you?" I asked, trying desperately to distract him. It had been the first question that had filtered into my panicked mind and I regretted voicing it as soon as the words were spoken. Victoria was someone that I really didn't want to think about. The question, however, did halt him.

"Yes," he said, hesitating on his next step. "I actually came here as a favor to her." He grimaced. "She will not be happy about this."

"About what?" I gasped out eagerly, inviting him to continue. He was glaring off into the shadowy underbrush over my shoulder, seemingly lost in thought. I took advantage of his distraction and took a furtive step back.

"About my killing you." he breathed, in a seductive purr.

I staggered backward again, out of surprise and panic.

"She wanted to save that part for herself. Make it slow and painful." he was suddenly in front of me.

"Please...Please, you helped us!" I begged, as adrenaline began pumping through my veins, the fight or flight instinct going into overdrive.

"Shh..." he shushed me, placing a deceptively gentle finger to my lips. "You are lucky that it is me who found you and not her. I will make it quick, I promise. You will not feel a thing." He lifted his hand ready to strike me down.

I shut my eyes, trying to resign myself to the fact that I was about to die, and waited for the arms of death to embrace me.

"I would not proceed if I were you!" snarled a dark, but very welcome voice, the words drifting on a chilly gust of wind across the meadow to my ears. I tore open my clenched eyes and glanced in the direction from where it had came.

To my utter surprise, a man stood at the edge of the farthest tree line. He was dressed in an expensive looking black suit, his midnight hair hung down and melded into the shoulders of his jacket, and his skin was pale as the fresh fallen snow in winter. He seemed vaguely familiar and I silently wondered to myself where it was that I could have seen him.

"Who are you? She is my prey!" said Laurent, defensively crouching.

I took several steps backward, trying to put as much distance between myself, Laurent, and the new addition to our little soirée. I suddenly lost my footing. Leave it to me to have been clumsy in a moment that I needed desperately to be quick and stealthy. I fell backward, my head making contact with a rock. Before the darkness of unconsciousness overtook my senses, I heard a few snarls and a keen screeching noise. A pair of red eyes suddenly appeared above me, just before I fell into a black abyss.

XXX

Aro-

After I retreating from Isabella's room, I resumed my vigil in the nearby forest. I watched her father leave with what I guessed was a fishing pole draped over his shoulder. I could still hear her moving about inside. A few minutes afterward, she stepped out the front entrance and headed toward her vehicle. I followed closely behind her as I had the day before and was thoroughly surprised when she stopped on the edge of a short, dirt roadway and began to trek through the forest. I followed her still, remaining at a far distance so as to not alert her to my presence.

'Why would a human hike alone in the woods, all the while knowing that there are far worse things lurking in the shadows than wild animals? Did she have a death wish?' I wondered to myself.

My curiosity was eventually sated, however, as she halted in a large, circular clearing. I could imagine it in the spring, full of life and vegetation. But at that time, in the late winter, it was dead and lacking any kind of life. When Isabella gracelessly fell to her knees and began to sob, I had to fight the urge to go to her. It seemed that the place held a distinct meaning to her, one that was painful to recall. She sat curled into herself, so small and vulnerable.

Suddenly she raised her head and stared breathlessly across the meadow. I followed her worried glance, only to be met with the figure of another vampire. I recognized him as the other male in Victoria's thoughts...Laurent, I believe was his name. He slowly stalked forward toward Isabella, they had a small conversation, mostly about his stay in Alaska with the Denali coven and the Cullen's sudden disappearance.

It was all good and pleasant, until when I heard him utter the words, "About my killing you." I knew without thinking that I had to protect her. Why? I was not entirely certain. I could have just allowed the vampire to kill her and ended my peculiar fascination and problem all at once. But despite my thoughts, I found my feet treading forward, out of the tree line. As I neared I could smell, much more strongly, the scent of adrenaline pumping through Isabella's veins and the beat of her heart was painful to my ears as it pounded in a staccato rhythm.

"I would not proceed if I were you!" I snarled, glaring icily at the other vampire.

"Who are you? She is my prey!" he said, falling into a defensive position.

I knew without thought that I would have to kill him, his hunting instinct had already overtaken him, making him wild and unreasonable. In my peripheral vision, I noticed Isabella take a tentative step backward and stumble on the uneven ground. She fell in a graceless heap, hitting her fragile head on a stone.

My mind, however, was focused upon my opponent. We circled one another for several, tense moments before I jumped forward in a sudden bound. Taking advantage of his surprise, I was able to grasp his head and twist, until it detached from his shoulders. I piled the severed body parts together and pulled a box of matches from my pocket. After igniting his remains, I finally turned my attention to Isabella. I arrived at her side just before she fell into unconsciousness. I checked the small wound on her scalp, noting that it was not serious enough to cause her health to further decline. Gently, I hefted her into my arms and began the tread back to her automobile.

We arrived within minutes, after my having used my heightened abilities, and I placed her on the old leather seat, taking the place in front of the steering mechanism. I drew the key to the ignition from out her jacket and ignited the engine. I drove her home, much more slowly than what I would have preferred, and quickly took her inside.

I hurried my way up the stairs, where I laid her upon her bed. I had read numerous medical journals in my time and I knew that an icy compress would probably help the bump upon her head. I made my way downstairs to the kitchen and located the icebox. Grabbing some ice chips, I wrapped them in a cloth and ran back up to her bedside. I placed the compress on the bump on her head, holding it in place, and resigned myself to wait.

A while later, she began to stir.

XXX

Chapter 3! I hope all of you enjoyed...Next chapter, they actually have a conversation! What did you think about Aro saving her from Laurent, instead of the wolves? Let know your opinion...I truly enjoy hearing from my readers.

Anyway...A HUGE THANK YOU-Rose-Phoebe, Kassandra203, XxPink-PrincessxX, and Isarma for your reviews of last chapter! It means so much to know that you like my writing!

More to come soon...