OOC: Yes, yes, it has been an unfairly long amount of time since I last updated, which is very unfair to you, and I apologize for that. And I know that this is a very short chapter, but hopefully the next two will be nice and long and will satisfy your thirst for Twilight. :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the original characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do, however, own the plot and all of the OCs, as well as any original ideas and creativity.
Chapter 2
Decisions
Carlisle POV
"Carlisle, Bella was kidnapped!" Alice repeated, only to be greeted once again by our silence and statue-like stillness. "Carlisle!" she screamed. This had finally brought me back into reality from the zone into which I'd tried to escape into. I knew I should assume my authority and say something, but it was Emmett who spoke.
"Now, Alice, we know this isn't possible." His voice was surprisingly soft, with but a small hint of worry in it. "Bella is a vampire. No human could have possibly hurt her in any way." But Alice shook her head, upset.
"No, no, not a human. He was one of us, no doubt of it. He…I…I couldn't see him. I had no idea he was coming. I saw NOTHING!" Everyone was listening intently, and even Jasper had left his room and joined us.
"Alice, please tell us exactly what happened," I said, speaking for the first time in a while. She nodded, looking on the verge of tears, if she could cry that is.
"Bella had just come back from…" Her voice trailed off as she glanced at Edward, who nodded once for her to continue, looking stony. "She ate. Then we were about to leave the forest, when Carlisle called me. I was talking to him, and for a moment I-I couldn't see anything. Then I heard Bella scream out. I dropped the phone," Ah, that would explain the sudden hang-up, "and saw him. He had Bella pinned. She was exerting all of her force to push him away, but nothing did any good. She did bite him, but even that stopped him only long enough for her to scream. I tried to hit him, but he did something, and I was blown back." Jasper hissed, and I wondered if he was imagining the whole scene just as vividly as I was. "So then, he throws an envelope onto the grounds and they disappear as this huge explosion follows." She paused. "And I didn't see it coming. I should have. Just like he should have been stopped by our attacks." Then she became quiet.
"Who was it?" Esme asked gently, placing a hand on Alice's shoulder.
"I don't know," she said earnestly. "He wasn't anyone from any of the covens that we know. I've definitely never seen him before." She paused, and then continued gravely. "I think he might have been one of the – "
"Rogues," Edward finished for her. His expression was deadly, and I knew where this was going. He was going to blame himself for everything that may or may not have happened.
Rosalie seemed to be thinking along the same lines as me, because she said, "Don't even start, Edward. None of us had any idea that they would be here. We thought these guys were in Tokyo – "
"THIS IS MY DAMN FAULT!!" Edward screamed, and looked very dangerous indeed. Enough for me to step in.
"Edward, stop." I didn't speak harshly, but I made my desire clear. "Alice, may I see that envelope that this vampire left?" This shut everyone up. It was interesting to see sometimes how the things that I said and did affected the others.
Alice pulled out a plain white envelope. It looked cheap and dirty, much different than the expensive, heavyweight manila envelope that the Volturi had used to send us their warning. Reaching inside, I pulled out a single sheet of white paper. A letter. I started to read the scraggly but legible handwriting.
"Cullen Family, as you know by now, we have captured Mr. Edward's lovely wife. We have no intention of hurting her, as long as we get what we want."
I stopped reading there for a moment, allowing time for everyone to digest this. What could these rogues want from us? Edward, Alice, Renesmee? Did they, like the Volturi, crave interesting talents or gifts? We needed to know.
"We do not ask anything more than the privilege of meeting Mr. Carlisle Cullen. Please do not take this as a threat, but we fear that if Mr. Carlisle is unable to meet with us, Mrs. Bella will be the one to suffer. If you do not wish for this to happen, you will have Mr. Carlisle come to the following address by no later than 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Please remember, we do not want to hurt or kill Mrs. Bella, but we may have no other choice if you don't comply with our demands. Mr. Carlisle is free to bring with him any members of his family, but if he cares about what happens to his daughter-in-law, he will limit it to ONLY his family. We hope you make the best decision."
Following that was an address, located in Tokyo. No one said anything, as pure shock lingered in the room.
Me? Me? Me?
Why me?
What on Earth could they possibly want from me?
I didn't have an interesting gift like Edward, Alice, Jasper, or Renesmee. I wasn't as strong as Emmett or as quick as Edward. I didn't have any sort of treasured possession hidden away.
Why did they want me?
Edward looked beyond words, lost in shock. The others now took turns passing around the letter, to see for themselves if the horrific things that I read were true.
They were holding Bella hostage to get to me. And if I didn't come, they would kill her. I was allowed to bring with me any of my family members, but no one outside my coven. I had two days to do it.
"Okay," Rosalie said, breaking the binding silence. "So they have Bella. But she's strong enough to get out, right? I mean, these rogues – " But she was cut off as a beast snarled from Edward's chest. He lunged at her, only to be restrained by Emmett and Jasper.
"There is no question as to whether or not we go," Alice spoke. "If they have Bella, we will save her at all costs." Wise words, but I knew that the bravery with which they were spoken was fake.
Emmett took his turn. "So…these guys have killed mature vampires, right?" I nodded. He grinned. "Excellent! I can't wait to try someone who actually puts up a fight." So he was decided. I glanced towards Edward, Jasper, and Esme.
Edward was still fighting the grip on him, eager to get at Rosalie. "I WAS AN ASS!! I GOT HER INTO THIS, AND I WILL TEAR ALL OF THEM APART, SO HELP ME GOD!"
Jasper shrugged, but the concern didn't leave his face. "I think we ought to go, but I'll go with whatever you decide." My eyes lingered on him for a fraction of a second too long, before turning to Esme.
"Yes," she said in a clear, chime-like voice. "Bella has been part of our family for a long time now, and we all need to get used to it." She glared in Rose's direction. "I'm shocked that this has even been put to a vote, Carlisle. Bella wouldn't have thought twice about staying if it had been one of us in her place." I had completely agreed with her, and to be honest, I didn't know why I had taken such a formal approach on things. Bella was my daughter. I would risk my life to save her.
"All right." I glanced back down at the letter. "It says we have two days to get there. When should we leave?" I was beginning to question my sanity as I asked another ridiculous question. Of course we would leave as soon as possible. But some of us chose to comment upon this anyway.
"Well, I think we ought to wait a while. After all, how do we know this whole thing isn't just a Quileute prank?"
"Shut up, Rosalie!" Alice spat, sounding quite hostile. "We will leave right now, with or without you!"
"Some of us value our lives!" Rose snapped back. Edward looked up.
"Bella would die to save your worthless life, you whore!"
"Enough." My voice brought everyone back to attention. "They have asked for my presence in return for Bella's life. I will leave in a matter of hours. No one is forced to come, but all are free to do so it they want. I will not resent anyone who chooses to stay." And with that, I headed upstairs.
I didn't know what to pack. I mean, what kinds of things would you bring to what could very well be your execution? In the end, I ended up with the credit card that was the key to open my biggest bank account, which held well over several million dollars. I also took a wallet-sized picture of my family.
Esme, Edward, Bella, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rose, Nessie – they all went into my pocket as well as enough money to so sustain a small country for several years.
I gave everyone two hours to make their decision – I figured that would be plenty of time for them to make up their minds. In the end, Rosalie had decided to stay home, as well as – to my surprise – Alice and Jasper.
"The letter said to only bring members of your family," Alice had explained. "You know that we consider you to be more than family, but Jazz and I aren't linked to you by blood and venom. We don't want to take any more risks than we have to. Besides," she said grudgingly, "I can't see."
We had decided not to tell anything to the Quileutes, Jacob, Nessie, or Charlie. We didn't need to have to worry about anything more right now.
Esme, Edward, Emmet, and me – the four of us against the deadly unknown. I'd tried to stop thinking about what awaited us as we boarded the plane to Tokyo, by making myself feel guilty that once gain I was missing out on the opportunity to bond with Jasper.
