Chapter Three
"It has been prophesied that this child that the wolf and the girl will produce will bring Doomsday. How can we criticize the Volturi for desiring to prevent that?"
The entire committee of vampires, gathered together in the basement of Zafrina's home, stared from Amun to Carlisle curiously, awaiting an answer.
"Amun brings up a fair point, Carlisle. You have yet to tell us the pertinence of protecting these children, save for the fact that they are of your own family," Robert, the leader of the British Coven, spoke up.
"The Volturi no longer plan to kill my granddaughter and Jacob Black," Carlisle began, eyeing all of the curious faces staring back at him carefully.
"What are you talking about? They came to Washington to do just that only a year ago," Garrett pointed out.
"They seem to be under the impression that this child is meant to bring the end of mankind - not the end of the world," Carlisle stated.
"Then they wish to use this child to destroy the human population?" Pierre, one of the French coven, asked.
"Yes," Carlisle said solemnly. "They want this child to be born so that they can take it into their own hands, and exploit its destiny to end all of mankind."
"So that they can take over the world?" Tanya shouted furiously.
"They're going to spin things to make it look like this will benefit all of the vampire world," Peter, one of the Southern American nomads, said.
"Who is to say that it will not?" Amun asked.
"Killing all the humans in the world could not be beneficial in any way," Benjamin said firmly. "Even if we were all to become 'vegetarian' like the Cullens, a world of only vampires would be no world."
"I agree," Carlisle said. "Even if the destruction of the humans was meant to be, the Volturi would not share their ultimate power. They would only become more power hungry, until eventually they destroyed us all."
"Can you see the future now, Carlisle?" Robert taunted.
"I can't personally," Carlisle remarked, turning to Alice, who merely raised her eyebrows at Robert. He nodded.
"Very well. Your stance is well argued," he consented. "And I do agree that the Volturi's intentions are abominable. But as long as the child in question does not exist, neither party can make a move."
"Why not?" Emmett demanded. "Why do we have to wait for them to come capture Nessie? Why can't we just take them out before any of this has a chance to escalate?"
"We do not attack other covens without grounds, Emmett," Zafrina reasoned.
"We have grounds," Garrett insisted. "I'm with Emmett - we should act before they do."
"We all saw how well that went over the last time," Siobhan snapped suddenly. "The Volturi swarmed us without any qualms. We could easily have been crushed."
"That's why we have to gather more this time," Carlisle said. "The reason Zafrina and I have organized these coven meetings is to gather the manpower and strength we will need to defeat the Volturi. If the entire vampire world protests then what, as our supposedly democratic leaders, can they do?"
"Well I'd say anyone you see here today is for your cause, Carlisle. I know my family is," Tanya declared.
"As is my coven," Benjamin said.
"And mine," Maggie chimed in.
"I will confer with my brothers in England," Robert offered.
"Mine in France are surely with you, Carlisle," Pierre insisted.
"We go wherever Jasper needs us," Charlotte, Peter's companion, added.
"I thank you all for your support. It is greatly appreciated. Please talk to your brothers, your neighbors and your covens. We need all the help there is," Carlisle implored.
"Anything for you, Carlisle," Garrett said.
The meeting was adjourned, and all the covens disappeared one by one, until none were left but the Cullens and Zafrina.
"I had been holding off telling them about the Volturi's new intentions for the child," Carlisle confessed, turning to his family wearily. "That information is going to be internationally known now, and Nessie and Jacob still haven't been told yet..."
"They will be," Edward said.
"When, Edward?" Alice asked worriedly. "I know it will hurt them, but you can't hide it forever."
"This decision rests on Bella and I, and no one else," Edward said firmly.
"Just be mindful of the time we have, Edward. We can't afford their ignorance for much longer," Carlisle replied.
"I know," Edward muttered.
"We might as well go check on Nessie and Jacob. They must be feeling pretty lonely," Esme remarked, as she began heading up the stairs.
"Of course they're not lonely, they're together," Emmett snorted, as he followed.
The Cullen family headed up the stairs, followed by Zafrina, until only Carlisle, Edward and Bella were left in the basement. Carlisle sighed, slumping into a chair.
"Carlisle, are you all right?" Bella asked, kneeling beside her surrogate father, eyeing him worriedly.
"There is a lot going on right now. Too much that we can't control," Carlisle said wearily. "All of these threats from the Volturi, then Enterprise, now the prophecy... and trying to get the word out to the entire vampire population is not proving easy."
"There's still time," Edward said.
"We don't know that. The Volturi could arrive tomorrow for all we know. Alice can only see so far..." Carlisle sighed.
"The Volturi can't come if there's no child," Edward said.
"Then you have to alert Nessie and Jacob of the danger that they're in," Carlisle replied.
"She's been so upset ever since we left Washington. Since her friend..." Bella trailed off sadly, looking up at Carlisle and Edward. "Telling her about this will crush her."
"I know it's difficult. But this is dire," Carlisle said.
"We'll tell them soon," Edward assured him.
"The next coven gathering will be sometime next month. I'd like them to be informed by then," Carlisle said, standing up and beginning to head towards the stairs.
Edward and Bella watched him go, before Edward walked over to take Bella's hand.
"Bella, darling..." he sighed sadly.
"That boy's death hurt Nessie more than anything else. How are we supposed to sit her down and pile even more bad news on her?" Bella asked solemnly.
"It has to be done," Edward said.
"She hates it here," Bella continued bitterly. "She lost the only other person besides Jacob that she ever loved, and then was pulled from the home that she had known her whole life only days later. She's miserable."
"She'll learn to adapt. She's just having a rough beginning," Edward insisted.
"And then what? Just as she gets comfortable, we whisk her off across the world again?" Bella snapped. "This is no good. Not for her, not for any of us."
"It's not the best, but it's what has to be done," Edward said.
"The Volturi are destroying her!" Bella shouted. "They are taking away any chances that she might have had to live a somewhat normal life. She is going to have to live her entire existence in hiding, in fear!"
Edward reached out, wrapping his arms around Bella's shoulders and hushing her. He continued to stroke her arms, resting his head against her shoulder as he spoke.
"I know this isn't fair. And I'm scared for her too," he assured her.
Bella turned to face Edward, staring at him sadly. He took her face in his hands, pressing his forehead to hers.
"She will survive this," he whispered.
Edward and Bella remained in the basement, wrapped in each other's arms, allowing Edward's words to sink in and become the truth.
Because they had to be the truth.
"Nessa?"
Nessie walked into the kitchen curiously upon hearing her mother calling her name. Bella stood at the kitchen table, a pile of envelopes sitting before her. She held one in her hand, staring at Nessie firmly.
"There's a letter for you. It's addressed from Forks."
Nessie could feel her blood run cold. She had secretly been keeping in touch with Griffin Parker, her best friend from her few months of high school at St. Bridget's Academy in Forks.
"I promised Griffin I would stay in touch," she offered pitifully.
"Nessa, you know the rules. You were not supposed to inform anyone of where we were. Especially not any humans," Bella said firmly.
"Griffin is harmless," Nessie assured her.
"Yeah, your friend Cody was harmless too," Bella snapped angrily.
Nessie's eyes had gone wide at the mention of Cody, and Bella instantly regretted her words.
"Ness... I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean-"
"I won't talk to Griffin any more," Nessie said dully, stepping away from Bella as she tried to approach her.
"That's not what I meant. I just-"
Nessie turned, walking from the kitchen quickly. Bella watched her go, pain beating through her heart.
"Nessa!" she called. But Nessie had walked out the front door into the sunlight, where Bella could not follow.
"Is there a problem?"
Bella turned to see Rosalie standing at the back door, eyeing her curiously, as though trying to assess the situation.
"No," Bella muttered, storming back over to the table. "It's just Nessa..."
Rosalie had picked up the letter, staring at is as though it were a fascinating piece of evidence in a huge mystery.
"She can't let go," she remarked, turning the envelope over in her hands.
"It's not her fault. She has a lot that she's attached to there," Bella said defensively.
"She has a death that she's attached to there," Rosalie corrected. Bella frowned.
"Shouldn't that make her less eager to go back?" she asked.
"A death can tie you to a place like nothing else. I go back to visit the location of my death at least once a month," Rosalie replied.
"You do?" Bella asked, stunned. Rosalie nodded.
"I can never leave it behind," she confessed. "I've been tied to it on an unnatural level. A part of me will always stay where I experienced death. And a part of Renesmee will always stay where that boy sacrificed his life for her."
"But Nessie can't go back to Forks," Bella remarked. Rosalie shrugged.
"She'll find a way."
And she strutted from the room, as if the conversation that had just passed had been of no importance at all. Bella watched her go, an unsettling feeling left in her heart.
Later that evening, Nessie snuck back into the kitchen to get her letter from Griffin. Though she knew she could not respond, she had to read it, just to hear Griffin's words in her mind.
She closed herself into the room that she shared with Rosalie, sitting on her bed and tearing the letter from the envelope. Griffin's perfectly neat scrawl was strewn across the page. It made Nessie smile just to see it.
"Dear Nessie,
It was so wonderful to hear from you. Rest assured, I've missed you greatly over the past month. School is not the same without you here.
You'll be happy to hear that fall cheerleading has ended, and Bree is now liberated from the terrible cult of gossip and backstabbing. You'll also be glad to know that Margot Hart was not permitted to join the winter cheer squad due to 'misconduct during the fall semester'. Justin McFarlane did not come to her rescue.
Chuck Craven asked me to send his regards. He says he 'misses seeing your shining face every day across from his locker'. He and the other lacrosse boys seem to be doing well lately.
I thought you might like to know that there is a memorial service for Cody planned for December 15th. Coach Newton organized it. He and Chief Swan will be speaking. All of St. Bridget's is going. I know Cody would have wanted you there - you will be greatly missed.
I hope you're doing well, Nessa. Your last letter sounded rather cheerless, and I would hate to think of you not enjoying your new home. I miss you, but I want you to be happy.
I trust this letter finds you in better spirits. Please write back whenever possible . I'm anxious to hear how you're doing in Brazil.
Yours truly,
Griffin"
Nessie stared down at the letter sadly. She was not in better spirits than when she had first written to Griffin. Her mood seemed to only decline with every day she spent away from Forks.
The news of Cody's memorial service made her even more upset, as she knew it would be impossible for her to be there to pay her respects to the boy who had sacrificed his own young life for hers.
Nessie quickly stood, marching over to the small desk in the corner of the room and dropping Griffin's letter onto it. She could not respond to let him know how much more miserable she was anyways.
The sun outside the window brought her no warmth as she stared into it. The beautiful weather, the stunning beaches, the brand new home - none of it was refreshing. All of it just made her long for Washington. For home.
Nessie quickly turned her back to the window, staring instead at the empty wall across the room. In the middle of it sat a small rainbow, glimmering peacefully.
Nessie's heart began pounding as she ran to her desk, grabbing the ring that had been sitting out in the sun, shoving it quickly into a drawer and slamming it shut.
A knock on the door tore her from her sudden terror, and she hurried across the room quickly to answer it.
"Hey Ness - can I come in?"
Jacob stared at her expectantly from where he stood outside the door. Nessie could not help but release a sigh of relief.
"Of course," she said, stepping aside to allow him to enter.
"Rosalie said I would find you up here," Jacob explained. "She said you were upset."
"She knew I took the letter..." Nessie muttered, cursing Rosalie's keen observations.
"What letter?" Jacob asked.
"Griffin wrote to me," Nessie replied. "My mom told me not to write to him any more. She said I couldn't trust any humans, because of Cody."
"She didn't mean that," Jacob said quickly, fully aware that Cody was not a subject to dwell on. Nessie shrugged sadly.
"She said what she was thinking. She doesn't see Cody the same way I do," she muttered.
"She doesn't understand," Jacob insisted.
"She couldn't," Nessie said logically. "She never met Cody. All she knows is that I'm alive today because he took a bullet for me. A bullet that, in her mind, he put me in the path of in the first place."
"She had no right to say that to you," Jacob said, taking Nessie's hand in his own.
"I need to go back, Jacob," Nessie said suddenly. "I need to see his grave, to be near him... to know that he's still there somewhere."
"We can't, Nessa," Jacob said, staring back apologetically.
"Who's stopping us?" Nessie demanded.
"I don't think it's a good idea. What if you're not ready for this? What if it makes it even harder?" Jacob asked.
"Nothing could make this any harder than it already is," Nessie said. "I can't take it any more, Jake. Being away is destroying me. All I can remember is our last night. That one night..."
"Look, it's hurting me too, Nessa. Being away from the pack kills me every day," Jacob assured her.
"Then let's go back," Nessie said desperately. "Just for a day. We can see the pack, and Charlie. We can visit Cody. We can finally make things right. We can't stay away forever, Jacob. We can't."
Nessie had grown increasingly hysterical as she continued speaking, and Jacob quickly wrapped his arms around her, hushing her carefully.
"It's okay, Ness," he whispered, as he rocked her back and forth gently.
"I have to go back," Nessie said, pulling away from Jacob and staring into his eyes.
"Then we will," Jacob replied, a yearning sensation burning in his own heart at the thought. "I'll take you back. I promise."
Nessie stared up at Jacob with a look of utter gratitude and admiration.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"I need it too," Jacob assured her. "We'll both go back, together."
That night, both Nessie and Jacob slept peacefully for the first time since leaving Forks.
