EDWARD CULLEN

My heart was pounding. It was her scream. I knew it. I wasn't wrong.….

"Edward, are you alright?"

I was in my room, Emmet was staring at me. His worried face could be seen through the dancing light coming from the disco ball.

"Did you hear that?" I asked, looking at him seriously. I grasped the seat of my chair. I knew her voice so well. I wasn't wrong.

"I heard nothing, bro," Emmet answered, confusedly, but he may have misinterpreted my question and anxiety because he suddenly laughed and grinned at me.

"Hey, man! Don't be that excited! Those vampire girls will come, just be extra patient okay?" he said and then he laughed again.

Clearly, he was still talking about this stupid stag party of mine. Vampire Girls? There was only one woman in my heart and they could never ever replace her.

Balloons were in every corner of my room. Disco lights that Emmet had temporarily installed gave life to my boring room. But all of this didn't matter as the horror that was swelling up in my chest got deeper and deeper. The most important person in my life was in danger!

I stood up at once. The terror that I was feeling worsened as the seconds went by.

"What?" Emmet asked, his anxious face returned.

"There is something wrong, Emmet. Bella's in danger! I know it!" I said, grabbing both his arms as I spoke. I was shaking, but I couldn't help it.

Emmet stared at me for a moment and then he said calmly, "Edward, don't worry! She's with Alice having their own party. She's safe in her house." But after a moment, his face suddenly became serious and his face scrunched as he said, "Oh, sheep! Now you've done it!. Alice will surely kill me for telling-"

Then the phone rang.

Emmet and I stared at each other for a moment. His eyes narrowed as he read my troubled face, before he went and picked up the phone.

"Hello? Oh Carlisle! How's the- " Emmet paused. He was silent for a moment and then he looked at me, horrified.
He didn't need to say a word for me to know what gave him the fright.



I heard it plainly. I heard straight from his head. The confirmation of the horror that I desperately wished was not true. I didn't have time to stand there any longer. Bella was indeed in danger.

I ran as fast as I could, not waiting for Emmet to hang up. In a fraction of a second, I was outside already, trees passing by me in a flash. I heard wolves' cries everywhere. I didn't know why they acted like this, but surely, it had to do with a loss... maybe Bella's disappearance.

Bella, oh Bella how could I leave you for a second? I thought. My heart blamed myself, and I knew it was my fault. I should've been with her every second. Every minute of her life. I promised her that. I felt like an idiot for not watching her during this stupid stag party.

I could smell Alice already. She wasn't that far now.

I didn't take any longer because I saw her in an instant as I ran through a curve in the forest. She was slumped in the grass. Her eyes were blank and her face reflected her shock. Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie were also there. Carlisle was already kneeling in front of Alice, his hands on both cheeks.

"Alice, it wasn't your fault," I heard Carlisle mumble. I scanned Alice's mind. But it wasn't necessary as she blurted out the words I was looking for anyway.

"No, Carlisle! It's my fault! I shouldn't have thrown this party at all! As we were speeding our way here, I don't know why, I-I don't know how... I'm so confused, Carlisle!! One moment she's there and then… she's gone!! And then those dogs started to scream and-" She paused for breath. "This is the only thing I found." She held a bracelet I recognized at once. It was the same thing that I had given to Bella.

As I soon as I saw the bracelet, my knees gave away. I let a horrible growl escape me as agony and pain came rushing to me at the same time.

"Edward! Pull yourself together! Your panic will not do anything good," Carlisle said firmly and then he looked behind me and said, "Jasper, come closer." I whirled around to see Emmet and Jasper there. I had never noticed their arrival because my mind was only focused on figuring out the mystery behind Bella's disappearance. I felt helpless. It had been a very long time since I had like this.

"Go to the werewolves," Carlisle ordered Jasper, pulling me back from my horrible thoughts. "See what is happening there. They're not far from here. Actually, this is the first time they have been this close to our part of the land."

Jasper nodded. "I'll come with you," Emmet offered and the two of them were gone in a flash. Suddenly, my patience was gone.

"CARLISLE!" I bellowed. "WHAT DO WE DO?!" I couldn't help but panic. With Bella's disappearance, and no minds to scan for information, I was losing it.



"Calm down, Edward," Carlisle said. "We're doing everything we can."

"CALM DOWN?" I repeated. "We don't even know where to start!"

"Calm down, son," Esme said. This was the first time she spoke, yet her uncertainty gave no relief whatsoever. I bit my lip. I couldn't let my temper show any further to Esme. She didn't deserve it ,and besides it wasn't her fault that Bella was in danger. It was my fault!

Before I could blame myself any further, Jasper emerged from the trees. His face was shocked as he said, "Quick! Follow me!"

He didn't have to say it twice. The five of us ran to where he was pointing. It was less than two seconds before we arrived.

At first, I didn't realize who was twitching and screaming in agony in the grass. But that awful stinking smell was unmistakable. I watched in shock to see Jacob Black screaming in pain. I quickly scanned his mind for the reason but all I could see was pain.

"Argh!" Jacob screamed. "It's burns!"

"No, this is not true," Carlisle whispered. "It can't be true."

I noticed Carlisle was leaning towards Jacob, examining every part of him. I scanned Carlisle's mind to see what he was looking for…. And I gasped. He was looking for bite marks.

Then I recognized immediately the way Jacob twisted and turned in agony. His pain was not ordinary. This kind of pain could only be caused by vampire venom. Jacob had been bitten? Impossible! That couldn't have happened.

"No marks," Carlisle confirmed. His face was contorted in confusion.

"Surely, he cannot be suffering from a vampire bite. He's a werewolf for heaven's sake!" Jasper cried. "But how can you explain his agony?"

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Suddenly, I heard a huge gasp. I whirled around quickly to see Alice's hand on her mouth.

She looked like she was about to vomit.

"It was n-not Jacob Black who's been bitten, Carlisle," Alice said finally, her eyes wide in horror. I had never seen her frightened like this before. "That M-Makatah must be the reason why Jacob-"

Wait, Makatah? I searched Alice's mind, and then everything became clear. What I saw in her mind was Bella, explaining her trip to La Push to Alice. The Makatah. Sam Uley. My mind became blank for the first time in a century. This Makatah gave a magical link to Jacob and 

Bella. And if Jacob was experiencing pain caused by vampire venom but no bite marks, then the bite must belong to...

"It's burning! Take away the fire!! PLEASE!!" Jacob screamed.

This is not happening...

"Then who is it, Alice Who's been bitten?" Carlisle demanded, his voice superior.

Alice hesitated and I didn't need to hear her answer to know what she was going to say.

"It's Bella," she answered finally. "Bella has been bitten."

TO BE CONTINUED

Special thanks to my beta reader, Moondancing Millie!