Chapter 4

Alice, Carlisle, Emmett, and Edward walked in the semi-dark house quietly not to scare Bella and closed the door behind them carefully. Bella walked around the kitchen, but felt a strange chill from the front door. Turning around slowly, the Cullens were standing at a distance. At first, she thought she was hallucinating, but then blinked and they were still standing in the same spot like marble statues. Bella ran towards Edward throwing her arms around his cold neck and hugged him tightly. Edward stood unresponsive to her hug. She looked at his face, but couldn't tell if he was upset or angry with her. Edward spoke, "How could you ever think of facing James by yourself you would have gotten yourself killed!"

Bella responded, "James has my mother and said that if I didn't come alone to the studio that he would hurt my mother. I couldn't bear if my mother suffered, I just couldn't live without her or Charlie! I feel guilty enough for dragging them in this situation and making them targets."

Alice placed her arm around Bella's shoulders, guiding her to the family room and sat her down on the small checkered couch. Jasper sat down next to Alice, while the others followed behind them. "James would have easily killed you, Bella. You are no match to him. He doesn't have your mother that was just a trick to lure you to the studio alone."

Bella's expression on her face changed to a look of sheer horror. Her big brown eyes stared back at Alice with pure surprise of James's dirty trick. Edward, who was now sitting next to Bella, pulled her into his arms and cradled her. Bella still in traumatized quivered in his arms.

Carlisle interrupted their bonding moment, "Bella will be alright, she'll calm down in the car. We need to go to the ballet studio now. We'll let Bella enter the ballet studio alone--"

Edward protested, "No! We can't let her---"

Carlisle continued, "We will enter the studio from the back doors because I think James will probably waiting for Bella near the entrance of the studio. Bella has to act like James has her mother for our plan to work. I won't let any harm come to her. You have to trust me, son."

Emmett interjected, "What if Victoria is aiding James? Then, how are we supposed to distract James and Victoria?"

Carlisle pondered, "You make a good point, Emmett. If that is the case, then we'll split up and dispose of them." As Carlisle described his plan to eliminate James and Victoria to the others, he cringed at the though of killing another creature.

A smile crept on Emmett's face as he sporadically exclaimed, "I call dibs on James!"

Alice, Edward, Jasper, and Carlisle turned their gazes to Emmett, curious to his excitement. Bella still in Edward's arms straightened and gained semi-composure murmured in his chest, "How do you kill a vampire since they are immortal beings?"

Jasper sensed her anxiety for this circumstance gently spoke, "Though vampires may be immortal, it is possible to kill them. I don't think you want to know the details though."

Bella refused to be deemed as too fragile to know the gory details. "I can handle the details."

Edward and Alice exchanged questionable quick glances and agreed it was better for her know than be kept in the dark. They looked at Carlisle to explain and break it to her gently.

Carlisle tried to spare her the nitty-gritty details that may frighten her, so he would just give a general sense of killing a vampire. "Well, you have to rip apart their limbs then burn their limbs and body in a bonfire to eliminate a vampire."

Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Edward looked at Bella's expression nervous of her reaction. They wanted her to face the truth of their kind, but not totally frighten her.

Bella swallowed and commented, "It sounds like quite a dirty job."

Emmett chuckled at her comment, and then the other started to chuckle too.

Bella was confused how her comment was funny in any way. "What is so funny?"

Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Edward, and Carlisle turned their gaze to her confusing expression on her face still chuckling. Emmett then spoke between his chuckling, "You humans are so funny! When we eliminate them, it will be just like hunting though a little more challenging. You wouldn't understand how hunting can get messy sometimes."

Edward glared at Emmett because he didn't want him to divulge too much information of hunting to Bella. Bella kept badgering him to take him on a hunting trip, but it would be too dangerous for Bella to be around him when he went hunting. She could be hurt in the process and he would never forgive himself for inflicting any pain upon her. He didn't want to entertain her curiosity about their hunting trips.

Bella left the room to get a quick bite to eat before leaving for the ballet studio. The Cullens seized the moment to discuss their plans once they arrive at the studio in detail. Victoria lurked behind the house to eavesdrop on the Cullens. She took a waft and smelled a human in the house. She guessed it was most probably the girl called Bella Swan. She ran swiftly to the ballet studio to warn James that the Cullens were devising a plan and Bella would have company upon her arrival.