Thank you, thank you and thank you for all the reviews! :o) You guys are great!

This next chapter is a mini chapter in Bella's POV. It will be the ONLY one in this story. I just thought it was necessary.

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The world spiraled past me as an unrecognizable blur of colors. It took me seconds, despite the crippling pain, to realize I was moving. Fast. Sharpened nails were digging into my torso, accompanied by a vice-like grip, which prevented my lungs from expanding. I fought desperately against violent bouts of nausea and dizziness, forcing my eyes to remain open. I needed to figure out where I was, where I was heading, and most importantly, who or what was taking me there.

Deep, disconcerting, animal-like growls were rumbling just behind me. Although I tried, I couldn't produce a single reasonable explanation for what was happening. My thoughts then traveled to the moments just before the chaos. I'd been searching for Leah, who had been missing since yesterday, at an outdoor market called Vendor's Plaza. The marketplace was just off the port of St. Thomas. It was riddled with shopping passengers and natives. I remembered feeling slightly claustrophobic and overheated, so I decided to take refuge in the shade, on a nearby bench.

That's when I spotted Leah, across the way, but too far to hear me scream her name. She also seemed to be searching for something or somebody: perhaps she was looking for me. Before I had time to summon feelings of anger towards my irresponsible friend, my upper body was suddenly crushed and the ground was swept away from beneath my feet. I was plucked, literally, from the small bench and flung into some kind swirling warp zone.

Dear God, the pain was intolerable. Whatever held me was now dragging me mercilessly by the arm, as my legs scraped across gravel and dirt like those of a rag doll, colliding hard into sharp and jagged objects. I tried to speak, to beg for my life, but in an instant, my arm was flung over my head and the massive pressure took hold of my chest once again, preventing me from screaming. I was certain I'd die within the next agonizing minutes, from either shock or suffocation. It didn't matter which came first; I just prayed for death to consume me quickly and silence the now mind-blowing pain that was ravaging every part of my body.

Just as my eyelids had finally succumbed to the effects of my impending demise, I was released. My body crashed onto the dirt with such force, I was sure every bone and organ was either broken or bruised. I'd never experienced being tossed from a moving car, speeding over 100mph, but as I careened helplessly across the ground, I was pretty confident this was its equivalent.

The Earth raced painfully beneath me, across my skin, burning on contact, as if I were rolling through a fiery pit. When I finally came to a stop, my breath was caught and my extremities stiffened. The extent of my road rash should have been unimaginable and the pain which immediately overtook me was excruciating.

I moaned loudly, intending to scream, but every inch of me was hurting too much to exert the necessary amount of energy. This was it; this was how I was destined to die. Away from everybody I've ever loved and cared about. Deep sadness ripped through me, accompanying my ever-worsening agony, as images of my dad flashed in my mind. How would he deal with my death, so soon after Mom?

Another surge of despair coursed ruthlessly through my weakening body upon thinking of Jacob. I loved him more than life itself. He was my everything, my reason for breathing and yet his memory caused me immeasurable emotional pain. The day before, I'd spent every available moment trying to contact him, to no avail. I felt panicked, horrified at the possibility of something tragic happening to him, that is, until he finally returned my calls. I was relieved to hear his voice; however, my relief was only momentary. Jake was short, distant and irritable. There was no trace of the loving Jacob, of my Jacob, on the other end of that receiver. Something was off.

I drew in a deep, agonizing breath and immediately became sick to my stomach, as a repulsively familiar scent made its way through my battered lungs. Blood. The smell was so strong. How damaged was I? I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes, for fear of what I could potentially see.

"She will remain alive," a velvety male voice commanded.

The man was met by hisses and growls of protest. Animals? Dogs, maybe. Then, a melodious voice spoke incomprehensible and unthinkable words.

"I thought the girl was a snack." I heard the woman take in a deep, exaggerated breath. "She smells delicious. May I have just a little taste?"

My brain couldn't process what I'd just heard. A snack? Delicious? Was I dreaming? Waves of intense pain and stinging quickly confirmed my conscious state. This nightmare, although unfathomable, was indeed real.

Three distinct voices, one male and two female, spoke of unimaginable things: blood, thirst, a wolf girl. The male, who seemed to be the leader of the group, had planned an ambush. He discussed leading the so-called wolf girl into the woods, using me as bait. I didn't understand. They talked so fast that, at times, I was unable to keep up. It was all so confusing and utterly frightening.

What the hell was going on?

"Remember what I said," the male stated with an air of warning, "the girl remains alive… for now."

The words echoed in my brain like some kind of sadistic torture. If I didn't die from my injuries, I'd be at the mercy of these monsters. They were cannibalistic sociopaths. No other possible explanation existed.

For reasons unknown, I dared to open my eyes, though quickly wished I hadn't. A pair of blue, lifeless eyes stared back at me. Even if I'd known the unfortunate stranger who lay dead before me, mere inches from my face, I wouldn't be able to make a positive identification. There was so much blood and jagged gashes, almost as if he or she had been mauled by some sort of wild beast.

Tears welled in my eyes as I attempted frantically to control my heaving sobs. I didn't want to draw attention to myself; however, before I could take another breath, a woman with the face of an angel, but with eyes so evil and dark that she could only be a demon, was staring back at me. Her lips curved upwards into a sinister, yet beautiful smile.

"Peek-a-boo."

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Thanks again to all my readers. I also hope to hear some feedback from some of my ghost readers? :o)