Title: Complicated Battle
By: Kururugi YaoiFan
Disclaimer: Well I don't own Twilight; sadly I never will either because all rights go to Stephanie Meyer!
Author's Note: Ugh I'm such a terrible person TT_TT. Please don't murder me in cold blood; lord knows how much of a pain in the arse I've been for not updating any sooner. But I promise to make it up to you guys, but let's not get ahead of ourselves...Before you dive into this chapter I do advise you re-read the previous chapters. Some changes have been made but not many.
Anyways…This chapter still awaits, so read my darlings! I'll see you down at the bottom.
Chapter 7 – Sparks of War
Jacob's POV-
Anya chuckles at my outburst, a small blush forms on my cheeks. I continue to deny it, "It wasn't a date."
"Oh really, so you're saying, you sitting down with him in a restaurant, having a great time, and letting him pay for dinner isn't considered a date?" My eyes widen at her statement.
"How did you know all that?" Eyeing her suspiciously, was she spying? No, I think I would've noticed if she did, I think instantly.
"Let's just say I have my ways?" She smiles and just the way she did so tells me exactly how she knew.
"The girls called you, didn't they?" I don't need Anya's confirmation to know, because of course they'd tell her!
"Yes, yes they did. When they told me that you were on a date with Edward Cullen, I was taken by surprise." Her smile grows even bigger, looking like a Cheshire cat.
"Trust me you're not the only one who was surprised." I admit. Which is true, "Since Nicole and Kara blocked me from their minds I didn't know their intentions were to get me and Edward to have dinner together."
Suddenly Anya booms with laughter, "So it was a date!"
"No it wasn't, never in a million years would I go on a date with Edward Cullen!" I argue, crossing my arms over my chest while grumbling in a childish manner.
So much like a child... Anya thinks, which I pointedly ignore, but she keeps silent as she continues to drive behind Charlie's car.
Out of nowhere, after a few minutes of silence, I begin sweating from the heat encompassing my skin. The temperature in the air changes so rapidly that I feel like I've just been thrown into a flaming inferno.
Turning the ac on and rolling down my window begins to raise Anya's concern as she sees me drenched in my own sweat. Panting, I feel sweat streaming down my back…Why is it so hot?
"Jacob, are you alright?" Anya peels her eyes off the road to completely face me, placing the back of her right hand on my forehead. But only after a short moment does she instantly retract it. "Oh dear, Jacob your burning up."
Sadly, I have no energy to make a snide remark for that last statement.
"W-what's happening?" I croak out in between breaths. "Everything hurts; help m-make it stop Anya!" What's w-wrong with me? I feel l-like I've just been lit on fire!
My thoughts break off as pain rips though my body. Every nerve and fiber screams in agony. I bit my lower lip to prevent myself from crying out loud, only to taste a salty tang of copper.
"Hold on Jake, we're almost to the house." Anya states anxiously, gripping the steering-wheel to hold back the urge to speed past Charlie to hurry home. Her worried look is glued on me as I cringe at the stabbing pain at the pit of my stomach. Ughhh…It f-feels like my s-stomach is going to split and p-pour out my guts all on the floor…What's going on!?
My ears begin to ring so badly I barely catch what she says. Another wave of pain passes, causing me to arch my back uncomfortably in the passenger seat, just as a yell is ripped from my throat. The pain increases by the minute; my heart pounds so hard against my chest that I think it might actually shoot out of my body any second.
And the feeling inside my stomach just wouldn't go away, oh god, please go away!?
Then an intense wave of pain jabs me in my lower back, I howl and thrash against my seat. Nothing I do is helping. The pain is everywhere around me and it's just too much for me to take.
"Please Jacob, calm down."
I clutch my head and my chest, both burning with intense pain. A flare begins to stir up again in my insides. Soon it becomes a very uncomfortable feeling; I buckle forward, groaning at how my stomach twists from the hasty movement.
Up to this point it's hard to speak, it's hard to breathe and with every passing second it just gets harder and harder.
"Breathe, Jacob."
I can't.
Another heat twirls in my stomach, stop!
Go away! Just go away!
Another wave hit my lower back. Another thrash my body gave.
No, please stop it. Please, go away!
"Jacob, please stop thrashing, you're going to hurt yourself."
I can't stop. It won't go away, the pain…it won't go away.
Another– Enough!
A dreadful scream reaches my ears and I can't tell whether it is Anya's or mine. But it doesn't matter; darkness swallows me in its warm, comforting blanket and I welcome it with open arms because the pain is finally fading away.
Anya's POV-
Oh god, what impeccable timing! "Damn it! Hang on Jacob, we're almost home." Ugh, if only I could get us there faster! Speeding up isn't an option, at least not without raising suspicion with Charlie driving in front of us.
Without looking away from Jacob, I dial the house phone. I didn't give whoever was the one to pick up the phone time to answer before me, "I need you to run an ice bath. Jacob's temperature spiked in a matter of seconds and he's unconscious right now."
"How close was he to–?" Kara starts asking before I cut her off.
"Close enough to start clawing at his stomach." I glance at the blood seeping out from the open, claw-like gashes. My eyes darken at the sight of its luscious color and scent that the blood is giving off. I shake my head, because now is not the time!
The other line goes silent, well, all besides the running water sounds in the background.
"Look we'll be there in a few minutes, just have the bath and a medicine kit ready for me when I get there." I hang up, aggravatingly frustrated at this very moment. Why? Why now of all times?
Minutes pass at an agonizingly slow pace before I'm able to I pull up the driveway. In a matter of seconds, I'm unbuckling my seatbelt and out of the car by the time Charlie is out of his vehicle. He waves to me in goodnight before sluggishly retreating inside his home.
Once the male Swan is inside I rush over to Jacob's side, immediately lifting him up in my arms and carrying him up to the door. Kara and Nicole stand there in worry.
"Anya, your eyes…" Kara looks at me with a look of concern. Nevertheless, they allow me to slip inside easily and follow closely now that my problem has made itself known.
I have to physically force my hunger down. My eye color is pitch-black when I see my reflection in the compact mirror Nicole holds up. "It's okay. I'm fine, I promise." Surprisingly the two of them aren't affected as badly as I am, but that's a good thing I suppose.
Dashing up the stairs one after the other, the girls lead the way to the upstairs bathroom where the ice bath is ready and medicine kit is kindly placed on the counter.
I place Jacob on the floor, "Let's get him out of his clothes and into the bath first. I won't be able to dress his wounds if they're going to get wet anyway."
Kara and Nicole nod as the both of them join in with me to carefully rid him of every piece of clothing, except his boxers of course.
"Alright, we lift him on three. One…two…three," It wasn't easy lifting Jacob up and into the tub, what with his scorching-hot skin becoming very difficult to withstand every increasing second. Even with our low body temperature we're not going to be able to bare this heat for much longer. All three of us hiss in unison. Our grips loosen the second we have him over the tub, Jacob's unconscious body drops into the tub with a splash.
"Ugh…that never happened, agreed?" Nicole is the first to find her voice, the accident momentarily renders us all speechless; both her and Kara turn to set Jacob's body properly in the tub.
"Agreed," Kara and I both nod in concurrence, the both of us glance down at our drenched shirts with a sigh.
"We need to check his temperature. We'll have to continuously monitor it, at least until it goes down or he gains consciousness." I inform them.
Nicole moves over to the medicine kit, shuffling through it until she pulls out the plastic stick. She slips the tip of thermometer past Jacob's lips, holding the device still as we patiently wait for the readings.
It's not even a minute later before the thermometer beeps continuously, up until Nicole presses the stop button, notifying us what temperature Jacob was at the moment.
"Well…How bad is it?" I ask impatiently.
"He's 108.1° right now and we have to take it into consideration that it could've been way higher before we set him into ice bath."
That can't be good. My eyebrows furrow in apprehension. Damn it!
"Isn't that–?" Nicole starts but I cut her off harshly with one simple word.
"Yes."
Our conversation doesn't go beyond that, it's been a long day already. Could this day get any worse?
We fall into a deep silence and only shuffle around each other in shifts, checking up on Jacob every half-hour or so.
After calming down from my high of frustration, I deeply regret speaking to the girls in such a way. I know they're just worried about Jacob. The fact that I knew this day would come didn't make it any less hard to accept.
Hours pass before Jake's temperature finally begins to drop down to average and yet he still doesn't wake; when nothing happens we remove him from the red-water-filled-tub and settle him on his bed with a fresh pair of clothes on.
"There's about half an hour before school begins," Kara enters the room, already dressed for the day.
"If he doesn't wake up then–."A scratchy groan reaches our ears as Jacob slowly opens his eyes.
In that moment we're instantly by his side, Nicole dashes to the other side of the bed in mere seconds.
"Jacob, relax." Slowly sitting up, he leans on Nicole's side for support.
"Holy–! Did my head get into a fight with a brick wall or something?"
"You don't remember?" I ask.
"The last thing I remember was it was being extremely hot in the car…"
"We're glad you're alright, you gave us quite a scare…" Nicole nudges him lightly causing him to sway a bit.
"What happened?"
"You passed out, you had a fever. We had to lower your temperature with ice; it wasn't until then that you became conscious."
Jake shakes his head as if trying to clear his thoughts furthermore; his eyes then catch wind of the wrapping around his mid-section. "And the wound?"
"You, uh, hurt yourself when trying to stop the pain your fever was causing." Kara explains.
He moves to stand up, not bothering to reply, "How much time do we have before we have to go to school?"
Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, I say, "About twenty-five minutes."
Jacob almost trips on his way over to his closet. Nicole holds his forearm until his rights himself. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just give me a minute to change and I'll meet you downstairs."
Reluctantly Nicole lets go of him, "Okay then."
The three of us slowly walk towards his door, "If you need help, ask."
It isn't really a question, it's a plea, and with that being said I shut the door and went downstairs to prepare Jacob's lunch for the day.
Jacob's POV-
So it wasn't a dream…it was real. The pain and the screaming…it was all real…What is wrong with me?
Earlier I attempted to read Anya's mind, after she gave me the half-assed excuse, but all it brought was a huge migraine.
The soft scent of copper hit my nose, causing me to glance down at the bandage. Blood seeps out of the wound, creating its own little patch of red. Great…this is just fucking perfect! My powers aren't working, I'm not healing and I've got the biggest pain-in-the-ass headache on the face of this fucking planet right now! So yeah, this is beginning to be the worst and most fucked up mission I've ever had!
This day cannot get any worse…I groan silently in prayer, just hoping I'm right.
With praying out of the way, I grab my backpack and head downstairs. Anya's holding my lunch patiently at the bottom of the stairs; I say a polite "thanks" before taking the sack, throwing it in my bag, and hurrying out the door.
The drive to school is silent; well it would be silent if the radio wasn't playing. Last night isn't exactly a wonderful conversation to have on the way to school. I'm not entirely sure if I'm ready to find out what was the cause of last night's events.
I mean a lot of bazaar shit has been going down ever since this mission began and, as scary as last night was, I'm not sure if I'm mentally prepared to find out what I'm becoming, if I'm becoming anything.
Plus, with my powers not working as well as they should be, we're left defenseless from Edward. If he's anywhere near us, everything we know will now be left to his disposal. Once we arrive to school and step out of the car, I give nothing but a warning, "Steer clear of Edward Cullen, I'm not exactly feeling so well since last night."
"You know we could've stayed at home if you're not well. I'm sure Anya wouldn't have mind. There's still time to go back if you want." Kara points out and Nicole nods in agreement.
"You're kidding, right? This is only our fourth day of school and you two want to skip? Yeah well, that's not happening!" I throw by bag over my left shoulder, already making my way towards the front door with Nicole and Kara in tow.
"If you say so," Nicole chuckles as she opens the front doors for us. We're a few minutes early, which gives me just enough time to get my stuff out of my locker and eat breakfast.
"Alright well I guess I'll see ya'll later, remember what I said!" I shout over my shoulder as I jog to the long column of lockers.
There's only a couple of strays wandering the halls but no sign of any of the Cullens. Good, I stand in front of my locker and put in the combination in. But the moment the locker is open I hear a shout from down the hall, "Hey, Jacob!"
Crap! Alright just keep calm, after putting my shield up I turn to the direction of the call just in time to see Edward Cullen, of all people, coming up to me.
Wincing at the headache that springs up, I pull out my books, shut my locker, and toss Edward a small smile, "Uh...Hey, Edward."
I walk past him to the opposite direction of the cafeteria because fuck it! I can miss out on a meal or two if it means I won't have to deal with Edward Cullen this morning.
"Jacob, hold up! Are you alright?" He follows, steadily falling into step by my side.
"Just peachy, why do you ask?"
"Because you're..." He pauses, trying to think of a word to substitute his thoughts of 'hurt, bleeding, injured, and in pain'.
"I'm what?"
But he can't possibly give himself away, at least not any more than he already has, so in the end he comes up with…"You're wearing your shirt inside out."
I look down and, well what do you know,I'm actually wearing my shirt inside out. So his excuse checks out this time, "Huh, I never noticed, but I'm also guessing neither did my sisters or mother. Thanks…"
He chuckles, sending me this million-watt smile. "No problem."
Alright, this is becoming really uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?"
I amplify my shield a little more, causing me to bite back a groan. HOLY CRAP! Did I say that out loud or something!? No, I'm still talking in my thoughts…so he must have heard my thoughts! Fuuuuck!
The headache doesn't fade away like I initially thought it would. Ughhh whyyyyy!
"No, I don't believe I did…"
'But I could've sworn I just heard his thoughts moments ago.' Alright it's time to shut those thoughts down before Edward finds out that he's possibly 99.9% correct.
Thankfully the bell saves me the trouble of doing so, "Well, I need to get to English." Not giving him any time to reply, I turn walk away towards my homeroom.
"Don't forget about your shirt."
I don't bother looking back, "Yeah, thanks for reminding me."
Luckily I'm able to arrive on time to class, after having to stop by the restroom to adjust my shirt to its proper wearing.
"Okay, class settle down…for today's lesson we'll be–." I tune out Ms. Richardson, not bothering to write down the notes she has on the board. Since in-class notes are all that she's going over, I decide to devote my time to concentration, because if I can't get my powers under control I'm screwed.
So by the end of first period I've managed to at least get rid of the horrendous headache. That bit of success alone makes me want to leap in the air.
Before I can take one step into my next classroom, I'm dragged backwards by two very strong hands.
"Hold up a sec, bro. We want to talk to you." Nicole cracks a smile as both she and Kara drag me to the nearest lockers.
"About what exactly and was that really necessary!?" I reply in slight confusion. What is so important that they had to bodily drag me across the floor, in front of everyone of all things?
"Oh, you know what." Their matching grins are ones to fear, and fear I do. The look they send me tells me that it wasn't exactly necessary for them to drag me, but that they had fun in doing so just for the heck of it.
'What happened to steering clear of Edward, huh? You know you should really stop ordering us to something, then go ahead and do the exact opposite Jacob.'Kara nudges my shoulder.
'Ugh, what do you two want?' Really, that's what this is about!
'To tease you, obviously you two can't stay away from each other for too long.' Nicole chuckles, "Honestly Jake, if you didn't want us finding out you shouldn't have done it out in the open, especially in the hallway."
'Look, I was trying to get away. He's the one that followed me and how come you guys didn't tell me I was wearing my shirt inside out?!' "Right well, I'll try harder not to do so next time," Sarcasm seeps through my tone.
'What fun is it if we do when Edward can tell you for us?' "Nonsense, if you do that then there won't be anything to blackmail you with!" Of course Nicole is joking, partially.
'Look I'm tired of these games. There's nothing going on between me and Edward and there never, ever will.'"This is you two we're talking about, I'm sure you'll come up with something," I shake my head. The small smile that creeps up on my face shows that I'm not as annoyed as I make myself out to be.
'Denial…'They both sing, in which causes me to face-palm myself.
"Well, if two don't mind I've got an art class to get to?"
Leaving those two to snicker their asses off, I settle into my class with two minutes to spare. I can already tell this day is going to give me hell.
Edward's POV-
After my morning encounter with Jacob, I can't seem to shake off the smell of his blood, seeping slowly from the wound he acquired last night.
It was faint, but it was still there and it took every ounce of control I had not pounce on him in the hallway. What happened, I'm not sure and it shouldn't bother me as much as it does.
But it makes me worry even more is the fact that I don't see him for the rest of the day.
Once school is out I offer Bella a ride home, hoping to see Jacob in the process.
"Thanks for dropping me off." She smiles, almost too sweetly, as she leans in for a kiss.
I also lean in to meet her half way, only to give her a peck on the lips. She grunts in complaint and continues to lean closer to me, for more than just a peck. However I'm in the mood for more, so I pull farther away from her.
Sighing in defeat, she opens her door slowly, as if she's waiting for me to ask her to stay. "Alright, well, I guess I'll see you in the morning. Thanks for dropping me off Edward."
I gently grab hold of her left wrist, she jumps in surprise as I say, "Hold on Bella, I want to ask you something...before you leave."
She perks up, "What is it?"
"My family and I are going together for a baseball game and I want to know if you'd like to come?" I smile lightly, hoping she'll agree even if she won't play.
"Since when do vampires like to play baseball?" She asks, giving me a sort of "Really?" type of look.
"Well, it's the American past time…and there's a thunderstorm coming tomorrow afternoon and it's the only time we can play." I smirk at the curious and puzzled look on her face.
"Why is that?"
"It's a surprise, you'll just have to wait and see." My smirk grows bigger as she sighs in defeat. She steps out of the car and starts to walk towards her house. I roll down the window to hear her response.
"Humph, I guess I will. I'll have to tell Charlie tonight then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning!" Her voice gets softer the farther she walks from away from the car. I wait until she's inside before I step out of my car. I lock the doors and stride towards the house next to Bella's. The closer I get to the front door the more nervous I get.
My pace slows drastically to the point in which I'm practically walking in slow motion. A few more steps, just a few more…don't chicken out now!
Then I'm standing right there; I'm so nervous that I begin to focus on something else, the angelic voice coming from the other side of the door.
It sounds like I came just in time for dinner, if the clicks and clanks of pots and pans are anything to go by; the smell of spaghetti and meatballs enters my nostrils as I take a deep breath.
Here goes nothing…I press the doorbell button and wait stiffly for one of the Starks to open the door.
"Jacob, get the door please!" Mrs. Stark yells frantically.
"Alright, alright," Jacob grumbles and hearing his footsteps getting closer to the door doesn't help me relax one bit.
The door opens and I smirk at how shocked Jacob is the very moment his eyes meet mine.
"Edward? What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you, alone."
Jacob's eyebrows furrow in confusion, "Okay, there's this spot in the forest behind us that's pretty secluded. We can talk there."
I nod once in response and walk right behind him as he walks inside his house. I walk through the door, slowly taking in the mediocre surroundings in the living room. Pictures hang in assorted places around the room and the various colors in the room give off its own homey touch.
One of the pictures catches my attention; it's a young Jacob smiling widely, happily at whoever took the photo. "That's my favorite photo of him." A female voice startles me; I turn away from the image to see Mrs. Stark greeting me with a wide smile, "Hello, Edward right?"
"Yes ma'am…uhh, I hope you don't mind me borrowing Jacob for a while." I find myself returning her smile.
"Well as long as it's not for too long, dinner is almost Jake." She smiles at the both of us one more time before turning her attention back to the stove.
"Alright mom, come on then," Jacob motions me to follow him outside and towards the forest. With just two strides I'm the one who's now leading the way, knowing he'll be trailing right behind me.
"So where are we going exactly?" I can feel his eyes on the back of my head as curiosity seeps through his voice.
"Away from civilization, at least far enough to where nobody will see us."
"Why exactly?"
Instead of answering I halt suddenly, looking out towards the sight of the sun illuminating a beautiful meadow a few feet away from where we stop. It's ironic how we're standing in the darkness, the long trees casting their shadow upon us, and yet the only way to reveal myself is by stepping into the light.
Why do I want to reveal my true nature to Jacob, I do not know. It seems that after last night he deserves know the whole truth, because I feel the need to know if he's willing to become friends with a monster. I want to be friends with him; I admit that, because it'll be nice to talk to someone other than my family and Bella.
"Edward?" His voice pulls me out of my thoughts, "What's wrong?"
Taking a deep breath, "I'm different."
"Yeah, I can tell…So you read minds, that's pretty fucking awesome! It's not like it's the end of the world or something."
Ignoring the second half of his comment, "I can't go out into the sun light, I don't eat and I don't sleep…"
"And you read minds."
"Yes," I sigh, conjuring up the courage to turn around and face him. "I crave, no, I thirst for something…something that has kept me alive for a long, long while now."
"I'm guessing it's not water now is it?" He says half-jokingly and chuckles nervously.
I can't help but chuckle with him, "No, it's not water."
"If it's not water than what is it?" He asks curiously before his eyes widen as if he's just now getting it, "Wait a minute, you said that whatever you drink has kept you alive for a very long time!? How is that possible if you're only, what– seventeen or something?"
I go still and silent, not wanting to answer…just to see if he'll put everything together on his own. It's one less hassle for me if he does.
"H-how long have you been seventeen?" Jacob's gaze meets mine for a moment before he looks away.
I turn away from him unable to see his reaction when I say, "For a while."
"So you're what– a…" He pauses as if he's contemplating though the list of fairytale creatures he has grown up hearing about. "A vampire?"
"Are you afraid?" I struggle to say because now he knows. I turn at his silence to meet his stare, his heartbeat quickening at that second tells me likewise. The barrier blocking me from his mind feels stronger than it did this morning and yet I push against it slightly. Only do I pull back when he winces slightly, does he feel that? I deduct that it is probably his wound that brings pain to him.
However, the moment I hear the rapid beat go steady I pull out of my thoughts, just in time to hear him reply, "No."
Mentally I sigh in relief…and joy, for some reason. Nonetheless, I have to make him aware of this one simple fact, "Then ask me the most basic question. What do we eat?"
Instead of shaking in fear at that instant like I thought he would, he smirks, "You won't hurt me. I know that for sure." He proclaims, as if it were a statement.
"How can you be so sure?" I reveal my fangs slightly, not wanting to growl or hiss to spook him, to prove my point.
"You would've done it already, unless you're trying to lure me into your castle full of cobwebs and old coffins."
I laugh at that, "I live in a house, not a castle. Also we don't sleep, so there's no need for coffins." The luring part, however, is a different story and I'm not getting into that subject now. On a more serious note I say, "Come on, you need to see what I look like in the sunlight." I motion to the field ahead.
"What do you mean by see what you look like?" Jacob follows anyways, slowly but surely. "Wait, so you won't burst into flames and turn into ash if you step into the sunlight? Cause if that's going to happen I'll take your word for it."
"No, I won't turn to ash." I inch closer to the meadow, so close that if I take one more step the rays of light will completely cover me, "There's a reason why we can't show ourselves during the daytime. People will know we're different."
Here goes nothing. Taking that final step, I allow myself to absorb the small amount of heat that hits me in an instant. I turn to him to see his reaction and all he does is start at me blankly. A minute passes and he hasn't said a word. Yup, I have definitely broken him.
Just before I say anything to break the stillness he bursts into a laughing fit. Clutching his mid-section and taking big gasps of air, Jacob looks like he's about five seconds away from doubling over.
Jacob's POV-
Okay so I know I shouldn't be laughing as hard as I am, since I've seen what Anya and the girls look like in bright light and all that, but I just can't help myself. It didn't ever occur to me that he'd look so funny…so sparkly?
"O-oh my god, w-well it's a good thing p-people don't see you too o-often in the sunlight! A-all they'll see is a walking, shiny glitter stick!" I exclaim with a booming laughter. "Rihanna saw you, didn't she? Y-you must have been the one to have given her inspiration to her newest song, Diamond, because you sure do shine bright like a diamond!"
My laughter dies down, only by a little bit, when I see his shoulders slump in embarrassment. It isn't until he approaches me does my laughter come to a complete stop. Aww shit, I pissed him off that bad huh?
"Laugh all you want Jacob, but this is who I am…a killer." Edward seethes with displeasure. Guilt settles at the bottom pit of my stomach when I see a self-loathing look in his eyes and when he walks away I feel even guiltier.
"I don't believe that!" That statement alone shocks the both of us. Idiot, why did you say that!? Too make him feel better because he looked like I kicked his puppy? Yup, that seems like a good enough reason. "I don't believe you are." I reinstate softly.
He chortles bitterly, "That's because you believe the lie. It's camouflage. I'm the world's most dangerous predator. Everything about me is purposefully inviting you in…my voice, my face, and even my smell, as if I would need any of that." As he continues, his body begins to shake as he forcefully growls out every single word. It's as if he absolutely loathes himself because of something he has no control over.
One second Edward's in front of me and the next he's standing about two meters to the right. "It's as if you could outrun me!" He howls before moving rapidly once more; my eyes pursue his every movement until he's right beside me again. "As if you could fight me off," He pulls a large branch off of the nearest tree and tosses it brutally against another tree. "I'm designed to kill." He says, staring into my eyes with this maddening look.
"I don't care," I shrug carelessly, because it's true. I don't care and that's because I understand what he goes through. I've killed probably the same amount of people, or those that were once human, as he has and I'm younger than him. Not that that makes a difference. It's just to prove my point that maybe we're not so different after all. We thirst for the same thing, live off of the same thing and, hell, we even suffer a similar amount of self-loathing and guilt because I, for one, have had similar thoughts to the one's Edward is currently having.
'I'm a monster. I've killed many innocent people before because I couldn't control myself.
I tried to get close to a human, once before Bella, her name was Margret Kingsley, and I ended up promising things to her that I just couldn't uphold at the time. As a way to punish myself, I joined her family at her funeral and listened into each and every one of her mourning family members' thoughts and memories of her. She was young, a few years older than the age Bella is now, and I killed her. I took her life and she put her complete trust in me to protect her.
I won't repeat that mistake here. With Bella it's different… but with Jacob. No, I won't jeopardize his life, his soul, just because I'm starting to get a little tired of the same boring routines day in and day out. If I keep this up maybe I'll save us both the trouble of getting way in over our heads and thinking that this friendship could work. As if Jacob would even consider having a "friendship" with me, he hates me too much.'
He's too deep into his thoughts to notice the sympathetic look I send him. Only when I start to speak up again does he begin to pull out of his memories, "I-I don't care, because to me it doesn't matter if you've killed people before. You didn't choose t-this life, so you can't always blame yourself because you didn't have as much self-control as you do now…I-I'm your friend now, so you can stop trying to scare me off by pretending to be a monster."
That's right, I am a friend. I'm his friend and as his friend he needs to hear the truth, whether it's coming from me or someone else. He has to know that he's not a monster and he's not alone either.
Edward relaxes at my assurance, that million-watt smile returns once more. "Can't change your mind now can I?"
I snort and reply proudly, "Please, it'll take a lot more than that to scare me off."
He lowers his gaze, shaking his head in disbelief. I motion back to the direction of my house, "Now come on, vampire. My mom made dinner and I'm starving."
He chuckles lightly, "Alright, but you know I can't stay for dinner."
"Yeah, yeah I know…Sparkles."
Edward's POV-
The walk back to Jacob's house is silent but I know for a fact that the tension we've had these past couple of days has finally dispersed.
Jacob's mother is kind enough to ask me to stay for dinner. Reluctantly, I politely decline and say my goodbyes.
While driving home, I can't help but recall everything that has happened in the last half-hour. My smile is frozen in place and there's a sudden warmth in my chest. A warm feeling that I know only has one cause, and that one cause is Jacob Black. I've never felt this way around anyone else, not even with Bella and I'm confused by it.
This confusion follows me all the way up to my room. Before that though, I greet my family with a "hello" and rush upstairs to avoid any questioning looks about the glowing happiness radiating off me.
It isn't until my mother interrupts me from playing a new song, which is not based on Jacob, on my piano.
"Is that for Bella?" She asks politely.
"No," Blinking out of some sort of daze, I shuffle the music sheets that I have written recently into a neat pile before hiding them.
"No? So is this for someone else then?" My mother and her curiosity…it's just the way she asks that makes me want to open up to her more.
"It is, a new friend of mine." I'll leave it at that.
However, after that is said my mother bombards me with a new set of questions.
"A new friend…? Is it that boy, Jacob, was it?"
"Yeah, it's Jacob."
It is a minute later before she replies, delaying in hopes that I'll continue, "Well out with it, I need more than information than that. Does he know about us? If he does, does he like to eat? Will he be willing to come over for dinner sometime? Do you think–?"
"Mom enough, please." I cut her off, distress seeping through my voice. "Yes, he does know about us, but he just found out today. I'm not about to invite him over for dinner just yet."
"But you will do it, right? Now I adore Bella, but I need someone who has a hearty appetite to try out my food." She says desperately.
"Bella eats your food," I look at her with understanding yet confusion.
"Yes she does, but she eats like a bird." The statement is very accurate yet offensive on Bella's behave at the same time.
"One day I promise to ask Jacob if he's interested in having you cook for him and that's if he decides he wants to come over. That's a big if!"
"Alright, alright…" She turns to walk out the room, only to pause at the doorway. "I'm sure you can persuade him." With that the door closes leaving me to ponder on Esme's unintentional teasing.
Truthfully Jacob isn't so easy to persuade, so to speak. He definitely won't be joining us for dinner, but I didn't have the heart to tell Esme no. In addition, I have to get Jacob and Bella to get along. Hoping that they already do, seeing as they're neighbors and all. Boy, if only I knew how wrong I was.
Jacob's POV-
Today's the day, the day that I've been waiting for all week, Saturday. The last two days went by quickly and surely; sadly, the weather had been very sunny those past days. Meaning Anya and the girls were house ridden, as well as the Cullens.
It also meant that I had to go to school on my own on Thursday and Friday, with no one to talk to but Bella and her friends. Not that I mind, both school days went by uneventful without the Cullens and the Starks there.
Anyways, there's no point in thinking about school at this moment, for now I need to concentrate at the task at hand. In the next few hours Nicole, Kara and I will finally catch a glimpse of James' Coven at the baseball game that the Cullens will be playing. During which we'll hide nearby and assess the enemy closely or, if the chance arises, attack them while they're distracted.
So here I am in the living room standing with Anya, Nicole and Kara going over battle strategies, in case they're needed for this afternoon.
"Alright let's get started, how exactly does James' Coven come into play?" Anya asks, placing a map of the area and a handful of markers down on the living room table. We all kneel down and crouch around it.
I grab the green colored marker and stamp a large dot in an open field about fifteen kilometers for our house. "This is where the Cullens will be playing at," I pick up the red colored marker and draw in three smaller dots four hundred meters to the left, "and here is the direction in which James, Victoria and Laurent will appear."
Anya nods, choosing the orange marker to place an "X" one mile northeast from the rouge vampires. "Here is where you three will convene, it's close but far enough to where neither parties will spot you."
Once the three of us nod in understanding Anya continues, "Right well, not much left to say other than good luck. If the situation takes a turn for the worse you'll notify me immediately, got it?"
"Yeah, we got it." Nicole says, "The question is: how are we going to mask our scents from James? We're dealing with a tracker here, there's no telling how far his skills can range up to. Our cover can be blown if we're not careful."
"That's why I came up with idea of this being your camouflage," Anya places a glass jar of blood on the table.
"When did you have time to get that?" I ask, slowly taking in its somewhat concealed smell.
"This morning…when you get to the designated area disperse this within a small perimeter around yourselves. If my theory works James won't be able to tell the difference between the three of you and a herd of deer."
"Great, so he won't be an issue then?" Kara inquires.
"She said if this works," I retort, standing up to glance at the closest clock. "It's eleven a.m. The Cullens won't get here," I point at the map before continuing, "until its five p.m., meaning we have plenty of time. However I'd like to get there half an hour before they show up."
"Sounds like a plan," Kara and Nicole grin and with that said we go our separate ways.
Immediately I head to my room and walk into my bathroom, with the full intention of getting ready ahead of time. I slip myself out of my clothes and hop in the bathtub for a quick shower.
Afterwards I change into a sleeveless, dark-gray shirt, accompanied by grayish-green colored Capris and black combat boots. I flop lazily onto my bed, shifting comfortably. Catching a few Zzz's seems like a good way to pass the time.
Normal POV-
Hours sluggishly pass by in the Stark household. It is only when time strikes four o'clock that the two sisters decide to interrupt their brother's peaceful nap. Now being the lovely sisters that they are, they roughly shake Jacob's shoulders because they want the shouting to be a last resort.
However the young man didn't budge a bit, deep in sleep. So the younger of the two sisters decides it is best to slap him hard in the face, without hesitation. Instantly Jacob sits up. He shoots them a look of complete shock, which turns quickly into agitation the moment he feels the sting on his left cheek.
He rubs it lightly before yelling, "What the hell was that for!?"
"You wouldn't wake up," Kara says nonchalantly.
"Why not yell in my ear? The two of you seem to be good at that…" Jacob mutters, standing up to stretch his stiff muscles.
Kara chuckles, "Well we've already done that, besides it wouldn't be as funny as it was the first time." He glares at her but before he has the chance to argue back Nicole stops him.
"Alright enough of this…we've got about three quarters of an hour before the Cullens arrive and it'll take us about fifteen minutes to get our spot. So let's hit the road already!" She walks out the room, leaving the two to follow behind her.
All three of them rush downstairs to see their mother standing near the door. Anya smiles as she opens the door, "Good luck kiddos!"
Nicole grabs her keys to her Silver 2009 Jeep Compass Sport 4X4 off the key hanger and walks towards the door.
Kara runs up to her and snatches the keys before Nicole has the chance to step out the door. "I'm driving!" She says enthusiastically, jumping into the car immediately after.
Nicole and Jacob glance at each other before shrugging. Quickly Nicole grabs the glass jar and the map. Before they walk out the door Jacob stops to give Anya a quick hug, which she returns instantly. "Please be safe!" She calls out to the pair as they step in the car.
Each of them wave goodbye. Kara backs the car out of the driveway and Nicole navigates her in the direction of their designated area. After about twenty minutes of driving Kara brings the car to a stop. She parks a couple of feet away from their spot to prevent her car from being spotted.
The three of them step out of the car and stroll over to the tree-covered area. "Okay, we need to spray the area with this stuff." Nicole holds up the jar.
Jacob reaches over to take it from her, "I'll do it."
Kara and Nicole say in unison, "Alright."
Before he walks away to do so Nicole stops him, "Spray the leaves, the bark, the grass…all of it, this area needs to be drenched in that scent. You got that?"
Jacob smirks, "If Anya needed the place to be drowned in this shit I think she would've given us a bigger jar."
Nicole frowns, "You know what I mean–, just go already!"
Jacob throws her a half-hearted salute and says, "Aye aye Captain!" Then he vanishes in the next second.
While he's off doing the job, Kara and Nicole take refuge in the nearest tree. Both climb up until they see a clear sight of the field that the Cullens will be arriving at in less than ten minutes. They crouch down on the same branch, waiting for Jacob to join them.
It's not even five minutes later when Jacob clambers up the tree. "How did it go?" Kara asks the moment he flops himself on the nearest branch.
"Perfectly," He chuckles, lifting up his right hand to show the bloody mess on it.
"Gross," Nicole scrunches up her face at the sight, smiling all the while.
"Whatever," Jacob's tongue darts out to lap each droplet of animal blood on his palm.
"So what do we do now?" Kara says, looking at Nicole to avoid staring at Jacob and his oblivious actions.
"We wait," Nicole grinds out, struggling just as hard as Kara.
"They're here," Jacob interrupts their exchange of words. The two of them turn to see him done with his deed. Now he stands up, leaning against the tree and staring towards the field.
The two females turn their attention to the same direction, only to catch sight of six figures coming to a stop in the middle of the vast woodlands.
The trio watches the group in silence. A Jeep Wrangler appears out of the woods, approaching the group of vampires at a steady pace. Once the car comes to a halt two figures exit the vehicle.
Jacob squint a bit, not trusting his eyesight. 'Is that Bella!?'
The two turn their attention to him and say in unison. 'What did you say!?'
He takes a closer look and replies back in shock. 'It is!'
Kara throws him a cold glare.'What the hell is she doing here!?'
Jacob returns her glare with twice as much force. 'How the hell am I supposed to know?! She wasn't in the vision last time I checked! Edward must've asked her at the last possible moment.'
Nicole shouts between them. 'Enough! She's here and there's nothing we can do for her. We have our orders and that is to hang back and observe. End of discussion.'
"This changes everything…" Jacob shakily after two minutes of silence, the other two hum in agreement.
Bella's POV-
When Edward drives away from my house I can't put into words how relieved I am. Maybe it was bad timing on my part to have Edward meet my dad while he was reloading his shotgun. The exchange was all but awkward, especially when Edward and I were trying to leave and Dad stops me to ask if I still had that pepper spray he had given me a while back. It's embarrassing enough to know that Edward heard every word.
As we drive our way up to the designated area I get a little giddy and excited at the same time. Obviously Edward can tell because he chuckles before saying, "We're almost there."
The moment we arrive to the spot I jump out the car in excitement. Together the two of us walk side by side as we approach the rest of Edward's family.
Esme is the first to greet me, giving me a small hug and ushering me away from Edward. I greet her back with a small, "Hey."
She smiles so politely, "I'm glad you're here. We need an umpire."
Emmett passes by, tossing the ball back and forth between his hands, saying, "She thinks we cheat…"
"Oh I know you cheat!" Esme throws back with a chuckle. I smile at the small interaction. She gently moves me over to stand near the home plate before continuing, "Just call them as you see them, Bella."
I can't help but grin as I reply, "Okay."
Rosalie is the first to bat. She practices a bit by swing her baseball bat a couple of times. A clash of lightning rings loudly above our heads. Alice glances up at the sky before grinning like crazy, "It's time!"
Rosalie nods in understanding as she takes her stance. Alice lifts her hands behind her head and then plants her left foot in front of her right. She lifts her right leg at an angle, all while balancing perfectly, and thrusts all her weight forward.
The fastball hits the metal with a loud, smashing sound just as lightning strikes from above. Rosalie's hit sends it flying into the forest. She instantly drops the bat and takes off running to first.
I'm thunderstruck at the distance that the ball goes, "Okay, now I see why you need the thunder."
I see Edward turning and taking off in the direction that the ball heads towards with amazing speed. By the times he's gone Rosalie rounds first. "That's gotta be a home run, right?" I ask Esme curiously.
Esme shakes her head slightly in disagreement. "Edward's very fast," She says that as if that's all that needs to be said. As Edward continues to dash into the forest Rosalie runs past second base. It's not even five seconds that the ball is being thrown back to home. Rosalie rounds third the moment the baseball is caught by Esme. "Come home, Rosalie," Carlisle cheers from behind us.
She slides home and hits the plate just as Esme tags her with the ball.
It was a close call. The group look towards me in confirmation. I give an apologetic smile before telling Rosalie, "You're out."
"Out!" Emmett whoops in jubilation.
Emmett must've seen her pissed off look because he quickly says after his shout, "Babe, come on. It's just a game."
She shoots me a threatening glare before getting up to dust herself off. Out of fear, I freeze and glance down away from her burning eyes as she passes me. She doesn't seem to like me much, but I can't tell if she's just like that towards me or everyone else as well.
Carlisle pats Rosalie on the back and murmurs, "Nice Kitty." Well, hopefully that puts her claws away.
He steps up to the plate and takes his own stance. Alice pitches the same way as before and throws the ball forward.
Carlisle swings the bat and another bang sound is made as he hits the ball straight through the middle. He dashes off to first base.
Both Edward and Emmett sprint and jump for the baseball at the same time. However, the two of them crash into each other and miss the ball completely.
Carlisle slides to second base and stays there.
Edward laughs and playfully hit Emmett in the leg, "What are you doing?"
Emmett hits him back and chuckles, "Going for the ball, what else would I be doing!?"
The pair dusts themselves off before taking their original position. Jasper is up to bat. No hesitation in his posture as he waits for Alice to throw the ball again. She smirks before flinging the ball his way.
After the baseball smacks against his bat and it's sent flying, both Carlisle and Jasper bolt to the nearest base. Nonetheless Emmett chases after the ball, climbs up a nearby tree and catches the ball midair. Then he throws it back to Alice with Rosalie up to bat again. It their second out and Carlisle's still stuck at second base. The pitch is thrown and Rosalie hits the ball over to the right side of the field.
Immediately I take notice into Alice's frigid posture. She looks into the forest behind her and yells, "Stop!"
I glance past Esme's shoulder to see what the fuss is about but there's nothing. The rest of the Cullens look in the same direction as Alice and freeze instantaneously.
They're all at my side in a flash. Alice says concernedly, "They were leaving but then they heard us."
My eyebrows furrow in confusion. They, they who?
"Let's go," Edward says anxiously, grabbing my forearm and dragging me with him towards the car.
"It's too late!" Carlisle comes to stop us.
Edward stares off into the distance in thought before saying, "Get your hair down."
I follow his instruction but Rosalie feels the need to add her input, "Like that'll help. I can smell her from across the field."
The other's turn their attention away from us. Edward looks me directly in the eyes and I can sense his distress. "I shouldn't have brought you here…I'm so sorry."
"What? What are you–?" I blurt out in bewilderment but Edward interrupts me.
"Please, just be quite and stay behind me." The apprehensive sound of his voice scares me a little. It isn't until we turn around that I notice three humans walking our way. But as the three get closer I take notice on how red their eyes were. They're not humans, they're vampires!
Oh this can't be good.
Jacob's POV-
Shit there they are! But Bella's still there…Come on Edward, why aren't you leaving!?Leave already!
The Cullens huddle in front of her as if to throw off her scent. James' Coven is already in the clearing. Damn it! It's too late.
I clench my fist tightly, feeling helpless at the moment. However I stay put to prevent myself from blowing our cover.
The trio approaches the Cullens and Bella slowly. I take a closer look at the three. So this is who we're fighting against? A red-head, a guy with dreadlocks and a Blondie…well I can't underestimate them just yet.
The two groups stop at least four feet from each other. The dreadlocks guy holds up the baseball in his palm before saying, "I believe this belongs to you." He tosses the ball to Carlisle with amazing speed. But unsurprisingly Carlisle catches it with his right hand without glancing away from the group of vampires.
Carlisle replies with a short, "Thank you."
The dreadlocks guy speaks up again, "I am Laurent." He motions to the red-head, "And this is Victoria…" and then motions to the Blondie, "and James."
"I'm Carlisle. This is my family."
"Hello," Laurent says with a smile.
"I'm afraid that your hunting activities…have caused something of a mess for us." Carlisle continues while the others remain silent.
"Our apologies," Like Carlisle, Laurent too speaks up for his coven. "We didn't realize the territory had been claimed."
"Yes, well, we maintain a permanent residence nearby."
Laurent turns to James, "Really?" He looks back at Carlisle before continuing, "Well, we won't be a problem anymore. We were just passing through."
The red-head, Victoria, smirks and says, "The humans were tracking us, but we led them east. You should be safe."
Carlisle nods once, "Excellent."
"So…could you use three more players?" Laurent suggests to the coven's leader.
No, whatever you do! Do not say yes! I plead quietly in my head, as if they can hear me from here. For a split second I see Edward turn his head in our direction and I freeze. I breathe a sigh of relieve as I notice that he's looking at Carlisle, waiting for his answer.
"Oh come on. Just one game," Laurent persists on letting them play.
I shake my head as I hear Carlisle sigh, "Sure. Why not? A few of us were just leaving. You could take their place. We'll bat first." Dumbass! It'll never work; James is bound to sniff her out.
Whatever I think up to this point is pointless, it's not like he can read my thoughts anyway.
Carlisle tosses the ball back to Laurent but Victoria stretches her right arm out to catch it. "I'm the one with the wicked curveball."
Jasper speaks up first the first time and says challengingly, "Oh I think we can handle that."
Victoria just smirks back at him, "We shall see."
As Laurent and Victoria assume positions James stays behind to stare at Edward curiously with his head cocked to the side.
Edward stares right back at him, trying to look unfazed. James backs off and turns away slowly. But just as he does so a gust of wind goes by.
Aww shit! Kara, Nicole and I stand up immediately, sharing worrying looks with each other as Bella's hair and scent carries with the wind. There's no way he can miss her scent now, even I can smell her from here. Oh please be wrong… please be wrong… please be wrong!
James takes one large inhale the air and his eyes roll into the back of his head.
Fuck, why did I have to be right this time!? I mentally kick myself.
He smiles and approaches Bella, "You brought a snack."
Edward pushes Bella behind him. James and Edward snarl at each other.
The remaining members of both covens return to each of their distinctive member's side. During which the Cullens form a barrier around the fragile human.
"A human?" Laurent questions in surprise as James continues to snarl at Edward.
Carlisle speaks up calmly, "The girl is with us. I think it's best if you leave."
Like that's going to help! I yank on my hair in irritation.
"I can see the game is over…We'll go now," Laurent says, backing up slowly. But seeing as James wasn't following he calls out his name to get his attention, which it does work for the most part. James withdraws and walks away with Victoria on his arm. The three vampires depart from the larger group of vampires.
"Get Bella out of here, Edward. Go." Carlisle says and Edward wastes no time to follow his order.
He holds onto Bella as they jog to the car. The moment the Jeep Wrangler is out of sight is when I descend down from the tree.
"Come on! Let's go!"
Nicole and Kara don't argue one bit as they climb down the tree. I give them no time to slow down as I bolt to the car. "Toss me the keys!" I yell behind my shoulder.
Without looking back I catch the jangling metal with my left hand. I jump into the driver's seat to start the car. I hit the gas pedal the second I hear two car doors closing.
I steer the car as fast I can back down the way we came. I take a split second to take out my phone. As I hand it over to Nicole I say, "Call Anya, let her know what happened and tell her we're on our way there."
Driving at about seventy miles per hour on a bumpy road isn't a good idea, but in this case crazy driving is definitely called for.
Within the next five minutes we're turning into our driveway. I take a glimpse over to the Swan's residence and to my relief Emmett's car isn't there yet.
Anya opens the door and we pile into the house. I bend over, hanging onto the nearest furniture and gasping for air. This is entirely my fault, if only I had just seen this coming! Then she wouldn't be in danger right now…
Cold hands gently lift my face up and I'm staring into Anya's eyes in an instant, "Listen, Jacob, this isn't your fault. You need to calm down because we'll need your help. Bella will need your help…"
With a couple of deep breaths I stabilize my heart rate and nod to her once, "Y-you need to head over to Charlie's. Keep him company. Who knows what those monsters will do if they find him there alone."
Anya bobs her head in understanding. She heads over to the front door but Kara stops her, "Wait a minute, Bella and Edward are here."
I glance up to see her and Nicole looking out the window, "What!? Is he an idiot? James will trace her smell back to here!"
"They're arguing?" Nicole says, glancing down at me like I'm supposed to know the reason behind that.
Bella's POV-
I'm furious with Edward and his stupid plan. I mean, first he tells me to forget about my dad getting hurt, or worse killed, and now he's telling me break the poor man's heart to protect him!? God, my dad won't even speak to me once I'm done here.
I open the front door with Edward trailing behind me. Well, here I go… "Edward, I said leave me alone!" I scream making sure my dad can hear.
"Bella, don't do this, please."
"It's over, get out!" I slam the door as hard as I can.
Dad is up and off the couch in an instant, "Hey, hey, hey, hey…Bella? What's going on?"
He follows me up the stairs as I head for my room. "I've gotta get out of here. I'm leaving town, tonight," With that said, I shut my bedroom door in his face.
"Tonight?" Dad knocks on the door, "Bella, please…Tell me what's going on?"
Edward holds a bag for a couple of my belongings to go in. I mumble a quick, "Thanks."
Dad continues to knock on the door. I stare up at Edward and plead with my eyes as if to say I can't do it! I can't hurt him.
"You have to Bella; it's the only way to keep him safe. He'll forgive you one day." He says in a whisper.
I give him a small frown but nod in comprehension, "Okay."
"Alright, well, I'll be down at the truck."
I take a moment to prepare myself before flinging the door. Dad waits patiently for me to answer but I pass by him to head to the bathroom.
Seeing as I didn't say anything in response he asks, "Did he hurt you?"
I chuckle softly enough to where he can't hear; because of course he would think that!
"No."
Dad says in befuddlement, "Did he break up with you or something?"
"No," I reply quickly, "I broke up with him."
By the look he's giving me I can tell he's seriously confused now, "I thought you liked him."
I walk back and forth between my room and the bathroom. "That's why I have to leave. I don't want this…I-I just want to go home."
"Home? Y-your mom's not even in Phoenix."
"She'll come home if I beg her to." I argue with that against him.
"You're not going to drive home right now. You can sleep on it and if you still don't change your mind come tomorrow morning then I'll drop you off at the airport." He tries to compromise but I won't be having it.
"No, I want more time to think. Driving up there could help and if I get tired I'll pull into a motel, I promise." I jog down the stairs and into the kitchen knowing that my dad's following me the entire time.
"Look, Bella, I know I'm not that much fun to be around but I can change that. We can do more stuff together." His pleading is what's hurting me the most.
Alright it's now or never. "Like what? Like watch baseball on the flat-screen? Eat at the diner every night? Steak and cobbler!? Dad that's you! That's not me," I walk to the door slowly, fearing that what I'm going to say next will be my last with my father.
"Bella, come on, I-I just got you back." He begs just once more.
I can't even stand to look him in the eye when I say, "Yeah, well, if I don't get out now then I'm just gonna be stuck here like Mom."
With that I open the door and slam it shut behind me. I tremble a little and bite my lip to hold in a sob.
I throw my bag in the back of my truck. Then I step into the car to steer away from my house and once I'm on the road I don't dare look back. One single tear falls from my face. I hope you'll forgive me one day Dad…
Jacob's POV-
"He's here…James, I mean, and he's alone." I inform Nicole, Anya and Kara from my spot on the couch.
"Where?" Anya says immediately sitting by my side.
"Outside, about five meters from here…He's moving though, I feel his mind getting further and further away from the area.
"He must be following Bella, she just left." Nicole says, glancing out the window to see a red pickup truck go by.
"Right well there's no time to waste. Anya, you're going to head over to Charlie's. See if he's alright." She nods and walks out the door to the Swan's household.
The girls step outside as I grab my keys. I lock the door before continuing, "I'm going to follow Bella. I'm sure that Edward and possibly the other Cullens are with her, but it wouldn't hurt to make sure that neither Laurent nor Victoria are close by as well. The two of you will follow James, keep a far distance and do not engage with him. He'll smell the two of you if you're not careful. Call me if anything happens, now go!"
I jump into my Orange 2009 Dodge Charger and turn on the car and headlights. I back out the driveway and head in the same direction that Bella is headed. After about six miles of driving I catch sight of two cars about half a mile away. I notice the two turning to the left and into the forest. They must be taking her back to their house…I can't get caught turning into their direction but I can't lose them either.
I place a barrier around my mind as I come up to the dirt road. I pass by it, acting as if I'm just any other driver passing by. I check the rearview mirror to see if any cars are coming and luckily the road is empty. I turn off my headlights and make a U-turn in the middle of the road. I pull off to the side to hide my car in the shrubs.
Before I have the chance to step out the car someone's thoughts become my own. I grow tired of his foolish games…I feel sorry for Victoria because of the pathetic mate she has to deal with.
My eyes widen at the realization of whose thoughts I'm listening to. Laurent!
I peer into his mind even further, only to understand that he came to give a warning to the Cullens. He's moving towards the north, so by the time I capture him the Cullens will already be gone. He's not the issue here, James is. So he gets to live yet another day. It's only a matter of time before his luck runs out.
It's not even five minutes later when two cars come out the drive and onto the road. Both cars turn in the opposite direction. I focus on both cars to see which one Bella's in. Once I have her location I wait until both cars are out of sight before turning onto the road again. I push my car to go about eighty mph on the fifty-five mph road, but it's only when I have the car in sight that I slow down to about seventy mph.
Half a day has gone by and Jasper, Alice and Bella only take one rest stop at a gas station halfway through Nevada. Not once have I received a call from Anya or the girls during all that time and that begins to worry me greatly. It's late in the afternoon by the time I pull into a hotel parking lot in Phoenix, Arizona that the two Cullens and Bella decide to rest up at.
As soon as I park the car, my ringtone blares Wild Ones by Flo Rida from its place on the passenger's seat. I startle and squint my eyes in no particular direction because what the fuck!? I didn't put that as my ringtone. My face twists in annoyance and relief, because I only know two adolescents who would dare to mess with my phone and I bet all my money that it's those two calling me this very moment.
I pick up the plastic box, hit answer button, and hold it up to my ear. "What the hell did you do to my phone?"
"What, you mean the ringtone?" Kara says, making her smirk obvious to hear.
"Yes, the ringtone–. Never mind that now, it's been hours and none of you had the audacity to let me know that you're alright!?"
"Aww, you do care." Kara snickers and just as I'm about to reply Nicole jumps into the conversation.
"Well for the past few hours, the rest of the Cullen family has been successful on throwing James off with Bella's scent. He hasn't given up yet, I give him that, but there's no telling how long it'll take before he notices it's not really her that he's following." She debriefs me.
"Right well, I've followed Bella, Jasper, and Alice all the way to Arizona. We've just hit Phoenix now." I watch as the two vampires trail protectively behind Bella as she walks into the hotel.
Kara gasps in the background. "What's wrong Kara?" Nicole asks before I do.
"James has figured it out, he's heading your way now Jacob…" She trails off.
"What do you see?" I ask curiously.
"Mirrors. A room full of mirrors...It has to be a place in Phoenix, it's his next location."
"I need something more specific than that. If I start asking around, people will look at me like I'm crazy!" I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. Once calming down I continue, "Look don't worry about it, I'll figure something out. What the two of you need to do is get your butts down here. Call me if James' course changes, I'll call you back if I find the place." I explain, patiently waiting for their compliance.
In unison, the pair hums in agreement before hanging up. Well it looks like I've got some looking around to do…But I've got to hurry.
Backing out of the parking lot, I drive into the city with no particular direction in mind. I park the car on the side of the road near a bunch of window shops and step out. I saunter down the sidewalk for a couple of blocks. Meanwhile I'm passing quite a few humans, but there's not a single of them that I'd ask about a room full of mirrors.
The pavement ends up passing by a local park beside a small pond. I halt in my movement as I spot a young, mid-twenties woman watching her child run around the playground. All the bells in my head go off as if to say she's the one!
I stride up to her. Well here goes nothing.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" I say softly.
Her attention turns to me curiously, "Yes?"
"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you…I'm supposed pick up my niece at this place but I'm having trouble finding it. If you could point me in the right direction I'd really be grateful." By adding puppy dog eyes I know that she will say yes.
"Uhh, sure why not…Where's the place you're looking for?" She asks politely.
"Umm, a place with a room full of mirrors?" She shoots me a strange look. "I know it's not very specific but what can I say my sister's horrible at giving directions." Literally.
She ponders about the place before realization hits her, if her face is anything to go by. "Oh you must mean Mimis Ballet Studio; my daughter goes there every Tuesday. The studio has a practice room full of mirrors."
I beam in triumph as she writes down the address on a slip of paper. "Thank you, very, very much!"
"You're welcome, I'm glad I could help. Tell your sister to give you better directions next time, okay?" The lady smiles cheekily.
I give a hearty laugh, "Yes ma'am I sure will." I jog off and out of the park. Once I'm in my vehicle I text Nicole the address and it isn't until I driving to the studio that Nicole texts me back saying that they're still about two hours away from Phoenix.
Tossing my phone into the passenger seat with a sigh, I can't help but think doubtlessly. They're not going to make it.
I jump in surprise as my phone vibrates the second after the though crosses my mind. I pick up the phone to see that a message from Kara has just been received.
If I know you, and I do by the way, you're going to go in and face James on your own. Just don't forget to take the cloak that's in the trunkwith you. Remember you have to play the part as a Volturi Guard. Be careful and good luck…We'll meet up with you as soon as we can. ~ K
I frown at her words for many different reasons. One being that she knows me too well, second being that I have no idea what she's talking about when she mentions the word cloak, and third of all I'm just done with playing a part. I mean, I'm not even an actor yet I'm forced to "play" so many lives and I'm only sixteen for Christ sake's!
Not wanting to go off on Kara, knowing she doesn't deserve it, I reply back to her message. Thanks, just head back home. I'll see you soon. ~ J
The half-hour drive to the studio via GPS gives me enough time to cool off and think up a plan on how to handle James. The sun has already set by the time I arrive and park across from the place.
I shut off the engine and lean back into the driver's seat. James isn't here yet and I would've sensed him if he were. So there's nothing wrong with taking a small nap to pass the time. I mean, come on I've been driving the entire road trip without a wink of sleep, a fifteen minute nap couldn't hurt.
The screech of tires jolts me out of my slumber. I crank my head just in time to see a taxi coming to a stop in front of the ballet studio. It isn't until Bella, of all fucking people, comes out of the car that I realize how dark it is outside. Holy shit! What the fuck is she doing here, again!? Damn it, I must've been shit-fucking tired if I didn't hear her coming a mile away. Now that I'm alert and wide awake my senses pick up on three auras in the area. The taxi driver, Bella, and…James! Bella walks up the steps and into the building. Aww shit, you've got to be kidding me. I leap out the car like my life depends on it, which in this case its Bella's life on the line not mine, and push open the trunk to grab the black, ugly cloak the Guard are required to wear on missions.
I throw it on top of what I'm wearing and sprint up to the building. I'll have to find another way in. Luckily, after climbing the side of the studio, a window is left unlocked. I slip in to search for Bella and the monster.
Bella's POV-
Trembles of fear course through my body as I slowly walk into my old ballet studio with only a can of pepper spray hidden in my back pocket.
I glance around the empty room as I continue to stroll into the middle of the room.
"Bella? Bella, where are you?"
I freeze at the sound of my mother's voice. I panic all because she sounds panicked, "Mom?"
"Bella?" My eyes travel to where her voice is coming from.
"Mom!?"
"There you are. What are you doing in here?" I run over to the closet door on the other side of the room. I hesitate to open it. "Everyone makes fun of me." A child's voice replies. What? What's going on here?
I pull open the door only to stare at a video of me crouched in a closet in my ballet uniform. It was my first day in ballet school.
"Come on, you're a wonderful dancer." My mother was by my side, that day in the closet, whispering comforting words to help me get over my embarrassment.
"Mom, I suck." The younger version of me said.
A dark chuckle resounds throughout the room and this time my heart leaps out of my chest. I turn around with a gasp only to see the hunter staring at me like I'm his next meal.
"That's my favorite part." He gives me a vicious smile. "You were a stubborn child weren't you?"
He reaches out to touch me and I can't help but flinch as I'm pushed up against a wall. "She's not even here," I croak out.
"No." The demon sniffs my hair loudly before continuing, "Sorry. You know, but you really made it too easy…So to make things more entertaining. I'm going to make a little film of our time together." He pulls out a camera, "I borrowed this from your house. I hope you don't mind."
I give no reply, the only sound I make are of my gasps for air. The monster smirks, "Good…And…action."
I glance at the camera in humiliation. What a sick, twisted game he plays!
"Oh, that'll break Edward's little heart."
An adrenaline rush causes me to screech back in anger, "You have–. Edward has nothing to do with this."
I step forward but James pushes me back the next second. He grins mischievously, "Oh but he does. His rage will make for an interesting sport than his feeble attempt to protect you." He pauses for a split second, "And let's continue."
I reach for the pepper spray and twirl the cap off before scrounging up the courage to pelt the vampire in the eyes.
I take off as fast as I can but before I can make it across the room James is in front of me in an instant. He grasps a hold on my neck and flings me to the side. My body hit the ground with a slide. My head hits a corner hard enough that I can feel blood oozing out from the wound.
He takes a large inhale of air, his smirk wipes off of his face. "I thought I told you to come alone." He growls out, causing me to look up at him in confusion.
That's when I notice a cloaked figure standing on top of the rail of the second floor.
"Well you see James…I'm not with her." The dark voice says before jumping off and gracefully landing besides James. "You see I'm with the Volturi." The voice continues as if that's all that needs to be said. Who's the Volturi? I can't help but think as I struggle to sit up against the support beam. I grunt in pain, seeing white spots at the edge of my vision.
James takes a couple steps back and visibly flinches, "The Volturi?"
The being's eyes are hidden but a Cheshire grin can easily be seen, "Yes, you see…Aro grows tired of giving your coven too many chances and well you can only guess why I'm here."
"But I have been nothing but loyal to them!" James shouts, to my surprise, in fear.
"Yes, well, there is only one consequence to those who disobey the laws…Death…and now your coven must pay the price for you insolence." The individual approaches James confidently.
James stands there completely frozen. Only a second later does his expression change from one of fear to one of rage. He smirks at the cloaked person, "Not unless I kill you first."
He glances at me quickly, "Stay there, snack. I'll be with you in a minute."
The figure takes the chance to attack him at the waist, while he's distracted. I can't help but stare in awe as the two begin to attack each other.
James slams the person's head against a mirror, cracking the glass. "How foolish have the Volturi become, to send someone alone and weak to fight off my clan." He smirks as the party struggles in his hold.
"I'm not alone, but I'm strong enough to kill you myself," The figure grits out before it pushes James away, kicking him hard in the chest and sending him flying across the room.
While he's down the figure rushes to my side and I panic instantly out of terror. The person holds their hand up in surrender. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to make sure you were alright. Are you alright?"
I groan out in reply, "I think I'm losing too much blood."
The person says back, in what sounds like concern, "I can see that, but I'm going to get you out of here."
Then I spot James, out of the corner of my half-lidded eyes, coming our way. With all the strength I have left, I shout out in warning, "Look out!"
The individual doesn't have time to look back before he's thrown towards a high window, shattering the glass in the process. With what little strength I have left I attempt to crawl away from the scene. But with my luck, however, James turns his attention back to me. This must be it. I can't hold consciousness for much longer.
He says with a smirk, "Now, where were we?"
Just as I'm about to close my eyes to accept my fate, another body slams into James's and then tosses his body across the ground, with a pile of floorboards piling up behind him. I look up and sigh out a breath of relief. Edward.
He lifts me up, holding me closely and ignoring the smell of my blood, "I'm sorry."
Next thing I know the rest of the Cullen family is by our side.
Carlisle is the first to speak, "Take Bella out of here and get her to the nearest hospital. We'll deal with James."
Edward nods and move towards the door. The last thing that I see, before passing out, is James being torn into pieces and set on fire.
Jacob's POV-
I hide in my car the moment I sensed Edward's presence in the area. Luckily he went in the building just as I was thrown out.
Trailing behind him, not even a minute later, is his family. I sigh in exhaustion. Well, I think I deserve a pat on the back. Now Bella is in safe hands and James is a couple of seconds away from being destroyed by the Cullen Coven.
I hold back a wince as the ache in my back makes itself known. Oh my back hurts! Let it be said that being thrown out a window isn't fun.
As I drive off into the night, I send a short message to the girls and Anya. One vampire down two to go. I'll be home soon. ~ J
Edward's POV-
When I carry Bella into the nearest hospital she's rushed to the emergency room. I'm forced to sit in the waiting room while they do a blood transfusion. With my head in my hands I think repeatedly. This is my fault.
The strong grip on my shoulder pulls me out of my self-loathing thoughts. I glance up to see my family staring down at me in concern.
"She's going to be alright," Esme occupies the empty seat next to me and hugs me. It's all but comforting and I find myself returning the embrace.
"I'll go check in on Bella's condition." Carlisle says, waiting for me to nod in confirmation, and I do, before walking off towards the front desk.
"I've already called Bella's parents…They're on their way." I inform the rest of my household solemnly.
As I wait I ponder on the nagging question on my mind. What was that scent that I picking up at the studio? It smelled of earthly nature and I've only smelled that scent on one person. But Jacob couldn't possibly be in Phoenix, could he?
No, he'd have no reason to especially this late at night. My mind must be playing games.
Four hours later Bella is situated into a room for the night and it isn't long before Bella's parents show up at the hospital. Thankfully Carlisle and Esme explain the situation for me.
Its two o'clock in the morning by the time Bella stirs from her sleep. Luckily for me, while I'm supposedly sleeping, Bella's mom explains to Bella what supposedly happened. How she was supposed to meet me and my dad at the hotel and accidentally fell down two flights of stairs, hitting her head in the process.
I'm sure Bella picked up on the lie because she dismisses the story to ask her mom to get her dad so that she can apologize. Once her mother leaves I open eyes to meet Bella's.
"So what happened? Where's James?" She asks immediately.
"We took care of it," I stand up to move closer to her and I sit down at the edge of her hospital bed. "And the woman, Victoria, she ran off."
"I'm alive because of you," She says with such gratefulness it makes me sick to my stomach.
"No, you're in here because of me. Bella, you've got to go to Jacksonville…so that I can't hurt you anymore." I say while thinking I have to give her an out. I don't want her to think she's forced to stay because this happened.
Next thing I know Bella goes off in a panic, "What? Are you–? No. No! What are you saying? You want me to go away? No, I can't just leave you."
"I know," I say to stop her from giving herself a heart attack.
"We can't be apart. You can't leave me."
I grasp her hand, "I'm here. I've got nowhere else to go."
She settles back into bed in alleviation, "O-okay, but you just can't say such things like that to me."
I move forward to pant a kiss on her forehead before saying, "I won't, I promise."
If only I knew how soon I'd be breaking that promise.
There's a pause before Bella speaks up again, "Whatever happened to the cloaked figure?"
I freeze instantly, "What cloaked figure?"
Jacob's POV-
It's been a month since the death of James and neither Laurent nor Victoria have shown their fanged-faces in the area. Their trails seem to have gone dead after a few days of searching, so there's no point in staying in Forks if the two vampires aren't even coming back.
I argued that we should've left weeks ago, but the girls seemed insistent on staying for the junior-senior prom before leaving. Reluctantly I end up agreeing…and so here I am, putting on the suit I bought weeks ago with the full intent of going stag.
'You know it's not too late to find a date for you. I could make a few calls.' Kara sends me telepathically from her room.
'I already agreed to go. So if I'm going to go I'm going to go on my own terms, meaning no date Kara.' I send back in rebuttal.
I smirk as I hear her huff in annoyance. 'Fine, go dateless!'
'I think I will. Now hurry up, what's his name will be here any minute.' I chuckle, considering this my first win in ages as she doesn't reply. I walk out the room and down the stairs. Anya stands in the living room with a camera in hand.
The seconds she spots me she snaps a few shots. "Oh, you look so handsome!" She exclaims with a wide smile on her face. "Great job girls," Her gaze is fixed past my shoulder. I spin around in time to see Kara and Nicole descend down the steps.
"Thanks," They reply in unison, both pausing to smirk at my stunned look.
"What, Edward got your tongue?" Kara grin widens exponentially.
"No." I say quickly before sheepishly saying, "I was just about to say that all that make up isn't necessary…You both look very beautiful, regardless."
The pair walks up to me and start pinching my cheeks. Nicole smiles, "Aww, thanks little bro."
"You don't look half bad yourself," Kara adds after.
Before I can say anything the doorbell rings. "I got it!" Anya says, opening up the door to be greeted by an anxious looking teenager with carnations in his hand.
"Hi, Mrs. Stark, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Reid Hallman; I'm a classmate of Nicole." He shakes Anya's hand hesitantly. He holds out the flowers, "These are for you ma'am."
Anya swoons while taking the pink flowers, "Aww, that's very kind of you Mr. Hallman."
The young gentleman relaxes instantly when he spots Nicole. He swiftly strolls up to Nicole. "And this is for you," He holds out a purple corsage to match her dress.
I can tell she'd be blushing if she could. She takes the corsage gently, "Thanks Reid."
Not long after that does Kara's date, Conner Jones, shows up at the front door with flowers as well. "Well now that everyone's here, how about a couple of picture, huh kids?" Anya smiles gleefully and without complaint we go along with her.
After about two dozen shots she's finally done, "Alright kiddos have fun tonight!" Her voice mutely adds the obvious "but not too much fun" part.
The five of us hustle out the door instantly. The girls waste no time getting into their date's cars and running off to the prom's location. I, on the other hand, take my sweet ass time.
Just before I enter my car, I spot Edward's Volvo pull up in front of Bella's house. He exits his vehicle wearing a black and white tux.
Traditional doesn't look that bad on him…
It's not too long after that thought that his gaze meets mine. I fight the blush from reaching my cheeks. Crap he caught me staring!
Instead of acting like a deer caught in the headlights, I throw him a cheeky smile and a salute before stepping into my car. Hastening out the drive, I obliviously miss the stunned look on Edward's face.
Once I arrive to the prom's sight I immediately park my car and head for the entrance. I'm nearly a yard away before two cold pairs of hands grab both my forearms. I jolt away in surprise before turning to see my twin sisters, but then I instantly notice the two missing pieces: their dates.
"Where are your dates?" I ask as I approach the two.
"Inside," The girls respond in unison.
"Why?" I question curiously.
"Cause we're not letting you take your first prom picture alone. Now come on, let's go!" Kara says as the two link one of their arms to mine, dragging me away.
The both of them bring me to a stop under a nicely lit arch, the photographer spots us in an instant, "Smile!" He says cheekily, aiming the old-fashioned camera towards us.
The brightening flash causes me to blink repeatedly. Before I know it I'm being dragged through the front doors. Instantly I take in the loud music, crowd of students moving vigorously on the dance floor, and strays chatting outside the area.
Somehow, in the mass of the carousal, the three of us end up in front of the Bella's group of friends, complimenting each one of them accordingly.
Nicole engages in a conversation with Angela and Jessica about prom dresses and makeup, but I tune them out. I briefly glance around the room for a familiar face, but then I'm momentarily startled by Kara's whisper of "He's almost here!" into my ear.
I stutter out, "He who!?"
"Edward, of course…He and Bella should be here by now."
As if on cue, said pair walks through the entrance, giving the room a once over before spotting us with Bella's usual troop. The rest of the group turns in time as the two begin to approach the seven of us.
Bella smoothly jumps into conversation with the rest of the girls. Nicole, on the other hand, chats with Eric and Mike now, leaving me and Edward to be the outsiders of the group.
A moment of silence passes between us before Edward speaks up, "You look nice." After the statement he winces before thinking, 'How pathetic!'
"Thanks so do you," I reply without missing a beat. The corners of Edward's lip quirk up into a bright smile, one that I can't help but mirror.
The moment is over as quickly as it started because Edward asks, "Where's your date?"
Why does everyone assume I have to have a date to go to prom!? I think in irritation.
I open my mouth to reply but one mind, one filled with thoughts of hatred, sticks out in the sea of students crowding the room. 'Look at this pathetic excuse for a vampire…associating with humans, completely unaware of my presence…I'll make him pay for what he and his coven did to James! I won't stop until his pet is dead…An eye for an eye.'
It took me a moment to realize whose thoughts I'm hearing. Victoria! Here… I glance around the room, unable to detect her.
"Jacob?"
Shit! I forgot that Edward is talking to me as he looks at me expectedly. "Oh right," I shake my head before continuing, answering vaguely, "She's here somewhere…I should probably look for her."
Out of the corners of my eyes, Nicole and Kara tense up before excusing themselves room the group, walking towards the buffet table. "I guess I'll see you later then," I say, backing away before Edward has the chance to reply.
"She's here?" Nicole asks immediately once I join their side. I nod, silently replying and double checking to see if Edward was listening. Thankfully he isn't so I reply back verbally, "Yes, she is."
"Where!?" Kara asks hastily.
"I don't know!" I hiss back before lowering my voice, "I'm going to go look for her."
Nicole and Kara turn to each other in consideration, slight concern clearly shown on both their faces. Then once the decision is made they look back at me, Nicole is the first to speak, "Good luck…"
"And be careful." Kara quickly adds.
I send them a sly smirk, "No worries."
Striding away from the two, I give the room a once over in search of Edward and Bella. Sadly, I don't spot either of them and send out a silent affirmation to the pair.
She won't harm either you. I'll make sure of that, I promise. With that thought, I enter further into the building in hopes to find Victoria.
The further away from the party that I get the clearer her thoughts become, making it easier to locate her.
Once I do find her she's standing at the top of a stairwell, glaring out of the window in front of her. I peer into her mind to see what, who in this case, she's glaring at. It's Edward and Bella. They're dancing around under a beautifully lit pavilion, completely unaware of their observer.
After glaring some more she turns around, her glare completely replaced with a look of surprise. As a cover she smiles innocently, yet seductively, at me. However I don't fall for it, keeping up an austere expression.
"Hello," I greet her impassively and she doesn't reply back. I take her silence as my cue to continue, "Victoria…" This catches her attention and wipes the smile of her face, both a success on my part.
"Who are you?" She asks curiously.
"Your worst nightmare," I smirk momentarily at the cheesy reply before returning to a placid nature, "You see the Volturi have placed a death sentence on you and your coven for almost revealing our nature to mankind, I'm just the one who has been assigned to do the job."
Her eyes widen timidly as I allow the information sink in. "Now, let's begin shall we." I state taking an offensive stance.
Victoria, however, acts quickly by running to the nearest wall and pushing off it, bodily spinning with her right leg out until her high-heel connects with the center of my chest. I stumble back into the wall behind me with so much force that the gravel cracks, leaving Victoria the opportunity to flee.
She sprints out of the nearest door, one leading outside the building, with supernatural-like speed. I recover quickly and follow her lead into the forest.
Victoria hastily loses unnecessary layers of clothing, such as her shoes, feather boa, and about half her dress, flinging them towards me as a distraction without so much as faltering her pace.
I dodge the garments with easy and discard all of my own to reveal loose Capris and a fitted, grey V-neck, all topped with my combat boots, which I hid beneath my tux but for a completely different occasion. I know I was planning to leave prom early, like really early, but I wasn't expecting this to be my excuse. I think briefly as I continue to trail behind the rouge vampire.
"You sure can run fast," I shout out towards Victoria's retreating figure a couple meters ahead of me. "But I'm faster!" With four strides I am able to grasp her wrist; she startles and halts, causing me to collide harshly against her.
We separate instantly; my back connects with the bark of a fallen tree after rolling around for a while. "Ahhhh," I groan out, a sudden familiar pain ignites at the wounded area.
Oh no, not now!
Luckily this time the pain is bearable to say the least, at least enough to where I can dodge Victoria's attempt to land a right-hook. I duck and roll just as her fist hits the bark, which leaves a gaping hole in its wake.
Wow that was a close one.
She looks at me with an icy glare, growling out before lunging towards me once more. Avoiding both her cat-like claws I manage to lock her wrists in a vice grip, using the opportunity to spin her freely in the air until it's the right moment to let physics handle the rest. Her body flies outward with tremendous speed; however she retaliates, back flipping midair until she graciously lands on a tree stump.
A sudden clash of thunder rings from above, illuminating the commencing battle as rain begins to sprinkle down.
"What's the matter?" She asks tauntingly, "You're not one for hand-to-hand combat, are you? What good are you to the Volturi anyway?"
"You'll find out," I hiss out the reply. Tapping into my telekinesis, I focus on a fallen branch a couple feet away from the two of us and force the branch forward, knocking Victoria off balance as it connects with the back of her calves.
Immediately I wince and fall to my knees, groaning at the sharp pinch at my temple. As soon as it comes, it's gone. I stand up hastily, in fear of letting my guard down, only to lift up my left arm to block the swift kick aimed for my head.
Victoria then returns with a combination of punches and kicks, all packed with power. She lands an effective blow to the ribcage, causing me to wheeze out a breath of air.
Okay, let's try to avoid blows like that. I mentally tell myself as another strike comes. Dodging left and right as best I can, I manage to land a few jabs before the pain comes back full force.
I collapse into a crouching position, heaving deep intakes of air and completely vulnerable. Shivering and drenched from the pouring water, I pitifully struggle to crawl away.
"It's a wonder the Volturi still keep you around," Victoria says, slowly approaching me like a cheetah closing in on its prey. "I figured I'd kill you and send you back to Volterra in pieces, but sucking you dry does seem like a better plan. I'd get my revenge and a quick fill."
She lifts up my wrist to her mouth. Her slithering tongue swipes a skin before she continues, "You smell so intoxicating I can't help but wonder what you taste like. I guess "I'll find out" for myself, right Sweetie?"
I'm too weak to struggle as she sinks her fangs, breaking the skin instantly. A silent scream slips out and moments later howls can be heard from a distance, causing Victoria to halt her feeding. I'm faintly in and out of consciousness by now, the burning venom coursing through my veins only adding affect to my aching problems.
It's hardly audible yet the stomps against the ground seem to be getting closer, louder, and more obvious that someone, or something, is coming.
Victoria rapidly detaches herself from my gaping wound. She licks her lips, backing away while keeping her eyes deadest on mine. "Some other time, Sweetie…Some other time," With that she's gone in a flash.
Pathetically, I manage to stand up despite the pain and loss of blood. Swaying a bit before trailing after her once more, I just couldn't give up so easily. C-come on, nearly there!
Squinting through the pitch-black night I can scarcely make out Victoria's figure in the distance. It disappears just as quickly. During which my eyes widen as I catch sight of an incoming cliff. I stop abruptly, nearly tumbling off the edge.
Lightning flashes, nothing but vast ocean waves can be seen in the distant. Meaning no Victoria, s-she's gone…for now.
The howls seem to be getting louder and louder each passing time. I look back briskly before turning my eyes sharply down to the gruesome waves. Aww hell, c-can't believe I'm about to do this. Growls approach about ten meters from behind me, it's now or never.
I swiftly take three steps back before sprinting as best as I can, without hesitation, until there is no longer ground beneath me.
It seems as though time has stopped as I fall down towards the depths of the sea. Minutes, maybe seconds, pass before I finally crash into the restless waves.
Water instantly fills up my lungs as plunge deeper into the black abyss. I choke, gasping for air, only to have gallons of salty liquid enter my lungs. As if the pain wasn't bad enough, now I'm going to die from drowning as well.
Just as I'm about to let darkness consume me once more, a hand grips my arm and pulls me toward the surface.
Immediately I inhale deep breaths of air, greedily, as I allow myself to be pulled to shore by the unidentified person. My body connects with a soft bed of sand, wet as it may be but soft all the same, and goes lax with no means of functioning anytime soon.
The agony finally settles as I plunge into a deep sleep, the last thing my ears catch is the cry of a wolf.
And scene! Wooohoo this has to be the best chapter yet, in my opinion. A lot has happened as you can tell and I even left ya'll with a cliffhanger (aren't I just evil?). Clearly I've been away too long, long enough for me to see so many errors in my story.So once again I am completely sorry for keeping ya'll wait, editing is possibly the most difficult task to master and if done by me, then it must be right!
Before I say my goodbyes once more, I do have one itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny little question I must ask all viewers: Is there anyone interested in becoming my Editor-in-chief for future chapters?
I would do it myself but like I said (and as you can tell) it takes entirely too, too long. So if anyone's up for the job than message me and we'll discuss it more on a later date.
So adieu, my darlings until next time! Don't forget to leave comments, I love those.
