BELLA SWAN

Six pairs of eyes stared back at me, confused. I realized that they didn't know where I had been.

I took a deep breath and explained to them what happened; what I saw and how I discovered my power.

When I finished Alice said to me in a dazed voice, "You were inside my head?!" Her voice radiated disbelief.

Everyone else looked doubtful as well, as if they thought I made everything up. However, Carlisle nodded and smiled.

"That explains everything!"

We all looked at Carlisle, puzzled by his words. I wanted to dive into Carlisle's mind and find out what he was thinking, but the trip through Alice's mind tired me and I couldn't make myself to do it again. My arms and legs felt heavy, I wasn't able to move them for a few minutes until my leg slowly rose 3 centimeters, then fell down limply. I felt exhausted and terrible.

"Vampires aren't supposed to faint, Bella, but because of your unique power, you have to faint!" Carlisle smiled at us as if he suddenly knew the secret of the universe.

We were still confused. Carlisle saw our expressions and smiled even wider.

'"Let me explain. Bella, your power entitles you to jump into people's minds. From then on you can basically do anything to them and they can't do anything to you, unless they damage your body.

"But in order to make that jump, you will have to be unconscious for the period of time you are in the other person's mind, and thus, you can faint or black out. Otherwise your power cannot possibly work.

"You are also able to block things out without even knowing it. Your mind is your weapon and your defense. That explains why your mind is closed from Edward and Jane. The mind is a strong thing, Bella, but yours is uncommonly strong. You were destined for this power, which is why even as a human you are able to block it all out."

Then he said thoughtfully, "How very interesting…I don't think I've seen anything like this."

Everyone else was nodding as if they understood Carlisle's little speech. I was the only one who didn't catch on… It was ironic. Then I realized that Carlisle didn't answer my first question, my question about Edward.

"Edward joined the Volturi didn't he?"

I had to know what happened to Edward. I hoped that the image inside Alice's head was just a…hallucination. But deep down I knew that it really happened, even though I didn't want to believe it was true.

Carlisle sighed.

"We don't speak about it a lot. It pains us that Edward could've changed so much, and so drastically in so little time." For a minute the shadows under Carlisle's eyes looked a dark violet. It made him look older, even though I knew he will never age.

"This will be a good time to test out your power. Jump inside my head, and you should be able to relive the day we went to speak to Edward, but I warn you. You may not like what Edward has become."

Carlisle's words frightened me. I couldn't believe that Edward was really as bad as he had described, but my curiosity was overpowering me. I had to find out, even if it hurt me. I needed to know the truth of what happened to my Edward.

I concentrated on Carlisle's head. I imagined myself floating away from my body and into his head. Then I felt myself actually slipping out of my body. I floated into Carlisle's head, and everything was pitch black again.

Then I gasped. His mind was endless, filled with memories and images. His mind was a lot vaster than Alice's. I put my transparent arm into one of Carlisle's older memories. It was a bit foggy and blurry compared to some of his other ones. I felt his every emotion, and I saw everything he saw. It was incredible.

Bella, please stick to what you're here for. Every minute you're away from your body, the worse you will feel when you reenter your body. I was startled and almost fell into the memory, then I steadied myself. It was just Carlisle's thoughts, I reassured myself. Carlisle's thoughts, I repeated. Then I recounted how tired I felt when I reentered my body after Alice's head, and shuddered. I didn't want to feel like that again. Then I concentrated.

Find me the memory of Edward with the Volturi. I thought. Then I opened my eyes. There was the memory. Everything was clear. I'm sure that Carlisle will remember that clearly for the rest of his existence.

It played out to me like a movie. I saw flashes of what happened, Alice running, Esme screaming, Emmett punching the ground. Then I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and stepped into the memory.

The first thing I noticed was Aro's voice. He seemed to be saying something to Carlisle. Then I slowly opened my eyes.

There was Aro and Carlisle. I saw the rest of the family behind him. They were all nervous.

I wondered why no one reacted to my presence. It wasn't normal for vampires to sudden appear, right? Then I noticed my hands. They were transparent. My whole body was transparent. I wasn't part of the memory, but simply visiting it. Then I sighed. Good. I didn't want anyone notice how I would act when I see Edward.

I stepped closer to Aro and Carlisle, and finally I heard their conversation.

"Like I was saying, ever since Edward joined with Tanya, everything has been simply delightful!" His eyes, which were a clouded red, then slid over to Alice who was in the back.

"How wonderful! Did Alice decide to join?"

Carlisle laughed and shook his head. He laugh had an edge to it.

"I'm sorry Aro, but we're here to see Edward. No one else in our family is interested."

Aro faked a sad face, then sighed dramatically.

"Well, if you insist."

He disappeared behind door, then a few seconds later Edward stepped out.

I gasped in pain. My angel was no longer my angel… his eyes were scarlet and his face looked no longer gentle, but feral and frightening. Then I saw something red dripping down his mouth…

It was human blood.

His scarlet eyes flickered over his family, and for a second I thought a spasm of pain crossed his face, but then it was gone. Had I imagined it?

"What do you want, Carlisle?" His voice was no longer that soft velvet, but it was hard and cold, like frozen rock. No longer pure, no longer my Edward.

"Edward," Carlisle was pleading, "please, come back to your real family! This is not who you really are!"

Edward laughed. It sounded like sharp knives; knives that stabbed my no longer beating heart.

"On the contrary, Carlisle. I enjoy my job here, and the human blood that I drink fuels me. I thought that life could be content living like a vegetarian, but I was wrong.

"We are predators of humans, not animals. It's our duty to kill and hunt them." He licked his lips, "And also, their blood is simply delicious."

Alice suddenly disappeared from behind and appeared on the side of Edward.

"What have they done to you, Edward?" She whispered in a horrified voice.

Edward smiled a mocking smile.

"Nothing, Alice. They have done nothing to me except they 'faced me to the music.'" Then he grinned, "Yes, that image in your head is one of my favorites. We had just brought in a herd of humans, and I couldn't resist."

Alice was trembling with fury. I could practically see the fumes radiating from her body.

"What about Bella, Edward? Is she now just a snack?"

Edward froze, all mocking gone from his face. This time I was sure there was a spasm of pain that flitted across his face. Then, it was gone. Hi face was back to the feral emotionless mask.

Hope filled me. Did he still love me?

I stepped closer toward Edward. Then suddenly he raised a fist and smashed it toward Alice. He was a lot faster now; Alice only just moved it out of the way.

"I have moved on, so yes. Bella is still a human, so if I see her, then I will kill her." Then he quietly added, "Besides, she has moved on, too. I'm sure her tanned boyfriend will deserve a little killing also."

My heart started bleeding again. I almost didn't hear what he added, but I didn't care about that. I'm sure that my heart was now broken in 2. Edward would kill me because I was a human? He would kill me even after all the love we shared?

In the back Esme screamed. Then she sank onto the floor with her head in her hands. Esme always loved Edward best, that I knew.

Emmett punched a hole in the ground and growled, "Take that back."

Then he surged forward with such grace and speed for someone of his stature and prepared to clunk Edward on the head.

Edward zig zagged through the openings and punched Emmett in the face. Emmett wasn't so lucky, and the fist connected with Emmett's jaw.

Emmett flew 20 feet and slumped down on the wall, his face contorted with fury.

Rosalie snarled in fury, angry that her love was hurt, and approached. That was all I saw, because at that point I covered eyes so I couldn't see the fight anymore. I couldn't see Edward hurt anymore of his family, and without any feeling either! Edward had changed so much, it was hard to believe.

But I still heard the noises. I heard Alice growling, and Carlisle trying to reason with Edward. Esme was still sobbing, sobbing over her first son.

Then one voice stood out over the other, it was silky and sickly sweet. I remembered that same voice fawning over Edward, and I knew that it was---

"Edward!" it called. Immediately Edward stopped pummeling Emmett, then he ran gracefully to Tanya's side. Tanya, I felt a sudden hatred toward her. I wanted to smash her face, but I was only an apparition in this memory.

Beside Tanya I saw another vampire, and I gasped out of recognition. It was the mystery vampire! The vampire who changed me!

The mystery vampire trailed after Tanya like a dog, or a…obedient servant. It was clear that Tanya was a higher rank than him.

"Edward," she fawned, Edward was a stiff cold statue. It looked like he didn't even know Tanya was there.

I turned my head. I didn't want to hear her disgusting voice, and I didn't want to hear Edward doing to same thing to her.

Then I glanced back at Edward. Something wasn't right here. Edward had said something about a tanned boyfriend of mine, but I never had a tanned boyfriend! I never even had a boyfriend other than him!

I thought hard, there must be a logical explanation. Edward couldn't have just made it up! What could've possibly happened that Edward could've thought that? I knew that nothing happened like that when I was a vampire. I haven't interacted with humans ever since I changed, so then it must have happened when I was human. Nothing, I came up with blank.

My eyes widened. Could he be talking about Jacob? Did he think that I cheated on him for Jacob? My fury grew. I couldn't believe that he didn't believe me when I said that I loved him more. But that didn't seem right. Those times I kissed Jacob I had told him about it. I even said that I was sorry for doing it. No, Jacob couldn't be it.

I felt like I was missing something important and my eyes flickered over to the mystery vampire with a reedy voice, then I knew!

I quickly exited the memory. I couldn't stand another second of it. Besides, I knew what had happened, and my hatred for Tanya increased.

I dove out of Carlisle's head and I saw my own body. Then I jumped into it, and I gasped.

"It was Tanya." I said breathlessly, "It was Tanya all along!"

It all made sense now. Tanya sent her mystery vampire to conveniently spy on me. That explains the red eyes I saw everywhere! Then when he heard that Edward was going hunting, he waited until Edward was at the window side to transform and kiss me so Edward would think that I was cheating on him.

Then Tanya advanced on Edward when he was weak and vulnerable. And her little servant coincidentally brought me to the meadow just when Edward and Tanya kissed so I thought that Edward was cheating on me. Tanya must've told him some lie that made him follow her and join the Volturi. Afterwards Tanya ordered her servant to kill me so Edward would never see me again, and in thus Edward will never find out the truth. But somehow the servant slipped and didn't kill me, so I changed instead. Everything fit like pieces to a puzzle! How all the events were too coincidently connected. It couldn't be just accidents! Someone was behind them, and that someone was Tanya. Tanya was behind everything. She was after Edward after along.

Tanya. Hatred pulsed through my body. Her deception tore me and Edward apart so she could get her grubby paws on Edward. I snarled. I will rip that vampire up into pieces!

----&----

I was in Alice's yellow Porsche, and the car was flying down the road. I had told the Cullens about what I think happened, and all of them were skeptical about it. I saw how Rosalie looked at me incredulously, and how Emmett let out a little bark. The rest of them only looked at me with sad eyes, as if they pitied me for thinking I can save him. Jacob awoke at that moment, and he only looked at me with disbelieving eyes. Then he made a strange noise through his nose and ran out. I felt bad that I hurt Jacob again, but Edward was the one in trouble. Only Alice looked deep into my eyes and nodded, so we were off to the Volturi, to save Edward.

I felt a little guilty for leaving so soon, but I knew that Carlisle would never let me go to the Volturi. I knew that he wouldn't let me go to protect me. But I had to go. If I couldn't get Edward back, then no one could, and I couldn't let destroy himself like this.

I was getting nervous. I didn't know what I'll do when I see Edward, or what he'll do. Will he fight me like he did with the others, or will he believe me and let me back into his life?

I stared out the window and saw the flashes of the headlights. The speed that Alice was driving no longer scared me, it seemed natural. Then I looked at the built in clock in the middle of the car. It said it was 1:17A.M. It was funny, because I almost expected to get drowsy and fall asleep, until I realized I was a vampire.

I felt I was forgetting something important, something that I was supposed to do with Edward. What could it possibly be? I looked down at my hands, and realized that I was wearing a ring.

I gasped. My wedding! How could I have forgotten about my wedding?

Then I sighed. What did it matter? There is no wedding without the bride and the groom. My eyes were burning. If I was still human, then I would be crying.

Everything was supposed to be perfect! Victoria was finally gone, and Edward and I were going to get married. How did everything go so wrong?

Then I gritted my teeth. Everything went wrong because of Tanya, but everything will get better, because I was going to get Edward back, even if it means dying.