Utter Darkness - Chapter 7

Alice helped me up to my feet. "Carlisle!" I whispered, my breath exhaling in a rush. He stood like a beacon of strength. His eyes, so full of compassion, touched me. He would put aside all of his questions to make sure I was okay first.

I moved from within the safety of Alice's embrace to the warmth and strength of Carlisle's arms. He folded me into his chest and I lay my cheek there, drawing comfort from the one person who knew Edward the best. I was surprised at the amount of remarkable restraint my father-in-law was exercising considering what I had just told them.

I started to feel calm. My family was here. I recognized the sense of well being immediately. I turned my face to look at Jasper. A sad small smile crossed my face for him. He came over, took my hand and laid it on his chest near his heart. Peace washed over me. "Thank you", I managed to whisper. We stood like that for a moment. Carlisle holding me, Jasper holding my hand to his chest and Alice, my lovely sister Alice, hovering around all of us. It was an unspoken need. They knew I needed some time to collect myself. After a few silent but heavy minutes passed, I lifted my head, and turned to Alice.

"Alice! You're here!" I almost shouted. "Tell me what happened! What did you see?"

Confusion crossed over Alice's pixie like face. She scrunched her delicate eyebrows in towards her nose. She began to shake her head back and forth, causing her spiky dark hair to sway in response. Alice grimaced.

"That's just it, Bella" She paused for moment. "I don't know what happened." She looked down at her feet and then after a brief moment she spoke again. Her words tumbled out in rapid succession.

"You were there! I lost sight of you and Edward the minute you entered the Volturi Compound!" Alice's voice was full of frustration. She didn't know. All this time, she didn't know.

Jasper sensed Alice's turmoil and quickly came to her side and wrapped a very protective arm around her. That wonderful protective gesture stabbed at my heart. That was exactly something Edward would do for me. No more. Grief hit me once again.

"Bella," Jasper began, "How come you don't know what happened? Did they separate you and Edward?"

I started to shake my head. I didn't know how to answer that question. I walked away from the protective circle of my family. I spied something white laying across the back of a chair and made my way towards it.

"That's just it Jasper! I don't know. Yes, No…? I can't remember what happened!"

I picked up the rectangle of white from the chair. It was the towel Edward had used after he had gotten out of the shower. I automatically pulled the towel up to my face. I inhaled deeply. Ah, the smell of Edward. Edward after loving me. A brief momentary flash of that last moment of passion between us played out in my mind, only to be rudely interrupted by the ugliness of his last kiss, the last glance at those foul crimson eyes.

I heard an audible gasp behind me.

"Oh Bella!" Alice rushed to my side, slammed her tiny, lithe body into me and pulled me into the desperate crush of her arms. She saw my memory. She felt the pain. I was never more glad to have Alice as my sister than right now.

Jasper and Carlisle came closer to us. They were both a little wary. Jasper reached out to touch Alice and calm infused the both of us. Jasper saw the look of pain on Alice's lovely elfin face.

"Alice, what is it?" he quietly asked her. She pulled back and separated herself from me. I didn't want her to let go. But the truth had to come out.

Alice looked at Jasper and Carlisle, so afraid to tell them the truth. So I did. I told them.

"Edward has turned to the Volturi." Those words hung there suspended in the air….

I might as well had just walked up and slapped the both of them.

"Carlisle, he's drinking human blood again." I simply stated.

"How do you know Bella?" Jasper asked me. I breathed out a heavy sigh.

"His eyes, Jasper. They were crimson."

Carlisle and Jasper shot a look at one another. Alice and I quickly glanced at each other and then back at the both of them wondering what had just transpired.

"Carlisle? What is it?" I asked him. He and Jasper traded another look. I watched as Carlisle took a deep breath and tried to compose his face. I started to feel a little scared. Scared for Edward.

"Bella, you have to try to remember every detail for me, okay?" Carlisle asked me.

I nodded. I wasn't sure how much I fully remembered. I thought long and hard to remember the details for them.

"Alice, how much did you see of Edward and I before you lost your vision?" I asked her.

She paused for a moment. "Honestly Bella, You and Edward weren't really the ones I was trying to concentrate on. I've been trying to get a read on Aro. It's been so frustrating that I've been getting nothing. Plus you and Edward were doing some pretty private things…I couldn't…I just…" She stammered.

I was taken aback for a moment. Then I was a little embarrassed. It was one of those times that if I were still human, I would be blushing scarlet.

Carlisle encouraged me to tell them what I could remember. I looked at all their faces and took a deep breath before starting. Jasper moved closer to me and I felt calm again.

"Edward and I had arrived here to find an invitation waiting on the table for us. Alice, that was when he called you. The last time he talked to you. I found the invitation. We decided we had better hurry, so we changed clothes and headed into the city."

"We arrived at the Volturi compound and went inside." I paused for a moment, reaching for Jasper's hand. He quickly took it and Alice came to the other side of me. I remembered that huge door opening to the tastefully decorated lobby, Edward and I walking hand in hand towards the reception desk.

"Anyway, we got to the receptionist. Edward handed her the invitation. She called someone on the phone and then she took us to an elevator." I turned and looked at Alice.

"It was a new girl Alice, Gianna was no longer there. Well, she was, but I'll get to that later." Alice's golden eyes widened. I continued on.

"Edward and I took the elevator and when the doors opened, we could hear music and we followed it to a large room. Carlisle, it was bizarre! It looked like some sort of cabaret and there were humans there!" Surprise crossed over Carlisle and Jasper's face.

"After a moment we were greeted by Jane." I took no pains to hide the dislike in my voice. "Immediately I pulled my shield up around Edward and I." Carlisle could sense that I was getting to something that was upsetting.

He placed his hands on my shoulders and nodded for me to continue. "Go on Bella, you are doing fine." I smiled at him wanly. I took another deep breath.

"Jane lead us to a table. She poured some blood into two goblets. One for Edward, one for me. Edward was starting to get testy so I told him that one sip wouldn't hurt." I started to shake. Alice moved in closer and held me up in her strong arms. She stroked my hair. With a small, tiny voice I told them the last thing I remembered at that point.

"I took a sip of the blood. It was animal. A few seconds passed and I suddenly started shaking violently. I remember the look of horror that crossed Edward's face. Alice, It was awful. Then nothing. Just darkness. When I came to I was in a different room on some kind of stone slab, and Edward was gone." I turned my head into Alice's shoulder for comfort. I could feel her placing comforting kisses on my head and making shushing noises.

Carlisle gasped. "You were unconscious? But Bella, we can't sleep…."

"I know!" I cut him off. "But I was not able to save him…I couldn't…" my breath started to hitch and Alice grabbed me tighter.

Jasper asked me if I was okay and I just clung to Alice, pulling strength from her. Jasper and Carlisle began to move away to have a conversation and I stopped them.

"Wait…there's more you need to know. I had a chance to escape out of that room. I found Edward in that main salon." I shuddered at the memory. As long as I live, I will never forget that disparaging image of Gianna and Edward. It was burned into the back of my retinas, playing a constant loop in my head over an over. I kept going, the story beginning to spill forth faster.

"Gianna, the old receptionist, Alice remembers her, she was there. With Edward." I saw Jasper and Carlisle exchange a sudden surprised glance with one another. "Carlisle, he…he…wouldn't leave. I tried to move towards him and he leapt in front of me and snarled at me. It was terrifying. Never has Edward done anything like that. That's when I noticed the color of his eyes. He grabbed me and kissed me and I could taste the blood."

Carlisle was now becoming visibly upset. "Where were Aro, and the others?" he asked me.

"They were there in the room. They watched everything. I was so mad I wanted to kill them. I could only ask why."

"What was their answer Bella?" Jasper tensed, waiting for my reply.

"It's payback Jasper. For the last time we all saw each other. They said we usurped some of their power and bringing Edward into their fold is a powerful way to send a message that they will not be stopped. They let me go. To quote Aro… I'm the messenger."

A moment of quiet passed and then a thunderous storm broke out in that tiny pension. It was the first time I had ever seen the full fury of my father-in-law's temper. His hand gripped the back of the closest chair and within a second he snapped it into pieces, disintegrating it. Jasper grabbed him by the arm to calm him down.

Alice resumed her calming ministrations to me and I must admit, I was relieved for them to be here.

"Bella, do you think they have someone there that can block Alice's visions.?" Carlisle asked me after speaking with Jasper for a moment. I nodded.

"Now I'm sure of it Carlisle. I just remembered something about the Volturi guard that escorted me out. I saw their faces Alice! They are just like Nahuel. They are half vampire children from the Amazon. Children with same powers as Renesmee.

The impact of this statement took a moment to absorb. Everyone remembered the powers that Nessie had. She could reflect your thoughts. Thus, she had a shield almost like mine.

Carlisle was the first to speak. "That's why Alice couldn't see what Aro was up to. The guard acted as a complete blanket over his thoughts!" Carlisle began to pace within the confines of the very small room.

"It's obvious that Aro kept his promise to visit Joham. The Amazon. Bella, this makes sense as to what happened to you! As a doctor, I've read many research articles about natural botanicals in the Amazon that aid in healing diseases, promoting well health, and even the various new poisons being discovered that we have no record of previously! Bella, they poisoned you. By rendering you unconscious, they were able to get to Edward."

Jane. That was all that went through my mind at the moment. With me out of the way, there was no one able to protect Edward. My heart wrenched in my chest and another whole wave of grief crested through me. She must have tortured him. The hell she must have put him through to get him to drink human blood again.

Carlisle and Jasper started talking to one another animatedly. They were discussing all of our current options. Finally it seemed as if they had reached a decision through their heated discussion.

"Alice," Carlisle began. "Call home. Let Esme know what is happening. Jasper and I are going to see Aro. You and Bella stay here."

Both Alice and I began to object, but Jasper walked over to Alice and took her hands in his. Her objections died in her throat. "Alice, We need you to protect Bella. She's not safe here. We have to get her home, but we need to see for ourselves what we are up against."

I looked to Carlisle. "Edward?" It was the only thing I asked.

"Bella, we will try to see him, I promise. But, I 'm not sure what we're facing. I think we may have an all out war coming." Carlisle frankly admitted.

Subdued, I nodded and quickly hugged them both. "Be careful!"

Jasper and Carlisle said their goodbyes. Jasper and Alice held each other tightly, the unspoken communication between them speaking volumes. With one last touch, we walked them to the door and watched them get into the car and drive away.