CHAPTER SEVEN
Note: Things are heating up! I can hear you all saying: "Finally some action!" But beleive me, this is just the beginning ;D
Bella's POV
I gasped as Edward grabbed me into his arms, holding me uncomfortably tightly. I struggled, yelling questions, but he completely ignored me. His attention was fixed on something far away in the distance, too far for me to see whatever it was clearly.
"Edward! What the freaking hell's going on?" I yelled. The almost predatory way in which Edward was hunched over me, his muscles tense and ready to run, made me scared. His chest vibrated with deep defensive growls.
The dazzling shaped moved faster and faster towards us, and all of a sudden I realised what they were. My heart thudded in my chest, and a very familiar memory came to my mind. The last time we had encountered other vampires, things had not gone well, to put it lightly. I had no desire to repeat the experience.
Suddenly almost sick with fear, I huddled into Edward. My nightmares came flooding back to me, my eyes fixed on the approaching vampires.
It seemed as if one was trying to catch the other, the smaller one fleeing away from the larger one behind it. A few seconds later, they were close enough for me to make out details. The one in front was a girl, very small and slight, looking no more than fourteen or fifteen. Her dark brown, almost black hair whipped across her face as she ran. Her skin wasn't as pale as the Cullens'; she must have had tanned skin as a human. As always with vampires, she was shockingly lovely, even though her face was contorted with a snarl. The man chasing her looked much older, in his mid-twenties. He was tall and also had longish dark hair. He looked enough like the girl to be her father, or her brother. He caught up with her about five hundred feet away from the lake, and grabbed her arm. She twisted away, lightning-fast, and slammed a punch into the man's face. He reeled with shock for a moment, enough for her to continue towards us. Her face was contorted in a snarl, and her gaze was fixed straight on me. I cowered into Edward, and he moved quickly out of the lake, half-turned, ready to run.
"Stop her!" Edward yelled at Alice and Jasper. "She wants to get Bella!" They sprung into action, speeding around the lake towards the girl. Jasper got there first, and he tackled her, sending her sprawling to the ground. I had never seen vampires fighting, truly fighting, and it was a terrifying sight. Alice and Jasper resembled two pale angels, grappling with the smaller and slower vampire.
The struggle didn't last for long; after a matter of second Jasper held the girl's arms tightly behind her back, leaning back as she writhed and kicked.
The other vampire came jogging up towards them, his hands in the air to indicate peaceful intentions.
"She's just been transformed," he said, out of breath. His voice was smooth, low, and incredibly charismatic. Something about his face made me look twice. His eyes were a pale, steely grey, not burgundy or even obsidian. "She's got no self-control. She caught the human's scent over a mile back, and I've been chasing her ever since." The girl snarled viciously and twisted her head to try and bite Jasper. He hesitated, not wanting to hurt a young girl, it seemed. She took advantage of his reluctance and lunged forward with a cry of fury. Jasper cuffed her around the head with one hand, keeping a tight hold on her with the other. She fell silent, eyes fixed towards me with a calculating stare.
"Who are you?" Alice asked, her voice as cold as ice.
"My name is Darius. This is Kristina. I'm one of her ancestors, and I transformed her less than a century ago. Our family goes a while back. The Androcles, you may have heard of us?" he looked questioningly at Alice. She shook her head. Darius looked relieved and pleased for a moment, but concealed it quickly behind a bright smile. "And may I ask who you are?" he turned to look at me, and I could hear the unspoken question: "And why do you have a human with you?"
"I'm Alice." Said Alice, not revealing her last name. "Can Jasper let go of her or will she just try to attack Bella again?" she motioned to Kristina.
"If you mean the human, then yes, she will try to attack her. She's already taken three without my permission. It's best to wait a while – she may calm down." He paused, speaking carefully and slowly. "Or, you could…just let her have the human?"
"NO!" all three of them yelled at once. Edward clutched me even closer to him, almost crushing my ribcage.
"My apologies," said Darius quickly, holding up his hands defensively. Suddenly, realization flooded his face. "You're the Cullens, aren't you?" he asked excitedly. Alice nodded. "Why, we came here specifically to visit you!" Darius said happily, an even larger smile curving the corners of his mouth. Nobody smiled back.
