Chapter eight
A week went by, and we were starting to get a bit edgy. Was Jane even coming after us? And if she was, what was she doing that would take her so much time? In school, we were jumpy, and always on our guard. People started to notice something was wrong. Renesmee wasn't hanging out with her friends so much anymore, but they were still following her around. Luckily, Kai had stayed away from her since the incident, but every time he looked at Renesmee she would almost get a panic attack, thanks to her guilt. Nahuel and Selena were getting nervous too, but it would show in a different way. While we were edgy and quickly snapped, they hardly spoke to anyone. I must say it wasn't really pleasant to have them as our guests, but luckily they stayed at Esme and Carlisle's, where we, thanks to them, didn't go much lately.
School was over, and that meant we had to stay home for our autumn break, which would make us even more edgy and irritated. The first day, everything was so bad Carlisle and Esme decided to go to the hospital. Sunday, they stayed home, but this resulted in lectures about not misbehaving when we're in a bad mood, which had us completely sick by the end of the day. We almost wanted Jane to attack. This was so strange for Jane. Usually she attacked, and didn't wait two weeks. But, then again, what did we know about Jane? She'd lived for centuries, and most of us just for one.
Monday morning, Edward had us all together in front of the main house. "I have a feeling they will attack today." He said.
"Oh, so now you feel? I thought vampires couldn't have more than one gift." Emmett snapped.
"Emmett!" Esme scolded him.
"You don't remember what I said yesterday? Well, I can repeat it again-" Carlisle began, but Edward cut him off.
"Yes, yes, we know, and we will behave. Now listen to me. I don't know why, but I think this might be part of Jane's strategy. She thinks we'll see her, and so she will have to make a last minute decision. But if we see her coming, we can prepare. And so she decides to go, but at the last minute changes her mind, and waits, until we feel safe and careless again. I estimate she thinks two weeks will be enough for us to feel safe again, she thinks us overconfident enough for that. Which is why she will come today." I thought about that for a while. He might be right. At least it sounded like Jane. The faces around me looked amusing. Changing from disbelief to finally settle on a look of acceptance. "So, what do you think?" Edward asked jokingly, triumph clear on his face. As if he had to ask..
"You might be right, son." Carlisle spoke for us all. "Well, let's be prepared, and expect her to come so she won't catch us of guard." We nodded in agreement. We scattered around the house. I sat on Jaspers lap, playing with his hair, while he read some book about the Civil War.
"Whoa, sweetheart, there's a battle coming?!" He said, eyebrows raised. I giggled.
"Sorry, forgive me, Major Whitlock."
"Apology accepted, ma'am." He said in his usually hidden Southern drawl.
"Hey, let's go into the forest." I yanked him of the couch and dragged him with me. As we ran, hand in hand, through the forest I suddenly saw something move in my peripheral vision. I stopped Jasper, and laid my finger on my lips to silence him. He gave me a 'What's going on' look, and I pointed toward the place where I saw the movement. Suddenly, I saw a black cloak. I forgot all caution, and ran toward the main house. We would have about thirty seconds until they would realize where we were. We had to be quick.
Jasper caught up with me in seconds, and together we raced toward the main house, the black cloaks metres away. I screamed for Edward in my thoughts, so he would come and bring the others. I heard them running through the forest, and prayed they would come in time. What had I done? I had endangered both my own and Jasper's life. I would never forgive myself if something happened to my Jasper. They were fast. Faster than we were.
I felt something scratch along my arm. Jasper was running in front of me. He was faster. They would get me, but not him. Please not him. With the last bit of my strength, I pushed myself toward him. It wasn't enough. I felt something grip my leg. I quickly shook it off. But it was too late already, I was sure.
Just when I thought they had me, my family suddenly came sprinting through the forest towards us. I turned around, face to face with Felix, until Jasper protectively jumped in front of me. I knew Bella was protecting us with her shield, because I saw Jane narrowing her eyes straight at Bella.
"I have something to tell you." Jane began. "Nine weeks ago, I went to punish Joham, your father." She narrowed her eyes at Selena and Nahuel. "Together with two of his hybrid daughters, he attacked us. He killed my brother! After that, I finished him and his two daughters off. But this proves the hybrids are a liability. They will turn on us eventually. Now, hand them to us." She pointed at Nahuel, Selena and Renesmee, who was standing behind Jacob. We all went to stand in front of them.
"We are not handing them over to you." Edward said. "They are innocent. If someone would attack your brother, you would fight him, too. They did nothing wrong, and ordinary vampires would have done just the same, if you attacked their coven. We know this is about nothing but revenge, and completely stupid revenge. They weren't even the ones who killed him! Think about it, and decide." I saw Jane's face turn from showing no emotion to a mask of pain and rage, and knew her mind was set. She would attack us. We just had to win.
"If you don't hand them to us, we will kill you. I speak for the law. What do you choose?" Jane asked.
"We are not giving them to you." Edward said, slowly emphasizing each word. "And about the law, you are breaking the law your sadistic master" He said the word with disgust "made, right now. You are attacking an innocent family."
"Fine." Her lips curled into a smile. "Felix, Renata, Demetri, on the count of three: Three, two, one, attack!" The next few moments happened in a blur. Jacob phased, shredding his shorts to pieces, and aimed for Jane. He tore her arm off, but she recovered quickly and smacked him in the face. He let out a cry. Emmett aimed for Felix, and they were wrestling. My torso pulled together, as I watched Jasper saunter toward Demetri, as a hunter towards his kill.
From the outside this would probably have been an amazing fight, centuries of experience against even more centuries of experience, but for me, it was the most horrible thing in the world. Jacob was fighting Jane, as she tried to defend herself with one arm.
"Edward, no!" Bella suddenly cried. Edward ran forward to help Jacob, releasing Renata. I realized he had not only accepted Jacob, during those last years, but saw him as his son now. I knew that together they would quickly end Jane, so I turned away from them to watch Emmett and Jasper. Emmett held Demetri's leg, but he kicked it, forcing him to let go. My eyes locked on Jasper. As far as I could tell, he was doing well. He tore off two of Demetri's fingers, but Demetri found a way around Jasper's arms and bit him in his chest. I decided it was time for me to step in.
As Jasper realized what I was doing, he growled.
"Alice, don't you dare!" But this momentary distraction was too much. Demetri immediately lunged for his throat. As I cried out in pain, I pushed myself forward. I felt two strong arms griping me from behind me, and I collapsed. My husband had been killed, because of me. It was all my fault, all mine. What had I done? How many times hadn't Jasper told me that I wasn't allowed to interfere in a fight, unless he said so. If only I had listened to him.
Suddenly, everything went black.
