Song of the Chapter: Time is Running Out- Muse
I wracked my brain trying to find some way to get away from him. If I could find Aaron first maybe I could prevent a fight from having ever happened. I may be young and weak and human, but I could do that much. I could stop Aaron from hurting the one person in the world I loved more than anything.
Everyone was flitting about the room, but not in a panicked state as you would think. It was more in a way of organization. Alice was whispering to Jasper, Edward had fled out the door after Bella, Esme was off to the side, her face twisted in a grimace. I could tell she and Carlisle wished they didn't have to do this; didn't have to fight. That was fine. If I could do anything about it they wouldn't.
"They're coming here." Alice chimed in her high soprano voice. "There are only six of them. Four are newborns, but the other two…experienced vampires. Experienced fighters."
"Edward and I will take them." Jasper said excitedly. "Alice, you, Rosalie, and Esme will take the others. Some of the pack will join us too, won't they?" he asked.
I saw Alice nod. "Yes, the vision disappears before they reach here. The pack will intercept them."
I cringed. I didn't even know the La Push packs, and they were going to fight for me too. I tried to keep my mind off of Joshua. If I thought of him too much, it would only make what I had to do that much harder.
"What will we do with Elena?" Esme asked.
"Hide her." Alice said simply.
Joshua was at my side then. "Where? Where could we possibly conceal her?"
"Here." Alice replied. "The vampires won't reach here. I don't see how she couldn't be safe."
Leave me here? But then I wouldn't know how to reach Aaron. What If they killed him? "I don't want to stay here." I said.
They barely even glanced in my direction. "Well, you're not coming to the fight." Alice waved her hand in exasperation. "No, take her upstairs Joshua. You may stay here, if you wish."
Joshua snarled. "I want to make sure they are dead myself." Then he glanced down at me. "But how can we leave her here, unprotected?"
"I'll stay." Esme volunteered, smiling at me tenderly. I sighed in relief. At least beautiful, kind Esme would be out of the fight.
Joshua nodded and then turned to pull me into his arms. He buried his face into my hair and breathed in my scent deeply. "I will protect you." He vowed. "I will make it safe for you."
"And I get to sit around and do nothing." I muttered, trying not to let his hands running down my back distract me.
He placed both hands on each side of my face. "You keep your heart beating, Elena. I couldn't live without the sound." I wasn't sure if he meant stay alive or don't let him change you. Either way, I was going to break one of those promises. There was nothing I could do to stop that. He pressed his cold lips to mine, soft, tiny kisses and long ones that turned wild. I clung to him, breathing him in, and quickly memorizing everything about him.
"I love you." He whispered.
"I'll always love you." I answered. Then he was gone. They were all gone except for Esme.
"They will keep you safe." Esme reassured me. I nodded and sank down on the sofa. I had to find a way to get away from Esme. I just had to. I was momentarily glad that they had left me with an ungifted vampire. No having to worry about Esme reading my thoughts, or forseeing my decisions.
I would have to be careful to make a sudden one, so Alice wouldn't have the time to send Joshua to stop me. I waited until Esme was flitting around the house, cleaning and doing odd jobs the way any mother figure would do. It was strange; too normal.
Once Esme was upstairs I made my decision quickly. It wasn't going to work. Not a chance, but I knew I had to try. Esme would catch me in seconds, she being superhuman and fast and me being mortal and slow. But I had to try. I burst out the front door at full speed, pushing myself to run faster. I stretched my legs into the longest strides I could manage, reaching the trees faster than I thought I would. I heard the faint sound of being pursued but I ignored it, driving myself into a faster run.
As I ran I let Joshua's face flash through my mind. His dark silken curls, his pale perfect face. His deep gold eyes that looked at me with such want and love that it nearly broke my heart. I imagined us at First Beach, the way we were only hours ago. His fingers lacing through my fingers, his lips pressing into my own, dragging me into the only heaven I had ever known. I would memorize this, I would remember him as I went under. He was the last face I cared about seeing anyway.
The footsteps behind me were closer now. Weird, I thought Esme would have come for me before now. Had Alice seen me run? Was Joshua on his way to me now? Was Aaron dead already? I shook my head as my breathing came out more ragged. Damn it. I was getting tired. I wouldn't be able to run for much longer. The forest was getting thicker, more roots and branches sticking out in perilous angles trying to sabotage me.
The running was directly behind me now. Why didn't Esme just grab me if she was so close? I thought of stopping, but decided to use my last burst of strength to carry me as far into the trees as I could manage.
Then I heard the snarl. It was menacing and evil and it sounded like nothing that would come from Esme's lips. I froze, my heart fluttering in my chest.
One single laugh and that was all it took. I recognized it. Of course. Aaron knew me better than anyone else in the world; for someone that couldn't read my mind that is. I turned, already knowing what I would see. I had heard that laugh in my nightmares. Nothing like the ringing laugh that had been my brother's when he was human; a dangerous laugh, an perfect, high laugh as beautiful as any of the Cullen's, but frightening.
He looked the same as the first time I had seen him as a vampire. I had expected that, vampires didn't change. His hair was the same honey blond that looked like the rising sun. He was pale, but the dark marks under his eyes less pronounced. He wasn't as thirsty as he had been the first time. He was beautiful, every bit as spectacular as he had been in life. The only difference was that in place of his warm green human eyes, were the shining red iris's that had haunted me for months.
"Elena." He smiled, speaking my name in his beautiful voice that sounded like singing. In life he had been my brother, my twin, my sun. He still looked like the sun, but he was blacker now. A black sun rising into my existence to tear me away from everything I held dear.
"Aaron." I breathed.
He took a step forward. "You were looking for me."
I grimaced. "No, you were looking for me. You've been planning to come."
He laughed again. "Yes, that's true, I suppose." Aaron's expression softened slightly, to my surprise. "Elena, I need to apologize…for the way I acted the last time you saw me. I was young, new, blood thirsty. It won't happen again."
I stared at him dumbfounded. Maybe Alice was wrong. Maybe Aaron had never had any intention to hurt me. "But…you were coming for me." I said, softly.
"I miss you, Elena." Aaron said in a pleading voice. "You're my best friend."
I sighed in relief. "I miss you, too, Aaron."
He flashed to my side and I flinched. "I'm not here to hurt you. I…I want you to join me."
That stopped me. Alice wasn't wrong, I was. He did want to change me, and I had walked right into it. I prayed he would kill me instead. I didn't want to be like him, frozen and cruel. "No." I said.
"Elena, you don't understand. You could be like a god. You wouldn't have to worry about seeming weak and human next to him." Aaron was talking in a consoling, hypnotizing voice. I almost winced at my own thoughts almost completely being repeated back to me. He knew me too well, knew exactly what to say.
"I…I don't want to be a monster. I don't want this." I pleaded.
Aaron's expression transferred into one of astonishment. "You don't want this? How? Why would you want to die, Elena? Why choose to remain the prey when you could be the huntress?"
I couldn't believe he was phrasing it that way. He was talking like he were a jungle cat and humans nothing more than a meal. Didn't life mean more to him than that? I was shaking now, waiting for the inevitability. I didn't think he was going to give me much choice in this. If he was, why would he bring reinforcements? "I don't want to kill people, Aaron. I know the way you're doing things and there's another way. You don't have to hurt people anymore; you can still be a person."
He began laughing, a big booming laugh that I was sure Joshua would be able to hear, wherever he was. My heart squeezed. I hoped he was okay. I couldn't imagine a world where he didn't exist, anymore.
"Elena," he began through his laughter, "why should I stop myself from my instincts? It has nothing to do with human life. It's just predator and prey. We're just higher up on the food chain, that's all."
I was shaking visibly now. "You can't mean that. You're saying that I'm just you're prey, you're food? And what about mom? Meredith? Is she nothing but something for you to eat?" I was shouting now, though I knew I shouldn't.
I had shaken him though. His features were an angelic mask that I couldn't decipher. "Meredith was never much of a mother anyway." He said, his red eyes hardening. "And you won't be anyone's prey soon. You'll be like me; strong, fast, unstoppable, immortal."
I shrank back, trying to think of some way to stop this, to get away. I was much more afraid than I thought I would be when this moment came.
Aaron shifted into a cat like, predator stance; a crouch. His eyes were blazing, a wicked smile spreading across his face. He looked like a panther, all grace and assuredness. With one long drawn out, terrifying hiss, he launched himself at me.
