Author's note: I apologize to my readers for my long absence – I just bought a house and have been busy with all things related to moving. However, I very much hope you enjoy this chapter. Much like Stephanie Meyer's meadow scene in "Twilight," the end of this chapter what the first scene I envisioned before I started writing this story. Enjoy.
Chapter Nine: Jacob's Birthday
"Of course it bothers me." Amy let her hands collapse at her sides, her eyes wide for emphasis. "And really, I'm screwed either way. Because if I say yes, I'll need to babysit you. If I say no, I can fully expect you'll hook up with the next chick you see."
Wes's shoulders dropped in defeat, her final statement chipping away a large chunk of his confidence. Amy felt the hanging weight of his silence fall upon her shoulders, and she couldn't help but feel a slight pang of guilt for her comment.
"Look," she started, attempting to soften her tone, "reverse the roles for me, okay? Would you really trust me and want to date me if you saw what I saw at the Spring Fling? I doubt it."
"Please. Just one chance. One date. Even if we're around your other friends. Whatever you want to make you comfortable, I'll do it."
Amy's mobile phone rang inside her pocket. The noise interrupted her silent interrogation of Wes's thoughts, his eyes practically drooping in reaction to his downfall. She fidgeted in place. "I gotta get back to work."
Wes nodded in reply, his head slowly bobbing up and down in midair. His baby blue eyes had lost their vibrant luster, and she knew she was responsible for it.
"Oh my God, fine!" She momentarily let her knees cave in to the weight of her upper body, her hands extended in her own defeat. "I don't understand how you could possibly still like me after I've rejected you so many times. But I may be at this bar tomorrow, Eclipse, for my friend's birthday. If we show up, and you're there, you're welcome to have a drink with us." Her tone was so nonchalant; she hated hearing her own rudeness.
The corners of Wes's mouth curved upward into an accomplished smile, the brightness immediately returning to his eyes. "That's all I wanted to hear." He began backing away from her, the bounce in his step hard to conceal.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said with a wink, finally turning away from her and casually beginning to jog across the street.
"Maybe!" she called after him, her tone more corrective than playful. She shook her head as she returned to the cool confines of the Daily News building. Her hand slipped into her pocket for her cell phone to check her missed call.
"Dammit!"
One Missed Call From Edward Cullen
One Voicemail
She cursed aloud at her phone's display screen before immediately raising the device to her ear. The slender fingers of her left hand toyed with her long strands of hair at the sound of his voice.
"Hi, it's Edward. Just returning your call. I, um, that's good that Charlie gave you a ride this morning. You should talk to him about what happened last night … if you haven't already ..." The silence of his pause was filled with a heavy sigh. "I'd like to see you tomorrow, if that's okay. Let me know. And be safe."
Five minutes earlier, Edward stood out of sight across the street from Amy and Wes, Edward's ears attuned to the anxious timbre of Amy's voice.
"If I say yes, I'll need to babysit you. If I say no, I can fully expect you'll hook up with the next chick you see."
Pleased with her response, Edward leaned against the concrete wall of his lookout point outside a convenience store. Wes's thoughts were silent, although Edward's ability to seep into Wes's thoughts were often stifled, an unexplained irritation that made him dislike Wes even more.
"Just one chance. One date … "
Edward stifled a snarl at Wes's use of the word "date." But before he could dwell on the pathetic thought of a date between Wes and Amy, an errant thought trickled into Edward's head, its tone matching Wes's forlorn face.
Please don't say no. Not again. I don't know what they'll do to me if I screw up again.
Edward's eyes narrowed. What?
He couldn't sprint across the street pummel West into the pavement, or, at the very least, interrupt their conversation; it would only scare Amy to show up so suddenly.
Thinking quickly for a less violent option, Edward retrieved his mobile phone and dialed Amy's number. "Pick up, pick up," he mumbled, watching Amy's features soften as they succumbed to the pitiful sorrow on Wes's face. She was giving in, the implications of being in Wes's presence now seemingly more dangerous than Edward had originally thought.
But the sound of her outgoing voicemail greeting caused a heavy weight to settle in his stomach. He began talking into his phone to leave her a message, his listening senses still dodging the wind and random thoughts of passerby to hear her voice …
"If we show up, and you're there, you're welcome to have a drink with us …"
Edward sighed loudly into his phone. Wes's former defeat had transferred to Edward, and his only remaining idea was to suggest he spend time with Amy the following day. Perhaps her fascination with him would lure her away from Wes, but he was not hopeful.
"I'd like to see you tomorrow, if that's okay. Let me know. And be safe."
*****
Amidst the gleaming sunset of Friday evening, Amy jogged through her living room to answer the chime of her doorbell. She paused and ran her fingers through her wavy hair to prompt additional volume before opening the door.
As expected, Jacob was standing on the other side, dressed in dark blue jeans and a deep maroon, long-sleeved t-shirt. The shirt clung to his muscular upper body, the cotton draped around his biceps. And, as Amy had hoped, Jacob was also wearing her favorite smile.
"Happy birthday!" Amy proclaimed with a huge grin, excitedly reaching across the open space to drape Jacob in a warm embrace. He released a laugh in response to her sudden affection, his hands gladly resting on her back to pull him into his body. Her ear pressed to his chest, she smiled at the sensation of the rumbling laughter beneath his flesh.
As he released her, his eyebrows briefly rose in appreciation of her outfit. "You look great," he told her. His chocolate-colored eyes drizzled along the curves of her body, the orbs scanning each crevice. Her jeans jealousy clung to her hips, but Jacob's eyes froze on the exposed skin of her torso below her white tank top. The delicately pale flesh had the faint hint of toned abdomen muscles, and his fingers twitched at the desire to run his hands across them.
"Thanks. You're not lookin' too bad yourself," she said with a grin, pinching the soft material at the base of his shirt. "I think we should take bets on how many girls will ask to feel your biceps tonight," she joked.
"Don't worry. The guys will make fun of me enough for that," he replied, nodding his head at the two vehicles parked along the side of the road, several sets of eyes peeking out at them from the open windows. "You ready to go?"
"Yep, just let me grab some cash." Amy stepped back into her condo and shoved a small pile of folded bills into her back pocket along with her ID. Her right hand then gripped a small box, and she excitedly thrust it forward into Jacob's chest as she reappeared in the doorway.
"What's this?" he asked as his grin spread across his face like dazzling white chocolate.
"Your birthday present." Amy wiggled the box until Jacob took it into his large hands. He examined the thin, perfectly wrapped box, the deep blue wrapping paper highlighted by a tiny, white bow on top.
"You didn't have to—"
"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and open it."
With a grin still hovering on his lips, Jacob shook his head as he unwrapped the small package. The box was so light that at first, Jacob thought nothing was inside. But after pulling aside a few white strips of tissue, a piece of white paper was revealed. Jacob pulled it out of the box and unfolded it to read the crisp handwriting:
The Riverside Grille
Gift Certificate
$50
"It's a little anti-climactic, I know, but I had to wrap it. You have to unwrap gifts on your birthday," she said with a huge grin. Full of energy, she briefly raised onto her toes before continuing. "Remember Matt? Charlotte's boyfriend? He recommended this place. He said it was a great restaurant."
"Wow. This is … it's too much—"
"No! You gave me your time and your muscles and helped me move in. And your friends, too! You've been really sweet and helpful since I first got here, so, I just wanted to say thank you."
Jake shook his head as a flush of color flooded to his cheeks. "This is really nice of you. Thanks."
Amy grinned and reached her arms around Jacob's neck for a tight embrace. "You're welcome." Jacob willingly slid his hands around her back and guided them down to her waist before she let him go.
"Okay. Time to have some fun. Pretty sure after this week, I need a drink. Or many, many, many drinks," she joked as she closed and locked her door.
"Didn't you invite anyone?" he asked as they walked side-by-side down the stairs. "Quil kind of brought a date, I guess, but you obviously won't know her very well. I don't want you to feel left out."
"I'm fine with just the guys. I thought about inviting Charlotte, but it's a little weird when you're drinking with work people." Jacob nodded, and Amy felt her eyebrows furrow at her sudden realization: she had invited someone. "I did invite this guy, Wes. But not exactly willingly." She felt her tone turn sarcastic as she reached the bottom step and her ballet flats crunched on the white gravel.
"That guy from the Spring Fling? The drunk one that was all over you?" he asked with a snicker. His tone lowered at the end of his laugh, projecting a tinge of jealousy.
Amy sighed before rapidly revealing her explanation. "Long and weird story short, he has a crush on me, but I don't know how comfortable I feel around him." She had never told Jacob about Wes's forest fling at the Spring Fling – only Edward knew about Wes's tree-side tryst. "So even though it's your birthday, if we run into him, I'm assigning you the task of protecting me."
"I can totally handle that." Jacob flashed her a grin and nudged her arm with his elbow. "And don't forget," his voice escalated as they reached the car, "Embry's tall and scary. And kind of a jerk," Jacob joked, punching Embry's arm through the open driver's window.
"Good luck finding a ride home," Embry said as Jacob opened the back seat door and climbed inside. Amy followed fashion on the opposite side, seating herself behind an unknown male.
Jacob leaned forward in his seat, his eyes on the passenger. "Sam, this is Amy. Amy, this is our pal, Sam Uley."
The head adorned with short, black hair in the passenger seat turned around to reveal a pair of dark brown eyes. "Nice to meet you." Sam offered her a warm smile and held out his hand. Amy shook it, the tingling warmth from his palm creeping up her arm in welcome. "You sure you want to hang out with these guys?" he joked, nodding his head at Embry and Jake. His voice was deeper and more reserved than the others', suggesting his maturity.
"I think so. They know how to have a good time." Amy winked at Jake and saw the right corner of Embry's mouth turn upward into a smile. "Where's um, where's Quil and his date?"
"Behind us," Jake answered, leaning back, his knees casually spread apart the width of the seat in front of him.
Amy turned around and waved through the windshield to Quil. Both he and his date waved back in unison from their seats within Quil's car. In another few seconds, Quil's head popped out of his window.
"Let's go!" he shouted, honking his horn in frivolity.
"Yeah. Drink specials start at eight, and it takes like, thirty minutes to get there."
"All right," Embry said as he shifted gears. "Let's get this party started."
*****
"Amy?"
"Hi, Edward. Sorry I missed your call. Work's just been really busy."
"That's okay." He paused, hoping the silence would allow him to think of what to say next. "I just wanted to talk to you. See how you were doing."
Her limbs tingled in response to his thoughts being focused on her. "Doing fine, I guess. Just wish it was the weekend, y'know?"
"You should talk to Charlie about what happened," he responded, his voice dangerously quiet, yet surprisingly calm.
"I, um, I did. This morning. Since I didn't see the guy, and he didn't do anything to me, Charlie can't really do much. He just wants me to be careful."
"Yes, you should be."
"I … I, um …" Her voice trailed off, and she inhaled deeply through her nostrils, her senses craving to take in his scent as her head agonized over how to respond. She paced around her office, raking her hands through her hair.
"Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked, his voice still soft as he approached his silver Volvo a block away from the Daily News building.
Amy froze in place, her hand still combing through her blonde locks. She swore her blood momentarily stopped pumping as her negative response loomed. "I really wish I could, but I can't. It's-I have plans already. I'm sorry." It killed her to say the words.
Edward's eyebrows furrowed as he sat inside his Volvo. "Would it be at all possible for you to cancel them? I really wanted to spend time with you."
Amy felt her gut wrench in conflict. Just hearing Edward with such longing emotions made her want to kiss him through the phone. But she had committed her evening to her new, and very supportive, friend. "I wish I could, Edward, but I really can't."
"And if I insist?"
Despite his strange choice of words, she almost laughed. "I'd have to insist back. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize." His tone had softened. "Just … just have fun. And take care of yourself. I want you to call me if you need anything."
"Don't worry so much about me. I'll be fine."
Edward stared out of his windshield as the cloud cover began to diminish miles to the west. Alice's warning began to repeat in his head, the words chilling his already frozen body.
I can't tell you much, Edward. But I see a clear, night sky. And I see her terrified … reaching for you. She's not safe.
I see her terrified …
She's not safe.
*****
"Izzy! Let's go! We're dancin'!" Jacob shouted into her ear over the thumping club music inside Eclipse.
Amy turned toward him, a drink in her hand. A smile crept onto her face at the sound of Jake's new nickname for her, but her eyes quickly grew wide in overdramatic fear. "No way! I'm not that good of a dancer."
"Don't care." Jake took the drink from her hand and reached between the bodies of Sam and Embry to set the glass on the bar. "It's my birthday, and I want my birthday dance."
"Ask Embry – he's dateless," she said with a wink at Embry. Sam chuckled beside her.
"Am not! Why do you think I invited Sam?" Embry started slipping an arm around Sam's shoulder, who quickly shuddered it away in response.
"Go out and dance with him, kid. I gotta kick this guy's ass," Sam said. He set his beer down on the bar beside Amy's drink, then turned to Embry in a mock face-off.
"C'mon." Jake grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her away from his friends. Amy felt the swarm of people around her blur into streaks of light as Jake led her toward the dance floor. She already knew she had overindulged, but she rarely drank, so a miniscule amount of alcohol could push her past an acceptable limit.
"Jake, slow down!" she called to him with a laugh, but he couldn't hear her over the music screaming through their ears. The bass thumped inside her belly, instilling in her a drive to move her limbs. Jake spun her around in a full circle and pulled her toward him, both of them laughing as Amy stumbled into his chest.
"A little drunk, are we?" he said, his bottom lip brushing her ear.
"I blame you." She poked his chest with both index fingers.
"My apologies." Jake whipped her around again, his muscular arms pulling her into his body. Amy let out an outburst of laughter as her back molded into his chest. His hips began to swing back and forth to the steady rhythm of the music, guiding her lower body to move in unison with him.
Embry appeared on the dance floor in front of her, the light from the club lights bouncing off of his eyes. Amy grinned when she saw him and reached for Embry's extended hand. Embry twirled her around and kept a solid grip on her hand when the spin was complete. He froze on the dance floor, causing Amy to laugh.
"That's it – that's my best move!" he shouted to her.
"Valiant effort!" She gripped his wrist, and used his sturdy weight to support herself as she leaned forward to lightly kiss his cheek.
For the next hour, she danced with Jake, with Embry, Sam, Quil and his date occasionally joining in. Jake and Sam were by far the best dancers, their ability to guide their partners a welcome talent the more Amy drank. Even her tongue seemed to tingle, the numbness a welcome feeling after the week from hell.
As midnight approached, Jake showed no signs of slowing, even as the sweat beads formed just beneath his hairline. He gripped Amy's arm and twirled her in front of him. Amy's long hair spun with her in a perfect circle, the blonde locks curling in the humidity.
"Okay, no more spinning," she shouted to Jake with a grin. "I'm way too dizzy."
"No, you're way too drunk," he shouted back, his hands taking a firm hold of her waist. Jake's perfectly white smile blurred together with his facial features. Her hands gripped Jake's wrists as her body started to tilt backward.
"Whoa, there! You need a break?"
She nodded, and Jacob immediately slung an arm around her shoulder to guide her back toward the bar. But almost instantly, the arm disappeared as Jake was aggressively knocked backward by a brawling group of males.
Amy stumbled to her left, her head automatically turning toward the space where Jacob had been a moment earlier. But her blurred vision couldn't capture his tall frame. She didn't think he had been knocked over, but too many bodies obstructed her view of the club.
"You okay?" A hand appeared on her arm from behind, the sound of a familiar voice seeping into her ears.
Amy turned around to meet Wes's blue eyes, their vibrant color visible even in the dim light of the club.
"Wes?"
"In the flesh," he replied with a grin, his index finger brushing a section of hair away from her eyes. The grin faded faster than she expected, and his eyes scanned the bodies around them for an unknown purpose.
"I'm drunk," she shouted to him, eliciting a chuckle from the man before her.
"I see that. C'mon, you should sit down for a bit." Just as Jake had a few seconds earlier, Wes placed his arm around her shoulder to guide her toward a seat at the bar.
"But, my friend—"
"He's fine. See? He's right there." Wes pointed through the swarming mass of testosterone at Jacob, who was trying to maneuver around the human barrier, muttering curse words. Wes's hand returned to her shoulder, and he led her away from the brawling males. At the bar, a single stool was unoccupied, and Wes gripped her hand as she sat on the hard wood.
"I didn't, uh, I didn't think you were going to come," she said, blinking slowly as she gazed upward into his eyes.
"I didn't think I would either." The tone in his voice had changed, and Wes once again scanned the sea of heads and bodies surrounding them. This time, Amy turned her head to attempt to find what he was so focused on.
"What's up with your creepy staring? Who are you looking for?" she asked bluntly.
Wes's eyes snapped back to focus on Amy. "No one. I found who I was looking for," he said with a wink.
She had grown weary of battling his affection, and she responded with a forced smile. "I don't get why you like me so much. Or do you just like when I verbally abuse you?"
"You could probably physically abuse me, and I'd like it," he joked, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively.
"You're nothing but trouble." Amy watched Wes's mouth expand into a smile, then open as a laugh departed his lips. But with the speed of a flash of lightning, his expression changed, and his face turned white. He swallowed and stood up straight, awkwardly shoving his hands into his jean pockets. Amy's eyebrows furrowed, and she once again turned around to find the source of Wes's abrupt change in demeanor.
A man was leaning over the bar behind Amy, his long, blonde hair pulled back into a slick ponytail. Pale and frozen like a statue, the man stared straight ahead, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled and exhaled. Almost robotically, he pushed his body away from the bar and stood to full height, his muscles straining at the seams of his black t-shirt. As if in slow motion, the man turned to the left toward Amy and Wes, his eyes pausing on Wes before he disappeared in the crowd.
"What the hell was with that guy? His eyes were like …" She trailed off as she returned her focus to Wes. "What's the matter with you? Do you know that guy?" She squinted in the darkness at Wes's white face. At the sound of her last question, he closed his eyes and shook his head as if shunning a thought from his mind.
"No, no, I-nothing's wrong. Weird guy, huh?" He flashed her a smile.
"Maybe he was checking you out."
An outburst of laughter escaped his lips. "Somehow, I doubt that—"
"You okay, Izzy?"
Jake had appeared beside Amy, his eyes flicking from her to the man standing in front of her. The smile was absent from his face, his figure dominant as he quickly evaluated Wes.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Are you okay? What happened?"
"Just some guys fighting. They ran into me, but I survived." The smile finally appeared on his face, even as his eyes glanced in Wes's direction. "Wanna dance?"
"Sure." She slung her hand around Jake's bicep and slid off the stool. "See you later, Wes." She smiled at him as Jake led her toward the dance floor. Wes offered a quick wave in reply before slipping out of sight like a snake in the grass.
Jake demonstrated a shift in his emotions as they rejoined the crowd on the dance floor. No doubt intoxicated himself, he had focused his energy on ensuring one of his body parts was always touching one of hers. With the crowd on the dance floor seemingly doubled in size, the couple couldn't dance without bumping into others, stepping on toes, or feeling a quick jab of an elbow. As a result, Jake drew her closer, his hands clinging to the small of her back.
As the next song began, Jake twirled her 180 degrees, gripping her waist and pulling her into his chest in a backward hug. He nestled his chin into the crook of her neck, and his nose greedily inhaled the sweet floral scent of her hair. As his hot breath crept over the smooth skin of her cheek, Jake slipped his fingers between hers secured their intertwined arms around her waist.
Drawing her closer, he felt his groin react to the feel of her body pressed into his. The higher amount of alcohol in his system enabled him to be more daring, and he released her hands to allow his palms to glide down across her stomach to grip her hips.
Despite her inebriation, Amy could sense the presence of each of Jake's fingertips on her hips. The sensation in her blood caused her head to swim, and the room began to spin in a counterclockwise circle, the beams of light molding into one color.
Jacob's hips began to grind into her rear, the stiff bulge in his pants pushing against his briefs and into the denim of her blue jeans. His fingertips began to crawl up the front of her shirt as his lips met the moist skin of her neck. Amy's body responded with pleasure, but her clouded mind was battling mixed emotions.
Jake's lips moved from her neck to her jaw line, her neck craning backward in response. The soft flesh tingled on her skin, the rock-hard bulge growing in intensity as it pushed into her body. Greedily, Jake pressed his mouth to hers, forcing her mouth open with his tongue. As he slid the slippery muscle inside, Amy pulled away in shock.
"Jake, wait …"
She gazed into his soft, brown eyes, attempting to force him to understand her confusion, her desire to stop. But like a storm, Jake's lips dove forward again, his moistened lips craving to meld with hers.
Amy pulled away from him this time. "Stop, Jake." Her voice was calm, but the worry over his reaction crept into her tone. "I don't-I don't think I can do this. We're drunk. We're both drunk."
"I'm sorry," he said quickly, his face now the one showing worry, even fear. "I didn't mean to—"
"It's okay. Don't worry about it." She gave him a reassuring smile as she took a step forward, her hand gripping his forearm. "I'm going to run to the bathroom. I'll be right back." She pecked his cheek before turning around to slither through the crowd toward the restroom.
Each step was a battle with the bodies and limbs on the overcrowded dance floor. She pushed her way through sweaty dancers and drunken groups amidst ear-pounding music. Each person ignored her polite requests to let her pass, forcing her to push her way through the swarm of people. Like an overfilled balloon, she popped through the edge of the crowd, falling forward into a stone wall.
As she regained her balance, she stood up to find she didn't hit a wall: she hit a body.
"Hello, my dear. We've been waiting for you."
Amy looked up toward the voice, her stomach churning in angst as she met a set of bright red eyes. The pale face surrounding them made the crimson eyes even more terrifying, the shadow of his spiked, dark hair falling over his forehead.
With a flick of his wrists, he clenched her forearms and pinned them behind her back. She grunted at the stinging pain that shot up her arms. "Let me go! What the hell is the matter with you?"
"No, no, my dear. I cannot let you go."
"Why is there no one … why is there no one around?!" she suddenly shouted. Her eyes scanned the dark, abandoned hallway. A glowing red exit sign shined like a beacon above a door less than ten feet away.
"Because we made it that way. You are ours to keep." Another voice announced the presence of a second body. Amy's head whipped to the side, her breaths expelling from her mouth in rapid bursts. The man with the blonde ponytail from the bar now stood inches behind her. Amy struggled to free her arms, to move her legs, but they would not budge under the strength of the red-eyed stranger.
"She seems to think she's going somewhere," the blonde one said.
"I see that. But you always like it when they fight."
"I do."
She jumped and whimpered as a pair of hands slid around her waist from behind, the icy fingers pressing into the warm flesh of her stomach. His chest pushed into her back, and she could feel the smooth skin of his cheek pressing against her own. The blonde one inhaled deeply, his mouth inches from her neck.
In a fury of movement, a tornadic swirl of color erupted around her. Her eyes couldn't focus on a single object, but at least five bodies were now in the hallway, a combination of grunts and snarls audible even over the deafening music.
A hand gripped her waist, and in another second, she was breathing the cool, nighttime air. With her back resting against the brick wall of the alley behind the club, her eyes focused on Edward, his arms shaking as they pressed into the wall on either side of her head. The tremor in his limbs urged him to kill the lowlifes on the other side of the wall, but not with Carlisle here.
"What the fuck just happened?" The air pumped in and out of her lungs at a rapid pace, her chest mimicking the movement to keep up with her body's need for more oxygen.
"Are you okay?" Edward asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
"What happened?" she repeated. "And what are you doing here?" Her voice was suddenly much more fierce.
"I needed to make sure you—"
"How did you know …" she paused, finally realizing the obvious. "You followed me! You're always telling me to be safe, and then you follow me?" As she paused, she felt her conflicting emotions battle for victory within her: fear, anger, desire and confusion willed the tears to form in her eyes. He was so beautiful, yet elusive. He had just saved her, yet she didn't understand how. Or why.
"What do you want, Edward? Do you want me?" The frustration in her voice caused the teardrops to fall from her eyes. "Do you want me?!" she screamed, shoving her hands into his chest. Edward didn't budge.
"Yes." His voice was soft, his golden eyes attempting to convey his thoughts. He couldn't tell her everything. Not now.
His one-worded response made another set of teardrops fall, and she slowly moved away from the wall. Edward reached his hand up to her face, his thumb tracing the moist streak running down her cheek.
"Don't. Please don't. Not right now." She stepped away from him, her heart crushing at the sight of the pain in his eyes. The confusion overwhelmed her, and she turned around and jogged away from him.
As she entered the main street, she attempted to make sense of the last several minutes, from Jacob's kiss, to the two strangers near the bathroom, to the fight that ensued, to Edward in the alley. Her eyes swimming with tears, she didn't even consider her surroundings as she walked the deserted street away from the bar.
"NOOO!"
Before she could register the source of the scream or look for the fleeing assailant, the pain invaded her body. Her knees hit the ground beside an empty syringe, an invisible, microscopic army coursing through her veins from the injection site at her left arm.
Like thunderous raindrops, her heart pounded within her chest as a creeping, numbing sensation took over her arm. Pure panic replaced all emotions. Her left leg was next, followed quickly by her pelvis and back.
Edward was at her side as her back hit the ground. "Oh my God, Amy. Baby, talk to me. What's happening?"
Her entire body was screaming for her to run, to escape this numbing torture. But her mind and body weren't connecting. She shook violently in response, grabbing for Edward with her right arm.
"Can't … move …"
Edward was helpless as she groped for his shirt. Finally gripping the material, she pulled on the cotton so roughly that it ripped at the base. Her thoughts were spilling out and into his head, her terror unable to contain them.
"Carlisle!" Edward shouted. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly within his own.
She gasped for breath as the numbness took over the rest of her body, her limbs flinching violently to break free of the torture. The tears uncontrollably fell from her eyes, obscuring Edward's concerned face and Carlisle's sudden appearance.
Above her, the clear, night sky displayed a wondrous portrait of stars.
And then everything went black.
