Hello, everyone. I haven't updated as soon as I had anticipated, but I made this chapter extra-long to make up for it.
Some of you might be confused. To those of you who aren't ignore this. For some reason, my chapter was loaded in all italics, which wasn't intended. I was forced to change the chapter to change it. I'm sorry for any confusion or inconvenience.
-------------------------------
Bella's POV:
I paused, breath catching in my throat. Through the oppressing gloom ahead I could vaguely make out the dim shape. The faint sound of boots tapping against cobblestones echoed eerily through the narrow alleyway where I stood, petrified. A crimson cloak billowed out behind the figure, a torch held aloft. I couldn't' even allow myself to breath, couldn't think of anything except for the chance that the figure might see me.
I sagged in relief as the Guard swept around a corner, not bothering to glance into my shaded hiding place. The entire city seemed full of menacing, dancing shadows as I crept through it, sure at any moment I would be discovered. Stars sparkled radiantly overhead, but tonight I didn't take the time to admire them. Tonight, all that mattered was where I was going.
The choice hadn't been a difficult one, when it truly came down to it. In some way, Mary knew me almost better than I knew myself. And in some way, on some level I didn't fully comprehend, I was drawn towards whatever destiny she was entangled with.
Glancing at the moon, I silently cursed, something I rarely did. My progress through the darkened city had been painfully slow, full of abrupt halts such as the one that had just occurred. Even now I was probably late to the rendezvous.
A sudden, icy wind swept through the streets. Shivering, I continued, glancing uneasily at the looming buildings surrounding me in an ominous cage. I hadn't thought of a better idea to get all of the way across the city than simply to walk across it. The idea was so ludicrous, I realized then that it might work.
Heart still pounding, I continued through the darkened streets, wincing slightly at the soft whisper of my passage. The sharp odor of salt intensified as I made my painstakingly slow progress, lifting my spirits slightly. I was getting closer.
Shifting my attention downwards, I focused on not tripping. At home, I had been infamous for my clumsiness. But then, at home, I had been a lot of things I no longer was.
Like what? Cautious? Sane?
Shaking my head, I continued. Some questions had no answers.
Constantly, I glanced up at the moon, my only resource for the time. Climbing past its zenith, it was now slowly lowering towards the western horizon. My time was almost up.
Glancing anxiously through the gloom, I gripped the rough stone wall near me. Mentally calculating of much farther it was, I reluctantly picked up my pace. There was something alarming about simply walking the streets in the dead of night. Or morning.
I slowed, hearing the crash of waves against a pier. Mary's words came back to me, echoing strangely.
Meet us by the dried-up well near the docks at one o'clock tomorrow morning.
Heart thumping, I slowly made my way through the oppressing darkness, which seemed to close in around me. The gloomy air felt as if it was tangible, gathering in my lungs. Breathing short and shallow, I turned sharply hearing the faint noise behind me.
Make sure you aren't followed.
Holding stalk-still, I scrutinized the darkness fearfully. Someone could be following me. Just waiting for the opportune moment…
I stood, petrified for a few more moments, eyes frantically attempting to discern something through the impenetrable gloom. Nothing stirred.
Turning away, I shook my head mutely. What had I expected? A looming shadow, clad in a black cloak, following me? But here, in the icy grips of night, within the realm of fear and paranoia, everything seemed surreal. Every twisted shadow, every play of the moonlight across muck covered stones was contorted into something from a nightmare.
I could hear my own breathing. Shallow, but steady. Concentrating on it, I attempted not to allow my imagination to run from shadows.
I have to be getting close….
Then I saw it. The houses around me were no longer the stately, towering structures. But poor and stooped, seeming ready to topple over at any moment. The groan of waves was a constant undertone, carrying through the calm air with startling clarity.
The well stood near the edge of the square, standing old and forlorn, weeds gathering untended around its crumbling base. Only thirty yards separated me from it. But now, the thirty yards were dangerous. An open stretch of land, moonlight illuminating the cracks in the worn walkway. It was so far away. So close, and yet at the same moment, so terribly out of reach.
Mentally, I calculated my chances. Clenching my hands, I realized my only option was to run for it. A welcoming shadow stood behind the well, beckoning.
Now all you have to do is not trip…
I ran. Stumbling a few times, my hair tumbled behind my shoulders as I bolted across the vast, open stretch. Eyes seemed to watch me from the shadows as I made my perilous passage. Finally, I skidded to a halt. Drawing into the darkness, I frantically attempted to calm my labored breathing, which it seemed the entire city should be able to hear. Closing my eyes, I sank further into the darkness.
The very air seemed to hold a sinister, icy edge. Eyes snapping open, I examined where I stood. Reaching out, I rested my hand on the edge of the well. The masoned stones were cracked and unstable, and spindly weeds crawled precariously up its edge. Glancing at the sky, I tried to discern the time.
Frowning, another thought occurred.
Where is everybody?
You should meet the rest of our group.
Mary had said that, I'd been certain.
Glancing around, as if shapes would suddenly appear in midair through the darkness, I bit my lip.
What if it was a setup? What if they just lured you out here?
But for what reason? I argued with myself. Why would they do that?
I don't know. But they obviously have their motives. And you know nothing about them…
"Isabella," a voice hissed from the darkness. I had to clamp my lips together not to scream, déjà vu sweeping over me.
Whirling around, my breath caught in my throat, my heart pounding wildly.
Emmett emerged from the darkness, wearing a broad smile. His straight teeth flashed menacingly in the moonlight, his eyes laughing.
"Don't do that," I snapped, conscious enough of my surroundings to whisper.
"Do what?"
Opening my mouth to answer, I closed it, shaking my head. "Where is everyone?"
Emmett's lips quirked up at the corners, and he drew closer, with a silent grace I envied. "Right bellow you."
Eyeing him dubiously, I glanced downwards despite myself. "Really?" I put on a tone of vague interest. "I didn't realize your family was cobblestones. Though it may have explained where you got your intelligence…"
Emmett's mischievous look didn't waver, his grin only widening. "Good. I though you might start to act different once you got involved with this," he stopped to wave his arm vaguely. "But you're still just as clumsy and grumpy as normal."
"Thanks."
"Anyway," Emmett continued glibly, ignoring my sarcastic comment. "I wasn't lying. They really are right beneath you." Drawing closer, he slung a pack off of his broad shoulders. Frowning I drew closer as he plunged a pale hand in the sack. Straightening, he drew a thick rope out of the bag. Shaking dark curly hair away from his pale forehead, he moved past me. Turning, I followed him to the edge of the well.
Slinging the rope over the axle where the bucket and rope would have hung had the well not dried up, he allowed a frayed end to fall into the darkness. Looking dubiously into the abyss, I glanced back into Emmett's grinning face.
"They aren't…"
"Down there," Emmett grinned, gesturing downwards. "Yes." Pausing he stood back, golden eyes sparkling and gesturing grandly with a muscular arm. "One way ticket to the underworld. Admit one."
Glaring at his calmly smoothly professional tone, I drew closer the well's edge. "Will the rope hold?" I asked nervously, staring into the dark drop.
Emmett snorted loudly, and I glanced into the darkness, alarmed by the raucous noise, I stared at the houses edging the square nervously.
"How heavy do you think you are?" Emmett asked, disapprovingly eyeing my thin appearance. Catching my nervous glance, he flashed a quick grin. "And don't worry about being caught, not once you get this far at least. The residents wouldn't report anything. Hatred of the Guard runs deep in the area. Besides, they all have a little extra incentive to keep their mouths closed."
"Bribes?" I asked, genuinely amused.
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"And satisfaction brought it back."
"Yes, well, you aren't a cat. You don't have nine lives." Gliding closer, he tugged on the rope, testing it. "Down you go."
Biting my lip nervously, I edged toward the well. Slinging one foot over the edge, and then the other, I seized the rope to keep my balance.
"You're one of the clumsiest people I've ever met, and that's saying something" Emmett grinned as if at some inside joke. Glancing at something on his wrist, his smile vanished. "We're late already."
"Fine," I grumbled, attempting to cover my anxiety with sarcasm. Unsuccessfully.
"Its fine, Isabella," Emmett rolled his bright eyes.
"Well, as you just pointed out, I'm not a cat. I don't have a life to spare by dying from falling into a dried-up well."
"Just go," Emmett sighed, holding an end of the rope securely. "You'll be fine."
Nervously, I peered into the dark abyss. Not even the iridescent silvery moonlight could reach farther than a few feet down. The rope was thick and coarse under my calloused fingers, slackened slightly with sweat.
Grabbing it more securely, I cast one last glance at Emmett. His face was contorted with the effort not to laugh, holding onto the rope securely. Glaring daggers, I reluctantly let my feet drop.
Holding on for dear life, I slowly allowed myself slide down the lifeline, into the impenetrable gloom. My breathing echoed ominously in the narrow space as I made my descent. I felt myself slide further into the abyss.
I seemed to be going in the darkness for forever. Glancing down, I sighed in relief as I saw a pinprick of light below me. Moving faster, I bit my lip as the rope burning my palms, registering sharp pain into my consciousness.
Near the bottom, hands slick with perspiration, I slipped. Breath catching in my throat, I tumbled to the ground. Luckily, it wasn't a far drop.
I hit the ground on my feet, stumbling slightly. Icy cold hands caught my arm, preventing me from falling. Opening my eyes, the brilliance of a torch momentarily blinded me. Blinking at my eyes adjusted, I glanced at me surroundings.
It was a dark cavernous tunnel, hewn roughly into the earth. The walls and floor were dirt, laced with roots. Torches lined the rough russet walls on brackets, illuminating the passageway for twenty feet before disappearing into the darkness.
A group of people stood to the side, faces shadowed in the flickering light. Turning my attention, I felt my breath catch in my throat.
His skin was just as abnormally pale as Mary's and Emmett's had been, smooth and flawless as polished marble. Tousled, bronze hair seemed to glow with the background of fiery light, features contrasting sharply with his semi dark surroundings. His features were astoundingly flawless, long eyelashes framing butterscotch irises.
He was breathtaking. And yet, there was something there. Something that resided deeper than his skin, that pulled me towards him. A slight aura of deep sadness seemed to hang around him.
I hadn't realized I was still staring until he moved, letting his chillingly cold hand fall from my arm. A faintly, crooked smiled pulled up the corner of his smooth lips. Devastating.
"How is it that whenever I see you, you always seem to be falling?" His voice was vaguely familiar, smooth like new velvet.
Pulling back, I bit the inside of my mouth to stop from staring like an idiot. "Maybe it's you," I suggested, striving to make my voice confident in front of him. Whoever he was.
A thump brought my attention away from his face, having me spinning my head backwards to see. Emmett stood a few feet behind me, a grin spreading across his broad features. "Maybe she has a point there."
Turning back, I found the boy raising an eyebrow, pulling back into the darkness. I almost yelped in surprise as I felt Emmett seize me arm, pulling me towards the group of shadowed figures.
Grumbling about people who didn't know their own strength, I allowed myself to be half led, half dragged along. Emmett's booming bass laugh sounded in front of me, causing me to wonder how he could have possibly heard my mumbled remark.
"This," he said halting, "Is the group."
They pulled forward, a few lingering back. Mary's familiar face was illuminated in the darkness, a smile spread across her pixy-like features. A lean, muscular man with golden hair stood behind her, staring at me intensely. A blonde girl stood a little to the side, a look of disgusted boredom upon her impossibly lovely face. Standing a little to the side were a couple people, grouped together. Less extraordinary looking, I gazed in shock as I recognized the girl who had been sold to Dre Cullen months ago.
I didn't have time to phrase a coherent question before it was answered, though.
My eyes snapped to two more shapes, standing closely together, prominent. The woman had the same place skin as many of the others, caramel hair hanging in soft waves down her back. An air of loving calmness seemed to emanate from her, her appearance easily less intimidating than the rest of what I assumed to be her family.
But it was the man who stood near her I couldn't believe.
Dre Cullen. Same pale skin, golden hair, smooth expression. But now, and air of kind serenity, similar to the woman he was standing near, seemed to hang around him. His brilliant eyes held none of the cold indifference I had dreaded earlier. Just a calm concern, and sharp intellect.
"I knew you would come," Mary uttered, her melodic voice echoing prettily through the cavern. She drew closer to me, smiling widely, dark hair blending in with the gloom behind her. She paused to glance behind her, staring in particular at the boy who had caught me. "When will you learn to trust me," she continued in a mock, mournful tone.
Laughing, Emmett shifted to stand by the beautiful woman, placing a large hand on her narrow shoulders. "This is Rosalie, Jasper, Esme," he started, nodding to each one in turn. " Carlisle," he nodded to Dre Cullen. "Edward, and Alice."
"What?" I asked, perplexed. Casting a glance at Mary, I looked back towards Emmett. "You told me her name was Mary. And his was Anthony." I glanced quickly at Edward. His face was partially shadowed, but I could tell he was staring at me. The thought sent wonderfully disagreeable goose bumps up my back.
Emmett looked guilty, glancing at Carlisle, a.k.a., Dre Cullen. "I had to use fake names until I knew I could trust you. And we always call each other by our middle names outside." He waved vaguely at the ceiling.
"So what's your real name?" I asked acidically. "George?"
Alice laughed, so did Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper. A soft, melodic chuckle rang out behind me, reminding me of Edward's presence.
"No." Emmett explained, grinning. "My name actually is Emmett. You heard it already so I couldn't have changed it."
"Perhaps we should get to the business of why we are here?" Carlisle suggested mildly, stepping forward. Thoughts spun chaotically in my head. I struggled mentally to come to terms with all of it. Dre Cullen wasn't an evil murderer. But what happened to all his slaves? Anthony was Edward, Mary was Alice. There was a whole group in the underworld of the city, taking place right under the noses of the Guard.
The puzzle was coming together.
"Welcome, Isabella, to our group," Carlisle continued, smiling slightly at me. The contrast between his behavior here and his façade earlier were striking. "We make it our job to keep peace by balancing power, and freeing slaves." I blushed slightly, hyperaware of the brand on my ankle.
Esme gilded forward, gently placing a white hand on Carlisle's arm. Carlisle glanced at her quickly, averting his attention back to me. "Your initial job will be to spy on the Marsch household, bringing information back to us. We will probably need your help with other tasks in the future, but that is for a later date." His voice echoed, coming back to me long after he had halted speaking.
Nodding, I opened my mouth. "I already found out something…" My voice dwindled off as I glanced around the circle unsurely. Emmett and Alice gave me an encouraging smile, and a sudden wave of calm swept through me. "Dre Marsch and a man named Cyrus are planning something. After the records hall caught on fire," I paused to glance at Emmett, his face was guilty in the flickering light. "They were worried that you or whomever burned the building did it to target them, and had found out something in their records."
Carlisle frowned, troubled. "This is serious. We will need you to keep watching for more information before we can do anything, though." Nodding, I backed up slightly.
They continued discussing plans, one of the others that apparently didn't belong to the family speaking up for a moment. But the words flew in and out of my ears, hardly registering. I had found out so much. It seemed to finally be fitting together. But now, I realized it was more tangled, more dangerous than I had anticipated.
Eventually, the meeting broke up. The group headed through one of the shaded tunnels as I moved back towards the rope.
"Emmett," Alice's clear voice rang through the semi gloom. Carlisle needs to ask you something."
"In a moment," he said, moving to help me.
"Now," Alice dissented, turned to look at him, her face serious.
Brow furrowing, Emmett turned to Edward. "Will you help her? I guess I need to go."
Edward's flawless face appeared mildly confused, and he kept glancing from Alice, to me. Nodding mutely, he moved forward.
"I'll go up first," he offered, butterscotch eyes remote and smoldering. "Then I can pull you up."
Dazed, I nodded. "Will you be able to?"
His lips quirked into a faint smile. "I'm stronger than I look."
And then he disappeared. Waiting, I grabbed the rope. Feeling a tug, I bemusedly held on. He was fast.
Eventually, I could see the night sky again. Climbing clumsily over the edge of the well, I stared at the heavens. Stars glimmered brightly, distant fires in the black, silken sky. The moon was sinking towards the western horizon.
"It's beautiful, isn't it," Edward murmured. I jumped, not realizing how close to me he was. If I had leaned back, I could have felt him. "Sometimes, I forget to look at it. Sometimes, the stars seem to disappear, don't they?"
Turning, my breath caught in my throat. His face was so close, yet expression so far away, rendering his features even more beautiful. I could smell him, an intoxicatingly sweet scent. Drawing in chilly air, I forced myself to stop staring.
"Yes," I agreed, just as softly as he. "But no matter how dark the night is, there's always a sunrise."
He glanced sharply at me, butterscotch eyes enigmatic. "Perhaps. But nights are long."
"But it's never always night."
A small chuckle escaped his perfect lips. "You aren't what I expected, Isabella." It sounded so wonderful, him even saying my name.
"People are different then they seem."
"Yes," he agreed, softly. "I should know."
Frowning, I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, when he cut me off.
"You should probably go. It's a long ways to the Marsch Mansion. And it's almost dawn."
I nodded, turning to leave. Not being able to resist one last glance, I turned to see Edward standing alone, beautiful as a carved statue. "Goodbye."
His eyes flickered towards mine. "Goodbye, Isabella. Be safe."
His words still ringing in my ears, I allowed the darkness to swallow me.
-----------------------------
Enter Edward…………. Some of you are thinking "finally", right now. And maybe I did wait a while to truly introduce him into dear Isabella's life, but everything has a purpose. But I can say confidently Edward's is certainly not a cameo appearance.
Regarding the last personality question:
Open: You are open-minded and somewhat extroverted. You enjoy other's company and enjoy talking freely to others.
Closed. You are generally more introverted, not enjoying other's company the way some might. Though you aren't necessarily paranoid or anti-social, you don't like sharing secrets.
Question for this chapter.
Imagine you are walking through a forest. It could be any forest, anywhere in the world. It doesn't matter how you got there.
Did you see a path?
a. Yes
b. No