Chapter eight.
EPOV
I ran as fast as I could towards my destination; Alice. The thick greenery blocked my way, but I swatted it aside, praying that my legs would go faster.
It only took me a few seconds to reach Alice, her elfin face filled with a worry no one could describe. She waited for us, sitting on a bed of springy ferns.
"Your okay," she breathed, taking Bella into her arms. Bella still hadn't moved an inch, her eyes still tightly closed.
I kissed her lightly on the top of her head. "As if you didn't know," It should have came out more of a joke, but with the situation we were in, it sounded rude.
She ignored me, cradling Bella closer to her small body. "You should go," she finally stated, getting ready to run to Rosalie. "They'll be needing you soon, Josh is putting up a better fight than expected."
I nodded, my insides filling with horror. Had Josh possibly broken through Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle. Not to mention Jamie who seemed to be extremely strong for an eleven year old; even for a vampire, and Gabriel. In a flash she had raced away, and I did the same in the opposite direction.
Sprinting, I made it back to the cabin in a matter of seconds. I stood, staring numbly at the smoking cabin.
What had they done.
Golden-orange flames licked the the cabins exterior, giving it an eerie glow. Half of the roof had caved in, and the other half was about ready to break apart. Each wall had human sized holes in them. I could distinctly make out the shape of Emmett's torso in the wooden walls. He had obviously had some fun.
The worst part, was that I could still hear them fighting inside the burning building.
I raced inside a whole in the wall to be met by a furious Jasper. Never had I seen him so angry, his eyes were pitch black, and his blonde hair held some ash. I gave him a reproachful look, before asking,
"What the hell happened?"
"Josh got away!" He growled. "The fire started, and Emmett became distracted and then he escaped. He can barely run though, so Gabriel and Carlisle went after him."
I nodded curtly, my already cold insides freezing over. "Emmett and Jamie?"
"Here," two voices echoed from the burning house in unison.
"Lets get out of here before the house collapses on top of us," I snarled, running out of the cabin. I felt them following me out onto the grass. I stopped, whirling around to watch the last remnants of the cabin burn.
It must have been a beautiful place. I could still see the polished oak fighting back against the crackling flames. The majestic door, engraved with a gargoyle for safe-keeping, had fallen over in spite of its strong hold. Smoke billowed up high into the air. Fire trucks would arrive in an hour.
"Who started the fire," I hissed, turning on Jasper, Jamie, and Emmett. They took a step backwards, knowing the range of my temper.
A small cough came from Jamie. He shakily raised his hand, not meeting my black glare. "Um...that would be me," he said his voice quivering.
"It wasn't really his fault though," Emmett said in his defense. I rounded on my brother, shocked that he could defend the person who had let out plan fumble.
"How...Why..." I seethed letting my words drip with as much menace as I could muster.
"He's a fire starter," Jasper stepped in.
I reeled. A fire starter?
"Fire starter?" I questioned, eying Jamie with a new caution. I knew there had been something to be wary about before, but this...
"Josh jumped on him, and was controlling him, when he got angry and threw him off the only way he knew how."
"How come we didn't about this?"
"I don't use my power much," Jamie interrupted. "It causes to much trouble. I...had some problems when I was human."
We turned to look at his bashful face. I tried to look into his thoughts but found he was blocking me. Many year of experience from living with Bella.
"I was a pyromaniac, you could say, and I was really good at messing with fire and not getting burnt. I also had a severe case of...depression. Though it wasn't really called anything back then. If you can put two and two together, all of my attempts at taking my own life ended up with me starting a fire. Somehow when I was changed, I was able to start fire mentally."
I stared at Jamie my mouth slightly open in surprise. At first I felt shock, then pity, and then a realization hit me. Was this always why Bella had been so over-protective of him.
"Does Bella know?" I asked, my mouth dry.
"Yes."
"So that's why she's so overbearing around you," Emmett said, an awe-struck note to his tone.
"She thinks I am going to go all suicidal again, and go an piss off a group of vampires. That's why she wouldn't let me fight you...you could easily rip me to pieces and then I could take care of the burning process."
"Interesting," Jasper mused. "How were you turned?"
Jamie grinned slyly. "I got smart and pissed of a street gang, they took care of me, but what they didn't know that a very nice vampire was waiting just around the corner."
"Gideon." I stated plainly. He nodded, shuffling his feet embarrassedly.
"We better get a move on," Emmett said, looking into the deep of the forest across from where he was standing. "I hear something."
I listened as hard as I could, the sound of light footsteps coming lightly from the trail where i Had just returned from carrying Bella.
"Be on guard," I warned them. I sidled into a crouch, as they followed suit.
We listened to light footsteps coming closer, until they were a hundred yards into the forest.
Edward, it's me
I stood up into a normal position, motioning for the others to do so too. Jasper was already standing, he knew who was coming.
In an instant Alice sped out of the cover of the trees, her spiky black hair whipping around her ashen face. She had a grim look on her face as she skidded to a halt before us.
"What's wrong?" I started in. "Is Bella ok? Where is she? Did you get her to Rosalie?"
She cut me off. "Edward, she's fine. She's till not moving but she's...alive. Or as alive as anyone in our situation can be."
"Then why are you here?" Jasper asked, walking over to wrap his arms around her small frame.
"I saw---." She was cut off by a deep feral growling coming from my left. I didn't know what hit me, as I was sent flying through the air and into a tree, uprooting it. I stood on my feet, my eyes meeting Alice's frantic gold ones. Something hard collided with my chest, shocking me for the second time. I landed on my back, unable to catch myself.
I struggled to break free, but I felt myself, paralyzed...helpless. It could only be one person. Something flipped me over so I was laying on my stomach.
"Gotcha now," A malicious voice whispered in my ear.
BPOV
Paralyzation ran through out my dead body. I tried to fight it but it swept over me as if I was once again human. A weak human.
Josh growled, making a murderous face, as he had to pull away from me. With one glare in my direction he moved to open the door. It nearly fell of the hinges with the force he used. "What do you want," He hissed loudly.
Relief flooded through my system. Gabriel had come to my rescue. For some reason I remembered what he had told me about his parents. They had named him Gabriel after the angel, and now he was my second angel.
"To know if Bella is living," Gabriel spat with just as much malice as Josh had.
"She's alive."
"Can I see her?" Let him in, I wanted to scream. Gabriel glanced at me, I could see his eyes turning black.
Edward is coming for you. Jamie has a plan. Don't do a damn thing.
Somehow I managed to nod once, before returning to my state of paralysis.
"No."
Gabriel snarled at his answer, baring his teeth. I could tell he was ready to attack Josh. He couldn't, he would easily be killed. I tried to motion for him to stop, but I couldn't move my body.
"She's my sister, let me see her!"
"Pick your battles Gabe," Josh mocked, licking his lips thirstily.
I cringed as he did this. Why was Josh doing this? Was he that deeply succumbed into his anger that he had to drag the Cullens and his own brother into this. He had even killed Gideon, his own father.
"I will," Gabriel whispered before lunging at Josh knocking him over backwards. I was shocked. My eyes grew wide, and my face drained of any flush it had sustained after feeding.
What are you doing! I screamed silently in my head.
Josh and Gabriel were fighting on the floor, it was a bloody battle, but Josh wasn't using his gift...yet. In a second flash Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle and to my horror Jamie rushed in launching themselves into the fight.
"Jamie no!" I croaked. He didn't pay attention to my pleas, but kept on attacking Josh. I knew what would happen in Jamie lost control.
Emmett growled loudly, and in the next second my angel came racing through the door.
Our eyes connected, and immediately I felt safe. He was by my side in an instant, picking me up gently in those perfect arms. I felt no need to let myself be in this world any more. Though I could not sleep, I shut my eyes as Edward ran me away from the cabin into the thick coverage of the forest.
"I love you Bella," he whispered, while running. I didn't move, I was unable to a sense of fatigue washing over me. I had never felt this before as a vampire. "I want you to know that. I will always love you. When this is over, I want you to marry me. Will you do that for me. We can have Gabriel and Jamie and Arielle living with us if they want. Carlisle won't object."
I wanted to smile. I was elated, this was going to be ok. Nothing could ever h hurt Edward or I when we had each other.
He stopped running abruptly, handing me to another pair of arms. I didn't want to move away from him, but the other arms felt comforting too. Somehow I knew it was Alice.
The exchanged quick words, that I didn't bother to try and listen too, and then she was running.
"Bella," Alice whispered, slowing down. Could she be done running already. "Can you hear me?" I didn't answer. "Try and wake her will you Rose."
Rosalie! I began to panic. How could Alice do this to me? She was handing me off to the one person who would probably like to dump me off into a river. I tried to scream in protest, wanting to say that Alice or Edward should take me, but I couldn't move. My body wasn't responding to my brain.
A fear so strong that it took over every single one of my senses, filled my insides like lead. I could breathe...I could think, but my body wasn't functioning.
Someone help me! I screamed in my thoughts. Oh god, someone please help me. Edward, Alice, Carlisle, Gabriel...
At that very moment I wished more than anything that Edward could read my mind. Then he would be able to get me out of this place that I liked to call my mind.
The world began to move underneath me again. I was running in the arms of Rosalie. What was she going to do to me? I knew that she would never physically hurt me, but still it terrified me. Rosalie loathed me.
"Bella," a soft voice whispered from above me. I was shocked to find that the voice belonged to Rosalie. "Can you hear me?"
YES!
"Come on wake up," she muttered to herself. "I don;t know how to wake you." Her voice was thick with distress. Could Rosalie possibly care about me?
"Rosalie?" Esme'e voice rang through out my superb hearing.
"I'm here."
"How's Bella?"
"She's not moving or doing anything to prove she's alive, but she's breathing. Alice says to try and wake her up if you can."
"Oh dear," Esme whispered, carefully lifting me from Rosalie's protective hold. "I'll take her to Arielle, then bring round the car."
I felt Rosalie nod before rushing off back in the direction where she had come from.
"Bella, sweetie?" Esme's sweet voice said ripping through my panic. "Can you hear me?"
My lord, yes I can hear you. All of you. Get me out of this!
"I'm going to take you back to Arielle now, she'll watch over you till we all get back."
If I could have I would have sighed. Arielle would be watching me. Maybe she could wake me up with her banshee scream. It has been known to wake people out of irreversible sleeps. Suddenly I felt much calmer.
Once I reached Arielle everything would be all right.
Esme took of running. It took her a few minutes, before I heard her dainty steps walking up the stairs leading back to her house. We were at the Cullens?
"How iz she?" Arielle's French accent cut through the air. I could practically smell the tenacity flaring off her.
"She's not responding," Esme informed her.
"I've zet up Edwardz room." Esme raced me up the stairs and into the most beautiful smelling room. It smelled Edward over every inch of it. The smell calmed me slightly as my panic had resurfaced.
They laid me down on the bed, where somehow I slipped into a quiet darkness.
EPOV
A snarl ripped through the air that caught me by surprise. It hadn't belonged to me or Emmett or even Jasper.
Josh was ripped off my back and thrown into the nearest tree. I rolled over onto my back looking up at the figure of Jamie, hovering nervously over me. I grinned gratefully at him as he extended a hand to help me up.
"You all right?" He asked once I was back standing on my own two feet.
I nodded, before returning my attention back to a very battered looking Josh.
His pale skin was torn in some places, his throat was slashed as well as his arms and his shirt which was merely more than tattered cloth by now. He growled lunging at Jamie, but Emmett blocked the blow and threw him back into the tree, this time knocking it over.
"You think he'd just give up," I heard Emmett mumble to himself.
I smirked, searching for Gabriel and Carlisle. Carlisle appeared next to Jasper, watching the scene before him with a frown to his features.
"We're sorry," Carlisle muttered, rushing over to my side. "We lost him somehow, but I take it you've found him."
"Where's Gabriel?"
"He went after Josh when I said that I would return back here to warn you. My guess is that he should be here any moment."
I nodded, starting to saunter towards Josh. A deep hatred coursed through my venom filled veins. I was going to kill him for taking Bella away from me when I had just gotten her back.
A blurred figure appeared out of nowhere, knocking a staggering Josh back onto the ground. Immediately from the quick actions I could tell it was Gabriel. He struck Josh with a brain rattling blow.
This was my chance. I ran toward Josh who was just recovering from Gabriel's attack, mauling him over. I wasn't alone, Emmett, Gabriel, Jamie, Jasper, and to my surprise Carlisle had joined in my attack.
In a few short seconds Josh was dead. Jamie quickly let a small jet of fire escape his palm and start burning the putrid man's body. He was officially not a problem any more.
I turned towards my Carlisle. He had a humorless smile on his face. I took a deep breath, hoping to express my need in a few short words. "I want Bella," I said in a bleak voice. He nodded, understanding, I could tell he wanted to get back to Esme.
He motioned for the others to follow me home. I broke into a run, my thoughts consumed of Bella's infectious smile.
We met Esme half way, Rosalie and Alice were already inside the car. They had taken the only large car we owned; a giant Suburban. Exhausted from the fight, I reluctantly climbed into the back seat next to Gabriel and Jamie. Rosalie and Alice sat on Jasper's and Emmett's laps, looks of relief crossing their faces as they saw them.
Esme took off, speeding as fast as the car would allow. "Thank you," I whispered to Jamie and Gabriel.
Gabriel shrugged, going back to his brooding self. I knew that he was thinking about Arielle. Jamie smiled though it did not meet his worried eyes.
"You make her happy."
"So do you," I murmured more to myself than him, but he seemed to hear my comment.
"Yes, but in a different way, and besides were all starting to love your family as much as our own, where ever you go we won't be far behind." He winked and I had to chuckle at that.
The house came into view, and before I knew what I was doing I was out of the car running at break neck speed on the way to see my Bella. I halted just outside of my room, her scent resided in there. The door swung open to reveal a very worried Arielle.
"Zhe won't wake," she sobbed dryly. "No matter what I do zhe won't wake."
My dead heart dropped into my stomach as I pushed my way into the room to see Bella her lifeless body laying on my bed. I let a small sob escape before sinking to the floor. My only thoughts were of her.
BPOV
I heard someone screaming in the distance a high pitched scream that hurt my ears. The sound was unearthly but yet it was beautiful...familiar, and then all of a sudden it stopped. Light began to return to me as I opened my eyes, smells like none other hit my nose.
I was back.
"Zat iz all I can do," I heard Arielle's worried voice say, before she tiptoed out of the room, leaving only dry sobs to be heard from a corner of the room.
I sat up abruptly staring at Edward. His face was buried in his hands, so his sobs were muffled. "Bella," was all I heard him murmur in between dry sobs. I watched as body shook with sorrow. I couldn't take this anymore.
I jumped off the bed, darting over to him. I kneeled in front of him stroking the side of his cheek with my fingers, whispering the one thing that would make him look up at me.
"Angels aren't supposed to cry."
A/N: Review!