Twilight and its vampires aren't mine. Dead Bella is.

This is my longest chapter ever, just so you know. Beware the blah, blah blah!

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Chapter 9

The Elders

Red spikes flickered and snapped, whirling wildly without direction and fueled by my anger. Edward was spending entirely too much time somewhere I couldn't go and it was frustrating as hell. My aura swept back and forth against the invisible line, a soul pacing. This was the fourth time this week I had been stuck on this deserted old road, waiting for Edward to cross this border where I could not follow. Frustration seeped from me causing my aura to shiver and pulse erratically. I didn't know what to do and here I was fuming, again!

My spectral body was loose, almost undone by the raw emotion. I wasn't even sure how I was supposed to be feeling. Edward had me so tied up in knots I hardly recognized which way was up anymore. I wanted to be near him always. I didn't think I was offering him any kind of protection. I just desired to be with him. I wanted to walk him through every single step. It was the power of my bond as his guide. Or, that's what I kept telling myself.

But deep down, I wondered if that really was all there was to it. This connection, this feeling, was overpowering, undeniable. I couldn't reason with it. I was supposed to guide Edward, but this intensity was guiding me. It made me unstable and having him behind this boundary again did nothing to comfort.

I can't truly describe what kept me from moving even a foot to the east, because there was nothing to say. There was nothing physically keeping me from going to Edward. I could feel him, even at this distance. I was so attuned to him that I would have felt his spirit from a thousand miles away. I just couldn't get to him. Like a pane of glass, there was something in my way. Something that left Edward completely unaffected, yet I could not penetrate. Cool and solid, the invisible wall kept me glowering on the other side day after day, waiting for Edward to cross back over.

Worse, a storm was on the horizon. Roiling black clouds were amassing far over the pacific, a dark and threatening force moving quickly for land. The weather wouldn't affect me, but it would no doubt antagonize my worry further. Each piece of my aura slammed against the unseen barrier, but like smoke, I billowed back out against it. I cursed and resumed my pacing, my own aura roiling as violently as the storm as it neared land.

It was in this fitful state that Rosalie found me. Like a warm glow against the darkening gray skies, she burned steadily brighter until she formed into her body. Her eyes were serious. She was waiting for me to put myself together so we could talk. Luckily, the surprise of seeing her again was enough to calm my anger and I used confusion to pull myself into a shaky form.

I hadn't realized she was angry until she spoke.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"Waiting," I replied grumpily, feeling my own irritation crawl back through me.

"Bella, you can't be here," she admonished.

"No kidding?" I turned to try to scowl at whatever force was keeping me out.

"Come on," she sighed loudly. "We need to get away from the border."

Her pale, ashen hand was held out to me. I stared at it, blinking. She was obviously upset. With only a slight reluctance, I took her hand and followed her into the trees. I would know when Edward left the forbidden zone and it wasn't like I'd see him before then, no matter how frustrated I was.

We walked hand in hand and silent for awhile. Touching her cool presence, being next to her, I realized how lonely I had been. It felt like I'd been away for months instead of weeks. When we had gone a considerable distance, Rosalie stopped and turned to me. Her eyes were full of concern and…unease?

"You have to promise me you won't go back there, Bella," she whispered.

Her urgency made me want to say I wouldn't but…

"Why?" I asked with a cool edge. "Edward is in there."

"Exactly." Her voice was clipped and her eyes flashed. She was moving again. This time her clasp on my hand was tight, desperate almost, but I kept quiet and let her lead me. I sensed she had much more to say.

"I hope we haven't drawn too much attention to ourselves, but not much gets past the tribal elders," she said eventually. "What made you think you should spend all week kicking down their front door? Don't you realize how serious this is?"

I stopped in place, interrupting Rosalie's rant. She turned to me with a confused look.

"I don't, Rosalie. I have no idea what kind of mess I'm in," I near shouted. Her surprised expression made my anger light. "No one has told me anything!"

She gawped for a moment before straightening her posture and expression. "You were told to lay low and look how well you've listened," she threw an exaggerated expression in the direction we'd come from. "Stubborn as ever and ready to stomp your foot and throw a tantrum. But you have to believe me. It's time to move."

No sooner had Rose finished speaking, than the thunder clapped from directly overhead, followed immediately by a spearing fork of lightening. It struck somewhere in the forest, not far from where we were. My temper simmered and my eyes flew wide. Undaunted, Rosalie cursed, then yanked my arm and started moving.

You'd think a spectral being with no true limbs, no body of flesh and bone could stumble. I was the lucky enough to be the first to savor that experience. Luckily, Rosalie's clutch on my arm held and she stopped my face from meeting the ground. I did fall to one knee, but my legs shattered into mists and I was back up in an instant.

The wind was howling, pushing me forward. I had no choice but to let it take me. Something was lurking in the storm. I could feel it. If I didn't move, it was going to catch me.

Panicked and shivering in and out of my form, I followed after Rosalie. But we never had the chance to get away. They were already waiting for us.

Bursting into a small, circular clearing, Rosalie stopped so suddenly that I actually moved through her, ending up in front. She hissed and shouldered me back. Her eyes were narrowed and glaring ahead. A low black mist floated on the far side of the meadow. It was slowly stretching, enclosing us in the middle of the roiling vapors. I was not so dense not to understand it this time. I was seeing spirits without form, but unlike the cool grays of the mists in the graveyard, these were dark and angry. I understood Rosalie's need to hurry. I just wished I had listened.

Rose guided us into the center of the clearing as the black fog closed the circle. She kept close, trying to protect me from all angles. Suddenly, the mists began to emanate a low hum. It was a thick sound, heavy in my mind. These were very unhappy souls.

Rosalie subtly elbowed me. I watched her head fall forward in a slight bow and I let my own face follow suit.

"What's going on?" I hissed through clenched teeth.

Rosalie shushed me and kept her head bent. I nearly elbowed her just to show my agitation, but something was happening in front of us and I couldn't take my eyes away.

The fog was peaking and spiraling into individual forms. I could see vague outlines of limbs and torsos and heads. There were miniscule gaps between each body, but there were so many. I counted fifteen, but there were more behind us I couldn't see and I didn't want to crane my neck for a proper head count.

Rosalie must have glanced at my gaping expression, because she threw another elbow into my ribs. This one hurt enough that I actually cried out in surprise.

"Silence!" came a loud growl from ahead.

Both our eyes flashed forward. One of the forms was stalking toward us. With each graceful stride, it gathered density until it was no longer a foggy mist shaped like a human. It had defined edges. I could see broad shoulders, strong arms and powerful legs. By the time it stopped only a few feet from us, I could make him out clearly.

Though ashen skinned like all deceased souls, he was significantly darker in color and wore long coal black hair that shimmered lightly with flaxen strands of honey. He had a regal face with hard features and deep onyx eyes that flashed with the lightening in the sky. He stood before us with thickly muscled arms crossed brusquely across his chest and glaring, narrowed eyes.

The dark fog moaned, but it was otherwise silent, even the wind hushed as the man stared me down. I was confused why he took a keen interest in me, barely sending Rosalie a sideways glance. The black, ageless eyes seared straight through me with an uncanny recognition. Before I even had the chance to wonder over the sense of déjà vu, he spoke again.

"Why did you bring her here?" he questioned, voice soft and hard in the same breath. "You know it is forbidden."

"I didn't," Rosalie mumbled from behind.

He scoured me again, before turning to Rosalie. "What is this, then? How has this even happened?" He threw a sharp gesture in my direction. "There was a time that an elder could rest in peace, our traditions solid in our souls. Now, our barriers are beaten, infiltrated. Our children are dwindling, and we cannot rid ourselves from the plague of your kind!"

Two more figures solidified behind him and his soul seemed strengthened by their approach. He finished by glaring at me again. The look was so sharp, I instinctively took a step back.

Piqued by his hard words and undeterred by the menacing posse, Rosalie narrowed her eyes and moved directly between my unsteady form and their cold, dead eyes.

"What happens to your children," she hissed through tight lips, "is no concern of mine. There are larger things afoot, gentlemen, and you'd be wise to let us pass."

Though her body remained completely solid, a low flickering crimson flamed around her. Her hair coiled and swirled with updrafts from her own anger, while the air around us remained still. I was shocked and more frightened of Rosalie at that moment than I had been of the three looming spirits in front of us, but most of all, I was glad she was on my side.

The men remained nonplussed.

"She is not allowed, here," one of the others growled after finding nothing better to reply.

"And she will know that now," Rose shot back curtly. "If that is all?"

"That's not all!" the third entity erupted and flung his huge body forward and close to Rosalie. He flickered intently, losing control of himself with the outburst. It made me wonder how Rosalie managed to channel her emotions so well and remain so grounded.

"She should already know not to come here, or has the training become that lax in Nex?" he snarled.

"Training is not the issue," Rose fired back.

"Then, why does she haunt him?" the man continued, eyes flashing to mine. "How does she invade his dreams?" He was gearing for a full on rant.

"Brother," the first man hushed. "Grant them time to answer."

Everything went deathly silent as they waited. From overhead, lightning flashed but there was no accompanying thunder, as if Mother Nature herself was waiting answers. Answers I had no idea how to give. I was obviously not a mere memory of my former self. I was certainly not a common haunting. And what was that about dreams? I'd been trying to speak with Edward as he slept, but I had no indication any of that had worked.

I was perplexed and the dark clouds churning directly above added directly to my unease. The wind should be screeching, the rain driving through us. We were inside the eye of a hurricane. The world was being torn from its roots around us, yet inside this circle of ancient souls, it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

When she spoke, Rosalie's voice was both serene and like a thousand hammers at once. It shattered the fragile calm and soothed the turbulence at once.

"You know she is not haunting inside your lands because she is here. I don't know who's infiltrated your protections, but I have an inkling and this goes way beyond a girl beating at your borders."

The entire circle of souls seemed to weigh her words. The figures still stared with hard eyes, but they seemed more inquisitive than ever.

"We are not a part of your squabbles," the first man finally said. "We have always remained separate from your ways."

"The world we both know hangs in a delicate balance. We don't have time for this bullshit from you, Ephraim. She is a protected soul. She has no training and no ill intent, but if she is found…" Rosalie's sentence carried off.

She was still being so damn vague about everything. If we weren't surrounded by this scary brood, I'm pretty sure I would have lost it right then. As it was I had a hard time keeping my anger from prickling too much. I didn't want to draw her attention to my emotional collapse.

"You know the treaty," the second man spoke again. "We cannot be involved. We cannot offer protection."

"I'm not asking for that," Rosalie's shoulders loosened immediately. "I'm only asking you let us pass so I can do those things."

Then, almost as a side note, she whispered, "None of us want her found."

For a moment, there was nothing. Then, the three men suddenly turned into shining russet orbs and infused themselves back in the encircling spirits. It was like they all came alive in a brilliant and explosive ripple of gold and brown. Rosalie turned to me.

"Now we wait their decision," she said, answering my confusion.

"Rose—" I began, but I was cut off by a low murmuring from the circle.

The original figure reappeared, pulling his self back from the circle. I sensed the mood shifting, but wasn't sure if the excited unease was good or bad.

"We will let you go," he said smoothly.

"Thank you, Ephraim," Rosalie said quietly and grabbed for my arm immediately. The circle was already pulling aside to leave a path out. She started yanking me forward and I clumsily moved to keep close. I was too wary of these people to trust the quick dismissal.

Just as we were about to step outside the circle, Ephraim called out to us and my eyes darted over my shoulder to him. "We expect you at midnight, Rosalie."

She made no indication that she heard, but the man burst into mists and seeped back into the circle. Then, the spirits began swirling and shot upward and were absorbed into the dark storm clouds overhead, unleashing the storm. There was a flash of lightening, a roar of thunder, and the rain bombarded the ground.

I'm not even sure how we made it back to Edward's apartment. It was kind of like I snapped back to reality the moment I saw his huddled mass beneath the blanket on the couch, snoring lightly. Once I felt him safe and sound and exhausted and back where he should be, where I could see him, I was able to think clearly again.

Rosalie gave me the time to collect myself before speaking.

"I know this has been hard on you, Bella. Believe me, I do," she said quietly, forcing me to take my eyes from Edward and put them back on her.

"It hasn't been," I disagreed. "Not until I found somewhere I can't go. Don't get me wrong, all this has been beyond frustrating, but I've really enjoyed my time here…" with Edward, I added silently.

"Listen, I know I owe you a huge explanation. You deserve that." She paused and I nodded. I did deserve an explanation for being thrust into this surreal existence when I had been a living, breathing human being a few short weeks ago.

"I just…I just don't know everything…or really anything for that matter."

"Start with what happened to me. My death was deliberate," I said and interrupted her stutter.

Rosalie seemed to sigh, shoulders falling into a defeated slump. She offered her hand this time, a wavering anchor instead of an insistent pull. I easily took it, willing her to believe it was alright to tell me. I could be safer, protect Edward better, if I knew what was coming.

She sighed heavily. "It started long before your death, Bella. It started more than a century ago. Souls disappearing. At first, it was nothing extraordinary, the usual loss of one or two to the Mortuus. That's the reason we can't even determine when it all started or how many have been affected. So many souls get stuck in an echo of their life and are never heard from again.

"Once there was too many missing, we knew we had a problem. But we're still at the same place we were then."

Rosalie's frustration was obvious, and though I wanted to still be angry about knowing nothing, I gave her hand a squeeze. "That's not entirely true. You saved me."

"Have we, though?" she mused mirthlessly. "You are in danger no matter where you are. There's still a chance…"

She stopped herself and turned her eyes to mine, holding my hand a little too tightly. "I'm going to do everything I can to save your soul, Bella. Even if yours is the only one I can save, I'll do it. Emmett, Mike, and I were figuring this out when you were born, but I was out of extensions. I wasn't able to secure a job in Nex."

Rosalie sighed and looked away. "I resented you for a long time," she admitted in a small voice. "I thought you were standing in the way of us finding the truth. It only made it worse that you would never hear me. And then that I couldn't get to you."

Knowing the frustration of going unheard, I was a little ashamed. My eyes darted to the thus far unresponsive man snoring next to us.

"I spent more time back in Nex, working with the others. That's when they went for you. I don't know if they were watching you specifically, or if it was my absence that drew their attention, but I think it had something to do with the Resistance. We think you were a warning."

"A warning?" I wondered aloud. "You mean, whoever it is knows what you're doing."

Rose nodded. "We know who it is, Bella, and yes, he knows we're trying to catch him."

"Who is it?" I whispered, feeling her heavy need for secrecy.

She sat silently for a long time. I could hear an electric ticking from somewhere in the apartment and just as I was about to start pulling my hair out she answered.

"Remember what I told you about the Trinity?"

I nodded. "You mean God is stealing the souls?"

"Not exactly. There is no god," she reminded. "There are Aro, Caius, and Marcus. They have ruled Nex for centuries."

"And they're behind all this?"

"At least some of them. I'm not sure how deeply this runs."

"But what does this have to do with the souls in the forest?" I asked.

She dropped my hand and began to slowly pace. Rosalie explained that the men in the clearing were a tribe of ancient souls. The same souls cycled through their ancestors over and over, without outsiders becoming involved. Long ago, an earlier Trinity granted them separation and that led to the barrier I had been fuming over for the past few days. No soul but a Quileute's could penetrate the boundaries and their soul would always come back to it.

But it was possible for the Trinity to access the Quileute's soul in transition, before the guide retrieves it from the hub.

"But, what does that have to do with the Trinity discovering me?" I questioned.

Rosalie's face was paler than normal. Her expression was worn from a thousand memories of countless lost souls. "I've never seen them come after anyone the way they have you," she said quietly, as if just saying it aloud made it real. "I just don't know why that is."

"Maybe they know you're hiding me?" I asked soothingly.

"It's possible, but at this point, we can't be sure." Then, her eyes took on the steely determination they usually bore. "That's why it's imperative you stay hidden. No more treks to tribal lands. I admit the last time was my fault, but I never thought you'd have reason to go…

"In any case, I think you should stick close to home from now on. That means no more accompanying Edward to the graveyard."

"But he's at work for hours," I snapped indignantly. I understood she was trying to hide me from the Trinity, but if it interfered with Edward it might not be worth it. How could I possibly survive eight hours a day away from him? Or possibly longer if he continues spending time on tribal lands? What kept drawing him there, anyway?

"Bella, until we can find a long term solution, you're just going to have to deal with it."

She began to move toward the exit, her movements slow and wearied.

"Why are you leaving?" I stumbled after her. There were still so many questions.

"I have a meeting with the Elders," she said softly. "I need to get Mike. We have to explain this in a way that doesn't draw even more attention to the situation. Something has already infiltrated their border and I think it's looking for you."

She was about to evaporate and seep through the door, but my hand latched to her wavering shoulder and she paused.

"Rosalie, why would it be looking for me there? Somewhere I can't even go?"

She looked like she had more to tell me, but then shrugged her shoulders and melted into her golden mist. I blinked my eyes where she had been standing, not really any more enlightened than I had been before she started. I really felt like she only brought up more questions.

I paced in front of the door for awhile, mulling it all over as Edward slept on restlessly. What was really looking for me? Could it be just a ploy to pull down the resistance? Mike, Emmett and Rosalie all agreed that I was special because I was stupendously stubborn, but how did that make my soul more desirable than any other? I certainly wasn't feeling special. I'd be lost if not for one thing.

Edward snored and turned over on the couch. A long, pale arm fell from his chest, landing with knuckles resting on the carpet. I moved to him, bending low enough to see the dirt still thick beneath his nails. He was the only thing that kept me from feeling completely alone in a world that made no sense.

What was Rosalie still hiding? She knew more than she had told me, especially with regard to the Elders. They seemed particularly interested on why I was there. They didn't seem to care about Rosalie at all. They almost seemed to recognize me.

I shook my head a bit, remembering what Mike had said when he told me of my placement. He said he was putting me back where I'd come from. It was very possible the Elders knew who I had been in life. I even had the vague sense I knew them. And hadn't there been something when I first saw Edward, some unmistakable flicker of recognition? Or had that been my freshly formed connection to him?

Those thoughts sent my mind on a completely different tangent. I was crouched next to the hideous old couch, watching the rise and fall of Edward's chest. His hair was smashed against his head from the tossing and turning on the too small makeshift bed, but it only added to his beauty. He looked almost peaceful, despite the bumps that rose where my icy palm hovered above his pale flesh.

It was a split-second decision, spurred on by idle thoughts of connection. I just dropped my hand a fraction of an inch, enough to settle it above his forearm, not expecting anything at all. Maybe I was hoping for something, but I never thought I'd feel him.

Gasping from the shock, I instinctively pulled away, glowing and pulsing with the strange sensation. It was like reliving my death again. The lightening flooded my body, burning and searing each molecule of my soul. I was on fire, but the flames were anything but painful. I felt alive and my body started glowing with a pale, silver light. I felt raw and consumed and on fire.

I blinked stupidly as Edward flipped back over on the couch, baring his back to me. It was the moment before he started snoring again that I heard it. At first I thought it was nothing, the mumblings of sleep, but I could only fool myself for so long. I knew perfectly well what he'd said.

The flames twisting inside me turned to hope, pure and white and heavenly. As Edward slept on, I allowed myself to feel it. I may not have any answers, but I had something infinitely better. I had the beautiful and sad man on the couch and he just whispered my name.

A/N: Special thanks to refolin who helped talk me down from the ledge with this one!

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