I woke up suddenly, after hearing a crash outside. Jake was on patrol and had left me sound asleep in bed. I shuffled across the bed to look at the time on my phone. Midnight. I hadn't been asleep more than an hour. The windows rattled, battling with wind and rain. Another crash. I groaned and stepped onto the cold floor. It was usually hot sleeping next to Jacob, but now I was cold in my silk shorts and camisole. I shivered and stepped down the stairs, wishing Jacob was here. What was that sound? It's just the wind, or an animal, or the storm knocking something over, I tried to tell myself. Maybe it was a wolf? I slipped on my wellies and opened the front door. The storm was raging, pulling the trees into peculiar arm like shapes. I looked down the driveway and saw a few plant pots had fallen. I put the latch on the door and pulled it shut behind me. After straightening up the plants, I looked over my shoulder, thinking I had seen a person. I shook my head and turned back to the house.
In the darkness, I didn't see him. The tall silhouette my body crashed into, the cold hand that closed over my mouth, the strong arms that pulled me from the ground. I tried to scream and kick out, without success. I ripped a strap of my camisole in the struggle. The silhouette stilled me, grabbing at my arms, rough hands sure to leave bruises and pulled my face upwards. Edward.
"You have to be quiet. You have to come with me." He said sternly. he pulled at me and dragged me to the car that was pulled up at the end of the driveway.
The shock and fear had me crying and gasping for breath. He pushed me into the back of the car and shut the door. I clawed at the door handle, but it was locked. He got into the front of the car.
"I'm not going to hurt you. You wouldn't have come with me otherwise. You need to come with me."
"Why Edward why?! Where are you taking me?!" I cried.
"You wouldn't have come" He said quietly and slammed his foot on the accelerator.
I tried to still the silent tears running down my cheeks as the car sped through the trees. I had no idea where he was taking me. All I knew was that I was scared of who this Edward was, and what he was capable of doing. His face was different, as though it had aged, although I knew it not possible. Maybe it was his eyes. A stoney determination lingered there. I wondered if Jake could sense my fear. Whether he knew that I wasn't at home, that I wasn't having another of my bad dreams, but living one. I tried to wipe my wet cheeks on the back of my hand. I didn't want him to know how scared I was, but the whole situation was entirely overwhelming and the tears could not be held back. We sat in silence. I didn't have the energy to speak, feeling exhausted in my fear. Not that I would have known what to say anyway. The car pulled to a stop. The view out of the window gave no clues as to where we were. Edward got out of the car and walked round to let me out.
"This way." He said quietly. His mood had changed from anger and desperation to a solemn calm. I almost thought he looked regretful. He took my hand firmly and walked me down a barely trodden path through the trees, to a small cottage overgrown in ivy and moss. One small window on the ground floor let a dim glow of light out into the darkness. I started to feel panic rising within me, and pulled back, slowing my feet.
"Ed-Edward please." I started to whimper again, my voice faltering.
"I'm not going to hurt you, you have to trust me. I need your help. Please."
I paused, then nodded silently. He pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the front door. He pulled on my hand as we stepped inside. i looked up the hallway, but there was nothing but darkness past the first room. The door was slightly ajar, and the light coming from within was flickering. A fire, I thought. Edward slowly opened the door, and the scene unfolded before me. A woman was sat in a large leather armchair, her face lit only by the open fire. She looked old, and frail, yet her hair was not faded like that of an old woman, it was dark and russet brown. I frowned, confused and stepped in further.
"Bella?" my voice croaked, dry and uncertain. She turned to me and it looked as though she was trying to smile.
"My god." I whispered, taking her hand and falling to my knees beside her. It was then I realised her condition. She must have been at least 8 months pregnant. A large bump rose from under the soft blanket that covered her.
"You have to help me." She said, squeezing my hand.
"You need to see a doctor Bella, straight away. Where is Carlisle?"
"He didn't agree with the pregnancy, they haven't heard of a human and vampire cross before, and could see what the pregnancy was doing to Bella. They wanted us to get rid of it."
"It's killing you Bella." I whispered. "I'm not a doctor, I don't know how to help you."
"I need you to convince Jake to see me. I know that I hurt him badly, and he will never forgive me for that. But I need to see him. Incase this is it, and things can't be healed between us." Bella said softly.
"We need to know that we would have the pack's protection, should the Volturi come looking for our baby. It's just an innocent child, but we know of so many who might want to take it away from us." Edward said from the doorway. "I know Jacob would listen to you. Can you help us?"
I sighed, looking at Bella's withdrawn and sorrowful face. How can having a baby do so much harm to a woman? It should be such a happy time.
"I'll talk to him. I can't make any promises about what he will say." I said, standing up.
"That means the world to me Evelyn. Thank you." Bella spoke, her cheekbones stuck cruelly out of her thin grey skin. It was almost sickening to see her like this.
"I will take you back now Evelyn." Edward kissed Bella softly on the cheek before walking across the room and opening the front door.
"Be careful." I looked at Bella, and tried a smile.
"You too." She replied.
Once in the car, Edward seemed to have relaxed.
"Thank you. You see why you had to come? You wouldn't have believed me without seeing her. We're desperate for someone to help us. To help her."
"Is she going to survive this? She looks… so ill."
"I don't know. We both agreed that we want our child to live, we couldn't get rid of it."
"I understand, but it might kill Bella."
Neither of us spoke as Edward drove me back to Jacob's house. The car pulled to a stop and I looked at the desperate, terrified man sat next to me.
"Give me your phone number. I'll call you when I can." I said.
After exchanging details, I walked back up to the house and pushed open the door that was still left on the latch. When I turned to look back at Edward, the car had gone. I shut the door and leant back against it. Emotions flooding me, overwhelming and sudden. I took a deep intake of air before hysterically bursting into tears. My breathing came erratically and unevenly. Had that just happened? It felt so unreal. Another bang stirred me from my hysteria. The door to the garage burst open and Jacob skirted around the corner to where I stood.
"EVIE. WHAT THE HELL- Evie what happened?! Where were you?! I've been looking for you everywhere. I lost your scent."
I flinched as he held my arms in his hands. I saw his eyes fall from mine, to the dark bruises on my upper arms. I felt him growl and shake slightly.
"I- he- he-" I tried to explain through struggling breath.
Jacob frowned and pulled me close to him, enveloping me in his arms.
"Shhh, you're safe now, I'm here. Let's go upstairs and warm you up."
I realised I was still wearing my cream silk shorts and camisole, and a pair of bright red wellies. I must look ridiculous. My face was bright red and puffy from the crying, and my hair wild and untamed. From the absurdity, I laughed. A loud, manic laugh. Jacob stopped and looked at me, halfway up the stairs.
"Evie?"
"I bet I look crazy." I half smiled.
Jacob shrugged and carried on up the stairs. "I need to know what happened to you."
I sat down on the corner of Jacob's bed as he pulled the boots off of my feet.
"The storm woke me up, and I heard something crash outside, so I went to see what it was - that was stupid I know, but I felt this strong pull to look. It was a plant pot out the front. And then… he was there." I stopped breathing in deeply, wiping the tears from my face.
"Who Eve, who was there?"
"Edward."
Jacob growled loudly and stood up, clenching his fists.
"Edward did this to you? What did he do to you? Where did he take you?! He didn't, he didn't…" I saw him look at the broken strap on my camisole, he material now barely covering my left breast. "Touch you." Jacob went from raging mad, to terrified in a second.
I shook my head. "No, no he didn't. He took me to see Bella. He said that if he hadn't taken me, I wouldn't have believed him."
Jacob frowned. "Believed him?" Jacob crawled onto the bed behind me, and pulled me back to rest on his chest.
"Bella is pregnant. Very pregnant. But the baby is half vampire, and it's killing her. Oh Jake she looked awful. So, so awful. I thought she could have died there in front of me. Carlisle and the rest of them wanted her to get rid of it. They haven't seen them for months."
I turned over to rest my head on Jacob's chest. The sound of his steady heartbeat calming me.
"They think that the Volturi will come after them, they want to know if they have your protection, you and the pack. And whether you would go to Bella, soon. She wants to make things right. Incase... "
I dared not look up at the expression on Jake's face. This was too much to take in.
Jacob inhaled. "Holy. Fuck."
Oo drama! And I'm back into writing, going to try and keep updating more regularly than every few months/year!
x
