2/20/13 NEW AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello new and old followers! It has been literal years since I have updated anything, as you know. I have recently decided I want to start practicing character development and story continuity again (as that hasn't been my strong suit) thus I am going to FINALLY finish "Remember Me"!
If you have read all of my stories you will note that I have taken "Rubberband Wars" down. There may be a day that I repost it, but I felt that it was sub-par and needed an entire revamp. (Pun intended.)
More importantly, I am in the middle of brainstorming Chapter Eleven of RM, and I would like to hear some of your opinions. Here are some questions I'd love for all of you to answer in reviews!
+What do you think of the idea that Edward and Alice go on foot rather than take the plane to Italy? Do you think it would be faster than a 9 hour plane ride?
+Do you like the idea of the wolves going to Italy too? If so, should they also go on foot? What about crossing waters? Vampires don't have to breathe so water isn't a hindrance, but would the wolves be strong enough to cross swimming the whole way?
+Do you like the idea of Gianna surviving or getting killed by the Volturi?
+Lastly, I have several ideas for how Bella is going to get her memory back, but I would love to hear your ideas!
Can't wait to hear from everyone! Thank you for your support over so much time!
Author's Note: GAHH I'm so sorry it took so long. I've been just been working and reading and ... Yeah, there's not a good enough excuse. I just need to get my butt off of facebook and do something with my life. Hah. Sorry, guys.
Anyway, this is kind of a short chapter, and I only go through two points of view, but you get it from Jacob's end as well, so enjoy that. In the next chapter you'll get in Edward's head too. Hopefully this story will be drawn to a conclusion somewhat soon.
I tried to add a bit more humor as well... I hope it doesn't seem childish put together. I feel like my writing has suffered a bit from not practicing it as much. REVIEW, please! Just let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. That's S. Meyer's turf...
Jacob's POV
Every ring felt like an eternity. On the third, my call was answered.
"Cullen Morgue and Diner- You kill 'em, we grill 'em," an ever too familiar husky voice jokingly proclaimed on the other end.
"That isn't as funny as you think it is, parasite," I muttered with as much distaste as I could possibly muster up.
"Okay, Bella. We all know you aren't girly, but a sex change? That's a bit far, don't you think?"
"This is no time for jokes, Emmett. Stop messing around and tell me where you took her," I snarled in reply.
I was so full of irritation that it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe correctly. I saw the room slowly turning to a deep red, and I wished silently for him to understand the incredible yearn for violence that was polluting the air around me. I wished he understood the gravity of my affliction. I wished he could comprehend my need for Bella and her returned love. I wished he wasn't so freaking calm… He made me crave his calm disposition like an abandoned man in the desert craving water.
I took a deep breath in the hopes of not ruining the inside of Bella's mother's house and concentrated on her breathtaking features and the kiss that was almost shared right outside the front door. I sighed audibly. I just can't catch a break with that girl. Slowly the room altered from crimson to the regular colors of the world, seen by regular people, and me at regular times. Lately those seemed to be more and more rare.
"Chill furface." He tore me from my thoughts. Just manage to keep the rage from spilling over, I told myself. "What do you mean 'took' her? And how'd you jack Bella's phone?" He replied, still a bit too laid-back for my current mood.
"How did you know it was me? And how the hell did you know where I was?" I knew that we were replaced with dark holes in Alice's visions, so I had no idea where he gathered his information from.
"Are we going to just keep answering each others questions with more questions all day?" I rolled my eyes in vain.
"...You first," I replied, for lack of a better answer. He sighed and gave in.
"I knew it was you because the first thing you called me was a degrading name that referred to my current state of being, and last I heard, my little furry friend, Bella was on her way to Phoenix- and apparently my little brother needs to discuss some things with her, because it seems to me that she went with you. " I sighed with impatience.
"And how did you know that this was Bella's number?"
"Seriously Jake? I got this rockin' new technology called 'caller ID'. "
"Sure, sure. You're just a bucket of laughs today, Emmett." I was starting to get frustrated again. "Tell me where and why you took her!"
"I still have no idea what you're talkin' about, my friend. I didn't 'take' anyone- least of all, Bella. Last time I did that it got me into a world of trouble that we're still trying to sort out."
"Wait… you're serious? You really didn't kidnap Bella? And no one in your family knows where she is? You better not be screwing with me," I growled. He laughed. A haughty chuckle from a lowly creature that should be living in the sewers feeding off of rats, and he's laughing at me; as if he wasn't beneath me… as if I couldn't rip him to shreds. I took three deep breaths to calm myself.
"Sure, sure," he mocked me. "And if I am, you're going to, what? Bark at me?" He laughed again, and then abruptly stopped and I could tell that he was finally aware of what I was saying. "Wait, Bella was kidnapped?"
"Yes! Christ, Emmett, I've been trying to tell you that for the last three minutes!"
"And you're sure it was a vampire?"
"Unless, God forbid, there's another superhuman creature that smells like garbage running around."
"Oh, Jake, that was just too easy. I'm not even going to take the shot at you." Before I could reply, he spoke again, this time with ferocity in his voice. "I'm almost positive that I know who kidnapped Bella. Do not leave her house, Jacob. We're meeting you there as soon as we can. This is serious, and it's gonna take some backup. You may want to call in reinforcements, but remember that this isn't a game. Someone is certain to die." And with that, he hung up the phone.
I listened to the dial tone longer than necessary with what I'm sure was an incredibly frightening expression as I attempted once again to smooth my temper. Where the hell did he get off calling the shots? I did not ask him to help me. I did not ask him to come here. I can and will take care of this myself.
When that awful, dead stench that surrounded the bloodsucker hit my nostrils I instantly knew what it was. I was angry with myself for not taking note of it earlier so that I could have prevented this nightmare. I was just so caught up watching her beautiful face that was so encompassed with her seemingly new surroundings and new memories that I couldn't focus on anything else. I didn't think it was ever possible, but my God I wanted her more then than I ever have. Just to hold her in my arms would have been sufficient. I needed the feel of her soft skin on mine. I needed her little arms wrapped around me; her tiny hands exploring the ins and outs of my back while our lips were in reunion. I needed her. I need her.
I put the phone back on the hook while I attempted to suppress the excessive urge to leave and find her so that I could look at it from another point of view... one that could possibly save my butt, or more importantly, Bella's. Bella was captured by a vampire and as much as I hate to admit it, I really don't know the extent of what I'm dealing with. I thought all of the vampires aside from the Cullens that had knowledge of Bella were dead (or whatever they are after their current title of 'living dead' is taken away), but apparently I was mistaken. I had no idea why it wanted her and what it would do to keep it's prize.
I knew for Bella's sake that I needed to be something that Jacob Black wasn't quite known for: rational.
Bella's POV
"Gianna, what do you think they want with me?" She snorted at my question, as if it should all be clear to me already. I rolled my eyes and made a sarcastic mental note to apologize to everyone next time I lose my memory for not knowing what's going on. In the last few hours I've learned that Gianna had a knack for making someone feel less adequate than they did before they shared her company; even in a dungeon where we were essentially one; sharing the same filth and the same empty stomachs.
"There are several reasons that the Volturi would have taken you, precious," she began in her thick accent. The way that she pronounces my pet names sounds lethal. "You, Bella, are mortal, and you love a vampire. You know things that no human ever should. In that case, you may die. And believe me, that is very likely. I should know."
"Oh, what a nice thought," I accidentally said out loud. I let the sarcasm spill into my words like Niagara Falls. I wasn't sure what she meant by her last sentence and I figured that if she wanted me to know, she'd explain it, but it was hard not to guess. I was assuming that she had this knowledge first hand; that she was currently experiencing the penalty of an unforgivable crime of passion. My face grimaced without permission at my ill-chosen phrasing, but I couldn't help the chill that went down my spine at the underlying seriousness of the situation. Was I also a criminal in this fantasy world?
She ignored me and continued.
"Another possibility is that Aro may just want to study you. You are curious to him; he does not understand why the blessings that were bestowed upon the divine ones have no effect on you." I was the one that snorted that time. Divine ones… She refers to them like they're Gods. "In that case as well, through extensive experiments or just out of fun, you may die."
I had to disregard that she used the word 'fun' while speaking about my death and focus on the most important fact. I knew that Edward couldn't read my mind, and from what I gathered, no one really understood why that was, but it was the effect that mattered, not the cause. If these dangerous vampires had dangerous powers, I was happy to know that I was immune to them also and could impede any threats targeted against me.
"Aro- is he the leader?" It was hard enough for me to believe that vampires had to uphold laws, (ones that were much more serious than the traffic laws I was forced to abide by every day) much less have leaders to enforce them; almost like a Monarchy. I reminded myself that they did consider themselves as royalty. In their world, I supposed it was exactly that.
"Yes," her tone made it seem like she was taken by surprise at my interest in their history. "Aro, Marcus and Caius are the leaders of the Volturi." So it was more than a Monarchy. More like a Diarchy. Or since there was three... Is there such thing as a Triarchy? I had to stifle a laugh and I was sure that she heard it.
"They are over three thousand years old. Their power is not to be underestimated or laughed about." Her reply to my chuckle was snippy.
I suddenly had a flashback as quick as the gasp that I let loose. In it, I saw a fight between Edward and two werewolves with whom I had to assume was Victoria. In that split second I gazed upon Edward in all of his ferocious glory and witnessed him tear her to pieces.
The little piece of information that I stumbled upon only two minutes ago didn't seem as handy when I realized how little the dam in my brain mattered in comparison to how quickly they could simply tear me apart. In witnessing the small glimpse of their brute strength and their baffling speed, I knew that if they wished me to die, I wouldn't have time to even consider my fate.
Gianna began again as my heart began to slow back down.
"But most likely," she sounded more ominous and a bit sympathetic, "you are just a very valuable bargaining tool. They want very much what they are denied." That confused me. With all of their power, couldn't they take whatever they wanted?
"And what exactly have they been denied?" I thought out loud.
"Your love muffin and his sister of course," she replied with a loud and overconfident laugh. Although it seemed backwards, her mental stability appeared to ride on the trust that she was still better than me, better than her only company, better than our shared hopelessness, and bound to become one of them still. She knew as well as I that we were no more than cattle to our captors. I contemplated how long I would have to be here in order to lose my own mind.
Her last idea made me hope that my unspoken wishes of rescue wouldn't actually come true. If all I am is a bargaining chip, whether it's Edward and his family or it's Jacob, staying away is the best viable strategy.
We were both silent for a long while. I thought I heard her quietly sobbing, so I decided to try and make discussion.
"Gianna, how long have you been here?" I wasn't sure if she minded me asking or not, but I had nothing to lose. She directed her gaze toward me and I could see her tears glisten in the moonlight like tiny diamonds. Without wiping her face, she pulled herself into an upright position and I heard a distinct clinking noise in the process. I had heard it several times before, but I hadn't put two and two together; Gianna was chained to the wall. I was too preoccupied with worrying about myself before to notice, but now that I paid close attention I could see them. They were loose, but she was chained nonetheless. I suspected that it was all for torture or punishment; I doubted that she actually had a chance at escape.
"I lost count after four months." Her voice was very low and solemn and I could tell that it was difficult to let herself be vulnerable. She rested her head against the wall and stared toward the low, dripping ceiling.
"It was just a simple mistake," she began again without prompting. "I lost my temper just once. I can't even remember what it was about anymore, to be honest." She added a wild laugh to the end of her sentence. "Maybe it was about being under appreciated. Maybe I was just tired that day. Maybe I knew that I was just too old to be turned," I was sure I had felt the same way, and I wasn't even twenty, "or maybe I had just been here so long that I knew it was never going to happen." She paused, probably thinking that she was saying too much, but I figured that she was void of company for such an extended period of time that she would most likely say anything.
"I did enjoy putting on a show, but in reality it was a nightmare to work for them. As a human I could never do anything they asked fast enough. For years I begged them to change me. At times they laughed at me and told me I was a fool. They'd taunt me by saying I was nothing more than a pet or dinner." She stopped and spit, as if one of their faces were close to hers.
"It was mostly the lower of the vampires. Aro never treated me with such disrespect. He always assured me that one day I would be apart their family, and I believed him, until the day that he ordered for me to be thrown in this hell hole. I cried and begged and pleaded, but he said nothing. Their faces were stoic as they locked me in these chains." She yanked at them as if they would magically fall off and they clattered against the stone floor. As she moved her arms back into place, I could see faint bruises around her wrists. "Sometimes they forget to feed me. I've found myself," she laughs violently, "lapping from the moisture that gathers on the floor. Like a dog. I suppose I really am just a pet."
I was almost speechless. I brushed my hair from my face and swallowed hard, trying to keep the lump in my throat down. "It isn't your fault," was the only thing I could bring myself to say. It seemed inane in comparison.
"I appreciate your sympathy, but Bella, you are so wrong. I chose this life when I was just sixteen. I knew the dangers of not surviving." As I was wondering how one could possibly stumble over such a job, her tears came again. "I wanted Aro almost all of my life. He was my very reason for living. I had no family. I had no friends. I loved him." I got a mental picture and shivered. I had to assume that the attraction was the power, not the physicality of the relationship.
"And he loved you in return?" I hoped to hear yes, but how could you put someone that you love in chains? Although, I suppose I could scratch that thought. When Edward left, in a metaphorical sense, I was in chains as well. How could you love someone and leave them to die inside as he left me?
"He said he that he did, but look where I am now."
"The same place that I'm in."
"You can't trust them, Bella. Any of them." I brought my knees to my chest and tucked my chin in between them with a sigh. I was beginning to legitimately consider her words.