Chapter 11
I watched as tiny Alice leaned in to finish off her helpless girl.
"Alice!" I yelled as I pulled myself away from Edward's chest. "Alice, stop!" I stood up and began running toward them.
"Shh, Bella you're safe now. They're taking of it." Edward's soft voice assured me from behind. I ignored him.
"Alice, please listen to me!" Her head snapped up, just an inch away from Evey's neck. Both of the other vampires looked at me as well. "Evey's not bad, she helped me escape! She brought me back here!"
Edward rigorously pulled me around to face him. "Bella, she kidnapped you! I went to Port Angelus last night when you didn't come home. Someone saw her drug you, and I saw it in their head. I could even smell the chloroform."
"Well, I mean, she was bad, but now she's on our side. She doesn't think its right to kill you anymore."
"Oh, is that it?" He barked sarcastically.
"Yes!" I turned around to Alice; her teeth still exposed and ready to bite. "Believe it or not, she's actually trying to help you, because you've got bigger problems to deal with right now!"
"Problems?" Emmett asked excitedly, knowing that problems probably meant fighting. I ignored him, keeping my eyes focused on Alice.
"You are all in danger! Evey's trying to warn you, so please, stop trying to kill her!"
Alice hesitated for a moment, a very brief moment, then stood and was next to me in a flash. Edward shot her a look of betrayal as I heard Emmett grunt in disappointment of their being no bloodshed.
"If Bella's right Edward, we'd be killing someone we should be thanking." Alice said in a sweet, reasonable voice as her hand wrapped around my waist.
"She kidnapped her in the first place," Edward muttered through gritted teeth as he balled his fists.
"Ok then. Not thanked, but we definitely shouldn't be killing her." She smiled as Jasper came up next to her and took her hand. I felt the tension flow suddenly out of myself and Edward breathed out a heavy sigh.
"Alright, fine." He looked directly at me. "But we are not trusting her. We'll hear what she has to say, but she's not on our side. If she turned her back on her own kind so easily, who's to say she won't do it to us?"
I opened my mouth to protest that it was most likely far from easy from what I saw, but shut it again. I didn't want to push him any farther.
"Well I don't think we can hear anything from her right now. She looks like she could be out for a while." Jasper noted.
"I think your right Jasper." Edward said as he appraised Evey. "Bella, do you know how close this danger is? Do we have time?"
"Yeah, actually. Evey said without me couldn't move as fast. We have at least a day I think."
"Without you? And what were they planning on doing with you?"
"Edward please… Can't we just help her now and then explain when she wakes up?"
"Fine." The tone of his voice made it seem like he wasn't fine with it, but I couldn't expect much better. "You two carry her back." He said to Jasper and Emmett. "Alice, you get a place ready for her at the house. Bella and I are going to her house, then we'll meet up and talk about this problem."
They nodded and ran off into different directions. Alice went straight for her house. Jasper and Emmett glided over to the animal and lifted her swiftly. Then they sped off, leaving Edward and I standing alone in the woods.
"Why are we going to my house?" I asked.
"To get clothes," he replied.
"Clothes? I've only been gone a day! We've got more important things to think about than getting me clean clothes."
He laughed at me, as if I was missing something obvious. "They're for your friend, Bella."
"Oh." I answered as my face heated up. I had forgotten Evey would be changing back soon. That was something I should've remembered, not him. And it frustrated me. I felt my head swarm as I looked at his mischievous grin staring into my eyes.
"What?" I spat at him, more harshly than intended. But it didn't affect him. His grin widened.
"It's just amazing how bothered you can get other the simplest things. It's so human of you. I find it adorable."
We stayed there for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. Sometimes when I'm with Edward, time just doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense. The only thing in my mind was his angelic face. Because in moments such as these, all there was in the world was him, me, and the trees around us.
But those moments only last for so long. Because eventually, the person that those you're spending those moments with will grab your arm and swing you over their back. Gracefully, I might add.
"Hey!" I shouted directly into his ear as my body adjusted itself to him. He chuckled, and I could feel his body move slightly underneath me.
"Are you ready, love?" He asked. I nuzzled my face cozily into back of his right shoulder. From this position, his scent was nearly overpowering.
"Yes." My muffled voice answered from underneath his jacket. And with my answer, he took off.
I ended up giving Evey some very normal clothes, long grey sweats and plain black t-shirt. Her style seemed to vary day to day, although her clothes always seemed artsy in a grungy sort of way. But I wasn't trying to comply with what she normally did; I was trying to go for simple. Plus, whatever looked like would fit her as her shape was a little larger than mine.
Edward and I walked into his house, and I saw five pairs of vampire eyes immediately turn to look at me.
Esme, her beautiful eyes soft and curious. Carlisle looked calm, but thoughtful and seemed contemplative. Jasper, expressionless. Emmett had an eyebrow raised and a goofy grin on his face. And Rosalie, glaring.
"Oh you're here!" Alice beamed as she twirled down the stairs. "I mean, I knew you would be but I didn't know it would be such perfect timing! She's just phased." She smiled and ran over to my side, grabbing my wrist and gave it a gentle tug towards the stairs. "C'mon, let's go give her the clothes."
As Alice began tugging me up the stairs Edwards hand began to slip out of my grasp. I franticly began trying to hold on tighter, he just pulled away more. Even though the action was intentional on his side, I wasn't about to let him go after just getting him back.
Alice didn't like that.
"Oh for Pete's sake Bella, it's just a couple minutes!"
"Yes love, it may get a bit awkward if I went with you." Gently he lifted my hand to his face, pressing his fingers against my lips. He looked up from under his eyelashes and nearly whispered, "And I'll be right behind you."
"Alright." I whispered back. Another tug from Alice and I was told it was time to move, so Edward released my hand.
"Oh, and thank you for not taking the clothes out of the bag between now and the time we get to her. I don't even want to know what they look like until they're on her, or I'll be too tempted to go back and get new ones I know it!" She began to skip up the stairs, trailing me along behind.
"Alice, why do you like Evey so much more than you like Jacob and the werewolves? They're shape shifters who are not fighting you too!"
"Hmm…" she mused, pondering the thought for a moment. "I think it's because she doesn't smell. It's not as easy for your instincts to hate something when they can't sense it being there. Though I have to admit, the no scent thing once you notice that there is no scent is a little… weird. It's like being in a room with a ghost!"
I briefly wondered if she was taking that comparison from fiction, or if there really were such a thing as ghosts. I was about to ask her, but didn't get my chance to as I was pulled into the guest bedroom. Did they really need a guest bedroom? I'm fairly sure they don't entertain people who need beds too too often.
The room didn't have much in it, just a desk and a mirror. Both these things looked as if they were hastily thrown up against the wall, to make room for something large. Many pillows and blankets covered the ground in the center of the room. And in the middle of those was Evey. But compared to all the pillows and blankets, she looked very small. There must have been so many for her tiger stage. Evey had a groggy look on her face, as if she had just woken up. She was sitting up, but clutched the blankets so they clung close to her body.
"Bella's here now Evey! And she brought you some clothes." Alice chirped.
"Oh, great." She answered with a wary smile. The look in her eyes made it seem like she was happy, or maybe relieved, to see me, but the rest of her didn't match. Her voice sounded not only tired, but weak. A pillow was also helping support her back so she could sit up.
The vampires must have really done a good job then. I could feel the guilt bubbling in my stomach.
"Evey I really am sorry for earlier, I was just trying to protect Bella."
"Alice…" Evey moaned. "There's only so many times you can apologize."
"Don't be to sure about that." I warned. "Alice can be very... persistent." Alice chuckled.
"Alright, anyway... After we help you change, if you feel up to it, you can explain to us what is going on. Then Carlisle is going to have to come take a look at you. He's a doctor, don't worry."
Evey's faint smile was washed away, leaving a shy look on her face. She had nothing to be ashamed of; it was just an uncomfortable situation. Plus she really barely knew us, so that added to the tension.
"Okay, one: I can change by myself. I'm a big girl, I've been doing it for years. And two, ain't no way in hell I can let a vampire be my doctor! It's just… I can't."
"Ok, then. New deal. Bella can just stay in the room and if you need help tell her. And two, you have bad injuries, you do need to be checked out. You can always go to a real hospital I suppose."
"No-"
"Alrighty then! That's that. I'll leave so you guys can have some privacy now. Be back very soon!" Alice pranced out of the room and shut the door.
"Wow, she's a lively one. But pretty cool, for a vampire."
"Yeah I guess she is."
"You have some clothes for me?"
"Oh yeah! Sorry." I handed her the clothes one by one as she put them on, thankfully not needing my help. Though she went slower and seemed to be in some amount of pain. But I didn't try to help, because if it were me, I'd take slowness and small pain over awkwardness any day. And for some reason, I felt like Evey would feel the same way.
"Are they ok?" I asked.
"Yeah they fit perfect." Evey laid her head back on the pillow, exasperated from getting dressed.
"You're… really hurt aren't you?"
"Well, they did do a pretty good job on me." Her chest heaved up and down as she spoke, trying to get extra air. "But I'm also tired from the phase back to human form that was out of my control. For some reason, it completely drains our energy."
"Oh I see. That kind of sucks."
"Yeah, I guess it does."
"Hey! Are you done yet?" Alice's voice beamed along with the sound of rapid knocking. Evey's eyes pressed together at the sound as if it pained her.
"Oh. Yeah we're done!" I called back, instantly regretting it when I saw Evey's face. She looked so tired, maybe she didn't want company just yet. I mentally cursed myself for not asking.
"Ok then, we're coming in!" Alice burst through the door, followed by Edward, Carlisle and Esme. I realized in Alice's hands were trays filled with food, a LOT of food.
"We figured you guys would be hungry! You need to eat more often than we do." She explained, after seeing my eyes glued to the trays.
"So you brought us a mountain?"
"This way you have a selection! We just told a few restaurants to give us they're best items, and you can pick whatever you want!"
I rolled my eyes, about to refuse the buffet. Not only did I hate special treatment, but my stomach seriously did not have the appetite. I had eaten about 12 hours ago, and when events like this happen you forget the simple things, such as eating.
Though Evey looked as though she wanted to pounce on the food, but seemed to be restraining herself from asking for some. She couldn't be waiting for me to take it first, could she?
Sighing, I walked over to Alice and looked over the tray of food, eying the options.
"Is that mushroom ravioli?"
