Chapter Ten The Wild World

The vampire turned slowly in the light, lips parting to reveal ultra-white fangs. I shivered but didn't make a sound. Despite all my efforts and training to keep myself calm in a moment like this, my muscles tensed and my hands shook like crazy. Damien's smile only widened. And then, out of nowhere, he started laughing like crazy. His laugh sounded somewhere between an evil cackle and a normal laugh. I stepped back and put my arms up, lining the light up with the barrel of the gun. He came back then. Coal black eyes met mine.

"Hello, Isabella. It is good to finally meet you. The first time I saw you, well your picture, I was shocked. A little girl, caused all this? Impossible. And then there you were in that bar, you killed ten of my vampires, my best. All of them dead. You, you got out of there, no scratch, completely unharmed. Only then did I realize you are so much more than you appeared to be. I can see how he feels threatened by you but there was so much more to it, wasn't there? Between you two?"

"I don't know what you mean." I stated adjusting my gun arm.

"Don't you?" he asked. "He could barely say your name and when he did, it came out more like a curse. He hates you. Hate comes from love little one, deep love leads to deep hatred." He smiled. "But you didn't come here to chat. You came here to kill me. Which makes us the same, in a way."

"I am nothing like you." I growled and pulled the trigger.

My shot missed and he was gone. "Oh but you are. How many have died in your name? How many of my kind have you killed?" One of his hands wrapped around my gun arm and the other came around my throat. He whispered something else but I missed it. In my mind I kept hearing him ask that question over and over. It was a thought that I had asked myself a thousand times but had pushed from my mind in order to stay sane. His grip tightened on my neck.

My vision blurred for a moment and for a moment I was on the beach in La Push. It was dark, the stars were shining, and at my feet was a heap of dying embers. I could taste the smoke. This was where I belonged, where I wanted to live out my life. I looked down from the sky across the pit of embers. Just beyond the light there was a figure, small enough to be a child. There was something familiar about it but it was like no matter how I squinted I couldn't recognize it. I took a step closer forgetting about the embers until the fire sparked up again and I was suddenly choking on the flames.

"This is where you belong. This is where destiny will play its hand. You must come here." A young voice said. "But first you have to wake up."

When I opened my eyes it opened it felt like I was seeing the world for the first time. I remembered my knife and within an instant it was imbedded in his thigh. He howled in pain. Pulling myself and the knife free I prepared for the next attack. He continued to stumble back. Then it hit me; Damien was still young, for a vampire that is, and silver affected him only a little less than it had the Deputy. I could still see his turning black and it burning as I watched. Having just fed, Damien's wound heeled but his blood was still poisoned. I raised my gun and put a bullet in his head. I took out a small bottle of lighter fluid and poured it out over his body and some of the desks all the way out to the door. Once I was at the door I struck a match and watched the building burn.

I checked my neck in the mirror of my bike. Just beneath the surface of my pale skin dark bruises were beginning to take shape in the form of Damien's hand. I leaned on the bike as the building burned until I heard the sirens and was forced to leave. Driving away I let my mind travel back to that vision. At some point I would be forced to return home. There was a sick feeling in my gut. The child had said something about destiny playing its hand there, but what did that mean? I sped up with a growl. The whole reason for me leaving was to keep them safe from my wake of destruction. If I returned there was no telling what would happen. I pulled off the road a mile from my house and threw off my helmet. Looking up I could see the smoke hiding the stars over the police station. This was the real world, the world no one but me knew about before Edward ended the world for me, in my name. I couldn't go back there; I couldn't afford to take that risk. When I made it back James was gone.

He'd taken his car and left a list of tasks I could take care of while he took care of the errands. I chopped up what remained of the wood pile out back and bundled it up before loading it into the car. I began packing up my own gear, clothing, and weapons. As I did James texted me to watch the news. My stomach sank as I ran down the stairs. The last time he had told me to watch the news I had watched Edward declare me a traitor and wanted criminal. This couldn't be much better.

"I speak now to the citizens of Canada. Without knowing, many of you have harbored a dangerous criminal, Isabella Marie Swan. I give you three days to hand her over and no humans will be harmed when my forces come to take your country's government. If I find any have given her refuge there will be no mercy. Information will buy all of you your lives. Think of all that has happened do you want to see history repeat itself?" Edwards eyes shown red with power. "To Bella, I will say only this, how many more will die in your name?"

With any information please call +39-06-0588-876-9954 (So this is how I think the number is supposed to look for a number in Volterra, Italy but don't hold me to it)

I grabbed my burn phone and dialed the number. "Hello," a cheery accented voice said. "You have information, yes?"

"I do, but I will only tell it to Edward Anthony Mason Cullen." I stated as calmly as possible.

"One moment." The cheerfulness disappeared.

"Hello," his voice almost stopped my heart but I recovered. This was not the man I had once loved. "Miss?"

"Hello, Edward." I could hear his sharp intake of air. "Listen closely, you asked a question, I'm inclined to answer. Only one more will die."

I hung up and disassembled the phone. That was the stupidest thing I'd ever done but I had been so angry with him and I had let that control me. I went back to packing with the house phone. James answered his phone on the second ring. "I watched." I hesitated.

"Oh god, what have you done?"

"I called the number, I talked directly to him. I threatened him."

"And?" he asked expectantly.

"Nothing, I hung up." I said. "We need to leave now, where are you?"

"Almost to town why?"

"I need your password for your laptop. I'm going to put out several bits of information to throw Edward off and save a few lives. Then I'm going to destroy it just in case. After that we'll meet at the 30 mile marker. That alright?" I asked with mock cheerfulness just to get him.

"Fine, I won't need it any more will I? How are you going to cover our tracks?" He sighed.

"How do you think?" I heard his groan but hung up on him.

I stuffed my things in the Jeep and returned to the house for one last run through. Once I was sure I had gotten everything I pulled out some of my newly learned hacking skills. I began posting everywhere. Put up pictures of Dr. Jennifer Marrow, put up her location, rumors of past actions, and then put up a few other false identities. When I was done I took a hammer to the computer and dosed it in lighter fluid. Like I had at the police station I poured lighter fluid on the walls furniture. Then I found some more flammable substances and did some more. Before I left I loaded the bike into the Jeep as well considering there was still room. I then pulled the Jeep away from the house and lit the fluid. Within moments the place I had called home for the last nine years was ablaze. I turned and got into the Jeep, driving off into the night.

Tonight there is a great deal of sadness in St. Louis and throughout the Midwest. Stan 'The Man' Musial died today at 92. He was a great man and one of the best baseball players of all time. He will be missed.