Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except for my own little plot line and any characters you may not recognize. Everything else is property of the genius Stephenie Meyer.
A/N: Well, how long has it been since I posted an update? Yeah, I'm not even going to figure that out. Anyway, here's the deal. You all know that I don't have that much free time and my promise to you guys was that I would get to Forks in this next update. So, I wrote... and wrote... and wrote some more... Basically, it boiled down to this. There was a lot of stuff that had to happen before Bella got to Forks, so you add that with the little amount of time that I had to write, and you're left with two months of waiting for an update. However, I did not jip you guys!!! FORKS IS INCLUDED XD Get excited, folks.
So here's the deal. The complete update is 45 pages (give or take) on a Word document. Don't even ask me how many words that came up to be because it's too much for my brain to even comprehend. With that said, I'm splitting the update into two parts. You know what that means?
2 UPDATES!!! That's right. You waited how long for ONE update? I can promise you that I didn't slack on my writing ;) Okay, maybe my writing skills, b/c being in a medical program... well... I feel like my writing resembles a lab report now. It's actually a terrifying thought. *gets scared*
Alright, enough of this shizz. Get to reading, folks! :D
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Bella's POV:
I was dreaming again. Gabriel's accented voice echoed throughout my mind, swimming in the dark abyss of my subconscious.
"She who is born a mortal but who does not belong to that world will show her true self when Twilight taints the sky."
"It's twilight." Edward whispered to me. His voice was like a serenade, lulling me deeper into a shrouding calm of sleep. "It's the safest time of day for us. The easiest time. But also the saddest, in a way… the end of another day, the return of the night. Darkness is so predictable, don't you think?"
His face appeared before me, smiling. The golden streaks in his warm eyes glistened in such a way that my heart ached with the urge to just reach out, if only to touch him before I woke up.
Again, the haunting words of the prophecy swirled around us.
"She will not know of her fate nor the destiny she is to fulfill."
"You don't see yourself very clearly, you know," Edward murmured, staring off into the setting sun, the vibrant cerise light bouncing off of his skin in a thousand diamonds.
"Great power hides deep within her, for the one who claims the heart of both a werewolf and a vampire will end a war unlike the world has ever seen," Gabriel whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Bella." I turned to him, my angel. The sound of my name was desperate as it broke from his lips. He turned to me now, staring – his eyes pleading with me. "My sweet, silly Bella," he breathed, reaching up to cup the side of my face in his hand. I gasped, closing my eyes at the sensation of his cold palm against my skin. "My love…" His breath washed over my lips, the tip of my nose, fanning out over my cheeks. "I can't live in a world without you."
My eyes fluttered open to meet is tawny gaze. He was inches away from my face and yet he kept moving closer, until his forehead was resting on mine. "Don't leave me," he begged, shutting his eyes tightly. "Please…"
"Edward," I whispered, reaching up to place my hand over his. "I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you."
"But you will," he argued, brushing the tip of his nose across my own. His body shook with the emotion in his voice, as if the mere mention of living without me caused him physical pain. "You will leave me."
"No," I whimpered, shaking my head. The intense cold of his skin was hard against mine, yet I relished in its comfort. "Edward, I won't leave you. I promise."
A soft, keening sound reverberated from the back of his throat as his lips found mine. His kiss was urgent, dire. It was as if he was telling me goodbye. My hands moved to his shoulders, clutching on to him for dear life. Nothing would will me away from him.
"Bella," he hummed, moving his lips to brush over every inch of my face. "My sweet, angel." I sighed as he kissed my closed eyelids, feathering his lips up to my forehead. "Please stay with me."
My fingers dug into the material of his shirt, drawing him closer. "I'll stay with you, Edward. I won't leave you."
He swept me up then, encircling his arms around me in a desperate embrace. I gasped out, startled at the strength in his hold. My hands were splayed out across his back and every so often I could feel his body tremble, as if small tremors rippled beneath his skin. It was then that I noticed the quiet sobs that escaped him, echoing around us. Shocked, I tried to pull away but he only clung to me tighter, his body quivering with each cry.
"Bella… I don't want you to die."
Air rushed into my lungs as I jolted forward; every nerve and muscle in my body twitching with life. My hand gripped my chest as I heaved, frantically trying to catch my breath. Sweat dripped down the length of my neck, pooling in the small of my back. I bent forward, leaning my head down to rest on the plush carpet of Verrin's room. It was as if I could feel the room spinning around me. My throat seemed to tighten as I forced myself to swallow, gasping again for air. Slowly, I turned to my left, my eyes settling on the sleeping form of Verrin. Her breathing was soft, almost inaudible in the quiet air. She must have fallen asleep when I did, I thought, pushing myself up. My arms and legs shook as I crawled over to the bedroom door. The handle was cold as I gripped it tightly in my hand, using its strength to pull myself into a standing position.
The nightmare I had tonight was unlike any I have had before. Several times I would awake with sweats, gasping for breath, but never had I felt so physically drained from such a dream. It made me yearn to be in Edward's arms even more.
When I was sure that I had not woken Verrin, I slipped off my shoes and quietly made my way out of her room. The rest of the house was silent. Still.
Softly, I padded my way down the hall, rubbing my arms feverishly as a sharp chill ran down my spine.
As I reached the landing, I noticed a large window facing the front of the home. A tree branch scraped across the glass as the moonlight shown through, casting the darkness in an eerie light. I quickly slipped through the shadows that danced across the stairs, eager to get to my destination.
On our way to her room, Verrin had told me where I could find anything in the house. She pointed out Alex and Damian's rooms as we passed them, giggling as she said that Damian usually had some different girl in the order on his phone every night. "He's such a pig. I mean really, he uses his damn accent to get what he wants. I swear… men and their little heads."
I grinned at the memory as I passed by the landing on the second level. If Verrin had told me correctly, the kitchen should be in the very back left-hand corner of the first floor. My throat stung as I tried to swallow, the dry membrane screaming at me for moisture. Again, I stalked down the last few sections of stairs, careful not to make the tiniest sound. From what I could hear, everyone was fast asleep – Alex's snores echoed loudly from the third floor. Now that I was immortal, every noise was heightened; from the honking of a car horn five blocks away to the softest whisper of a mother saying goodnight to her child twenty miles from here, it was all fine-tuned, a crescendo of the Earth's sounds. It was as if another part of the world was coming alive.
The wooden floor was cold beneath my feet as I stepped down, pausing at the foot of the stairwell to search the darkness of the room around me. My eyes zeroed in on the outline of a couch and as my sight began to adjust, I took in the fine details of the bronze silk that covered the ornate Grecian sofa. The room was similarly decorated as the many that I had seen on this floor, with the exception of a 40" flat screen TV nailed to the outer wall. Interesting.
Continuing my venture, I walked around the length of the room, studying the details in the marble bust of a female's head. The ringlets that curled her hair into intricate waves, flowing along the length of her slender neck, were meticulous – exact. Even though her features were made of stone, she seemed lifelike. It was as if I could reach out and touch the curve of her cheek, feeling soft skin beneath my fingers instead of cold rock. Her eyes, void of any color except the pale snow-white granite, still held a swirl of emotions. It was as if she were trapped inside the carved cage of her being, staring back and waiting – waiting for release. And as I walked away, towards a small dimly lit hallway that led out of the foreign room, I couldn't help but feel the same qualms of my own future.
Small candles flickered in their glass hurricanes that hung along each side of the narrow hall. Portraits of the Treviaron members outlined the mahogany walls, the piercing violet eyes glowing back at me, following my every move. I glanced from one painting to the next, all equally beautiful in their mystique. The eyes were the same yet held a certain ferocity that belonged only to the owner. Gabriel's gaze was sharp, striking in the darkness. I could see the flowing blonde locks of Verrin's hair, glistening like strands of gold silk beneath the sun. Alex's sharp cheekbones stood out in the portrait next to his sister's. Even in oil on canvas, he still made my body shudder with anger. Damian's was across from Alex's painting – the very man of seduction. And he knew it. I smirked as I continued to scan each member, my own amethyst gaze locking onto the eyes of every person who would be a part of my new family.
That's when I saw him. His eyes the familiar lavender crystals, shining through the canvas, embedded in a mask of porcelain beauty. The skin was pale white, lips red as blood, his hair burning in a bronze haze.
I gasped loudly, bringing my hands up to cover my mouth in shock. Edward. My Edward…
"It can't be," I whispered, feeling my heart beat rapidly beneath my chest. The pain that coursed through me in that moment was unlike anything I had endured since the day he left. All I had were memories to look back on, dreams to be terrified of, but never had I come across something so vivid since he had left me... So real…
Slowly, I inched closer, scrutinizing the work before me. I followed each line and curve of his face, studied the soft brush strokes that gave texture to his lips and hair. And the more I looked, the more I began to see the subtle differences between my Edward and the one before me. The curvature of the nose was sharper, the eyes slightly wider, a faint scar that indented his forehead – all of these things made me realize that this was someone else. Someone who was obviously meant to torture me whenever I stared at his portrait, I thought dismally. The same snake and torch pendant hung from around his neck, but as I stepped closer, I noticed a small, single letter that hung from the silver chain. The letter 'L.' Turning back around, I stared into the eyes of Gabriel's painting that hung on the opposite wall, and it was then that I realized who exactly I had been enraptured with.
"Lukas."
The sharp scraping of the trees against the windows from the living room brought me out of my daze. My entire body was shaking as I wrapped my arms around my waist, hurriedly making my way down the hall to what I hoped to be the kitchen. My venture was originally intended for finding a glass of water, not reliving my past.
Metal upon stone struck a chord that echoed through the walls. The soft clinging of chains resonated from my right. I halted my steps, turning towards the sound. A large door stood before me and as I moved towards it, pressing the side of my face up against the cool wood, the same clinking sound reverberated from within, followed by a sick, twisted laugh.
My eyes closed as I felt my jaw tighten. Without thinking, I turned the brass knob and opened the door. A long wooden staircase stretched out before me, heading down to what I could only assume to be another part of the basement. The old boards creaked beneath my weight as I made my way determinedly down the stairs. If I were going to get any real answers from someone this evening, it would be from her.
The laughter was there again, even louder this time as I neared the ground floor, staring into her blood red eyes. Her fiery hair danced around her head as she swayed back and forth, her wrists cuffed with chains as her fingers clutched the metal bars that caged her in.
"Victoria," I growled, stepping off the last step. "So this is where they've been hiding you?"
She was silent, her eyes fixed upon me as a malicious grin spread across her face.
"Happy to see me, are you?" Despite my newfound power, the redheaded vampire before me still caused my nerves to crawl beneath my skin.
Her smile widened, exposing sharp rows of teeth. "How'd you guess?"
My eyes traveled over her damaged form. Scars lined the length of her arms; her right leg was cocked to the side as if it had been broken in several places, only now beginning to heal back to normal. Strands of her fiery curls littered the floor of her cage, along with splotches of dried crimson blood.
"What did they do to you?" I whispered, horrified by what I saw. It still didn't seem natural that someone could be more powerful than a vampire, especially this vampire.
Her smile faded instantly and she slowly straightened up, wincing only slightly. "Come to do the same? I wouldn't blame you for it," she said, her piercing voice sickening to my ears. "One simple move and I would be out of these chains, out of this cage, and before you in less than a second."
"So why don't you do it?" I asked, standing before her, merely inches away from the metal bars. "I know you can break free from here, so why haven't you tried?"
She let her hands slip free from the iron bars as she stumbled backwards, sliding down the wall that bordered part of her confinement. "Do you have any idea of what you are now, Bella?" she whispered, her eyes suddenly flashing with a fear that I had never thought her to possess. "Your kind was a legend to us – told to us in stories throughout the years. Humans," she sighed, glancing down to the floor. "They're afraid of the monsters under their beds, the creatures hiding within their closets. We were those monsters, Bella. We were the ones who watched them while they slept, who crept along the floor beside of their bed just waiting for them to open their eyes."
My body began to drain of color as she continued to speak; images of her slithering around my room at night flittered through my mind.
"But you, dear sweet Isabella," she purred, moving her gaze back to mine. "Are now one of the monsters that lurk after us, you are the one that we search for in the dark, causing our eyes to dart from shadow to shadow, watching… waiting. You are the thing that we fear."
It was an utterly surreal moment to be standing before a broken and frightened vampire. A creature of the night, one who had no doubt wanted to kill me for the past several months. I didn't feel pride in her confession. I didn't feel a surge of adrenaline or self-righteous glory for what I was. As I stared down at her, eyes wide, taking in the cuts and bruises that slowly healed over her pale skin, I could only feel remorse.
"What makes you even think that I would even try to break free?" she breathed. "You have no idea what you're capable of."
Slowly, I sunk down to the floor, crouching before her. The iron bars were the only things standing between us and we both knew that either one of us could get rid of them quite easily.
"Victoria," I whispered, catching her gaze. I lifted my hands and wrapped my fingers around the cold metal, easily prying the bars apart just enough for me to squeeze through. The vampire watched me with wide, thirsty eyes, but made no move to lunge at me as I lowered myself to sit on the ground before her. "I need you to tell me some things. I won't hurt you but know that if you try something stupid, I will defend myself." My eyes darted across the dried bloodstains on the floor before meeting her crimson gaze. "And don't think that I won't do what they had done to you before."
Victoria instinctively cringed and straightened up against the back wall. One simple nod from her signaled that I was allowed to continue. I drew in a deep breath, wondering where to begin.
"When I first saw you here, you said that Aro had sent you to come after me because of…" I swallowed thickly, already hating to say his name. "Edward."
She nodded again, but made no intention of speaking to me.
"Can you tell me more specifics on that?"
"You already know them, Bella," she sighed. "They've told you all you need to know."
"But you were there, Victoria. You were able to stand in the same room with all of them, walk the halls with them, share the same space as them. There's a difference between you being there and Gabriel just hearing of it."
"Why would you even trust me?" she whispered, her eyes inquisitive as they raked over my huddled form. "Why do you think I'd tell you the truth?"
"Because you don't have a reason not to," I replied, leaning my head up against the hard metal bars. "You have nothing left to live for, Victoria. Why make up lies now?"
Her jaw was set as her eyes grew distant. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know who she was thinking about.
"I'm not sorry about James," I told her. "But I am sorry for how you feel, because as strange as it sounds, I understand your pain."
She looked up at me then, her eyes wide. "You understand nothing," she spat. "You don't know what it's like to have your mate ripped away from you."
"On the contrary," I countered, my voice matching the venom that pooled in her mouth. "But James was sadistic. He was a monster – "
"He was a vampire!" she hissed. "We are monsters."
I shook my head, keeping my eyes locked on hers. "Not all of you."
A soft laugh escaped her lips, rumbling through her chest. "Yes, your vegetarian lover," she giggled. "But do you know that he was once like James? Like myself? He used to kill people too."
"And yet he chose to overcome that, didn't he?" I spat back. "Now, stop avoiding my questions and answer me. What happened in Volterra?"
~*~*~*~
The sun was blinding as it ricocheted off the water droplets that clung to the sleek, black car from last night's rain. It had begun just as soon as I returned to Verrin's room and I couldn't have been more thankful for it.
Hearing the soft pattering sound was the only way I was able to fall back to sleep.
Verrin kept one hand on the wheel, the other supporting her cheek as we drove to school that morning. The sunglasses that I had brought with me now hid my violet eyes from the rest of the world. But they did little to ease the discomfort from the vibrant rays that struggled to break free through the dark clouds overhead.
Last night's discussion with Victoria played over and over again in my mind. Her story wasn't much different from Gabriel's, except now, I knew what really happened the day that Aro ordered Victoria to come after me.
"You should have seen his face," she breathed, a slow smile spreading across her lips. "I take pride in the fact that I can hurt him because he hurt me, but Bella," she whispered, her smile slowly fading away. "There's no one else who could love you the way Edward does. The pain in his eyes… I knew that pain, that suffering once. Consider yourself lucky. I'd give anything to have James back with me."
"What are you thinking about?" Verrin's voice brought me out of my daze and I stared at her for a few moments, blankly.
"Nothing."
She pursed her lips in thought, no doubt wondering whether to question me but chose not to. I wasn't dumb, if she wanted to, she could find out exactly what I was thinking of, but I wouldn't reveal anything about last night until she asked.
Students milled about the parking lot as we pulled into the school. I watched two girls giggle incessantly with each other as they passed by a few of the football players, their smiles oddly reminding me of Jessica Stanely. And yet… it was normal. Despite how much I hated being in the social limelight, as I watched the students around me, rushing to class, hurriedly finishing their homework in their cars, I realized that I wanted this. I missed that sense of normalcy that provided some sense of construction to my existence. It was so much easier before Forks. My life had been an empty canvas, sure, but it was safe. Comfortable. I didn't want extravagant or crazy. I didn't need gossip surrounding me 24/7. The hottest guy on campus could have walked by me and I wouldn't have noticed – more importantly, I wouldn't have cared.
But all of that changed the day I met Edward Cullen.
"Come on, Bella," Verrin chirped as she climbed out of the car. Sighing, I reluctantly followed suite as Alex and Damian exited the silver Aston Martin parked to our left. Every person who carried the Y chromosome stumbled over themselves, mouths gaping, as they passed by it.
"Boys and cars," I muttered, throwing my bag over my right shoulder. "I don't get it."
Verrin gave a slight nod to her brothers and gently grasped my elbow, leading me towards the front doors.
"We have some important things to discuss at lunch, Bella," she whispered in my ear. "Don't be late."
Damian's violet gaze flickered to mine and I couldn't help but feel curious about he and Alex's presence. "Remind me why they're here again?" The two of them walked off in another direction, headed for a side entrance that lead directly to the main office of the school. A flock of female students gawked at them, no doubt mesmerized by their flawless physique, sculpted chests, chiseled jawbones, sharp piercing eyes…
It was disgusting.
And as I continued to follow Verrin towards the main entrance, I began to realize that it was more than just a small group of girls ogling my new "friends." It was as if the entire female population at my school had their hormone switch flipped on. My literature teacher from this year was even nervously combing her fingers through her hair as Alex swiftly floated past her. Christ… even the faculty are panting after them. And as luck would have it, one unfortunate girl, who was too busy salivating after Damian, forgot to pay attention to what was ahead of her – a brick wall.
Poor thing.
Verrin grinned as we entered the school. "They're here to take care of some important business – nothing too exciting. Don't forget about lunch, Bella."
I was left to contemplate her words as I stood just inside the main entrance. My concentration had momentarily switched to the girl who had just had an unpleasant meeting with the outside wall. She brushed herself off in embarrassment and I grimaced as I realized that could have easily been me.
By the time I turned back around, Verrin had already rushed off down the hall to her first class. It wasn't until I heard the high-pitched squealing of the morning bell that I too took off in a blur. Being late was the last thing on my agenda for the day.
The morning went by slowly as I sat through first period, biting my lip and idly staring at the clock. And yet I did the same exact thing for the next four classes before the lunch bell finally rang.
Verrin was already at our table as I made my way through the maze of hunger-stricken students, all vying to grab of piece of what could have only been described as the most repulsive thing to ever grace the cafeteria menu. Turkey Surprise.
No thank you. It reminded me of cat food. Smelly, disgusting, mashed cat food.
Doing my best to hold my breath, I zipped through the lunch line with a single red apple.
"Good thing you didn't get the special," Verrin commented as I arrived at our table, dropping my bag to the floor. "Because there definitely isn't any turkey in it."
"Ugh, don't," I pleaded, holding my hand up to stop her rant. "I hardly have an appetite as it is. I don't think I need to lose it completely."
"Fair enough."
She speared a piece of romaine lettuce off of her plate with one of those plastic sporks and began gingerly chewing her own meal. "You see that yellow flyer behind you?" she questioned between bites.
I turned around, noticing a pale yellow piece of paper stuck to the wall beside of the vending machine. The bold words of "Habitat for Humanity" were stamped across it. "Yeah, what about it?" I asked, turning around to take a bite of my apple.
"They're going to Ecuador tomorrow to help build some new homes," she continued, pausing as if to give me time to figure out what it was she was trying to say. After moments of me staring blankly in her direction, she finally sighed and shoved her salad away. "We're going on that trip, Bella."
I about choked on my apple. "I'm sorry?"
"I've already put our names on the list."
"But, we would have already had to pay for that trip, Verrin. What was it – like fifteen hundred dollars?"
"Sixteen."
This time I did choke on my lunch. "I don't have that kind of money!"
"Relax," she sighed, folding her arms casually across her chest. "I didn't pay a single penny for it."
"But – "
"Manipulative powers, Bella. I want you to repeat that."
"Damian and Alex," I sneered. "That's why they were here." I shook my head, trying to discern the obviously insane notion that was playing through her mind in this very moment. "Okay, well I don't see how a trip to Ecuador has anything to do with us."
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Verrin asked, narrowing her violet eyes in my direction. "We have to find a way to get you out of Jacksonville. I already told you that you would be enrolled back at Forks High before the week was out. Which means today is your last day here."
It was as if time had frozen. The sound of the audible cafeteria died away and along with it the sharp outlines of the students surrounding us. I could only focus in on Verrin's words as they seemed to pierce right through me. For the first time, it was as if my mind finally comprehended the fact that I would be saying goodbye to Renee and Phil. And Charlie… what was I supposed to say to him?
"We're going to make the school and your parents believe that we are going on this trip. Which means tomorrow morning you need to have everything you want to bring with you packed up and ready to go. You can't come back to stay with Renee or Phil, nor can you stay with Charlie in Forks. They have to believe that you're gone."
"But we won't be gone forever, Verrin." Even to me, my voice sounded distant to my own ears. Deep down, I knew what we had to do, but I didn't dare utter the words. Saying them out loud just made this entirely fucked up situation even more real.
She leaned forward, her gaze solemn as she chose how to appropriately say what she needed to tell me next. "Bella, try to understand me. You can't ever go back to being with your family. You can't even let those that once called you a friend know that you're alive."
Somewhere during her little speech, I began to shake my head violently as hot tears clouded my sight. My heart plummeted below my stomach. I could feel the bile rising up my throat, burning its way through my flesh like acid.
"Bella – "
I shot a hand up, signaling her to stop. Even through the liquid window that covered my gaze, I could easily see the distress evident upon her pixie-like face. "Don't. Don't even say it."
For all I knew, it could have been ten minutes or ten seconds of silence that passed between us before the firm grip of Verrin's hand around my arm shot waves of discomfort through my skin. Instantly, she pulled me up and began dragging me away from the cafeteria and towards a back hallway where at least a dozen freshmen were huddled around the lockers. They stared at us oddly while we made a straight path to the exit doors that led out to the faculty parking lot.
As soon as the fresh air hit my face, Verrin shoved me against the brick wall. Hard. The rough grout threatened to tear away the skin on the back of my scalp.
"What would you have me do?" she hissed, her eyes burning a violet blaze. "You are not a mortal human anymore, Bella. You don't belong in this world. Those people," she seethed, pointing towards the doors of the school. "…that you so desperately wish you were apart of, don't give a rat's ass about you. And your friends back at Forks… have you heard from them? Mike? Angela? Jessica? Tyler? Have any of them tried to contact you since you left?"
I shrunk away from her words, feeling the truth pound its way through my body as if someone were using me as a punching bag.
Her jaw locked as she continued to glare at me, her eyes shooting poisonous daggers that made my skin crawl. "You were never apart of this world. How is it even possible that a vampire and a werewolf love a human? And the same human! God, Bella, don't you see?" she screeched, pushing herself away from me. "You were meant for that world. You were meant for our world. Not this." She held her hands out, motioning to an average building, surrounded by the average cars and filled with the average people inside – a world with dull colors and little life. "Nothing about this world was ever meant for you. So, if you want to see Edward Cullen again, if you want your family to be safe, then you'll do exactly as we tell you."
"Why can't they know?" I whispered. "Renee and Charlie? Why can't they know?"
Verrin sighed and let her head drop into her hands. I had seen that look before and I hated the way it made me feel so inept. Didn't she understand that half the time I was even wondering if all of this wasn't just in my head?
When she finally looked up at me, her eyes no longer held the hostile appearance as before. Instead, they were softer, sadder. "It's for the same reason that they can't know about the Cullens being a clan of vampires," she uttered quietly. "It's for the same reason that they can't know about your friends on the reservation being werewolves. There's a fine line between morality and immortality, Bella, and we rarely, if ever, cross that line. Every action has its consequences, whether they be good or bad. This is yours."
Swallowing heavily, I nodded, allowing my body to sag against the roughened brick of the building. Yes… life had been much easier before Forks. My empty canvas had been mutilated, sprayed with a thousand colors at once, only to change my world to an ominous black. "So, how do we do it?" My voice was hoarse with exhaustion. There was too much still bottled up inside of me and yet I didn't want to feel the emotions. I don't think I deserved to feel them, especially not after what I was about to do to those I loved. "How are we going to fake our deaths?"
"Construction accident," Verrin shrugged, sinking down to the ground with a sigh, as if the topic were the most casual thing to be discussing. "We won't have it circulate for another couple weeks though. Technically, we're supposed to be in Ecuador for close to a month. This will give you enough time to figure out if the Cullens will actually be returning to Volterra and what exactly they talked about with Aro."
A loud snort issued through my nose as I rolled my eyes. I could just picture it now – walking over to Edward and Alice during lunch and asking them about their Italy trip. I wonder if they would think me too suspicious if I just happened to ask how Aro and his buddies were?
"Oh please," Verrin scoffed. "Do you even know the actual meaning of the word 'spy?'"
Damn her and her mind reading abilities.
"You have them too, you know. You just have to concentrate." She smirked at me for the first time that day and despite everything that had just occurred I couldn't help but grin back. "Manipulative powers, Bella," she repeated for the second time that afternoon. "You can manipulate anything and anyone you want to. That's the beauty of being what we are."
"So you're saying that I just manipulate the Cullens?"
"No," she corrected me. "I'm saying you spy on the Cullens."
I picked up a small gray stone and flicked it at her. "You know, you really suck at this cryptic thing."
"Like you could do better." She rolled her eyes at me and quickly stuck out her tongue.
"How very Alice of you," I smirked. "But how exactly does me spying on the Cullens make it any easier for us? Couldn't we just get the information on our own?" And save me the trouble of having to face him again?
"Touché," she nodded, her smile instantly disappearing. "But when they go to Volterra, Bella, you're going to follow them. We know that Aro is probably lying but we don't start wars over nothing and like I said, we tend to keep ourselves secret. So, we send you in to act like you're on his side, you find out information on this impending war, see if he is actually telling the truth and then let us know."
I stared at her incredulously. What in the hell had I done in my life to deserve all of this? "So it's just that easy, is it? Just like a snap of the fingers. Why not just make this a hell of lot less complicated and go talk to the werewolves about it?"
"That's easier said than done," she smirked. "But we're working on it."
Yeah, yeah… I sighed, leaning my head back and letting my eyes shut under the cover of the gray sky. It was easier staying hidden in the shadows. If only Edward hadn't saved me from Tyler's skidding van. Maybe then I wouldn't have to deal with any of this.
Fate wouldn't let your life end that easily, Bella. Verrin's thoughts pierced my mind, startling me. I snapped my eyes open to gaze down at her grinning form. Told you it's not that hard to concentrate.
"Look, I know it's a lot to take in," she sighed, pushing herself up from the ground. "But Gabriel will be more specific with you once we get to Forks. The whole you going to Volterra thing isn't entirely clear yet. My advice is to just take one day at a time."
"Easy for you to say," I muttered, making my way slowly back to the doors as the ending lunch bell rang through the school campus. "I'm virtually having to say goodbye to my family and say hello to the one person who didn't want me in his life anymore, all in less than a week. Not to mention everything else you want me to do."
We pulled the metal doors open, allowing the chatter of a hundred students surround us as we entered the hallway. Verrin draped her arm across my shoulders. "You'll get through it, Isabella."
"Don't call me that," I hissed, my body already tensing. Verrin stared at me in slight amusement, the corners of her thin lips curving upwards into a grin. "I don't like it when people call me that."
"No shit, Sherlock," she laughed, instantly catching the startled glance of a freshmen English teacher. "But lucky for you, I'll just call you Izzy instead."
"Oh God, that's worse," I droned, feeling my face turn a slight shade of pink. "That's a horrible name."
"Yes, but I think it has a nice ring to it though," she teased, poking me in the side as we entered the cafeteria to grab our things. "Don't you think?"
"I think I'm going to punch you."
"In front of all of these humans? You wouldn't dare, Swan."
My book bag swung easily over my shoulder as I turned around to meet her mocking gaze, her violet eyes alight with humor. "Try me."
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Carry on to part 2. ;)