Ch. 14 Run Now!

There was a click in the darkness and I could hear the sound of a blade rubbing against ropes. "Juliette?" The ropes snapped and Juliette stretched out her arms, wincing at the motion.

She untied her gag and spoke. "Sorry 'bout that. Emily and Rosalyn will do whatever Aro says; he's like a god to them. Here, let me help you with that. Now I know remember why I always carried a pocketknife in my shorts…" She felt around for the rough (but invisible) ropes and slit them carefully, trying not to cut me. I massaged my arms once they had been freed and looked around the cramped space. My eyes fell on a sack of flour and an idea popped into my head.

"Juliette, open up that bag of flour and dump it all on me."

I think she thought that all the stress was getting to me. "And why, exactly would I do that?"

I rolled my eyes without her knowing. "So you can see me, duh!" Comprehension dawned on her face and she quickly slit a hole in top, dumping it all over me. She sat back, admiring her work.

"Well, it won't make it in Paris anytime soon, but I like it! Don't worry; the invisibility should fade after about an hour." I laughed quietly and looked through a crack in the door. Aro was talking soothingly to Rosalyn, but stood up, setting her down beside him. A second later, a sharp knock rang out throughout the room. "Proceed." Aro spoke calmly and warmly, as though he were greeting family. The doors swung open, and my family walked through, looking angry and worried. Aro spread his arms wide in welcome. "Ah Carlisle, my old friend. It's been quite a while hasn't it? Nearly a decade!"

I could tell that Grandpa Carlisle was furious, but he maintained his composure. "This is hardly the time for reunions, Aro. Just give me my granddaughter, and we will go in peace."

Aro patted Rosalyn's head and looked carefully at Grandpa Carlisle. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

Uncle Emmett looked scary angry. "What do you mean, you CAN'T? It's really very simple, you old prune! Give us back our niece!" Aro looked at him sternly and motioned to Jane. I had to bite down on my hand to keep from screaming out loud.

Mom knew what was going to happen a split second before everyone else did. Every member of my family did a little intake of breath as Mom's shield took away their sight. Go Mom! Jane looked angry that Mom was blocking her and glared harder until Aro waved her away. I searched around for my friends and spotted them. Seth, Amanda, and Jacob were all standing in the middle; my family apparently trying to conceal them from the Volturi. Jacob spotted me and I put a finger to my lips, shaking my head frantically. He understood. I inched back into the darkness, turning to a relaxed looking Juliette. "So, what's the plan maestro?" I rolled my eyes at her goofiness.

"I'm waiting for the right moment to attack. When Aro moves into a position within a close range, I'll break his neck. You try to take down the other vamps, or get yourself out of here. Got it?"

She looked shocked and yelled out "WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY?" I clamped a hand over her mouth, keeping her quiet. I returned to my position at the crack, watching for the right moment. A few seconds later, Aro was about 3 feet away from the closet. Perfect. I motioned for Juliette to move forward. She was still staring at me, her eyes wide.

"Three, two, one…GO!" I jumped out of the closet and aimed for Aro, but the woman jumped in front of him and I couldn't stop and accidentally broke her neck; the action that was meant for Aro. Behind me, Juliette screamed "NO!" and she crawled out of the closet, kneeling next to the woman's motionless body. Aro seized me by the throat, his eyes alight with anger, but my Dad came up behind him, snapping his neck easily. Juliette screamed again, staring at Aro's fallen body. My family sprang into action, going against the other vampires. Rosalyn was cowering in a corner, and I immediately wanted to save her. She was so young; young enough that we could teach her! I moved forward but a cold hand grabbed my wrist. A thrill of fear ran through me until I realized that it was Grandpa Carlisle. He shook his head sadly. Dad looked at Jacob, who was ripping apart Jane. "JACOB! SETH! GET NESSIE, AMANDA, AND THAT OTHER GIRL OUT OF HERE!" Jacob grabbed Juliette and me and pulled us onto his back in mid-phase. Juliette clung to me, sobbing.

Jacob and Seth ran out of the building, none of the Volturi trying to tail us. "WHERE ARE WE GOING?" I had to shout over the wind.

"ANYWHERE BUT HERE!" Amanda screamed back at me. I was good with that.