A/N: Oh my god, is this an update ALREADY? Yes, my loves – it is. See you down there!
Mad World, Chapter21: Heretic Anthem
If you're 555 then I'm 666
(whats it like to be a heretic?)
everybody's so infatuated
everybody's so completely sure of what we are
everybody defamates from miles away
but face to face
they haven't got a thing to say
I bleed for this and I bleed for you
still you look in my face like I'm somebody new
toy, nobody wants anything I've got
which is fine because you're made of everything I'm not
EPOV
Why does everything bad seem to happen to me?
I sit stiffly inside of the Volvo, trying desperately not to panic. Isabella had seemed pretty freaked out when she'd bolted out of the car, and a second later she had disappeared from sight. Now, alone, I strain my eyes and ears, hoping to get some kind of indication as to what exactly is going on. Is there a burglar? A vampire? Damnit, this is just my luck!
The only thing that keeps me from totally losing it right now is the knowledge that Isabella is on my side…kinda. Besides the total confidence and deadly authority she radiates, I have witnessed firsthand the ease in which she can take down a vampire. I know I personally don't want to be on her bad side, and so I feel fairly confident that she can stop whatever is out there.
Today has been a strange day, to say the least. After last night, when the vampire surprised me by being more controlled and open than I'd ever seen her, I wasn't sure what to think. Deep down, I doubt that I'll ever be able to forget all the terrible things Isabella has done to me, or forgive the fact that she is holding me against my will. Forgiveness is, truthfully not one of my strong-suits. I've had a lot of time to stew in the absolute fear and loathing I feel for Isabella, and so even though she's asked to try and earn forgiveness, I can't help but scoff at the idea.
I spent a lot of time thinking about what to do about this whole mess. At first, once the surprise wore off, I was incredibly angry at the vampire for acting like I was supposed to just forget all the shit I'd been made to endure at her hands. The scars on my back have faded, but are still discernable in the mirror. I wanted to scream at her, tell her it would be a cold day in hell when I'd feel anything but hatred towards her.
After I'd had time to calm down, though, I tried to think reasonably (again, not my strongest suit). Maybe it would be better for both of us if I tried to accept her "kindness" with an open mind. I was tired of being lonely and angry all the time; yet it was hard to imagine being friends with a vampire, especially Isabella. My head began to ache from the turmoil, and again I got angry. I ended up getting so frustrated that I just lay down upon the bed and tried to go to sleep.
Today, I had been wary to say the least. The tension in the room was palpable, and I watched as Isabella struggled. I felt little sympathy for her, though; she was the one who made it this way. The trip was, I admit, pretty awesome – I love hiking and it felt so good to actually do something outside. We had a little blow up on the edge of the cliff, when I let my confusion and anger get the best of me and so did she. Truthfully, I am still afraid of Isabella, but today I began to feel a little…sorry for her.
Since then I have been at war with myself. Hatred, pity and… something else battle for dominance of my feelings towards her. And then, though it shames me to admit it to myself, for a moment all I felt was sheer desire. When she dove into that water, wearing only skin-tight clothing, the male part of me didn't give a shit if she was my captor, a monster; the only thing that it could focus on was the fact that she is inhuman in her beauty. I know, I know that her appearance is only a ruse to ensnare unsuspecting humans, but holy shit. I remember the way my throat felt dry, and before I knew it I was hard beyond belief. Immediately, I felt disgusted with myself, and so I quickly got into the water, hoping to distract myself with the cold. For the rest of the trip I continued to bat down the unwanted feelings of attraction, though it was more difficult than I'd care to admit.
It's only natural, I tell myself. Still, I feel ashamed of my body's weakness.
Now, however, these thoughts are far from my mind. The darkness holds danger for me at all times, it seems. I wonder if it Isabella is a danger magnet or if it's just me. I dare not get out of the car, even as the seconds turn into minutes and still Isabella has not returned. I clench and unclench my hands, fighting the urge to leave the car and check to see what is happening. All I can do is hope that my monster is stronger than whatever's out there.
My monster?
I shake my head at myself. Just then, Isabella appears suddenly in front of the car. I jump in surprise, then begin to truly worry as I see the anger in the vampire's ruby eyes. She walks quickly over to my door and opens it, pulling me out by the arm none-too-gently. Her expression is angry yet also worried, and I see concern flash in her eyes for a brief moment as she looks at me.
"Inside," she orders, her voice low and deadly serious. She walks beside me, letting go of my arm but staying very, very close. I walk quickly towards the front steps, scared, but freeze as soon as an enormous shadowy figure appears from the side of the house. Frozen with fear, I meet the silhouette's eyes for a moment before realization strikes me.
Golden eyes.
"Emmett?" I call, disbelief flooding me. Isabella snarls softly at my side, but I strain my eyes trying to see the face of my potential rescuer. It must be him… golden eyes, enormous body…"Emmett!" I try to run towards him, but Isabella snags my arm quickly, growling out a warning. I try to jerk my arm free, but a low, cold laugh stops me dead.
"No, little human – I am not your Emmett."
Shock overtakes me as the figure steps forward, illuminating his face at last.
BPOV
A few minutes before…
"We need to talk."
I narrow my eyes, staying poised for a fight. Admittedly, I feel a bit relieved. For a fraction of a second, I'd thought this huge, looming vampire with such burning golden eyes was Emmett, and I was paralyzed with fear.
But darkness can hide nothing from a vampire, and after that split second of panic, I recognized the face of the intruder. I am not entirely pacified, however; for this vampire is equally dangerous.
And we have never been friends.
"You are not welcome here," I growl, rising up out of my defensive crouch at last. The other vampire approaches, holding his hands out with an exasperated look on his face. I growl again, warning him off as he comes too close.
"Stay where you are."
"Give it a rest," he growls back, though he stops in his tracks. "I'm here to talk, not to fight. We're on the same team, remember?"
"This had better be important," I say, still wary. "You should have waited."
"This cannot wait."
Sighing, I relax my stiff posture. I glance over my shoulder, debating on what to do with Edward. "Come on, then." I huff, frustrated. "Stay away from the boy."
"Of course." I do not miss the contempt in his voice, but I ignore it. I rush to Edward's door, startling him. Feeling extremely protective, I haul him out of the car and hurry him towards the house, not wanting him near another predator any longer than necessary.
When Edward stops in his tracks, I curse myself for being so stupid. If even I was fooled for a moment, why shouldn't Edward be entirely convinced? I snag his arm as he tries to run, imagining a savior to be there.
"Emmett!" he cries, and I snarl as he tries to free himself. A harsh laugh stops Edward's movements, and the words that follow disillusion him.
"No, little human – I am not your Emmett." The vampire steps forward, into the light, and I growl at him in warning.
"Come no closer, Felix." I place myself between Edward and my unpredictable captain, prepared to kill the other vampire in defense of the human.
Felix ignores me, his now hungry eyes fixed on my singer. He has a dangerous-looking smirk on his pale face as he takes two slow steps forward, inhaling deeply. I no other incentive; I launch myself towards the much larger predator, slamming into his diamond-hard chest. He flies backwards several feet into the stone steps, snarling in surprise and rage. I ready myself to attack again, but Felix hold up his hands quickly in surrender.
"Finire!" he growls, getting to his feet. I pause, wary, but Felix makes no move towards Edward. "Stop. It was purely instinct. Send him inside – I cannot think straight with his blood so near. Let us speak alone."
"Get out of the way," I hiss at him, watching him as he moves away from the steps, backing away with a distrustful look on his face. "Try it again and I'll rip you to pieces." He growls at my threat but stays where he is. I turn to Edward, who is watching with wide eyes, and gesture for him to move. "Go upstairs and stay there." My voice is hard, but I hope that Edward will understand that he needs to obey. Thankfully, he goes quickly inside, and a second later I hear his feet upon the steps.
"Thank god," Felix sighs, dragging my angry gaze over towards him. "How can you stand it?" he asks, shaking his head.
"You tell me. I'm not the one who's been drinking animal blood." I turn to face the vampire fully, trying to release my pent up frustration. Felix glares at me, but I ignore it. "What is going on, Felix?" To my surprise, my question seems to erase the captain's anger, though now he is looking at me warily. He stalls, glancing around him as though looking for somebody else.
"Is there somewhere more… private we can talk?" he asks, his voice low. I tilt my head, incredulous.
"Nowhere except the house." Felix sighs and rubs his massive chest – a nervous gesture. "I assure you, however, that the likeliness of someone overhearing us is nearly nonexistent."
"I managed to surprise you," he points out, and I struggle not to growl.
"Yes, and do you think that I did not check to be sure that you were alone?" Felix shrugs, and I hiss in annoyance. "I am losing my patience – say what you must, and say it quick. I do not appreciate the disturbance."
"This is no light matter!" His deep voice is louder, angrier now. I narrow my eyes at him, surprised and curious. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Deciding that this must really be serious, I raise my hand, getting his attention. I point off to one side, drawing my hand in a clockwise circle. His mouth twitches upwards just as I take off towards the tree line, hearing his footsteps behind me. As soon as we hit the trees, Felix takes off in one direction as I go the other. Together, we cover the entire perimeter of my property, each of us listening and watching intently for any signs of other vampires. Nothing.
We meet in exactly the same place that we'd separated, and Felix looks much more at ease. He looks reluctantly appreciative, and we head silently back towards the house. When we reach it, I surprise him again by jumping up onto the roof, landing quietly. Felix follows my lead, and when I sit down facing one way, he sits facing the other, our backs almost touching. Between the two of us, we can see for miles in either direction – no one will be sneaking up on us. The giant vampire sighs heavily, and I wait for him to start.
"Someone is trying to kill Aro."
Those words, spoken in Felix's quieter-than-a-whisper bass voice, cause me to frown, though I know he cannot see me.
"That isn't exactly unheard of, Felix." I respond, my voice just as inhumanly quiet. I wait as he pauses again, wondering why the threat towards Aro should be so much more worrisome to the experienced guard. "Vampires try to kill the Ancients all the time."
"It's Caius."
My whole body freezes up in shock. The two words sink slowly into my brain, taking hold and smoldering there. Thoughts fly by so quickly that it's like a blur inside my mind, and I struggle not to explode with the turmoil inside. Caius is after Aro. Son of a…
"You're sure." It's a statement, not a question; Felix knows as well as I do that saying such a thing will get you killed, if you're lucky. All vampires have a volatile, violent nature, but Caius is in a league of his own. Whereas Aro is a collector of sorts, and Marcus simply uninterested, Caius is an enthusiast of pain. The cruelest of the three by far, he has been the foremost explorer in methods of torture and mind-breaking punishments in all of vampire history. He is ruthless, merciless, and unpredictable; in short, he is deadly beyond belief.
The only reason Caius gets away with all that he does is because of Aro. The unofficial head of the Ancients has always turned a blind eye on Caius' instability, for reasons only the oldest of vampires could understand. Basically, Aro is in some way in Caius' debt, and so anything and everything the malicious vampire does is always forgiven by his dark-haired friend.
"How…" I trail off, and Felix picks it up.
"James." Again, I'm left reeling. "He told me – tried to recruit me for their cause. Two days before the Challenge. I couldn't even give him an answer, I was so surprised. He told me to think about it and get back to him. I didn't know what to do, and then…"
"I killed him." I close my eyes, trying to wrap my mind around what Felix is saying. "And Caius? He didn't…"
"Try to kill me?" Felix laughs softly, humorlessly. "Twice. He waited for about a month after you took James' place, but when he found out you'd gone to rescue Emmett—"
"Emmett?" I ask, my voice louder. I jump to my feet and turn to face Felix, who gets up slowly and turns around. His face is deadly serious, and there is a depth to his stare that shakes me. "What does Emmett have to do with this?"
"Everything," Felix answers cryptically. I wait impatiently for him to explain, and after a moment he does. "Emmett may not be one of us, but his brother was."
"His brother?" I frown, bewildered. "Eleazar has been dead for half a century, Felix. Caius… Caius killed him himself!"
"Yes," Felix murmurs, his eyes flashing. "But not for the reasons he claimed to have done it. I don't know what the real reason was, but the very idea that Eleazar was a traitor is absurd. I knew him when he was in the Guard, and there was no one so against killing and treachery. Caius was up to something even then, and it had to be something to do with killing Aro."
"So does Caius think that Emmett knows something? Did Eleazar tell him something?" I turn away to pace, feeling so incredibly confused and frustrated. "Why would Emmett keep something like that secret from me?"
"I was hoping he hadn't," Felix says quietly, and I turn back to him. He meets my gaze steadily, sighing once again. "Isabella," I start at the use of my given name, but do not stop him. "Why do you think I tipped you off about Emmett's planned killing? I knew you'd go to save him, and so I pretended to be goading you into a fight, to make things seem less suspicious to others who may have been working for Caius. I sent you there to save him, and I was hoping that he'd tell you whatever it is that Caius thinks will ruin his plans."
I am speechless. I examine Felix's words, and I can hear the sincerity behind them. Suddenly, everything starts to make more sense… "So it was Caius who ordered Emmett's death," I murmur, and Felix nods gravely. "I wondered… I mean, I couldn't figure out how the Ancients would have found about it in the first place."
"You were the only one I knew could save him," Felix adds, closing his eyes briefly. "I was so certain he'd know it was Caius and fill you in. When you came back with the boy, I thought maybe he was the secret Eleazar kept." He shakes his head, seeming frustrated. "But even then it didn't make sense—the human is too young. So I knew Emmett hadn't told you. In fact, I now am certain that Emmett has no idea that he may hold the key to bringing Caius' downfall. Anyway, Caius figured out that I'd been the one to foil his plans, and so he sent Laurent after me."
"The Frenchman?" I ask, a dark laugh escaping my lips despite the seriousness of the situation. "He would be no match for you."
"He wasn't," Felix says, smiling dangerously. "But the message was clear. I stayed as far away from Caius as possible, but even that failed to appease him. Last night, when I came home, Jane was there."
"Jesus Christ," I whisper, dread coursing through me. "You didn't…"
"No," Felix assures. "She didn't even attack me. She is no fool, Jane – she listened to everything I knew and told me to get out of town. She's going to tell Caius I'm dead, so I need to lay low. She pointed me in your direction."
"But surely Caius will have you tracked." I say, suddenly worried for Jane and for Edward, if Caius sends someone…
"He can try, but they won't find me." Felix smiles slightly, pointing up at his golden eyes. I frown, perplexed.
"I don't follow."
"When we drink animal blood instead of the blood of humans," Felix explains, "our scent changes. We emit a wholly new smell, and so Caius will not be able to track me because he won't recognize my scent."
"Brilliant," I murmur, and Felix smiles arrogantly. "But how did you get your eyes to change so quickly? Shouldn't it take days for that to happen?" Now, the big vampire looks sheepish, avoiding my gaze.
"I… threw up all the human blood left in my system." I blanch, disgusted and surprised that's even possible. "And I drank a lot, I mean a lot, of animal blood." He rubs his stomach, grimacing, and I myself have to struggle not to vomit.
"Charming. But, Felix, why do you not go to Aro? Let him see your thoughts, and let him end this madness. Jane would back you up; she heard Caius ask her to kill you."
"That's the problem," Felix growls, clenching his hands into large fists. "Caius has something hidden up his sleeve – I can't even tell you what it is, but we can't go to Aro."
"What are you talking about, Felix?" I ask, my fear mounting. If Caius can block us from Aro…
"There are three others who know of Caius' plan, besides you, Jane and I. There used to be four. You remember Sam, the guard who tried to kill Emmett?"
"He knew?"
"After, yes." Felix growls again, louder now. "He found out after they came back, empty-handed. He tried going to Aro, thinking to convince him, but the second Aro touched Sam's hand, Aro snarled something and killed him where he stood."
"Shit," I whisper. Aro does not lose his cool easily, and I only think I've heard him snarl twice, ever. "How could… how did Caius –"
"I have no idea." Felix says simply, his shoulders slumping in defeat. I let out a long, slow breath. How is this possible? I wonder. If Caius can somehow influence Aro in this way…
"So what, then?" I ask. Felix tilts his head, unsure of what I am asking. "What do we do now?"
Felix looks at me as if I am a slow child, and rubs the back of his head. "Isn't it obvious?" I shake my head, annoyed, and he sighs. His next words are not something I want to hear.
"We have to go to Forks."
A/N: Well, I hope your minds have not literally been blown What do you think? Were any of you expecting this? I doubt it, but if you were then good for you! I know it is a bit short, but it had to end here, sorry!
Most of you thought the mystery vamp was Emmett, but that would be far too predictable, wouldn't it? Felix is about to be a big part of this story, folks, so I hope you don't hate him now!
Figured I should give you all a little EPOV, just to get a look inside his head. He's even more confused than Bella, but he may or may not be coming around.
Ok, wrapping up, you guys had better review the shit outta this chapter because I have been writing non-stop! If I get tons and tons and TONS, you will only have to wait days, not weeks, for the next one :P We're going back to Forks, people! Leave me love, you little crazies!
-GTA