Chapter Twenty One

Bella

I hated the thought of leaving Jasper behind knowing that I would probably never see him again, that he was going to let Doctor Cullen put him down like a stray dog or an injured animal and it just wasn't right. Besides that, I knew in my heart that I loved him so how could I leave? I stopped walking suddenly taking my two companions by surprise and turned back holding Sophie close to my chest, I couldn't leave, I wouldn't. We had traveled some distance along the road by now but when I asked Esme how much further we had to go she just shrugged,

" Emmett should pass along this road soon, he's patrolling the area and that's how he was able to give us the warning until then we just have to keep moving but if your little girl is heavy I'm quite happy to carry her for a while."

I shook my head, I wasn't giving up my daughter to anyone but I was going back and now.

Without giving them a chance to stop me I began to run back in the direction of the house just as three black-clad figures appeared from the darkness, silent and menacing and I knew without being told that these were the Volturi.

Rosalie and Esme who had both appeared at my side even though I thought I had outrun them gasped and froze as the silent figures appeared to drift closer until I could finally make out the faces, they were all male, two men, and one adolescent. All were pale skinned and eerily good looking and reminded me of Jasper although he hadn't been as pale. They had the same dark smudges under their eyes, eyes which appeared black and sinister.

The leader put a hand up and all three stopped about twenty feet from where we stood then he addressed my companions,

"Esme, Rosalie, I had no idea you were in the area, Aro told us Carlisle was but it's a pleasure to find you all together. I assume Carlisle found what he was looking for? I have to admit that he succeeded where I failed. This has been a strange and frustrating hunt but it appears it is almost over at last."

His eyes suddenly swiveled to stare at me,

"I see you have a companion, strange. Would you care to tell me what is going on and where Carlisle can be found?"

Neither of my companions spoke at first and I wondered why, the three men, or two and a boy were strange, and even a little intimidating, but if they were known to each other why should the women be reluctant to speak? The leader, the man named Demetri smiled coldly,

"I see, well I'm sure Aro will be fascinated to hear that I came across you out here. Where is he, Esme? We are going to find him sooner or later and far better if we do so with your help."

He was still staring at me but now he was also frowning,

"I wonder...do you know where he is human?"

Human? What the hell was he talking about, did this guy think he was an alien or something? They were all crazy!

"I don't know what you're talking about and it's too cold to stand here chatting with you so if you'll excuse me I want to get my daughter home."

I took a few determined steps forward to go around him and he shook his head,

"Alec."

The teenager smiled and I shivered, his expression reminded me of a malevolent Disney witch and the other two stepped once more to my side,

"Bella, please don't..."

Esme stopped mid-sentence and when I turned to look at her I frowned, she stood like a statue unblinking, not even breathing, and when I checked Rosalie was in the same state. It was as if they were robots whose power had been cut, what the hell was going on?

I glanced back at the youth who was glaring at me his eyes boring into mine and shivering once more I turned my attention back to the leader.

"Look, I don't know what's going on or what your freaky little friend has done to Esme and Rosalie but I'm not standing here freezing to death so step aside."

All three stared at me uncomprehendingly and anger flared up in me white hot.

"What? Get out of my way."

I walked straight at them and they stood frozen like the women allowing me to pass without any attempt to stop me. This was getting more and more strange by the second but I took advantage of their immobility and kept moving finally breaking into a fast jog while cradling Sophie's head so it wouldn't bump against my shoulder and wake her up. How she had slept through all this I couldn't imagine but I wasn't going to complain, she was far too young to be frightened by the strange people I was meeting tonight.

I had no idea where to go, I couldn't go home or I would be leading them straight to Jasper, they could even now be close on my trail, so I decided to head for town. I would knock on the Harris's door and give them some story about my car breaking down, I was just relieved that Sophie hadn't stirred then remembered what Jasper had said, how his influence would continue to work on her for a couple of hours after we left. These strange people, the Volturi, no longer scared me, whatever tricks they were using had no effect on me they didn't even seem able to prevent me from leaving so I slowed then marched doggedly on praying I would meet someone before I fell into a snowdrift and froze to death, thank God it had stopped snowing for a while and the wind had dropped.

Remembering what Rosalie had said about their companion, Emmett, still being out here in a car I began looking for lights or the huge form of the guy who had accompanied the doctor to my place previously, silhouetted against the white snow by the yellow light of the moon. I had to get away and I had to find somewhere warm for Sophie and myself as neither of us was properly dressed to be out in this weather in the middle of the night. I couldn't even allow myself to think what I might say to Sophie if she woke up, she would be expecting to be home with her presents from Santa and there was no way of getting them for her now and she would be devastated that we had left Jasper behind. I even wondered if she would ever forgive me, she was so fond of him.

Everything was one huge mess and I wasn't even going to think about the three weird guys who had turned up out of the blue and called me a human! If they were the Volturi and I was pretty certain that they were, then they weren't so tough, they hadn't tried to stop me leaving, the leader had thought better of it so why were the others so terrified by the name?

I thought I was doing pretty well, I'd kept up a fast jog for while keeping to the side of the road and so avoiding the worst of the drifts while staying in the shadow of the trees that lined it. When I turned to look I could see no sign of any pursuers but then I saw a truck's headlights up ahead, could it be the Doctor's companion? Praying it was, I shifted Sophie to my shoulder and began waving frantically at the driver as the truck closed on me.

It slowed and came to a halt just shy of me and the door opened to reveal the same huge guy I had seen with the doctor at my house. I gasped out his name in relief,

"Emmett?"

He frowned then recognized me,

"Hey, you're the girl from the house, what the heck are you doing out here on your own? Where are the others? What happened?"

Seeing I was shivering and almost dropping from exhaustion he helped me into the warm cab of the truck and got back behind the wheel listening as I tried to explain what had happened when I wasn't even sure myself.

"Demetri found you?"

I nodded,

"Yes and this boy, Alec I think he called him, he stared at us and suddenly Esme and Rosalie were like...petrified wood, I just ran and he didn't even try to stop me. I didn't know where to go or what to do so I just kept going, I was hoping I might find you. The doctor stayed at my place with Jasper, I have to get back there, he was going to kill Jasper and I guess I'm going to be too late to save him now, I daren't go back before because Demetri still hadn't traced Jasper but I would have led him straight to him."

I began to cry then, everything suddenly crowded in on me, Jasper begging for death, the doctor with his possible cure, the Volturi who were enough to freak anyone out and the strange reaction to his stare, why hadn't I felt that like Esme and Rosalie? I was cold, miserable, and frightened out of my wits but angry that I had broken down.

"Who are these Volturi? Why won't they leave Jasper alone and why did he call me a human?"

Emmett wrapped his huge arms around my shoulders in an attempt to comfort me but it wasn't his arms I wanted it was...Jasper's, of course it was and I had to get back and pray the doctor had tried his cure and not a deadly cocktail of death.

Emmett didn't want to take me home but I could see he was working something out.

"You said the Volturi couldn't find Jasper and Demetri couldn't prevent you from leaving? He hasn't come after you and Alec's gift didn't work on you."

"What? I don't understand."

He began to smile,

"Maybe not but I think I do. I mean I've heard of shields but I never thought I'd actually meet one, cool. That's why they couldn't find Jasper, I wonder how long the effect lasts. Maybe, just maybe, we can go back, we have to if Carlisle is still there, We can't let them find out he was helping you all evade justice so maybe if they're still looking we can get in, get him, and get back out before Demetri sniffs him out. Is your little girl OK?"

I looked over where Sophie was sleeping curled up on the back seat like a little kitten.

"I'm hoping she won't wake up until it's all over, Jasper said he used his gift and you said something about a gift. What's going on Emmett? Who are you and who are the Volturi? Why do they want Jasper dead? Nothing makes sense anymore, it's like I fell down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland and suddenly the world is topsy-turvy."

Emmett grimaced,

"Gee, I'm sorry but I can't tell you, it's too..."

"Dangerous? Yeah, that's what everyone keeps telling me, even Jasper, but seeing as how I'm up to my neck in this business don't you think I deserve some explanation?"

"I guess so, let me think."

He was peering out the windshield and I noticed it was snowing again heavily, I cursed knowing it would slow us down.

"OK, well I guess I can tell you about gifts. You know how some people are good with numbers, or balancing, or climbing really tough cliffs? Well, gifts are a bit like that, they're a strength or a talent you possess that no one else does and it gives you the ability to do something useful, Demetri can find people, Alec can confuse them and from the sound of it Jasper can make you feel emotions, feelings like making you sleep or stopping you from worrying, that kind of thing."

I thought about this aware Emmett was only grazing the surface of it,

"And you think I have the ability to stop people finding what they're looking for? What do I do? Put up an invisible shield that they can't see through?"

"Yeah kinda. Well, more like a fog that cuts down the visibility I guess but whatever it is we can maybe take advantage of it. You want to get Jasper out and I want my wife back not that I think the Volturi would hurt her, or Esme but they could be in trouble because they prove Carlisle knew where Jasper was, especially as they'll soon find out he was with you and then they were. Sorry, I'm not making much sense, am I? It's hard when there's so much I can't explain to you.

I sat back and sighed,

"Let's hope you're right or we could find a reception committee waiting for us."

He was interested to hear about Jasper, apparently, none of the family had ever seen the guy until Carlisle explained who he was and his own part in producing a superman.

"And the Volturi isn't a government agency?"

"No, nothing to do with the government although they are a police force of a kind."

"Not related to E.T by any chance?"

Emmett frowned,

"Little alien guy who wants to phone home, his finger glows, then some government agency gets involved and the little alien almost dies."

I could see he didn't have the faintest idea what I was talking about so I tried to explain and eventually he got the idea.

"Oh, right. No, nothing like E.T. No aliens involved I promise, it's just not safe for you to know any more, anyhow this is as close as I dare get. We'll have to go in by foot from here."

I peered out and nodded turning to get Sophie,

"Don't you think she'd be safer staying here?"

I stared at him aghast, leave my baby alone in a strange place in the middle of the night? He took one look at my expression,

"I guess that's a no, tell you what, let me carry her I can go quicker than you."

Reluctantly but admitting he was probably right I allowed him to carry Sophie but I stuck close to his side, I wasn't letting her out of my sight for a second, not with all the craziness going on tonight!