~ Isabella's POV ~
"What's wrong?" I asked Edward when I looked up to meet his eyes. They were bright and gold and full of worry. He spared a moment to think about his response before leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. The sleeves of his burgundy sweater were rolled up to his elbows; Edward had hairy arms, I noticed.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" He replied, "Because I certainly don't."
With a roll of my eyes, I leaned back into the cushion of the sofa and folded one perfect leg over the other. "Of course, this isn't a good idea, this is a terrible idea, but we have no other choice." That was not necessarily true, we had Kate. Admittingly, I was curious as to exactly how excruciating the pain of Kate's electric shock was but not curious enough to risk losing my arm. Kai's arm had been a marred mess of spider-web like cracks by the time I had managed to shield him five days prior; any longer and I had no doubt it would have detached from his shoulder like crumbling stone.
But I needed to work on my shield. Not expanding it, that much I'd proudly mastered – it was lowering it I needed to tackle now. Hence the bronze haired immortal sitting across from me. Kai, who was spending this time scowling at the back of Edward's head from across the room, had not been too thrilled when I'd entertained the idea of having Edward try to read my mind as I worked to lower my shield. At least that way we would know if it was working without immense searing pain coursing through my body at the same time; though it did sound by far more comfortable than the idea of having Edward pry into my thoughts.
Never had anyone invaded my privacy this way, not Edward nor Aro – and Kai had only ever caught a glimpse when erasing Bella Swan from existence and creating me and here I was about to let Edward read my thoughts like an open book. I did not know how his family could stand it, their blatant lack of privacy around him. I would be forever on edge.
I tried to imagine a world in which my shield didn't exist, and the thought made me shudder.
"Let's get this over with," I told him, leaning forward to take the book he had placed on the coffee table earlier that day. The book was, in fact, a photo album, the very same photo album Edward had swiped from Charlie Swan's home the day of my interrogation. Edward had once again borrowed it to aid us in our training; I was to pick a photograph at random and try to focus on the details before me as I lowered my shield and it would be Edward's job to try and identify the photo from the images in my head.
I flipped the black pages of the book, unreasonably careful as my fingers caressed the photos that showed the story of Bella's life. I supposed that for Charlie – and probably Edward, before discovering the truth – these photographs were all they had left of Bella Swan. They meant everything. It made sense why Charlie kept this on his coffee table and placed it on his bedside table every night, according to Edward.
"Picked a photo?" Edward's voice was a welcome distraction from the depressing train of thought I was taking.
"Yes." I lied, then picked whatever photo was on the page before me.
"Well…when you're ready." I nodded but needed a moment to think. I hadn't had much hope when Kai had explained to me the mechanics of this part of my mind – it was as if he were asking me to pour all my strength into not pushing but lifting until the built-in, internal shield which guarded me always moved. It sounded just as difficult as I imagined it would be but the little hope I did have had sprung from the success of my expanding my shield nearly a week ago. It had taken everything I had possessed but I had accomplished what should have taken me decades to learn in no time at all. I knew I could do this.
I sat upright and manoeuvred the book so Edward could not see the page, and then when I was ready, I reached within and searched for the walls of my shield. It was not difficult to find and listen to the part of it that protected me. The automatic instinct to preserve self above all else. What was more challenging was convincing that part of me to rise, to unveil itself to the world. After thirty long and agonizingly frustrating minutes, just as my patience began to wear thin, I felt a twitch of movement and an empty, almost numb space appear. Edward's eyes lit up and I knew he had felt it. Seen it. I strained to push it away from me; it captured all my focus, but I felt the empty space between it and my mind grow; could sense the elastic try to recoil as it fought to protect me.
"Something's happening?" Kai asked, presumably noticing the change in my expression.
"Shhh!" Edward hushed him, dismissing Kai with a wave of his hand but I knew the reasoning behind it. Listening to their voices and concentrating on what they were saying would distract me and I would lose my already unsteady grip. Knowing I needed to act quick, I focused on the photograph and zoned in on specific details, letting them flood my mind and hopefully his as well; I focused on the alphabet magnets on the refrigerator behind young Bella, then on the pimple on her chin, the fact one shoe-lace was undone, the frozen flicker of a flame on the candle atop the white chocolate cake she held in her thin arms.
Edward's chuckle broke my concentration and I felt my shield snap back into place with a searing sting, one which made me physically wince and recoil. "You could see the photo?" I asked as I tried to hide my discomfort.
He nodded, looking at me with wonder. "Bits and pieces." He said.
"Well, it's a start," I responded.
"But I know enough of the photograph to recognize it's a photo of Bella on her birthday." He was right. The photograph was that of Bella on her fourteenth birthday – from the number of candles in the cake – and from the looks of things, the attention had not been something young Bella had craved. Something gave me the impression that lack of interest in being in the spotlight was not something she ever grew out of.
"Pick another." He told me and I did as he instructed. Flipping the pages, I tried to find a photo that captured my attention and truth be told, I could have chosen any of them but I was curious as to what would entertain me and after a few moments, I found one. I turned the page again and found myself frozen as I came to face with the picture of a woman and I knew immediately she was Bella's mother. She looked like Bella – or rather Bella looked like her. The same shaped face, hair similar in colour and length save for a few inches; the only significant difference were the eyes of clear, sky blue. Obviously, Bella had inherited her brown from her father. There was something in the look the mother gave to the camera or the person behind it that sang with joy. Whenever this was taken, whatever the circumstances the photo came about, Bella's mother was happy. Considering Charlie was with Sue Clearwater and the mother lived in Jacksonville, her happiness had not lasted.
"I'm not getting anything," Edward said, capturing my attention.
"Sorry, I wasn't focusing." I then flipped the book. "Tell me about the mother." I had been unsure of whether or not to refer to the woman as her mother or my own. Biologically this woman had given birth to me, I had fed from her breast and slept in her arms and her face was probably the first this face saw. I felt a new and unfamiliar pull to this woman as if suddenly she meant the world to me. An echo of Bella's thoughts on her, perhaps?
Edward licked his lip and smiled, pointing to the photo he said, "Her name is Renée. Bella lived with her and Renée's husband, Phil, in Phoenix until Bella was seventeen when she moved to Forks."
"- Because Phil is a baseball player, yes, I know this," I remembered from what they had told me the day of my interrogation. "What I mean is – why? What happened between Renée and Charlie? What does Renée know of what happened to her daughter? What…what is she like?"
Edward looked at Kai for an unknown reason. I wondered if he was considering arguing and was going to insist we continue with my training but instead he told me what I wanted to know. "Renee and Charlie fell in love here in Forks when they were young. Charlie purposed early into the relationship and Renee, ecstatic with the whirlwind romance they had, said yes. At first, your mother enjoyed the novelty of being married; and living in this quaint, quiet little town. Their relationship only bloomed when she discovered she was pregnant with you. However, after a few months, everything started to get stale. There was no adventure left in their relationship and though she loved Charlie, she was no longer happy. Having you made things better but she could not bear to have you grow up in such a gloomy, miserable place so she decided to leave with you and get her life in order."
"That's miserable," I noted.
"It's sad, yes," Edward said. "Your mother loved your father but that wasn't enough for them to be together."
"Sometimes that's the way it's meant to be," Kai mumbled just loud enough for us to hear. His eyes were on the photograph of Bella's mother. "One thing I have observed in humans is that they have the capability to fall unconditionally in love in such a short space of time. And you would think a love like that is meant to last forever but that isn't always the case. Sometimes people are meant to fall in love and meant to separate – it's sad and painful but it's meant to happen so all parties involved can learn and grow from their experience, to be prepared to face love again in the future when it is right."
A long pause of silence followed these words. I made a mental note to punch Kai for that later. "Well, this got deep and awkward fast," I said, earning a laugh from both boys.
Edward, thankfully, continued on with what he was saying and chose not to acknowledge the tension in the room. "The rest you know, you grew up in Phoenix until you moved here at seventeen. Only my family and the Pack know the truth about what happened to you. Or what we believed to be the truth at the time. We covered up your death as a horrible highway accident. That is what I remember, anyway." A hint of accusation in his voice. Kai sighed, obviously tired of petty comments, and moved to sit on the arm of the couch.
"Don't you think it's time we let that go, Edward?" Kai teased with humour in his voice. "I returned you and your families memories."
"After hiding them," Edward muttered with a roll of his eyes.
"When Aro had me erase the memories of your kidnapping and replace them with memories of your fake death-" He said, facing me again. "By the hands of Victoria, he also asked me to make it so the Cullen's would handle the particulars upon returning to Forks and not realise that their actions were by command and not of their own free will."
"We forged death certificates and created our own scene of the accident with half-destroyed cars. I don't know if there ever was a body. In my memories…" Edward paused and looked down at his hands. He was squeezing his fingers tightly. I imagined they would be shaking if his nerves could betray his body. "In the memory Kai gave me, I only see your body, drained of life by Victoria. I see it perfectly in my head. I remember smelling your blood and knowing there was too much of it tainting the air for you to still have any left running through your veins."
"I'm sorry," Kai said, not to me but to Edward. "I needed to make the memories convincing."
Edward refused to acknowledge Kai's apology through the words he had said or the guilt in his amber eyes. He just gave a slight nod of the chin to demonstrate his understanding that what had happened to us all had been just as out of Kai's control as it was my own. "She visited your grave here many times-"
"Wait…I'm buried here?" I asked. "Well, the fake me that doesn't exist was buried here?"
"Yes, I suppose it's an empty casket buried in the ground now but yes. Your mother believes the same as your father and the rest of the humans you were involved with. She spent a long time in Forks, finding it difficult to part from where you were buried." I thought about what it must have been like for Edward at the funeral, a victim to Kai's terrifyingly convincing compulsion. Not only did he remember seeing my dead body, but he could probably smell it. He could smell Bella's decaying body when it did not exist. I thought about that for a moment, the horror behind it and it made even me shiver.
"Okay, I think that is enough of this, for now. We need a break," I announced to the room, springing up to stretch my legs without needing too if only to do something.
"We've barely scratched the surface of what you are capable of doing if we put in the time," Edward argued, following me with his eyes as I crossed the room to peer through the window. The skies were dark but it was too cold to rain.
"And we will but we have been at it long enough. We may be immortal, but we do deserve breaks."
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket at the same time it pinged. We all frowned as I dug my fingers into my jeans to hook it out. It was a burner phone. My actual phone was switched off and disabled as to not be tracked by the Volturi. The only people who had this number were the people who lived in this very house and Jake.
The answer to the question on all our minds was answered when I read the message. "It's Sebastian," I told them, and Edward and Kai looked up. "No idea how he got this number, but he is just letting me know he's left Seattle and taken his men with him. He's also sent off a few of the look-outs waiting in the city in case we need to get a flight out of the country instead of moving on foot."
A sense of relief washed over me. Sebastian had done what he could and rid the city of Aro's lookouts but this by no means meant we were safe, and that was something I had to keep reminding myself. Sebastian had come to us as a friend, an ally but if he had come with more violent intent then we would have been in trouble. No one, not even Alice who could see in the future, had seen Sebastian's arrival. No one had realised we were even close to being found until he knocked on my door. It could have been a disaster.
I looked across the room towards the front doors and saw, waiting right where I had left it, was a large black duffel bag. In which our essentials were hidden. Passports, driving licences, birth certificates; all forged of course. Though the millions of dollars' worth of rolls, credit cards and jewellery stashed away in there were as real as could be. After what had happened with Sebastian, I wasn't going to risk it anymore. We had to be prepared to leave at at moment's notice. For all we knew, the Volturi could have been charging through Forks right that second and we would be none the wiser. We had to be prepared.
The other Cullen's bags were piling up in the foyer too. Kai and I weren't the only ones preparing for the worst.
It saddened me to know that they were abandoning the lives they had made for themselves here in Forks to travel with me and keep me safe. I knew, of course, I was not the only reason for their departure; Aro, outraged at Kai and I's betrayal, would surely find some way to punish the Cullen's despite the fact they would have been just as in the dark as they day Kai stole their memories if it hadn't had been for me – well, Sebastian and this mysterious hero who had aided him in my rescue and lead me to my discovery of the truth.
I had thought hard during my free time about this individual but could not for the life of me wonder who it could have been. I knew every member of my guard, some better than others, of course, and although several of them were less monstrous than they had let on, I doubted any of them would have cared enough about what I – or Bella Swan, specifically – had been through to attempt to help me. And, for argument's sake, this individual had met and befriended Bella before I came along, why wait almost three years before doing anything about it?
"Do you hear that?" Kai asked. I spun, facing him.
"Hear what?" Edward replied but he hadn't needed too as we both caught on.
From beyond the windows, I heard a sound, a deep rumble. "Thunder?" Kai guessed. I knew thunder and that wasn't it. The sound was distant but enough within range for me to easily recognise it. The continuous booming of footsteps. I was on my feet and whistling out of the back doors at a speed which could have shattered the glass panelling.
Just as I reached the bottom of the Cullen garden where the river divided their lawn from the forest beyond, a small, hooded figure landed on the balls of their feet, facing away from me. My hands were balled into fists, my eyes locked onto their every move. I was prepared to kill but as the figure spun and dropped their hood, I loosened my shoulders.
His familiar scent hit me less than a second later. "Jasper?" I exclaimed, storming forward. He glanced over his shoulder at me and smiled the brightest I had ever seen, but his attention was quickly diverted by Emmett who appeared out of nowhere and reached for his brother but missed when Jasper ducked under his arm and struck a low but hard blow to Emmett's gut, sending the larger of the two – and the one you would place your bets on to win the fight – rolling back down the incline into the forest with a thunderous crash. That explained the thunder.
"Isabella." Jasper greeted me, wiping down his mud-strained palms on his black hoody.
"What on earth are you doing?" I asked although had already guessed the answer. They were sparring. Jasper didn't have time to answer as Emmett burst from the thicket, bounding up the incline in a blur, kicking up giant mounds of dirt and earth in his wake. I took a step back as to avoid the collision but still felt it as Emmett tackled Jasper to the ground and sent the two crashing towards the house.
"Training. Care to join?" Jasper yelled from somewhere in the tumble. Emmett threw a punch Jasper avoided by ducking his head. Emmett's fist destroyed the stone step leading to the porch in shattered pieces of stone. Edward let out a long whistle. "Isabella will have to get in line because Esme is going to kill you."
Distracted by his brother, Emmett was knocked back a couple of feet by Jasper's foot. With a flip, he was back on his feet with his hands up though his eyes were on me. "Well?"
I realised he was waiting for my answer. "Of course! Who's first?" I beckoned them forward. Edward sniggered and strolled forward with a little-added swagger I made a promise to knock off.
"I don't think that's a good idea. You could get hurt." Kai called from the back of the house. He and Edward leaned together, a little too close for my liking, against the wooden railing, watching with wild curiosity.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine!" Emmett waved off the comment. Edward, Kai and I exchanged a look and laughed aloud, the sound somewhat beautiful.
"What?" Emmett yelled back, not taking his eyes off me as I walked confidently over to meet him. Emmett knew what I could do, he'd experienced it first-hand the day we met when I escaped this very house. I'd fought them all and he'd seen the damage I had caused in my escape."
"I was speaking to you." Kai laughed. Emmett caught on, took one look at me and rolled his eyes.
"Pfft! Please."
I arched a brow.
"And to think I was going to take it easy on you."
"Give me all you got."
And for that comment, I did.
"Okay, Uncle, Uncle!" Emmett roared at the top of his lungs, punching my arm to get my attention.
"What? Admitting surrender already?" We had been fighting for an hour. "Pathetic." I released Emmett from the grip I had him in and he hit the dirt hard. The grip had been one in which I held his already cracked neck in my arms. One twist and it would've popped right off. Emmett tried to shrug it off with a laugh, but I'd genuinely frightened him. I wondered if, for a second, he'd considered if I was truly going to decapitate him. It wouldn't mean certain death but still, no one likes to lose their head. Not to mention a head is harder to reattach successfully than a limb is.
"Got to say, Isabella, I'm impressed," Jasper said, pushing off from the tree he'd leant against to watch the round.
"I know my stuff." I brushed off my shoulders smugly.
"That she does," Kai mumbled, shaking his head from side to side in slight awe of me. I gave a little bow. I took great pleasure in putting Emmett Cullen in his place – not that he was much of a challenge anyway. He relied solely on brute strength which admittingly played an important part in destroying one's enemies, but the real skill came in one's ability to think critically, trust their instincts and then deliver a solid, killing blow.
"I want a rematch." He demanded, pointing to the centre of the clearing. "The moment my neck heals." He added, rubbing it. Edward laughed, and Emmett flipped him off.
"I thought you would, but do you think your pride could take it so soon?"
He bit his lip and imitated backhanding me.
"Try it and I'll snap that hand off and shove it right up your-"
"What's going on here?" Rosalie laughed as she and several of the others approached from beyond the house. They had returned at the best time. In the early afternoon light, Rose looked radiant. Her hair resembling actual gold as it twisted down one shoulder and into the opening of her fur coat. Her cheeks powdered ever so slightly to resemble a cold blush. The others were similarly dressed, especially the Denali's.
"Emmett's trying – and valiantly, I'll add – to secure his sense of masculinity by beating me in battle." I ruffled his curly, dirt covered locks. "Maybe next time, bud? You did your best."
He slapped away my arm with a curse.
"Aww poor baby," Rose shook off her coat and tied back her hair with a band from her wrist. "Might as well stroke his ego a little longer. He's a fragile soul." And she winked. I stepped back, offering her space and now faced against his mate, Emmett seemed eager to get back into it. He dropped into a squat with his giant arms out as Rosalie pounced him with half a battle cry, half laughter.
It wasn't long before the other Cullen's and Denali's returned home and decided to train alongside us. And before I knew it, Jacob had shown up and invited the pack to train too. It was interesting to watch the wolves train with us. When I'd first encountered them in the woodlands my first night here in Forks, I'd been truly intrigued by their capabilities as these beasts and although I'd come to care for them I still found myself anticipating the outcome of a fight.
The fights that included the wolves were more brutal than a fight between two of my own kind. We immortals always displayed a picture of grace and fluidity, even in the middle of battle. Our movements were elegant and calculated, precise; the wolves though were savage. Cracks and booms echoed throughout the clearing as ancient trees snapped between the weight of Paul as Irina threw him against it. He was back on his feet and snapping at her throat with his large canines in second, being held back only by her hands lost in the shag of his neck. One might think they were actually trying to kill one another.
Well, it was Irina and Paul.
Edward and I exchanged a glance and I wondered if he'd had the same thought. Though I needn't worry. Surely, he'd intervene if he read she was preparing the killing blow.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking."
Edward smirked. "I don't know. What are you thinking." A challenge.
I pulled down the walls of my mind – I regretted giving up on our training session so early as it stung to jump straight back into it, but I refused to let it show. I thought of Irina but didn't give it away by looking directly at her. I pictured the way she and Paul fought, the destruction in her eyes. I then imagined what it would be like if she delivered the killing blow. I imagined it in detail and Edward rolled his shoulders, losing his smile.
"You saw?" I gasped, losing my shit for a moment.
"Not enough but I got a good enough image." He responded, chuckling the disturbing thought of Paul's broken, dying body away. "And to answer your question, yes. I was wondering the same thing but I'm listening, keeping an eye on it."
With a huff, Irina shoved Paul off her and leapt to her feet, she stormed away from the clearing, giving Edward and I a dirty look as she went. She'd obviously heard us. I shrugged in her direction as if she could blame me. One look at the others confirmed me they wondered the same.
"Okay," Jasper called. "Who's next?"
The hours passed, and partners changed, each round resulting in more destruction of the forest much to Esme's dismay – apparently, she had been considering building a cosy little cottage in these parts a few years ago but considering all the mayhem, it had never happened – but no one seemed too bothered as we apparently had been progressing, according to Jasper.
Whereas I started to lose interest after the first few rounds, Jasper stood by the edge of the sparring circle with his arms crossed, barking orders at both opponents. He reminded me of a younger version of myself at an earlier point in my non-existent life when I had been the one to train the Volturi's new additions to the guard. These past few years Aro had added several new members which was quite unusual, honestly. Throughout history, Aro had been quite selective when it came to those who wished to – or who was going to anyway – join us. And even then, those lucky individuals were almost always Gifted in some way or he was building back up the guard after a battle.
Or in preparation of one.
In both cases, I had been one of the tutors, if you will. Just as I had lately commanded the guard, I had trained them. I could recall hundreds of hours spent beneath the city and beyond the walls in the middle of nowhere, training Newborn's for days on end to control their strength as well as use it to their advantage, teaching them to listen to their instincts and act upon them in battle, that their newfound enhanced senses would guide them. I had to admit that Jasper knew his stuff. Alice had mentioned to me before of Jasper's experience in this department, but I hadn't realised to what extent. It was mildly impressive.
Leah was mid-battle with Kate and both fought well but it became clear who the winner would be when Leah made a stupid move. Leah didn't bother to think about his next move. She just charged at Kate with a growl rumbling through her chest. Kate stepped aside and brought her knee up into the side of Leah's gut as she skidded to a stop. The blow knocked her off balance and I rolled my eyes as she barrelled past. Before she came to a stop, Kate had her arms wrapped around Leah's throat and pretend to squeeze.
"Dead." She said. Leah threw her off harshly and stormed away.
"Don't go for the obvious kill!" I shouted at the same time Jasper did. He nodded, agreeing with me. I rolled my eyes and jerked their direction with my thumb. "Amateurs, huh?" A laugh followed.
"Why don't you show us something," Tanya questioned as she appeared at my side. What she'd asked captured everyone's attention.
"Excuse me?"
"Jasper is an amazing instructor, but you are just as knowledgeable in battle, are you not? Whether your memories are real or not shouldn't matter if you still know your stuff."
She wasn't wrong. I arched a brow at Jasper, an unspoken question. He stepped back and beckoned to the clearing. "Show us what you got." He said "Again," And at this, my interest had again peaked. As I took to the circle, I pulled off my shirt leaving me in a thin, sleeveless vest top.
"Oh my god." Jacob gasped.
"Calm down boy, that's as far as I'm going. And your girlfriend is right there."
"No." He said, storming over. He snatched up my hand and I realised what he was staring at; what they all were staring at. The scars on my arms.
"How did you get the scars?"
"Oh, all throughout my life. Can't count the number of times in the early days when a lucky newborn would snap at me and-" I stopped myself, realising just what he meant. Looking down at my own marred forearms and up to my shoulder, I frowned. "How did I get these scars?" Kai, knowing I was speaking to him, appeared by our side. He took my arm in his hand and caressed one of the uneven marks forever sliced into my skin by immortal teeth. He looked at each of them individually and each with a heavy sadness in his amber eyes.
Jacob spoke up, his voice fuelled with sudden rage. "Did you give her those scars!" At this, all eyes flew at Kai accusingly, including my own. No, No? He would never, not even…would he?
"Of course not." Kai finally said. "Don't be stupid, wolf. I couldn't do that. But…I was there when you suffered them. Some of them are results of training with other members of the guard, some as punishments for disobeying Aro in the beginning but…but most of them were inflicted solely so I could attach memories to them. Aro wanted you to be experienced in battle and an experienced warrior would not have made it through their long life without a battle scar or two."
"Sick," Jacob muttered. "Scarring you for eternity to make this character he'd imagined more believable? He's demented." He was speaking of Aro.
"That's Aro," I replied with a sigh. My scars did not bother me. I had never really had them on display, but I had never been embarrassed to hide them. As Kai said, they were battle wounds. I could remember each one in my mind, each lucky Newborn that had managed to get their jaw around my arm, each early training session as a Newborn myself. Not even one of those memories were real, not a single scar was inflicted in actual battle.
"Never mind my scars," I said after a few seconds of once again uncomfortable silence. "Back at it! Who's next?"
Needless to say, I showed them all a thing or two about killing. Jasper knew his stuff as I'd discovered earlier that afternoon, but he had been killing a mere one hundred and fifty years. I had been killing that number tenfold. Albeit only in memory but still, it counted. I had the knowledge of over fifteen hundred years of slaughtering humans and immortals alike and that knowledge was indeed helpful.
Although my strategies were much more…savage than Jaspers were. His moves were precise and practised and almost military whereas mine tapped more into our instinctual, predatory nature as vampires, as creatures of destruction and death. I would go over moves Jasper had already covered and offer three alternative killing blows he hadn't even considered the first time around. I introduced ways to evade death by showing them how to twist and bend their bodies in ways they hadn't thought possible. And I knew exactly how to bring your opponent to unbearable pain before meeting a then merciful death.
Just as I finished a demonstration on how to burst your entire arm through a chest and, as you withdrew it, shatter the torso, Kai called out to me. "Isabella? Your Volturi is showing."
"Hilarious," I commented, circling back to the clearing we had made out sparring pit to his side. "Okay, who's next?"
"Me."
Two voices had spoken at the same time. Two perfect voices.
"Alright," Jasper called, "Edward and Kai, you're up." Kai and Edward. Both boys looked taken back by the chances but neither one spoke. No one spoke, in fact, the whole clearing had stopped chatting to listen. Edward and Kai only focused on one another. Kai then stepped towards the ring and looked at Edward. There was a question in the look. No. A challenge. Neither one of them had intended to fight the other but it wasn't as if they could go back on their word now. Not after starting something as spectacular as what was about to follow surely promised to be. Edward answered with a shrug and both boys approached.
"Same rules, first to imitate a killing blow wins," Jasper said. Both boys nodded and kept their eyes locked on the other. No one was smiling.
"This should be fun." Rose sniggered, and I nodded, biting my lip. I lived for moments like this.
"And…Go!" Jasper stepped back and the fight began.
To my surprise, it was Kai who started the fight. He charged at Edward but unlike some of the others was not foolish enough to go for an obvious blow. He dropped left but bounded right, spinning under Edward's arm to come at him from behind but Edward, Edward was swift and was able to drop his back to narrowly avoid Kai's slashing claws. Kai slashed several times before attempting to change tactics, but Edward did not give him the opportunity.
His foot smashed into Kai's chest, the blow sending him skidding across the dirt; a blow powerful enough to hurt but not keep him down for long. Edward knew that if Kai found his footing then it would've made it harder for him to take the advantage and in knowing this he wasted no time in throwing everything he had at Kai.
"Edward's fast," I said, folding my arms. "I knew he was but it's an advantage in battle."
"Sure, he's fast." Emmett murmured, watching intensely. "But Edward's cheating," Emmett said accusingly, taping his temple. I realised he was right. Edward could read the other thoughts; had no need to anticipate Kai's moves when he could see him deciding what move to make before making it. It gave him such an unfair advantage and that couldn't stand and I knew what I had to do.
"Let's make this an equal fight, shall we?" I then forced my shield out across the training field. Unlike the bubble I'd created before, I had also worked on selective shielding. Bending and warping my shield to will until I had Kai and only Kai protected; it proved a difficult task as he and Edward moved at such a blinding speed, but it was manageable. The moment I had Kai within my range, I felt his warmth within. Felt a bond between us solidify.
It affected the battle immediately. Edward knew what had happened and although I could see the discomfort at being "Blind" In his features, he failed to let it stop him try and take Kai down. As the battle continued, it was obvious I'd tipped the scales, making this an equal fight. Again, and again both boys were able to get in hard blows and neither one held back. Within minutes both were covered in mud and grass stains, their usually perfect hair was dishevelled, their bodies covered with small, hairline fractures. Edward groaned aloud as Kai pinned his already breaking arm behind his back and, with another twist, cracked it enough to make it useless. Not damaged enough to detach it but enough to make it impossible for Edward to make a fist anytime soon. Using his less dominant hand, Edward could not keep up and it didn't take long for Kai to bring his foot up into Edward's jaw, sending him flipping through the air and into the frozen dirt.
He appeared above him in the blink of an eye, his open palm inches from Edward' throat. "Dead." Kai breathed loudly, almost as if out of breath. A second of unnecessary silence before the others began to applaud. I did the same. Edward glared up at Kai and it angered me, the way he stared at him with such hatred as if he still saw Kai as the enemy in all of this. I went to say something, to yell or scold or something, but before I could Kai dropped to his knee and held out his open hand.
I stopped in my tracks, watching. Edward stared at Kai's hand, puzzled. Knowing immediately what Kai was doing, I dropped my shield to let him in on the know. Kai was offering him a hand. I noticed some of the others exchange a look, a wonder in Jasper's eyes, a curiosity in those of the wolves, a thank you in Esme's.
An idea came to mind and I lowered my shield. Again, it burnt almost but I forced it down and Edward's eyes landed on me. I sent to him the looks on the faces of his family, the look on Kai's face as he waited there patiently for Edward to decide what to do. I could tell what Edward was thinking and I replaced all images in my head with the miserable face of Aro. A reminder. A reminder of who the real enemy was here.
Take his hand. I thought.
And so, Edward did.
"Good fight," Kai said casually as he brushed off Edward's dirty clothes. "And sorry about that." He nodded to Edward's wrist. Already, it was begging to heal. Edward looked at Kai, at me, then back at Kai and smiled.
"Don't worry about it. It was a clever move. I'm not used to fighting blind. Congratulations."
Each was smiling, laughing with one another even and it was the oddest thing. But I knew them both well enough by now to know it could have been worse if it hadn't ended the way it had. Kai stopped, of course, he fought, and he hurt Edward and would have done more if really given the chance, but I knew that when it came down to it he would never have delivered the killing blow, that much I trusted but could the same be said for Edward? I had more trust, more respect, for the bronze haired man standing before me now than I ever imagined possible but a part of me still wondered if he resented Kai still that if given the opportunity he wouldn't seize it and destroy the man that had stolen the heart of his mate. Though I had to remind myself now that Edward had chosen to taken Kai's hand. He'd made that decision it and proved just how far he had come.
"I would have won even without you shielding me," Kai muttered, brushing his now messy hair out of his eyes.
"Of course, you would." I playfully slapped his chest, winked and headed off to the others. All simple chatter had ceased during this time, including the rumbles and huffs of the wolves. Time had stopped for a moment.
"Well…" Rosalie said with a singsong voice, sensing I wanted to the silence to be broken again. "I think there is only one battle left to be had. The battle." I frowned, waiting as she rolled up her sleeves and spun on the spot, pointing at Jacob. "Isn't that right, mutt?" Like everyone else present, I smiled. Jacob, clearly taken by surprise at the invite, shrugged and pulled his shirt over his head.
"Oh, it's on."
Jacob returned human and clothed ten minutes later, looking unhappy.
"Sore loser?"
"I did not lose, we just…stopped fighting."
I scoffed. "Yeah, when she beat you."
"Rose did not beat me."
"Sure," I nodded, focusing back on the next fight which happened to be Carlisle and Esme.
Jacob looked at me and arched a brow as I smiled up at him. "I said sure!" I laughed. He nudged me with his shoulder and I nudged back harder.
Jake looked down and rubbed his nose, a pathetic attempt at trying to disguise his interest. Did he look angry?
"Come on, Jake, she had the upper hand, don't be yourself up," I said.
At this, he scoffed. "That's not what's bothering me."
"Then what is?" I questioned, not a fan of what was happening. A second of silence. "Jake?" I touched his arm. Almost as if compelled, he rolled his eyes and leaned back against the trunk of the nearest tree. He nodded across the clearing to the pack. Across the battle, I spotted Sam stood on an outlook of rock, watching the battle and, from the way his large glossy eyes flickered back and forth between Paul at the left of the clearing and Leah on the right, he was having a discussion with them. A serious one.
I followed to step beside him, a short way away from the others. A false modicum of privacy. "What's happening?"
"There was a meeting yesterday," He said, looking over my head at the pack on the other side of the clearing. They only shared one mind when in wolf form, so they did not know he was telling me this yet but still, he wanted to be careful of them overhearing. "Between the Pack and our Elders."
"Okay," I said. "Regarding?"
He kicked the dirt at his feet. "This deadline of yours – what'll happen when time runs out."
"You know what's going to happen, Jake. We don't have much time left so we're leaving in a few days. It'll give us plenty of time to put some distance between us and Forks." I shook my head, confused. We'd gone over this. He looked me in the eyes. I looked up and met his eyes, only now seeing the sadness in them. I was right, Jacob was angry. This suddenly mood swing had thrown me off and left me with an uncomfortable cold.
It hit me then. Kai, the Cullen's, Denali's and I would be leaving. Not the pack. Not him.
"Jake-" I said, touching his arm softly. "Is that what this is about? Us leaving? You could come with us, you know. I like you, Jake. I really didn't when we first met but I've come to value your existence in my life. I don't like the idea of you staying behind here, waiting for the Volturi to come."
He scoffed a laugh and dropped his arms, slapping them against his sides. "You don't get it, do you, Bel – Isabella." He bit his lip. "Yeah, I'm worried and want you all safe but we're more worried about what'll happen when you're gone. Not because you won't be here and it'll suck that you're gone but because of that exact reason you just said! The Volturi will come with their army and by the time they do you'll be long gone and it'll be the pack left behind to defend this town and the people in it against Aro when he takes his anger that you're not here out on us."
Jacob's raised voice and the tone he took with me drew others our way. Kai, Edward and Carlisle. Sam too had started to circle the clearing.
"What's going on?" Kai demanded, stepping to my side, his brows furrowed low as he took in Jacob as a whole. I could sense Kai trying to remain as calm as he could but having Jacob aim his frustration at me had angered him also. I touched his arm a moment, a hint to cool down.
"Jacob is, understandably, worried about the safety of the pack when the time comes for us to leave and what'll happen when the Volturi come."
Jacob scoffed and stepped between us as if to storm off but spun back on us. "I'm not worried about the Pack, alright, the pack can handle itself." As if needing to back up Jacob's statement, several wolves rose from their spots on the ground to stand behind him. They towered above him, even in his human form. "I'm worried about Forks and the people in it."
"Aro won't take his anger out on this town out of spite," Kai said.
I thought about it and nodded. "Kai's right. Aro will be angry but he would not risk exposure of our kind by taking it out on the town. Nor would he attempt to eradicate your pack. Your kind interests and frightens him to an extent. He does not fully understand you, nor does he know if there are more out there that could come looking for revenge if he killed you. Not to mention, Caius will want nothing to do with you."
"Okay, so not the town but maybe some people living in it. Not only the pack and the tribe but others. Charlie!"
"Charlie." His dark eyes and bushy moustache popped into my head. "Oh my god, Charlie."
"We have to tell Charlie the truth," Jacob said. "We have to tell him you're alive."
"We cannot do that," I argued. "Charlie has been through enough trauma. Introducing him to our world will only bring him more confusion and pain."
"I can guarantee not nearly as much pain as the Volturi will bring him," Edward told me.
"But Aro knows that I do not love Charlie as I once did. Why would his death mean anything to me?" This earned me a few surprised glances. "In the eyes of Aro, obviously."
"That won't stop him. Edward' right" Kai said. "Aro threatened Charlie's life once before as punishment for attempting to escape during our training. If it came to it, I've no doubt he would follow through with it. Whether you care or not."
For an unknown, insane reason I pictured it in my head. Aro showing up at the house. His maniacal grin as Charlie opened the door. One flash was all I needed before I started shaking my head violently. "Cannot happen. He must leave. If Charlie is in town when the Volturi arrive Aro will kill him. If Charlie leaves then his scent will have faded enough to be untraceable by the time Aro arrives."
"And Dimitri?" Esme butted in as she stepped by Carlisle. I hadn't even thought of Dimitri. That weasel had once again escaped by unnoticed in my planning.
"I don't think he would be able to track Charlie. Charlie is shielded – granted, not as securely as Isabella but enough for me to find it difficult to understand his thoughts. I assume it would also throw off Dimitri's ability to track him directly."
"We still got to tell him something." Jacob sighed. "There's no way Charlie will go willingly." He huffed, almost as if we would be stupid to believe otherwise.
"Well," I said, turning to Kai. "He doesn't need to."
Through the partings in the curtain covering the window, I watched as Sue Clearwater returned to the living room of the Swan residence with a warm mug of coffee in her hands. She spotted me through the window, tucked her long glossy black hair behind her ear and nodded to me. I gave a curt nod in return, a confident nod but inside I was trembling.
Alice appeared at my side. "How's it going?" She was too small to see through the window, but she'd probably already seen everything play out anyway, she was only asking as a courtesy.
"Exactly as we knew it would," I told her.
Sue stepped out of view to sit beside Charlie; he faced away from me, but I could tell, not only by his hunched shoulders but the smell of his blood, that he was nervous. And the man sat in the armchair across from him was probably the reason why. Kai. Almost as if hearing me say his name in my head, he glanced up at me and the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly into his true smile. It settled my own nerves.
Kai was here talking to Charlie. He was here…to compel him to leave. We had all agreed it would be the only way to ensure Charlie's safety – and even then, who knew for how long? Alice might be able to see when his life is once again in danger but until then having Charlie leave this town – and the history of it – behind. Kai had been indoors with him for half an hour now, tampering with his free will and bending it to make Charlie believe this was his own idea. And not only that. To make him leave tonight. A little insane to be passed as normal but these were desperate times and desperate times called for desperate measures – not to mention we were running out of time. Issues he might've faced such as his job, his house, could all be taken care off by the Cullen's. They had much experience in picking up and leaving at the drop of a hat.
Sue cried when Sam and Jacob told her the plan. Not because she and Charlie would be apart but because she and her children would be. Being part of the pack meant they were always in danger these days. At any moment an immortal could pass through these parts and take on the pack and as today's training sessions proved, it wouldn't be too difficult to escape alive and with werewolf blood on your hands. Sue did not want to be away from her children, but she could also not bear to have Charlie out there in the world, not in his own mind, alone.
Seth and Leah were surprisingly understanding, though I assumed partly because they knew that their mother had again found love after the death of their father a year ago. From Jacob's stories, it had been a difficult passing on all three of the Clearwater's, but Sue found herself and the strength to carry on in her friendship – soon to be a relationship – with Charlie. I took had to admit she had agreed to leave with him, otherwise, we would have been responsible for destroying that love and when humans lived for as short a period as they do, who knew if it would ever reunite.
No, it was better for them to be together at a time like this. Together and safe. Jasper also mentioned having a contact in Seattle that could provide Charlie and Sue with new identities should they require them – the same anonymous contact that had supplied the Cullen's, Denali's, Kai and I with our own forgeries. I just hoped that until we knew more this was enough to keep Bella's father alive. In a way, I felt as if I owed it to her to ensure it.
Alice and I darted out of view as Charlie, Sue and Kai rose to their feet and went their separate ways without a goodbye. Sue went to the bathroom to dry her tears, Kai headed for the front door and Charlie went upstairs to pack.
"Thank you for doing that," I said to Kai as together we walked along a dirt path leading from the Swan home into the forest beyond.
"Of course," He said, draping an arm over my shoulder. I leaned into it.
It wasn't long before we heard the arrival of Jacob, Leah and Seth, whom both appeared dressed in human form from beyond the trees. Leah refused to acknowledge my presence when I greeted them, undoubtedly blaming me for this despite understanding that her mother was safer this way also.
"Seth," I nodded to him. Seth was one of the youngest Quileute Shifters and he looked it. I had learnt that Shifters age rapidly to adulthood when their wolf gene is triggered but it appeared as if Seth was still only a baby.
"Isabella, how's it going?" He asked, peering beyond me to the house where his mother prepared to leave for who knew how long.
"I am fine, and you?"
"Been better," He offered a weak smile and shrugged off my apologetic look. I knew he didn't blame me, I knew this truly wasn't my fault, but I still couldn't shake the guilt.
"It's for the best." Alice offered and we all returned nods of our own. "They're coming."
A moment later the front door opened, and Charlie and Sue headed for her car. "Here," Charlie said, and he took one of the last bags from Sue and hauled it into the trunk.
"Thanks. Is that it?" She asked.
"No, there's one more by the stairs."
"I'll get it." She told him and kissed his cheek softly before going back inside. Only she exited from the back of the house and waved Seth and Leah over. The two of them rushed to their mother, into her arms. I could hear their tears land on the cold, frozen grass at their feet. Not wanting to intrude on their goodbye, I tried to centre my attention back to Charlie. I leaned in closer and watched as Charlie, having nothing to do with himself but wait, tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, taking in the house that had been his home for most of his life. Despite not knowing the truth about the danger he was in and why he was suddenly leaving this life behind, he looked sad anyway.
I wondered how this would have turned out if we had taken Jacob's advice and told him. I wondered what his reaction would be to the discovery of vampires and Shape Shifters, and the little fact that his daughter lived on to this day only as a brainwashed murderess vampire. Charlie seemed a sensible man, a strong man, but I knew even that was too much for him to bear.
Seth and Lead both returned with red eyes and Sue, with a beautiful but forced smile on her timeless face, loaded the last of the bags into the car before turning to face Charlie. "You ready?" She asked him, wrapping an arm around his waist as he did her shoulder. Together they took in the house a final time.
"I'm ready."
They took another minute of reminiscing before getting into the car.
The moment Sue's car set off down the street I flew from the shadows of the treeline to the middle of the road and watched as it drove away. A risky move considering Charlie only needed to look through the rear window once and he would have seen me standing there but I didn't care. A strange feeling overcame me, a sadness that felt right and out of place all at once. I did not know Charlie Swan but a part of me cared for him deeply, for not only who he was but what he represented, and I knew this was what was best for him.
Kai's hand on my shoulder pulled me from these thoughts. He simply offered a smile and left his arm wrapped around my neck and kissed my temple as we turned and walked away.
~Asher's Note ~
Hello! Long time no see. I apologise for the long wait for this chapter, but unfortunately, adult life brings with it responsibilities. For those of you still there, here is the next chapter! In this chapter, Isabella begins training on lowering her shield and trains with and tutors the others in battle, reminiscent of the training scene in Eclipse. It ends sadly with our characters deciding to keep Charlie Swan safe from the Volturi's wrath, they have Kai compel him to leave town with Sue until his life is no longer in danger. It was what needed to be done to keep him safe.
I hope to update soon. I always say that, but I truly mean it this time. I have time off work soon and that means plenty of writing to be done. I cannot wait to progress with this story as shortly the pace will pick up. There will be actual battles, lives will be lost on both sides. Cannot wait.
Also, I apologise if there are any reviews I have not responded to below. Being so long since I updated and the fact I included and have since deleted an author note in this story, it has thrown off the way some people leave reviews. Thank you.
Responding to your reviews.
Traceybuie: Thank you for reviewing! That is true, but that is in the nature of both the Pack and Isabella; the pack as it is their nature to destroy vampires and Isabella as she has been trained to expect the worst. As for the mystery supporter, it will be revealed but not until the last few chapters.
Hopestreet: Hello! Thanks for your review! As for your question about the keep him close, it is up to the readers for them to decide who they think he is referring to. And interesting theory about Caius!
Guest #1: Thank you! Yes, poor Archie. Their love story is one I included from an original short story of mine into this one.
Alice: Thanks for your reviewing and clearing it up! Glad you enjoyed that chapter and hope you enjoyed this one!
TrillionSchiffer: You and I have had many conversations (Right word?) On this story and our different views. Too many to repeat here.
Guest #2: Thank you for reviewing! I hope to update Kai's story very soon! It is more difficult to get into than I thought because of how similar it is to this story, considering the training and all.
KiKi: Yes, he is. Thanks for reviewing.
1TEAMTWILIGHT07: Sorry for the long wait!
~Asher ~