Chapter 28: Carwars
LILY POV
We drove until we ran out of gas. As a group, we had been avoiding towns at all cost, to avoid contact with vampires. So now, at the brightest part of the day, we were stranded in the desert.
Well, not stranded. We could run fast enough so nobody saw us, but until we find out where we are, that might prove difficult, and stupid. Jasper had been right; the south was not safe for a vampire. Any move was a dangerous one without protection.
"Right," I said after an hour of sitting around doing nothing, "I'll just change us into birds and we can fly around and look for shelter." I reached down and put my heels back on. I hadn't had time to change to something more appropriate before I fled, so I was wearing a dress and heels. In the desert.
Smooth Lily, smooth. Stefan frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea." He said calmly, and that my rage boil to the surface even faster, but Vladimir beat me to the punch. "Why? I don't see anything wrong with it." He said, rubbing his face.
"Well, for one thing, we would be leaving the car behind, like a giant sign pointing to this area. It will bring the Volturi even faster. Plus, it still smells like the Cullen's, and that would blow them right open." He grinned, as if he liked the idea. I resisted the urge to beat him up, but just barely.
"Did you ever think that I could change the car itself into something else? Like a rock?" I asked sarcastically, and the look slid right off of his face, and he glared at me, which I gladly returned.
"Stop it you two. I think Lily's idea is perfect. We can hunt too, once we are farther away from the road." Vladimir reminded me of my father, and a sudden rush of emotion made me bite my bottom lip to keep from crying out.
"Um, when you are ready then." Vladimir said scrutinizing my face, looking apprehensive, even a little excited to see my power in action. I silently counted to ten to cool off. "Alright, everyone out." I said, and stepped out of the car, the sun immediately making my skin glow and sparkle.
I quickly turned into a human to divert attention, and as Vladimir and Stefan exited the car, I turned them into birds. Vladimir, a hawk. Stefan, a sparrow. Then I turned the car into a pebble, to match the others on the shoulder.
I turned into a raven, and flew up with my guard into the sky, looking for a safe place to hide.
CARLISLE POV
After Lily called, I had just managed to make up a story about another doctor asking for advice on a surgery. Aro had bought it, but Jane was still suspicious of us. She was forever talking on her cell phone, and then to Aro in private.
This was bad, very bad. This meant they had another informant. Edward read my mind and silently passed on the information to the others. Aro had given us cloaks, so we could travel in the day, so before long, we were looking across the border to Mexico.
I wasn't happy with the situation. We hadn't given Lily, Stefan and Vladimir long to flee. I could only hope that they were safe, and waiting for our call. Leah was beside herself. I had called to tell her that we had made contact.
Aro wouldn't let the wolves come, so she was stuck at home. She had been worried sick, and told me to pass on the message that she loved Lily. I told her I would, even though I have no idea when we will talk to them again.
The later, the better in this case. We made it easily across the border, and then we were spreading out, looking for a scent. We had been following their weak trail for a while now, and I knew we would find one.
I had convinced Aro that the nomad scents were those of Vladimir, Stefan, and Lily. Her scent had been overpowered by Leah's, so there was no way they should recognize it. Hopefully. As a bonus, it would sever all ties he thought we had with them. Hopefully.
"Here Aro." Jasper called stonily sometime later, pointing stiffly to tire tracks, and the pretty fresh scents of Vladimir, Stefan, and Lily were all over the place, plus, some tracks.
"Well done." Aro said calmly, and inhaled, memorizing the scent. Then we took off again, following their trail exactly until we reached the small gas station with a pay phone, that was broken recently.
A thought clicked into my head. If my phone wouldn't call Lily's…would hers have been able to call mine? I followed her trail over to the phone while Felix spoke in perfect Spanish to the attendant of the store, asking questions…
"This smells like the female." I said calmly enough, so that Aro would hear, but my insides were shattering. We were to hot on their trail, and something was wrong. Those cell phones always work; they use satellites, not radio waves to place calls. (They don't need to have reception)
So why didn't they work? I quietly told the others while Felix, Jane and Aro finished their questioning. When they came back over, Aro looked surprised.
"I thought you would have left by now." He said. I frowned. What was he talking about?
"I don't understand what you mean." I said, hoping that he wasn't talking about the fact that we knew everything.
"Well, you escorted us south, didn't you? And we are hot on their trail; we should be good for now. We can always call for reinforcements." He looked at me strangely.
"Always one step ahead of me, Aro. We are glad that you got here safely. Good luck on your search." With that, I gathered the family, and we left.
As far as Aro knew. Jasper, feeling right at home in the south, doubled us back along a mountain range, so we could follow Aro without being detected. Plus, now we had time to plan.
ARO POV
"Master, my informant has made the exchange you requested. Maria will help us with the search as long as we leave her growing army for a year, exactly as we planned." Jane was grinning ear to ear.
"Excellent work Jane. Our hunt shall be prosperous, and the necklace will be ours." I smirked, and studied the map we 'purchased' at the gas station.
"Felix, the man told us they went south, correct?" I asked him after a minute of gloating. He nodded silently. I glanced over the map, a idea forming in my mind as I noticed the geographical advantages of a certain area called Boulder Head Clearing…
"We need to find them, and then organize Maria's force to come in on the other side. If we can force their group into this clearing…" I tapped my finger on the map, picturing the necklace around my neck at last.
