Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer!
I made a HUGE cock-up of this. Okay, ignore the chapter you read! I missed one out! [thanks for telling me Lady Dragona!]
haven't I got egg on my face????
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Chapter 28 - Development
"I hate to break this up, but I think we have company," Tanya said as she hurried over. She pointed back in the direction we had come from. Five vampires were approaching, and as I saw each face, I remembered who they were. Jane, Alec, Felix, Demetri, Corin.
"Five against thirteen, I think we can chance it," Emmett stated and flexed his muscles.
"Bella is not fighting; she doesn't even know how to fight!" I scowled at Edward.
"I'm stronger than Emmett, to hell I'm not fighting!" I replied and crossed my arms over my chest.
"No-one is going to be fighting, not if we don't have to." There may be only five of them, but they have powers that we can't possibly shield against. Both Edward and I nodded to Carlisle.
"So what are we going to do?" Carmen asked as she joined the close-knit group of vampires, of which I was now a part of.
"Find out what they want, although it's most definitely obvious what they want. Maybe we can stall them until Bella can get away, with Edward?" Jasper added.
I made eye contact with Alice, to see if she had any suggestions, but then I felt a blackness wash over me.
"Bella!" Someone shouted.
Four Volturi guards watching a pile of putrid, purple smoke rise up into the air. Felix dead, along with the Cullen's and Denali's...minus Edward and Bella.
Light came back to my eyes and Edward was crouched over me.
"Bella, what happened?" Alice's voice asked, and she moved so she could see my face. Concern showed in her eyes, but underneath that was the terror of the vision she had seen. The vision I had seen.
"Are they always that vivid? Reading the visions from someone else's mind?" I asked. It was Alice who spoke.
"Bella, I don't think you were seeing the vision like Edward sees it. You were seeing it like I see it. When I first started having visions, I would usually pass out for the duration like you did, but then I learned some control. Now it's like a momentary daydream."
"This can't be happening," I said and felt like I wanted to cry. I was a freak even to the vampires.
"I've never seen anything like this, Carlisle. Even when we scoured for talent across the world, no-one had such a...potential. No-one had such a fast change, or a violent one at that." Eleazar's voice was full of astonishment with a hint of speculation.
"It's like she's soaking up powers," said Kate. "I wonder if she'll have mine."
Edward grabbed Kate's arm. "Don't, this might be damaging her. You see how upset she is. We can't force all of this straight away."
"But Edward, she might be the answer to our prayers...metaphorically speaking."
"Oh, it's too late for prayers, I think," a voice said from behind the mass of vampires. My view was obscured and I so desperately wanted to see what was going on. I stood up and saw it was Felix who had spoken. Jane was stood to his left, a wry smile spreading across her lips. My mind was screaming at me. Traitor!
"I think Aro would like to take a look at Bella before she goes back home with you. After all, that was the purpose of her surviving."
"Barely," growled Rosalie as she moved to the front of our group of vampires, facing off Jane. I'd never seen her so intensely fierce.
Corin stepped forward. "Rosalie, I just thought you should know Afton's arm is completely healed. Not a scratch. He sends his regards and hopes to see you again." There was a louder growl from our group and Emmett was crouched in front of Rosalie.
"No-one will ever touch my mate again. Or I'll personally reduce them to ashes." I watched as he glanced from one vampire to the next. Jane and Alec were smiling like the terrible twosome.
Then a cold dread filled me. It started low in my body, and started to spread upwards until it was almost choking. I wanted to scream, but I found myself on the floor sobbing. Where was the emotion coming from? I glanced around and realised it was Esme. Edward and Jasper also realised where the emotion was coming from. If I concentrated, I could hear her voice in my head. Full of doubt and worry.
"Jasper, help her," Edward said. He looked pained.
"I don't know if it will work, she has to learn to control the emotion," he replied. "Bella, look at me."
A stared into Jasper's worried eyes. "Think of something happy, anything happy. Let the emotion fill you and push aside the dread. Force the happiness out; let it spill over and into everyone around you. I'll help." He took my hand and helped me up. We both closed our eyes. He was thinking of the first time he met Alice. I thought of seeing Edward in the meadow. His skin glittering like diamonds in the sunlight. The warm air blowing against my own face...
"Let it fill you up, then let it spill out. I'll direct it." I felt myself nod and kept my eyes closed.
The happiness started from my head, and worked its way down--In the opposite way that the dread had come in. Once I was nearly bursting with the happiness, I let it leak out of the constraints of my body. I felt Jasper doing the same, but I felt him take the emotion from me and direct it towards Esme. I opened my eyes to see Esme turn towards us and smile. I smiled back.
Bella, if you can hear me, I want you to direct some of it to Irina. Next to Esme.
It was as if I suddenly knew how to control Jasper's power. Is that what I needed--Contact to know what to do? The emotions were like different colours of smoke, and it was a case of overriding the dark colours with the lighter colours and then forcing them back to people like blowing air away from yourself. Dread was black and happiness was yellow. I watched as the yellow smoke engulfed the black smoke around Irina.
I blinked and the emotion fell away. "You did it," Jasper said proudly.
"I did. I think that touching the person with the power helps me to learn how to control it," I added.
My my, Aro will be pleased. A voice cut through the low buzzing in my mind. The thought was directed at me and I knew that was the reason I could hear it without concentrating on a single person. The only problem this caused was trying to figure out who thought the thought I had been sent. It didn't take long to guess, as Felix was staring intently at me. It almost made my skin crawl.
"You know what we want. We want the girl. Give us Bella, and the rest of you go free. Simple." Corin walked forward to stand next to Demetri on the right of Felix.
"Except it isn't that simple, Corin. You may not love anyone yourself and you may not understand the implications of what you have asked, but let me tell you now, it is anything but simple," Carlisle spoke, his voice stern and authoritive.
"Animal blood makes you soft, Carlisle. I always find myself wondering why Aro finds your friendship a treasure," added Alec.
"It's a pity the friendship isn't reciprocated," Carlisle said. "If this is a treasured friendship, I'd hate to know what a relationship between enemies would entail."
"Aro has no enemies," Jane hissed. I looked at her and saw a faint stirring of something. I concentrated hard and saw the smoke surrounding her was orange. I glanced at Jasper.
"Orange?" I whispered.
"Confusion."
"Confusion?" I repeated. Jane is confused by the thought of anyone not having loyalty to Aro. She thought she could get away from it, and she did for a short while, but now she's within the confines of Volterra and closer to Aro, the hold he has over her is stronger. I suspect Chelsea has a part to play in that.
"Ahh." Jasper nodded.
"Aro has no enemies because he kills them before they have a chance to establish a hatred of him. He kills so his reputation is not clouded or questioned. He kills for his own selfish desires and needs. The list of enemies of the Volturi grows each day, despite the number of people who are murdered in Aro's name," Eleazar said.
"Are you declaring yourself as an enemy?" Felix asked.
"To do so would be foolish, but I am a fool," Eleazar replied.
"I always remembered you were good at insulting without seeming to do so." Felix clenched his fists.
"It was not an insult, merely a fact," Eleazar stated.
"Enough!" Jane snarled. "We did not come hear to argue frivolous topics."
"I'd hardly call them frivolous--"
"I said enough!" I concentrated and Jane's smoke seemed to be darkening to a scarlet colour. Anger. "We are going to take Bella to Aro and there are two ways we can do it. Either Bella walks away with us without the need for violence, or we will destroy you all and take Bella when you are all dead."
I remembered the vision. We had little hope. Unless Demetri was killed in the mayhem. Then again, that would still result in everyone giving their lives for me, and I found that I couldn't let that happen.
"I'm coming. There's no need for violence." The words came out of my mouth before I could even think.
Edward grabbed my arm, "Bella, don't do this."
"I have to go with them. My life or yours. It's a simple decision." I tried to walk forward, but Edward pulled me back. I could have broken his hold, but I didn't want to hurt him.
"Edward, let her go," Alice stated. She looked intently at Edward, and I concentrated to hear what she was saying. We'll think of something, Edward. Live today, fight tomorrow. Okay?
Finally, he nodded and let go of my arm. I felt like crying. Every time something good happened, ten bad things had to come along to erase the memory of the single moment of happiness. Whenever I finally got out of a bad situation, it came after me. Never left in peace. Always being hunted. I was supposed to be a predator now, but I was suddenly the vulnerable prey.
I made the walk painstakingly slowly. Esme hugged me and was having the same problem as Edward. She wouldn't let go. It was Carlisle who got her to release her vice-like grip on my arm. I wanted to look back at Edward, but if I did, I wouldn't be able to go. I'd get us all killed because of my sentimentality.
Kate touched me as she went past. I'm just giving you a shock, even though you can't feel it. I hope you pick it up. The more powers you have, the better it will be.
I shook my head in disbelief but let out a small smile before it was washed away from my face. Rosalie hugged me and whispered low enough that only I would hear it, "We'll get you out of there. Keep your powers sharp."
"I will. I'll be waiting."
Then I reached the five waiting vampires who seemed much less of a threat than they had the last time I saw them. But I realised I was being a fool. The vision showed the five vampires winning, with only one dead. Jane took my arm, and Felix went to take the other, leering as he did. I felt him touch me and he suddenly let go.
"What was that?" he asked.
"You tell me." I smiled as I realised I'd unconsciously, but not involuntarily, shocked him. I'd have to thank Kate, if I got another chance to see her. Felix didn't touch me again.
And there was a reason I kept Jane's hand in my own as we walked back through the city.
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A/N: SORRY ABOUT THAT!!!!
R&R!
