Chapter 24
Beautifully Broken
Part III
Lacrimosa
Carlisle's Point of View
Jasper seems quite perturbed, I thought, a light grin spreading to my face. "What is it, dear?" Esme asked as she hooked her arm around mine. I patted her hand fondly and bent slightly to whisper into her ear, "It seems our son has become quite fond of a certain young lady." Esme smiled and looked out to the field, right as Jasper finished demonstrating another way to gain an advantage in a brawl. He looked around discreetly, as he had every single time he finished a lesson. He sighed, having again failed to find the face of a certain heroine. "He's in love," Esme cooed as she hugged my arm. "He's found hope," I agreed. The poor boy had been lost in the chaos of life, and more so in death. We'd worried greatly for him, a member of our family who had not yet grown used to our customs. But now, there was no need. In the chaos, he found her, the one who would take his hand and lead him back into the light. I could never fully thank her, Schuyler; she's a miracle, and always has been.
"Hey! What'd we miss?" A hand clamped onto my shoulder. "Hello, boys. You've missed nothing, we just started." The brothers cheered, and then happily moseyed off towards Emmett. That's when I noticed it. "Where's Schuyler?" I questioned, not seeing her anywhere. Jensen shrugged while flashing an almost guilty smile, "She stopped at home first to do a few errands; she'll probably be here in a few minutes." I chuckled to myself. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Jasper frown and felt his impatience increase. I chuckled as he turned back to his lesson, making sure to gaze around the field as he did so. He had it bad.
"What did you say she was doing, again?" "She went home to change," Jensen insisted as if it were nothing. His eyes, however, gave away his anxiety. "Maybe she was tired and didn't want to come?" Jared suggested, equally worried. "Firecracker?" Emmett scoffed, "She wouldn't miss this for the world." The brothers shifted uncomfortably; they knew that fact as well as anyone. "She hasn't called," Jensen muttered as he pulled his phone from his pocket. There were no missed calls.
Twenty minutes. It had been twenty minutes since the time when she was to arrive had passed. All of us were on edge with worry for the spirited little girl. "Maybe her car broke down?" Rosalie suggested indifferently. She didn't fool me. Rosalie, as odd as the idea was, was fond of Schuyler. I could tell, as Edward could, that she was just as anxious. "No," Jared scoffed, a slight smile from a memory upon his face, "Sky knows cars. If anything happened to her truck, which is unlikely as she treats it like her own child, she'd be able to fix it in a heartbeat." "I'll try calling her," Jensen suggested as he turned away from the group to hold the phone to his ear. For the twenty-second time, the dial tone was heard, quickly followed by the sound of Schuyler's voice mail.
Jasper, perhaps, was the most anxious of us all. He stood in the center of the field working with the wolves, Edward, and Alice. He was getting edgier and more worrisome by the second. To say in the least, I wouldn't be surprised if he bolted to go search for her.
My worries were thrown awry. My pager went off, which startled us all. I snatched the machine from my belt with a flick of the wrist and read the words that scrolled across the screen. I looked up to my family, "There's an emergency at the hospital. Please excuse me." I kissed my wife and wordlessly swept away from the field.
Jensen's Point of View
Grr, stupid, stupid.
Where is she?
Ten more minutes and hundreds of phone calls later, we were still stuck. Schuyler wasn't here. Schuyler wasn't picking up her cell phone. Jensen is freaking out. "What's going on?" Bella asked as she walked over after talking to one of the dogs. I turned and snapped, "Are you blind!" I was angry, I was worried. I didn't mean to snap, but I did. "Hey." Edward appeared, quite literally out of nowhere, and blocked her from my sight. "Is there a problem?" My big mouth wasn't finished yet. "Yeah," I snarled, stepping closer to him, towering over him, "Are you all freakin' blind! You say my little sister's your friend, yet none of you've noticed what's going on!" Edward remained calm, although his eyes gave away his irritation. "We've noticed. We're just as worried as you are, so calm down." I was about to beat his face in when Jared, who knew me all to well, sprang forth and grabbed my arms. "We're leaving," He stated simply. Simple Jared.
"What-" I turned to snap at him, snap at anyone. I was so frustrated. Memories of a time when she wasn't there, when she had been taken away from us surfaced. Old feelings of helplessness returned. Alice popped up between us and glared, an odd thing for the tiny girl. "You two should check at home. We'll do what we can here." I blew out air in one angry rush and pushed Jared off. "Let's go." Jared and I left the field, rushing with high hopes of finding Schuyler asleep hugging a couch, completely free of harm and worry.
But, I thought, it was Schuyler.
And when she was involved, things were never quite that simple.
Alice's Point of View
What's happened?
My eyebrows furrowed as I searched every memory, every vision I'd seen. I could feel it deep within my bones. Something wasn't right. Schuyler was never late; she's never missed a phone call; she'd never miss these lessons unless the world had an apocalypse. No, I smiled faintly; even then, she'd be here. So… why wasn't she?
I received my answer. I saw a vision. The army of newborns… something was different. There were more now. These were more vicious, and oddly, smarter. They had a new target, I realized as I spotted a familiar shirt. My face paled, if possible, and I felt my body tremble. There were a lot more. A dozen more, in fact. And a new leader, no—my eyebrows furrowed and my head ached with great pain as I struggled to make the details clear, Victoria was, by show, still in charge. There was another, one much more powerful, more dangerous. My sight swooped through the scenery and caressed every face until I found the one, the real mastermind. His sickening smile made my skin crawl; his eyes, consumed completely by the pure embodiment of true evil; the blood that dripped from his mouth and the scent that covered his clothes. I screamed.
Answers. I'd asked, and now, I had them. But, what does one do with said answers when you are simply too late to utilize them? What do you do when there's nothing in the outcome of the answers but fear? What does one do when all dreams, all futures are snatched away from your very fingers right in front of your face?
You lose all hope.
If only I could cry, I sobbed without a single droplet of water to show my true turmoil. The images continued to appear and I was trapped by his eyes, doomed to watch every scene as it played out; hear every scream as it was cried; watch in horror as the crimson waters fell from broken skin like oceans.
If only I could cry for my beloved friend.
If only I could cry, then I would fall into an endless pit of lacrimose and drown in tearful mourning for the death of my beloved friend.
If only I could cry.
Edward's Point of View
"What is it, Alice?" I questioned the restless little pixie. She clenched fistfuls of her short spiky hair into her hands and pressed her fists against her skull. Her lips pursed and her facade took on the persona of absolute concentration. She was searching for answers.
Spotting Alice, everyone became a little more relaxed; everyone felt that she would find a reasonable answer, as she usually did. Jasper, having finished lessons, joined us. His eyes trained onto Alice's clenched eyes and he hovered close in apprehensive silence. Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme stood off to the side, but they, too, were intent on Alice. I clutched Bella's hand in my own and stayed silent as I watched the images that flashed through her mind.
After several failures, Alice managed to find answers. It was the newborns… "Something's changed," I voiced, tone laced, no doubt, in surprise. "Changed?" Esme questioned, fear ringing in her voice. I nodded hesitantly as Alice's vision swept over the camp, "There are more. A lot more." Bella's grip on my hand tightened. I squeezed it with a thought of comfort, something I completely lacked at the given time.
My breath caught in my throat when the revelation hit. We'd made a mistake, a grave mistake. I saw his eyes, the eyes of the psycho I'd seen only once, seen only in a memory.
"Hey, songbird," a man whispered. His voice was light, yet twisted. "Did you miss me?" I could see a man with dark tied back hair drift closer. The memory was dark, but I could hear perfectly; I could smell Schuyler's fear. "N-no, p-pl-please," she whimpered. The man stepped closer. All I could see were two acidic green orbs staring back. The man smiled deviously, and at that moment Schuyler, as well as myself, knew that nothing on the earth could possess as much evil as the demon (I couldn't say human as there was no humanity) before her. He reached forward to grab my friend by the forearms and laughed as it caused her great pain…
Gabriel.
Gabriel was alive, more or less, and the real mastermind behind the army. Victoria wanted revenge on me for killing James; but what did Gabriel want? Didn't Schuyler say he died long ago?
Alice's vision drew closer. My question was answered; he was a vampire.
The vision swayed back to the army of newborns. One, the head of the group, held a shirt, a familiar shirt in his hand. It wasn't Bella's.
They had a second target, I realized. I looked up to my family and told the grotesque detail, "There's a second target. Bella's not the only one being tracked." Jasper felt my confusion, my fear. "Schuyler," he growled, turning fully, completely ready to bolt and search the entire world for her. "No," I stopped him, my eyes betraying my thoughts, "It's not Schuyler." He stopped and turned quizzically, "Then who?" "You," I answered, jaw locked. His eyes grew wide, "What? Why?" I couldn't answer him.
Alice's vision continued. The sight moved back to focus on Gabriel. First, the focus was on the crimson that smothered him, blood, and his disheveled appearance. My skin, as well as Alice's, began to crawl. He had killed someone; the amount of blood made that fact clearer than day. But it wasn't the grotesque appearance that drew us in—it was his eyes. The evil glint caught us, entrapped us, and pulled us in. Instantly, we found out why he was covered in blood.
My skin lost any color it may have had and my breath never returned. My eyes grew wide and every ounce of control of my body was lost in a single instant. The images… I wanted to turn away. I couldn't see them. But his hold was strong, and in horror, I continued to watch everything he had ever done to her. I felt sobs and pain wrack my entire body, yet no tears, as Alice had said, would fall. In her visions, I found the answer to our biggest question—where was Schuyler?
Alice's scream pierced the silence and she fell to her knees in pure terror. I couldn't help her; the images, the despicable violence continued and seemed to go on forever. My family jumped back in bewilderment, not expecting such a thing from Alice. I really couldn't blame her.
The images, finally, began to slow. The hits ceased. Her battered, broken body lay limp on the ground after the beating of her life. Something, I sobbed, wasn't right. She'd been bitten, but she was a vampire. She'd been beaten, but she was immortal. So… why wasn't she moving? Why had the light gone from her eyes? Why had the spirit, the fierce spirit she contained, been snatched away?
Why was she gone?
"Dear, God," I cried out, watching as the smoky wisps that made her form blow away to reveal a mere corpse. I could see her, clearer than ever before.
She was so fragile, so surreal. Her skin was pale white, a white only a true corpse could achieve. She was like a doll, I thought as I stared into the unbreakable silence. She was so still, so striking. It was odd, seeing her so still, so silent, so void of life. Usually, we couldn't get her to shut up or keep her from bouncing all over the place. Now… now, I'd give anything to have her annoyingly jump onto my back or sarcastically remark about some foolish thing or another.
Her features were striking, more so than any vampire. Her skin was pale, yet her lips were the darkest, most vibrant contrasting shade of red I'd ever seen. I cringed; the color was not from lipstick, but her own blood. Her clothing, which usually changed in the oddest of ways as she did, was nonexistent. She was left only with her tattered jeans, nothing else. Blood, cuts, scars, and bite marks covered her entire body.
Still, she didn't move. Still, her chest did not heave for breath. Still, her eyes remained closed. Still, she lay dead, so beautifully broken, on the cold hardwood floor, drowning now in her own pool of blood. I watched on in horror, in realization as I realized something. Schuyler wasn't coming back. I'd never be bothered by her incessant talking; I'd never fight with her over some trivial matter again; I'd never hear her voice; I'd never see her smile. Not ever again.
Finally, the vision set us free. Yet, still, we remained enslaved to it.
I blinked once. I blinked twice.
Everyone was staring.
Alice sat like a fallen statue on the ground. Bella clenched to me, fear alight in her eyes. Emmett and Rosalie were silent, and for once, neither said a word. Esme stood tall, yet the shellshock was obvious to all. Jasper… I couldn't look him in the eye.
"What has changed?" Esme, gathering up her courage, finally asked. Her fists clenched. I took a deep breath; for every inch my lungs increased, the more stabbing pain in my heart I felt. My face hardened like stone; I held in everything to be strong, to appear strong. "The army is growing. There are more newborns, and a new leader as well. It would seem we were terribly mistaken. Very much so." Bella's hand fell from my own and I clenched both fists. My mind burned with rage, "Victoria was not alone. There was another, one who probably pushed her and helped her achieve all of this."
"The Volturi?" Emmett spoke up. "No," I whispered as I glared at the relentless earth, "Worse." I looked up and turned to Jasper, my entire being wrenched with pain, "It was a true monster." Jasper frowned, his jaw tight, feeling the emotions running through me. He didn't quite understand. "He has added on a target. For some reason, he's going after Jasper." Jasper nodded, "And?" He knew that wasn't all.
I saw his eyes and the stone face I'd put on began to crack. My voice, too, shared the trait, "We know why Schuyler isn't here." Alice sobbed violently and curled into a ball. Jasper's eyes were wild, wild with disbelief. "Where?" He really loved her, so much. I looked to Bella and grabbed her hand and held it in my own. If I were ever to lose my love… I remember the feeling. I had wanted to die.
I glanced at Emmett. He read my eyes and moved faster than lightning behind Jasper and pinned his arms behind his back.
Jasper's reaction was… unexpected.
"Where the hell is she!" He snarled, eyes wide with a flood of emotions. The levee had broken and the oceans came flooding out. Rosalie saw my hesitation. She whispered, voice void and tight, "She's gone, isn't she?" I merely nodded. Bella whimpered, "Gone? Gone where?" I closed my eyes and held her tightly. Rosalie snapped at Bella, angered by her ignorance, "She's gone! As in never coming back! Schuyler is never coming back! She's dead!"
Jasper froze. Emmett gripped harder, knowing the storm had yet to come.
He was right.
Within a second, Jasper switched over from a stilled, fearsome man… to a caged animal wrought with the worst of all pains. Jasper snarled and hissed and flailed and fought. Emmett simply closed his eyes and did what he could to hold him back. Bella stood frozen, mouth slightly agape. The news hadn't sunk in. Somehow, I sorrowfully thought as the feisty young girl's image glowed in my mind, I knew it never would.
Jasper managed to throw Emmett off. Freed, he scrambled in a blind rage over to Alice. Alice did nothing, but held onto her legs and sobbed tearlessly. "Where is she!" He screamed. I moved to aid Emmett in restraining him, but stopped when Alice spoke. Her voice had lost all trace of her, "Carlisle's with her. She's in the hospital. She's alive… but not for long. There's nothing we can do. The venom has already spread throughout her body." Venom? "What do you mean?" I quickly asked. She continued in the same detached way, "He bit her, but he's special, like us. He had an abnormal amount of venom; she should have been fine… but there was too much venom." "Alice," I spoke, a glint of hope coming to light, "Schuyler's part vampire. The venom shouldn't hurt her."
Alice's head snapped up. She stared at me, her eyes still foggy from remnant visions, "Schuyler hosts many secrets; secrets we could never even dream of. I saw the man she went to see in Europe. He told her. Schuyler's two parts of a whole that can never be, he said, and each part was fighting against the other deep inside of her. He said it was her greatest strength, yet, ironically, it was also her greatest weakness." Her eyes drifted closed as a sob and a bitter smile appeared, "It was a secret. She didn't want Jasper to know because she knew he'd worry and not let her fight." Her eyes reopened and she smiled even more ironically, "Schuyler's only weakness, the one thing that can truly kill her… is a vampire's venom."
Jasper ran off, heading straight for the hospital.
Not one of us tried to stop him.
