Chapter Thirty Seven

Renee

I wanted to know what the young girl had done to Charlie but even when he explained it I couldn't really understand.

"How could she hurt you without even touching you Charlie? And why did they mention our daughter? Do you think this is a sect of some kind? You know, the ones that use mind control?"

He put an arm around me and pulled me close,

"Honey, I have no idea, I only know what happened to me and if Bella had joined a religious sect or something they aren't going to kill all those people, not like that. Besides it looks like money is no object."

"But the way they are dressed, it's odd. Who wears cloaks like those? They look like medieval monks."

One of the men chuckled and walked over,

"And what do you know of Medieval monks woman?"

"Only what I've seen and read, why?"

"Well, monks didn't have such riches, not the lowly ones anyway. The church and the hierarchy may have, but most monks lived plain lives, toiling hard and looking after the poor, sick, and destitute. Do not judge a book by its cover, or a man by his apparel. I was a knight, a crusader, I fought in Outremer against the Saracens. When I returned I was rich, I had castles and manors. I fought alongside Coeur De Lion, Richard the Lionheart, you have heard of him? The greatest warrior who ever lived. Then, my life was ended by a buveur de sang."

Charlie looked at him puzzled as the girl called him away then turned back to me,

"I think I preferred the cult idea honey, he is just plain crazy. If he was a crusader who fought with Richard the first that would make him about ten centuries old and he looks barely twenty-five."

Something he had said made me think though and suddenly I felt very very scared. The girl looked round at me then came over and I shrank back in my seat.

"Don't worry Mrs. Swan, you're safe enough for now and if things work out, who knows, you may even survive this. I see you worked out our secret, it would be best if you forgot it again for now at least."

"How old are you?"

She arched one eyebrow,

"Isn't it bad manners to ask a lady her age? Still why not, I was born in 746, Demetri there in 1003, Philip has already told you his past and Santiago, well he's a little shy. Now I suggest you sit back and enjoy the flight."

When she went back to the others Charlie turned to me,

"What the fuck was all that about? They're all crazy Renee."

"Or maybe they are vampires, Charlie. Look at their eyes."

"I did, freaky yes, but vampires? Look you've had a hell of a shock yet again but try to hold on to reality please Renee, I need you with me."

I decided to tell him what I had found out since I started visiting the Quileute reservation. The younger women were unwilling to talk about the tribes history, but I befriended one old woman, the others tried to make out she was crazy, but I thought they were frightened more of her words than her mind. She had told me the tribe's history, the secret of the guardians and the cold ones and when I had questioned her about them she had shaken her head and told me I already knew. When she told me the name of the cold one who had made the infamous treaty with the elders my blood ran cold.

Charlie sat back shaking his head,

"Are you trying to tell me that Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his family are vampires? Woman, you are loco. Bella was dating his son Edward. Was she dating a vampire without knowing about it? Why didn't he kill her? Don't they drink blood? They didn't have red eyes, they didn't hide during the day. I watched Dr. Cullen work on a boy who was bleeding out on the road."

"I didn't say I understood it all, but the treaty said that the Cullens wouldn't attack any humans. They lived on animal blood and we don't know whether Bella knew or not do we? Besides it hardly matters seeing as she is dead."

That last word shocked us both into silence for a while.

"What made you think of vampires Renee? Was it something that young guy said?"

"He said his life was ended by a buveur de sang. That translates to bloodsucker or vampire. The girl has some kind of mental powers, is that normal? Have you ever heard of anything like it before Charlie?"

I had a terrible gut wrenching thought then. Something that turned my blood cold and made me feel physically sick. So sick in fact that I ran to the bathroom only just making it before throwing my heart up. Charlie was waiting by the door when I came out looking concerned.

"Look, Renee, I've been thinking about what you said and I do have an alternative solution to all this craziness, I think we've been drugged for some reason and this is all some horrible hallucination."

"I really hope so Charlie because the alternative might be that our daughter isn't dead but...a vampire too."

He pulled me close as I sobbed and guided me back to my seat wrapping me in a blanket he had taken from the bed and stroking my cheek,

"Renee, we've been through a lot but let me tell you one thing I have learned over the years as a police officer. There are a lot of strange, horrific and terrible things in this world, but none of them are down to vampires, monsters, ghosts or demons. At least no spirit world ones. Any monsters are human men and women who do monstrous things. There have been men who drink human blood, women too, but they were human not some magical entity from hell. Stop listening to them, they're playing mind games with us. We won't eat or drink anything until we land, that way whatever drugs they are using will be out of our systems."

"What do they want Charlie?"

"I don't know but no doubt they'll tell us when they're ready."

Jane

It was interesting to hear Bella's father try to explain away the truth, Renee was the more perceptive of the two, but then women often were. Deciding it might be as well to let Aro know how things were I rang him only to find he was in a rage because half the guard had been given the wrong destination by a nervous human that we had working the front desk in Volterra and who now wanted to travel to Greece with us.

Unfortunately, she had misheard Alec when he gave her the new address and they were miles from their real destination. Needless to say the human was now dead but it didn't help Aro's frame of mind and when I told him Renee had already figured out our secret he seemed to be quite content,

"Let's see if a little fear in her voice won't help when we hear from her daughter."

"You haven't heard yet?"

"No Jane I haven't and if I don't soon then she will be minus one parent. That little bitch owes me and I intend to take payment very soon."

I went back to the others glad we would be landing in a few hours when things were this fluid and Aro in a bad mood I preferred to be close, it paid to know what was happening, that way you didn't find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. I decided to speak to my brother, he would tell me what was really going on, Alec didn't make such simple mistakes, it just didn't happen.

"Sister, I was beginning to think you weren't going to call, things are rather...fluid...right now."

"Yes, I heard from Aro. What really happened?"

"I think it's getting close to the time when we must choose sides, dear sister. There is much unrest between the brothers. You know Marcus has no love for Aro, well I suspect Chelsea is loosening her hold on him a little at a time and Caius is wild that he allowed Bella to destroy their home although he and Athena are rather glad to be back in Greece, where it all started."

"I see, then we must walk carefully brother, I'll find you when we land."

"I have volunteered to pick you up at the airport, how are your passengers?"

"Subdued, but not stupid, much like their daughter I think and there is no news of her yet?"

"No, not yet but it is early days. I'm sure we will hear, whether we like her words is another matter. Take care Jane."