Chapter Fifty One
Alice
Carlisle agreed it would best best if I went with him to collect Bella, she would be far less startled to see me than him and we needed to get her away quietly. The others stayed in the car around the corner and he and I made our way through the shadows to her house. Carlisle stood watch in the trees while I ran to the house and jumped up onto her window sill relieved to find her window open a little. I could hear her steady breathing and Charlie's snores as I eased the window up further and slid inside.
Once at Bella's side I shook her gently ready to put a hand over her mouth if she cried out in fright but instead her eyes flew open and she recognized me. Her words were a quiet hiss,
"Alice? What are you doing here? I thought you said I wouldn't see you again."
"Things have changed Bella. The Volturi know about you, they've sent the guard to kill us and you too. I need you to get dressed and come with me. Just take the essentials and be quick. Don't make any noise that will wake Charlie."
"I can't just leave like that Alice. Charlie will be looking for me in the morning."
"Write him a note, tell him you can't stay in Forks any longer, you are going home to wait for your mum to get back. It'll keep him from looking for you straight away. Once we get away we'll think of something. You can ring him but you can't tell him where you are. Keep to the story, that way if anyone comes looking for you they'll hear you went back to Phoenix."
She had got out of bed and was busy pulling on some clothes while collecting her phone, purse and paperwork.
"If they come here and I'm gone won't they hurt Charlie? I can't leave him if there's any chance he might be in trouble."
"No, they'll hear you left for Phoenix and they'll follow you there. Your mum is still abroad with her husband so there's no one there to harm. Now please be quick. Write your note then we have to leave."
"Where are we going?"
"I'm not sure yet, a city, its safer if we are surrounded by humans. The guard can't be seen to kill us so they are hampered by plenty of human witnesses in a city. Are you ready?"
She nodded propping a letter up against her laptop then joined me at the window.
"I'll jump down and catch you."
She looked slightly alarmed at that and I couldn't help a smile,
"I'm a vampire Bella, trust me I won't let you fall."
Once on the ground we kept in the shadows until we reached Carlisle when Bella stopped suddenly,
"Charlie's going to know I lied, my car is still parked outside the house."
I hadn't thought of that but Carlisle had.
"Emmett's driven it to the Greyhound station in Port Angeles and we've arranged a ticket for you to Phoenix. If anyone checks it will show you boarded the bus which left an hour ago and the parking ticket in the lot will back it up."
Bella frowned and Carlisle took her arm,
"We have a very clever friend now come on Bella, the longer we stay here the more danger we will all be in."
Bella
I climbed in beside Rosalie feeling a little apprehensive but she smiled at me wryly,
"I don't blame you for this Bella. It is all Edward's fault and if I ever get my hands on him I'll rip him to pieces."
"Maybe if I'd let him down more gently he wouldn't feel so vindictive."
"No, its just Edward showing his true spots. I'm glad we got to you before The Major did."
"The Major?"
I sat back as Carlisle took off headed towards Port Angeles, no one answered my question they just exchanged glances and I understood whoever he was they were all afraid of him. If a family of vampires were scared of one man then I couldn't begin to guess how evil he must be.
We picked Emmett up in the center of town and he winked at me as he got in,
"Just as well you weren't going to try driving all the way to Phoenix, I don't think your car would have made it, the pump's had it. Still it explains why you took the bus. Glad to see you again Bella, just sorry about the circumstances but we'll do our best to keep you safe."
I thanked him and sat back wedged in between Alice and Rose with Esme squashed in the corner while Emmett sat beside Carlisle talking quietly.
"Where are we going?"
Esme leaned across and took my hand in hers,
"New York, our friend is arranging a rental place for us in Manhattan, we'll be safe enough there for a while Bella until we can get something more permanent arranged."
"Permanent?"
It dawned on me that the Volturi would continue to hunt us down until they found us, if it took a year or a hundred years. Well not so long for me, I'd die in my bed before then I hoped. I'd never really thought about dying but now I really wanted to grow old and die, not be executed by a vampire hunting party.
B y the time we reached SeaTac I was beginning to relax a little. If anyone could keep me safe it would be Carlisle and when we were ushered through to a private jet I could only wonder who was bankrolling this expensive escape. I'd never been in a private plane before and could only wonder at the luxury as I glanced round waiting for take off. Once in the air Esme told me to help myself from the galley and I found I was thirsty if not hungry so I made fresh coffee and nibbled on a couple of snacks before sitting beside Alice.
"Your friend who's organizing all this, how do you know he isn't leading you into a trap. After all we're the criminals aren't we? In your world anyway."
"Darius hates the Volturi, he'd rather die than help them. HE and Carlisle have been friends for centuries. Don't worry Bella once in New York we will be safe...for a while. You have to think of something to tell your father. We don't need him looking for you. Having the police on our trail would really complicate matters."
"I'll think of something. As long as I keep in touch he'll be angry not worried and I can live with that but is there anywhere safe from the Volturi? Or are you just delaying the inevitable?"
She shrugged,
"I don't know them so I've no idea but if there is Darius will know."
The flight went quickly ad when we landed in New York it was late afternoon. There was a car waiting for us and the driver handed Carlisle the keys and a large manilla envelope.
"Is that Darius?"
Alice shook her head,
"No, I don't think anyone apart from Carlisle has ever seen him, its just someone he hired to organize things for him."
Emmett drove this time and seemed to know his way around the city, I just stared out the window at all the sights I had heard about but never seen, Esme gave me the guided tour as Emmett wove through the heavy traffic, Carlisle reading a note from the envelope and giving directions when we hit Manhattan. It was a shock when we suddenly turned into an underground parking lot under one of the huge skyscrapers and Emmett parked up.
"Right, apartment 101 on the first floor. Grab the bags from the trunk and lets go."
