p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"When I woke I was in Jacob's bed as usual. I almost never slept at my own house to stay close to the pack in case of an emergency. I wandered into the kitchen and cracked some eggs onto the stove in case Jake woke up soon. While I waited for the eggs to harden I searched the house for my wolf. Coming up unsuccessful I decided that he must be out on patrol and I would have to eat the eggs myself./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"After I had gobbled down the eggs and four pieces of toast I poked my head out the door and ran to the nearby woods. I stripped and tied my clothes neatly to my left hind leg with a strap of leather. I morphed after a moment of concentration./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHey, anyone there?/em I questioned in my mind./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emBella? /emSeth asked in wonder. emYou sound…happy./em His voice was dripping with sorrow./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I tilted my head to one side. emWhy wouldn't I be?/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Seth was left speechless along with Paul and Jared who also shared my mind. For a moment I was confused- then I remembered why I had morphed in the first place./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHey, is Jake with us? He's not back at home right now./em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Everyone's confusion cut off abruptly and the raw sorrow returned. emJacob isn't here, Bella. /emPaul whispered I knew he could feel the question in my mind. I knew everyone could- but no one answered it./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emWell, where is he?/em I asked a little worried for the well being of my Jacob./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHe fell./em Jared stated quietly. His memory was so strong I could see everything that happened. I could see myself. The memory of what happened yesterday rushed back to me so quickly I started to get nauseous./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emIt wasn't a dream? /emI hushed. emNo! Where is he? Where is Jacob? I need Jacob!/em I screamed in my head./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emWe couldn't find him…I'm sorry. This is a serious blow to everyone, ok?/em I wanted to rip Seth to shreds. I wanted to tear him up and eat the pieces. Hearing my thoughts he instinctively backed away from me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emBella! /emPaul commanded emSeth isn't the victim here!/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"He was right. There was someone else. The one who actually killed him. The one who really was to blame. The victim./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emVictoria!/em My mind screeched. I took off./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I couldn't feel my feet hitting the ground. I couldn't see where I was going. I could hear anyone's thoughts except for my own. But I could smell her. It felt as if someone had pressed fast forward on my life. I ran faster than I ever had before I ran to her./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"My nose led me to the side of a cliff. Not the one that Jacob had fallen from but it was off our territory all the same. Victoria was waiting patiently for me on a rock- she was examining her long, sharp fingernails./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Bella, I've been expecting you." She welcomed me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"This is it. I thought quietly as if she could hear what I was thinking. This is my last chance. I backtracked into the woods and retreated back to my human form. I needed to be able to talk for just a moment. When I was ready to fight I would morph- I knew that I was faster than her. I slipped into my clothes and took one quivering step at a time back to the cliffside./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""You have hurt me." I glared at her with furious brown eyes. "You have hurt my friends." I began to stalk her in a circle and she played along with a humored smile on her pallid face. "You have killed my love," I growled, the circle tightened and my jaw clenched./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""But it doesn't matter now, Victoria." I sneered her name. "Your time is emup./em James is gone. Laurent is gone. There is no one that will save you. There is nothing that can stop me."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""I'd like to see you emtry/em to kill me, puppy!" she snorted. "I'm not afraid of you."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""You are going to die, Victoria." She chuckled in disbelief for a moment./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""emI'm gonna kill you!" /emI snarled, the circle got even smaller./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Jacob will be avenged!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"She leaped to me and tried to pin me down- her teeth poised over my exposed neck but I was too strong. I threw her back and leaped over to her morphing halfway through the air. I didn't leave her time to catch one breath. Before either of us could comprehend anything else my razor-sharp claws pierced her white marble skin./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I ripped my paws to opposite sides, tearing her limb from limb. My teeth snapped onto her thin neck. Victoria squirmed in pain trying to free herself. I kicked her mutilated limbed away from me and they wriggled in the dust still alive./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"There was only time for her to let out one last hiss before her head was ripped clean off her body and thrown onto the pile with the rest of her limbs. One of her rock hard arms inched over to me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Without warning on of her disembodied arms twisted itself around my throat. Every time I took a breath the chokehold squeezed tighter./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"She was like a snake./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Suddenly a huge fire rip roared to life behind me. The fumes from the smoke tainted what little air was left for me to breathe./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"No! I was so close! I could feel the darkness of death creeping up on me as my intake of air was lessened even more./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I was dying./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emI'm sorry Jacob! I love you! /emI thought dizzily as I took my last breath./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emI love you too, Bella! You're not going to die! /emA beautiful voice chanted in my head. The voice was perfect. More perfect than anything I had ever heard before. I choked harder./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Everything went black./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"After I had gobbled down the eggs and four pieces of toast I poked my head out the door and ran to the nearby woods. I stripped and tied my clothes neatly to my left hind leg with a strap of leather. I morphed after a moment of concentration./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHey, anyone there?/em I questioned in my mind./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emBella? /emSeth asked in wonder. emYou sound…happy./em His voice was dripping with sorrow./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I tilted my head to one side. emWhy wouldn't I be?/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Seth was left speechless along with Paul and Jared who also shared my mind. For a moment I was confused- then I remembered why I had morphed in the first place./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHey, is Jake with us? He's not back at home right now./em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Everyone's confusion cut off abruptly and the raw sorrow returned. emJacob isn't here, Bella. /emPaul whispered I knew he could feel the question in my mind. I knew everyone could- but no one answered it./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emWell, where is he?/em I asked a little worried for the well being of my Jacob./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHe fell./em Jared stated quietly. His memory was so strong I could see everything that happened. I could see myself. The memory of what happened yesterday rushed back to me so quickly I started to get nauseous./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emIt wasn't a dream? /emI hushed. emNo! Where is he? Where is Jacob? I need Jacob!/em I screamed in my head./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emWe couldn't find him…I'm sorry. This is a serious blow to everyone, ok?/em I wanted to rip Seth to shreds. I wanted to tear him up and eat the pieces. Hearing my thoughts he instinctively backed away from me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emBella! /emPaul commanded emSeth isn't the victim here!/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"He was right. There was someone else. The one who actually killed him. The one who really was to blame. The victim./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emVictoria!/em My mind screeched. I took off./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I couldn't feel my feet hitting the ground. I couldn't see where I was going. I could hear anyone's thoughts except for my own. But I could smell her. It felt as if someone had pressed fast forward on my life. I ran faster than I ever had before I ran to her./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"My nose led me to the side of a cliff. Not the one that Jacob had fallen from but it was off our territory all the same. Victoria was waiting patiently for me on a rock- she was examining her long, sharp fingernails./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Bella, I've been expecting you." She welcomed me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"This is it. I thought quietly as if she could hear what I was thinking. This is my last chance. I backtracked into the woods and retreated back to my human form. I needed to be able to talk for just a moment. When I was ready to fight I would morph- I knew that I was faster than her. I slipped into my clothes and took one quivering step at a time back to the cliffside./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""You have hurt me." I glared at her with furious brown eyes. "You have hurt my friends." I began to stalk her in a circle and she played along with a humored smile on her pallid face. "You have killed my love," I growled, the circle tightened and my jaw clenched./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""But it doesn't matter now, Victoria." I sneered her name. "Your time is emup./em James is gone. Laurent is gone. There is no one that will save you. There is nothing that can stop me."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""I'd like to see you emtry/em to kill me, puppy!" she snorted. "I'm not afraid of you."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""You are going to die, Victoria." She chuckled in disbelief for a moment./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""emI'm gonna kill you!" /emI snarled, the circle got even smaller./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Jacob will be avenged!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"She leaped to me and tried to pin me down- her teeth poised over my exposed neck but I was too strong. I threw her back and leaped over to her morphing halfway through the air. I didn't leave her time to catch one breath. Before either of us could comprehend anything else my razor-sharp claws pierced her white marble skin./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I ripped my paws to opposite sides, tearing her limb from limb. My teeth snapped onto her thin neck. Victoria squirmed in pain trying to free herself. I kicked her mutilated limbed away from me and they wriggled in the dust still alive./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"There was only time for her to let out one last hiss before her head was ripped clean off her body and thrown onto the pile with the rest of her limbs. One of her rock hard arms inched over to me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Without warning on of her disembodied arms twisted itself around my throat. Every time I took a breath the chokehold squeezed tighter./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"She was like a snake./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Suddenly a huge fire rip roared to life behind me. The fumes from the smoke tainted what little air was left for me to breathe./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"No! I was so close! I could feel the darkness of death creeping up on me as my intake of air was lessened even more./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I was dying./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emI'm sorry Jacob! I love you! /emI thought dizzily as I took my last breath./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emI love you too, Bella! You're not going to die! /emA beautiful voice chanted in my head. The voice was perfect. More perfect than anything I had ever heard before. I choked harder./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Everything went black./p