"He's tracking us," Edward states upon entering the house. Everyone is standing around Laurent, the red-headed Victoria nowhere in sight. He rubs his temples, shoulders sagging.
"I was afraid of that," the gravelly voiced Frenchman says, eyes closed tight. "I have never seen him react to a human like that before. Not even one he wanted to kill. How does he know you?"
"I uh … might have run into him a couple days ago. My dad shot his shoulder off." Laurent's eyes go wide.
"Wait! That was you? The witch?" He laughs, holding his stomach. "Ah, jolie petite fille, your father is the one James truly wants then. It is unheard of for a human to be able to injure a vampire so severely. What manner of gun does he have?"
"I honestly don't know...I know it's custom, but he doesn't let me around it." Laurent nods thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "I can honestly only assume that the bullets are made of something hard enough to break vampire skin. Maybe diamond?"
"That could work…this is just remarkable. But, all the same, you'll have to kill James now. If there were any chance of his survival, it disappeared when he realized who this girl is. Her father insulted him, from his ranting, and so he wants his revenge. If it means killing a child, so be it. It wouldn't be the first time he took his … affections for a young woman too far anyway."
Immediately, Alice appears, clinging to Jasper's side and whispering at the speed of sound in his ear. They both set down a couple of duffle bags and go back up the stairs, earning a look of confusion from Rosalie.
"What will he do?" Carlisle asked Laurent, his face and voice hard.
"Chances are, he's wanting to draw the father out. I cannot stop his hunt, nothing can. He is unlike anything I have ever seen, and I've been around for a few centuries." Laurent looks at me, approaching slowly. "But I believe you might be the one weakness he has. You struck him down before your father critically injured him. That was a strike to his pride. And he cannot control his actions when he is angered. He might … slip-up. Though you'll have to decide if you're okay with an unlife, should it come to that."
Carlisle looks at Edward and raises his hand. I glance to find Edward's claws back out, his fangs visible. A warning - keep away. His growl echoes through the room, and Laurent takes one step backward.
"Your way of life is interesting, but I don't think it is wise for me to stick around. If anything, James may try and use me against you. And I have no qualms with this coven." He looks at Esme. "You said your allies, the Denali, might take me in?"
"If you're truly wanting to change…" she starts.
"Then I will go to them. I wish you all the best of luck. Adieu."
Carlisle steps forward and bows slightly, "Go in peace." A solid minute passes after Laurent vanishes out the door, and Carlisle turns to Edward. "Is he still near?"
"He's rendezvoused with Victoria, three miles past the river. But now that we know there is a definite risk to Charlie, we have to warn him." My phone is out in an instant, his number dialed and tone ringing out to the room.
"You've reached Chief Charles Swan. I can't make it to the phone right now, but if you'll leave a name and num-" I hang up, brows furrowed.
"He … he always picks up for me. He's answered my texts at 4 in the morning before."
"We need someone to run out to Charlie's hide-out, then." Carlisle volunteers, grabbing a passing Emmett. "You're with me on this."
"No problem."
"What about Bella?" Edward goes to Carlisle, hiding his claws to grab the elder vampire's arm. "She's still in danger."
"Go forward with her plan. Use her to draw James out in a place she knows. It's all we have right now, unless Alice sees something different."
"I do," Alice floats down the stairs with Jasper in hand. "If we take Bella somewhere close by, he'll flank us. And considering how fast his mind changes, no one will see exactly where until he's on us. But, if we take Bella away from Forks, he'll have a dilemma. Go for the easy kill, or go for the vampire hunter. As of right now, he still prefers to kill Bella to hurt Charlie."
"We're running her south," Jasper cuts in, pulling both bags onto his shoulders. "Not too far. Rural California would be safest for all involved. McCloud is a hiking destination during warmer weather, so there will be cabins, places we can hide-out."
"I've got us lodging reserved, we can be there in just under a day. But we have to go now, and make sure James can smell her." Alice pulls on one of my flannels and giggles softly, flapping her arms in the sleeves. "Heh, this is huge on me." I look right at Jasper, who shakes his head.
"Uh-uh, I've got this," he pulls out one of my beanies and hides his hair in it. "Your clothes are puny on me, chica. Also, please change shampoos. Strawberry is a little overwhelming."
"Stop wearing my hats, and you won't have to smell it." Jasper makes a fist and shakes it at me, handing me a duffle. "C'mon, we'd better get going if he's to take the bait. Everyone needs to scatter to keep an eye on the bastard. And Edward," he points directly at the trembling red-head, "Keep Alice and I updated every second. Okay?"
He stiffins, but nods. "Alright...I can do that."
"Alright, autobots!" Jasper raises his voice, and Edward starts to growl. "Roll out!"
"Esme, Rose, take the truck. The girl will follow that while James follows us." Alice calls to the other two, and they hop on in. "Don't worry, Bella, they won't crash it."
"That's...reassuring." I go for the car Jasper is leading me to when Edward appears by my side, pulling me tight against his chest. It isn't painful, not until my broken arm is squeezed between us. I squeak and look up at him. "Go, I'll be okay."
He meets my gaze, his eyes completely blank, and with a soft sigh he turns away, vanishing into the forest with Carlisle.
Alice pulls me to her, guiding me to the car while tears slowly trickle down my cheeks. The three of us sit in the car silently, as if waiting for something. Esme and Rosalie start down the driveway and out of sight. Then Alice nudges Jasper.
"Now. Edward says the woman is on Esme's trail, we can pull James away from her." He starts the car and does exactly what I didn't expect. Goes a relatively normal speed out of the woods and onto the road, southward bound. I rub my eyes, taking my glasses off and setting them in the cupholder.
A soft conversation happens in the front seat before Jasper captures my attention by saying my name.
"Bella, stop that."
"What..?" I ask, catching a yawn in my throat.
"You're feeling it again. But you're wrong, like before. You shouldn't feel worthless, or guilty." He chuckles and meets my eyes in the mirror. "It's amazing, really. Your mind is impenetrable, but your emotions radiate off you like rays from the sun. It never ceases to amaze me just how … scared you always are, but never for yourself."
Why should I be? I ask myself, curling up against the door. If I die, then I die. What matters is that everyone else is safe. All I can do now is close my eyes and hope for the best
It's always confusing to wake up somewhere that isn't your bedroom. But a hotel room that's stylized to look like a log-cabin in the middle of northern California is especially trying to adjust to first thing in the morning. I slowly remember the little black car, Jasper's words, and the real threat that is right on our tails.
Sleep had evaded me for hours, my eyes aching and straining through the morning light, to night fall, and finally sealed once I saw a "Leaving Washington State" sign somewhere along the line. I sit up and instantly check my phone. No texts from the girls, or Charlie, or Edward. Every blink between my blinding phone screen and me finding my glasses is a nightmare. If Charlie isn't contacting me, what did Carlisle find in his cabin? What don't I know? Has James already slaughtered the one family member who understands?
"Hey, finally awake." I look over and Alice is sitting on the headboard above Jasper's sleeping body. "Stay quiet if you can, he doesn't normally go this long without nightmares." She glides over to my bed, sitting cross-legged beside me in her nightgown. "Edward called while you were asleep, said that … that Charlie was nowhere to be found when they got to his hiding place. But -" she raises her hands, catching my glasses before they hit my lap, "- that doesn't mean anything bad. He didn't smell James, and there were no signs of Charlie's car. Maybe he went somewhere else to be safe."
"You can't check?" I prod, putting on my eyes. Alice scratches her head and shrugs.
"Charlie is kinda like you … I can't see your decisions, so I can't see your future. Jasper's been the only one of us to have any influence on either of you. Edward even has problems reading his mind on occasion."
"Ah, I see. Thanks anyway, Alice." I bite my lip and take her hand, squeezing gently. "I know this can't be easy on you, seeing James again." She looks me in the eyes, mouth agape. "How did you escape him the first time?" And like that, she knows.
"You really are a witch, aren't you?" She asks, looking at the gemstone that never leaves my neck. "After he killed the doctor, I couldn't move. He was so furious. I could tell he didn't know what to do. He had thoughts of killing me, but that would have ended in him being killed by me. He wanted to slaughter the hospital, but then the Voltori would have … in his confusion, I ran. I ran until my thirst overpowered me, and I collapsed."
"That's when I found her," Jasper's voice makes me jump, despite it being slurred and low from sleep. "I could feel her hunger and confusion from a small town nearby. I'd never met someone with such strong emotions." He sits up, pulling his hair from his face, which is somber and soft. "I raised her, essentially. Made sure she was fed, clothed, and knew the rules of this life. In return, she taught me to be a quote 'vegetarian' vampire because she already knew where our path would lead us."
"Right into the arms of Carlisle Cullen," she finishes, rocking in place. "And on a grand adventure."
"You have a demented definition of adventure, Alice." I slide from the bed, stretching my back until the bones pop. The red glare of the clock states it's five in the morning, and my stomach awakens with a low rumble. Alice goes straight to the phone and orders room service, finding more vegetarian options than I ever imagined for a tourist trap.
"We'll have to stay inside until tonight, and then we'll lure him into the forest when it gets dark."
Jasper turns the TV on and flicks around until a cartoon comes on. He and Alice sit side-by-side, only moving when my food arrives to collect it for me. I eat slowly, not paying attention to the show, but to Alice's ever changing expressions.
Panic.
Content.
Relief.
Fear.
Horror.
Confusion.
All within a few seconds, I see a full spectrum of futures. And so far, I only survive one or two. Then she grimaces and looks down. I push the now empty plate away and look over at Alice.
"Hey, you okay, Alice?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Her eyes are wide, honest. But I don't trust them.
"Are we waiting for something other than nightfall?"
"Carlisle will call with an update on James' location in a little bit. The family will contact us when they have something to say, that's the rule-of-thumb." I nod, my hands starting to tremble. I reach for Edward on instinct, only to remember as I clutch empty bed sheets that he's somewhere else. Risking his life for me.
This isn't fair on any of them...
A million thoughts race through me. What if they lose contact with us? With each other? If something happened to Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie … Edward … and if Victoria were to figure the trick out, would she flank them? Could she be spotted in time? And we still don't know where my dad even is...
Could I live with myself if anything were to happen to them? I don't deserve all these people trying to save my life. There has to be another way. My fingers start to tingle, making every hair on my body stand up.
"Isabella, I will come over there and wrap you in a burrito of happiness if you don't start focusing on your emotions." I meet Jasper's intense, worried glare with wide eyes. Fuck, right. Thank the lord that Edward isn't an intune to my thoughts as Jasper is. "Try and find a positive here, don't be afraid for anyone. We're doing this because we don't want to lose you. We as in the entire coven and your dad and the Blacks and our friends at school."
"Besides, you're the first person to draw Edward out of himself. And I've known him for decades. Carlisle can tell you how he was before he met you," Alice shakes her head, recalling the times. "I don't think you know the impact you've had on all of us, on Forks. I honestly don't think I could look him in the eyes if he were to lose you. You're his world."
That adds a lot of weight to my shoulders, though I can feel Jasper trying to make me feel better internally. I put on a smile, remembering to wrinkle around my eyes, and watch the window as the light slowly rises to its peak.
So far, Alice and Jasper have handled the mini-quarantine of ours better than I have. I pace, fidget, write in my journal, and go to the living room of our lodgings after the fifth hour of SpongeBob.
I keep writing to Edward in my journal. Telling him my thoughts and emotions, finding a way to get them out of me without triggering Jasper's near-paternal instinct. I wonder if that's his relationship with Alice, and I even write that down to ask Edward later. He does seem a lot older than the others - save Carlisle, who is literally ancient - especially in his eyes. Maybe his role in the family is deeper than it seems.
"Alice?" I ask around 1 in the afternoon. She's in the living room with me, laying on the back of the couch and looking at the ceiling absently.
"Yeah?"
"What are they doing?" I hear her take a breath in.
"Edward wants to forego using you as bait and simply rip James to shreds as soon as he spots him. Esme and Rose are looking for your dad, who hasn't gotten ahold of them yet." I look at the undelivered texts to Charlie I sent, stomach turning to lead. "And Carlisle is messing with the tracker's head, making small noises just down wind enough to keep him from being located." Her hand starts playing with the longer parts of my hair. "I'm honestly going on a 'no news is good news' basis."
I close my eyes and lean back on the couch, hearing Jasper leave the bedroom and groan.
"Okay, that's it. I am getting cabin fever and am craving something salty. Will it mess anything up if I go to a gas station and get some Funyuns and beef jerky?"
"It'll only mess up your breath." We both make a sound of disgust and Jasper points at us both.
"Just for that, I won't get either of you a snack."
"If I tell you your hair is prettier than Rosalie's, will you get me a couple energy drinks?" I bat my eyes, tongue sticking out.
"...dammit, she got me. Just for that, you also get a Snickers bar." He pulls up his hood and slides on a pair of sunglasses before leaving the lodge.
"Don't worry, I won't tell Rosalie what you said." Alice giggles, sliding down to sit beside me.
"You, I trust. Him? He's gonna brag. Uh … tell me when he can't hear us."
Ten minutes pass by.
"Okay, we're good. He's gonna take his time to stake out the area."
"Awesome. Awesome. Um … I have a question, and you may not like it." She simply sits and waits. "How does it work? Becoming a vampire?" Her smile falls, and she sits quietly. My question must have taken her off guard, her eyes dart around like someone searching for the answers themself.
"Edward doesn't want me to tell you that," she says finally.
"Why not?"
"He won't tell me. But it doesn't seem right to me."
I watch her, waiting, knowing her urge to tell me is stronger than Edward's desire to keep it from me.
"He doesn't even have to know, this is between you and me. It's honestly just curiosity. The idea of becoming a vampire, at least at 17, is terrifying to me."
She looks at me with her gleaming, wise eyes, pained and choosing.
"Okay, I'll tell you. It'll be mostly theory, I can't really remember my transformation too well. At least not actively. That's just me though. Carlisle can explain it in more detail in the future if you'd want. Being the older vampire, he's got better words to describe it anyway."
I wait, watching her figure out how to say it.
"You know we're predators. We have weapons, more than is really necessary. Strength, speed, scute senses. And then some of us have sixth senses, like Edward, Jasper, and I. And like a carnivorous flower, we're able to attract prey with a glance." I remember the moment in the meadow where Edward, even in his horrifying true form, was able to draw me in. Alice's lips form an ominous smile, her fangs peaking out. "But we're more like spiders or snakes in this aspect. We're venomous."
"I … really?"
"Here, watch." She hooks her finger under her fangs, an opalescent liquid dripping from their tips. "If you drink it, so long as there's no internal damage, nothing will happen. If it gets in your blood, there are only a few paths for it to take. You're weakened, you're killed, or you change. Though weakened in putting it lightly … Edward told me, even though he was already dying, he was in enough pain from the venom just entering his neck he almost screamed. Typically, it works out of your body. If your body is too weak to recover, it will kill you."
"But if neither of those happen, you change?"
"Yes. If your body is strong enough, and there is enough venom in you, slowly you'll start to become a vampire. It can take days, up to weeks. And the pain burns into your memory." She hugs herself and leans on my shoulder. "Like being set on fire from the inside. It changes your bones, your blood, your organs. Your brain. Eventually, the heart stops, and restarts. But in that time, you'll feel yourself die, but the end never comes, no matter how much you pray for it."
Yeah, I definitely don't want to become a vampire.
"All of this depends on if the person survives being fed on in the first place, though. Even the scent of fresh blood sends most of us into a frenzy, it's almost impossible to bite the need down. And if the person is a Singer, then it's almost a guarantee they're going to die."
"You didn't…"
"Didn't die? Are you sure? I have a grave in Mississippi, a half-sister I never met, and a niece who doesn't know I ever existed. Mary Alice Brandon died in 1915, just like Edward Masen died in 1921. If Rosalie had her way, she'd be underground right now, with her great-grandchildren visiting her with lilies and kind words." Alice looks away, her eyes glazing over
We're sitting in silence when Jasper returns, setting a can of Ultra Paradise on the coffee table in front of me. He's got crumbs in his beard, and he's bouncing like an excited child. "I drank four of those on the way in, I think I'm as close to Hell as I'll ever be."
"Jasper, you absolute moron," Alice laughs and throws a pillow at his head. He dodges it easily, still munching on his snack. "Your heart is going to explode if you're not careful."
He thumps his chest. "Solid crystal heart, chica."
Be it his powers or just the natural shift of the mood, we all start to laugh and enjoy the small stash that he bought. If it weren't for the cold air that always comes from their bodies, I'd think I was with two normal siblings. No vampires. No danger. Nothing to fear. Alice's laughter and Jasper's smile is just enough to get me to breathe easily.
And then Alice sits up straight, causing Jasper and I to jerk up in response. She looks around, grabbing the nearest sheet of paper and a pen. And then she scribbles, staring into space, her eyes looking around like she's taking in a new place.
"Something changed… a room. Nothing but mirrors, and a golden bar sticking out about waist height. He's just sitting there, with someone on the ground beside him. Panting. Angry. But I can't see who it is. He's just waiting…"
"Do you know where the room is?" Jasper asks, leaning in to look at her now readable drawing. I bite my tongue and let them continue. And then she draws an arch just over where James and the unknown person is, and it all clocks in for me.
"I can't tell. There's something missing, like another choice has to be made, but I can't see it." She closes her eyes and breathes in deep. "He's in the dark, watching a television, an old one. No … running a VCR. He'll go to the mirror room soon, maybe in the next day or two. And the person is with him, but I can't see them. Only hear their breathing."
"He's going to completely elude the guys.." Jasper says softly, covering his mouth. "He got past Edward too easily."
"Should we call someone?" I ask, my voice just over a whisper. Right then, Alice's phone rings, and she pounces it.
"Carlisle!" She nods, listening ot the voice on the other end. "Yes." A glance at me, and then silence. "I just saw him. He got on a plane? Did Edward...he...he has? Oh no…" Her eyes widen, and Jasper gasps, clearly eavesdropping. "I-I'll let her know. Uh..he's going to a room full of mirrors. It looks so weird, almost like a …"
"An old ballet studio." I blurt out, both of them snapping their heads toward me. "I uh … I took lessons as a kid. Then I broke my leg falling off the recital stage. That's also the year I got glasses." Ramble ramble, but that helps Alice from the relief on her face.
"...a ballet studio. Carlisle, she took lessons. Do you think? Yeah, yeah okay. Bella?" She reaches her phone to me. I take the freezing block of plastic and hold it to my ear.
"Carlisle?"
"Not quite," Edward laughs.
"You're alright! Thank goodness, I was so worried…"
"Don't you worry about me, Bella. I'm not in danger here. I guess you already know we lost James' location. He stayed far enough away for me to miss most of his thoughts, save a handful of 'fucks'. He got on a plane in Vancouver, and Emmett is leading the others back to Forks to be sure he isn't retracing his steps."
"That's a good thought, I uh...I'm sorry, my words aren't working right now."
"They're going to shut down after this … Bella, your dad was reported missing by Billy Black. He missed every phone check-in and there are no traces of him in town or in the forest around it. No one knows where he is. All his scent trails are too old to follow. I-I'm sorry, Bella." My heart drops to the floor and I squeeze my eyes shut
"Here's Alice again…" I reach the phone in her direction, dropping it and pulling into myself on the couch. I'm frozen, I can't breathe. I hear air come in and out of me, too fast to be healthy, and the far-off conversation of Alice and Jasper.
Gone. He's gone. But he wouldn't just go. I look over at Alice's drawing, and my heart stops beating.
Long, rectangular. Wooden flooring. Lines that show the breaks in the mirrors and bars sticking out for the dancers to balance on. The bathrooms were in the back, in a smaller square section where the entrance is. And a window beside the door, where you could see the waiting room.
And the shapes denoting James and the unknown hostage. My eyes widen in horror as the realization hits me.
I know where Charlie is.
"Bella, you said you took lessons as a kid," Jasper kneels beside me, a hand on my shoulder. My fear washes away, and I'm able to think. "Is this the same studio as before?"
"I … no, I don't think so. It didn't have a TV on the wall, or golden bars. And the layout is -" exactly the same "- pretty different. The doors are in different places. But like I said, I haven't danced in a decade. I don't think anyone even remembers that I used to."
Little dancer. Renee remembers. The studio was down the road from our house in Phoenix, I would walk there with her during my years there. If James is going there, then he found our records. He found my mom's old house. I've never been so thankful that she and Phil ran off to Jacksonville.
I lay on my side, curling up tight.
"We'll leave you alone for a while…" Alice covers me with a blanket, rubbing my arm like a concerned mother. "I'm sorry about your dad, but I'm sure we'll find him soon! He's one human, he can't go too far." With a soft kiss to my temple, she and Jasper go to the bedroom, chatting amongst themselves too softly and too quickly for me to begin to understand.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out. I have to force down the scream that tries to come out of my throat.