Chapter song: Runaway by AURORA
••••••••••••••••••••
He had lied about Esme. Edward ran as fast as he could, the trivial knowledge stemming from shock and his inability to shut down his telepathy. The cold hard thoughts of Jasper fed into his fear, and in the back of his mind he knew that it wasn't because he was manipulating his emotions; he was genuinely terrified of Jasper.
He hadn't been able to save Carlisle, hadn't even been able to shout out a warning that his emotions were being played so that his foster son could rip off his head. All because they'd intended to trade the Swan girls to keep the Volturi from forcing Edward to serve a sentence as one of their Guard.
He'd known Edward for decades, and this was the way he chose to react over one little betrayal?
Righteous anger cleared Edward's head, even as he felt his murderous brother on his heels; luckily, he'd always been the tiniest bit faster than him or this would've gotten bloody fast. Where were the others? Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett surely wouldn't stand by while he and Carlisle were murdered, would they? Ironically enough, he would take the Volturi over the certain death now at his back.
Damn him. His brother's thoughts were blurry, mostly just images of Carlisle's detached head in order to freak Edward out. He did his best to detach himself as his feet skimmed across the forest floor at hyper-speed. Of course, that Godless monster had mastered guerrilla tactics that negate the advantages of reading fucking minds.
"You're being unreasonable!" He shouted out even as he scarcely dodged out of the way of Jasper's kick. The town of Forks through the trees was a disastrous barrier from freedom, forcing him to confront the Boogeyman in order to avoid the Volturi's ire. They would kill him for running through the human population in broad daylight.
Secrecy was the Volturi's main rule. They didn't give a shit if vampires discretely killed one another, but not even Edward's ability would be of enough value to atone for exposure. Only his death would.
"You're a damned hypocrite, Edward." Jasper expertly pinned the traitor to the tree with a single hand. That same hand then proceeded to squeeze hard enough for the marble skin to fissure even further from the damage that Maria had inflicted. "A little torture and all of a sudden you're ready to throw innocent girls to the wolves to save your own ass? I wouldn't have let them take you, I would've fought alongside you to the death because I considered you my brother." His voice cracked, betraying the pain underneath all of the rage, but his hand remained firm.
Edward's eyes bulged from the pressure, but he didn't fight with the imminent threat to his neck. He instead laughed openly. "Major Whitlock, I believe that I've heard enough about your past to know that every word out of your mouth is a lie. Sure, you think you're telling the truth, but if I really were your brother, you wouldn't pick those whores over me." He spit out spitefully.
The response was instant. He tightened his grip until his claws cracked into the marble skin and bone. Edward Mason Cullen's head was then severed from his body. He never lifted his eyes from his brother's during the process, ensuring that every instant of agony was imparted with a witness.
Blissful silence surrounded him for the next few moments as he released the body to thud hollowly on the ground. A fire was needed so that they wouldn't rise. And then he needed to rendezvous with Peter so that he could collect the girls.
But the anger and sadness didn't abate as he hauled the body into his arms, which reminded him of a time where he really had been the evil harbinger of death that Edward had accused him of. Time had changed him, yet it hadn't changed what had been done.
Losing Mary and Bella might be what he deserved. Their innocent lives had already been fractured beyond repair due to his presence, shattered and tossed to the wind like the ashes of all of his victims. He had to make it right, to not allow the monsters of the world to harm them.
Grief clouded his vision as he ran back to the Cullen mansion. He remembered Esme showing it to him the first time with such excitement and joy on her face. She had wanted their family together more than anything in this world.
He slowed to a walk once he hit the lawn. As he'd planned, the remaining members of his family had been preoccupied with hunting nearby and had only just arrived on the scene.
"How could you?!" A crying Esme struggled in Rosalie's arms as Leah guarded the remains of Carlisle with a cruel upper sneer to her lip. Emmett, beside the two women and appearing strangely lost, looked past the scene to see the solemn Jasper carrying Edward in his arms. Shock ran across his normally cheerful expression.
"A single wolf couldn't have taken out Carlisle and Eddie, huh?" He asked softly. The others followed his gaze and everything became frozen.
Rosalie kept her hold onto her adoptive mother as confusion took hold. Of the three, she looked the least grief-striken. "Explain, Jasper." There was a darkness in her words that emphasized the depth of loyalty that had always been an integral part of Rose.
If she hadn't always been closer to Jasper than Carlisle and Edward, then he likely would've been fighting off all three vampires while trying to escape. But as she held back Esme with ease and had explicit control over Emmett's response, he knew it was Rose that he had to convince. Despite everything that had happened, they were his family and deserved the unfettered truth.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the lighter that he kept out of habit. He then threw it on the grass between all of them. "I won't finish it." He announced while going against every instinct in his body. Leah growled quietly at him, but he ignored it. "Their fates are in your hands."
He walked directly in front of his family and dropped the body that was already attempting to seal with its head. Carlisle's headless body, despite Leah kicking his skull with her paw in a decisively sadistic manner, was crawling searching for its missing part as well. The view was an unsettling one, but Jasper knew firsthand that it was pure instinct and not intelligence that guided the bodies. Until they were put back together, his foster brother and father were in a state of merciful unconsciousness. "I doubt either of them would ever admit to it, but they cooked up a little contingency plan that drove Bella to run and take Mary with her."
Rose and Emmett exchanged a wary glance. Evidently, they'd been catching the same type of vibes from Carlisle and Edward that Jasper had as well. "What kind of plans?" She finally asked over Esme's cries.
"Leah, stop kicking the bastard's head around for a minute." He sighed. It was difficult to concede this much control of the situation, but he wouldn't lose his family if he could help it. It'd be easier to dismantle Carlisle again rather than Edward.
The she-wolf acquiesced with almost a pouty look on her lupine face.
He crouched and helped his foster father's body accomplish its task. Almost instantly, Carlisle Cullen fell to his knees and took in large gulps of air, adjusting to the newfound life in his limbs.
His pitch black eyes took in the sight of his disheveled family before finally settling on his mate. "Esme," He breathed in obvious relief, "you're okay."
The guilt that he felt swarmed into Jasper's body in a tidal wave. It pissed the empath off to no end because he knew that Edward and Carlisle had fully intended to leave the whole family to what could've been a dangerous situation. They were no longer men worthy of love or trust in his opinion. But it wasn't his place to judge.
No, he was the executioner. "Carlisle," He purred, "tell them everything."
••••••••••••••••••••
Vampires are real. I practically bounced out of my seat as we sped down the highway at a reckless speed that once again reminded me that Bella was most certainly not driving.
Despite her vampirism, she looked slightly green in her seat beside mine. Her new mask that Charlotte and Peter had gotten her was now clear and more 'filtered' than her old one. They'd apparently vetted masks since they couldn't believe a newborn had been able to control herself around a human for so long. Charlotte had also ruined my sister's game by telling me all about vampires in a gory amount of detail.
"The sex is soo much better, so when Jazz turns you at least you have that to look forward to. I've always had this fantasy where Peter was the one to change me, so you are sooooo lucky. Killing people kind of sucks, but eventually you'll get used to it and only kill rapists. You'll stop feeling bad once the sex starts though." She continued cheerfully, causing Bella to sputter and start banging her mask against the door.
Peter hummed cheerfully under his breath. He was obviously more than used to his wife's musings. We'd been together for a day and a half, and the pair of vampires had succeeded in entertaining me for almost every second that we'd been together.
But still, being the only human in the car had its downsides. I bounced around in my seat again with increasing intensity. The undead might not need to take care of bodily functions, but I sure as hell did. I couldn't help but blush and hope that the van needed gas soon.
But of course my sister, who had calmed down substantially since they'd called Jazz, picked up on the slightest discomfort that I was showing. "Oí, Mary's got to go to the bathroom!" She called out, her voice echoing a little from her mask, "Can we stop somewhere?"
Peter good-naturedly stopped at a gas station, and my eyes went wide when I realized that I would have to go inside myself since the Sun was blazing. We'd turned around and had been hightailing it South ever since they'd found us. Charlotte shoved a ball cap into my hands and happily threatened to kill any human in the store that recognized me from an Amber Alert. Somehow, from that highly immoral statement, I got the briefest inkling that Jasper and Charlotte don't get along too well.
As I hurried through the store while keeping my head down, thoughts of the handsome man who'd kissed and held me pervaded. He'd been so hot and I'd get to see him again. Somehow, from Bella's reaction in the car, I didn't think that he'd Change me into a vampire as easily as Charlotte and Peter thought he would. From the brief amount of time that I'd spent with him, he'd seemed the protective type.
But God, was someone that handsome really mine? My heart tumbled and my stomach clenched just thinking about it.
The single stall bathroom left a lot to be desired and stifled any further thoughts on my extremely hot vampire boyfriend. Sighing, but accepting what I had to do, I shut the door and locked it. Only to realize that there'd been someone hiding in the corner in a stock-still pose.
A phantom of a scream rose in my throat, but somehow I let no sound out. Once again, an inhumanely pale girl with crimson eyes stared at me, only this time it was most definitely not my well-meaning undead sister. Her eyes were cold instead of sad, and her height far surpassed Bella's.
"Don't scream. All I want to do is talk." She smiled at me, but somehow it felt as though it was forced. "I owe you and your mate, and I'm praying that this doesn't backfire horrifically." She pointed a claw in my direction. "Nod if you understand."
I mechanically nodded. My whole body seemed rooted in place, so it wasn't really like I could do anything. Why are vampires always fucking with me?
"Good. Now I'm going to touch you. No harm will be done to you so please do not fight it." She closed the distance and placed a slender hand on my arm.
Images blasted off into my head at supersonic speed. It made me feel as though my head would explode, but it felt so oddly familiar that I was able to parse each tidbit of information and categorize it at my own pace.
Vampires in black cloaks. Jasper and his family on their knees surrounded by them. Death. Fire. Bella and I held by so many cloaked figures, forced to watch it all. Blood ran down my arms from their claws gripping too hard.
"Jasper!" I was sobbing hysterically. The noise around me blending into meaningless white. I could do nothing to stop the fangs penetrating my skin. Liquid hot pain flared on my neck, and suddenly the vampires in cloaks released me, forcing me to stare at the fire where my mate was burning. "No!" I screeched.
It was too late. I fell to my knees and felt Bella snarling and being forced to kneel beside me. Across from us, through the merciless smoke, three vampires stood. They looked different, as though their skin were made of paper.
The one that had long black hair bared his teeth at me in a semblance of a smile. "Isabella, Mary, I've heard so much about you two." His voice was full of so many inflictions and careless innuendos that I shoved my bloody hand in my mouth to fight back vocalizing my rage. Jasper, my brave, brave Jasper, had made me promise not to fight back. The Volturi wouldn't hurt me; they'd hurt Bella. "Will you join our Guard to uphold the order of the natural world?"
Venom spread through my body, immobilizing me from even responding to the asshole's question.
Bella seemed to muster up enough strength to shake off her captors. "Fuck you!" She spat venomously. She took off across the field with great speed, and I watched in horror when a ginormous man with slicked back black hair tackled her to the ground effortlessly. Vamps swarmed around her and the unmistakable sound of cracking filled my ears. I could only manage a little whimper from the back of my throat at the sight of my sister's limbs being torn off her body.
They all stepped away from her in practiced synchronization. "Masters, what will you have us do with them?"
The Old One who had spoken before giggled obnoxiously in the noxious air. "Pack them up. Talent like theirs is invaluable."
My eyes fell closed and the burning overwhelmed all else.
I opened my eyes to the flickering fluorescent lightbulb of the disgusting and the sardonic smile crossing the woman's lips. "What in the fuck," I gasped out, "was that?" Tears escaped the corners of my eyes and down my cheeks.
"The future. Your future." The terrible response sounded dull even to my own ears.
I blinked at her. "What was the point of showing it to me?"
"So you can change it and to pay my debt. Not that there aren't some side benefits in it for me; If the Volturi gain you in their Guard, then there is no hope left." A crazy look crossed her face. "While there is need for them, that much power will corrode any good. Their fear of humans will ease and blood will spill in the streets."
"Okay..." I struggled to gather my scattered thoughts. "Not having my mate die is really all the motivation I need, lady. How exactly do I change the future?"
"Get your memory back. Simple enough." She began to move towards the door.
I dared grab her wrist to stop her. "How do I do that? You're not exactly being super easy to understand here." The deep cold of her skin bore into me, but I refused to let go.
She shot me an amused smirk. "Pretty simple, Mary Alice. Get your heart to stop." She gently moved my hand off of her and left.
I stood in that nasty as hell bathroom for a long time after.