My vision went dim and my ears were ringing. Distantly, I heard and felt myself grunt as icy arms slammed into my torso and hauled me upright. I couldn't breathe.

"Bella?"

"Bella, stay awake." The voice was a low melody that I knew I should have recognized. I pried my eyes open as I felt myself being lowered. Edward's wintery face came into my blurry view. I groaned, "Edward?"

The wet ground beneath my bottom was vibrating and it took me a moment to realize it was because of the commotion occurring just beyond the darkened trees. There were hefty thumps, thundering crashes and the intense sound of splintering wood. I heard a high-pitched yelp and then Edward quickly said, "I must help him. Stay here, Bella."

One trembling hand was pressed against my temple, which was pounding with a deep, raw headache. My neck felt as if it couldn't hold the weight of my own head. My eyes were heavy and didn't want to remain open. My opposite hand fumbled along the cold, wet leaves upon the forest floor. My fingertips crawled up the tree trunk at my back. I used the support to help me stand. My eyes squeezed shut as the world around me spun. I breathed deeply and it was then that I realized I was swallowing convulsively in an attempt to keep from vomiting.

I had been injured and sent to the hospital enough times to know the symptoms of a concussion. The blow from behind must have been someone attacking Riley, although no amount of thinking helped me recall seeing who initiated the attack. From the sounds of yipping and yelping, I assumed it was a wolf. Where had Edward gone? I must help him. Where were the other wolves? Where was Edward's family? Were they all still fighting Victoria and her army? If so, where was this fight taking place? How long until someone came to aid Edward and the unknown wolf?

My eyes snapped open as I heard the unmistakable cry of Edward in pain. It was a guttural shout. My chest heaved in shallow pants as I stumbled away from the meager protection of my tree. My feet were heavy and awkward, but I ran through the forest blindly. I was disoriented not just because of my blurry vision, but because of the echoing sounds of fighting raging all around me. The darkness only made it worse. More than once, there was the sting and bite of wooden limbs against my face as I ran. There was an odd squeaking noise like metal grating against metal. Following that was a long-drawn wail and a deep growl. I heard Edward hiss loudly, "Hold him still, Seth."

Turning abruptly to the left, where the sound of his voice was loudest, I rushed forward and stubbed the toe of my shoe on a fallen log. My knees and palms scraped against twigs and rocks as I fell. I glanced up immediately and saw a break in the brush of trees. There was a small clearing, not quite big enough to be considered a meadow. A sandy-colored wolf was pinning Riley to the ground. The vampire was struggling madly. His limbs moved so rapidly that he was nothing more than an eerie blur. One arm was ripped off and twitching upon the ground just out of reach. I swallowed heavily and gagged.

Edward, who had been dancing about just behind Seth, glanced in my direction. His face was sharp and contorted as he hissed, "You never listen, Isabella."

He turned back to the struggle and darted down, grabbing at Riley's left leg. He gave a great yank as Riley threw his head back and screeched. There was a wet, squeaky noise as Edward ripped his leg off from the knee down. The shriek of pain grew hoarse before tapering off as the wolf lunged for Riley's throat and tore it out. I stared, trembling on the forest floor, as the vampire and wolf duo went about breaking the body apart. Edward firmly said, "Put all the pieces in a pile. Stand guard."

He turned to me and started walking forward very slowly. Gulping, I scrambled off of my palms and took my full weight on my knees. There was a flickering frown on Edward's face. He stopped walking and called out, "I won't hurt you, Bella."

I heaved myself to my feet and took a shaky step backward. I nearly tumbled right over the same rotten log that had made me fall the first time. Edward sighed heavily, "Bella, I know how frightened you must be. You're injured. You're in shock, but we have no time for this. Please, put down the rock before you hurt yourself."

Startled, I raised my fist. It took a long moment to see beyond the double-vision. There was a sharp, jagged stone in my hand. I felt my eyes stinging with tears as I focused on Edward once more. He was much closer than he had been before. He said, "I must bring you to a different location. I'm going-"

Edward gasped, golden eyes widened in surprise, and he shouted, "No!"

A pale blur darted forward and, for a single second, I thought he meant to attack me. I stumbled and fell backward. There was the sound of two clashing boulders that echoed behind me as I rolled to my side. I desperately searched for Edward through blurry vision. Shapes. Shadows. Fast-moving figures. Red hair. I pressed myself deeply into the cold, wet dirt as Edward and Victoria fought. I couldn't keep up with their movements. I suspected I wouldn't have been able to even had it been daylight and I hadn't been seeing double. They were too fast for human eyes.

Hisses, snarls, and wiry growls shot off through the night air like bullets from a gun. The two vampires rolled, ducked, dodged, and weaved through the trees like dolphins dancing through water. It was a strangely hypnotizing dance. At some point, although I had no sense of time, I became aware of the fact that Edward wasn't gaining the upper hand against Victoria. Neither was Seth, the sandy-colored wolf, joining to aid him. More than once, I heard Victoria's bubbly laugh and tinkling voice mocking Edward, but I couldn't comprehend her words because she spoke so swiftly.

Quite abruptly, Edward was falling from a tall tree and twisting in the air to land solidly on the balls of his feet. He was straightening up when Victoria landed on his back. The surprise of the attack sent him to his knees with a loud grunt. Victoria was laughing, tossing her wild red hair, as she coiled her limbs around him like a snake. Her little arms were pulling on his neck, winching his head at an odd angle. With sudden clarity, I realized she was going to pull his head from his body. She was going to decapitate Edward.

I lurched to my feet, put the sharp rock to my arm, and raked the tip across the soft flesh of my inner elbow. Blood welled up in vivid crimson drops. Glancing up, I saw Victoria hanging off of Edward's back with both palms cupped against his chin. He was forced into a C-shape. Cracks were spreading across his neck and cheeks like aged pavement. Edward's golden eyes turned in my direction. His expression was haunted. Pleading. Scared. Angry. With fumbling fingers, I switched hands until the rock was pressed against the skin of my other arm. With a wince, I dragged the rock downward in a slicing motion. Droplets welled just as brightly as the first time. I struggled to line up the rock again. I pushed, felt the sharp sting, and pulled with all my might. This time, the rock slipped from wet fingertips. I blinked, body swaying, as red ran against white. "Victoria." I croaked, "Victoria. Look."

I didn't glance in their direction again, but instead gazed at my blood dripping upon the dark soil. Splatters dotted my shoes. I decided I didn't want to see Edward's face. I didn't want to think of all the pain we had caused each other. I didn't want to think of fault and blame. I didn't want to feel shame, guilt, or regret anymore. I whispered, "Kill me. Just kill me and leave him alone. Leave them all alone."

I never heard a reply to my last wish. There were no sounds. No shrieking or hissing. No angry howls. No crying or beating of hearts. No laughter. There were no colors, either. No midnight blue sky. No golden stares or ruby-red irises. No crimson droplets on petal-fair skin. No raven hair. No russet fur or mocha eyes. There were no feelings. Just blankness. I found that dying was incredibly peaceful.