Chapter Four

Isabella Cigno

Love

It cut a hole into your eyes

You couldn't see

You were the car I crashed

Now you're burning alive

Fall in Love - Phantogram

It had been blue skies. There was not a cloud in sight, save one of our own creation. A thick gray plume of smoke drifted upwards, coming from the gaping hole in the roof. The fire burned brilliantly, like white hot light, with the faintest hint of pale orange. If you closed your eyes it was almost like campfire—cracking rhythmically and oddly soothing. But the smell was awful, like scorched flesh.

I'd been giddy, a wide smile on my face as I laughed at the sight of such destruction. I'd never felt more powerful, and capable. The weight of my dark grey cloak was light on my shoulders as it billowed in the wind. At the front it was fastened with a lavish brooch. A diamond swan pin with emerald lily pads, a gift from Aro. I glanced over at Alec, and clapped him on the back.

"That was absolutely brilliant, we are the dream team! Felix you owe me fifteen liras! Pay up. You too Kate."

"Oh come on that doesn't count, Alec did most of the work." Felix complained.

"Nope, it counts. Alec's putting the newborns to bed, and I threw the match, so it counts. You said we couldn't kill a whole army on our own and will you look at that! We did it."

He scowled and fumbled with his pockets, pulling out his billfold.

I shot Kate a look, "Don't think I forgot about you. Now pay up."

"I'm with Felix, throwing a match does not count as an assist."

Jane rolled her eyes. "When will the three of you stop acting like children?"

"Silence witch, or I'll throw you in there with them," I teased.

Jane's blood red eyes narrowed into slits. The murderous look on her face was undercut by the way her skin glittered in the sunlight, like a tacky craft project. "I'd like to see you try." She spun on her heels and stomped away.

Fire was still a sore spot for her. In her human life the villagers in her town had accused her of witchcraft and she'd nearly been burned at the stake. Her human body had been covered in bright red skin, scorched pitch black in some places. Vampirism had breathed new life into her, she'd woken with every injury healed, heightened senses, and powerful new abilities. She'd been a loyal stooge to her "saviors'' ever since.

Alec had not spared me a glance after threatening his sister. He'd remained facing the house, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, as if in ecstasy. He was a world away, basking in his immense power. Felix and Kate had the right of it, Alec was a powerful vampire. With just a spark and some planning, he could take out an entire coven without so much as lifting a finger.

"Bella! Get a hold of yourself," Alice snapped.

"Carlisle's dead and it's my fault, it's all my fault. My fault! My fault, it's all my—"

Alice glanced over at Edythe who nodded once before reaching towards me and slapping me so hard across the face that I could see stars. "Jesus what the fuck Mason!" I cupped my cheek.

"They're not dead. They're still in there but they're not dead."

"I don't understand, are they trapped, why are they still—" I unbuckled my seat belt. "It's Alec, isn't it?"

"Yes, this is his handiwork. They're in there, but they can't see, hear, or feel anything. Bella you're going to need to be quick about this, they only have a few minutes before the foundation collapses."

"Alice, she can't do this alone."

"Bella can't protect us from Alec's power, we'd only be a burden if we went in with her."

"Try it damn it! Use your shield." Edythe's nails dug into my shoulders.

My brows furrowed and I stretched my shield slightly, it snapped back, and refused to stretch farther. I shook my head. "I can't do it, I can't—"

"Yes you can! You have to! You're not trying hard enough."

"I am trying!"

"We're wasting too much time, Bella there's a wheelbarrow in the garage that Esme uses for her gardening. Throw them all in it and run as fast as you can to the border."

"But—" Edythe protested.

"It's the only way." Alice replied.

I ran quietly and crouched behind a shrub, at the front of the house four of them were congregated. Amongst the thick fog they were ominous, four dark figures off in the horizon, clad in billowing cloaks. All I could see were the backs of their heads, three of them had their hoods pulled up, Felix was the only one who had his down.

"You said only four of the Olympia Coven are in there, where are the rest?" Jane asked.

"They're here, but retreating as we speak." Demetri replied.

I released a relieved little breath. He didn't know I was still here. I knew my mental shield would protect me from his powers, but I hadn't been certain of whether or not they'd heard my approach.

Jane turned to Alec. "Can you reach them from here?"

He shook his head, "No."

"I can take them," Felix said. "Just point me in their direction Demetri."

"It's not safe." Jane said immediately. "You don't know if it's a trap. They probably want to separate us."

"I agree with Jane." Alec said. "We need to be careful, we don't know what The Olympia Coven have up their sleeve."

"Does anyone want to know what I think?" Demetri said.

I was shocked at his tone. Demetri was timid, and kept to himself, never one to raise his voice. Though he hadn't yelled, or even been particularly loud, there was a nervous, hysterical edge to his voice.

"Here we go," Felix said, annoyed.

"This is a mistake. The three did not sign off on this."

"The Olympia Coven should have thought of that before they aided and abetted a wanted criminal," Alec said.

"So who's going to explain this to Aro?"

"Not me," Felix said, raising one of his arms to his face, presumably to cover his nose.

So they had gone rogue? It made a certain sort of sense, they didn't want me to gain any numbers. Even so it was a bad plan. I would have never used such a sloppy tactic to catch a wanted vampire. You just can't burn down a house like you used to anymore. Now humans have all sorts of infrastructure, detectives, forensics, firemen, you name it. The medical examiner was going to have a field day with this one. Though we looked vaguely humanoid, our internal anatomy was anything but.

I could even imagine the quarterly meeting in my head now, Gianna sternly gesturing to a powerpoint slide with her laser pointer. "Okay so there's some room for improvement out in the field, remember D.A.W.A. Can anyone tell me what D.A.W.A. means?"

Jane would probably raise her hand, she was a bit of a know it all in the best of times. "Don't act without approval," she'd say.

"Exactly." Gianna would probably throw some stupid trinket with the Volturi crest on it, like a lighter or a ballpoint pen.

Faintly the howling of sirens grew louder. The fire trucks were coming soon, but not soon enough.

I was no match for all four. They had made a stupid move that was bound to piss off Aro. But there was no way I could convince them to turn a blind eye and let me run off with the Cullens. If I was going to do this I needed to go in and out completely undetected.

I ran around the perimeter and broke a window at the back of the house. Windows shatter all the time in fires, so they wouldn't think much of the noise. The garage was thankfully intact, so I grabbed the wheelbarrow and ran into the home.

From the living room I could hear groaning and mumbling. I followed the sound and found Esme groaning on the floor.

"Quiet," I whispered in her ear. "You need to be quiet."

She continued groaning, her eyes stared forward, unseeing. She couldn't hear me.

"Shit." I squeezed my eyes shut. I tried to visualize my shield stretching out and covering her. It spread ever so slightly, I stepped closer to her.

"Bella?" She gasped. I covered her mouth quickly.

"Shhh! You don't want them to hear us."

She stood up and ran, "We need to find Carlisle."

I matched her pace so she would stay within proximity of the shield, carrying the wheelbarrow in tow.

"Esme, I'm not strong enough to protect all of you. I need you to hop in here, and stay quiet when Alec puts you back under."

Esme ignored me, and ran into the study, Carlisle was at his desk, slumped over and shaking in his chair. She threw him over her shoulder and ran.

"Esme, you're not listening to me. There are four of them outside, including Alec and Jane."

"He can't die," Esme sobbed.

"I'm not going to let him die, trust me." I said. The shield was unwieldy. I could feel it begin to constrict. "Do you trust me?"

She shook her head. I sighed, I guess I shouldn't have expected much. It's not as if she knew me. "You're going to have to."

The shield snapped backwards and she sank like a brick. I caught her before she fell, and placed the two of them into the wheelbarrow. This time Esme remained silent, remembering what I'd told her.

"Rosalie and Emmett are in their room," she whispered.

Though she could not hear it, nor feel it, I patted her on the shoulder and muttered, "Thank you."

I ran upstairs, and held my breath, the smoke was thickest there. When I placed my hand on the door knob I paused, it was scalding hot to the touch. Cursing I used the sleeve of my sweater to grip the knob and twist it open.

The fire had spread all around the perimeter, there was no easy way in. At the center of the room was Rosalie and Emmett, entangled in their Canopy bed. The transparent sheet hanging around them was in flames. There wasn't much time.

I braced myself for the pain and barreled through the fire, feeling a searing pain in my legs. I hissed, and patted the flames out with my jacket. Using the jacket as a protective barrier, I yanked the sheets off of the bed and threw them to the side.

I grabbed Rosalie first and opened their window, I leaped out and placed her on the grass. I scaled the side of their home, and came back in through the window. With Emmett in tow, I jumped back out the window, and placed him next to Rosalie.

Then came a loud cracking sound. I glanced up and watched as the roof caved in, completely obliterating the top level of the home.

Esme and Carlisle were still in there. Alice had warned me about the foundation, and I hadn't been quick enough. They were counting on me, I'd promised Esme—I'd promised her—

I bolted inside, through the broken window. They were still in the living room, laying like limp rag dolls. I pushed the wheelbarrow and ran for the back porch, rolling them down the stairs and over to the others.

I threw Emmett and Rosalie in with the rest, then made a run for it. The sound of the home collapsing was enough to muffle the sound of the squeaky wheelbarrow. After some distance the incapacitated Cullens regained consciousness. Their eyes became focused and they looked around themselves.

"Bella, what's happening? Where are we going?" Carlisle asked.

"The border, and be quiet. They can't know you escaped."

"It's the Volturi, they're here." Esme whispered. "They tried to burn us all alive."

"Shhhh—" I hissed. "Stay quiet and in this damn wheelbarrow. If they come after us, I can't carry all of you."

A well manicured hand grabbed my arm and squeezed it tightly. I winced. "This is all your fault. None of this would have happened if it weren't for you."

"I underestimated what they were capable of."

"We almost died! You're going to get us all killed." Rosalie was hysterical, nearly dying has a way of doing that to you.

Emmett laid his hand on Rosalie's back and pulled her close to him. She withdrew her grip from me, and retreated into him, her head nestled in the crook of his neck. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. I felt guilt twist in my stomach.

"We're alive." Emmett whispered to her, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "It takes more than a little fire to get rid of us."

I looked away, feeling as if I was intruding on an intimate moment. It hurt to look at them, all I could think about was the man I had lost. I had never met anyone who had loved me as much as him, and I never would again.

Eventually we reached the border. The silver Volvo was there, waiting for us. On the outside the three wolves were there too, with their suitcases, and backpacks in tow.

"What took you so long?" Paul sniffed. "And why do you smell like fire?"

Leah glanced down at my exposed shin, where my pant leg had been singed off. The skin was inflamed, an angry shade of red that was sure to scar.

"Well isn't it obvious? Someone tried to kill them." Leah said.

Jacob glanced over my shoulder. I turned quickly, but no one was there. "Did any of them follow you?" He asked.

"No, I'm sneaky. We got away."

"Then we should go before they realize something's wrong."

I looked at each of us, then back at Edythe's car. There were seven seats and eleven people. "One of you wouldn't happen to have an RV, would you?"

Paul and Jacob both turned their heads toward Leah.

"Nope, none of us have one," Leah said. "Guess you guys will have to hoof it, good thing you don't get tired."

"Leah for the last time, I can read your mind." Edythe said, exasperated.

"Damn. Yeah I have one. Wait here, I'll be right back."

Leah had taken her sweet time returning, by the time she got back the sky had begun to darken. When she opened the door I noticed she'd changed into a pair of light wash jeans and a t-shirt. The knees on the jeans were stained chlorophyll green, like she'd been kneeling on some grass. Her mascara was a bit smudged beneath the eye, though it wasn't all too noticeable.

"What took you so long?" I asked. "We're on—"

"A tight schedule, yeah, yeah, yeah. I had some business to attend to."

Edythe shot Leah a sympathetic, pitying look, and received a scowl in response. Leah rose from the driver's seat and chucked the keys at Edythe, "Well I'm beat. Somebody else should drive this thing."

I scoured the kitchen, opening every cabinet and drawer in the RV. Eventually I stumbled upon a bottle of Jameson. I was not a fan of whiskey, but I'd take anything at this point. I sank onto the couch and unscrewed the cap, taking a healthy swig. I sighed with relief as the pain in my leg subsided. Vampire or no, recovering from a burn was a painful process.

"Don't be stingy Bella," Emmett held out his hand, and I passed the bottle to him. He drank about a third of it before passing it back to me.

Jacob raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know vampires could drink."

"Well it's poison technically, not food." I explained.

Leah glared at me and I extended the bottle to her, "Sorry for stealing your whiskey. I'll buy you a new one at the next stop."

She crossed her arms, "It's not mine it's my dad's."

"Then I'll buy one for him."

"Don't bother."

Behind Leah, Jacob shook his head rapidly, making a chopping motion at his neck, his eyes wide and nervous. He mouthed the words, 'Drop it.'

"I'll make sure it's the exact same one, your dad won't know the difference."

"He's dead."

"Oh." Damn, I really should have dropped it.

"So what's the game plan now?" Jacob asked, hastily changing the subject.

I felt several sets of eyes land on me. I took another swig of whiskey. Why did I have to be the one with the plan? I looked to Carlisle, sensing my unease he broke the silence for me.

"It's not safe for the four of us in Forks. I called Eleazor at the gas station, and he said that he was willing to let us stay in his home."

Naturally I assumed that invitation did not extend to me. I had thoroughly burned that bridge.

"That's a good idea, Alaska is far away, and the Denali's have lots of experience dealing with the Volturi. They probably won't attack you guys again. Actually, they weren't supposed to attack you in the first place, none of the big three have authorized killing anyone but me."

Edythe made a sharp turn. My whiskey sloshed onto my pastel grandma pullover.

"We need to go back for Beau. If what you're saying is true then the Volturi could target Beau next. The guards remember Beau's scent and what they look like, they might use them as bait."

"The human should stay in Forks." I said.

Edythe glared at me, "I'm not letting the love of my life die. I thought you of all people would understand that!"

"Let me finish Mason! It's too dangerous for them to tag along with us, so they should stay behind. Some of us should stay with Beau to keep them out of harm's way."

"I can do it," Jasper said suddenly. "If anyone gets too close I'll handle them. I may not have Alec's powers, but I can make people feel too tired to fight effectively."

"No, I want Jacob to stay behind. If something happens to me, well you've picked up the pieces well enough before, you can do it again." Edythe said.

"This is ridiculous," Rosalie complained. "Edythe should stay behind, stop torturing your human for no good reason."

"I can't." Edythe insisted. "I have unfinished business."

"Well then I think it's settled. Edythe, Jasper, and Jacob should all stay behind." I said.

"I didn't agree to that," Edythe yelled.

"Neither did I," Jacob said.

"Mason, I was wrong to guilt trip you, alright? You have someone who needs you right now. I'm not going to stand in the way of that."

"With all due respect Isabella, I'm asking you to shut up for once in your undead life and listen to me. I've made my choice. You're not the only one who loved Edward. He was my family. When our parents died of Spanish influenza, he was all I had left. I want justice for Edward, and I won't stop until we get it, no matter the cost."

"I'll stay with your mate," Rosalie said suddenly.

My eyes widened. She was about the last person I'd expected to make such an offer.

"While you're gone I'll finally have a chance to talk some sense into them. By the time you get back, who knows? Maybe Beau will finally work up the courage to dump you." She added.

Edythe smiled, seeing through the 'uncaring-ice-queen-act'. Though she tried to hide it, her intentions were one hundred percent genuine. "Thank you Rosalie."

Rosalie ducked her head with embarrassment.

"Then I guess I should stay behind too," Jacob said. "I mean Beau will need a nice strong shoulder to cry on." He nudged Edythe with his elbow, as if joking, but I could tell he meant it. Edythe's mouth twisted into a grimace.

The team had dwindled by two. I frowned but said nothing. I took another healthy glug from the bottle before Emmett ripped it away and took a drink of his own. Jasper glanced at me, and tilted his head in confusion. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great," I lied. "So to Forks, then off to Alaska?"

"The Denali's are not in Alaska right now." Carlisle corrected me. "They're on vacation at one of their other estates."

"Oh really? Which one?"

"Naperville."

I tensed. "In Illinois?"

Carlisle looked almost apologetic, "Yes."

"Fantastic," I drawled sarcastically, before standing up straight in my chair and remembering. "Oh actually, this is good news, two birds one stone. We can drop you guys off and then head to Chicago."

"What's in Chicago?" Carlisle asked.

"There's a word document on the flash drive. It's full of riddles, but one of them seems to indicate that I need to check out the art museum. It said, ' Aphrodite made flesh and bone, eternal is her tomb, I am beyond the realm of sight.' I don't know what all those words mean, but it sounds like it's referring to a specific painting of me. I am the flesh and bone that inspired an artist to immortalize my image in paint. The last part I haven't figured out yet."

"I'm sure it will be more obvious when you get there. Do you know what the riddle is for?"

I shrugged. "No, not at all, but it must be important, probably something I'm supposed to find." Or someone.

When we arrived at the humans house, the three of them, Jacob, Jasper, and Rosalie walked out of the RV. To my surprise Emmett kissed his wife goodbye, and stayed with us. They hadn't exchanged many words, not any that were audible to me anyway, but I did catch one little sentence.

"Give them hell, Em."

Maybe our numbers weren't dwindling as much as I'd thought.

The Cullen house was by no means a small, nor inexpensive home, but the Denali estate in Naperville put even them to shame. There were black iron gates, surrounding the premises. The building itself was situated at the end of a long, cobblestone driveway, with perfectly manufactured shrubbery lining the path. The lawn was a duller shade of green, as fall was well underway. The mansions walls were tall and made of tawny bricks, it was an astonishingly modern home. In one of the overly large windows, a gaudy crystal chandelier was clearly visible.

"Is this the place?" Paul asked, reluctantly impressed.

I nodded.

Paul whistled, "How much did this set them back, two mill?"

"One and a half actually, the housing market has really been bad lately." The crash of 2008 was unfortunate for most, but great for wealthy vampires looking to diversify their real estate portfolios.

When Edythe pulled up to the gates, they moved automatically. Motion sensors? How fancy.

"Do you two want to come in?" Carlisle asked Paul and Leah. "It's not often that my friend has visitors who can eat his cooking."

"I'd rather eat dirt," Leah replied immediately. "No offense."

"I mean it kind of seems like you meant some offense." I said, thoroughly insulted on Eleazor's behalf. He'd worked at a Michelin star restaurant for a few years, the man was an artist when it came to food.

"No matter, If you're not comfortable with it I understand. How about you Mr. Lahote?" Carlisle would always and forever be a much kinder, and more patient person than I.

Paul glanced over at the mansion longingly, then back at Leah. "Nah, I'd rather stay here too."

"Are you sure about that?" Emmett asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "The Denali's have an indoor swimming pool and waterfall. All made of stone. And granite countertops." Emmett was a sadist if I'd ever seen one, he knew just the right way to rub salt in the wound.

"Nope, I'm just fine out here."

"Suit yourself," Carlisle said.

The remaining Cullens, Alice, Edythe, Carlisle, Esme, and Emmett, all began to descend the RV stairs. I stayed in my seat, finishing off a bottle of Everclear I'd nicked from a gas station in the rural midwest.

"Bella, you're not coming?" Esme asked.

"Ah, I don't think I'd be welcome." I replied awkwardly, cracking open another bottle of Everclear.

"Nonsense," Carlisle said, "I'm sure Eleazor and Kate would be glad to see you again. Even Carmen wants to see you, she asked for you specifically on the phone."

Oh shit.

"Well if Carmen insists," I said, trailing the rest of them at a distance, nursing my bottle of booze.

We rang the doorbell and waited for less than a fraction of a second before the door swung open and Carmen greeted us.

"Oh my it's so nice to see all of you," she said, embracing each Cullen. "And Bella, long time no see," she added, hugging me too.

I was baffled, maybe she didn't know what happened after all.

"It's nice to see you too," I mumbled.

"So Eleazor is in the kitchen cooking up quite the spread so I hope your friends are hungry."

"They didn't feel comfortable coming in, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind a plate. We'll take some leftovers before we leave," Carlisle said.

"I see," Carmen said, her face falling. She turned to me, her smile somewhat forced. "What do you think of our new desk Bella?" She asked, gesturing to the oak piece of furniture in the corner of the room.

"It looks very nice," I said, my stomach doing somersaults. So she definitely knew and was just toying with me.

"I agree, the stain matches the bookshelves in Eleazor's study perfectly," Esme said.

"Yeah, it's just a shame I had to replace the desk, I quite liked it. Unfortunately someone broke it."

"How did it happen?" Esme asked.

"Bella, why don't you regale our friends with that tale?"

"I'd rather not."

"Don't go shy on us now Bella, tell us all about how you broke my husband's desk."

Carlisle looked at Carmen then at me, before his eyes bulged as he began to connect the dots. Carlisle had ignored my advances for years, but Eleazor...well, we'd been on and off before he'd met Carmen. And after he'd married her, there'd been one, teeny, tiny slip up.

"Uh, I might have um, sat on it—"

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" Carmen punched me so hard that I fell down.

"I suppose I deserved that."

"Oh no, I'm not letting you get off that easily!"

Carmen lifted up her cocktail dress and unsheathed a knife from her garter belt. Ordinarily knives were pretty useless against vampires, but this one was made from a werewolf's fang. An actual werewolf, not a shapeshifter. They were pretty rare now, as all the children of the moon were gone, but with enough patience and money to burn, you can procure one.

"That's a really nice dagger. Where do you get it?" Maybe if I defused the situation she would let bygones be bygones.

"Eleazor gave it to me for our one hundred fiftieth anniversary. I was so happy about it, you know, before I found out that the two of you had desecrated our marriage."

She lunged forward with a jabbing motion at my throat. I rolled away, and leapt back onto my feet.

The other Cullens moved forward to help but I shook my head. "I can handle myself."

Carmen and I circled each other in a dangerous dance. She struck again, hurling forward with the knife in her hands. I smirked, and dodged to the side, tripping her with my foot. She tumbled downward and slid. While she was down, I grabbed my own knife, forged from vampire teeth, and threw it at her. It swung in a deadly arc, right for the middle of her back. I was quick but she was quicker, she laid flat on her stomach. The knife flew past her, and lodged itself into the wall, marring the pristine, white, wainscoting.

At the sound of all the ruckus, the other Denali's had come out from their rooms to see what was going on. Eleazor looked worried, glancing intermittently at the wall, his wife, and I. Tanya and Irina also looked a bit concerned. They took a step forward, but Kate extended her arm in front of them to block the way. Kate was biting her lip, barely suppressing a laugh.

"My money's on Carmen," she said, throwing some hundred dollar bills on the coffee table.

"This is no joking matter Kate," Irina snapped.

"I'll take that bet," Emmett replied, adding his own money to the table.

Alice said nothing, but her lips twitched upwards when she glanced at the money. Clearly she already had some inkling of who was going to win.

"I have to admit," Dodge. "I'm a little insulted," Jab, punch, kick. "You're really betting against me? Of all people?"

She shrugged, "I know a losing horse when I see one."

Carmen tried to punch me again. I blocked it with my left hand while aiming a quick jab with my right. She kneed me in the abdomen, and I gasped, the wind knocked out of me. I stumbled, the liquor made me slow, and graceless. With a divisive motion, she sliced me across the neck, fully decapitating me. My body jerked and fell to the floor, my legs twitching and flailing about. My head rolled on the ground, like a macabre halloween decoration.

"Have you gotten it out of your system now?" I asked.

Carmen lifted me roughly by the hair and positioned my head eye-level to hers. "I thought we were friends, Isabella. You put my marriage in jeopardy. We had to go to counseling. I could barely look at him. Do you understand the pain that you put me through?"

"I really am sorry."

She rolled my decapitated head like a bowling ball on the floor. My hands clawed forward and reattached my head to the rest of my body.

"Now get the fuck out of my house."

Carmen opened the door and slammed it behind me. I sunk to the ground, and sat on the steps, wrapping my arms around myself. I could feel my eyes sting, and reflexively rubbed at them, but of course there were no tears there to wipe away. I raked a hand roughly through my hair, ripping out a fair share of strands. The front door creaked open, and shut. Kate sat down next to me, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. She handed me two one dollar bills.

"What's this for?"

"A token of my appreciation. I couldn't have won this money if it wasn't for you sucking so hard. How does it feel to get your ass handed to you by a housewife?"

"I'm drunk, okay?" I snapped. "Besides I went easy on her anyway."

"Whatever you say Bella."

"Kate, I need to ask you something."

"I'm going to stop you right there."

"Let me finish, I'm assembling a team to—"

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to say!"

"Carlisle filled us all in on the phone, so I'm going to save us both the trouble, my answer to your proposition, is no. I would rather eat a bowl of thumbtacks than join you on your little fool's errand."

"I need you. I trust you more than anyone else in a combat situation. Please Kate, fight with me."

"N-O. My answer is no."

"Is it because of what I did?"

Kate sighed. "Yes, and no. I mean that's definitely a part of it, but it's not the only reason."

"I said I was sorry, what else am I supposed to do?"

"Sorry doesn't even begin to cut it. Carmen is my family Bella. You put her through the wringer, and for what?"

"I'm your family too, in case you've forgotten."

Kate smiled sadly at me, her eyes full of pity. "What, because we were comrades in arms? We were hostages, being held against our will in a terrible situation."

"I thought we were friends."

"I love you Bella, I really do. But there's a reason I haven't answered any of your calls, paid you a visit, or invited you to stay here with me." Kate shrugged. "I love you, but I don't like you. Honestly you'd be hard pressed to find someone who does."

I closed my eyes and said nothing. I shrunk into myself, it was like the wind had been knocked out of me.

"I know that's harsh, but it's the truth. When I look at you, I remember a version of myself that I don't like, and it makes me feel ashamed. I never want to be that person again."

"Okay I get it," I snapped, shrugging her arm off of me. I got up and began to walk away, before thinking better of it. I pulled the flash drive out of my pocket and waved it in front of her. "Do you know what this is?"

"An external storage device of some sort? Why, what's on it?"

So Kate wasn't the informant either.

"It doesn't matter." I replied. "Have a nice life Kate."

She waved me goodbye. "Take care of yourself, Bella."