Fated

Chapter 5

Congratulations to BabyBlueEyes and Rita01tx for guessing dragon and Databyegirl. for guessing VampDragonWard!

Thank you Rita01tx for mentioning Fated in your Rob Attack Blog. At robattack DOT wordpress.

Thank goodness I managed to hang onto my purse during tonight's excitement. I'm still trying to determine if tonight's events really happened or if I'm going crazy. The red mark on my arm indicates I'm not dreaming. My cell phone starts to ring as I'm rummaging inside my purse looking for my keys, but I'm too distracted thinking about everything that happened tonight to care about a phone call, so I ignore it. The lock on the back door is sticking, as usual, and I have to jiggle the key around. My cell phone begins ringing again as I hear a click and the door pops open. A quick peek tells me it's Charlie. I'll call him back later.

As I step inside the darkened apartment, the absence of light tells me that Patty mustn't be home yet. I fumble for the kitchen light switch as my cell phone rings again. Soft light falls across the kitchen and I grab my cell. It's Charlie. He wouldn't be calling three times in a row unless something was wrong.

"Hello."

"Bella, Where are you? Are you alright?"

"Yes, dad. I'm good. I just got in from work."

"You're sure everything is okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Why? What's wrong?"

"I just had a weird feeling... I fell asleep in my chair. I guess I had a bad dream. I'm sorry to bother you, Bella." Charlie sighs. "I'm tired and going to head to bed."

"It's never a bother hearing from you, dad. I'm safe and I'm in for the night. I'll give you a call tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Night, Bells."

I walk to the refrigerator and open it up, looking for something good to drink. I find half of a bottle of lemonade I bought two days ago and pull it out, pop open the cap and take a big chug.

"Do you know where the best place to hide from a dragon is?" A silhouette steps out from the shadows in the living room. It's James. The bottle of lemonade slips from my hand, falling onto the kitchen floor. Glass shards and lemonade splatter across the kitchen floor, soaking cabinets and my pants. My heart starts pounding in my chest so loud I hear nothing else for a few seconds.

"I say, it's with a person whose blood is so strong that a dragon cannot detect anything else around her. I'm really surprised Edward didn't think of that himself. He isn't too bright your boyfriend, is he?"

"He'll come and he'll get you!" I'm frantic. "He'll kill you if you hurt me." I'm so frightened I'm half stuttering.

"I'll be long gone by the time he finds you."

He takes a few steps toward me. I'm standing in the kitchen and him in the living room, with only the kitchen counter between us. I glance at the back door.

"Don't bother wasting your energy. You'll be dead before your hand hits the knob. It's nothing personal. I just hate your blood, or rather hate what it does to me. You see, it's like a drug. One that is almost impossible to resist. Smelling your blood in gym class and not being able to drink it, was agony. It's like waving a bag of heroin in front of a drug attack and watching them suffer. Well, it's not just about your blood being irresistible, there is one other thing. The legend..."

"What legend?" Maybe if I can keep him talking I can think of a way out of this.

"Legend says if a vampire drinks the blood of a 'special one', someone from a special bloodline, then all her abilities will be transferred to the vampire. I know of no one who has done this, but wouldn't it be fun to give it a try and see what happens?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any special abilities!"

"Maybe none that have surfaced, yet, but it's in your bloodline. I can smell it on you." James has a nasty sneer to his voice, like my blood is offending him. "That's also why Edward is attracted to you. Legend also says that dragons find their mates by detecting the scent of a human with certain abilities and they will only mate with those humans that possess such abilities. It's a built-in system to ensure the original race does not go extinct."

"I'm telling you I don't have any abilities and neither do any of my family or ancestors. You're wrong!"

"Really? Who was that on the phone?" I stay silent, refusing to answer. "It was dad, correct?" I tighten my lips and clench my teeth shut. I'm not going to offer any information about Charlie or anyone I love!

"I heard him asking if you were okay. I have supernatural hearing. I heard him tell you he had a premonition about something bad happening to you."

"What, that? That's nothing! That's just my dad being worried. That's just Charlie being..."

"Being psychic. That's your dad showing some of the abilities granted to him by his birthright. Usually, these abilities are passed down through matriarchal lines, but in your case, it looks like it's through your father's bloodline."

I take a chance and make a run for the back door. Before I get close enough to touch the doorknob I feel a hand on the back of my neck. My feet leave the floor and I sail through the air, over the kitchen counter, and fall with a heavy thud onto the living room floor. My back and ankle hurt, I try to pull myself up into a standing position but he is on me before I can move.

He grabs me by the front of my neck in one hand and picks me up in the air. My feet kick wildly, my hands grasping at the hand that holds onto my neck. He is holding me up more by my jaw then my neck, so I can still breath, but the crushing pain is intense.

There's a knock at the back door. James turns his head to look in that direction.

"Bella? Are you home?" It's Jacob!

James tightens his grip around my neck, squeezing hard enough to restrict my voice box.

"It's your little puppy dog who follows you everywhere," James says in that same gruff voice. "Now don't you go warning him away." James lowers me to the ground but keeps his hand wrapped tightly around my neck. "Should we invite him in for some fun?" He loosens his grip enough to allow me to speak.

"No," I barely squeak out. "My car is still at the diner so he will think I'm not home and will go away."

Three more knocks at the door. "Bella, Patty, anyone home?"

"You don't want to play with the puppy?" James pauses, deciding. "Fine. We will have it your way and will wait until he leaves. I'll have my fill with your blood."

I sneak a peek at the back door. Jacob's shadow is no longer present at the door, but I see some movement at the window. As I'm searching for any shadows through the window shade, I notice Jacob's eye peeking in through the 1-inch gap between the bottom of the shade and the window.

Oh no. Jacob! Just go home. Don't be a hero! He's going to get himself killed!

There's a loud bang at the back door. James turns his body around to look, still holding onto me by my neck. There's another bang. James throws his head back and lets out a sinister laugh. "The puppy dog is trying to break the door down to save his love. Ha ha ha!"

I begin to fight again trying to break free of James's grasp. There is a final blow on the door and it pops open and slams into the wall with the wooden frame shredded and broken, Jacob plows through. James lets go of me and I bend over, hands on my knees, coughing and trying to catch my breath. Jacob tries to tackle James, but James does not budge. Jacob takes a swing at him. James parries so quick Jacob doesn't notice he even moved. Jacob attempts to roundhouse him and again James parries and goes back into position so fast that Jacob does not understand what's going on.

James is enjoying this game of cat and mouse. He is smiling and laughing the entire time. Having caught my breath back, I jump on James back. I have no idea what possessed me to try to attack a vampire but I have to do something. It's my fault Jacob is messed up in this.

"Jacob, just run!"

"Not without you, Bella. You run. Go and I will take care of him." Jacob punches James in the face and James just laughs as Jacob grasps his injured hand.

"Jacob you can't fight him. This isn't your battle just please, go." James is laughing while Jacob and I attempt to fight him and plead with each other to run away.

"It's my battle now, Bella. I'm not going anywhere without you!" Jacob attempts to knock James over by sweeping his leg. James grabs Jacob by the neck, picks him up, and throws him against the living room wall. Then he pulls me off his back and throws me against the opposite wall.

Ignoring my pain, I stand up quickly and see James has Jacob pinned by the neck against the other wall. Jacob is fighting fiercely, punching James and kicking him, but James is unaffected. James's mouth opens wide and fangs slide down over his teeth. I start running, screaming as I run. "Jacob. Nooooo!" The couch between us, I clear it in one leap and land only a few feet from them as I watch Jame's fangs sink deeply into the flesh of Jacob's neck.

I feel like I'm falling. Like I'm in a nightmare I cannot wake up from. It's like I'm running in slow motion. I can see James biting Jacob, but I cannot get there fast enough. I see Jacob's blood spilling down over him and onto the floor. So much blood. Too much blood. I make it to them and grab James by his head, trying to pull him off of Jacob's neck. He slaps me in the face with a backhand and I fall backward onto the floor. The metallic taste of blood filling my mouth. My eyes never move from Jacob. James lets go of Jacob and his body slumps onto the floor, dead. I start to cry. My ears begin to ring. The sound is so high pitched it's hurting my head, making me feel like I'm going to pass out. I'm getting dizzy.

There's a loud crash and shattered glass fragments spray across me. I try to get up but fall back on my butt. I feel like I'm passing out and can only see bits and pieces. Darkness is beginning to fill in over my eyesight. The living room picture window is shattered. Edward is glowing as he holds James by the neck. The room begins to grow hot. Steam is coming from Edward's hand, the hand that is holding James in the air by his neck. James is screaming. The apartment fills with the scent of burnt flesh and sulfur.

I'm growing so weak I can no longer sit up. I slowly slide down on the floor until I am lying down, watching Edward. Edward now has moved James onto the floor, in a headlock. The last thing I see before passing out is Edward pulling James's head off.

I wake and sit up. Ice wrapped in a towel falls from my lips. I'm on the couch, Edward sitting on the floor by my side.

"What happened? Oh No, Jacob! Poor Jacob! Edward, he killed him!" I begin to sob uncontrollably. "He killed him and it's all my fault." Edward gets up from the floor and sits on the edge of the couch.

"You fainted, Bella. I'm so sorry. It's my fault. I should have realized he would come here. I should have known."

"He killed Jacob," I cry.

"Not exactly, Bella...Do you remember that I said a vampire is made when a vampire bites a human? I left out one important thing. The vampire must give the human some of his own blood in order for the human to turn into a vampire. Otherwise, he would just die." Edward talks softly, his voice soothing, as he wipes the tears from my eyes. I nod my head yes. Then it dawns on me.

"Jacob?"

"Yes, Bella. Jacob did die, but he's going to come back as a vampire. Jacob was still alive when I found him, but he was dying. I took some of Jame's blood and poured it down Jacob's throat. It's the only way I could save him."

"I don't know whether I'm supposed to be happy or sad, so I will just cry."

Edward scoops me up in his arms and holds me while I cry, gently rocking me. For how long, I do not know.

"How does your lip feel, Bella?"

I touch my finger to my lip. "It's fine. It doesn't even hurt much."

A sudden thought makes me sit up.

"What is it, Bella?"

"Patty! She could be home any minute. I've already drug Jacob into this, I can't drag Patty into it too!"

"Can you call Patty and try to get her to stay somewhere else tonight? I've already cleaned up all the blood and gotten rid of Jame's body, but we still have to deal with Jacob." Edward looked at me with concern in his eyes. I nodded my head and grabbed my cell.

"Hi, Bella. What's up?"

"Hi, Patty. I was wondering if you would be able to stay somewhere else tonight? I've got Edward here..."

"You don't have to say another word. Of course, I will! I'm at a party now. I'll just sleep here. Everyone does anyway. You go, girl. You dog you! Say hi to Officer Fine Ass for me, will ya Bella? Bye!"

I hang up the phone and nod to Edward. I assume he could hear Patty's voice the way James could hear me on the phone, so I don't bother to explain what she said. Oh no! He probably heard her call him Officer Fine Ass! If he did, he isn't giving me any clues to it. My face reddens at the thought.

"Can I see Jacob?"

In a flash, Edward races behind the couch and picks Jacob up in his arms and gently places him on the chair next to me.

I stand up and look down at him. "He looks like he is just sleeping."

"When he wakes up Bella, I'm going to have to take him away. He will be...hungry. Newly-made vampires should not be around humans and especially not around them until they...feed."

"Feed?" I'm not sure I want to know about that. I slump back down on the couch. Edward takes a seat next to me.

"There's plenty of vampires who feed off of animal blood or blood that has been happily donated by humans." Edward sees the inquisitive look in my face. "I'll explain about that at a later time. He will be okay, Bella. He is in good hands. After he feeds, I can bring him back here if you want to see him and I can talk to him and explain things about his new life to him. That is, if Patty won't be home?"

"She doesn't have to work today so she will probably sleep in all day at the party and most likely she will call before coming home."

My head is spinning. I don't think I can hear anymore right now. I lean against Edward and he wraps his arm around me as I lie my head against his chest. The warmth coming from him is so comforting, so inviting. I look up into his eyes.

"Do you really think Jacob will be alright?"

"I know he will be. Everyone I have known who has turned into a vampire was happy about the transition, besides he will have me to help him. I promise I will be here for him."

I lean up and look Edward in the eyes. "Really? Because you two didn't seem to like each other too much the night you stopped us. I remember that much of that night."

"That's because I thought he was some pervert trying to take advantage of a drunk young girl. Now I have seen he cares about you very much. Tonight, he literally gave his life for you. I owe him everything."

I sit back and lean against Edward's chest. "I just need to know that Jacob will be okay and then I will be fine also."

We watch TV, keep an eye on Jacob, and chat for hours. I don't know when I dozed off in Edward's arms, but about 6am he wakes me up with a gentle shake. I open an eye and peered up at Edward.

"Jacob's stirring. He will be up soon and then I have to take him to go hunt." He grabs a piece of my hair that is hanging over my face and gently brushes it behind my ear. My body trembles under his light touch.

I sit up and look at Jacob, he is beginning to toss and turn.

I look at Edward. "But it's morning. It's daylight outside. Won't it hurt him?"

Edward chuckles. "That's just a myth. Sunlight doesn't harm vampires, but their skin does sparkle in the sun. New vampires have to stay out of the sunlight in public until they learn to control the sparkle. It's just training their mind to control their body. Once they have that under control, they can go out any time of day. I have a partner who can help him learn how to be a vampire. In fact, after I take Jacob to hunt and eat, he should spend some time with Alice learning and adjusting to his new life."

"Alice, your partner at the police department?"

"She's more than just my partner at the police force. We are practically family. She and a few others are like family to me. I will introduce you to the rest sometime. They will help Jacob adjust. I will bring Jacob back here immediately after he eats. I know you want to see him."

"Make sure you do, Edward. I won't rest until I talk to him and know he's going to be okay! But, how can Alice help Jacob? Is she a vampire?"

Edward smiles. "She's an original."

"Alice is? The woman I met at the library?" Edward shakes his head. "She seems to skinny and well, she looks kind of frail."

Edward laughs. "Don't let her hear you saying that. She's one of the toughest originals I know."

Jacob sits up and opens his eyes. They are pitch black. He stares straight ahead, not looking at Edward or I. My heart skips a beat. I am so worried. I look at Edward. He pats my hand. "He's just adjusting to his new vision and hearing."

Jacob turns his head and looks at us. "Why do I feel so good? What happened last night? I don't remember what happened after that guy...bit me? Did he bite me, Bella?"

I shake my head, trying to keep tears from spilling down. I cannot find my voice. Edward feels me tremble and squeezes my hand.

"Jacob," Edward was using his soft, comforting voice. "The man, who bit you, he wasn't exactly a normal person. What I mean is...There are some people who..."

"He was a vampire!" I spit out. If Edward couldn't, I did. Jacob smiled as if I told him a funny joke. "We're not kidding, Jacob. He was a vampire and he was after me and you saved me." My voice is shaky as I fight back tears.

"So, let me guess. He was a vampire and he bit me so now I'm going to turn into a vampire, right?" Jacob laughs.

"I'm serious, Jacob."

"Bella is telling you the truth. Listen. Pay attention to what sounds you hear. Really listen, and tell me what you hear."

Jacob looks back and forth between Edward and me, searching our eyes for the truth. Then silences himself and concentrates. "I hear birds chirping, quite loudly. I hear an annoying bell ringing...I hear the TV."

"That bell you hear, it's the church bell in the middle of town, miles away. There's no TV on in this apartment, you are hearing the neighbors TV, possibly from far away."

Jacob looks deep in thought. "I keep hearing this squishing sound too. It's taking over all the other sounds now. It's like fluid pumping in and out in a rhythm. It is getting louder."

"That's Bella's blood pumping through her veins that you are hearing. I know, because I hear it too. That means you are beginning to get hungry and I need to take you to go eat."

"My eyesight is funny too. It's messed up."

"Do you wear contacts?"

"Yes."

"Take them out."

Jacob removes his contacts and looks around the room. "Much better. You're not joking, are you? This is really happening to me?"

We both shake our heads. I run to Jacob and throw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Jacob, you saved me. You got turned into a vampire because you came to my rescue. I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!"

"It's okay, Bella. That's what friends do and if I had to do it all over again, I would choose the same. Besides, this may not be such a bad thing. I have to take some time to adjust, but it may wind up for the better."

As I continue to cling onto Jacob, he grows silent. I feel Edward's hands gently unwrapping my arms from around Jacob's neck. When he pulls me away, I see Jacob's fangs coming down over his teeth. His eyes darken further. Edward stands between Jacob and me, protecting me.

"It's time to come with me, Jacob. I will teach you to feed and you will feel much better. I'll teach you what I know about being a vampire and then introduce you to some friends who can help you with the rest. We need to leave now because the longer you stay here without feeding, the more you are putting Bella at risk."

Edward guides Jacob through the back door, outside. I stay inside, watching them. Edward's skin takes on the same beautiful red ember glow as before as his fire-wings emerge from his back. Jacob watches the transition with a look of fascination on his face. Edward grabs both of Jacob's arms and, with a quick smile at me, leaps into the air and they fly away.

I stand in my apartment alone, wondering if I should pinch myself again.