Playlist:
Taylor Swift - I Know Places
2Wei - Survivor
Kesha – Praying
Billie Eilish – you should see me in a crown
Bette Midler- The Rose
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words. Stephanie Meyer owns the Twilight series, and the songs belong to their respective people.
I Know Places
Esme opened the door, her eyes widening as she took in Bella's half-drowned visage. Bella's hair was soaked and dripping, her capris were torn. She had a scrape on her cheek and her breathing was off. Blood oozed from her hairline. There was something hard and urgent in her face.
"Alice, Rosalie, get some towels and a change of clothes for Bella. Carlisle, come quickly."
"Thank you, Esme. I'm fine. Could I speak to everyone for a moment?"
Esme motioned her inside and Bella stepped into the foyer, taking the towel from Rosalie's hand and using it to wring out her hair, wiping blood out of her eyes. She paced restlessly until Edward and Carlisle came down the stairs. Bella and Edward locked eyes, and this time Bella didn't look away. The words tumbled out of her mouth without her permission.
"We have to leave Forks."
Alice spoke up. "Why are we leaving?"
"I can't tell you."
Carlisle raised his eyebrows. "Where are we going?"
"I can't tell you."
"What are we running from?" Emmett sounded frustrated.
"I can't tell you."
Bella started her pacing again. "Look, you have to trust me. You're in danger. I'm in danger, and a lot more people too. There's more going on here than you-" Bella choked before the sentence could complete itself, and she cursed in her head as blood filled her mouth. Jasper's eyes went black with hunger, but he stiffened and held himself vampirically still. Every vampire in the room held their breath, staring with dark eyes at the scent of fresh blood in the air.
Letting out a frustrated sound, Bella crossed to the kitchen and spat into the sink, already reaching for the bleach under the counter. She poured the bleach down the drain impatiently, rinsing her mouth with tap water. When her mouth was clear, she turned back to the room.
"Sorry. Don't worry about it, I'm not hurt."
"That is not true."
Carlisle was standing next to her, and she clenched her jaw but let him tilt her head up to the light and examine her head injury. He tapped at her jaw, beckoning her to open her mouth.
As she tilted her head back, she saw it: there was a manila folder on the kitchen counter with a very familiar x-ray peeking out the edge. She spun away from Carlisle and snatched up the file, thumbing through it to make sure it was hers. Her head whirled at the renewed panic that scattered her thoughts.
"Where did you get this?"
Carlisle's face was far too calm. He didn't understand what he had done.
"I procured it from a server in Pheonix. I apologize for the intrusion."
"This...you went after this. Oh god, that's how the beetles got here so fast. Carlisle, you don't know what you've done. How could you do this?" In a moment of sudden rage, Bella threw the file at the vampire's feet. "You fool, it was none of your business!"
"I required explanation of your injuries, and you were not forthcoming."
The flutter of papers scattering across the floor did nothing to calm her nerves and she struggled for just a moment to contain her temper, forcing her thoughts to move faster. The beetles would have been able to trace Carlisle's access to the file, that's how they knew she was in Forks. The wound on her head throbbed as Bella put the pieces together and shuddered at her realization.
"They've traced your access to the file. Fucking nosy vampires.They'll make a report, and their commander will send them to clean up the mess, to eradicate possible witnesses. They're coming here." She whirled to face her lover, shoving a finger into his shoulder. "You need to come with me, now."
Edward stepped forward and took her hands. "Okay. You say we need to go; we're leaving. I trust you."
Bella blinked, her panic and rage screeching to a standstill. Edward's gaze was steady, his focus completely on her.
She looked around, at Carlisle and Esme and Alice and Emmett and Rosalie and Jasper, all crowded into the kitchen with concern in their dark eyes. She could read the confusion and uncertainty there, but also the determination and affection. Even Rosalie nodded at her, still holding her breath to avoid the smell of Bella's blood.
"You'll come? All of you?"
"Yes. You require medical attention before we leave." Carlisle's voice was certain, and something warm and solid pooled in her gut. They were coming with her.
The moment was cut short as every person in the house heard the whistled signal from the woods surrounding them. The world stopped, everything precious to her held captive in a single moment of time, balanced on the head of a pin. Long-forgotten instincts clouded her mind, a thousand plans formed and discarded in a moment's time. She watched her reflection in Edward's amber irises, watched the shimmering gold rising to consume her vision. She saw the shock grow on her lover's face, then the wonder and curiosity.
They would harm her vampires over her dead body.
She let go of Edward and snapped sparking fingers together. The blinds whooshed closed of their own accord and the doors locked. Bella turned on her heel and stalked to stand between the Cullens and the door, suddenly feral.
"No time for first aid, Carlisle. Nobody die in the next five minutes, and then we'll leave. You all should probably hold your breath, there's about to be a lot more blood."
Bella inhaled, reaching for golden magicks: for earth and sea and sky, and the distant fire of the stars. On her exhale, the front door exploded off its hinges.
Survivor (2Wei)
The beetles' eyes were black tar when they came through the gaping hole where the door had been. Black oozed down their cheeks like demented tears. When they turned their empty eyes to Bella, the stove exploded behind her. Bella grabbed hold of the fire that billowed from the explosion and threw it towards the beetles before it could harm her family. They recovered too fast, and things sped to supernatural speed as adrenaline and magick filled her veins.
"Now boys, didn't mommy teach you to knock?" Bella knew her voice was a growl.
She barely had the time to settle into her fighting stance and bring both fists in front of her face before they were on her. The dark-skinned leader pulled back his hand to punch her in the gut, but Bella blocked him, countering with a dirty jab to his chin and bringing up her knee. He was no fool and blocked her knee before she could hit him in the nuts again, but he overcompensated and was forced to reel back from the punch to his face.
Bella wasn't paying enough attention to the other two and felt her hair rip out. She flinched back just in time to see Jasper gripping the second beetle's arm, shoving him away from her. Jasper twisted his wrist and the blade that her attacker held skittered away. The heavily tattooed beetle almost broke her leg with his vicious strike to her shin and Bella was forced to one knee, but Emmett threw him across the room.
Still aiming to maintain her defense of the Cullens, Bella scrambled to her feet and backed away, towing her brothers with her as the floor beneath them cracked and rolled, knocking everyone off balance.
Edward flashed to her side and clutched at her as they backed away, while the rest wore varying degrees of shock and confusion on their faces, struggling to keep up with the sudden violence and her newly revealed speed.
The beetles had drawn back too, regrouping, and they noticed Edward's reaction. Bella snarled, a fierce and savage sound that reverberated through her chest. She didn't want to go on the offensive and give the beetles even more reason to send a signal to their commander, but if they went after Edward she would make them regret it.
The heavily tattooed beetle was apparently the dumbest, because he grinned as he feinted right and went left, reaching for Edward. Edward pulled back, but he was unwilling to release Bella so he could dodge effectively. It didn't matter.
The beetle's hand had barely brushed Edward's sleeve when he was hit by a golden lash of pure magick. She didn't even have to think about it, it was instinct. The man was dead before he hit the ground.
The other two paused in their advance on Bella, taking in their comrade's blank eyes at her feet. There was no way the beetles didn't recognize her aura color. They realized who she was, finally saw her as the threat she could be. They started to chant: creepy, rhythmic syllables that billowed out from them.
"Fuck."
Bella struck another earthquake through the room, making the beetles stutter. The leader's lip curled back in a snarl and he threw a fireball at Emmett. Bella managed to put it out with her mind, already shielding Edward and pushing him away from her. She kept hold of his hand even though it meant she had to levitate a frying pan off the wall to block the shard of ice that almost chopped Alice's head off.
She was too busy holding off the beetles' magic, she didn't notice the leader's fist flashing towards her already bruised ribcage. Edward was a millisecond too slow to block the shot and the sound of her ribs breaking was loud in the nearly silent room. Edward broke the beetle's arm as he threw him back towards the door.
She shouldn't have taken the moment to breathe through the pain in her chest, should've pressed her advantage. The two beetles pooled their magicks, throwing a huge fireball at their group. Bella was forced to break the pipes in the kitchen with her mind to put it out.
The leader took the time she was distracted to push at her with a sharp jab of psychic force, reinitiating their chant. Bella was ripped from Edward's hold. She flew back and felt the impact of her body shattering the bay window overlooking the Cullens' garden. Before she had time to land on the hard earth below, the leader turned to grab for Rosalie, who had been running to her aid. Rose dodged expertly, but she could see the beetle's follow up, saw the shimmer of flame in the air. All it would take was a second.
She caught herself in midair and ricocheted back into the room like a slingshot, slamming into the beetle before he could set Rosalie aflame. She grabbed hold of the glass on the floor with her mind and threw it at him, pinning him to the wall and piercing him a hundred times. He died instantly.
Desperately, Bella levitated the remaining beetle before he could engage with Emmett, cutting off his air supply with her telekinetic hold on his neck. His chanting stopped as she slammed her landing into the hardwood. As it rippled and gave way beneath her, she sent a shard of the floorboard to impale itself through the last beetle's heart.
Silence reigned. She swept her golden gaze over the Cullens shrewdly, taking stock of them for any distress or injury.
All was still for a long moment, and then Bella felt the world shudder around her. A portal was opening nearby, reality bending and reforming as this world connected to another. Someone was coming.
Praying
Bella cried out and clutched at her head. A wave of drums deafened her and with the sound was knowledge.
Demetri was coming.
Terrible grief welled within her, but there was also hatred and pity, fear and rage. She fell to her knees in their destroyed living room, clutching at the roots of her long hair. When she began to scratch frantically at her branded shoulder, Edward grabbed hold of her wrist. Bella threw back her head, looking up at Edward with eyes that were still golden but suddenly bleeding black tar to make tracks on her cheeks.
The world glitched. Overlaid over Edward's form was another person: a shirtless warrior with dreadlocked hair and tan skin. The shadow raised its hand to slap Bella across the face, and she flinched away.
She backed away from Edward frantically, curling up and putting her head between her knees. Around her the glitches continued, though they never fully formed: a younger Bella gasped and strained against the ropes that bound her as the young man sneered. The man circled her with two other shadowy forms; a whip was in his hand. There was unnatural darkness, bars and cell walls, fire burning. There was the piercing sound of a girl's scream. Finally, there was only darkness, only the sensation of hollow emptiness in each Cullen's stomach, accompanied by the sound of harsh breathing.
Bella was muttering under her breath, paying no attention to the impossible visions swirling to dark life around her. Edward tapped into Jasper's empathic senses and there were no words to describe the devastation he felt.
"Keep it together, Bella. You can't lose it, not right now. You can do this. This isn't like that; you're not going back there."
Edward's heartbreak showed on his face as he approached her, holding out his hands and moving at mortal speed. "Bella."
Her head snapped up, and for just a moment all Jasper could feel was the all-encompassing horror that swept over Bella.
"Edward. He's coming, Edward. I can sense him coming. You can't be here." The words were a gasp on Bella's lips. The glitches snapped away like someone had turned off the television and Bella scrambled to her feet. She blinked and Edward was suddenly standing next to Carlisle, snapped her fingers and a golden shield extended to separate the Cullens from the rest of the room.
"Do notmove. Do not interfere." She glared at Edward, who was already beating on the barrier with his fist. She still had those black tears bleeding down her face from consumed golden eyes. She had never looked so inhuman.
Then, she turned and scanned the yard outside the window. Jasper's eyes followed her gaze. Standing at the edge of the woods that bordered their house was the warrior from the strange echoes. Resignation and regret were on his face.
you should see me in a crown
The man bowed low, taking a single step closer.
"Isabella."
Bella's face was an icy mask. "Demetri."
The man took that as permission to flash to the edge of the garden, just outside the shattered window. Bella felt her jaw clench as she stepped forward too, once again placing herself between the trapped Cullens and her enemy. She took Demetri in, noticing the changes that time had wrought over his body. His hair was longer and he had a long scar that ruined the handsome lines of his face. When he straightened stiffly, she sighed and shook her head. She heard the weariness in her own voice.
"What are you doing here alone? You should have brought a battalion with you at least. Your beetles are dead, and he will be angry with you for not taking the proper precautions."
"I have not told anyone you are here. I burned my soldier's reports before I came. I do not suspect that will be enough to keep Master from finding you, but it is all I could do."
Bella merely cocked her head in non-understanding. "Why?"
"Because I am not here to hurt you or bring you to him. I am here to ask for your forgiveness."
The laugh sounded horrible to her own ears as it escaped her mouth, and the Cullens flinched. "I'm sorry, what?"
Demetri tensed, and Bella fought the urge to lash out and shrink to a safe distance. He seemed conflicted, battling something inside himself. His eyes flashed a weak black that faded swiftly as he reached, catching a strand of Bella's hair between his fingers.
Bella knew every Cullen heard his murmured voice. "You're still so pretty when you're scared."
Edward hissed, a hateful sound, and his fingers arched into claws. Rosalie's face twisted bitterly. Bella, however, only narrowed her eyes and tilted her head just enough that her hair slipped from his fingers. She began to circle Demetri, her fury on her face.
"That's the crux of things, isn't it? Even now, standing there asking for my forgiveness, you're still sick. You still want to see me scream, hear me beg you to stop. You haven't stopped for a moment, have you? How many victims have you used up and thrown away, looking for one like me? You want me to forgive you, but you're gagging to do it again. You're still hurting them, you won't stop. You can't."
Demetri nodded, still holding himself attack-ready. "Yes."
Bella stopped in front of Demetri's face, inches away from him as she purred her response seductively, a strange pity on her face.
"You know, sometimes...sometimes, I pray for you. I don't believe in monsters anymore. I don't believe you are a monster. You put me through hell. We both know the truth of what happened. You made your choices and I made mine. I'm making mine now."
Bella held out her right arm, palm up, and her face went hard. "There are fates that are worse than death, Demetri. There are some things—some things that only God can forgive."
Beneath fabric and gauze, Edward saw something beginning to push through Bella's skin. The smell of fresh blood hit the air, and the scar on Bella's forearm split. From under Bella's skin a beautiful steel sword was revealed. Its slate blade was longer than it should have been, extending itself past Bella's reach to settle with its ornate hilt nestled in her delicate grip. The chrome roses that formed the cross-guard gleamed even in the dim living room, illuminated by a sudden flash of lightning.
"I hope that the other-side can bring you peace that I cannot. I hope there is somewhere beyond the shores of death that will accept your prayers. You were wrong, Demetri. I cannot let you live. I was not the only one in that cell, not the only one who suffered from your depravity— who still suffers from it. There is no forgiveness for you here. There never will be."
Demetri fell to his knees, closing his eyes. He looked almost relieved. Then, there was only the spray of blood as Bella plunged her sword into his chest.
The Rose
Bella waved her hand as she walked back to the where the Cullens stood, heedless of the massacre that surrounded her. The golden wall fell away to nothing. She took Edward's hands, forcing him to meet her eyes.
"I'm okay, lover. It's going to be okay. I'm sorry."
Edward clutched her to himself, barely tempering his strength. "Who are you? What are you? No, wait, I don't care. Jesus, Bella. Don't do that again. Are you alright?"
Her eyes met Carlisle's from over Edward's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Carlisle. I know you hate loss of life."
"Are you alright? Who was that man?"
"I'm alright. Explanations are best kept for later. There's more where they came from, and Demetri's death will throw echoes to dark places. We must go. You have twenty seconds to gather everything of value to you in this house which you can carry without appearing inhuman."
The Cullens' minds were spinning, but they did as they were told. Emmett took the time to kiss Rosalie gently in the privacy of their room with his hands shaking. When they stepped back into the living room, Bella was standing in the center of it, strange symbols painted in golden light floating in the air around her. Edward stood next to her, holding her hand.
"Before we leave, there is one more thing I have to do." She met her families' eyes for just a moment, taking in each couple around her. She trusted them. "Tell no one what you are about to see."
There was a crack through the foundation of the house. Her eyes flooded golden; soft, lyrical words fell from her lips.
Some say love, it is a river, that drowns the tender reed
Some say love, it is a razor, that leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need
I say love, it is a flower, and you, it's only seed.
It's the heart afraid of breaking, that never learns to dance
It's the dream afraid of waking, that never takes the chance
It's the one who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give
And the soul afraid of dying, that never learns to live
When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter, far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring - becomes the rose
The slow song captivated the Cullens, each one of them falling under Bella's thrall. Edward's face was painted in awe and wonder as under he and Bella's entwined hands, fresh green vines began to curl upward, roots spreading along the suddenly supple floorboards.
The stems and leaves blossomed rapidly into the most beautiful red rose Edward had ever seen. Velvet soft and rich burgundy, the single rose had thorns at least a half-inch long, and though the plant below the flower continued to blossom with leaves and new growth, no other flowers emerged. As Bella uttered the last line of the powerful song, she reached out towards the flower, her fingertips deftly avoiding the thorns as she plucked the bloom.
Immediately after disconnecting from its only bud, the plant withered and died, brown rapidly spreading along its soft leaves until all that remained was a withered stump. The flower, encased in Bella's light grasp, glowed for a moment before it spread its petals with a golden shimmer.
For one perfect moment, the flower bloomed beautifully, but the petals quickly began to droop and fall, exposing the center of the flower. Edward felt his heart fall too and did not know why.
As the center of the flower was revealed, a stone nestled in its delicate petals began to be seen, a clear-cut crystal encasing a perfect miniaturized replica of the beautiful flower. Bella held the strange pendant out to Edward as a delicate golden wire bloomed into existence around the stone, wrapping the gem and connecting it to a sturdy gold chain.
He took the stone from her.
"As long as you love me, Edward Cullen, do not remove this pendant from your person."
Bella helped him throw the chain around his neck, the pendant falling to just below his sternum. She placed one hand on his heart as the other tucked the gem inside the v neck of his t-shirt.
"I don't understand."
"You will, soon enough."
Bella nodded decisively at her family, at these exceptional people who were choosing to stand by her side.
"Everybody ready?" She didn't wait for a reply as she clapped her hands together, and the Cullens and Bella disappeared in a flash of light.