Edward's Point of View
Alice, Carlisle and myself went flying down the road in Phil's direction. My foot stomped down nearly the whole way to the floor. All I could think about was the fact that Ana might be in danger as well. I should have been more vigilant. But I hadn't expected the nomads to already make it into Forks. Alice urged me to go faster, her expression grim. She sat frozen in her seat; her hands balled into fists. Her visions continued for the whole trip. I saw the gruesome scene in her mind. If we didn't get there in time, Ana would be next.
The fear and agony with that alone, had me losing my mind. I knew deep down that she had really captured my attention. I never thought I'd meet a human with the same curse as mine. She would understand me in a way no one else could. There was something very comforting about that. I desperately wanted to protect her at all costs. Is that how Emmett felt about Bella? It's the worst feeling in the world. But at the same time… I just wanted to see her face.
Carlisle remained calm in the back seat, but I could see the frustration on his face. He was deeply disturbed. He took a real liking to Bella and her family. He didn't want anything to happen to any of them. And I'd have to agree whole-heartedly. I wished that Jasper and Esme could have joined us as well, so we would have the advantage of numbers on our side. But they needed to remain, to help Emmett protect Bella. Just in case something was to happen.
We pulled into the small, single floor home, just a few blocks away from Charlie's house. It sat alone, with a high wooden fence surrounding the backyard. The moon was shining brightly overhead as we parked in the gravel driveway. Without hesitation we followed Alice, as she went flying out of the car and directly towards the backyard. With one jump, we made it over the fence. The air was thick with the smell of blood. Flames of hell scorched my throat. I held my breath.
The scene in front of us was something straight out of a horror movie. Blood was splattered through the yard. There were obvious signs of a struggle. Lawn furniture was broken to pieces and tossed around. We followed a trail of blood to a shed. I listened carefully, hearing a sluggish heart break. Alice and Carlisle instantly stormed into the shed, but I paused outside, continuing to listen for a second heartbeat. I had to be sure Ana was alright.
Finally, I picked out her heart, I could hear it, beating steadily, at a normal rate, from inside the house. Everything was quiet. It didn't sound like she was in distress. They must have lured Phil outside the house. They haven't gotten to her yet. We made it in time. Relief washed over me for a moment, before I joined Carlisle and Alice.
The three rogues glared furiously in our direction. The one in the middle, a man with dirty blonde hair jerked his chin up, his hands tightly around Phil's throat. Blood was seeping from his eyes, nose and mouth. All the color had drained from his face. He no longer was conscious. His body was limp. But he was still breathing. If we didn't act fast, he was going to lose his life.
"Back the fuck off, this is our prey." The blonde snarled. He was fully into hunting mode. Hostile and threatening. We most likely couldn't talk our way out of this.
But I knew Carlisle. He was going to try to intervene peacefully, before going to more violent methods.
"I'm sorry for bothering you, friend, but that human isn't to be harmed. We have a permanent residence in this area. And your presence is causing us a lot of grief." Carlisle started with a calm voice.
The other man, with skin like chocolate and dreadlocks, and the woman pale and cat-like, with hair like fire, both straighten out of their aggressive crouch. They seemed taken off guard by Carlisle's words. They turned to the other man.
"James," The woman muttered, she looked panicked.
He responded with a hard snort, throwing Phil roughly to the ground. I could hear several bones break as he landed on the cement floor. He let out a rough breath. Carlisle instantly went to his side to begin assessing him.
"I have to get him to the hospital now." He replied, carefully lifting Phil up and walking back over to us. Concern was on his face. "I trust it to the two of you, to deal with this." With that, he left.
"What is the meaning of this? Why in the hell would you be worried about what happens to that human?" The blonde snapped, taking a step forward, as if to follow Carlisle.
I blocked his way, glaring at him. "The people of Forks are under our protection. I suggest the group of you move along."
The three of them exchanged looks. They were analyzing the situation carefully. Their thoughts were full of questions. The only one that seemed to pose a problem was the blonde, James. His thoughts remained hostile. He wanted a fight. He was a thrill seeker. His interest has been piqued. We had to be careful. This situation wasn't looking positive.
"Well, I guess we will be on our way then," James commented casually. But his true intention was to follow after Carlisle. We couldn't let them go.
I looked at Alice. She was already on the same page. She gave me a hard nod.
Alice acted first; she flew into an attack towards James. I followed her, deciding that James was the main threat. Alice threw herself, wrapping her legs around his neck. I flew forward pinning his arms down. He struggled against us, an enraged growl tumbling past his lips. He was strong. But our attack had taken him off guard enough for us to get the edge on him.
The other man was the first to flee. He ran past us; his thoughts were full of fear. He was a coward. He wasn't even going to attempt to help his comrade. But it was self-preservation. The woman acted. She managed to pull Alice off of James. She was just as afraid, but not as worried for herself. Apparently, James was her mate. She desperately wanted to protect him.
James smirked, using his head to smash against mine. I kept my hands tightly around him. Refusing to let him go. Growls erupted through the shed as we fought. Alice kept the woman busy. This was up to me. He was a skilled fighter, but I've been sparring with Jasper and Emmett for a long time. I was able to hold my own.
We tumbled to the floor, kicking, biting like wild animals. The wall of the shed began to crack as I took him by his neck and forced him up. He was weakened a bit. I saw my opening. Quickly, with as much force as I could manage, I took his head and snapped it. The sickening sound of bones cracking could be heard. His face lost all expressions, before his body went limp. I ripped his head from his shoulders.
I turned to assist Alice, but the woman managed to get out of her arms. Her body was trembling. She glared murderously at me. With rage and pain. But quickly she ran from the shed. She escaped. Alice looked at me with a heavy sigh.
"Should we go after her now?"
I shook my head. "Let's finish this one off. We'll meet back up with Carlisle… to come up with a plan for her."
Alice nodded, glancing over to the corner of the shed, taking a plastic container of gasoline. She poured it on James, her expression remained hard. She was still bothered by something. Even though the biggest threat was taken care of. I shuddered at the thought of something worse coming from our actions here.
I lit a match and tossed it onto the body. We would have to remain here, to make sure the fire didn't get out of control.
I dreaded filling Ana in on what had happened here. Phil was the last parent she had. If he wasn't to make it… she would be orphaned. But if anyone could save him, it would be Carlisle.
Bella's Point of View
Just when I thought things couldn't get any more stressful, Phil ends up in the hospital, with several stitches in his head and complete amnesia. The night after our dinner party, apparently Phil had been in an awful car accident. He fell asleep at the wheel and collided with a telephone pole. That was the story Phil was going with. Luckily Carlisle, Alice and Edward arrived at the scene, before he lost too much blood. But in reality, Phil was attacked by the nomad vampires. They would have killed him, if it wasn't for the Cullens intervening when they did. Of course, I didn't hear about any of this, until the next day.
Edward described the attackers in detail. Recalling what they looked like, from their hair color to the clothing they wore. They managed to take one of them down. But there would be no doubt that we would be keeping an eye out for them. At this point, Emmett doesn't want me to leave the house. He hasn't left my side for a second, even for me to go to the bathroom. The constant paranoia and concern over my well-being had to be taking a toll on him. He has been crabby all day. His foul mood had me in a bad mood as well.
It didn't help with Rene and Ana, now staying at Charlie's place. The house would be pretty crowded for a while. Rene never held down a real full-time job. We always traveled around a lot, so she stuck to jobs with flexible schedules, such as bartending and waitressing. Rene had been depending on Phil's career to cover her living expenses. But that wasn't going to be the case anymore. She would have to find a job now.
Medical bills weren't cheap, and Carlisle made it clear that Phil suffered traumatic injuries to his brain. It's likely he would never be the same. He would most likely have to go on disability and start going to routine appointments to regain his previous health. It was incredibly heartbreaking. Phil's life had changed so drastically, in such a short amount of time. It really wasn't fair.
I didn't even want to touch on the subject of Rene. This only seemed to seal the deal for her. If she was conflicted about pursuing a relationship with Charlie, that was no longer an issue anymore. She has smoothly blended herself into Charlie's life. She played the distraught woman, agonizing over the loss of her new husband, while sharing a bed with her ex-husband. It was deplorable. But I couldn't voice my opinion. Not when Charlie is so happy. He welcomed her back with enthusiasm. Like his dreams had finally come true. Who was I to get in the way of his happiness? I loved them both. Couldn't I just be happy they are together? Why did things seem so wrong?
Monday morning came and a new hell-ish nightmare began. I couldn't hide my pregnancy anymore. No matter what clothes I put on, you could tell from a mile away that I was very pregnant. Just when the students started to not stare as much. Now it will start over. The staring, whispering and rumors. I had been dreading today. So much that I nearly considered not going in today. The anxiety was unimaginable. Even now, as I was seated in Emmett's Jeep my legs trembled, making my knees bump together.
Emmett noticed, leaning over to peck my cheek. "Nothing to worry about. If anyone gives you any trouble, I'll take care of it, personally."
I sighed, playing with the front of my blouse. "That doesn't sound like a good idea."
"Of course it is, I can handle it. Look at me." He grinned, flexing his bicep.
My cheeks warmed as my eyes traveled to his muscular physique. "Trust me, I know you are strong enough to take anyone down. But I'm more worried about people judging me… and you."
He shrugged his shoulders, appearing unbothered. "Who cares what any of them think? I guarantee half of your class is going to end up pregnant before they graduate. It's not as uncommon as it used to be."
Alice popped her head up from the back seat. "He is right Bella. It's not that big of a deal nowadays. The first couple days people might whisper and spread some rumors, but after a while, everyone will go back to minding their own business. I promise."
"I hope you're right." I muttered quietly.
As Emmett drove, I felt a sudden wave of calmness enter my body forcefully. It knocked the wind out of me for a moment as I tried to adjust to the new emotion. I felt myself relax back into the seat. Jasper was using his abilities. Most of the time I was really grateful for that. Today included. I knew any more stress and I'd snap. I'm sure that wouldn't be good for the baby. So, even though these were just manipulated emotions, I clung to them, eager for relief.
"Thanks Jasper," I commented, without looking back at him.
"Any time," He replied.
Emmett glanced over at me with a raised brow but remained silent as he turned his sights back to the road. I noticed his eyes darted up to the rearview mirror. Something was bothering him. He increased his speed a little, still staring behind us.
"Relax Em, we are a safe enough distance away." Jasper spoke up again, this time quieter.
"A safe distance from what exactly?" I asked with a frown.
"Nothing," Emmett said quickly, not looking in my direction.
I turned around to gauge the other's expressions. Both Alice and Jasper looked rigid. Both of them snapped their heads to the direction of their individual windows. The Jeep was now filled with silent tension. My heart began to race.
"What's going on? Does someone want to fill me in?" I said impatiently.
Silence. And now, Emmett has passed the school completely, not slowing down. He pressed his foot down on the pedal, we now hit one hundred miles an hour. And I was starting to panic.
"Is it the nomads?" I asked, chewing anxiously at my lip. "Please don't tell me they are coming after us."
"It's not the nomads Bella." Alice said hesitantly.
"Not another word Alice, she doesn't need the additional stress." Emmett snapped at Alice roughly. As aggressive as his demeanor was, I saw the panic in his eyes. The fear and dread. Something was really wrong. But I couldn't figure out what.
Alice fell quiet, squeezing her lips tightly shut.
"I think I'd be a bit less stressed, if I knew what was going on. If you don't tell me, I'll just assume the worst possible thing." I begged, reaching out to put a hand on Emmett's lap. "We promised that we would always be open and honest with each other. Didn't we?"
His eyes softened, but his hands balled into tight fists on the steering wheel. "Please Bella, let me just get you out of Forks for now. I can explain once I get you somewhere safe." He sounded just as desperate.
My guess was this was all I was going to be able to get out of him. And Alice and Jasper have pretty much turned to stone in the backseat. Neither one of them would make a sound. I gave in. I trusted him. So, I would just be patient. But that wasn't easy. I was completely on edge. I couldn't think of what would make Emmett and the others so terrified. Did Alice get a vision? Were we running for our lives? Or was this just a preventative measure?
There was a quiet buzzing sound now, coming from Emmett's pocket. But he made no move to reach for it. It buzzed for a while. But it was left unanswered. Who was calling?
We had already had it into Seattle, but Emmett showed no signs of stopping there. We were completely out of Forks. But the silence continued.
"Where are we going?" I asked in a low voice.
"Montana for now. We just need to get some distance." He answered.
"From what?"
"I'm really sorry about this Bella, I really am." He hesitated, glancing over at me with a look of pure agony. "She said she was going to be gone for a year…"
"Who, what are you talking about?"
"Rosalie, she just arrived in town." Alice spoke up with a frown on her face. "It was a random decision. I didn't get the chance to see it coming."
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. My hands moved down to my stomach. "If she found out about the baby…"
"That's why we are getting you out of the area, as fast as possible. I don't know what her reaction would be. But if I had to guess, it wouldn't be good. I'm not about to risk you or the baby's safety." Emmett said tightly. "There's no way in hell."
I swallowed, but my mouth was too dry. I felt like I was about to be sick. I grabbed onto my seat, until my fingers ached. Fear was a powerful emotion. One that could drive someone to do crazy things. At this particular moment, I wanted to rip Rose's head off with my bare hands. If she thought, she was going to hurt my child. I would end her.
A/N: Thanks for reading! What do you all think of this story so far? It's been a lot of fun to write. Review, Favorite, Alert. Anything is appreciated.
