Saturday 11th December
For all Carlisle said he had a plan, no decisions had been made, according to Alice. So, everyone went to their respective houses, completely clueless as to what the plan was.
Bella was glad to see her house was still intact when they arrived there. She quickly unlocked the door, and pushed Renesmee and Jacob inside, before shutting the door behind them. She sniffed the air, hoping she might catch a fresh scent; Edward's scent. Maybe, just maybe, he would have gone there, trying to find her.
But no. His scent was stale, faint but lingering. A constant reminder of the mess they were in.
"Okay, you heard what Carlisle said. Take the essentials, though I'm not entirely sure what he means by that. Get a change of clothes; you'll probably need that. Pack a small backpack each."
Renesmee nodded, running upstairs. Bella opened her bag up and tipped everything out onto the table, sorting through it all the putting back in only the things she needed. Then she began opening cupboards and pulling cans out.
"Tinned food?" Jacob asked.
"Yes. For you and Nessie." She paused for a moment and turned to Jacob. "Don't you need to get a few things?"
Jacob sighed. "I don't want to leave you, even if it is only to go to another room. Everything's crazy out there, and I can't let you get hurt."
Bella smiled sadly. "I think I'll be okay on my own for five minutes," she said, gently. Grabbing her bag, Bella ran up to her bedroom and shoved a change of clothes in. She gazed at the photo album lying on the bed for a few moments, before grabbing it and shoving it in too. Then she ran to her study, snatched her wedding ring from where she'd safely stored it after the divorce, and slid it onto her finger.
Edward and Bella may still have many unresolved issues, and they may be divorced, but that ring was a symbol of their undying devotion. Maybe she was being weak, dependant, clinging to these small parts of their life together, refusing to let go. But that didn't change the fact that it was all she had of him now, and she desperately needed it.
When she returned downstairs, Jacob and Renesmee were stood there with full bags. The cans were gone from the kitchen tabletop, so Bella assumed they'd packed those.
"Just a few more things," she said, running to the fridge and pulling a bunch of containers out. Then she ran to another cupboard and took out every water bottle inside. She ran to the tap and filled the bottles with water, handing half of them to Jacob and half to Renesmee once they were full. Then she put the containers in her bag.
"You had containers filled with blood? For how long?" Renesmee asked, stunned.
"I stocked up on them when we moved here. Just in case I'd ever need them. I know Carlisle says he has a plan but I'm not taking any chances."
"You're incredible, you know that?" Jacob said, amazed.
Bella glanced at him. "Thanks. Well, I think that's everything. C'mon, we've got ten minutes to get back to Wytham."
"Uhm, Mum…" Renesmee said, slowly. "Look out the window."
Turning around, Bella's eyes widened. The curtains were wide open and reporters and neighbours crowded the driveway, snapping pictures. Fuming, Bella stormed towards the window and viciously yanked the curtains to the middle. Sighing she turned around and slipped her bag over her shoulders.
"We're going to have to go round the back. Climb over the fence and run to Wytham. Hopefully not too many people will notice us," she said. "I got all the keys, my phone and my watch. I hope the battery doesn't run out too quickly." She glanced at the table. "Oh hell, I may as well take this too. If we're gonna be hiding out for a while, it'll be nice to keep track of the time," she said, grabbing a charged battery pack and slipping it into a waterproof bag with her phone and watch. "Okay, now we can go."
Bella hesitantly pushed open the backdoor and shut it again quietly. She back away a few steps and looked up at the house. A few moments later, she shook her head and turned to follow her family, who were climbing over the fence. They ran back to the house in Wytham, only to find that it was just as crowded as their place in Littleworth. Bella desperately pushed her way through the crowd until she reached the door.
"Esme! Carlisle!" she shouted, banging on the door.
The door opened and Bella tumbled inside, happy to escape the crowd.
"Are you all alright?" Esme asked, concerned.
"Yeah, we're fine," Bella said. "Where's everyone else?"
"Carlisle's packing a few things. The others haven't got back yet."
Just then, Carlisle walked in, his arms full of flasks.
"Blood?" Esme asked.
"Yes. It should be enough to last us a few months if we ration it, and have enough restraint." He gazed at me. "Did you bring some too?"
Bella nodded. "Some blood for us, and water and food for Nessie and Jake."
There was a thud coming from upstairs, and a few seconds later, Jasper and Alice walked down the stairs.
"How did you two get in?" Esme asked, bemused.
"We uh, ran across the rooftops, climbed down the side of this house and got in through a window. That way we managed to avoid the crowds," Alice explained.
A few minutes later, Emmett and Rosalie arrived. "Okay then. We got everything necessary. What's the plan now?" Emmett asked.
Carlisle peered out a window round the back of the house. "We're going to run down to the coast. Walton Bay. Go down through Swindon and Bristol. Stick together." He paused and frowned, eyeing the room, warily. "You know, it's quite likely they've set up security cameras in here, somewhere we wouldn't find them…" At vampire speed, in a barely audible voice, he said, "Just go down to Walton Bay. I'll explain further when we're there. For now, we'll have to go in groups. Bella, Jake and Nessie, you go first. Then Rose, Emmett, Jasper and Alice. Esme and I will join you last. Bella, you go now."
Jacob and Nessie headed towards the window, but Bella hesitated.
"What about Edward?" she asked, her voice laced with uncertainty.
Carlisle sighed. "There's nothing we can do about that now. We just have to hope for the best."
Bella nodded worriedly, before following Jacob and Renesmee out the window.
The three ran through the streets, down small lanes, through forests, until they reached Walton Bay. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett were already there. Carlisle and Esme appeared a few minutes later.
"Alright everyone," Carlisle said, glancing back at where a group of humans had just spotted them. "Get in the water, swim towards Antarctica. Above all, stick together."
A couple of hours later, they had reached Antarctica. There was no one in sight, unsurprisingly. They went further inland, until they could no longer see anything by ice and snow.
"This is perfect," Carlisle said, looking around at their surroundings, pleased. "It's not too far inland either. Well, we better start digging. One massive hole that goes really deep down. Let's go!"
They each began working on the hole, crouched together, grabbing ice and dumping it into a pile.
"What do you plan to do, Carlisle?" Bella asked, scooping a large chunk of ice away.
"Make a tunnel deep in the ground. Once we're deep enough, we'll make a cave inside, block up the tunnels and stay there."
"That's going to take hours," Bella sighed, wearily.
"It doesn't matter. We just hope that any humans doing those weird experiments won't stumble across us. Or fall into our little cave," Carlisle said.
"Alright, as scary as our situation is, this feels ridiculous. I mean, living in a cave under the ice? Seriously?" Jacob said, shaking his head.
"Ridiculous, maybe," Carlisle replied. "But it may just save our lives."
There were a few moments in which no one spoke, as this information really sunk in, and they all realised the gravity of their situation.
"Honestly, I think hijacking a rocket to Neptune would feel less absurd."
Hours passed. Day bled into night. Still they worked, digging and digging, until they were satisfied with how far down they were. As the sun rose, and the snow glistened and sparkled, the hole into the ground was being blocked up and made to look natural, and undisturbed. By noon, the Cullens had vanished.
"Block up that tunnel!" Carlisle shouted, frantically. "We don't want the place to flood!"
Emmett and Jasper hastily piled snow up until the tunnel was blocked.
"Okay, that's where we go for food," Carlisle said. "I know seafood isn't the most pleasant, but we'll make do."
"Yes, but," Rosalie said, looking at the blocked up tunnel slightly disgusted, "How long do you plan on us staying here?"
"Honestly, I really don't know. It has to be long enough for the humans to forget about us. So fifty years, at least. Probably more." He sighed. "Emmett, get your pc. Do you think you could erase as many of our records as possible? Plane flights, job contracts… that sort of thing. Oh, and could you change our bank details to make it look as though it was passed down through generations?"
Emmett nodded. "I think I can do that."
Settling bag against the snow wall, Renesmee pulled her bag towards her and zipped it open, taking out two packs of cards and laying the cards face down on the ground. Bella raised an eyebrow, watching her daughter.
"What?" Renesmee asked. "We're going to be here for years. I needed to bring something to entertain myself with."
2 months later…
"So, Bella," Jasper said, shifting himself to sit beside her, leaning against the ice wall. "I think we should talk."
Bella looked around at the others, who were talking in hushed voices, or leaning against the wall just like her, lost in their thoughts. "About what?" she asked, miserably.
"Edward."
Bella froze, but glanced around, knowing full well that everyone had heard. As hard as Rosalie tried to hide it, she was listening intently. Jacob had shifted slightly from his position next to Renesmee, and was now angled slightly more towards Bella. Yes, they had all heard. And Bella really didn't want to talk to Jasper about that subject with them all within hearing-range.
"Now?" Bella hissed.
"Yes, now," Jasper said, firmly. "It's not like we're going to get another chance for another good few decades at least."
"But… here? With everyone?"
"We don't have a choice," Jasper said, apologetically. At Bella's reluctant expression, he added, "Bella, you've not stopped thinking about him for the past two months. It's not healthy. You need to-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Carlisle pushed through a small gap in the wall, back into the little cave, quickly blocking it up again.
"Everyone be absolutely silent," he whispered, his voice oddly strained. "There's humans out there, setting up equipment for some experiments."
Jasper stiffened instantly. Having little blood in supply, each vampire was given only a small amount on a weekly basis. They were surviving on the bare minimum, and it just wasn't enough to satiate them.
No vampire dared breathe, for fear the smell of fresh human blood would overcome them. But they'd each had a whiff of it, and the bloodlust was slowly building, even in Carlisle, who had the most control. They each fought to contain it.
But for Jasper, it was much worse. Like the rest, he struggled valiantly to control his bloodlust, but he could still feel that of the others, and it was becoming too much for him to handle.
Noticing Jasper become tense, Bella placed a firm hand on Jasper's arm, while Alice crept over and gripped his other, both preparing to restrain him if if became too much.
And it did.
Finally, unable to control the intensely burning desire for blood, Jasper's will snapped. He leaped up and lunged towards the tunnel into the sea, taking in a deep breath. Alice and Bella tightened their grips on him, while Emmett and Carlisle rushed to assist them. Alice let go of his arm and appeared in front of him, gently placing her hands on his face.
"Jasper, please, no," she pleaded. "Ssh. It's okay. Don't breathe. It won't become manageable again unless you do. Jasper, please…"
But the bloodlust was too strong, and Jasper broke free from Bella, Emmett and Carlisle's hold, diving towards the tunnel pushing through the snow and into the sea. As the water spilled into the cave, Alice and Emmett hurriedly followed him out. They followed the stream of bubbles Jasper created as he shot through the water up towards the surface. When they reached it, they glanced around and saw Jasper about to pounce on an unsuspecting woman, who was fiddling with a piece of equipment.
"No, Jasper!" Alice hissed, desperately.
He ignored her and attacked.
The woman screamed as Jasper pushed her to the ground, landing atop of her and pulling her hair away to expose her neck. His teeth easily pierced her skin, and he thirstily drained as much of her blood as possible.
Alice and Emmett were stood watching him, helplessly. It was far too dangerous for either of them to get too close to him now he was feeding. All they could do was wait for him to finish before they dragged him away.
Emmett cast his eyes around and caught sight of something that made him instantly stop dead. He and Alice had been so caught up with trying to prevent Jasper attacking the woman that they hadn't noticed another scent.
His eyes lingered on another human, who was crouched motionless, staring at them. She held a camera in her hands, and Emmett knew without doubt that everything being recorded was also being transmitted to the government- and more importantly, Officer Fernsby.
"Alice," he muttered. When she questioningly turned to look at him, he gave a barely noticeable nod in the human's direction.
"Uh oh," Alice breathed.
"Get the camera," Emmett told her, quietly. "I'm sure everything's being transmitted to the government as we speak, but it's all we can do now."
Alice nodded and lunged. The shock of seeing a vampire heading straight for her shook the human out of her stupor, and she scrambled backwards. Alice paid no attention to her, grabbing the camera and throwing it towards Emmett, who caught it and stopped the recording.
Jasper, who had finished feeding off the first woman, was slowly creeping towards the second. Emmett looked up from the camera and saw Jasper about to attack the woman, who had moved behind the bulk of equipment, for all the good that would do her.
"Alice!" he shouted, in warning.
Alice spun around to see Jasper dive towards the human.
"No!" she shouted, grabbing onto his arms, trying to hold him back. But he simply shook her off and threw himself forwards.
Right into Emmett's chest.
Emmett firmly gripped Jasper's arms, ignoring the disturbingly feral look in his eyes, as Alice came to help him. Together, they dragged Jasper back into the water, where he instinctively stopped breathing, and the bloodlust lessened considerably.
Jasper, being much more compliant now, allowed himself to be pulled through the water to the cave. Emmett nodded at Alice, who let go of Jasper and removed the snow blocking the tunnel. Then they yanked him inside, where he immediately freed himself from their grip and went to sit in a corner, his black eyes fading into red.
"What happened, Emmett?" Carlisle queried, urgently.
"He drained one human," Emmett answered, quietly. "Tried to attack another but Alice and I managed to restrain him. She had a camera though, and was recording everything. I threw it into the sea, but at had all already been transmitted to the government."
"Damn it," Carlisle cursed, frustrated. "I suppose they know where we are now. Either way, it's not safe here. Those humans performing experiments are bound to investigate the area, searching for us. We're going to have to fill up this cave and create a tunnel to another one, somewhere far away."
Everyone, bar Jasper, who was sat in a corner, tyring to make himself as small as possible, and Alice, who was sat next to him, got to work on making a tunnel many miles long, so they could hollow out another cave far enough away that they wouldn't be discovered again.
They had begun to hollow out another area, when Alice came rushing through the tunnel.
"They're getting close to finding our cave," she cried. "And I can't get Jasper to move. Bella, you go to him."
"Me? Why me?" Bella squeaked in surprise.
"There's just some things a mate can't help with," Alice sighed. "Bella, just go to him. Please. I think you could help," she implored.
"Okay, then," Bella said, uncertainly, turning to make her way back through the tunnel.
She came back into their first cave. Most of it had been filled up again, but Jasper was still in the corner, his legs drawn up to his chest as he stared at nothing.
"Jasper?" she asked. "Jasper, come on. We have to move."
No answer. No indication that he'd heard what she said.
"Jasper, please. We have to move. They're going to find us and we'll be in even more trouble then."
He shook his head. "You go. Let them find me."
"No. I won't let you stay here. Jasper, they'll take you, and kill you, after doing who knows what to you!"
"I know. I deserve it," Jasper mumbled.
"No!" Bella cried, horrified. "No, you don't deserve that! I can't believe you'd event think that."
"It's true. I killed someone. An innocent, defenceless human."
"We're vampires, Jasper," Bella reasoned. "It's in our nature to crave blood. We've all been stretched thin recently. We're all bound to slip up sometimes."
"None of you did."
"That's true," Bella admitted. "But then again, we're only feeling our own bloodlust. You're feeling everybody's."
Jasper looked up at Bella, surprised.
"What?"
Bella shrugged. "It makes sense that would be why you find it so much harder than everyone else to control it."
"But… how?"
"You feel emotions. I know lust isn't technically an emotion, but it is a combination of them, so if you can feel regular lust, why not bloodlust too?"
"It doesn't matter, though," Jasper sighed. "I still slipped up. I put us all in danger."
"And you'll be putting us all in even more danger is you don't move. Jasper, none of us blame you. I doubt anyone could have resisted that level of sheer thirst for blood that long. It's not your fault."
After a few moments of silence, Jasper reluctantly pushed himself off the ground and stood up, brushing snow off him. Bella took his hand and led him down the tunnel, into their second cave, passing by Rosalie and Emmett, who were heading to finish blocking up the tunnel.
As soon as they reached the cave, Jasper walked over to Alice, sat down, and pulled her down beside him. Alice glanced at Bella, and nodded, gratefully.
Bella smiled back, sadly. Jasper may finally understand why he struggled so much to control his bloodlust, but he still had a long way to go in terms of forgiving himself.
One found dead. One admitted to the mental ward.
One drained of their blood. One muttering incoherently, frozen in shock and terror.
One without a life. One without a mind.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened, even if Sigmund hadn't seen the footage.
A vampire attack. From the Cullens. From Jasper, to be specific.
Another person had lost their life at the Cullens' hands. Someone else was forever traumatised. Both had been innocent.
Fernsby had been overjoyed at the footage. Further proof that the Cullens were murderers who had to be dealt with, according to her. She had sent people to investigate the area immediately, but had found nothing. No indication as to the Cullens, other than the blood spattered on the snow.
The photos taken had made Sigmund feel sick. Blood on snow. Red on white. All so clear to see. Every drop visible.
While frustrated that the Cullens had evaded her once again, Fernsby was filled with new hope. She had almost caught them. Now, they knew the path the Cullen's had taken. They had a better chance of finding them.
Or at least, that's what she told herself.
