Chapter 4
EDWARD'S POV
I heard Bella's bloodcurdling scream in the meadow. I froze in my tracks, and turned around. I was instantly frightened.
I ran as fast as I could to Charlie's, where I was pretty sure she had screamed. When I got there, the sight didn't look too good.
"Bella!" I shouted in a deep voice. I didn't even recognize it.
I leaped over the hood of Charlie's car, which was in the way of the opening to the driveway, and stopped.
She was kneeling on the ground next to someone, who was covered in blood, her head on their stomach. I went to her. I knew what had happened.
"Bella? Who did you attack?" I asked close to her head.
Her head shot up, tears streaming down her face.
"I didn't attack anyone…Father Ernest shot Charlie."
My eyes widened. "Is he-?"
"He's dead. I couldn't even change him, he died instantly." She flicked her head angrily towards the road. "He drove, but I couldn't leave Charlie…"
"Bella…"
The tears came even more, as she came into my open arms.
"It's all my fault! I shouldn't have come here." She sobbed into my shirt.
"It's my fault…I shouldn't have said what I said." I held her tighter.
She shook her head.
"You were right."
BELLA'S POV
Everyone had shown up in black, except for the police officers. They showed up in their navy blue uniforms. Renee had even flown in, and she had brought Phil with her.
"Bella, I'm so sorry." She hugged me after the service.
"Thanks."
"Your dad was a good man. I loved him." She smiled, and touched my cheek.
"We all did." Edward put his arm around me, bringing me close.
"Bella, can I have a minute?" Renee asked, looking at Edward.
"Sure." I shrugged, and reluctantly untangled myself from Edward's grasp.
We went upstairs, into Edward and I's bedroom.
"Bella, are you sure you should be here?" She asked, closing the door.
"Of course I should be here. I'm married." My eyebrows knit together.
"But Bella…you are only eighteen." She sat down on the bed.
Oh here it comes.
I rolled my eyes. "Mom, I'm going to be eighteen forever."
"Isn't there some way to switch back? Like some reverse thing?"
"No. Even if there was, I wouldn't go back."
"Why not Bella?"
"Mom, I'm married to Edward, and I love him and his family."
"Oh Bella, you don't know what love is at this age."
"Well I don't think you know what love is either." I shot back.
She stood instantly. "Oh really?"
My anger was rising. "Really. You ran away from love when you were with Charlie, and now you're with Phil. If that's love…then for all I know, maybe I should marry a hot dog stand manager."
She clicked over to the dresser, and flung open the drawers. "You're leaving with me, tonight."
"No I'm not! I'm staying with my husband. Unlike you, I don't run from my marriage, especially when it's a great one."
Renee froze, and turned.
"Fine." She said icily. "You can stay, but don't expect me to come back."
She opened the door, and left, slamming it behind her.
I collapsed onto the floor, crying. Why was everything going so badly?
Edward opened the door, and wrapped himself around my body on the floor.
"Bella, I heard." He murmured.
"I'm sure everyone heard."
"It's alright Bella. Your mom…she'll come around."
I looked up at him.
"Did Alice see that?"
"No, but it's just something I know will happen."
I sat up. Edward wiped my tears away.
"No more tears my love. The bad things are gone now."
"Yeah but one good thing is gone," I stood, "and I'm going to get the bad thing that killed him."
EDWARD'S POV
"Father Ernest." I shot to my feet. "I knew it!"
"Alright calm down Edward." Alice coaxed.
"That…he killed Bella's dad! I'm not going to settle down. I'm going to find this guy." I went to the door.
"Where do you propose we look?" Rosalie asked.
"Alaska."
"Alaska?"
"I told you, that's where Bella and I met him," I turned, "who's coming?"
Rosalie and Alice stood.
Bella stomped into the room, and lifted her leg up onto the table. She pulled back the jeans she was wearing, and hooked Charlie's gun onto her boot.
"Me too." She growled.
I nodded, and we all went out to the Volvo.
"Hey!" Emmett called.
"Where did you all go last night?" Rosalie asked angrily.
"Jasper and I stopped up at the hot spring. Edward, some guy was up there as we were leaving…he looked suspicious."
I paused. "Was it a priest?"
"Yeah." Emmett's face twisted into confusion.
"We're going after him, want to come?" Alice asked.
"Sure."
"I'm in." Jasper got into the car.
I drove all the way to Alaska, while Bella sat in the front seat, pulling out different weapons, and putting them in different places on her body.
"Bella," I stopped her from hiding a Swiss Army knife in her pocket, "there are six vampires hunting one man."
"I know."
I reached over, and touched her cheek.
"I just need to do this. Alone."
"What?" I pulled back.
"Yeah come on Bella, we're a family." Emmett punched her arm.
"I know, but he killed my dad."
"I don't like this."
"If I need help, you'll know." She assured me.
I stopped the car near the cabin Bella and I had stayed in.
"Just let me go." She touched my arm.
My grip tightened on the steering wheel.
"If I even suspect that you're in trouble, I'm coming."
She nodded, and opened the car door.
"Just…be careful."
She nodded, and took off.
"Edward, should she be doing this?" Alice asked.
"I don't know."
BELLA'S POV
I saw the black truck parked behind the cabin, so I knew he was there.
"Come on out Father Ernest!" I shouted, pulling a kitchen knife from my jacket pocket.
The door opened, and he came out.
"Why Bella, what brings you here?" He asked innocently.
"You killed my dad." I snarled angrily.
"You killed my brother."
"He was trying to kill me…and my family."
"Who are you to judge? You kill all the time." He stepped forward.
"I kill to survive."
He smiled. "So did my brother."
"But we never even attacked him. Or Amber."
"Vampires killed our dad, leaving my mom helpless. But instead of accepting the death, she blamed us for it. So my brother and I were left alone."
"Vampires killed your dad. We didn't."
"You all are the same."
"No. Some of us kill humans to feed, others just kill animals."
"Killing is all the same," he reached into his back pocket, "unless it's for a good cause."
He threw a dead rabbit on the ground.
It occurred to me that I hadn't fed in a few days. I was hungry.
Before I could stop myself, I threw myself at the rabbit, and drank deeply.