Thank you to Ella (I agree! Don't know what I'd do in that situation!), Lizzy B (they are, aren't they?), Ghostwriter71, souverian, and Love. Fiction. 2020 for your reviews!
I'm feeling pretty ill (bad head cold, not corona) and I'm on so much cold and flu stuff that I honestly woke up this morning inception style - I dreamed through this chapter and the next perfectly, then woke up and wrote it all down (just not quite as well as the dream), then woke up and did it again, then again, and again. By the end of it, I knew I wasn't writing but continued just in case I was wrong... Finally woke up properly and definitely hadn't! Don't think I can be held responsible for the quality of this chapter (I'll try to clean it up when I can).
P.s., I've got to hold my hands up and say Emmett has two Jeeps because I didn't read far enough ahead.
Chapter 19
Carys understood what Carlisle had meant when he'd told her about the feral nature of some vampires, when the group converged as they left the treeline, lacking the subtle veneer of humanity that the Cullens held.
Unlike the Cullens, they were far more predatory - cat-like in the way they walked, the way they held themselves. They were barefoot, even - their clothes, when she looked closer, frayed and torn as if they'd been wearing them for a year or more.
Carys blinked hard and swallowed, trying to ignore a particularly blood coloured stain on the first man's shirt.
They grouped themselves together as they advanced cautiously, the second man taking the lead after a moment or two. He was tall, had dark olive skin, dark hair, and was... Handsome - a trait she reasoned was true of all vampires - or, at least, most of them.
The first through the trees hadn't been, his silky sandy-coloured hair - as short as the other man's - was the most attractive part of him. Other than that, the best thing she could think was that he wasn't quite ugly, perse.
The third vampire, a red-headed woman whose curly hair - almost as long and thick as Carys', and littered with forest debris - appeared far more cautious than the others. Her eyes flitted around the field, never quite lingering on any one of them for more than a second or two before moving on to the next.
All three possessed dark red eyes that struck fear to Carys' heart.
Carys thought there was something odd about the way the first man stepped behind the second, as if he was allowing him to take the lead, and the woman stared as if she were their main guard.
It took a moment for her to put her finger on it, but as Carlisle stepped warily forward to meet them, her gaze flickered towards the first man and held for a moment as realisation struck.
Carlisle was immediately marked out as the leader of their group as he was the first to move, first to engage. Jasper and Emmett followed his lead as they mimicked the others' formation, showing themselves to be his seconds-in-command - at least in this.
Edward's index finger, hidden by his stance, twitched in front of Carys' face. Once, twice, three times.
It could have been an accident as the movements were so incremental, but she replied quietly all the same: A leader would be first or last through the trees, wouldn't they?
His finger twitched again, once, and she took that as agreement.
The dark-haired man's smile grew as he advanced a step or two, despite the threat Carys hoped the family might pose him and his companions.
"I'm Laurent," he introduced himself amicably, a slight French accent lifting his words as he gestured to himself, and then waved his hand to indicate the others as they too stepped forward, flanking him. "Victoria, and James. We thought we heard a game."
The way his tone emphasised Victoria, lightly dismissed James, made Carys more sure of her assumption that he was trying to hide his importance.
"I'm Carlisle. This is my family," Carlisle informed them easily, indicating each group in turn, as he matched Laurent's tone - appearing so calm, it almost made Carys believe him. "Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme and Alice, Edward, Bella, and Carys."
She wondered if Carlisle or the others had noticed he'd done the same as Laurent - she hoped it was just her imagination.
Laurent's friendly nod encompassed Jasper and Emmett as he asked, "Do you have room for a few more players?"
"Actually," Carlisle replied apologetically, retaining his genial tone as he held his hands out at his sides, "we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time." He paused for barely a moment, then added lightly, "Are you planning on staying in the area for long?"
Laurent shook his head. "We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighbourhood," he explained, sparing Emmett another glance. "We haven't run into company for quite a while."
"No, you wouldn't have," Carlisle confirmed, "this region is usually empty save for us - and the occasional visitor, like yourselves."
The friendly exchange reminded Carys of home - of England - of the way friendly politeness often veiled true intent when running into someone you disliked but we're forced to tolerate.
They were sounding each other out - giving just enough information that they could search for more, just enough softness that they could pretend the thorns under the surface didn't exist.
It calmed her somehow - they appeared more human in a way, and she was almost able to get to grips with her panic as she thought about the familiarity of the exchange.
And then Laurent asked, "What's your hunting range?" In a deceptively casual tone and her heart stuttered.
Carlisle ignored the assumption behind the inquiry. "The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion," he described easily. "We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali."
Carys felt the blood drain from her face. He was giving too much away - giving them too much information - too much to ask about, to latch onto.
Laurent was clearly taken aback, and only just hid the worst of his reaction.
"Permanent?" He asked, openly curious. "How do you manage that?"
"Why don't you come back to our home with us so we can speak more comfortably?" Carlisle invited, a smile lifting his voice. "It's rather a long story."
Bella's hand squeezed Carys', and she clenched her jaw as James and Victoria shared a look of open astonishment.
Anxiety gripped her again, twisted her stomach in knots as she realised that whatever happened next, Carlisle wasn't going to be with her.
He was their leader.
She wasn't surprised that he wasn't abandoning his post - but she was that he was inviting them to the house. It made her wonder what was going to happen if by some miracle they took Carlisle up on his offer and they all made it off the field.
Edward's finger twitched again.
Sorry, she whispered, guessing that she was too close for him to block her fretful thoughts out completely.
Laurent, apparently in more control of himself this time, barely raised his eyebrows as he nodded slowly, his smile warming anew.
"That sounds very interesting - and most welcome," he assured Carlisle as he gave him an appreciative once over. "We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario," he explained, waving a hand towards his torso in a self-deprecating motion as he tilted his head this way and that, "and we haven't really had the chance to clean up in a while."
Carlisle inclined his head.
"Please don't take offence," he began calmly, "but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand."
Laurent nodded as if the thought had never crossed his mind. "Of course," he agreed. "We certainly won't encroach on your territory. Besides, we just ate outside of Seattle, anyway," he added with an affable laugh.
If she didn't know better, Carys would have thought he was talking about grabbing dinner at a diner rather than murdering and eating someone - and she fought a shudder, another wave of nausea.
"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us." Carlisle indicated in the general direction of the house - through the trees, far away from the road. "Emmett and Alice, you can go with Edward, Bella, and Carys to get the Jeep," he added casually, barely glancing over his shoulder.
Carys felt a chill pass over her as he spoke, and when Edward stiffened and the one called James suddenly whipped his head around to focus on Bella, she realised what had happened. A breeze had rolled through the field behind them.
She fought not to move, not to scream, not to draw attention to herself as James dropped abruptly into a crouch, nostrils flaring.
A horrifying, feral snarl ripped from Edward as he dropped down to match James, and Bella shuddered beside Carys so violently that she could see it through her thick curtain of hair. She just about stopped herself from joining her.
"What's this?" Laurent asked, confused by the sudden change in atmosphere.
James feinted slightly to the side, eyes locked on Bella, and Edward matched his movements, hiding her from his gaze - accidentally exposing Carys as he did so. Bella's scent must have been the one that picked up most.
"She's with us." Carlisle's firm rebuff was directed toward James. It sounded as if he was only just holding himself back, completely at odds with his previous tone.
They'd noticed Bella - there was no getting around that now, and even as fear gripped her, Carys could see he was trying to limit the full extent of their exposure - she kept herself still, trying to help him.
Laurent raised his head a little as he sniffed the air. Surprise wreathing his features, he took a step forward, crouching down a little.
"You brought a snack?" he asked, his eyes flickering over Carys to focus on Bella. He did a double-take, cocking his head to the side as he stared into Carys' eyes for a moment before Edward hid her once again from view. "Snacks, should I say?"
Edward's snarl moved past ferocious as he lost the illusion of humanity, his lip curling high above his glistening, bared teeth, and Laurent straightened and took a step back.
"They're with us," Carlisle corrected in a hard voice, matching his son's stance, though he appeared to just about refrain from snarling.
"But... They're human," Laurent protested, clearly shocked at their protection more than he had been at any other point of their interaction.
"Yes," Emmett acknowledged simply, his eyes on James.
James slowly straightened out of his crouch, nostrils flaring as he continued to stare at Bella, sparing Carys a brief glance that chilled her to the bone.
"It appears we have a lot to learn about each other," Laurent said gently, trying to defuse the tension.
"Indeed." Carlisle's voice seemed to chill the air further, and though he lifted himself a little, he didn't quite pull himself out of his crouch.
"Still... We'd like to accept your invitation," Laurent added, glancing at Bella again. His gaze lingered for a moment on Carys before he finally turned back to Carlisle. "And, of course, we will not harm the humans. We won't hunt in your range, as I said."
James looked at Laurent in disbelief, and Carys wouldn't have been surprised if he'd snarled before he exchanged a brief speaking glance with Victoria, whose eyes still flickered edgily from face to face.
Carlisle seemed to take stock of Laurent's open expression for a moment before he finally straightened.
"We'll show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?" he called quickly.
They gathered together, blocking Carys and Bella from view as they converged.
Alice was instantly at Bella's side, and Emmett fell back slowly, his eyes locked on James as he backed toward them.
"Let's go," Edward's urged bleakly, his voice low.
He pulled Bella sharply to her feet as Emmett swept Carys up far more gently, gripping her elbow as they made their way across the field, he and Alice hiding them as best they could.
Carys didn't think her mind was working beyond concentrating on her steps as allowed herself to be pushed along, doing her best not to stumble as Bella did every so often.
She tried to look behind her, but Emmett's large body shielded Carlisle from her view as much as it protected her from the others.
When they reached the treeline, Edward threw Bella onto his back and took off running an instant before Emmett lifted Carys into his arms and followed on his heels.
Carys whimpered incoherently against his shoulder as she squeezed her eyes closed and tried to focus on her breathing again, though the wind made it all that much harder for her and she gulped what air she could into her constricted lungs.
When they reached a second Jeep, a far larger one parked behind the one Emmett had driven before, he dropped her into the back seat, and she grabbed at the harness, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
"Strap Bella in," Edward ordered Emmett, who slid in beside Bella and did as he was told without hesitation.
"Carys, Carlisle needs you safe," he announced through gritted teeth as he started the engine and reversed just as she managed to clip herself in, spinning the Jeep around to face the road. "He begs, literally begs, that you forgive him - but he'll see you as soon as he can. He swears."
Edward swore proficiently, putting his foot down, and Carys focused on the words, trying to hold on to something other than her fear as she was jolted this way and that.
She felt another wave of nausea as the car flew onto the main road, holding onto the door as she closed her eyes.
Bella's shout of, "Dammit Edward! Where are you taking me!?", was her first inclination that they weren't headed back to town, but she struggled to concentrate on the argument that ensued over her roiling stomach and shock.
Carys gasped in horror as she snapped from her trance like state when Bella shouted again and she opened her eyes to find Emmett gripping Bella's hands as she fought him.
Carys' attempts to push Emmett's hands off Bella were as futile as the teenager's. "Let her go!" She cried. "What the hell are you doing!? You'll hurt her!"
"I have to, Bella, now please be quiet," Edward growled, ignoring Carys as easily as he dismissed Bella's protests.
"I WON'T! YOU HAVE TO TAKE ME BACK!" Bella shouted. "CHARLIE WILL CALL THE FBI! THEY'LL BE ALL OVER YOUR FAMILY - WHAT ABOUT CARLISLE AND ESME?! THEY'LL HAVE TO LEAVE, TO HIDE FOREVER!"
Carys, locked in a battle of wills with Emmett, dropped her gaze, her hands stilling for a moment.
"Carys..." He whispered, his voice lost below his brother's.
"Calm down, Bella," Edward told her harshly, his voice cold. "We've been there before."
"Not over me, you don't!" Bella argued hotly. "You're not ruining everything over me!"
"Don't tell her to calm down, you idiot!" Carys snapped, her voice mingling with Bella's.
Carys slapped Emmett's stone-like hand so hard her palm stung as she tried to ignore Bella's outburst - not to argue pointlessly that it wasn't just her fault.
"Edward, pull over," Alice insisted, calm in the face of his obvious anger. "Edward, let's just talk this through for a minute."
Edward's answering roar made Carys abandon her efforts as she covered her ears and curled in on herself, tears she'd been fighting stinging her eyes.
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" He shouted. "HE'S A TRACKER, ALICE! DID YOU SEE THAT!? HE'S A TRACKER!"
"Edward..." Carys whispered, her stomach bottoming out as her body began to shake and saliva pooled in her mouth. "Stop...stop...stop the car..."
"Pull over, Edward," Alice insisted again, in far more control of herself than her brother.
Carys' stomach rolled again, and she gripped the seat as they sped up further. Her saliva turned sweet, and she gripped the side of the Jeep, clawed at the window, shoved it down as far as she could, and retched.
Nothing came out, but she felt far better for it.
Edward pulled sharply to the side of the road, throwing Bella and Carys against their harnesses before they slammed back against the seats, and turned to Alice whilst Emmett reached across Bella to rub Carys' back when she retched again.
"Listen to me Alice," Edward insisted, over the sound of Carys' panting, "I saw his mind. Tracking is his passion, his obsession - and he wants her, Alice - her, specifically. Even more than Carys, and you've seen what he wants from her after Carlisle's reaction! He begins the hunt tonight."
"He wants both of us..." Carys murmured, collapsing against the door as she wound the window up. There was no surprise in her tone, not after seeing what she had, not after James had looked at her.
"Yes, something about you intrigued him, but I couldn't see what," Edward confirmed quickly, still staring at his sister. "How long do you think it'll take him to pick up Bella's scent? You know how strong it is - his plan was set before the words passed Laurent's lips. He'll go after Bella first."
"What about Carlisle and the others?" Carys whispered numbly, meeting Alice's eye as she turned in her seat. "Will they be safe? Can you see?"
It was all that mattered to her - no matter how afraid she was, she wouldn't be able to live with herself if anything happened to them. She bit her lips together, her foot jogging as she fought against what she believed was pure selfishness - as Monica, Sarah, her mum and Findlay flashed through her mind, made sluggish by her shock. As she realised she would likely never see them again.
Her belief was confirmed when Bella began to thrash against her harness.
"Charlie!" She cried. "You can't leave him there! You can't leave him!"
Carys hadn't allowed herself to think about the risk that might be posed to her friends, her family in California, but when she did, it terrified her further.
Emmett reached his free arm around their shoulders, forcing Bella against her harness again, but Carys thought it must have been the most soothing thing he could have done for them at that moment.
Alice leaned in to Edward. "She's right," she insisted. "Calm down Edward, think rationally - let's just look at the options for a moment."
"There are no options," Edward hissed, ignoring Bella when she shouted again that she wouldn't leave her father.
Emmett's hand covered Carys' shoulder, and he squeezed. "We have to take them back - make sure Bella's father's safe, get Carys back to Carlisle."
Bella looked at Carys in surprise as Edward shook his head and denied the request vehemently.
"He's no match for us," Emmett argued, and Carys wasn't sure if he was reassuring Edward, or the rest of them.
"He'll wait," Edward whispered fearfully, finally turning to look at him.
Emmett smiled, a hard, predatory glint in his eye. "I can wait too," he promised. "Do you think Jasper or I would stand for him threatening our family? That any of us would?"
Edward shook his head wildly. "You didn't see," he appealed, "you don't understand. Once he commits to a hunt, he's unshakable. We'd have to kill him."
Bella grabbed Carys' hand again for support, and Carys took a steadying breath, her protective instincts overtaking her fear for the first time since they'd got into the car.
"That's an option," Emmett agreed, his smile deepening.
Edward rubbed his forehead, trying again. "And the female," he told him, almost desperate. "She's with him. If it turns into a fight, the leader-" he flicked Carys a glance, "-will go with them too."
"There are enough of us," Emmett argued again.
Alice stared at Edward. "There's another option," she told him quietly.
"There. Is. NO. Other. OPTION!" Edward roared again, snarling as he leaned over her, his face contorting.
Alice refused to back down as she stared up at him with unblinking directness, almost as terrifying as Edward for her calmness. Seconds stretched to minutes as they stared each other down.
"Does anyone want to hear my plan?" Bella piped up from beside Carys, capturing the older human's attention immediately.
"I-"
"No," Edward cut across her with a growl, earning himself glares from Alice and Carys alike.
"Listen," Bella pleaded. "You take me back-" she continued over Edward's denial, "-I tell my dad I want to go home to Phoenix. I pack my bags. We wait 'til this tracker is watching, and then we run. He'll follow us and leave Charlie alone. Charlie won't call the FBI on your family. Then you can take me any damned place you want."
Edward, Emmett, and Alice turned in their seats to stare at Bella as Carys nodded numbly.
"We'll need to make a pit stop at mine," she told them, ignoring the part of her that reminded her she had a job, friends, screamed at her that if she disappeared she'd never get to meet her baby sister - that if the two of them disappeared on the same night, Charlie would definitely notice. "I'll need my passports and stuff."
What "stuff" she was talking about, she wasn't entirely sure, but she thought it made her sound more sure of herself, and she knew from the way she gripped her hand, that Bella needed someone to be as sure of her plan as she was.
"It's not a bad idea, re-sorry," Emmett cut off as he pulled his arm back and leaned forward to meet Carys' eye. "Did you say passports, plural?"
"You said he's a tracker," she dismissed, squeezing Bella's hand as they all turned to look at Edward. "My English passport still says Carys Ivy Thornton, but pretty much everything else here has me as Vale - that might help if we need to split up." Somehow? she added silently, hoping Edward wasn't paying too much attention to her mind.
She wished Carlisle or Jasper were there.
"It's too dangerous," Edward argued again, but it was far weaker a protest than before. "I don't want him within a hundred miles of Bella, and Carlisle will agree with me when it comes to you, Carys."
"Edward, he's not getting through us," Emmett assured him.
Carys sat up straighter, forcing strength and false-bravado into her voice. "Carlisle can agree with you all he likes - but he's not here right now, and I'm not leaving Forks unless I see him."
I know you can make me go, Edward, but I'm begging you, I need to see they're safe - as much as you need to make sure Bella is, she thought, meeting Edward's eye. Splitting up will be safer anyway, won't it?
His eyes were pained, fearful, as he nodded at her despite his outward anger.
Alice closed her eyes, sighing in apparent relief as she opened them again a few moments later. "I don't see him attacking," she told Edward. "He'll try to wait for us to leave one of them alone."
"It won't take long for him to realize that's not going to happen," Emmett growled, eyes narrowing.
"I demand that you take me home," Bella spoke up, firm in her resolve as she stared her boyfriend down.
Carys squeezed her hand, incredibly proud of her, despite reminding herself she hardly knew her.
Edward pressed his fingers to his temples and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Please," Bella added in quiet appeal.
"You're leaving tonight, Bella," Edward finally ceded quietly. "Whether the tracker sees or not. You tell Charlie that you can't stand another minute in Forks. Tell him whatever story works. Pack the first things your hands touch, and then get in your truck. I don't care what he says to you. You have fifteen minutes. Do you hear me? Fifteen minutes from the time you cross the doorstep."
He turned back to face the road as the Jeep rumbled to life, tires squealing as he spun them around and accelerated wildly.
Bella whispered something to Emmett, and he let her hands go with an apology as Carys leaned forward.
"Alice," she asked, "do you think you can get me to mine and back in time to meet them?"
Alice nodded and reached an arm back to pat Carys' knee.
"This is how it's going to happen," Edward announced, glaring at Bella in the rearview mirror. "We get to Bella's house. If the tracker's not there, I will walk her to the door. Then you have fifteen minutes," he reiterated harshly. "Emmett, you take the outside of the house. Alice, you get Carys to her's and back in time to get the truck. I'll be inside as long as Bella is. After she's out, you-" he looked at Carys, Emmett, and Alice in turn, "-take the Jeep home and tell Carlisle I've taken Bella."
"No way," Emmett broke in as Carys nodded. "I'm with you. No offence, Ma," he added, lowering his head a little, "but until we know how far this is going to go-"
"They'll need you," she whispered, sinking down in her seat as she realised again how selfish she was being.
Edward sighed. "If the tracker is there," he continued grimly, "we keep driving and contact Carlisle on the way."
"We're going to make it there before him," Alice announced confidently, setting Carys' mind at ease a little.
"We can't all go," Bella protested across Alice, voicing the concern Carys had chosen to ignore for the moment. "Charlie's not an imbecile, Edward - if we're all gone tomorrow, he's going to get suspicious."
"Bella, please just do this my way, just this once," he appealed through clenched teeth. "We'll make sure he's safe, and that's all that matters."
"Then what about this tracker? He saw the way you acted tonight. He's going to think you're with me, that Carlisle's with Carys, wherever you are."
"Edward, listen to her," Emmett urged his brother. "I think she's right."
"Yes, she is," Alice agreed simply, glancing at the rearview mirror. "We need to split up."
"I can't do that," Edward bit out icily.
"Emmett should stay, too," Bella continued, glancing at Carys in appeal. "He definitely got an eyeful of Emmett."
"What?" Emmett asked, looking between them.
"You'll get a better crack at him if you stay," Alice agreed, turning in her seat.
Carys sat silently as they argued back and forth about who was right - whether or not Bella's plan to go to Phoenix would win out if it meant leaving Edward behind in favour of Alice and Jasper driving her down.
She couldn't concentrate on anything as she fought against the buzzing in her ears, gripped her harness as tightly as possible until the straps chafed her hands and she could focus on the pain to sharpen her mind, to draw her away from the fear of what might happen to Carlisle or their family.
That was what they were, she decided numbly - in her mind at least, they were her family already. And the thought that any one of them could be hurt...
Carys finally tuned back in as they slowed down close to the town and Alice let out a snarl that had Bella cowering against the seat in terror.
She focused on rubbing Bella's arm, soothing her, and was rewarded with a small smile that made her think she hadn't noticed Carys' distraction.
"But keep your opinions to yourself," Edward muttered suddenly to Alice.
Alice rolled her eyes as she turned towards the back of the Jeep again and pressed her hands to Carys' knee.
"He's okay," she whispered. "They're all okay, I promise. But you're going to need that passport."
A/N: what are we thinking? Do we agree with Carys that she's being selfish? I don't really, but I'd be interested to know how it came across.
