AN: Reimagined version of the books, with more focus on the Cullens as a whole, giving each one time and space to shine. All four books will happen in the time span of one (two maximum) book with major changes. All secondary characters will have more space as well, meaning their cannon tales will be slightly different, giving some more value and others not much. Isabella is completely different, and this one has, at the same time, more and less control over her own life, acting as an antagonist more than what she represents in canon. This Isabella is born from trauma, pain, and suffering, making her spiteful, cold, and slightly edgy. Sounds like a drag? Give her a chance and let me know what you think after this chapter. OCs will have some space, but they are not protagonists in the plot, so just bear with them.
This reading is focused on revenge, drama, romance, and realism, the latter meaning all supernatural aspects will have a reasonable explanation that I hope you like.
Sorry for any typos.
Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, and this atrocity was not made for any monetary gain whatsoever.
"Talking"
'Active Thinking / Telepathically Talking'
Written
Highlighted Information
The sunrise of the second sun.
Isabella POV.
Have you ever wondered if something you were seeing was a nightmare? Have you ever doubted you were awake? Have you ever thought for a moment that you were not in the real world? No? Me neither, those things only make sense in books or movies, but in real life, you know what is real and what is not and I knew what I was seeing was not a nightmare because my mind would never be capable of creating something like that.
I could see the people being murdered in front of me by those monsters with red eyes, and I knew they were real, I could hear their screams as they were slaughtered. I could see the blood on the floor, and nothing was moving in slow-motion, everything happening all at once. I tried to look for my mom who was right next to me when we entered this place, but she was gone. I heard her weak voice somewhere and turned slowly, until I found her on the floor, her hand raised towards me, her eyes full of despair.
"Bella- Run-"
She tried to speak as one of those monsters shadowed over her, biting her neck, making her scream in agony as I stared at her horrified face, her hand still extended towards me. I couldn't move, shaking from head to toe, and suddenly, something big hit me, throwing me against a wall. I hit my head hard and looked up dizzy, unable to see exactly what was happening anymore. After blinking a few times, I could see there was a man with black eyes in front of me, staring at me with a weird expression. The last things I heard were a low voice whispering:
"I can't do this anymore."
A touch.
My mother's screams fading.
And nothingness.
10 years later.
"Isabella, don't be stubborn, I already told you there's nothing we can do." Larry was defensive as always, and I crossed my arms, giving him my best cold gaze.
"So this is it? This is the end?" I didn't bother to try and make my tone friendly.
"We can't do anything without samples! How do you expect us to study them if we don't have samples?! We wasted practically a year studying these mutations- It's just not working. We can't just try every single mutation known to men, hoping we'll eventually stumble upon what we're looking for- This is not how it works!"
I pondered what he just said before nodding.
"Any word from Kevin?"
His expression darkened, and he trembled.
"Kevin isn't answering his phone anymore. His last message was that he was going to ask some questions."
"So he's already dead, huh?" I sighed, imagining they wouldn't allow people with knowledge about them to just walk around asking about their nature.
"God, I hope not."
"Trust me, they're gone."
"Ah- Damn it, Isabella- How can you be so calm saying something like that?!"
"Was I supposed to be in tears? I barely knew the guy."
"Still, he was a human being."
"And he knew the risks, but I'll take a wild guess and say he didn't truly believe what we told him and just went with the flow, maybe he even thought he was going on vacation." I smirked, and he shook his head.
"Still- If he's- If he's dead, it's our fault."
"I mean, you made sure to explain to him what they were, right?"
"Yes."
"And he went anyway, right?"
"Yes, but-"
"So, how's that on us? You explained in detail what you needed from him, and he said yes, so if he got himself killed, that's on him."
"Still- We sent him with his friends to try and gather information by themselves."
"You told them to be careful, if they are careful, they should be back by Monday, if they weren't, may their souls rest in peace."
He simply stared at me. I was not having this conversation again.
"Just let it go." I whispered, and he sighed.
"What now?" He asked while sitting.
"Now we're back at square one. Quick question, you didn't tell Kevin and his friends about me, did you?" I raised my eyebrows, and he did the same.
"Jesus Christ, Isabella- That's cold-"
I simply glared, and he sighed.
"No, I didn't. I told him he should be very careful about his questions- I even wrote a few for him."
I just had to think about that for a moment.
'Yea, he's a hundred percent dead, but what are the odds of them investigating the reason an American was there asking questions about vampires? What are the odds of them disposing of his belongings and finding a written letter with instructions?'
'I need to go.'
'That's the most reasonable thing you thought the whole day.'
"Bella?" He whispered because I was looking at a wall, having a moment with myself, and at the sound of that nickname, I glared at him.
"Sorry- Isabella, I know what this means to you, but there's nothing we can do anymore unless you're willing to go to Italy yourself. We can't keep wasting university funds to keep this obsession going. Someone will notice."
I remembered even if I didn't want to. The freezing halls, the strange looks as we walked, unaware we were entering a slaughterhouse, and the screams, followed by bodies flying.
No, I wasn't ready yet.
"The only thing I don't understand is how you can stand here, doing nothing, after what happened to Lily." I whispered deadly because his apathy infuriated me beyond reason.
He looked down and I could see shame and anger fighting inside him.
"I'm not strong like you- And I still have Tom. I know Lily would hate me if I left him growing by himself to pursue revenge on her behalf- She wouldn't like it- I can't put the same effort into it."
I did not tell him what I wanted because I'd still need him, even if his hatred was nothing like mine. He was an embarrassment to his dead sister's memory. I sighed and started grabbing my things from the lab.
"What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to start my Plan B."
"Which is?" He asked, interested.
"Keep your number, and in case you're going to change it, send me the new one so I can keep in touch." I said, finishing stashing my belongings inside an old backpack of mine I found lying around.
"You're leaving?" He frowned.
"Which part of Plan B didn't you understand?" I asked, irritated.
"I just thought that you-"
"It's time for me to try a different approach. It's time to do things on my own."
"You sure this is a good idea?" He asked with an apprehensive face. Larry was a coward in every sense of the word, but his mind was unique, almost as if he could be two people, a frightened little man, or a genius scientist.
"Yes, and it may take me a while, but I'll find what I need, so be ready at any time, I'll see you around- Oh, and a word of advice to you: Take Tom and get out of town too, because you know, if Kevin made the wrong questions, they most certainly would ask him who sent him, and who else knew, and I'm pretty sure Kevin wouldn't need too much persuasion to spill the beans, take care." I saw his face becoming white and turned, leaving the lab, headed to my apartment.
The sun was almost setting down, and it was rather warm, the wind doing little to stop the sweat from running down my neck as I walked decided. I arrived home and looked around. If anyone were to see this place, they would think a crazy person lived here since there was nothing but a couch, a freezer, two chairs, and a desk. Well, a crazy person did live here.
The reason I chose this filthy place was simply that while trying to find a trace of the vampire's existence, I'd need a place of difficult access, and what could it be more difficult than a neighborhood full of crime that never sleeps? It was safer than the giant buildings up north, so that's why I was here. I had to make a few compromises, buying from the dealers a few times, or even helping them with a few jobs, but nothing too extreme, they valued my inconspicuous status too much for them to risk losing me. I wouldn't deny crime paid well, and I could always use the money, as long as my involvement didn't end up with someone being killed. It was amusing to see crime was nothing like it was portrayed on TV shows or movies. If you were careful enough, not acting like a complete idiot, you could actually walk away with pretty much anything. I learned in my years here, that in the real world, it was the survival of the smartest, not the strongest.
I heard a knock and checked the magic eye before opening it.
"You're back early." He said while entering, taking a seat.
"Finished my shit earlier today- And what did I tell you about putting people to spy on me?" I was irritated, but he simply smiled.
"I didn't put anyone to do such a thing, but my eyes are everywhere and I see everything."
"Cool- Menacing speech, Matt, but I'm tired, so what you want?" His smile grew, and he got up, taking a piece of paper from inside his jacket. It had a crude drawing of a building, with security cameras and exits marked.
After a quick glance, I noticed the pattern and turned to frown.
"I thought we had an understanding about this- You told me you were done hitting jewelry shops."
"I was, but I found someone to cut the rocks."
"Oh, really? What exactly does that mean?" I raised one eyebrow, but he ignored me, tapping the paper on the desk.
"So what you think?"
I sat, using my pen to visualize things, tracing paths on the paper.
"Is this uptown?" He nodded, and I nodded back.
"Then the route is good, great actually, you can disappear in less than 30 seconds, but I'd recommend bikes instead of cars, just in case something goes wrong, they can take the fifth avenue, and disappear in there. The cops would have to go around the stadium and that would- Why are you smiling?"
He chuckled and walked around me.
"I thought the same thing. The bikes are ready."
"All right, but there's something else- Something new about these cameras."
"What?"
"After the shit you pulled last time, they stopped using online servers, so now they have local people managing surveillance."
He thought a little.
"I can live with casualties."
"I know, but I can't. I already told you, no killing! I told you I'll only keep doing this if there's no killing, and you must realize by now that if you don't kill anyone you practically don't have any heat, and the media and the people will actually sympathize with you. Everything dies down in a week, so don't look at me like that, you know I'm right."
"Then what would you do?"
"Have you bought the things I told you?"
"I did, but no one knows how to use it."
"Jesus fucking christ- Take Collin with your crew, he'll know how to switch it on."
"You sure?" He asked seriously, but I just glared at him.
"Kay." He raised his hands apologetically.
"Now, after he starts these jammers, everything will be affected, except the panic buttons."
"How can you be sure?"
"Hey, I take 20% for a reason. My job is to tell you how to do the job." He simply scoffed, walking closer.
"So you know the deal, entry with speed from all exits, big guns to discourage heroes, three to subdue button pushers, and three to get the guards. After everything is under control, smash and grab. If the glass is reinforced, use the electric cutter- It will cut through like butter. If the casings have alarms, the jammer will hold the signal until it's finished, so ask Collin about it- Actually, how many you bought?"
"Two."
I turned and looked at him.
"I need to see it to believe they're worth buying by the bucket." He said before shrugging, and I sighed.
"I told you to buy at least 15 and use them fast because when they learn you're using these jammers, they're going to switch to another type of frequency, or even go back to analog, so it is a technology that will eventually die- You have to use it while you still can."
"We'll see."
I wanted to groan, but I returned to the paper.
"Two jammers will give you around- Two minutes I guess."
"I was lying, we got five." He smirked, and I exhaled.
"Around five minutes then."
"That's more than enough."
"Just a quick question: When are you hitting this?"
"Tonight."
"Nuh-uh. This place has to be hit in the daytime."
"You know that's not how I work."
"You want my opinion or not?" I raised my eyebrows, and he pondered for a moment, leaning on my table, nodding once.
"Right, doing the job at night is good and all, but not when you're hitting jewelry, because at night everything is put inside safes, but you already know that, so I think you meant before they close."
He chuckled, and I smiled sarcastically.
"That's cute, but did you know that by closing time, they've been doubling their security?"
He frowned.
"Yea, that's because of the scores you pulled uptown, they know your M.O, and their closing time became a sensible moment of their day." I shook my head a few times. What was the best way to go around this?
"Say something, what's the score here?" I asked.
He leaned closer to me and gave me an evaluating look.
"Why you ask?"
"What you mean why? To put into perspective. If the payday is shit, I won't waste my best strategies, but if it's good, then I'll bring my A-game."
"If what my new guy says is true-" He leaned closer and whispered:
"This could be the best score we ever had."
I turned again and faced him.
"You know how I feel about new guys. What if he's an inside man? A Fed? Look, Matt, you know I don't usually disagree with you about your crew, but this- Something about this smells fishy. You did four jewelry jobs, and I told you to stop, and now some guy that can cut rocks appear out of nowhere and even tells you where to go- Dude, this smells like a setup."
He smiled at me weirdly and started walking around my room.
"I knew you were the real deal."
"Huh?" I asked confused.
"Some of my guys say you can't be trusted- You know, cute white girl who thinks she knows everything." He smirked, and I glared.
"But this right here tells me you're the real deal. If you were fake or working with the cops, you'd let me go through, but you didn't." I tilted my head confused, and then I understood.
"You already know he's an inside man."
"I do."
"Shit- Police?"
"Feds."
"Holy shit-"
"Don't worry, I already dealt with it. He thinks we're hitting the jewelry he pointed at us, but I found out they moved the rocks just in case, so we're hitting the place where they hide them."
I looked at him, surprised by his thinking.
"Five years around you can change a man." He laughed, and I nodded.
"How much you're expecting?"
"If you add the rocks from both places- Something around 400."
I sulked.
"That's a great score, but not enough for me to bring my A-game. Well-"
He came back to the table and shook his head, whispering while placing his hand on the paper.
"400 million."
I just stared at him with my mouth open.
"So, you're ready to bring your A-game this time?" He smiled, and I looked down at the paper, my mind racing.
"Am I still getting my 20%?" I asked barely capable of hiding my excitement.
"If it was anyone else, I'd say no, but you deserve it."
"Matt- This is retirement money."
"I know."
"All right, give me some time." I said while taking a piece of paper and he nodded, going towards the door, and then it hit me.
"Hey, Matt."
"What?"
I walked up and got out, signaling for him to follow. I knocked on my neighbor's door and a girl answered, her eyes red.
"What you want, Izzy?"
"I want to use your stereo, there's a song I want Matt to hear." She eyed who was beside me and her eyes widened. She got out of the way and we entered. I walked to her stereo and pressed play, turning the volume all the way up. What the hell was that? Dubstep? Really?
I pulled Matt into a corner and said out loud:
"Listen to this hypothetical."
I had to leave, but I knew money could help me achieve my goal faster and 80 million dollars was worth waiting another day.
This would have to be perfect on my part, and not only the plan, but the aftermath. I called some people, setting my pieces in place, and they agreed with my plan. I finished my drawing and got into the elevator.
I always hated to visit the penthouse. Matt was not a typical criminal, but in here, he had to make appearances. I walked out and was stopped by one of the guards, who moved in to pat me.
"Vince, if you touch me, I'll cut your fucking hand off." I glared at him and he eyed me while licking his lips, but then we both heard Matt's voice.
"Let her through, V."
I walked in, ignoring the gazes, and sat at his table, across from him. His crew was already there.
"You done?" He asked me harshly, and I knew this was his facade, so I let that go to not diminish him in front of the others.
"Yea, here's the plan."
I sat at the window, looking down while typing to my landlord that the key would be under the carpet and that I'd be leaving. Matt's crew just left to do the job, and after that, this place would've served its purpose, so I had to move. I knew that if I were to warn them I was leaving, they would make sure to cut me to pieces and dump me in some bay, so I started packing my things and after 30 minutes, I was walking downstairs.
"Sup, Izzy- Looking for something tonight?" One of Matt's goons said after I closed the door and turned.
"Nah, not tonight, D. I'm taking this crap to the campus so I can work an alibi and I can't be late." I pointed to my backpack, and he shook his head.
"Hey, M told me to not let yo ass leave- He said it would make the others trust you."
Damn.
"Dude, you know what I'm doing- I'm going to the campus so the cops don't think I'm involved."
He pondered for a second, looking around.
"I don't know, Izzy- I mean, I know M tells us to listen to you, but he told me this shit himself-"
"D, trust me, if I don't do this, this shit can backfire on us. I'll let M know you did your job well if that helps."
"You will?"
"Yea."
"Aight, get yo ass outta here."
"Thanks, D."
"And, huh- If yo too tired when you come back, maybe you should crash in my crib- Y'know I'd give you a nice massage and shit, right?"
I giggled.
"You know what, I think I might, D. What can I say? Your persistence wore me off."
"You serious?!" He asked hopefully.
"I mean, why not? If everything works out today, I should celebrate, right? I'll knock twice, so be ready to party, all right? Go big, I don't impress easily."
He nodded, smacking his lips, and I tried hard not to laugh while I walked away from him. I looked around for a few moments and I felt relief when I saw her.
"LINDSAY! Lindsay! Yea, I'm talking to you, get your ass over here!" I saw the tiny brunette turning and walking to me with a smile.
"Hey, Izzy, you going somewhere?"
I smiled and pulled her closer by her arm.
"I am, and so are you."
"Huh?"
"Here, look at this."
I handed her the small backpack, and she opened it, her eyes widening.
"Take the others and get the hell out of here-"
"Wait- What are you talking about- How did you get this?! Izzy- What did you do?!" She was hyperventilating.
"Magic. There's two hundred grand in there and tickets back home for all of you. You are not made for this life, believe me, I know, I saw people come and go these last five years, and I know you girls won't last. Take the money and share it with the others. Go home and start a business or something, don't waste this shot. D will be busy tonight, so just leave with the others while he's waiting for me in his place."
"Jesus- I don't know what to do- Or say."
"You remember what everyone around here says?"
She chuckled and recited:
"Listen to Izzy, she's the one with brains."
I winked at her, and she gave me a long look.
"You're leaving for good, aren't you? Where are you going- Am I going to see you again?" She asked blushing, and I pinched her cheek.
"It's better if you don't. What I have to do is way more dangerous than breaking you out of here, so you should just forget about me, it's safer this way. Good luck, Lindsay, and take care of Austin, all right?"
"Izzy- I'll never forget this- You hear me?! I'll never forget you." She said while I smiled and turned, walking away from that place for good.
I kept stopping to check my phone, but I was actually eyeing the two guys tailing me, and the car that was following them.
I knew that the FBI had some fancy face recognition software, and that was the reason I never left without my hood and my glasses, always looking down. I had no record, so my prints and DNA weren't in the system. I was a ghost, and all they had were the feeling I was involved, but they didn't know who I was. Izzy was a dead girl I impersonated. I kept walking until I saw my cue and ran down the stairs, entering the subway, I got in just in time and after the doors closed, I saw the two men running down, seeing me inside and running up the stairs again.
'Right, calm down.'
'Everything is going according to the plan.'
I got out and ran up the stairs, I could see them in the distance, running towards me, so I turned the corner and saw the black SUV, opening the door and hopping in.
"Did it work?" I asked and Matt turned to smile at me, pointing his head to the back, where I saw at least 15 black bags, the noise of tiny rocks hitting each other.
He laughed and shouted, and I smiled. I opened the news feed, and it was everywhere.
Major Robbery in Jewelry. Historical pieces stolen. Almost half a billion in stolen stones. Criminals on the wind.
"You were right- YOU'RE ALWAYS RIGHT, IZZY!"
I smiled, of course I was. They knew he knew. He was being lured into a double trap, but I just saved his ass altogether with the job. They were actually storing the stones from two places, in a third, and now everything was right here behind us.
We left Phoenix, and I heard his promises about the money, but then, he turned to a strange road and I narrowed my eyes. After a few moments, he stopped the car, and I looked around.
"What's going on?" I was confused, and when I looked at him, he had his gun out, pointing at me.
"Out."
"Matt?!" I asked baffled, but he just aimed at me and I got out, my brain working tripled.
And then I saw. A freshly dug grave.
"I couldn't have done this without you, Izzy, but you know, 500 million is better if left undivided, don't you think?"
I gaped, shocked.
"You're going to kill me because of money?! Dude, give me five percent and I'll walk."
He shook his head, smiling.
"Fine, I'll just walk-"
He smirked.
"No can do, but you know, before I put you to rest, we're going to have some fun. I've been waiting for this for some time now- This is going to be the cherry on top of the cake. I always wanted a taste ever since I saw you for the first time." He bit his lower lip, taking out a rope from his back pocket, but I sighed, dropping my mask, my face becoming cold.
And then we heard a noise, and he turned. I saw three men to my left wearing suits and sunglasses, rifles in hand, aiming at him, and from our right, another five.
"Drop it!" One of them said in a thick accent and Matt looked like he was about to piss himself, but he looked around for a moment and obeyed. They ran and tackled him down, putting him in zip ties, and cars approached from both sides of the road.
"You're a cop?!" He asked me before he was pushed against the dirt.
"Far from that." I whispered and turned, seeing a car arriving.
From the car, an old man got out, maybe in his late forties or his early fifties, wearing elegant clothes and a scarf, that he took off after feeling the heat in here. He walked until he was in front of me and after looking to the grave, he asked:
"Has he hurt you?"
I shook my head, and he nodded, looking around.
"Is this the place?"
"It is."
"What the fuck is this- Izzy- What the fuck did you do?!"
I heard Matt ask, his face on the dirt, and the man signaled for him to be pulled up. He was on his knees now and saw all the men around him, his eyes becoming desperate.
The man approached and looked him up and down.
"Do you know who I am, boy?"
"The fuck-" He started and was hit by a punch that tore his upper lip, blood dripping on the dirt. He looked up and saw one of the man's bodyguards right next to him.
"No-" Another punch.
"Argh- What do you want me to say-" A kick in the stomach, making him puke.
"I asked if you know who I am, boy."
And then he understood.
"No- Sir."
"Then this conversation is meaningless. All I want from you is a simple answer: Where did you bury my Izolda?"
"Who the hell is-"
He never finished, being punched again.
"I don't- I don't know who you're talking about- Sir."
The man looked at me, and I gestured, asking if I could approach, and he nodded.
"He's talking about the real Izzy, the one you kidnapped, raped, and murdered 6 years ago. Her name was Izolda Petrov, and this is her father, Mr. Mikhail Petrov."
I took my id and ripped the fake photo out of it, kneeling next to him to show her photo, and his eyes widened before he looked up. Upon his eyes meeting Mr. Petrov's eyes, he was punched again.
"My Izolda was the best of me, she was brilliant but fierce. She was independent, and she wanted to build herself a career away from the family business, and I allowed her- She had a way to persuade me when she wanted something, the little- Ah, and then, she came to live in this country and I begged her countless times to allow me to send security- But she wanted to live her own way, so I allowed it. I'm at fault for her death, as much as you are." He said towards Matt before sighing.
"But I still owe her mother a burial. I still own my little girl a place to rest, next to her babushka, next to her family, not in here among these animals, alone in the dirt. Do you understand what I'm saying, boy?"
He simply nodded, his mouth bloodied, and Mr. Petrov nodded as well.
"Good, now keep in mind I will not repeat myself. Where is she?"
He knew he couldn't lie his way out of this, so he gave up, turning his head and looking deep into the tall grass.
"A few yards towards that tree- Right next to it."
Mr. Petrov turned and nodded, making his men walk out of another car, shovels in hand, while others were taking out an urn.
We waited for a few minutes and then one of the men came back, a swab in hand, and Mr. Petrov opened his mouth. The guy quickly took some saliva and walked back to the car. It took him a few minutes to come back and whisper something, making Mr. Petrov nod.
"Take him." He nodded, and the guards started dragging Matt away, and he asked groggily.
"Where are you- Taking me- Izzy, I'm sorry- Help me-"
"You did not think you would go unpunished, did you? My grandfather once taught me, that men like us would always end up meeting animals along the way, and it was our duty to protect the family from them because we were animals on the inside too, but our bestial nature was under control, and as civilized beasts, it was our duty to scare away the wild ones, but as you can attest to, I have failed my family- I failed my little girl, and now I only have my bestial nature left. I am an animal without a cub to protect, so I advise you to take this moment to repent because you will not have time for it later."
He turned and said something in Russian to a guard, who came and stuffed something in Matt's mouth. I frowned, and he caught my eye.
"So he will not bite his tongue. I will not be denied my justice."
I nodded and saw Matt being thrown in the trunk of a car, his eyes wide open towards me, begging for help.
Mr. Petrov then turned to me, and I swallowed.
"And you, Isabella, have my eternal gratitude." He walked up to me and kissed me on each cheek, grabbing my face with both hands.
"You're so clever- Just like her. If it was not for you, I would have never found my little girl."
"I'm sorry this happened to her- I wish I could've been here sooner-"
He smiled and pulled me into a hug.
"You are not at fault here, my dear, so do not feel bad about this. You saved the ones that could be saved, and you allowed my baby girl her rest- You even gave us the animal who did it- You have no idea how much this means to me and my wife. After 6 years of emptiness and helplessness, you gave us closure and justice." He looked at me with a smile and I tried to play tough, but I couldn't. After everything I had to hide- Everything I had to withstand, I felt the tears flowing and blinked faster, trying to stop them, but I couldn't.
"Ivar."
A man came, and I took the chance to wipe my face, looking at the guy named Ivar. He had a weird notebook in one hand.
"Is it done?" Mr. Petrov asked.
"Yes, I don't believe they knew what they were taking- There are two pieces that were not cataloged- And I'm pretty sure they are the fruit of contraband."
"How much?"
"If my estimation is right, something around 600 million."
He nodded and looked at me.
"Transfer 200 to Isabella's account, from our clean branch."
"Yes, sir."
I looked at him surprised, I wasn't expecting this. I asked for a few grand so I could buy a few things to help me in Forks, but 200 million?!
"Mr. Petrov, I didn't do this for the money-"
"Isabella, please, let me reward you for what you did. This money will eventually go back to our way of life, but this piece, this piece is clean. This piece is from our family, as a gift for what you did, this money is from Izolda as well, so please, do not reject it."
I swallowed again and nodded a few times, and he hugged me again.
I turned and saw the urn being carried by the men, wearing masks, and I saw his face, eyeing his daughter's remains in a box. Instinctively, I took his hand, and he looked at me, tears in his eyes.
"You are an angel, Isabella, and I will never forget what you did." He whispered and waved his free hand. The men started moving cars and walking away, closing boxes and stashing weapons.
He towed me to one car, and in there, I heard Ivar again.
"It's done, sir." He said and turned to me.
"This money can't be traced, Miss Isabella, and if people ask, you won the lottery. Here's the document to confirm where your money came from. I'll text you the app name so you can install it on your phone. Here's your new card, we took the liberty of setting up an account on your name earlier, and don't worry, everything is clean and legal." The man gave me a black card and a signed document that looked legit.
"I would offer you a ride to your hometown, but I know you want to leave all of this behind, I would too, so instead, I bought you a farewell gift." Mr. Petrov signaled, and a guard ran away, coming back driving a car. It was the car I wanted to buy with the money I asked for.
"How did you-" I started, but he simply chuckled.
"You liked it?"
"Yes- Thank you, Mr. Petrov."
"You are welcome, my dear, and if you ever need me, or my family, you know where to find us." He kissed me twice again and hugged me. He smelled like Tabacco and vodka and I tried not to smile at that.
He kissed me one last time on the forehead before getting inside his car, leaving at once. Another man came and handed me my keys, documents for the car in my name, and a wooden box. He walked away, and I opened it, seeing a pendant with an inscription:
To Isabella, our angel.
Inside was a small photo of their family, and Izolda's smile as a child.
I placed it inside and got into my new car, reversing and driving away.
I kept listening to the news as I drove.
We are coming back with more information about the major robbery that stunned Phoenix, followed by some shocking revelations.
The department of Police of Arizona, assisted by the FBI, tried to pin one of the biggest criminal groups operating inside Phoenix, but instead of catching the bad guys, both agencies were played as fools, leaving empty-handed, and with a 600 million dollar heist. This afternoon, most, if not all information channels, received a copy of a disturbing video, where the prime suspect of being the leader of the heist, and known leader of the criminal group that dominated the streets, was being tortured. Under torture, he confessed to planning the whole heist on his own, and to the murder of his men, that were found in the location he provided. The shocking parts came when investigators kept watching the tape and heard him also taking responsibility for the death of at least 11 girls, and in the place he named, authorities found a burying site, where they found a scene of horror. In the video, he confessed to his M.O, where he would drug their victims, bring them to the burying site, where he'd assault them, strangle them, and dispose of their bodies. As for this moment, the department of police stated they recovered 11 bodies, and that the most recent one, was not older than a year old.
I tried not to feel, but I knew it. I knew he had done it again, but I couldn't have done anything. I was still trying to find Izolda's father, and getting someone to help you find someone like him in Russia without raising any suspicion was a hard task. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that that girl's death was my fault.
There was found traces of DNA in all remains, and all preliminary analyses came back as matches to the same man, showing a sexual deviant and serial killer. The families of missing girls were invited to reclaim their loved ones' remains after they were identified. The serial killer in the video, was identified as Matthew Connor, and shortly after he ended his confession, the video was cut short, and then, a voice said quote:
The USA authorities shouldn't bother to look for his remains.
The police confirmed that one of the bodies in the burying site had been dug earlier, no more than a day previous to the video being released, so the authorities believe one of the victim's relatives is responsible for his abduction, torture, and most likely, his death.
The governor held a press conference where he-
I turned off the radio and focused on the road.
I did the right thing. I did what I could, with what I had. No one could judge me for what I had to do, right? My goal was to avenge my mother, but I grew up understanding that revenge doesn't simply fall into your lap. Revenge is built by the little things, by the small steps you take. Revenge requires time, and I understood that, but still. I felt dirty, I felt like a monster. Maybe there was no way I could save some of them, but I didn't even try, because for this to work, I had to follow my plan.
'You didn't go out of your way to hurt them. He was the culprit, not you.'
'But I had the knowledge of what he was doing, and I ignored it- It was my fault too.'
'No, it wasn't.'
'I should've changed my plan.'
'Maybe, but if you did, this could've gone wrong. You can't let that stop you, you are alive for a reason.'
And I was. I was alive to avenge Renée.
The same way Izolda was there, buried in the dirt, lost, Renée was too. I felt a wave of rage rise when I imagined what they did to her.
'You're right, I let my time in there get to me.'
'I know, but you can focus now, it's time to start fresh.'
It was.
I pressed the buttons on my steering wheel and made a call.
"Chief Swan, who's this?"
"Hey, Charlie, it's me."
"Bella?"
I shivered at the name.
"Yea, listen, I had a few problems here, and I was wondering if your offer still stands." Even if it didn't, I would still go to Forks, just not to his house.
He stood silent for a few moments, and I realized he was too shocked to process my words.
"It's ok if it's not, don't worry-" I started, but he cut me short.
"NO! I was just- Surprised, that's all. Yea, my offer still stands, but what happened that made you change your mind?"
I didn't want to go into details, so I just lied.
"The lab I was doing my research is getting closed, so I was thinking about taking some time off, to cool things down. I've been at it for so long that I can't remember when I started." That, in the end, was actually true.
"You tell me. I just heard about what has been happening in Phoenix and I was worried about you- Well, thank god you're coming back, and you're more than welcome, Bells, you know that." I cringed at the name again.
"Charlie, stop calling me that." I whispered.
"Sorry, old habits, I guess."
"I'll arrive in Forks by tomorrow morning if it's ok with you."
"Great, I'll get everything ready, let me know so I can pick you up."
"Sure thing, thanks, Charlie." I lied, imagining in what world I'd allow a police cruiser to pick me up.
"Don't mention."
I hanged up, thinking I wasn't going to come back to Phoenix anytime soon, even though they had a fake name from a fake id- No, it wouldn't be safe. I looked at the road, accepting the fact that nothing held me there anymore. I wouldn't go back there ever again, but at least I was able to leave the place better than I found it. If there was a thing I was good at, it was tying loose ends, and that end was tied as hard as possible.
I crossed another border and sighed, leaning back in my seat, my gaze shifting to the sundown.
I knew I should be feeling despair or a sense of failure about all this, but inside my mind, there was no doubt about my objective. It didn't matter if it would take 5 years or 50, I'd still avenge her. It didn't matter that I couldn't tell this to anyone, that the only person who also knew was unwilling to help me. I started this alone, so in the end, I'd finish this the same way. It didn't matter, I'd find a way to destroy every single one of them even if that was the last thing I would do in my life.
I repeated the same words I thought to myself while I was being carried away from the immense castle where my mother was murdered.
"I'll make you all pay."
AN: Don't forget to review.