"They find each other still, but with no family to go to, Alice leans into the instincts of your kind from the get-go. Between the two of them, their powers are formidable." He snapped and I was standing in Volterra? Not again. My poor family. My clothes were dry and from the 60s decade so Alice and Jasper had both been around for a long while.
Alice and Jasper had blood-red eyes and were standing in black cloaks behind the three vampire thrones. "Alice, if we were to attack our Scandinavian enemies, what do you see?" Aro grinned in glee at the thought of overthrowing his predecessors. A cruel smile broke out over her face. "We will win, master," A chill ran down my spine. Sweet and feisty Alice taking orders from Aro made my skin crawl.
"Mhmm, yes! We are nigh unstoppable brothers!" Aro clapped his hands together, celebrating his victory before it happened. "Aro," Marcus began, "This is the third war you've started this year and it's only January. Can we please go back to sitting here ruling from afar," Marcus looked old and bored.
"Jasper!" Aro snapped. A wave of ruthless warmongering fell around the room. Even Marcus started to get excited about the war. Aro giggled, "With my Alice to show me the future, I'll start a war every week until all our enemies are annihilated!" Aro, Alice, Jasper, and all the Volturi around them burst into laughter. Cruel, maniacal, evil laughter.
Robert stood in front of me looking sad. "Everyone says Carlisle is the glue holding your family together, but nobody gives you enough credit, Edward. Not even yourself." I shook like a leaf in terror at what had just happened.
"Enough of this! I've seen enough! I want to go home!" I turned my back on him and stalked away.
"You can't run from this, Edward! We have one last person to visit before our journey is over." He called after me. That made my new blood run cold. I turned and ran at him, gripping his throat. "Don't touch her!" I yelled. "You can't touch her! Leave her out of this! What kind of sick gift do you have, nomad?"
"I'm not a nomad," He spoke calmly for having my hand around his neck. "I'm an angel. And I promise I'm here to save you and your family. You just have to stop doubting yourself and listen to me." I reluctantly released him.
"What does an angel have to do with me? I'm a monster, a-a demon, even! My soul is damned, if I even have one." I sank to the floor and pulled at my hair in stress. He knelt next to me and pulled me in for a hug.
"My dear, dear child," He soothed, "You do have a soul. You've done nothing but try your best all this time. You were forced into this life and have only tried to help people. You have a light in you, Edward. You are not damned. You are, however, in trouble and I'm only trying to help." He held me until I calmed down enough to stand again.
I thought over all that had transpired. He has blue eyes, powers unlike any I've ever seen before, more powerful than any the Volturi wield, With all that I've seen today, I just had to believe him. "Okay, I believe you. But why help me? What's in it for you?" I asked.
"Well, I won't lie and say my motives are entirely selfless. I took a liking to you and your drive to protect your family. I felt sorry for you that you didn't want to be born. But, if I am successful in helping you, I will earn my wings," He chuckled good naturedly.
"I thought angels already had wings?" I asked.
"In the movies, maybe. We have to earn our wings in real life. When our adventure is done, listen for a bell to ring. Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings you know," He laughed. I didn't know that, but I had bigger problems.
"Okay, fine," I huffed, "Let's get this over with. Show me Bella and Nessie," With a snap, I was standing inside Forks High, dressed in my original outfit. I was anxious to see Bella. I was tired of seeing everyone I love get hurt. I just wanted my wife back. I searched for her, and when I finally laid eyes on her, I forgot that I 'didn't exist'.
"Bella!" I ran to where she was sitting in the library. I wasn't even thinking. My love for her and need to see her safe trumped everything as I crashed my lips to hers. She pushed me back roughly and screamed. "Bella, honey, shh, it's me!" I tried to comfort her but she just screamed for help. Her eyes were full of terror as she backed away from me. But the chair was moving with her? No...Oh, no!
She was in a wheelchair. Her left leg was missing and her right was sitting at an odd angle. "Get away from me!" She screamed, covering her face with her hands. "Leave me alone! Why can't everyone just leave me alone!" She sobbed. A very angry teacher grabbed my arm and tossed me out of my butt. "I'll have you expelled for this!" She shouted. I was grateful for her protecting my wife, but also angry that she had screamed like that. I just want things back to normal!
Before I could be marched to the office, the scene changed again. I was watching from a distance as she wheeled into the cafeteria, trying to balance her plate of food on her lap and she rolled to an empty table to eat alone. Kids snickered at her as she passed them. The girls were whispering insults like "Cripple" and "Freak". She didn't even try to hide her tears.
Accident? Oh, my God. How could I forget? I saved her that day. Tyler Crowley lost control on the ice and would've squished her against her own truck if I didn't step in and save her! Speaking of, Tyler plopped down on the table next to her and started a stiff and awkward conversation. When they finished eating, he held her hand and she seemed happier. They must be dating. I was filled with mixed emotions. I wanted to rip his head off for touching my mate, but I was also thankful that she wasn't alone.
"See?" I called to Robert, "She's okay! She'll get over the bullies when she's an adult and she has a boyfriend! She's not alone!" Robert just shook his head. Tyler wheeled Bella to her next class. I was curious about their relationship. When he left Bella alone in the classroom, I opted to follow him. He walked around the corner and ran into Lauren.
She wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him. Righteous indignation flared up and I had half a mind to punch him right then and there, but didn't want to cause another scene.
"When are you going to finally dump the cripple?" Lauren asked cruelly. "I don't know, I feel like I need to hold out until summer break. It's my fault she's like this. I just feel guilty. But I'll break up with her over the summer and we can be together by senior prom, don't worry baby," He leaned to kiss her again and I didn't want to see any more. How could he not see what a lovely creature Bella was, even without a leg? She was beautiful, smart, inventive, loyal, I couldn't even think of enough good adjectives for her. Anyone who would break her heart is a damn fool, including me.
The scene changed again and we were at La Push. She was trying to talk to Jacob, but it was clear he was distracted. He wasn't as tall as he is now, and he's much more scrawny, his hands and arms were covered in grease. I guess he would never phase if there were no vampires in Forks. He kept glancing from Bella's face to her missing leg. She was trying to navigate the tiny garage but kept getting stuck on extra tools or parts that were lying around, making a horrible clanking sound every time she bumped into something. She also had trouble picking things up off the ground. My heart ached to help her and tell her everything would be okay.
"Hey, Bells, maybe this isn't such a good idea to hang out today. The guys want to go cliff diving and I haven't been able to go in months. Maybe you could hang out with Billy until I get back? I don't want you to get hurt in the garage. Until I get my license I can't drive us anywhere and I don't want to bother our dads. You get it though, right? We can still talk on the phone and stuff tomorrow," He said half-heartedly. I wanted to murder him all over for hurting my Bella that way.
"Oh, yeah. Okay, sure. Go, have fun. I'll just call Charlie and have him come pick me up again. Don't worry about it," She waved him off, but I didn't miss the subtle swipe at her eyes.
The scene changed for a final time. I was standing outside a run-down house with a leaky roof. Bella was sitting alone and old inside. Her other leg was gone, but she was no less beautiful to me. She looked grumpy and bitter, unable to do things for herself but too proud to ask for help. My heart broke for her. She deserved so much better.
Robert began his speech, "Bella lost her leg and her pride in that accident. The cruelty of the kids got to her and she spent her life alone. She never trusted anyone again. And Renesmee never existed in the first place. How do you expect her to be here without you? You're her father. Honestly, Edward, I thought you were smarter than that." Robert was right. I honestly hadn't thought of that. A world without Nessie was no better than a world without Bella.
I blinked and we were back in the Meadow. I was still human. "Okay, Robert, I get it! My family needed me in the past. Maybe I'm more important to them than I thought. I can't keep taking my family for granted. I love all of them; even Jacob is growing on me. There has to be a way to save them! I won't stop until I find it!"
"Don't be scared to call upon your friends in your hour of need. Goodbye Edward and I hope you've learned your lesson!" Robert walked towards the treeline.
"Wait! What do you mean by call on our friends? Robert, come back!" He didn't listen. He passed the treeline and was gone. Instantly, my heart stopped and I was me again! My eyes sharpened, my hearing returned, and I could run at vampire speed all the way home.