Chapter 7

BPOV

Since I moved to New York and started the internship, I've been working almost every day or at least finding something to do.

Of course, Tony is aware that Steve and I have been seeing each other, although he hasn't said anything specifically to me.

Movies, plays, art openings, picnics in the park when the weather permits.

Coney Island is still just our place, and we go there to get lost in the crowds.

Steve sits with me while I do homework, and I've even practiced a few speeches on him. I've tried to catch him up on a lot of things that he's missed, but 70 years of information is a lot.

For the most part, everyone accepts it. We get some good-natured ribbing here and there, mostly from Natasha. We have our time together when my homework and working for Stark Industries allows, and of course, when Steve isn't off saving the world.

Steve and I had our first fight a few days ago, yet again about me not wanting to tell him about the whole vampire thing. He just doesn't seem to understand that I'm trying to protect him and that not telling him is the best thing for everybody.

I sigh and rub my eyes. Maybe I should go and apologize to him. I stand up from the couch and head toward the door. I grab the remote to turn the TV off, but the news catches my attention.

"Thanks, Greg. This is Sally Marshall reporting for ABC News. I'm here in Manhattan to report on the fourth murder in our state in just a few short weeks. There have also been several murders in other states, and although no police forces have commented to say that these are connected, we can only assume that this is the work of a serial killer."

I put my iPad down and give the television my full attention.

"NYPD is reluctant to comment at this time due to this being an active investigation. There doesn't appear to be any pattern between the victims at this time. We do however know that all the victims in every state have been exsanguinated …"

When the news reporter says that the victims have all been drained of their blood, I gasp. Surely, there's only one thing this can be?

A vampire.

I pick my iPad up and search "recent NYC murders" into Google. A multitude of articles come up, so I click on a few from different news outlets and begin to read the first one.

The first victim of the "Dracula" killer was struck down just four weeks ago in West Manhattan. Amy Long was just twenty-three years old when she was violently killed and drained of almost all her blood. NYPD has said she was on her way home from the gym at around ten p.m. when she died.

I roll my eyes at the name the media have given to this "serial killer". Dracula? Really? I click on the next article.

Patrick Flowers was the second victim of the "Dracula" killer. He was murdered near Long Island two weeks ago. Patrick was forty-one and had not long gotten off the ferry after finishing working late.

I click through the other articles, reading about the other victims. There have been murders across the country, including Seattle, Phoenix, Chicago, and Biloxi. My eyes go wide as I'm reading the other locations. How have I not seen this already?

There's a crime website that boasts about having access to M.E reports that aren't visible to other media outlets. All of the reports on the four victims say they had wounds on their necks, close to the jugular vein, and had almost been drained completely of their blood except the latest victim, who still had about two liters left. I look through the rest of the reports and a couple more articles; there's a particular paragraph from the crime website that catches my eye.

The media has coined this serial killer as "Dracula", which is a play on words at this person draining their victims of their blood. But the main question is what does a person want with this much blood from people? Why are they doing something so specific? How are they getting the blood? What if the name the media has given this killer has any truth behind it? Vampires are myth and something Hollywood has coined … or are they?

My eyes go wide as I read that last line. There's only one person I need to talk to now.

I get up from the couch and make my way toward Tony's workshop where I know he's most likely to be. Thankfully, I have access now, so I don't have to bang on the window for him to let me in like last time. I open the door and walk up to the desk he's sitting at.

"Uncle Tony."

He turns to look at me and blinks. "I thought you were having an afternoon off?"

"I am."

"Then why are you here?" He goes back to what he was working on.

I raise my eyebrows. "Am I not allowed to come in and say hello?"

He makes a noise of agreement.

I open up my iPad and start scrolling through the articles I found. "I don't know if you've seen the news lately, but they're talking about all these murders that have been going on. So I did some research into them, and I dunno if I'm just being cautious or if I'm going crazy, but I …" I stop talking when I realize he isn't listening to me at all.

Thankfully, I have just the thing for when this happens. I wasn't sure I'd ever need to use it, and quite frankly, I'm excited. "JARVIS, initiate the Ritalin protocol."

Suddenly, everything but the lights turn off, and this means that whatever Tony was working on is no longer switched on. I put one of my hands on my hip and wait for him to look at me.

He turns around with a smirk on his face. "You have my full attention."

"Are you sure?"

He frowns. "Don't be sassy."

"I learn from the best." I grin and repeat what I just said. "So I don't know if I'm just being over cautious, or going crazy, but what if this is a vampire?"

After I say the word, he turns around to check the workshop and make sure there isn't anybody else in here. Luckily, the Ritalin protocol stops anybody else coming in, so no-one is going to find out about vampires … at least, not today.

"Bella."

Before he has a chance to say anything else, I hand him my iPad, and he scrolls through the articles. His eyebrows raise at various points, and I guess it must be over the "being drained of blood" part. After a while, he gives me back the iPad and folds his arms.

"Bella, we've seen and fought aliens, like six months ago, so this could honestly be anything at this point."

I know he's trying to placate me, and I fight not to roll my eyes. "You know aliens, and I know this. I know what this is!"

"Are you sure you aren't just being a bit dramatic because of everything that happened?"

There's silence as I think about what he just said. I feel tears in my eyes as my anger rises. Of all the people to say such a thing …

"JARVIS, lift the Ritalin protocol." I turn and walk out of the room without saying anything back to Tony.

If he won't help me, I'll go and find this vampire on my own.

xoxo

It's been three days since I saw the news and went to try and get help from Tony. I still haven't spoken to him and have been purposefully avoiding him.

I still haven't been to see Steve, so we haven't spoken since our fight, which was almost a week ago.

I've been keeping an eye on the news the last few days, and there haven't been any reports of another murder, so I figure if I'm going to try and find whoever it is doing this I need to go soon before they "feed" again.

It's occurred to me a few times that maybe this could be Edward, but then every time I do think that, I immediately brush it off because what will I do if it is? The masochist in me wants to go and find this vampire for that exact reason though … just in case it is Edward. Surely, I can be the one to stop him doing this?

I've been looking at the places where the murders have taken place and decided I'm going to head toward Staten Island, as nothing has happened there yet.

I finish work for the day and head back to my bedroom, thankfully without running into anyone. I watch the news in my room, making sure there hasn't been anything new, and I leave just as it starts to get dark.

I peer around my bedroom door to make sure there isn't anyone around and start to make my way along the hallway, toward the quickest exit I know out of the tower. Just as I'm headed toward the staircase I need, I see Steve coming to the top of the stairs. It occurs to me that he's mission ready, with a determined look on his face and wearing ... a new suit.

This one is a darker blue with no red at all, a dark silver star on his chest. Just as he's descending the stairs, I catch a glimpse of a SHIELD insignia on the right shoulder. Which means he isn't working with this team ... not with The Avengers.

I open my mouth and almost call out to him, to see where he's going … but I have my own mission. His clearly doesn't involve me, and mine doesn't involve him.

xoxo

An hour and one expensive Uber ride later, I arrive in Staten Island after dark. Yesterday, I found an abandoned school during my searches and have decided to have the Uber driver drop me off near there.

I've figured that if it is Edward, he'll be able to smell me, and surely, that will help me find him.

There's barely anybody around as I get closer to the abandoned school, and it's gotten darker outside, and I'm getting creeped out.

If this doesn't turn out to be Edward, then I'm most definitely a dead girl.

I can feel my heart beating faster, and as I'm walking along, I catch a glimpse of something moving very fast out of the corner of my eye. I stop walking and wait for a second. I hear a gasp, and when I turn around, I realize I haven't been anticipating it being this vampire.

"Alice?" I cry out. "Oh, my God, Alice, is that you?" I run toward her, intent on giving her a hug when she calls out to stop me.

"Bella, no."

I stop in my tracks. "It really is you. Oh, Alice."

"What are you doing here, Bella?"

"I've been following the news, and I figured out that it must have been a vampire. I thought maybe it was Edward, and I wanted to come and stop him." I shake my head. "I wasn't expecting it to be you." I realize that with Alice being here, it means that it's her who's been killing people. "Have you been killing those people, Alice?" I walk closer, and my question is answered when the gold irises I saw on her last time have been replaced with ruby red.

She smiles at me, but it isn't friendly. I gulp.

"It's actually quite ironic that you're here because all of this has been for you."

"What do you mean?" I fold my arms.

Jasper appears, seemingly from nowhere, and stands next to Alice. "We've been trying to find you for quite a while. Who knew you'd escape to New York City?"

I frown. "I didn't escape."

Alice tips her head. "And having The Avengers as your new friends. Are you hoping they'll rescue you now?"

I start to back away, but I'm pushed closer toward Alice as Jasper appears behind me. Alice takes my hand, and I flinch at the coldness of them.

"Don't you realize he wants you back? I'm sure he'll forgive you for betraying him. We've seen you with that soldier."

I shake my head, even as I feel Jasper trying to persuade me that it's true. "No, Edward told me that he didn't want me. I was just a distraction to him. He left me. You all left me!" I cry. I try to take my hand away, but her grip is tight. "Stop doing that, Jasper! I know he doesn't want me, and I don't want him!" My voice breaks as I feel him manipulating me, making me feel what I once felt for Edward.

"He never stopped loving you." She squeezes my hand, and her smile seems genuine, but there's something off in her eyes. They won't focus. "None of us stopped loving you." She closes her eyes. "I'm sorry for this next part, Bella. I am, but Edward hasn't been the same since you left, and neither have we. He's gone a bad way, and we need to stop him from completing his final task."

I try to back away, but Jasper's hand remains on my back. "I don't understand, Alice."

"You will." She smiles again, and this time, all of her teeth are showing.

"Don't do this, Alice. Please."

She comes closer toward me, and suddenly, her teeth are at my neck. I scream as she bites me. I can feel myself growing weaker as she takes my blood.

I'm abruptly dropped to the floor as Mjölnir swings by, and Alice drops me. I'm no longer held by her, and the burning commences. Just as I realize what's happening to me, I'm aware of someone kneeling beside me.

"Oh, Bella. Why did you do this?"

I struggle to open my eyes and find Tony next to me.

"I think this was inevitable." And I close my eyes again, letting the fire take me.