Bella gasped as her foot slipped and rock gave way underneath her, she clung to the wall of the cave with her fingers and breathed in deeply. Carefully finding another hold she relaxed her fingers to keep the blood moving, "Alright, you're fine." She muttered to herself.
She's finished her volunteering for the month and as such, she had two days to explore the caves that she'd been slowly mapping every day after work. It had been around a month since she'd found them, but she hadn't gone very far inside, mostly because the mouth of the caves opened like a ravine that curved under the mountain base, if she wanted to look properly she would most likely need to be down there for a few days, so she'd saved the proper exploring until her break.
It was a difficult climb down but as it was not a vertical slope she was able to do it, she was definitely thankful for the times she'd been rock climbing with her mother as a kid, guess she had her mum's adventurous spirit after all.
It took a good 2 hours of descending backwards into the darkness until she found the floor of the cave. It was smooth and the last stretch of rock face she had struggled to find holds due to the change from rough textured stone to smooth rock. Water, her mind supplied. Bella sincerely hoped the water wouldn't come back any time soon, she didn't really have a quick way out of there.
With that in mind, she set on exploring around the edges with her torch trying to find escape routes should nature turn on her. She found a few passages that looked naturally made through the rock, they led to other rooms which she hadn't explored yet, going back to the one she had entered into. She shone the light out into the darkness, slowly moving it across the room.
The light bounced off the rock in a few places but otherwise, the main cave was completely empty. She went through the forest passage, her hand dragging across the rock as she went. Bella loved nature, usually preferring forests and gardens, but the volunteering on the farms had made a new appreciation for all parts of it.
Bella paused to move the light to the wall, a centipede scuttled along and she watched it with interest, she would definitely find more species of insects before her exploration was done.
Bella came to the end of the tunnel and flicked the light revealing a cavern far bigger than the one from the entrance. Her light bounced on water, a lake took up the majority of the room stalactite and stalagmite formed over and under the water. Moving forward in awe at its beauty Bella quickly shone the light at her feet, looking to see where the water began. Luckily she did, only a few paces from the passage the rock dropped and water sat a few centimetres down.
Crouching so as not to lose her balance, she edged closer and peered into the water. It was not very helpful. The lack of light made the water appear almost inky black. Moving the touch closer she was able to see quite far into the dark water, due to how clear it was she noticed a few hidden stalagmites but she couldn't see the bottom, it was far too deep. A rush shuddered through her and she rubbed her shoulders, Bella was a good swimmer but not only did the water look freezing but it was also so still, it sang of death. She didn't fancy falling in there.
Hoping to find some old castle ruins that had fallen buried below the surface, Bella straightened and once again swept the room with the light and found her next path. She opened her bag and replaced her torch with one she could strap to her chest, clipping it on. She took a moment to eat a muesli bar before shoving everything else in the backpack that Felix and Demetri had gotten for her.
She carefully edged with her front to the wall along the rim of the pool. A few loose stones fell under her feet and placed in the pond a sound which echoed through the cavern. Because she was facing the wall Bella was limited in her sight and was relying on feel and her memory to make it to the first stalagmite that broke the water. Above it was an equally big stalactite, surrounding the one coming from the ground were several mounds that also broke the water, being careful to keep her head low not to knock into one of the sharper ones from the ceiling, Bella reached out and made the small step onto the mounds.
There was a moment her heart leapt into her throat and her foot slid on the damp limestone but her hands caught her and she gripped tight to the stalagmite. Sucking a breath in through her teeth Bella let her laugh of relief echo on the walls. The sound of her own laughter caused her to shake her head with a chuckle. She edged further around the stalagmite ever mindful of the icicles of stone hanging from the cave ceiling. The actual roof of the cave was very high up and seeing as the stalagmites formed from their corresponding ones Bella knew it was a testament to how deep the water went.
She continued on her path making her way further from the edge of the cave and closer to the centre where the rock resembled that of some deep-sea creatures with needle-sharp teeth, an angelfish came to mind. Bella mentally cursed Olly for making her watch that documentary, the image making her fear heighten.
It must have been an hour of carefully navigating the cave and avoiding the water. It reminded Bella of the time she had gone with Blue and jumped from rock to rock by the waterfall in Forks, the memory made her smile. She was lucky to have Blue, her father definitely thought so and Bella agreed, Blue had definitely changed the course of her life, she used to view her life as before Edward and after Edward, now she saw it differently.
She saw her childhood between her parents, learning adventure from her mother and stability from her father. She saw her teenage years of high-school and her mother's restlessness, she saw the end of high-school and her father's worried expression when she had slid rapidly into depression. She saw Blue and Olly, and she hadn't realised it before, but she no longer viewed her introduction to Edward as the beginning of her involvement in the supernatural, when she though Vampires it wasn't the Cullens who sprang to mind, but the casual way Demetri had constantly popped up beside her, enjoying as she jumped every time. The way Caius had stood silently beside her the night before the ball when she had found herself in front of the door leading to the East Wing, where Edward had been.
She had been frightened at first, the blond king was definitely terrifying and he had said nothing at the time only giving her a knowing look. Tears had fallen down her eyes. That night was the night Blue had told her she had been Dazzled by Edward, the knowledge had been like ripping a bandaid off. Bella couldn't decide if she had been thankful it had all been a lie or not, but as the King stood by her side staring stoically at the door Bella understood. Edward was merely a child who didn't understand the square couldn't fit into the circle hole and had tried to force it in by shaving the sides, she wasn't going to give him the knife.
Turning on her heels she hadn't tried to hide the tears, it was likely the King before he thought very little of her anyways. He didn't mention them or anything at all, but simply turned to lead her outside into the gardens. She sat on one of the benches and he sat beside her, she had felt awkward, "You don't have to stay with me out of pity you know." A little bit of bitterness had made itself present in her voice.
He scoffed "I do not have to do anything, especially out of pity." She had fallen silent after that and turned her face to mimic his, watching the moon. The thing Bella remembered most about that night was how never once did Caius attempt to pretty her heartbreak with hope for a brighter future. She had appreciated that.
Felix and Demetri had been her most constant companions in her week at Volterra, and despite only staying a week it felt like it had been as big a timespan as all the years she had spent in school. Felix liked to be entirely inappropriate, but in a way that he could hide far easier than Demetri, while Demetri had a constant air of mischief around him Felix could turn into a dad at a moments notice, often referring to the witch twins as 'the Kids', but Demetri had assured her he would never dare do such a thing to their faces.
The two had been as close to siblings as Bella had ever had, and despite loving the adventuring she'd had the last few months, she was surprised to admit, she missed them. She missed Olly too, and the times he would wake her just to bring her outside and look at the stars, at first she had been confused why he never woke Blue, but she soon figured it out, the 8-year-old was trying to make sure Blue slept during the very few moments she allowed it. It was sweet and Bella began to see there was a little more to every person than they presented. Before she had been rather guarded and hadn't recognised things about herself, let alone others.
She had encountered Blue's other mates as well. Aro had appeared in the hall one day to hand her a book with only a single sentence of explanation, "It is about Vampires and their powers." before he brought his hands to his chin in delight, eagerly awaiting some kind of response. Bella had given him a nervous smile and thanked the Vampire who had taken it as a dismissal and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
She had read the book and was surprisingly drawn into it. Aro had most likely given it to her, as a not-so-subtle way of letting her know about her gifts and by extension who she was. It had surprised her to learn that Vampires gifts are actually enhancements of characteristics from their human lives, Aro had been a curious soul from the beginning and as such now he could learn all about someone with a single touch, Marcus had a strong intuition about people often noticing the connections other didn't, leading to him being able to actually see the bonds between people.
...And Bella, she retreated into herself, every time she was afraid she would shove up walls and push people away, she had realized when reading the text that she guarded herself so intensely that even as a human she could thwart Aro's powers. It had been eye-opening for her and had been the key moment she decided to leave school, she needed to let go of the walls she so tightly built up and figured the only way she could do that was separating herself from everything and getting in touch with the one thing that always calmed her, nature.
Marcus found her in front of Didyme's grave on one of the days and had begun to tell her of the friend he had lost. Bella had fallen in love with the woman just from hearing Marcus talk about her, her gift was most fascinating, the ability to make people feel happiness. She must have been a person people loved to be around if that is what her personality had manifested into when she was immortalised.
Bella was eternally grateful to the people than in the space of a week, a little more if she considered when Olly and Blue had entered her life, but in such a short time they had helped her grow and since then, she had felt herself gain confidence in liking the person she was. She was able to wake up in the morning and not think about how she should act or what she should do because she felt content enough just being herself. It was liberating knowing that she had learned to love herself, something Edward never could have done.
She'd made it to the thicket of stalagmites and stalactites by the time her mind had finished reminiscing and she settled on a moderately smooth rock to eat the sandwich she'd made for herself, all the while gazing out at the water.
It was lighter than she remembered as if she could see more. The walls were tinged red and she paused her chewing, her eyes trying to find the light source only to land on a gap arching up and opening to the sky, she hadn't noticed it before due to the angle and before it had just been dark, but now peering into the cavern was a blood-red moon. Bella felt a smile spread across her face, looking back down to the cave showed the red bouncing all around she turned off her light and grinned, it was beautiful.
She looked down to take another bite when she was blinded by a flash of light, moving her head slightly to the side to see where it had come from. She squinted before letting out a gasp of shock, beneath her feet looked like... a chain?
Turning her light back on and pulling out the torch she knelt on the edge of the limestone reaching down for the beginning of the chain she saw. She shivered as her hand dipped beneath the water and she felt her hand close around the rusted metal, yanking it only brought more chain up, but it appeared to be attached around one of the stalagmites making up the temporary island-like place she was on.
Sitting back Bella pulled the chain up onto the limestone beside her and continued to do so until she came to a stop, the chain still dipped beneath the surface and she couldn't see where it went, sighing she relaxed her hold on it and the chain went sliding back into the water. The sound of the metal dragging on the stone echoed loudly in the room and this time a more ominous feel accompanied it. Bella wished she hadn't done that. What she had just found began to register in her mind and she looked in horror to the metal she knew was just over the edge. She had found a chain. One that was connected to something on the other end, but why? It couldn't be an anchor, a ship could never get into there. Why was it connected to something? Was it to pull something up? Or keep something confined? Her mind drew an image of a creature crossed between a rabid dog and a shark.
She scrambled back from the edge and closed her eyes, trying to calm her heart. "Don't be stupid, if it was a creature it wouldn't have stayed stuck when I pulled on it." She tried to reason with herself. But no matter what she said she couldn't help the same question ringing in her mind. "Why was there a chain in an uninhabited underground cave?" A cave she was exploring in the hopes of finding answers on a missing person.
Deciding not to think about the chain any longer, Bella edged away, keeping her head low and ducking in and out of the stalactites until she found a place she was sure was safe from water rising, not that she thought that would happen with how still it was. All the while she kept the location of the chain firmly in her mind.
-IMMORTAL-
The next morning Bella woke to drips landing just below her eye. Blinking them open, she stretched carefully and pulled out another muesli bar to eat, needing the nutrients for the day ahead. She planned to learn more about the chain today. Her night of sleep had given her some confidence, she had come down here looking for clues, and clues came in the form of something out of the ordinary, something that caught your attention, and that chain definitely ticked that box.
Putting on her 'think like Blue' hat she made her way to where she remembered seeing her clue last night. She wasn't actually 100 per cent sure it was day, there was some light coming from the opening above but it was a slim gap so she had no way of knowing what time it was. Not that it mattered.
She made it to the edge of the limestone and knelt once more, letting her hand drag back and forth in the water. The temperature hasn't changed but she was beginning to think the only way she would know what was down there was by going to look. Grabbing the chain once more she pulled it until it snagged and she pulled harder, trying to see if she could move whatever was down there.
It was futile and she dropped it, the chain sliding back once more. What to do now?
There was no way to tell how deep the object was, it could be on the very bottom of the cave floor or it could be in another pocket within the cave pool, after all, didn't people get lost in underground cave waters all the time? There was also another problem, the stalagmites certainly didn't all reach the surface, if she tried to swim horizontally she'd definitely get pierced by one or smack into it, if she went down vertically, which would be how she had to go, she would have to use one as a guide not to get hit by any others, and she would have to constantly be looking down to see if another had formed lower down. She didn't fancy ending up like a kebab.
Deciding to try to adjust to the temperature she pulled off her shoes and socks and then stripped off her water pants, so she was left in shorts. She slid her legs into the water sucking in a sharp breath at the temperature, she swung her legs in the water trying to warm them up. "Cold, cold, cold."
She stayed there for a while trying to figure out how to follow the chain down without dying of hypothermia or whatever parasites might linger in the water. Upon finding no solution she turned to reach her bag and brought out her emergency blanket and some dry clothes as well as a microfiber towel, which she packed on top of her bag and put a little further from the edge.
Gripping the torch and checking the one on her chest was on, she took a deep breath and let gravity slide her forward, like the chain from before she fell into the dark waters. She shot up immediately, the cold stealing her breath, she heaved in. There was a moment where she panicked away from the island and with nothing to hold onto she desperately searched until her fingers closed around rusted metal.
Choking in a breath she ducked back under the water and with one hand holding the torch and another the chain she tried to force her body to follow it's descent. Unfortunately, her human skin made her buoyant and resisted going down.
Coming back up for air after struggling she came up with a new plan. Still, at the surface she threw the torch onto the island and used both hands to pull the chain until it no longer had any slack, the rest of it sunk in the water but Bella drew in a much calmer breath and used the chain to pull her down, being more careful to watch for stalagmite with only the light of her chest showing her path.
She made it further that time and the chest light had shown her a few of the pointed rocks, viewing them underwater as the pulled herself past, had made her imagine herself in the prehistoric times, with dinosaurs and forest as high as mountains. The moment ended when her lungs screamed at her and she had to return to the surface.
Breaking for air again she knew she had to stop, the cold had made her teeth chatter to the extent it was difficult to keep her lips closed. She swam to the edge and pulled herself up on the stone, her arms felt like jelly and she was grateful she'd had the foresight to pull the towel out before going in.
She stripped off all her wet clothing and pulled on the new stuff, unfortunately, Bella doubted that her wet clothes would dry in the dark cave, she only had the ones she was wearing now, she wouldn't be able to go down again unless she left immediately after.
Sighing she pulled out some more food to eat, wrapping herself in the emergency blanket trying to rid the shaking from her hands. Some unexplained feeling had seized a hold of Bella, once she got over the fear that came with finding the chain, she had felt a curiosity border-lining a need, to get to the end of it, the feeling worried her, she could very well die of the cold, she was human. She couldn't go back down again, it was too dangerous.
Decision made she packed everything up, besides her wet clothes and began to explore more of the cave, there might be other suspicious things in the area. Hours into her search the back of Bella's neck began to prickle, she knew that feeling, when she had woken to see Edward in her room, then disappear again, that had been the feeling.
She was being watched.
-IMMORTAL-
Unfortunately, as soon as we had all settled back into the castle the Kings had been summoned to deal with a Vampire issue, they had asked me to join, but I declined instead planning on calling Alli, she'd only called me once since she had found her lead and it was only to confirm she was onto something, I wanted to make sure she was still safe.
Ring Ring
Ring Ring
Ring Ring
I was starting to freak out, Alli hadn't picked up and the last time we'd spoken was a little over two weeks ago. Leaving another voice message I paced my room.
Alli if this is revenge for me not picking up your calls last time, it's mean. Please let me know you're okay, I'm very worried about you.
It certainly didn't help matters Bella had also stopped answering my calls, my mates had placated me saying it was likely her phone had simply run out, but it had been nearly two days now and I was beginning to get an all-around bad feeling.
Pacing a few more times before accepting the conclusion I had come to a while ago. I was going to have to speak with Agent Dacian, he was Alli's superior officer and the one partnered to her on this case, unfortunately, as I didn't have his number I would have to go and see him, which was actually better considering it would be easier to retrace Alli's steps in America.
I walked to the throne room, nodding at Heidi as I went, she had offered to look after the Orphic's needs until Sylvia and the other staff arrived.
I pushed the doors open with my hands, rather than my face this time, and stayed quietly beside the entrance waiting for the meeting to finish.
"Thank you, Benjamin, that is most concerning. We appreciate you coming forward with this knowledge." Aro dismissed the familiar Vampire, who bowed to them and proceeded to pivot and do the same to me before leaving the room. I shot him a smile, he was truly a beautiful soul.
"Problem?" I inquired at their serious looks.
Caius grunted "Amun has decided that now would be a good time for him to rise against our rule. He has been creating an army of gifted Vampires he has procured over the years."
Aro nodded to the door "Our dearest Benjamin refused to go against us and has reported his sire's plans. I am afraid they need to be dealt with immediately."
"I understand, but I have to go to America, Alli's gone missing, and I'm worried about the Vampire she was hunting."
Marcus pursed his lips, "Take Demetri, I do not like the sound of that."
"Actually I want Demetri to go to Romania, Bella hasn't responded and I'm worried about her also. Demetri couldn't track the Vampire. I doubt with their gifts he could track Alli, I'll have to find her the human way."
He conceded "Very well, Alec will go with you."
I understood their want for my safety but I was now concerned about them "Shouldn't you take Alec, you are going to face an army after all." I couldn't help the fear leaking into my words, maybe I should stay and fight with my mates, but an image of Alli hooked up to an IV ran through my head and I knew I couldn't leave her.
Aro soothed me gently pulling my hand into his own, "Fear not dearest, we will have the guard with us, Felix, Heidi and a few others will remain here to guard the castle, we will take everyone else with us, besides Demetri and Alec."
I was still concerned, Alec was probably their most offensive weapon, he could affect multiple Vampires at once and would be more useful against an army.
Caius chuckled "Do not worry for us Carissima, you are far more important-" I let him have a full view of my scowl at that. We were as equally as important as each other.
Marcus interjected, "Caius means you will be alone so if it comes to protecting yourself or Alli, you may not be able to do both, therefore Alec will make the difference."
I conceded "Alright, but you'd better call me the second you guys are safe. I mean it!"
Aro hummed bringing me into an embrace "Very well, but if you do not answer we will assume the worst."
I knew they would, just as I currently was assuming the worst with my closest friends. Alli and Bella. It couldn't be a coincidence.
-IMMORTAL-
I sent Demetri off with a kiss to his cheek, "Please be careful,"
He chuckled finding my worry amusing, "Mi Regina, you need not concern yourself, I will find dear Bella and bring her back to you."
"And be safe while you are at it," I added despite knowing they were all hundred-year-old Vampires I still felt fear for my family.
Jane scoffed, "He will be fine." She softened as my anxious look didn't fade, "We all will."
Alec nodded, giving his sisters a squeeze before releasing it to stand by my side, "Don't have too much fun without me sister."
She smirked, "Or you."
A petulant voice had us looking at the mop of brown hair who had made sure to make his protests known, "I want to come, Jane!" It was amusing to watch the stoic girl absolutely falter under the demands of her mate, she shot a pleading look to her twin who didn't do much better as Olly rounded on him. "You're not fighting an army, I can come with you."
"No, it would be terribly boring, as you said we aren't fighting anyone…" Alec trailed off under Olly's attempts to glare, he seemed to shake his lip eerily reminiscent of being about to cry.
It was my turn to scoff and I scooped him up breaking the act as he let out a yell "Hey!"
"Hey yourself, you little monster, stop guilt-tripping your mates, we'll be back before you know it, besides the Orphic's need company, Daniella's asking after you." He seemed to perk up at that and resting his elbow on my back, I carried him to the East wing, Jane and Alec trailing behind while Olly waved stupidly at them the whole way.
I deposited him in the room, "Ewan, you're a darl, please inform Heidi if anyone needs anything. I pressed a phone into his palm. It already had Heidi's number and my own programmed in. He technically only needed to call out and she would hear, but as they didn't know we were Vampires yet a phone covered that problem.
"That's Wonderful dear, do be careful." I gave him the side-eye, curious how he knew what I was doing but let it go.
"Alright guys, I'm heading out back to America, Alli's gone missing, so Detective Ad-Volturi, is going to work." A few noises of distress could be heard and Olly quickly jumped onto Ferdinand's bed to distract them. "Don't worry, I'll find her."
Concern came from Jadis "She was working on finding the man who took us wasn't she?"
I winced "Yes."
Esmeralda whimpered and Dusk threw the sheet over his head to hide his face. "Hey now," I tried to placate them "I'll find her, I will. I promise."
Blossom looked at me with tears shining in her eyes, "You'd better."
I nodded accepting the statement as it was, everyone had gotten quite attached to Alli, she had done a lot for them after all, and to consider their friend going through what they had, yeah I definitely understood their reactions."
I turned to leave but felt a weak hand close around my wrist, I looked to see Daniella peer at me with tears in her eyes, "Don't get caught."
Misham nodded vehemently beside her and I saw a few of their eyes come to the same realization, I might also be taken by the man who haunted their nightmares. Determined not to upset them anymore I pulled off my mother's ring and placed it in her palm, folding her fingers around it, "I'll be wanting that back Daniella, it was my mothers. I'll come back for it, don't you worry."
Olly grinned "And when you come back we can have a party for me! It's my birthday soon."
I gave a fake gasp of shock "Well what do you know? A 9-year-old boy looks like we will need a party."
He puffed out his chest "Ice-cream cake!"
I laughed walking out of the room to Ewan inquiring why he wanted ice-cream and Esmerelda being quietly told what it was by Soraya.
I walked with the twins on either side back to the front entrance and headed out to the car waiting for me, giving a second for the mates to embrace before Alec and I entered the car.
I had refused to say goodbye to my mates, instead acted as though it had been another day they had done the same, but the anticipation of the coming battle weighed on all our minds. Despite what they said, I had never seen them fight, not properly and the idea of them taking on an entire army… I decided not to think about it, instead filling my mind with how to solve my own conundrum.
-IMMORTAL-
I arrived in Davenport with Alec by my side and strode into the police station, walking up to the receptionist. I gave her a tense smile. "I'm Detective Volturi, I was wondering if Agent Dacian is around to speak with? He was working on a case in the area." I added on.
She nodded to one of the corridors, "Interrogation 6, he's using it as a temporary office."
"Thanks." I walked into the room Alec was following closely behind, and encountered a man that was not the one I was after, with his butt on the desk and his arms braced behind him. He blew a bit of gum as I came to a stop in front of him and there was a tense moment before it popped and he used his tongue to swipe it all back in his mouth.
I felt Alec tense beside me and it immediately made me clench in turn. "Charming." I snapped, my nerves getting the best of me. He only smirked at my ire and raised a hand in lazy greeting. "Is Agent Dacian around?"
His smirk widened and he pushed off the table to come to a stop before me, "Ah so you must be the Detective Blue, he said you'd show up eventually."
I crossed my arms restraining my anger "That doesn't sound suspicious at all. Alli goes missing and he's suddenly expecting me."
He gave a sharp laugh "Nah, he said you got close to her in your last case, he hasn't heard from the girl either, sad really."
A chuckle caused me to spin around seeing the man I was looking for right in front of me. "Ryder likes to play around, don't take him too seriously."
I ignored the strange relationship the two men had and angrily began demanding answers "Where is Alli. Why is she not answering her phone? You're supposed to be her partner!"
He stepped closer as if to try to console me but Alec actually hissed, causing me to shoot him a weird look and Dacian to raise his hands in surrender. "Alli went missing a few days ago after she mentioned you moving the victims, she hasn't reported to me. Is there anything she may have mentioned to you? Any leads she was following?"
I was now in a position where I either told the creepy guy in front of me information Alli had kept from him or not and risked it affecting her being found. I mentally refreshed my mind, considering the pros and cons. For now, I would stay quiet, I didn't trust the man in front of me, he was strange, everything about him put me on full alert since the day I'd met him, I could always tell him later. "No. Nothing."
He sighed seeming unsurprised, "Well come and look at what we found, maybe you can figure out where she went from it all." That sounded like a good idea to me and with a sneer and flick of his tongue Ryder moved aside allowing us to approach the files laid out over the desk.
There were papers everywhere it would take a while, Dacian seemed to realise this and decided to take Ryder, leaving Alec and I alone with the work, claiming he had other stuff to do. Prick.
As soon as he was gone I turned to Alec, "You don't like him?"
He gave me a very uncomfortable look, "Everything is hazy around them, I cannot hear properly or smell, it is like my senses are dulled down to a humans."
Now that he'd said it, it was true, as a human I'd found him creepy, but as a Vampire, I didn't notice the other things that I could about others. I didn't remember hearing a heartbeat from him, but in a way that it sounded like the base of a drum beating in my head unable to let me concentrate on whether or not he had one. "...You said them. The Ryder guy too?"
He nodded "Mainly him, it seemed to be coming from Ryder." Weird. I noticed Alec fidgeting and continuously glancing at the door and I knew he was itching to follow his own lead.
"Go ahead." He gave me a confused look and I elaborated "Go after them, something fishy stinks around them, see if you can find anything." He thanked me and promised to report if he found anything suspicious. His words reminded me that my mates were supposed to call eventually. I checked my phone which I usually kept silent, and finding no missed calls I relaxed, returning to my work.
I spent the better part of the next hour going through all of Alli and Dacian's reports. A few more hours passed and it started to grow darker outside, I was about to call it and go tell Agent Dacian that I knew Alli had been following a different lead when something caught my eye. Agent Allison Smith. She signed her full name on the reports as was required, mildly curious and just a little bit spiteful as Agent Dacian consistently used my first name, I searched through until I found one he'd written.
Agent Stefan Dacian
I stared at the name for a minute trying to remember where I'd seen that spelling when it hit me. I dropped the papers in shock. The Dacian coven. Vlad and Stefan were the two who had escaped Volturi's takeover... How could I have been so stupid! And blind. His name was literally Dacian, I knew something was strange about him, and even as a Vampire, I hadn't noticed that the man was also a Vampire.
Ryder was one too, he must have muted our senses. Another thought hit me, if he could mess with our senses maybe she could also affect Vampiric powers, like Demetri's tracking ability... and Alec's...
I bolted out of the room at super speed not worried about revealing myself as it was night time and humans would only register a blur. I stopped outside unsure where to go. I'd heard nothing back from Alec and I didn't know where Grace or Stefan had gone.
Cursing I balled my hands into fists and tried not to let the helplessness eat me up. "Come on Blue! Think!"
-IMMORTAL-
Bella kept her composure and pretended she hadn't noticed anything. For the rest of the day, she felt the eyes, but after nothing more happened she relaxed a bit. She should head back for now. She hadn't found anything more but she found herself once again in the middle of the lake, at the edge staring down into the dark water.
The eyes had left her back for the first time when she had stepped onto the limestone island, it made her breath a sigh of relief, the island felt like a flash of safety, but she knew how deceptive safety could be and that night she clutched the knife Blue had gifted her under the emergency blanket.
"Hey wait, Bella!"
Bella turned to Blue, an expression of confusion on her face, they were just about to excite the bathroom and take their separate flights, Bella to Forks and Blue to Kennewick. "Yes?"
Blue caught up to her friend "Since you're going to someplace in the world that I won't be with you, I think you should have this." She pressed a smooth bit of wood into her hand and watched as Bella examined it, there was a ring of steel that ran the length.
"What is it?"
"A knife."
Bella killed at blue in shock "A knife! Blue We're about to board a plane!"
Blue only laughed "I snuck a live lizard through airport security, you don't think I can sneak a knife?"
Bella gave her a disapproving look, "Aren't you a cop?"
"Labels."
"Blue-"
Blue cut her off "-Just keep it. Please. I care about you kid, that knife saved my life you know, It was the first thing I bought. Took me three months begging on the streets when I got to America to get enough money for it. I took it with me to Norway. Maybe you can take it everywhere else."
Bella pulled the older girl into an embrace, "Don't make me cry over a knife Blue, that's not cool."
Blue laughed gently, shoving her to the exit. "Dying isn't cool. Stay awesome stay alive."
Bella threw her a smirk "Till you choose not to."
Scoffing Blue waved her off "Nah, eternal life is still life. I believe they are called the undead."
Bella smiled at her friend, pocketing the knife, she doubted she'd use it, but maybe it would come in handy cutting weeds on a farm.
Morning came and Bella kept her eyes closed trying to sense whether she had been found during her sleep. Feeling nothing she traced the wood under her blanket. She remembered it was a dark brown, it looked vintage and the steel a sharp contrast, her dad had told her it was Carbon Damascus steel, it didn't mean much to her but the way the knife had wavy lines in the metal was rather beautiful.
Steeling herself to do what she needed to do. Bella packed up all her stuff, shoving it in her bag, even her wet clothes she wrapped in the emergency blanket and shoved inside. She grabbed her torch and flicked on the one strapped to her chest.
Reaching into the water she grabbed the chain and pulled, instead of letting it fall into a pile beside her she moved to the closest stalagmite and threw the chain over it, before grabbing it and doing it again. It was hard because the chain was rather bulky, but she managed, with only a tiny bit of slack left, that didn't allow it to be looped again, she walked back over to the edge and gripped the torch and jumped in.
She popped up to suck in a breath, the cold worse than she remembered, but with her resolve hardened she dove down, using the chain to yank herself forward with one hand, occasionally she twisted her legs into the chain and shoved herself forward, heading down face-first into the deep.
She could feel it getting harder to keep her lungs from sucking in air and estimated it had been around two minutes. Pushing harder she felt her chest scream at her and her eyes stung as though watering. There! She paused to shine the light below her and she nearly screamed.
It was a person.
There was someone down at the bottom of the pond, she was too far away. Bella could see her but she could never reach her. Her lungs screamed at her and black spots crept into her vision. Her grip slackened and the torch fell below, Bella was helpless to do anything except watch as it descended, illuminating more as it went.
A face. A woman. Porcelain, like a statue.
Her chest. Bella gasped and water flooded her lungs, she panicked, kicking wildly to try to break for the surface but she was too far. The water rushed into her mouth and she panicked trying to swallow it. So this was how she died. Alone in a cave. Fitting for someone cursed to be alone, after all, death was always lonely.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around her chest and she felt a shift before being pulled onto the familiar limestone. She coughed, spluttering up the water and blinking desperately to try to bring back her vision.
Distantly she heard the sound of Italian being yelled furiously. She peered up at her saviour. Demetri. Of course.
He registered her looking at him and scowled returning to a language she could understand "What were you thinking Bella! Everyone is worried sick about you, and you try to drown yourself? He seemed to notice her shivering then and scooped up the expensive jacket he'd thrown off before diving to rescue her, he pulled it over her shaking shoulders, his voice softened as though trying to explain her actions "Human's cannot stay in that cold water Bella. It is foolish."
She couldn't focus on why or how he was here, she shoved the jacket off and stood narrowly missing the stalactite above her. "There's someone down there! In the water! Demetri, there's someo-"
He looked concerned "What do you mean Bella? Humans cannot survive down there, I told you this."
She let out a sound of frustration tugging on her hair, "No. Demetri. I think it's a Vampire. I think... She paused the reason for her venture into the caves coming to mind, and the words of her friend returning, 'The bond can also be broken if a Vampire's heart is ripped from their chest, it is the cruellest form of torture.' ...I think it's Didyme."
Demetri's back went ramrod straight and she hurried to elaborate, "It's why I was here, in Romania, Blue thinks that it wasn't a coincidence the timing of Didyme's disappearance and the Dacian coven's take over, she asked me to volunteer in Romania so I could look for clues... there's a chain Demetri! And someone's down there, I saw them."
"Show me."
She obliged, leavening over the edge and falling out the chain once more. Without any more hesitation, Demetri grabbed the chain and pulled. He got to the same point Bella had and the chain refused to budge, even with his Vampire strength. "There's probably some weight or something keeping the other side down," Bella suggested.
He gave her a searching look, and Bella wasn't sure she liked the serious side of Demetri. He sniffed deeply. "You have not been alone."
Bella shook her head "No, I felt someone watching me yesterday, or today, I don't really know, before I went to sleep."
He seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding, "Stay here, I will be a moment. If he returns, call for me."
She nodded showing she understood and he wasted no more time diving into the water. Bella figured Demetri knew who had been in the cave with her, after all, he had tracked her from Italy, he probably recognised the Vampire's scent. She wondered who it was, someone not enough of a threat for Demetri to call for back up, so she didn't worry too much.
A loud crack came from under the water and echoed around the caves, the stone icicles shook and a few of the smaller ones went crashing down. Bella froze. Now she was worried.
It didn't last long before Demetri broke the surface with what looked like a statue, in his arms. Bella rushed to help him, but he didn't seem to need it. He placed the woman-statue carefully on the island and stood back. Bella felt tears well up in her eyes at the sight. It was definitely a Vampire, one who had suffered horrible, if the gaping hole in her chest proved, the lack of heat confirmed what Bella suspected, that this Vampire had suffered the worst fate of their kind imaginable.
A sound came from beside her and Bella turned to see Demetri looking upon the woman, ashen-faced. Bella let the question fall from her lips "Is it her?"
He nodded, "She has petrified, due to her..." He gestured almost helplessly at the hole and his voice broke "...and the lack of moving." Suddenly his head snapped in another direction and he let out a snarl, rage taking over his features he spat the word with a venom Bella had never heard before "Vlad!"
A chuckle echoed through the cavern making Bella want to shrink against the statue before her, but it reminded her, she was here for a reason. She'd found Didyme, not just what had happened to her, but her actual body. Bella didn't know if Didyme could be healed, or even if she'd wanted to be, but Bella would be damned if the monster who had done it to her was allowed to keep her.
Demetri's responding snarl showed he was thinking along the same lines.