DISCLAIMER: All characters and story world belong to SM. All lyrical references and quotes are property of their original artist. No copyright infringement intended.
[Beta'd by: UnBeta'd]
Special thanks to: Ocdmess
Last chapter I asked you all what the first album you bought was! Got very interesting answers!
My answer: Vinyl: Peter Pan Soundtrack. Tape: Suzanne Vega - 99 degrees. CD: (gifts) Hanson – Christmas CD and Spice Girls - Spice. (bought) Orgy – Candyass and Grease Soundtrack.
Chapter Playlist: (songs in italics are only mentioned for setlist sake, they aren't elaborated on in the chapter.)
Placebo – Running up that hill
Evanescence – Going under
Evanescence – Bring me to life
30 Seconds to Mars – The kill
Evanescence – Call me when you're sober
Garbage – Number one crush
Delta Goodrem – Last night on earth
Hoobastank – The reason
30 Seconds to Mars – Was it a dream
Our Lady Peace – 4AM
Linkin Park – What I've done
Depeche Mode – A pain that I'm used to
Papa Roach – Take me
Hinder – Better Than me
Linkin Park – Shadow of the day
Evanescence - October
http:/ /www[dot]youtube[dot]com/user/BeautifullySacred
This one's a bit long.
Chapter 24
BPOV
Thursday, August 31st, 2006
"Bella, he's almost here. Twenty minutes. He's fine," Jasper said quietly beside me. He could sense my nervousness and concern, but he probably thought it was over Edward.
I wasn't worried about Edward anymore; I was more concerned about the girl. I had seen with Alice's ability that she would have a hard time ignoring the human scent. She was only a few months old and hadn't been taught to resist her urges as I had from the very beginning. She'd been drinking human blood for months, and I knew how hard this would be for her.
I feared for her conscience above all else. If she made a mistake and saw the disappointment and sadness on everyone's face, it would probably make her extremely upset with herself. Carlisle and Esme were very accepting, but seeing devastation on their faces was something no one wanted to see – not even a stranger.
"Alice, I really don't think we should stay here once Edward returns. We shouldn't tempt the girl. I remember how hard it was for me, and I've never tasted human blood," I said, wringing my hands nervously.
"She's right, Carlisle. It's cruel to ask her to stay here," Esme said.
"Alice," Carlisle said, turning toward her, "do you have any suggestions that could work?"
"I've been thinking of that, and I've searched different possibilities. The best option seems to be to leave shortly after they arrive, and run back east toward Calgary. We need to get back for the show tomorrow night anyway, so we might as well run instead of renting a car. Jasper and I can stick close by her, and I'll keep an eye out. There's a cluster of small lakes west of Calgary that we can all hang around and discuss what Edward saw and what Bree knows. "
"What about the show? She won't be able to attend, will she?" I asked.
"No, that wouldn't be wise. But Carlisle and Esme can take her in the RV just outside of town and spend some time with her. She seems to warm up to us all quickly, but once she sees that Carlisle and Esme accept her, she won't be so stressed."
Esme smiled up at Carlisle and reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze. He nodded at Alice then pulled Esme into his arms. I glanced back out the window and let out a huff of air.
I had been worried about Edward at first, but once I saw that he would be fine, my concern was for the girl and how she would adjust. When Edward first left our hotel, I wanted to cry, scream, kick and chase after him, but I knew that wouldn't do me any good. He was the fastest of all of us and we were depending on him to track the scent before it faded too much, and to listen to the thoughts in hopes of discovering anything that could help us. No one else could have done it, and I would have just slowed him down – he was our only option. I tried to be strong, but every time I searched for his future and saw him let his curiosity get the best of him, I panicked. Hindsight is always better than foresight, even if you can see the future, and I realized after talking with him while they waited out the sun that I should have had more faith in him to be careful.
He knew I loved him, and I knew that he loved me and would come back to me. I was finally seeing just how much we really needed each other, and I was beginning to trust him more. Lyrics started forming in my mind as I stared out the window, waiting for him to return as I thought of just how much he really meant to me. I gasped, a huge grin spreading across my face, and turned to face the room again.
"What is it, Bella?" Jasper asked, furrowing his brows.
Emmett glanced up, a slight smirk tugging at the sides of his lips as he stared at me curiously. "What's running through that crazy mind now, lil-sis?" he asked.
"I have an idea to surprise Edward at this concert, but we don't have much time to really coordinate anything," I said quickly, my fingers tapping against my side as my head went into overdrive, thinking.
"What's the idea?" Carlisle asked.
"An encore song after Virulent Disease finishes. I want to write a song for him with you three," I explained, gesturing toward Jasper, Alice, and Garrett.
Jasper and Garrett glanced at one another and shrugged as Alice narrowed her eyes. "If you let me into your shield, I can possibly see the song, and talk with them when Edward isn't around," she said.
I grinned and nodded, focusing on the lyrics forming in my head and let my personal shield fade completely. Alice's eyes glossed over, and her lips slowly turned up as she stared at nothing. Suddenly, she snapped her focus onto me and grinned as she bounced on her toes. "It'll be amazing. Don't worry about anything; I'll handle all the details, just keep yourself shielded from Edward, and then shield Garrett once we go for sound check. We'll play the beat as a warm up, so Garrett can hear it without Edward knowing what's going on. Jasper and I can hide our thoughts well enough."
I returned to staring out the window as I thought of the lyrics for the song. My mind drifted toward the girl again, and I wondered how Rosalie would treat Bree, but I quickly abandoned the thought when I sensed Edward close by. I threw my shield back up, and scanned the streets for him. I couldn't see him yet, but I felt his mind press at my barriers as if he was nudging me. Butterflies danced in my stomach as I grew anxious to see him again.
"He's close," I whispered to the room.
"You can sense him?" Rosalie asked.
I nodded. "I could feel him try to gain access to my thoughts a second ago; it's a little pressure in the back of my mind. He can probably hear you all," I mentioned.
"We should probably head downstairs. The less time we make Bree spend here, the better," Carlisle said. "Jasper, would you mind checking us out at the desk?"
"Sure." He grabbed the key-card from the table and headed downstairs.
I felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around my waist and turned around. Garrett kissed the top of my head and smiled down at me. "I'll keep an eye on her, Little-Bit. I was used to keeping newborns in line, so don't worry about the girl so much."
I nodded and exhaled a deep breath, relief passing through me. I had forgotten that Garrett could help her out a lot. "Thanks."
He hugged me tightly, grabbed my hand and led me out of the hotel room behind the rest of my new family. My heart swelled at the realization of how much I had to be thankful for in my life, and I was overcome with happiness.
We waited just outside the hotel doors for them to arrive. The moment I saw them come around the corner, walking at a human speed, I ran. My body collided with his, a crack ringing out, and I threw my arms and legs around him, kissing his neck and jaw repeatedly.
"Bella. My sweet Bella," he whispered into my hair. He drew in a deep breath, burying his face in the crook of me neck and holding me tightly.
"Never scare me like that again," I whimpered into his ear between eager kisses. I felt his chest rumble against me as he chuckled.
"I promise."
"We should get going," Jasper said from behind us.
I pulled my lips away from Edward's skin, and turned to look behind me. I nodded at them as they walked toward us. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I clung to Edward as he walked toward the hotel. "We aren't staying here?" he asked.
I shook my head, looking back at Edward. "No, we don't want to make it too hard on her, so we're heading for Calgary on foot."
"Don't change your plans because of me," the small girl murmured.
I let go of Edward and turned to look at her for the first time, slightly embarrassed by how rude I had been. She was standing awkwardly with long, straight, brown hair shadowing her narrow face, and holding her hands behind her back politely. I took a few steps toward her and smiled. I reached my hand out slowly, palm up, and waited for her to take it. She slowly put her hand in mine and I smiled wider as I linked our fingers together. I led her to the rest of my family who were drawing nearer. They all stopped a few feet away and looked at the girl.
"Bree, right?" I asked quietly, making sure I had gotten her name right from the visions Alice and I had.
She simply nodded and glanced down at the ground. I could tell she was being careful to only breathe when necessary.
"Bree, I want you to meet Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Garrett, Esme, and Carlisle. They are like family to Edward and I, and we're all happy to finally meet you." I gestured toward each person as I spoke. They smiled or bowed their head, or in Alice's case, waved excitedly.
"Hello," Bree said shyly.
Alice bounced forward and wrapped her arms around the girl tightly just as she had done to me when we first met over a year ago. I smiled as I remembered how terrified I was, and squeezed Bree's hand in an attempt to reassure her. She stiffened during Alice's embrace and took a slight step back when she was released.
"You'll be perfectly fine. We'll all help you. I know Edward explained our talents to you, so just try and relax. We'll make sure you don't slip up," Alice said happily.
Bree simply nodded before glancing at me nervously. I gave her a warm smile and tilted my head to the left. "We should all get going."
Edward rested his palm on the small of my back, sending a shiver through my body. "Lead the way, Alice," he said.
We headed east out of town, the sky alight with stars and the streets empty. We talked in whispers so we wouldn't disturb any sleeping humans in the buildings. Not wanting to ask Bree too many questions just yet and force her to breathe more than necessary, we kept conversation light.
"So, Eddie," Emmett said, "how many newbies are we looking at?"
"I only counted around a dozen or so, but Victoria wasn't there, so there's no knowing how many she could have had with her, or how many more she'll create between now and then."
"When do you think we should act?" Rosalie asked, glancing at Jasper.
"The sooner the better. If it's under twenty, we'd be pretty evenly matched, but I'd still feel better if we had more numbers and time to train."
"Are we going to lure her out, or attack there?" I asked.
Jasper glanced at me, and then Bree and shook his head. I narrowed my eyes, trying to understand what he was trying to tell me silently. He sent a wave of uncertainty toward me and I understood that he wasn't sure if we could trust Bree. I sighed and nodded once, leaning into Edward and hooking my thumb in a belt loop.
"We'll decide that later," Jasper said quickly, attempting to brush the question off.
"Have you thought about the last concert play-list?" Edward asked, looking to Alice.
"The one at La Sangue Cantante?" she asked.
"Yeah. I know technically tomorrow is going to be the last show of the North America tour, but we have the last show at Maurice's on Saturday."
"Actually, I was thinking we could alternate bands and songs, and do it like one big band," Alice replied.
"Like trade off on stage?" I asked.
"Yep! I thought it would be kind of fun. Maybe even play instruments for each other's songs. Kind of like the ultimate collaboration."
"That's a great idea, Alice," I said excitedly.
"We'll have to work on a play-list," Garrett said, and I nodded.
As I thought of the songs for the concert tomorrow, we continued toward the edge of town. When we reached the outskirts and headed into a wooded area, Emmett kissed Rosalie on her cheek and turned to face me. "How about a race, baby sis? Show me what you got," he said with a slightly teasing tone.
I eyed Edward who was grinning before glancing at Alice. I pulled her into my shield and focused on the outcome of the race as if I had decided to do it. My mind filled with the image of green trees whipping past me quickly as we headed east, the rest of our family trailing behind us, and Edward keeping up easily as I raced Emmett. I reached a lake side first, but only seconds before he did.
I focused on Emmett's face again, the vision fading out as Alice's laughter rang out loudly.
"You're on," I said with a playful glare.
"You're going to lose, Em," Edward said with a chuckle.
"Hey, the future can always change," he said, his lips pulling into a grin and his dimples showing high in his cheeks.
"On your mark," I said teasingly as I bent down into a crouch.
"Get set," Emmett said as he crouched as well, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
"Go!"
I pushed my feet into the soft dirt beneath my shoes and lunged forward. I could see in my peripheral vision that the rest of the family were running beside us as well.
"Shield, Bella!" Jasper called from a few feet behind me.
I grinned and pulled Emmett into my personal shield and drew on his incredible strength to push my legs faster. I could hear the wind as it whistled past me, my feet moving faster than ever. Emmett smirked at me and growled as he tried to move faster. I laughed, dodging the trees and weaving between the branches effortlessly. Running was exhilarating, and I didn't do it often enough.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Edward to my right. He was grinning from ear to ear. God, I wish I knew what he was thinking. I sighed and focused straight ahead, drawing on the memory of Alice's vision to know exactly where to turn.
"First to the lake," I called out to Emmett.
"You're going to lose, baby sis," he replied, his voice booming with laughter.
"In your dreams."
We raced for over an hour before the lake came into view, and Emmett and I were still neck and neck. My feet flew over the soil, pushing off with my toes as I leaned forward. Edward sped up, making it to the lake in no time, and waited at the edge. I could hear various voices calling and cheering from a short distance behind us, most of them rooting for me.
I drew in a deep breath and put everything I had into moving faster. Within seconds I crashed into Edward, a loud crack ringing out into the silence of the night. Emmett passed a few seconds later and dove into the lake. I laughed, shaking my head as I hugged Edward tightly.
"You won," he said happily in my ear.
Emmett popped up from the surface, throwing his head back and growling. "You cheated!" he called and everyone laughed as they came to a stop beside Edward and I.
"I did not."
"Did too."
"How do you figure?"
"You used that shield thing and stole my strength."
"I didn't steal it from you, you still had it. I just used it too. Think of it as evening the odds," I said with a smirk.
Carlisle and Esme chuckled to my right. "She won fair and square, Emmett," Carlisle said.
Emmett snorted in disagreement as he got out of the lake. I slid down from Edward's hips, and extended my hand out to Emmett. He eyed my hand for a moment before taking it and shaking.
"Good race," I said with a grin, but before I could finish my sentence, Emmett had pulled me close, picked me up, and tossed me into the lake. I screamed just before I broke through the surface, and swallowed a mouthful of water as I coughed. I kicked my feet, propelling myself to the surface and was met by Edward, completely soaked, inches in front of my face.
"He threw me in the lake!" I exclaimed.
Edward chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me to him as we treaded water. "Yes. Yes he did."
"That jerk," I cried out, glaring in his direction and he crossed his arms at the edge of the water with a smug expression.
"Well, at least you look good soaking wet."
I looked at Edward completely shocked. I stared at him for a few seconds before glaring, putting my hands on top of his shoulders, and shoving him underwater. Alice was giggling and Emmett was applauding rather loudly as I swam back and rung my hair out. I shoved Emmett, trying to hide my grin and failing as I walked toward Garrett.
"I can still trust you, right?" I asked, arching a brow. I wasn't really upset, just playing with them all. It's not like I would be cold from the wet clothes, just a little uncomfortable with them sticking to me.
"Of course you can, Little-Bit," he said with a chuckle.
"Good," I said, scowling at Edward who was exiting the lake and Emmett who was still laughing.
"Alright, alright. We should probably start discussing what Edward found out, and see what Bree can tell us. We should start preparing right away," Alice said as she crossed her ankles and lowered herself gracefully to the ground.
Jasper joined her, sitting behind her and pulling her back to lean against his chest. I looked around for Bree and saw her standing a few feet away by herself. I reached my hand out toward her and waited for her to walk slowly to me and take it. We sat down on the ground and I smiled at her, hoping she would relax soon. I hoped that by befriending her, she would open up more to all of us.
Edward joined us, sitting behind me and pulling me toward his soaking wet chest. Everyone else took a seat in a semi-circle and looked to Edward.
"Well, I guess I should start with what I heard, and then maybe Bree would be kind enough to fill in the details of what has been going on?"
Bree nodded once and stared down at her feet as she pulled her knees to her chest.
"There was a group of five or so that had just returned from what I'm assuming was a hunt. They had mentioned that they were disappointed with some count. Two others were alone somewhere in the encampment, and were concerned that the 'Gold Eyes' would track them down soon. They talked a bit about training and they didn't seem to think that the newest ones would last in battle yet.
"There were three condemned home-like structures. It was set in a small clearing with a few bodies lying around, but there was a pile of ash as well. I'm not certain what had been burned there."
"Joshua," Bree said quietly. We all turned our attention to her, and waited for her to elaborate. She turned her feet inward slightly and tightened her hold around her legs. "They burned Joshua to demonstrate what would happen if we didn't cooperate, and follow directions."
"They killed him?" Esme asked, shocked, and Bree nodded. "But what did he do wrong?"
"He kept saying that Christy was full of it, and lying to us. He said that there were no 'Gold Eyes' and that she was just trying to herd us, and that we weren't her sheep. He tried to get some of us to leave, but we were scared. He and Mark got into a fight, and Christy stepped in and killed him."
"Who are Christy and Mark to the group? Are they like the second in command, or the oldest or something?" Garrett asked.
"Christy is the oldest one to this life amongst us, and Mark is kind of like the fighting leader."
"But what about Victoria?" Jasper asked.
"There is no Victoria at the camp."
We all exchanged glances, slightly confused.
"It doesn't make sense – the two that were talking about training mentioned Victoria. Why would she keep herself unknown, but only from some? Wouldn't she want to oversee what the newborns were doing, and train them?" Edward asked Jasper.
"She would. Maria always watched me work with them during training because she liked to be included in everything."
"So why would she want to keep herself out of it on purpose?" Carlisle asked.
We all sat in silence for a moment before I glanced at Alice. "Alice," I said quietly. Every looked at me, confused. My mind ran through the possibilities, and the more I thought on it, the more certain I was. "She knows about Alice. That's the only thing that makes sense."
"How does that make sense?" Emmett asked.
"Think about it. If Victoria makes the decisions in regards to training them, and planning the attack, Alice will see it, right?"
"It's possible, if it involves any of us directly."
"So, by keeping herself out of it, she maintains the element of surprise," I said.
There was a moment of silence and then Rosalie spoke. "But why would she go to Eleazar then? By going to someone we know she's ruining that plan of us not knowing."
She had a point. Damn.
"What if she didn't go there for Eleazar?" Alice asked. That got everyone's attention. We all thought it over for a moment before Alice continued. "What if she went there for Laurent?"
I felt my jaw drop and everything seemed to click into place. "Oh my God. You're right. I bet she went there for Laurent, to get him to help her, but she didn't expect such a large coven. Carlisle, what exactly did Eleazar say?"
"Just that he had no choice but to confirm what she already suspected – that you're a vampire."
"I still can't think of how she would know," Edward said quietly.
"She went back to Forks," Garrett said.
Oh yeah, we forgot to tell Edward about the call to the wolves. Edward looked slightly surprised, but shook his head and sighed. "I should have figured. What did the pack say?"
"Lets… wait for that conversation," Jasper said slowly. Edward eyed Jasper for a moment, no doubt reading his thoughts.
"Bree, we would like for you to know that you are welcome to stay with us. We'd like for you to be a part of our permanent family, if you're interested," Carlisle said, probably catching on to why the topic was halted so suddenly. Bree hesitated, her mouth opening and closing a few times.
"We need to know that you plan on staying with us, and trust us. We all need to hear that we can trust you before we talk in depth about our plans to kill Victoria, and possibly her newborn army," Edward said.
"I understand. I… I hated it there. I didn't want to fight for territory or kill people. Mark was short tempered and he was always really cold hearted. If we messed up, he would humiliate us, coaxing us to fight back, but I never thought he would kill any of us." She was silent for a minute before continuing. "I don't want to go back, and I wouldn't know how to survive on my own. I tried that and… well, that's how I ended up in this situation to begin with," she mumbled.
"How old are you?" Esme asked.
"Fifteen," she whispered.
"You were on your own at fifteen? What happened to your family, if I may ask?" Esme asked tenderly.
"I don't know what happened to my mother – my father…" She took a deep breath and shut her eyes. "My father was a drunk."
I scooted away from Edward and wrapped an arm around Bree, pulling her toward me. She rested her head on my shoulder and shuddered. "I'm sorry," I whispered.
"I would like to stay with you all, if you'll have me. I've never really had a family, or friends for that matter. I'll try not to disappoint you, I promise – and I'll be quiet. I won't get in the way," she said quickly, the words tumbling out of her as her voice cracked.
Esme was in front of her in a second. She took her face in her hands and stared into her eyes until Bree looked at her. "You'll never be in the way, and you won't disappoint us. We all make mistakes; it's what reminds us that we're human in a way. We don't expect you to be perfect and flawless, but we do want you to trust us. Never think that you are a nuisance, do you understand?"
Bree gasped and trembled, nodding quickly. "Yes, ma'am."
I chuckled softly and Esme smiled. "Call me Esme, please. I'm no ma'am. It took Jasper almost half a decade to get used to that."
"I'm sorry. Esme," Bree corrected.
Esme took her hands in her own and squeezed gently before returning next to Carlisle. "When they go to play their show tomorrow, Carlisle and I would love it if you joined us in the RV. We know it might be too difficult for you at the venue, so maybe we can get to know each other better while they perform."
"I'd… I'd like that. Thank you."
Esme and Carlisle looked extremely pleased and the tension in the circle seemed to ease slightly.
"So," Edward said, "what did the pack say?"
Jasper didn't protest this time, so I guessed that he felt confident in her sincerity.
"Sam was glad to hear that Bella was doing well, but he wasn't happy with the news. He said that they had crossed her scent a few weeks back, but didn't know how to contact me. They've been looking after Charlie, and he's been staying at the reservation a lot," Garrett explained.
"How are they keeping him there? Doesn't he go home at night?" Edward asked.
I snickered quietly and held my hand to my lips. I was ecstatic when Garrett told me the news. "Charlie's become involved with a certain Sue Clearwater," I said.
"Really?" Edward asked, his lips sliding up into a smile.
"Yeah. It's kind of sad at the same time, because Sue just recently lost her husband, Harry, but I think the fact that they both lost people so close to them recently is what brought them together. I'm happy that he's moving on with his life."
Edward squeezed my hand and nodded before looking back at Garrett. "So what else did they tell us?"
"They aren't certain how she found out about Bella, but they're pretty certain that she did some investigating. When you have a reason to believe otherwise, it's easy to see the clues the wolf pack didn't have time to cover up.
"They've been keeping an eye on Charlie twenty-four seven, and Victoria hasn't crossed onto their land, but she has been lingering around Forks. I told them about what we know, and they've offered their help, but can only give us half of their forces. They don't want to leave the reservation unprotected," Garrett said.
"That's extremely kind of them. How did they feel about us being involved?" Edward asked, gesturing toward himself and his family.
Garrett smirked and I could tell he was holding back his laughter. "Let's just say that you'll have some barking to listen to when the dust settles from this fight."
Carlisle and Jasper both laughed while I stifled my chuckle. Edward was going to get a lashing – that much was certain, and, surprisingly, it sounded like it would be from Sam, not Jake.
Edward sighed and hung his head as he squeezed my hand again. "I can live with that," he said slowly. "Do we know how many they are willing to send?"
"Not yet, he said he would get back to us. I explained that if he needed to get ahold of us tomorrow or Saturday, to call Carlisle because we would be playing the shows. That's when we got a little off track, but they are open for more conversation," Garrett said, shrugging. He and Sam had talked about our music for a while, letting him know how happy I was, and what we had been up to. I was honestly surprised how well Sam and Garrett seemed to get along; I barely remembered them talking while I was burning.
Jasper and the rest of the guys made plans to start training on Monday, and agreed that the wolves should probably be present for some of it as well to know what to expect from newborns. We explained to Bree why we kept referring to the camp as newborns, and gave her a brief summary of information about how a person changes, what to expect as a vegetarian, and elaborated on the one rule for the vampire world. We also told her about the Volturi, and she seemed terrified. I completely understood her fear – I shared it.
When the conversation returned back to what Bree could tell us about life in that clearing, we all grew silent.
"There isn't much to tell, really. Christy is kind of the leader because she's the only one with a talent. She has this intense amount of charm; it's like hypnosis. She needs eye contact, and if she can touch you it's even more effective, but it breaks within a few minutes. She's been working on getting it to last longer. Mark is like her second in command because he's really strong, and already knows how to fight pretty well. We all viewed him as the leader, even though what Christy said was the final rule, but she let him govern pretty much everything.
"They send out groups every few days to bring humans back, but sometimes they wouldn't bring back enough and a fight would break out. That's what got Joshua so upset to begin with. He was tired of new people being changed instead of fed upon, but none of us knew how they were being changed. They would just show up at the outskirts randomly, and Mark would retrieve them. Often, Chelsea would be missing when they showed up, so we just figured she was finding or making them."
"It was Victoria," Edward murmured. "The girl, Christy, was thinking about Victoria bringing them more. She seemed concerned that we would show up and the newest members wouldn't be trained."
"What can you tell us about the schedule? How many days between hunts? How many leave, and how long before they return? Anything you can give us will be helpful," Jasper said politely to Bree.
She began reciting times, and who usually accompanied whom and how often. They didn't have an exact schedule, but it was rather steady, and we could rely on it for the most part. We talked more strategy and timing for a few hours until the sun started to rise. Over the few hours of discussion, Bree seemed to warm to us all, and was laughing at Emmett's wolf jokes with the rest of us.
Alice caught my eye and held it for a minute. She had a peculiar look in her eye that made me curious. She smiled up at Edward quickly and got to her feet, holding Jasper's hand. "We're going to go for a hunt, we'll be back in an hour or so. I'll call if I see anything," she said calmly.
Before anyone could protest, she and Jasper were through the trees to the north and running.
"Something's up with her. She's been blocking me all night," Edward said quietly.
"It's probably just private stuff between her and Jasper. They've been kind of clingy while you were away," I lied.
Edward was silent for a moment before he exhaled heavily and shrugged. "Fine. We should probably plan set-lists while we're just sitting here."
"Oh, good idea," Garrett said. He came to sit beside us a few seconds later, sitting between Bree and I. He nudged her and shot her a smile. "I heard you're a musician too," he said teasingly.
Her lips lifted as she looked down, her hair falling from behind her ear and shielding her face. She reminded me a lot of myself back in Forks. Shy, out of place, quiet, but strong. I could only imagine the hard life she led before Victoria found her.
"Not really," she said quietly.
"Horseshit. Bella says you and Edward wrote a song together," he said very matter of fact.
I coughed, choking out a laugh at Garrett's bluntness. I smacked him on the arm to scold him playfully.
"What? You did!" he argued.
Bree glanced at me as she tucked her hair behind her ear again. I winked at her and smacked Garrett again.
"Edward wrote it really, he just taught me a few beats to go with it," she said very softly.
"Ah, but you sang! That's a musical instrument. Your voice is an extension of yourself and your most powerful instrument in the world of music," Garrett said, rather uncharacteristically in a flirtatious way.
Bree looked back down again and tugged on her lip. If she were human, she would be blushing.
"Hey, I thought we were making a set-list here, mister. Leave the poor girl alone," I said, poking him in the ribs.
"Alright, alright. So, what were you thinking?"
"Well, do you think Jasper and Alice would be up for performing with us? I want to play a few of my poems that we played around with the past few days," I said, turning slightly to face Garrett and resting my back against Edward's side. While driving and flying across Canada, Alice and Garrett tried to keep my mind off of Edward by creating beats for some of the poems I shared with them.
"I don't see why not. We haven't practiced them much though, are you sure you want to play those at the show tonight?"
"I figure it's the last show, let's have fun with it. We've played in Calgary once already, so this is the second stop here at a different venue. We'll probably have a lot of repeat fans, so why not give them something new?"
"Alright. Sounds like it could be fun. Which ones did you have in mind?" Garrett asked.
I tugged at my lip ring and thought about the different ones we had played in the RV on the way. "Number One Crush, I think."
"Yeah, I think we can do that one fine. What other songs did you want to play? We only get eight this time," Garrett said.
"Yeah. How about we start with Running, Going Under, Bring Me, The Kill, Call Me, then play Number One, and I'll close with Last Night on Earth."
"We didn't write music to that one, though."
"I have something in mind," I replied.
"That's only seven," Edward said.
Damn. Can't let him know about the encore song. "Yeah, uh, Last Night On Earth is kind of long. So we'll just play seven."
Edward stared at me for a second, and I could feel myself grow panicked. "Alright," he said slowly before he leaned down to kiss the top of my head.
"That sounds like a strong set-list then. We'll need to mix the track for Number One Crush though sometime today," Garrett said, pulling the attention away from my nervousness.
"I think Alice can handle it. I have faith in her." I turned to Edward and smiled. "So what songs are you guys thinking of playing?"
"Not sure yet. I was thinking of completely mixing it up, and not starting with Take Me, but I don't know what we could open with instead."
"How about The Reason, but with just vocals for the first verse? I think it could really get the crowd going," I suggested.
"That's actually a great idea. Then we could move into Was it a Dream, and Four AM. The crowd will probably sing the entire first three songs for me anyway, they often do for those songs."
"I wish I could hear you play," Bree said.
Garrett put his arm around her and pulled her into his side. "We'll play a show just for you sometime real soon."
"You can probably come to the show at La Sangue Cantante. There will be human blood there, but no humans. It was tough for me at first, but just keep yourself distracted and you forget about it eventually. We'll make sure you hunt first to make it easier," I said.
Bree smiled and nodded, I could tell that the idea had cheered her up some.
Garrett and I went over the beat for Number One Crush, and talked about what versions of each song we were going to play. I told him that I wanted to have a really heavy sound, and just have fun with it. If we screwed up, we screwed up, and it would only make us appear to be more human anyway. Bree asked about our band names, and so we explained the poem to her. I realized that I had never shared that with Edward and immediately felt bad, but he didn't seem too bothered by it – we were getting better at talking about our past away from each other and not letting it get us too depressed.
I explained why I took the name Phoenix when on stage, and she thought that it was really cool. I told her about the album cover that Irina had made for us, and promised to show her when we got back to the RV. She seemed genuinely interested in everything we had to say, and was really excited to hear some songs.
Garrett, Edward, and I decided to take Bree hunting before heading out. We didn't have to go far, and she didn't drink more than one, but we were just being cautious. By the time Alice and Jasper returned, it was mid-morning, and the sun was hiding behind clouds. I could tell they were focused and figured it had to do with the surprise for Edward.
We all headed toward Calgary, only running for another two hours before we made it to the outskirts of town. Rosalie ran ahead and got the RV, bringing it around to a secluded area where we had waited. Bree was shocked at the interior, and she and Esme discussed design styles and the house back in Alaska, as well as the other houses throughout the United States. We made it to the hotel just before noon, and retrieved our gear from the rooms.
We loaded the trailer up and made our way to the venue for the sound check. As we unloaded the gear, Bree waited in the RV with Esme. I asked Alice to check and see if Bree would be okay to come in and see the place with so few people here and she determined that it would be fine.
"Hey, Bree?" I said, stepping into the RV and looking around.
"Yeah?" she called from the back.
"Alice said you would be fine if you wanted to sneak inside and check the place out while we sound check. There's only three or four people in there, and if you hold your breath you'll be fine. Garrett can help you as well."
Her eyes widened and she swallowed, nodding quickly. I laughed and waved my hand. "Come on then."
She flew to the door so fast, she nearly knocked me over. Esme followed behind her with a look of pure happiness across her face. "Big breath," Esme said.
Bree inhaled deeply and nodded. I turned, stepped out of the RV and led her inside. The guys were plugging in the cords and taping them down as we walked in. "Hey guys, Bree's going to hang out for a few."
"Is she old enough to be in here?" one of the sound technicians asked.
I glanced back at her as she swallowed and then looked to Garret.
"She's just going to watch us set up. She has to leave in a few minutes anyway, man. It's my little sister," Garrett said.
I could see the guy think it over for a split second before he shrugged and walked away. "Fine, just watch her," he said quickly.
I quirked a brow at Garrett and he just smirked, bowing his head.
"Thanks," I whispered to him.
He rubbed Bree's back gently before heading back to the stage to finish setting up.
I walked with Bree over to the side of the stage and showed her around briefly. "Alright, I got to do checks with them, so just hang out here with Esme. Garrett and Alice will keep an eye out for any problems. Just enjoy yourself."
She nodded and squeezed my hand. I heard Esme start whispering to her as I walked away. She really seemed to be getting along with everyone better than I thought.
"Alright. Who's first?" I asked.
"We'll go first. Jasper and I just want to jam a little for the warm up," Alice said. She gave me an odd look, quirking her brow.
I immediately reached out and shielded Garrett, remembering the plan from earlier. Edward threw me a puzzled look, and I pretended to ignore him. Alice and Jasper started an amazing rhythm on the guitars, creating an interesting harmony as one played more intricately than the other. As they started the chorus, they overlapped certain beats while Jasper accentuated certain notes. I grinned and could hear the lyrics in my mind perfectly.
It was going to be amazing.
"Alright, vocal test," a technician said.
Edward crossed the stage to the center microphone and sang the opening lines to The Reason. Jasper sang the bridge to Better Than Me in his microphone and Alice did a quick ballad at the mixer's microphone. They then tested the piano and vocals there before asking for Garrett and I to take the stage.
I took the opportunity to ask Alice and Jasper about Number One Crush and they eagerly agreed. Alice threw together a beat on the mixer for the song and programmed it onto a spare track for later. I hummed the rhythm into one of the microphones, and Jasper created a bass beat to harmonize with it, while Garrett tested the electric guitar and pedal. We did a quick check on the keyboard and everything was ready to go.
Bree clapped excitedly and we all chuckled. She threw her arms around me, still holding her breath, but I could feel how thankful and excited she was as she squeezed me tightly.
Esme, Carlisle and Bree said their goodbyes and headed off with the RV for the night, agreeing to be back around midnight to pick us all up. They left the trailer so we could pack up and leave without wasting any time.
As we were relaxing in the backstage rooms, Edward nuzzled against my neck and whispered, "What's wrong?"
I shook my head and turned to smile up at him. "Nothing, just thinking about the new songs we're playing tonight. A little nervous."
"What do you have to be nervous about? You'll be amazing." He hugged me tighter from behind and laid a gentle kiss just below my ear.
"Thanks," I whispered, lowering my head and biting my lip.
"I know you're keeping something from me though. You all are, and if I don't find out by the end of the night, I might contemplate being upset of hurt over it."
I stopped breathing for a second as I released my lip. Shit. "I promise, you won't be upset. Just let it go, and let us surprise you?" I asked quietly.
He nodded against my neck and sighed. "Alright. I guess I can do that."
"Thank you." I was shocked that he let it go so easily, and how we had managed to communicate without getting upset or jumping to conclusions. I knew he was probably slightly hurt from the secrecy, but by telling him that we wanted to surprise him, it seemed to ease his mind without ruining the plan.
The crowd grew louder, the chatter ranging from guesses at the set-list to talking about trying to touch Edward when he would lean over the audience. I chuckled and shook my head, and Edward squeezed me tighter.
"Five minutes," a voice called from the door.
I felt my stomach turn and I took a deep breath. I can do this. I squeezed Edward's forearm tightly and brushed my cheek up against his before pulling away and standing up. "Let's do this," I said to Garrett across the room.
He nodded, swung the acoustic so it rested behind him over his shoulder and held his hand out to me. I took it, letting him lead me out of the room and down the hall toward the stage with Edward, Jasper, and Alice following behind us. Rosalie and Emmett were already in the audience, left of the stage, waiting for the show to start.
As Garrett and I took the stage, the lights went completely dark and the crowd began to scream. The heart-beat rhythm rang throughout the room, shaking the floor with the intense bass, and the red lights flickered. I could see the crowd pumping their fists into the air with the tempo, and hear them pounding their heels on the ground. I grinned, excitement coursing through me as I walked to the center of the stage. I grabbed it off the stand and went to lean on Garrett; my back pressed against his, practically hiding behind him.
I sang the opening lines and the crowd sang along with me. As the lights flashed on for the chorus, rising from the floor to the ceiling in a sweeping motion, I moved out from behind him and ran to the edge of the stage. The first song set the energy level for the rest of the set, and the crowd seemed to have a good time, singing and dancing along. At the end of Call Me When You're Sober, I asked for A and Jay to take the stage.
"This next song needs a little help, and probably in more ways than one," I joked. The crowd laughed and cheered as Alice and Jasper hopped up on stage and waved to the crowd. "Alright, this next one is different. We've never played it live, so go easy on us. I wrote this as a poem a year ago, and these three talked me into making it into a song. So, without further ado, this is Number One Crush."
The lights went out and I took a deep breath, and then let out a moan. The mixed beat from sound check kicked in and Jasper began the bass line. Alice flitted over to the box-drum, and she and Garrett joined the song, adding a gentle beat and haunting guitar melody to the mix.
"I would die for you. I would die for you. I've been dying just to feel you by my side; to know that you're mine." I swayed my hips as I sang in a lower octave than usual, the lights slowly dancing around the stage, casting a red glow on everything.
I made my way to the left side of the stage and stared at Edward as I sang. I was wearing a simple fitted t-shirt and jeans that laced up the sides. I tapped against my thigh with my empty hand as I danced and swayed. "I will burn for you – feel pain for you," I cried out, remembering when I had written these words. I wished every night and day that Edward would return and change me. Even with a broken heart, I still would have given everything up for him.
I dropped to my knees, clutching the microphone tightly and crawled to the very edge of the stage, my lyrics leaving my lips as I stared into his eyes. "I will lie for you – beg and steal for you. I will crawl on hands and knees until you see… you're just like me."
Edward swallowed, his eyes smoldering as he licked his lips. I leaned back, my hair arching as I threw my head back quickly. "Violate all the love that I'm missing. Throw away all the pain that I'm living. You will believe in me," I cried out. I slowly stood and took a shallow breath. "And I can never be ignored."
Alice sang the backup vocals as I danced my back to the audience and my hips swaying as I let the music flood through me. I whispered the last part of the song and the crowd erupted in cheers as the last note faded.
"Thank you A, and Jay for joining us. Everyone give it up for them!" I put the microphone back on the stand and clapped as Alice and Jasper hopped back off stage. "Alright, last song for us. This is actually another one of my poems that I never wrote any music to until very recently," I said, not really admitting that I still hadn't ever played the song before, just written it in my head. "Thank you for coming out to see us. I'm Phoenix, this is Garrett, we are Beautifully Sacred, and this is Last Night On Earth. You guys have been amazing. Thank you."
I took a seat on the bench at the piano and took a deep breath. "This is dedicated to E," I said quietly a split second before I started to play. My fingers danced over the keys, playing what I had envisioned in my head, and trusting myself to not screw it up. The crowd cheered and then died down as the melody grew faster. My hands stilled over the keys as I closed my eyes and leaned into the microphone. I sang the opening lines, my voice shaky and quiet. I swallowed and pressed a few keys. I sang the next few lines, finding my confidence and opening my eyes.
As I began the chorus, I took a deep breath and looked at Edward. "If tomorrow never comes, I want you to know right now that I… I'm going to love you until the day I die." Edward took two steps forward, pressing his hands against the stage. I smiled brightly at him and took another breath. "If tomorrow falls asleep, can you hold me first? I'm going to love you like it's the last night on earth."
I slowed the melody, my hands gliding over the keys and my heart swelling in my chest. I love you. I hummed into the microphone and smirked as I thought of the next line. "A penny for your thoughts," I sang happily, and Edward chuckled. "A picture so it lasts. Let's knock down the walls of immortality." I winked at Edward and lightly laughed as I pushed down on the keys. His lips tugged into a wide smirk as he stared at me lovingly.
"Your fingers on my skin – only you can hear my fear. Only you can help me heal. I see forever with you here," I sang to him. I closed my eyes and turned my attention to the piano as I sang the chorus again. I moved into the bridge, singing quieter and held my breath for a moment as I hovered my hands over the keys. When I opened my eyes, Edward was sitting beside me on the bench, staring at me intently. I gasped and smiled, and then pressed down on the keys, repeating the chorus.
I sang every word staring into his eyes, only inches from me. He reached up, touching my face gently and holding my gaze as I finished the song. The moment my fingers pulled away from the keys, he kissed me passionately. The crowd erupted in a cheering frenzy, and the lights went out, leaving Edward and I on the bench in the darkness.
"I love you, Bella," he whispered into my ear, breaking the kiss.
I rested my forehead against his and closed my eyes, breathing in his scent. "I love you too."
"Was that the surprise?" he asked.
I laughed and shook my head. "No. There's still more to come."
"I don't want to let go of you," he said after a moment of silence.
"You still have your set to get through. I'm not going anywhere."
"Sit on the piano for the show," he said, not sounding like a question.
"What? You mean like playing your songs?" I asked.
"No, I mean," he said, pulling me into his arms and standing. He set me on the top of the piano, my legs dangling off the edge, facing the crowd. "Sit right here."
"Edward, I can't just sit here during your show." I glanced at the crowd in the dark room. They couldn't see us with their human eyes, but they probably knew we were still here.
"Sure you can. I want you to. You can even take one of the microphones, and sing some of the songs with me."
I gawked at him. Is he serious? I stared into his eyes, waiting for him to say never mind but he just blinked and waited for me to agree. "I… alright, if that's what you want."
He kissed me deeply, his lips pressing against mine and his tongue dancing across my own. I moaned quietly and shuddered. My entire body felt alive as I trembled – I wanted him so badly.
"We're ready," Jasper said from the mixer.
Edward pulled away, the sexiest grin on his lips and nodded. "Alright, let's do this."
He took the microphone from the center stage stand and returned to me, standing between my legs as I sat on the edge of the piano.
"I'm not a perfect person. There's many things I wish I didn't do, but I continue learning – I never meant to do those things to you, and so I have to say before I go that I just want you to know," Edward sang, his voice ringing clearly throughout the room with no other noise but the cheering of the crowd. He stroked my face as he sang to me, his eyes burning into mine with honesty, affection, sincerity, and regret in every word.
Alice and Jasper started to play as he began the chorus, and the crowd cheered louder, singing with him. The lights swept across the stage and lit up the four of us. He sang the entire song to me as I trembled and gazed into his eyes. This was one of his many apology songs, but it was by far my favorite.
The lights went out at the end of the song and a pre-programmed thunder roared throughout the room as the next song began. Edward had been right – the crowd did sing practically every song along with him. I sang backup vocals during Was It a Dream and Take Me, and sang along with him as a duet during the chorus of Four AM and Better Than Me.
When he announced Shadow of the Day was the last song, he asked for them to dim all of the lights, and sang to me, caressing my face and whispering "I love you" in my ear between lines. As the song ended, he kissed me passionately, letting his lips linger against mine as he breathed in and out, and licked over my lip ring as he rested his forehead against mine.
The crowd was screaming and applauding and I wondered how long we should wait before the encore. I continued kissing Edward, our hands roaming over each other's skin delicately, but with an intense desire, and a few minutes later Alice leaned into the microphone at the mixer to announce the surprise last song.
"Thank you. We really appreciate all of your support and coming out to see us tonight. This is the last show of the tour, but don't worry, we'll be back in the fall with Beautifully Sacred to promote their new album, 'From the Ashes.' As a way to say thank you to all of you, we've decided to play an encore song tonight."
Edward turned around quickly and stared at Alice. "What?" he whispered. Alice just giggled and waved her hand, dismissing him.
"We've actually prepared a song with Phoenix and Garrett of Beautifully Sacred to play for you tonight," Alice said, ignoring her brother.
I glanced at Emmett and Rosalie in the crowd and they were both smiling – well, Emmett was grinning, actually. They were probably pretty pleased that we had managed to surprise Edward.
I hopped off of the piano and took the microphone from Edward who was still standing there looking completely shocked. Garrett walked across the stage toward Jasper and was handed his acoustic guitar. Jasper plugged both of their guitars into the amp and strummed the chords on his own acoustic to check the tuning. Alice returned to her box-drum with a smirk that stretched across her face entirely and adjusted the microphone stand to sit in front of her.
"Thanks A." I grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him to the center of the stage. I turned to the side and faced Edward. "This was written for you," I said into the microphone and the audience "awed" and clapped.
Garrett and Jasper started an acoustic harmony with their guitars. They were both sitting on stools, turned toward each other and bobbing their heads slightly to the rhythm. Alice started a steady rhythm on the box-drum and I took a deep breath.
"I can't run anymore. I fall before you. Here I am – I have nothing left. Though I've tried to forget, you're all that I am. Take me home. I'm through fighting it," I sang with a steady voice. I wrapped one arm around Edward's waist and held myself close to him. He rested one hand on my hip and faintly traced my jaw with the other.
"Broken," Alice and I sang together.
"Lifeless – I give up. You're my only strength. Without you I can't go on. Anymore. Ever again," I sang solo, staring into Edward's golden eyes.
The tempo sped up, and Alice put more pressure into her drum beats.
"My only hope," I sang as Alice harmonized with a different set of lyrics.
"All the times I've tried to run."
"My only peace. (To walk away from you.) My only joy, my only strength. (I fall into your abounding grace.) My only power, my only life. (And love is where I am.) My only love," we sang together, our voices blending perfectly as the crowd cheered.
The tempo slowed again to the beginning verse and I stretched up onto my toes to kiss Edward's lips gently before the next line. "I can't run anymore. I give myself to you. I'm sorry… I'm sorry." I brushed my hand down the side of his face as I bit my lip. I lowered my hand to his chest and continued. "In all my bitterness, I ignored all that's real and true. All I need is you." I rest my hand over his heart and gripped his shirt. He pulled me closer and kissed my forehead as I finished the verse, my apologies echoing throughout the room.
Alice and I repeated the chorus and Jasper and Garrett joined us vocally – Garrett singing my lyrics and Jasper singing Alice's. When the guitars struck the last chord, and our voices echoed throughout the room, the crowd was silent for a moment before erupting louder than ever before.
Edward pulled me to his chest tightly and lifted my chin, leaning down to kiss me. "I love you," he murmured against my lips.
"My only love," I whispered.
A/N: We're nearing the end. I've been contemplating packaging up the music files used for this story and creating a zip/rar file and uploading it. It would contain the entire discography: chapter number and title, live versions where appropriate, playlist file, and so on. I know a few of you have expressed interest, but if this sounds like something you would want, let me know. If I get enough 'yes' I'll have it ready when I post the final chapter.
We have roughly six chapters left.
Song question for the chapter: What song do you find yourself singing the most throughout your entire life at random moments? One of mine is very Disney... and the other is very classical.