The Guardian

Chapter Ten- Suffocation

"You, you did what?" Was it that hard to believe? I mean he just asked me a simple question.

"I know that she can't go home, Edward. And we will not stand for it if she gets hurt again." Carlisle said with a very hard face.

"What did she say?"

"She is right here." I said with a scorn as I leaned back against my pillows, well, what at least looked like a pillow. It felt like cardboard.

"I'm sorry, love, it's just I don't want anything to happen to you." Did he just call me Love? Okay now this was getting weird, especially this burning sensation I was starting to get in the back of my head that was slowly spreading around, and giving me a massive headache. There was a loud screaming that was just making everything worse.

"Bella!!" I heard Edward's voice over the screaming. I tried to answer him but I felt like my throat was to dry and rough to speak. That's when the screaming died down and I felt a strong cold pair of arms wrap around me. It was then that I realized that it had been me screaming. How did I know? Because that's when nothingness surrounded me, leaving me alone, again.

TGbyELV

I woke up to a dark room. I looked around for a clock to tell me what time it was, but there was none. I looked around for some one, anyone, but there wasn't anyone here either.

"Bella?" I heard Carlisle's voice as he entered the room as a dark shadow illuminated by the lit hallway.

"Carlisle?" I asked softly as my head started to pound lightly. Carlisle came in all the way and shut the door behind him as he flipped in a small light.

"Bella, you had us so worried." Carlisle said as he came up to check on my I.V. drip. "What happened to you? Everyone thought you were having a heart attack." He explained further, seeing the confused look on my face. "Your heart sped up to a speed more then twice your normal heartbeat and your blood pressure was too high."

"Carlisle, what time is it?" I asked as he checked my pulse on the monitor.

"It's about," He checked his watch. "2:45," He said before returning back to his work. I looked out the window, seeing the moon high in the sky.

"Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be with your family?" I asked, I didn't want to interfere with their life already. I wasn't going to stay with them, because I didn't want to be a burden. I loved Edward, I know that, but I would never want to put his family out.

"Don't be silly, Bella. The whole family would be here for you if I allowed them. They are all worried about you, especially Edward."

"Edward..." I whispered as Carlisle made his way to the door.

"Bella, I will be right back with some food, okay?" I nodded. "Any requests?" I shook my head.

"Surprise me."

Carlisle P.o.v.

I walked out of Bella's room quietly as I heard her heartbeat slowing down. I smiled to myself; she was calming down and finally getting some real rest.

My footsteps echoed down the empty hallways as I made my way to the small cafeteria. Everyone was gone but there were machines around the room filled with a bunch of different, healthy and non-healthy, things.

I took out a couple dollars from my wallet and looked for something that might be appetizing and healthy for Bella to eat. My cell phone started to right, breaking the eerie silence, and I finally singled one out.

"Hello?" I answered as I flipped it open, a call from someone was the last thing I was expecting.

"Carlisle!" It was Jasper, and he sounded distressed. "Alice had a vision; she murmured something about Bella running away before she passed out. We don't know what's wrong with her, and Edward's going crazy about Bella."

"Jasper, calm down. How is Alice?" I asked. Jasper was probably the king of calm but when his mate was in trouble it was almost like his heart could start beating again.

"She's fine, I need you to check up on Bella though, Carlisle. Alice's visions are never wrong, and if she had one about Bella running away..." He let his voice trail off. I nodded to myself before I spoke again.

"I will go and check on her right now."

"Thanks."

Bella P.o.v.

I slowly got up from the hospital bed, leaning all of my weight onto the bed, as the fire returned to the back of my head. If I was going to do this, it was now or never. Carlisle would be back soon and he wouldn't leave till the morning. And by then Charlie might come back, or he will have Edward come and stay with me all night. Alice probably already had a vision of it by now...

I slowly crept across the marble floor as I heard fast footsteps coming down the hallway. I pressed my back against the wall and waited for Carlisle and walk in the room so I could jet out of there. But he never came. The footsteps were those of a custodian that was just making their way to a supply closet. I sighed lightly and continued on my journey.

I started down the white, well lit hallways quietly, looking for someone lurking in the dark corners. It was a safe walk down to the first level. My room was located on the fifth level, high enough for a hard escape.

"Bella!" I heard Carlisle's voice call down the hallway. I didn't even look back; he would be catching up to me any second. And then I will never be able to fully escape danger. I trusted the Cullen's I really did, it's just I've had enough of danger surrounding me.

I jetted down the hall way as fast as I could, my legs were sore by the time I made it to the front door, and Carlisle still had not caught up to me. I looked back as fast as I could, without tripping, and saw Carlisle struggling to keep up with me.

I must have been faster then I thought, that or he wasn't using his vampire abilities yet.

That thought just made me press my legs harder to run as fast as I possibly could.

Carlisle P.o.v.

And I thought I was the one running as fast as I could. Bella had managed to stay well ahead of me, even with my vampire speed I couldn't catch up with her. Bella had a thought full expression on as she ran harder, pulling even more ahead of me then a couple yards.

"Bella!!" I yelled. "Bella, please, stop!" I continued to yell for her to stop, but she just kept running. My cell phone started to ring and I slowed myself to a stop.

"What is it Jasper?" I hissed a little too harshly into the phone.

"What bit you?" I heard Edward's optimistic voice.

"Oh, Edward. What's wrong?" I asked, keeping my eyes on Bella's retreating form.

"Nothing, I just--"

"Edward I need you to do something for me." I said in our low whispered fast tone.

"What is it?" He asked, speaking the same.

"I need you to run as fast as you can to the edge of the woods. You will find something their and I need you to keep it safe until I get there."

"Alright." And the line went dead.

Bella P.o.v.

I ran, and ran, and ran until I couldn't run any more. By the time that I stopped I had no idea where I was. All I knew was that Carlisle had given up on chasing me, and I was going to die here. I leaned over to catch my breath, but accidentally fell onto cold wet grass. Did I mention that it had started to rain?

I groaned as my legs screamed from exertion as I begged for sleep to over take me. As I waited, three new things happened to me.

One, I was soaked to the bone.

Two, I knew that I could never return to Forks.

and three, I began to cry.

I woke up to a vibrating feeling. I groaned before digging in my pockets to find the source of the vibrating.

It was my phone. I looked at the caller I.D. that said one word. Noah. I slowly flipped it open.

"Hello?" My voice was scratchy from lack of water and I was still tired.

"Bella!" Noah's screamed made my ears ring and I think I felt a headache coming on. "You sound so sick! Where the Hell Are You!?" She went from sweet to sour in a matter of five seconds.

"Quiet frankly, I don't know where I am…" I forced out of my scratchy throat. I looked around where I had fallen asleep yesterday. I was in a meadow, that's for sure. Thick trees and bushes out lined it, and there were wild flowers all around me. The grass was sparkling from the sun's morning ray's and... it was beautiful. Just like Edward...

"Tell her that everyone is looking for her." I heard Ace's voice in the back round.

"Bella, everyone is looking--"

"Noah," I cut her off. "Tell that scumbag to shut up." I hissed harshly. I didn't mean to scare Noah, but I heard a small whimper from the receiver.

"Isabella Marie Swan, you will tell me where you are hiding this instant!" Ace's voice hissed over the phone as I stood on shaky legs, only to fall back down with a small thump.

"No, Ace Andrew Hemmings, I will not. I will not allow you to control my life." I said sternly glaring at the phone for a moment.

"Right, and you couldn't say that to Charlie, the one who beat you your whole life!" He extended the last part as I heard a few gasps. "And you'll let that Edward Cullen control your life?" Ace practically yelled.

"No Ace, no one controls my life, or I'll die trying." I heard a growl on the other end of the phone, well as close to a growl as a person can get as Noah's voice rang back into my ears. Her voice was so much better to listen to then Ace's.

"How do you feel, Bella?" There she was always concerned for others.

"Pretty damn unappreciated." I said as I caught my breath and tried standing up again, this time it going without a hitch.

"Ha, ha." She was laughing, at a time like this!? "Bella, if I said that I was going to call you later, would you pick up?" She asked me in the most sincere voice ever imagined.

"Yes, Noah, I would. Only because that's what best friends do, they can rely on each other." I nodded as I said this.

"Bye, Bells." she whispered after a moment of silence. "Be safe..."

"I will, Noah. Good bye." I said before hanging up and replacing the phone back into my pocket. I slowly made my way over to a big redwood tree and lent against it, letting my legs rest while they could. If it was true, and it might be, that everyone was looking for me I had to get a move on or they would find me. And I was especially scared that the vampires would catch me before anyone else did and that they would make me do the hardest thing in the world.

Telling on my father...

I shook it off as I slowly slid down the tree into a sitting position and I let my mind wonder. And soon enough, I found myself in a deep sleep, dreaming about Edward, and life as a vampire.

I woke up to a sharp pain in my side.

"Wake up, bitch..." I faintly heard Charlie's voice as I felt two kicks, one on either side of me. I groaned and tried to move away but something held me down.

"Ahhh…!" I tried to yell but a sweaty, hard hand came down on my moth before I could make a loud enough scream. I opened my eyes frantically and saw the two faces of the two people I never wanted and hoped that I would never see again. I squirmed and squirmed trying to being myself away from Charlie and Ace, but Ace held me down too tightly.

"Found ya." He whispered into my ear with a sick smirk. I mumbled something incoherent and licked his hand. Ace made a funny face and recoiled his hand away to wipe it on his blue loose pants. I quickly pushed him off of me and kicked Charlie where the "sun don't shine" before making a run for it.

I got to the boarder of the meadow when I felt a tug on my neck and I fell backwards.

"I'm not letting you go that easy." Charlie's nasty alcohol breaths overcome me. I pulled and kicked and punched as much as I could, but there was nothing in my power, that I could do, to get him off of me. I was really going to die, this was the end of the line for me.

Charlie pushed me onto my back and held my arms and legs down. I continued to struggle as I watched Ace make his way over to us. He stood above me for a second, seemingly deciding what to do, before he kicked me in the side of the head. I groaned as my skull made a sick-crunching noise and jerked to the side. I would have screamed for help or something that falls in that category but I was to busy trying to get Ace's dirty hands off from around my neck.

He was going to suffocate me to death. Damn, that sucks.