The Race

"What?" I yelled across the line to Alice. "You lost Bella!"

"Technically she ran away." She replied calmly.

"How could you let her? How could a human girl out smart two vampires? How did she. . .?"

"Jasper escorted her to the bathroom and she snuck out a back door. We tried to follow her, but she got in a taxi before we could get her." I didn't say anything more; just sat in disbelief.

"We have to find her." I finally said. "James has probably got something to do with this. We had better hurry."

"Where are you?" she asked. "How long will it take you to get here?"

"We're on the plane right now." I replied. "We'll be there in an hour."

"Be careful." Alice commanded. I didn't reply, but just hung up. I'm not going to promise things I can't guarantee.

Jasper and Alice were waiting for us at the flight gate. We rushed out of the airport as fast as we could, just as Alice was pulling up in a stolen car. She moved over and I got in the drivers seat, while everyone else climbed in the back. If it had been different circumstances, I would have enjoyed the car a lot. It was very fast and sporty.

"Where is Renee's house?" I demanded as soon as we were on the main road. Alice directed me as best as she could and we headed toward the house. I squealed to a halt out front and got out so fast I didn't even bother to turn the car off.

The house was empty. I didn't know where to go next. Alice had been having visions of a place no one could identify, but that was where Bella was.

"Do you know where the place from your visions is?" I asked her desperately, knowing the answer already. If she had figured any thing else out, she would have told me.

"No." she replied sadly. We got back in the car and drove around the block, just in case. That is when I heard him, or his thoughts anyway. He was thinking about how he was going to do it. How he was going to. . .

No! I wouldn't let him! I had to find him. I looked around for a place that he could be. All I saw was houses.

When I turned the corner though, I saw it. A ballet school! I floored the car and stopped as fast as I could in the parking lot. Everyone got out before the car had completely stopped. Emmett w3as the first one in, but stopped dead in his tracks when the smell of blood hit his nostrils. I went around him and pulled James away from Bell, throwing him hardly into the side of the wall. He hit it and I heard the snap of bones, but didn't care. All that mattered to me was Bella. I knelt down next to her, but she was unconscious. Her head was bleeding profusely. Emmett went over to James, picked him up, and hauled him out of the building.

"What do you want them to do with James?" Alice asked, as Carlisle came to my side.

"Get rid of him. Make him feel some of the pain that I feel, that Bella feels."

"Right." And she went to tell Jasper.

"Oh no, Bella, no!" I pleaded. "Bella, please! Bella, listen to me, please, please, Bella please!"

"Carlisle." I called, and then turned back to Bella. "Bella, Bella, no, oh please, no, no!" Carlisle came and checked her over, touching different parts of her body to see if she was injured.

"Bella!" I called once more.

"She's lost some blood, but the head wound isn't deep." He concluded. "Watch out for her leg, it's broken."

I snarled in rage toward James, wishing I were outside torturing him right now, but not even considering leaving Bella's side.

"Some ribs too, I think." He continued.

"Edward." The word escaped her lips very weakly and softly.

"Bella, you're going to be fine. Bella, can you hear me? I love you." I tried to comfort her.

"Edward." She whispered again.

"Yes, I'm here." I replied desperately.

"It hurts." She whimpered.

"I know, Bella, I know." I said, then pleaded to Carlisle. "Can't you do anything?"

"My bag please. . . hold your breath, Alice, it will help." He ordered. Alice quickly went to go and get his medical bag and returned just as fast.

"Alice?" Bella groaned.

"Yes, she's here." I said.

"It hurts." She whimpered.

"I know Bella. Carlisle will give you something, it will stop." I reassured her.

"My hand is burning!" she suddenly screamed, as if she were coming out of a trance and finally realizing what was happening. "The fire! Someone stop the fire!"

I searched her hands, hoping to find what she was talking about.

"Carlisle!" I gasped. "Her hand!"

"He bit her." He confirmed, appalled.

"Edward, you have to do it." Alice said, crouching on my other side of me.

"No!" I bellowed.

"Alice." Bella moaned.

"There may be a chance." Carlisle prompted.

"What?" I gasped.

"See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean." As he spoke, he started to bandage her head.

"Will that work?" Alice asked.

"I don't know." Carlisle replied. "But we have to hurry."

"Carlisle I. . . I don't know if I can do that." I stammered.

"It's your decision." He said and continued to treat her as she continued to scream in agony. I picked up her hand and brought it closer to me. Then, I started sucking the venom out. Her blood was better than any I had ever tasted before; sweater, more addicting. She screamed and thrashed, as I took more and more of her blood and, hopefully, the venom with it. Then, slowly, she calmed.

She called to me again. "Is the fire gone?" I asked.

"Mmmhmm." She replied. "Thank you." And she started to slip into unconsciousness again.

"I love you." I said. "Now sleep." And she drifted completely.

"This won't hold her for long, but it will do until we get her to the hospital." Carlisle said. "Alice, you had better go and make a believable scene; a reason for all of this to have happened."

"Okay." She replied and left. Meanwhile, Carlisle and I started carrying her to the hotel. Emmett and Jasper came around the corner of the building then.

"Is he gone?" I asked, rage coming back to me in large amounts.

"Yes." Jasper replied. "Carlisle, what should we do about the building?"

"Burn it." He replied and they went right on it.