Bella's point of view:
There Edward was, running his hands through my hair, and smiling down at me. "I'm here, Bella. There's nothing to worry about anymore." He said, before pressing his cold lips against mine. I smiled up at him, longingly. He reached up and helped me out of the chains that still confined me to the table. Oh, how I'd missed him. "Edward, why did you leave?" I asked, but he put his finger against my lips, as if to silence me.
"What matters is that I've found you. I love you, Bella. I accept the fact that you want to change, and I'll do it for you. Nothing will harm you, anymore." He said, as he picked me up and pulled me closer into his arms. I smiled and laid my head against his chest.
He listened to my heartbeat. "But what about Aro? Caius?"
"I took care of everything." Edward told me, taking my hand into his, and pressing it against his cheek. I smiled against the icy-touch, and he smiled against the warmth.
"I am sorry, Bella. I should not have left you." He whispered into my tangled hair.
I nodded. "I love you," I said, turning to him and pressing my lips to his once more.
He pulled away and stared at me with his crooked smile. "Of course. Still the same old Bella, no matter how much danger she's in."
I woke up, looking around the room, and realized it was just a dream. This alone, brought tears to my eyes. Every time my body fell into unconsciousness after a beating, I dreamed of him. I ached for him with every muscle in my body, with every string of my heart. At least, I could have peace in the back of my mind, as fear swelled every other bit of it.
It had been a few days now, that I'd been here in Italy. I laid there on the table, aching. Every day it had been the same, they'd come in, hurt me, and then give me the same liquid that I guessed was keeping me alive. I turned to look at Carlisle. "They'll come. Wont they?" I said, frowning at him again.
It seemed I'd asked that question over and over again. " Carlisle, I don't want to be a vampire; I don't want to go through it without Edward here with me." I said, crying again. Carlisle sighed looked from the ceiling to me.
"Bella, this is not your fault. Edward will understand. Now there's something you need to know about the transformation." Carlisle was cut off as Caius, Aro, Felix, and Herrod came into his room.
Caius smirked, "It's time to change her." He said, having Felix and Herrod unchain him. Carlisle didn't struggle, but I sure as hell did.
"NO!" I screamed, pulling at my chains. Instantly, my weak body began to struggle. There had to be some way for me to get up, to get out of here. "Don't! Please! I don't want to change!" I cried, screaming at the top of my lungs.
None of the men answered me as Carlisle was brought into the room. Herrod came forward and grabbed my head, making it still. He unnecessarily ran his hands through my hair, and it sent a chill down my spine.
" Carlisle! Please don't! We can wait! Edward can change me!" I begged, struggling with the rest of my body. Carlisle stared down at me and frowned.
"Bella, we have to, or neither of us will ever see any of the family again." He said, looking down at me sadly. "I made a promise to you, and I have to keep it."
With that, Carlisle bent down against my struggling body, and bit into the right side of my neck, just above my collar bone.
For a moment, my entire body was still. I stared at Carlisle, feeling rather numb, before an excruciating pain began to coarse through my neck. I recognized it as the 'fire' I'd described in my encounter with James.
"NO! Make it stop!" I screamed, pulling again against the chains. Herrod bent down, whispering in my ear.
"And now you're soon to be one of us." He laughed, before helping the others lead a broken-looking Carlisle back to his room. They didn't chain him back to the table- but they did lock him inside the glass room.
"Bella!" He yelled, through the window.
I tried to stop my screaming for a moment, to listen to him. " Carlisle! Carlisle, it hurts! Please, stop it! Make it stop burning!"
"Listen to me, Bella. It will burn until it has made its way through your entire body. That is the not the most painful process, but it takes the longest." He said, pausing as I yelled again- the fire had gone down through my shoulders now.
"After that, Bella, your body will begin to get rid of everything inside you it does not need. And finally-" Carlisle paused another moment. "The most painful process occurs last. You'll feel as if you're suffocating for a while, and you'll lose control of your body. It will hurt Bella, but it will be over soon enough." He said, staring at me for a long moment, before turning away.
" Carlisle! Tell Edward I'm sorry!" I said, biting down so hard on my lip it drew blood. My body felt as if it were about to explode. "Tell him that I love him! I didn't want to change, Carlisle!" I screamed, arching my back now, as the fire made its way through my entire body.
After about 30 hours of screaming and crying, the fire quit in my body. I was surprised I had any voice left to occasionally speak to Carlisle, who was often asking if I was alright, and giving instructions on how to make things easier on myself.
When Carlisle had told me I'd be getting rid of everything my body didn't need- I didn't think it would be this way. During this period, I felt as if I was experiencing more weakness than I was pain. Finally, after two days, the pain and vomiting ended. I thought I was done with the process, for only a brief moment. I realized that I was still unbelievable weak; and as a reminder of what I had not yet endured, the pain began again.
Again, I couldn't control my screaming and crying. It felt as if my body had exploded, or was being ripped apart. My skin, I noticed, was extremely pale, and I could see my bruises disappearing. Several times, my body just began shaking and twitching violently against the chains- which in turn, caused more pain.
"Let your body continue hurting, but shut your mind out to the pain." I heard Carlisle say. I looked through the glass to see him standing against it, nodding slowly. "Shut it out." he repeated, during one of my seizure-like painful episodes.
I nodded as I felt my body pulling me in several directions, listening to Carlisle speak softly to me. Slowly, I did as he said, and let my mind drift into unconsciousness, as my body continued on with the transformation. Part of me, though, wasn't sure if I'd survive the change. This worried me. I hoped I would live to see Edward again, if only in my dreams. It's true, some people, I've been told, die before the change's completion.