Ta-da! This is what happens when I'm procrastinating and not studying for exams! Haha enjoy! The plot thickens in this chapter!
Alice had just finished straightening my hair when I heard the crunch of gravel from the outside. She put the straightener down and joined me as we raced down the stairs and out to the garage. Edward was barely out of the car before I flew into his arms. He looked surprisingly stunned and I took advantage of the moment to kiss him lightly on the lips. I heard the other car doors slam and heard my other siblings getting out of the car.
"Whatever did I do to deserve you?" he questioned with a grin. Abruptly his head jerked around to stare at Alice. Her eyes were blank and her body rigid in an all too familiar stance. Oh no, I thought. What now?
I felt Edward become very stiff in my embrace and I gazed up into his horrified eyes. I knew that he was seeing the vision through Alice's thoughts. I waited in anxious silence while Alice slowly returned to herself and Edward buried his head in his hands. I couldn't take the suspense anymore.
"What the hell just happened?" I tried to keep my voice calm but it came more as a shriek.
Alice started to shake her head back and forth and I strode over and grabbed her thin shoulders in my arms. She looked up into my eyes with a great deal of pain. "Bella...Th-They are c-co-coming," she managed to stammer out.
"Who?!" I wished for once that someone would give me a straight answer. Alice just sagged in my arms and looked at the ground. Jasper came over and wrapped her in his arms, freeing me of my hold. I had never seen Alice less composed and it scared me.
I turned to stare at Edward and he still looked panic stricken. I went over to him and stared into his eyes. He refused to meet my gaze and shot a look over at Jasper. I began to feel strangely calm.
"Jasper, cut it out! I want an answer already!" I screamed. Suddenly, the calm was gone and Jasper was looking at me with a confused expression. I knew that my emotions had triggered my defense but I didn't care. That would teach him to mess with my emotions. "Now, I'm not going to calm down for real until Edward or Alice tells me what they just saw."
"Bella, calm down. I will tell you what happened, I just need to take it in for a second," Edward calmly stated through tight lips. I stood in front of him and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting. Eventually he took a deep breath and looked into my crimson eyes.
"Bella, the Volturi have learned of your transformation," he stated simply.
I felt like I was going to explode. That was what this was all about? "Isn't that a good thing? I mean, that's one of the reasons this all happened. They were bound to check sooner than later and now they don't have an excuse to kill me. And how did they find out so fast?"
"That's the thing. They have been spying on us. I don't know how we couldn't see it until now. They were obviously slipping through the holes in Alice's visions and staying far enough away so that I couldn't hear their thoughts," he answered. He still hadn't answered my question though. So what if they were spying on me?
"Bella, love, they also know about your power. And they feel threatened. I mean, we don't even know the full extent of it and it has them cowering with their tails between their legs. They see you as a threat, and..." Edward trailed off.
"And what...?" I said softly but I was sure I already knew the answer.
"They have decided that the Cullen family is too strong and too large for their liking. They will be here in three days," he responded slowly.
I sank to the ground and clutched my head in my hands, shaking uncontrollably. This wasn't supposed to happen. The Volturi were supposed to leave us alone when I became a vampire. Why, why, why?! "No...no, this won't happen. I'll go to Italy and meet them before before they come here. That way they won't hurt you all," I whispered.
Edward grabbed me by the shoulders and looked at me with a furious gaze. "Isabella Swan. Don't you ever say that again! You are a member of this family now and we are going to stick together. If the Volturi want one of us, then they are going to get all of us," he hissed. I cringed back and tried to accept his words. However, I couldn't bear to be putting them in this danger.
"And don't even think that you are going to run away and sneak off to Italy alone. I will NOT lose you again. We will deal with this together, as a family, as a united front. I love you too much to even think about you going to the Volturi by yourself. They would rip you to shreds right where you stood," he cringed as he said those words and I could see that it pained him a great deal.
I pushed myself against his chest and he crushed me against him. "Okay, we will do this together then," I promised in a subdued tone. His muscles relaxed slightly and I buried my face in his shoulder. Fate was always working against us, even now that I was immortal.
Rosalie's voice shocked me as I stood there lost in my own thought. "We need to go tell Carlisle and Esme," she stated. Edward nodded and began to walk towards his Volvo. I followed him over.
"Bella and I will go tell Carlisle. If you guys could break the news to Esme. And after that we need to start training Bella. I was hoping to put this off for a few months, or years, but I guess it can't wait. She won't be able to rely on her instincts alone if it comes to a fight," he grimaced. "And Alice, please try to see if we learn how to control Bella's power before they come. It is going to be important." I saw Alice nod the slightest bit.
I'll try. I don't know how this is going to turn out Edward. We are going to need a backup plan. I looked around in confusion. I had just heard Alice's voice, clear as day, but her lips had not moved. I stared from her to Edward and they felt my gaze on them. They both looked at me curiously.
"Alice, what did you just say?" I questioned her. She looked at me even more confused.
"I didn't say anything Bella. What are you talking about?" she stated calmly.
"No, I know I just heard your voice. You said 'I'll try. I don't know how this is going to turn out Edward. We are going to need a backup plan.' I know I heard it!" I exclaimed. I looked at her as she inhaled a sharp breath.
Oh my god, she can hear my thoughts too?! What is going on? I heard her think.
"Alice, believe me, I wish I knew what was going on too," I responded to her unspoken question. Everyone was staring at me, including Edward.
Oh no... She really is the one. The stories are coming true. They are just supposed to be myth! Edward thought frantically. My head snapped around to stare at him.
"What stories? What myth? What are you hiding from me?!" I shrieked. I saw his shocked expression. He hadn't realized that I would hear him too.
Here we go. Bella is going to burst any second. Just tell her the story bro before she combusts Emmett's 'voice' broke through the silence.
"I agree with Emmett," I snapped.
Oops... Guess you can hear me too Bella Emmett's sheepish face looked over at me.
"Damn right I can. Now someone tell me or I will march right into the hospital right now and find Carlisle to ask him," I growled. I knew that wasn't the best idea since I was supposed to be in the Caribbean and I'm sure someone would notice me. I didn't care though. I was tired of not getting any answers.
"Okay, Bella. I promise, I will tell you everything. First we need to warn Carlisle. It is a long story and it is complicated. Carlisle needs to know right now though," Edward said urgently. I relaxed slightly and slid into the passenger seat of the car. Edward was already in his seat and starting the motor. I saw a flash of silver and he lifted the cell phone to his ear. I heard him murmuring to his adoptive father, "Carlisle can you please come meet us. It's important." There was a pause. "Okay, meet you there in 15 minutes." He snapped the phone shut and slid it into his pocket. He reached over and squeezed my hand as he pulled out of the garage.
Once we were out of the driveway, he drove south a little ways and then took a side road west. I had never been this way before and I was unsure of where we were headed. "Aren't we going to the hospital to meet Carlisle?" I questioned. I knew from multiple experiences that the hospital was in the complete opposite direction.
He looked at me with a shocked gaze. "Bella, if I brought you to the hospital, every patient and employee there would be dead within 10 minutes. The smell of blood within a 10 mile radius is strong enough to drive all but the most disciplined vampires mad," he explained. Oh, I hadn't thought of that.
We rounded a corner and I saw Carlisle's black Mercedes pulled to the side of the road. The gorgeous doctor was leaning against his bumper with a composed look on his face. Edward pulled over and turned off the car. We stepped out to go meet Carlisle.
"What's wrong Edward?" he asked in a calm voice.
Edward then began to tell him the whole story. He told him of the Volturi and my uncanny ability to now read minds as well which led to him mentioning the story again. I listened to see if either thought about this when it was mentioned but both seemed to be carefully blocking their thoughts. I guess Carlisle had had a few centuries to perfect keeping people out of his head. I ground my teeth together and waited for Edward to finish.
Once the story was over, Carlisle simply nodded his head and looked at me. "I should have known. Your transformation only took a day and a half. And your blood was strong. I should have known..." he trailed off. He seemed to regain his composure and looked back at Edward. "The book is in my study in the top drawer of my desk. You might as well let her see the whole thing."
Edward nodded and turned to me. He slipped his hand in mine and squeezed it tightly. "Alright, Bella. You ready to learn how you are fulfilling the oldest legend, both human and vampire alike, that has existed since the beginning of time?"
I gaped at him and he managed a strained chuckle. "I guess that is a yes then," he grimaced. I let him lead me back to the car and watched in a daze as we sped back towards the house. I was more aware when we pulled into the garage. I got out of the car and followed him into the house and up to Carlisle's study. He walked around to the desk and opened the top drawer. He pulled out a thin volume that looked extremely old. It had no title and it was bound in emerald green leather.
Edward beckoned me over. I hesitantly approached the book, unsure of what it contained. He took a deep breath and said to me, "Alright, it is all out of the bag now. Time to learn about your ancestors Bella." I was extremely confused. What did my ancestors have to do with anything?
He simply took another sigh and flipped open the book. Then he began to recite the story.