Thanks for the continuing reviews people! Here I am getting excited over 24 reviews when some other stories have hundreds! hint hint wink wink anyways, enjoy!
"You are kidding right? I mean I'm nothing that special. I'm just Bella. Just Bella... Just..." I stammered.
Edward tightened his hold around me and whispered in my ear, "You are the most special thing in the world to me. Never think that you are 'just Bella'. You are the meteor in my sky of darkness, you are the reason for my existence. And I will never EVER let anything happen to you."
"But what can we do? The Volturi are going to be here in three days and there are too many of them! We don't have a chance of fighting them all off! I won't let them hurt you. I won't cause any more pain. I won't..." My voice trailed off as I tried to think of some way out of this.
"We will think of something Bella. No one is going to get hurt. We will get around this somehow," Edward stated with confidence. I looked up into his eyes and I thought I saw a flash of doubt in the golden pools, but it was gone before I could see clearly. A look of fierce determination replaced the moment of doubt.
"Can't we just go to Volterra and try to explain? Maybe..." I began.
"Maybe what?" Edward said slowly. I knew that he was not going to like what I proposed next, but it was the only alternative I could think of besides waiting here for the inevitable.
"If I were to take Aro up on his proposition... to join them..." I stated. I heard a sharp intake of breath from beside me and continued before he could say anything. "If they had my so called power on their side, they would feel no need to come after the Cullen family." The idea hurt to even speak, knowing that the outcome would tear me away from my true love and family, but I would do anything at all,anything to protect them.
"No! Never! I will not lose you!" a deep growl emanated from within his chest. I looked over at his horrified eyes and was stung by the hurt that I saw in his eyes.
Suddenly the door of the study burst open and Alice was standing in my face in a flash with a furious look on her face. Her eyes were thin slits and her posture extremely tense.
"I see what you are planning Bella! Don't you ever think of doing that to us, to Edward, to me! You are my sister and my best friend. I will not have you turned into some mindless slave of the Volturi! I will not lose both of you to them!" She screamed. I pulled back with shock.
And then I saw it. Walking down a long stone sewer, my black cloak brushing the ground, flanked in the front and back by unknown cloaks, preventing my escape, watching my every move. We came to the end of the tunnel and walked through an intricately designed door of metal. The next hallway was white with industrial fluorescent lights burning every few yards along the ceiling. The scene was so familiar. We kept walking until we came to a chamber where Aro sat with a small smirk on his face. "Welcome home, Isadora," he greeted me. And then I was enveloped by darkness and heard a laughter coming from far off, Aro's voice praising someone. "Well done Alec," he commented, still with laughter in his voice.
I came back to myself and stared dejected at my hands. "What would you rather have me do Alice?" I whispered. I was shaken by the vision and still trying to understand all the I had Seen through Alice's power.
"Anything. Anything at all! We are going to fight. You will NOT give up that easily. We are strong as a family and we will persevere!" she exclaimed. It was hard to doubt her determination, but I asked her a question all the same.
"And what did you see happening before I had that thought Alice? What was the outcome of the encounter?" I forced the words out refusing to meet the gaze of either Alice or Edward. I simply stared at the floor.
"I... I didn't see anything. I couldn't see what was going to happen," she said quietly. I heard the hesitance in her voice and I knew she was lying.
It just can't be this way. We have to do something. This can't just be the inevitable. There HAS to be some other way! There just has to be. Alice voice rang through my head.
"Tell me the truth Alice. Spare me the lies. I can read it in your thoughts," I stated softly. "You told me you would never lie to me. Now hold to your promise."
Crap... her voice sounded out. I looked up and fixed her with a piercing stare. She took a deep breath and said through strained lips, "All of our future's disappear three days from today."
I took in the words that set my plans in stone. They would not all die for me. I would not stand by and allow my family to be slaughtered. We might be a big family but we were still no match for the Volturi. I could picture little Jane giggling with laughter as Edward cringed against the ground. I would never be the reason for such pain again.
I felt Edward shaking my shoulders, but my mind was not there. I was lost in a daze as I thought of what was going to happen. I would have to sacrifice myself for the rest of my family. It would be worth it if I knew that they were safe.
"Bella... Bella, snap out of it please," Edward's musical voice was tinted with pain as I focused back on the present. I sighed and leaned heavily against him, breathing in his scent. Who knew how much longer I would have left with him?
"You can't. You just can't... No..." Alice was repeating under her breath. And then Jasper was there, holding Alice's shaking form in his arms, glaring at me for causing her so much pain. My resolve wavered in his gaze and I faced my head into Edward's shoulder and cried tearless sobs.
His protective arms encircled me and he began to hum my lullaby. I melted against his body and concentrated on his scent. Time seemed to lose all meaning and all that mattered was that, for the moment, I was safe in Edward's arms. My racking breaths calmed and I laid there for an extended period of time with Edward rubbing my arm, trying to soothe me.
It had only been a day and my new life was already crumbling into pieces. But I would have to be the only one to suffer. The rest of them would move on.
I took one last deep breath of Edward and said that I needed to be alone for a bit. I could see it sting him that I did not want his presence but he tried to hide it from his face. I took one look at him before I turned and walked out the door, not stopping to look at Alice and Jasper, afraid that the sight of them would break my determination. It was hard enough to see Edward's hurt expression.
I made my way to the kitchen with my passport in my pocket and snatched my key from the counter along with a black American Express card with my name laying next to it. I flew out to the garage, not thinking, simply concentrating on getting away. I had just started the engine of my Lexus when I heard a terrifying and horrific roar from the house. I knew that Alice had just informed Edward of my newest plans. I hit the gas at that moment and caught one last look at his horrified face in the doorway as I sped out of the garage.
Before I knew it I was on the main road, heading for Seattle. I didn't think of his face as I sped along at 190 miles per hour. I didn't even glimpse at the speedometer inching towards 200. I would catch the next flight to Italy and travel to Volterra from there. No point in waiting for them to come here. Might as well meet my fate face on.
The needle threatened to hit 200 as I flew down the empty highway.
BELLA! PULL OVER! His shouting thoughts pulled me out of my trance. I gasped and glanced in my rearview mirror. A silver Aston Martin and bright Yellow Porsche were coming behind me and closing the distance.
Please Bella... Please... Please stop... Alice's wavering thoughts came into my head.
No. No! NO! I couldn't hurt them. I blocked the thoughts from my head and continued down the road, pushing the pedal even farther down. The Roadster was approaching 210 when the needle suddenly began to fall back. A heard a small ding and saw the Low Fuel light come on. CRAP! No! I tried to push the pedal down but the car refused to accelerate.
Soon the silver streak of Edward's car was right on my tail and I could see his furious expression in my rearview mirror. I pulled to the side and slammed on the breaks, swerving to the side, keeping one hand on the wheel, stuffing my passport and credit card in my pocket with the other. Edward and Alice streaked past, not have predicted my sudden stop.
As soon as the car was stopped, I yanked the key out of the ignition and flew out of the driver's seat, allowing the door to hang open as I bolted into the surrounding woods. I heard the squeal of breaks but I refused to look back.
I ran as fast as I could through the woods, concentrating on heading east. I had heard that vampires were good swimmers. I would just swim the sound and run to Seattle from there.
The trees flew past without definition, the ground a flat plane beneath my feet. I began to smell the salty scent of the ocean knowing that I was almost there. I could see the glistening of the water in the sun up ahead and pushed myself as fast I could go.
I had just hit the sand when something collided with me from behind. Iron restraints encircled me as I was thrown onto the sand, his body twisting to hit the beach with me landing on his chest.
I tried to struggle against him, but I soon felt another force collide with my body, pinning me against Edward. Alice's thin arms wrapped around me, forcing me to stay pressed against his body.
I stopped struggling against them, knowing that it would be impossible to overpower both. I let my body go slack in their grips and buried my face in his chest.
All was quiet and I waited for their wrath. I closed my eyes and waited for the torrent to come. His soft and composed voice surprised me. "Bella... how could you? How could you go off alone in this?"
I was unable to speak, trying to think of a way out of this.
"Bella, we know that we can't stop you... So... We are coming with you," he spoke quietly.