A.N. Everything belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
Sorry for the delays. Short chapter here, just to get things moving.
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Enjoy!

Chapter 8

Alice was just sitting there. Not moving, not speaking, not breathing. She was staring at the portrait of Aro. Her jaw was clenched tightly and her eyes were narrowed in rage.

"Alice?" I placed my hand on her shoulder and gently nudged her. Alice jumped up from the bed, knocking the book flying against a wall. I shuddered as it clattered to the ground.

"Of course he was one of the doctors! That manipulative, psychotic dick!" She was pacing back and forth. I couldn't hold back the giggles that spilled past my lips. Alice swore. She actually just swore and it was hilarious! She's so small and sweet and well spoken...I couldn't believe she just swore.

"You of all people should not find this funny Bella!" She was glaring at me now and that just pushed me over the edge. I rolled back onto the bed, laughter pouring from my lungs.

"What exactly is so funny?" She had her arms crossed over her stomach now and was tapping her foot angrily.

"You...you..." It was difficult to speak past the laughter, "You just swore!" She shrugged her shoulders and looked at me as if I were insane.

"So what?! I believe the situation warrants strong language!" She wasn't budging. I sobered up, wiped the laughter-tears from the corner of my eyes and dragged myself to my feet.

"Alice, I'm sorry." My voice was a little crackly from the laughter. I coughed to clear my throat and walked over towards where she was stood. I placed my hands against her ice-cold shoulders and ducked my head slightly so I was looking into her eyes.

"I know this is serious, it was just weird hearing you talk like that. You're so sweet, I just never expected to hear you talk that way." She still wasn't smiling. She just nodded her head in acceptance and shrugged away from me.

"Fine. We need to tell Carlisle."

After about half an hour of explaining, confirming, theorising, listening, discussing and lots of other words ending with '-ing' we were no better off than twenty-four hours previously, except now I knew the name of the one who had done this to me. Aro. One of the supposed leaders of the vampire world. Every government has its secrets I guess, I was just one of many after-all.

"I'm not entirely sure what we should do with this information." Carlisle's brow had creased in concentration. Rosalie and Alice shared the same look of disgusted fury and Emmett kept glancing nervously in Rosalie's direction. Esme was sat beside Edward, they were both staring intently at Carlisle, awaiting his decision. Jasper still hadn't returned. I was starting to worry about him

"Confrontation is out of the question." Carlisle's words garnered nods of agreement from his family.

"Why the hell not?! We know who's behind this now why can't we take he fight to them for once?!" Charlie had pounded his fist against the dining table we were all sat around. I was the only one to jump slightly at the loud noise.

"We can't simply storm into Volterra and confront Aro with this information," Carlisle said. "We need to be more diplomatic than that. The Volturi are far too powerful. There has to be another way."

"Maybe there is." We all spun around at the same time. Jasper was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms folded across his chest. I was out of me seat and had my arms wrapped around him in under a second.

"Jasper! I was so worried about you, are you OK?" He gently pushed me away from him.

"I'm OK Bella, sorry for leaving the way I did, I just needed some time." I nodded my acknowledgement and returned to my place at the table.

"What have you come up with Jasper?" Edward questioned him. Everybody seemed relieved to have him back.

"Well, it's insanity to confront the Volturi, but what if we just paid them a visit, stayed a while, see if we could learn something?" It took a moment for his words to sink in. Esme and Rosalie looked uncomfortable whilst Alice and Edward seemed pretty eager to implement Jasper's idea.

"Alice and I can go. I can read their minds and Alice can see if they're onto us. It's not as if the Volturi would just leave a file marked 'Our Evil Scheme' lying around in the library." I was surprised at Edwards willingness to help. He'd always been so stand-offish.

"No Edward, Bella and I couldn't let you and Alice put yourself at risk like that." Charlie always seemed to say what I was thinking.

"No Charlie, we need to do this. They came to our home and attacked our family. They tortured Bella for years and turned the two of you into fugitives. It's not a matter of risk, it's a matter of necessity." Alice had stood and left the room after her statement. Her mind was clearly made up.

"Right, well, I'll call Aro and inform him of his up-coming guests." Carlisle followed suit. My head was spinning. I had to stop this. What if they got hurt?! What if I lost Alice?! I tried my hardest to think of a brilliant argument to sway them from their chosen course of action.

"What about school?" That was all I could come up with. Millions of dollars spent on perfecting and designing me to be the epitome of human-development. I wonder if they could get a refund?

All of the Cullens, minus Alice who was no longer with us, chuckled. They all looked at each other and in unison they all said...

"Meningitis." So, that was the cover story. Edward and Alice had developed meningitis and had been taken to a specialist in Seattle. I would go to school with the rest of the Cullen kids and we'd wait and see what happened. Needless to say I did not like this plan at all.

It was here, it was time. Alice and Edward were leaving today. They'd booked their tickets and we'd all gone to the airport to say our farewells. Edward hugged his family members and shook Charlie's hand. I was surprised when he placed a soft kiss on my cheek. He turned and headed towards the departure gate. Alice had said goodbye to all of her family. She'd kissed Charlie's cheek and headed over towards me. Every cell in my body was screaming at me to stop her, pick her up, run away with her and not let her do this. I had to keep her safe. If the Volturi were as bad as the Cullens made them sound how could they allow Alice and Edward to go to them. When she reached me Alice turned to everybody else.

"Guys, could I have a moment alone with Bella please?" Who could resist her sweet voice? They all agreed and headed towards the nearest restaurant. When we were alone Alice took hold of my hand and ran her thumb softly across the back of it. I had to swallow my tears. I was not going to cry.

"Alice, you can't do this. I won't let you." She smiled weakly at me. I got the impression that she'd be crying if she could.

"It's not up to you Bella. I want you to be safe and this is the only way." I searched for a response but came up empty. She flung her arms around my neck and pulled me close. I clung to her as tightly as I could, gripping onto her top, not wanting to let her go. I felt the prick of tears in the corner of my eyes.

"I'll be back soon Bella, I swear to you I'll be OK." I nodded into her shoulder, I couldn't speak. I kissed her cheek softly and inhaled her scent, wondering when I'd next be able to do so. I pulled away after a moment.

"Alice..." I was silenced when her lips met mine. The world disappeared. Our lips moved together and I did my best to put as much emotion into the kiss as I could. All too soon we pulled apart. My cheeks felt damp and I realised I'd failed to hold back my tears. Alice wiped them away from my cheeks. I took her face in, her golden eyes, her rose-coloured lips, they way her hair always looked messy and yet never out-of-place, the curl of her lip when she was fighting a universe of emotion. She was perfection. She smiled again and I did my best to return it. I could tell the smile came out as more of a grimace than a grin though. She leaned in for one last hug. It was brief, just long enough for her brush her lips against my cheek.

"I have to go now Bella," she said as she pulled away. I grabbed at her hands, not wanting to let her go.

"No. Please Alice." I couldn't stop them now, my tears were flowing freely, my voice caught in my throat. I was about thirty seconds away from a total breakdown. She leant back in and brushed her lips against mine. She broke away and rested her forehead against mine. I was gulping in air, trying to remain calm.

"Shh baby, it's OK." Alice was stroking my cheeks softly, trying to calm me down. In the distance I heard the final call for her flight. I started to whimper.

"Please Alice!" I couldn't speak, my words came out as whisper.

"Bella, I have to." Even her voice was catching now. She pressed her hands against my chest and pushed me away. I let her. I didn't have the strength to fight. I wiped my eyes on the back of my hand.

"Just...be careful OK Alice." She smiled warmly at me.

"I promise." She squeezed my hand tightly and pulled me in for one last hug.

"I love you Bella." And then she was gone. She'd released me and headed for the gate before I could respond. My tears were flowing again now. My chest felt as though I'd been shot and I fought with every ounce of strength I had to not run over to her. I watched as she handed her ticket over to the stewardess. They checked it and nodded Alice through the tunnel. I kept watching as she headed through the tunnel. She was leaving. When she turned the corner and left my field of vision I let my gaze drop to my feet. My tears were dripping from my chin and nose onto the floor. I wiped them away again, steeling myself I looked back at the tunnel. She was gone now.

"I love you too Alice."

It had been a week since they'd left. A whole week without Alice. I'd call the Cullens every day, driven over there a few times to try and find out anything that I could. They hadn't heard anything either. Not a single word from Alice or Edward. I was beyond worried. I was checking my emails at least fifty times a day. My phone was glued to my hand. I couldn't concentrate in school. I was grateful that spring break was coming up. I could do with a break. Just five days left and then I could do...well I don't know what I could do.

In the back of my mind I heard the school bell ring. End of the day. I grabbed my things and headed out of class. I went straight for my truck. I climbed in and gunned it out of the exit, not speaking to or acknowledging anybody as I passed. I just wanted to get home. The drive was a blur. Trees, cars, houses. Trees, cars, houses. And then I was home. I dumped all of my things on the sofa as I passed it and headed up stairs to my room. My mind was numb with worry. I was basically on auto-pilot at this point. I turned my computer on and waited for it to boot. After a few 'whirs' and 'buzzes' it had loaded up. I entered in my password and walked back downstairs looking for something to eat. I raided the fridge and found some strawberries. I dumped a handful of them into a bowl and headed back to my room, nibbling on the fruit as I walked. My room was dark, the only light coming from my computer. It had started raining again. You'd never have guessed we were so close to summer from the weather we kept having. The grey sky made the world prematurely dark. It reminded me of winter. I shivered slightly. Shrugging it off I went over to my desk. I had a paper on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to finish by the end of the week. I clicked on the icon for my school folder and opened my essay. Delaying the inevitable killing of my braincells with school work, I checked my emails. It seemed to take an eternity for the browser to load and for me to be able to log on.

"Come on!" I was tapping my feet impatiently. I just wanted to check and get it over with. When the page loaded I was a little surprised to see the icon for an unread message. Sucking in a deep breath I clicked on the icon, it took me straight to my in-box. Alice! It was from Alice! She was alive! I checked the time I had received it...twenty minutes ago! Only twenty minutes ago, maybe she was still online. I clicked my instant messenger open but there was no such luck, she wasn't there. I returned to my email. Hesitantly I clicked it open. Again it seemed to take an eternity for the page to load and when it did, my heart stopped. There wasn't the massive essay I'd been expecting. The glorious tale of how she'd managed to slay my demons and how she was on her way home to me. No, there was none of that. There was only two words. 'Stay Away.'

Stay Away. That was it. Stay Away...what the hell could that mean. I frowned. I chewed my bottom lip. I scrolled my page down, I refreshed it, I searched for an attachment...there was nothing. Just Stay Away.

"Fuck this!" I'd had enough. What the hell was this all about? I clicked a few buttons and the email was printed off in a couple of moments. I grabbed it and folded it messily into the pocket of my jeans. I was downstairs before my computer had even turned off. I scribbled a note for Charlie and I darted out of the door. I wanted answer. I was headed to the Cullens.

I didn't bother knocking on the door when I got to the Cullens. They already knew I was here. I stomped through their front room. Nobody there. I made my way to the kitchen, nobody there either. Where the hell were they?!

"Carlisle?!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Spinning around in place in the kitchen. Carlisle appeared in less than a moment.

"Bella, how can I help you?" He seemed...breathless for lack of a better word. Frowning I dug in my pocket for the email and thrust it into his hands.

"I heard from Alice." Carlisle's eyes widened at my words. He carefully unfolded the scrunched up piece of paper and his face mirrored my own when I'd first read the email.

"What does this mean?" He asked whilst flapping the email slightly in my direction.

"I have no idea, that's why I'm here, to see if you know." Carlisle studied the email again and opened his mouth to speak. Just then he was cut off rather abruptly by the phone ringing. The shrill ring-tone cut through the tension better than any knife ever could. I jumped a little and Carlisle darted over to the handset by the the fridge.

"Cullen residence, Dr. Carlisle Cullen speaking..." e went quiet for a moment, I could only assume to allow the person on the other to speak.

"I see. Yes of course." He went quiet again. This time he began nodding his head along with whatever the other person on the end of the line was saying.

"How do you..." He was cut short. I was beginning to get interested. With each passing moment Carlisle seemed to get paler, if that were even possible.

"No, of course not. I...yes...certainly...see you then." He hung up the phone; staring at it for a moment or two. I had to wave my hand in front of his face to break the spell.

"Carlisle? Who was that?" He blinked and looked back at me as if forgetting that I was in the room. I did not like this Carlisle. He seemed so out of it, so...not in control. He almost looked fearful. He seemed to gulp a little before he answered me.

"That was...well...I'm sorry Bella, I need to gather my family." With that he left the room, returning a moment later with the rest of Cullens. Esme immediately swept over to me and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. Jasper and Emmett nodded their hello's and Rosalie came to stand by my side, she squeezed my hand and my mind immediately went back to a week ago, when Alice had done the same thing. A twinge of pain shot through me and Rosalie noticed. She smiled apologetically and and released my hand, letting it fall numbly to my side again.

"Carlisle, what the hell is going on?!" I felt bad being so blunt with him, Carlisle had been nothing but nice to me, but I needed answers!

"I just received a call from Gianna..."

"Who?" Both Rosalie and I questioned Carlisle at the same time.

"She's the current Volturi receptionist, a human." I snorted at this. Carlisle ignored me and carried on.

"It appears that we have been summoned." Esme placed her fingers to her lips, whether in shock, fear or some other emotion I couldn't tell. Emmett snarled slightly and Jasper clenched his fists at his side.

"So you guys are going to Volterra?" I looked around at the Cullens. I'd come to love them all. I'd lost Alice and now they were all leaving too?!

"Bella, we were all summoned." Carlisle spoke the words as if they had some specific meaning.

"I...I don't understand Carlisle." He sighed and shuffled his feet slightly.

"My family and I have to go to Volterra." I nodded my understanding. "You were asked for specifically." Rosalie gripped my hand again. I still didn't quite understand.

"Carlisle, what do you mean?" He glanced towards Esme who looked near tears.

"Bella, Gianna informed me that our presence was required," I nodded and he continued "she also said...she said that we should make sure that Number Six was with us when we landed." The room went silent. I felt their eyes on me, as if they were waiting for me to break down. So they knew where I was. I'd been summoned. I felt the air leave my lungs. My ears began to ring and I developed tunnel vision. Everything started to go black. I felt Rosalie grip my hand tighter. That little bit of pressure caught my attention, I focused on. No way was I going to let those fucking monsters turn me into a snivelling child again. I was not weak. I was no longer their experiment. I took a deep breath, then another and another. I glanced at Carlisle. The time for fear was over.

"When do we leave?"