And now for the next chapter...:D A long one! Finally! :)

I got this new story-writing software thing that helps me organise my chapters, scenes (POVs), characters, plot, etc. It's really helpful and helped me to write this chapter quickly!

For Alex, because she's going to Canada tommorow and I won't see her 'til AT!

Happy Reading.

Chapter Eight

April

You have to run

April jumped at the sound of Lyreco's voice in her head, looking around instinctively. All eyes were focussed on the stranger in the doorway. Jasper was talking to her, but April didn't' listen to what they said. She slipped out from the crowded entrance and slunk back into the living room.

"What?" She hissed quietly, talking to Lyreco. She turned back to the entrance and saw that Esme had turned her head slightly to listen, making April a little bit uncomfortable. She continued into the kitchen and closed the door behind her.

You have to run. Get away from here, get away from this town. Don't look back.

"Why?" April demanded quietly, folding her arms across her chest. In a few seconds, Lyreco materialised in front of her. He hadn't changed appearance - including his clothes - and still had a strange grey mist outlining his figure. In some places, it was pure black. It made April shudder slightly.

"Who is that?" She cocked her head towards the door.

"Her name, as she mentioned, is Celeste. She is an Aeterna, one of the first vampires. April, you don't understand, you are nothing compared to her. She can kill you in the blink of an eye - sometimes with a blink. Her powers are strong. You need to leave and get as far away as you can, hide for a while and pray that she won't follow." Lyreco said, his eyes darting towards the door.

"Did she kill you?" April asked, gauging his

"No. No more on that matter - focus. Go, right now, and she probably won't notice for a minute or two." Lyreco

"No way! Are you crazy?" April nearly yelled. "I can't leave them! If Celeste is so dangerous, why the hell would I leave Jasper? And Rosalind? Sorry, Rosalie. And Carlisle and Esme and Bella and..."

"Alicia - Go!" Lyreco demanded. He abruptly disappeared, leaving a tiny cloud of dark mist. A memory flashed through her head - but was it really hers?

"After years of searching," he said. "I found the key to overthrowing the Aeternas. I've discovered what kills immortals." He held out a small plastic bag, inside were four little daggers with pale blades.

"Made of the very flesh of an Aeterna," he continued. "It can kill any vampire. I've tested it."

The short memory cut off; obviously the source had discovered that she was listening. After a minute, she recognised the voice in her memory. Lyreco! It was Lyreco's memory.

No, Alicia, do not even think about it - Lyreco thought to her. But she was already dashing up the stairs, somehow knowing where to go. She went into Jasper's room and found a little key in his desk drawer. She then raced over to Rosalie's room which had been empty for a year and opened the window. On the sill just out of view from the inside was a little box. April reached it - barely - and picked it up. She found the little keyhole and opened the box, hearing the rattling of the objects

April, don't do this - she'll kill you! Lyreco said in her mind. April shook her head and pulled out a small dagger from the box, shoving it up her sleeve. The others she put back in place, making sure it looked undisturbed. After closing the window and returning the key, she hurried downstairs again, squeezing in next to Jasper, who was actually...backing off. Taking a deep breath, April took a fast step forward and plunged the dagger into...

The air.

Celeste had moved just in time and had avoided her strike, but had gotten behind her. She snarled and grabbed the dagger from April's hands, but as she did, April ran. She jumped and used Celeste's head as a push off, leaping above Tobias and Phillip. She no longer had the dagger, so all she could think of was run. After all, that's what Lyreco was chanting in her head.

Jasper

April, after trying to actually kill Celeste, was gone in an instant.

This of course left Jasper, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme alone with Celeste. She had dropped the dagger that April had used - which Jasper recognised as the Iuguolo. That was Jasper's name for the dagger that killed vampires. He didn't know how she had gotten hold of that, but it had really pissed off Celeste. She snarled and flicked her wrist in a little signal to Phillip and Tobias, who rushed forward. Rosalie, being slightly faster than Jasper, reached down and swiped up the dagger after seeing Jasper look at it.

She tossed it to him and he barely caught it, holding it above his own chest. He looked at Rosalie with an expression that best said: Go. And she did. Rosalie went through the back way, slipping away before Celeste could grab her. The Aeternas herded them into the living room where they fought, Jasper narrowly missing attacks from Phillip and Esme and Carlisle losing badly in a fight with both Tobias and Celeste. Whilst he was looking away, Phillip was able to disarm Jasper.

Run. Lyreco's voice sounded in his head, ringing in his ears. Go, Jasper. He didn't have time to think - Phillip was attacking again, this time holding the dagger. Jasper ducked and slid under him as he leaped, jumping back up again and racing out the front door.

The last thing he heard was Esme's scream.

Carlisle

"Esme!" Carlisle cried. The one named Celeste had a grip around Esme's throat, and Carlisle could see a crack forming. Phillip and Tobias had stopped, smirking cruelly.

"Carlisle!" Jasper called from outside of the house. "Leave her!"

"No!" Carlisle exclaimed, sobbing mentally. He watched Esme, her beautiful heart-shaped face and large, innocent eyes. These eyes were now cast downwards, and she shook her head. She met Carlisle's eyes one last time, and seemed to speak into his mind.

Go. She whispered. The word rang in Carlisle's mind, making him want to cry then and there. Carlisle shook his head defiantly and rushed forward trying to attack Celeste. A second before he got there, Celeste only flicked her wrist that was around Esme's neck.

Crack. Snap. Boom. Bounce.

In horror, he looked into her beautiful round eyes that were now turned on their side. Her mouth was slowly opening and closing as if she had trouble with speech, and the rest of her body...Lay in pieces.

"Esme!" Carlisle sobbed. "Esme! Oh, Esme!" he choked on more words, falling to his knees before what was Esme. Looking up, he saw Celeste bring a small matchbox out of her pocket. She pulled out a match and slowly put the box back, her eyes focussed on Carlisle. Somehow, the match burst into flame, but it didn't seem to burn Celeste. She dropped the match on Esme's...torso? It made Carlisle sick looking at his love this way. He cried out and tried to smother the flames with one hand whilst holding her rolling legs still. One of them managed to somehow reattach itself to Esme's torso, but her head lay lifelessly.

"What have you done?" Carlisle cried, not breathing.

"I've just proved a point here. You and your family will not mess with me, or any of my associates. I can deal out death as easily as you breathe." Celeste said, donning a cruel smile. It was beautiful in its own dark way. She reached her hand out as if to touch Carlisle, but stopped and closed her eyes. Her outstretched hand seemed to glow a strange blue colour before Carlisle found himself flying across the room. He was pinned to the wall by an unseen force, and Esme's entire body - and part of the floor - was in flames.

"No!" Carlisle screamed. "No! Esme!" He struggled and kicked against the force holding him back, but could only watch in utter misery and horror as Esme was engulfed in smoke. The smoke and embers spread quickly across the wooden floor, licking at the walls. Looking up at Celeste again, he noticed that she and her followers had disappeared.

Bella

Bella groaned in her sleep and tried to wave away the hand that was shaking her.

"Bella!" someone whispered urgently. "Get up!" When Bella didn't respond, she felt her weight disappear as if someone was carrying her. She murmured something random absently and tossed in the person's arms. She drifted out of consciousness for a second, completely exhausted.

Bella finally woke up at around midday.

After an undisturbed sleep and an exhausted start, she could easily sleep that long. She opened her eyes and looked up at a completely unfamiliar ceiling. It was the ceiling that bothered her the most - it was a very pale cream, nearly the exact white she had in the whole of her house. But not quite. Confused, Bella quickly sat up and looked around. The room was also unfamiliar with pale green walls and a large double bed - which she was laying on. A large white carpet covered most of the pale wooden floor.

There was a little bedside table with drawers and a lamp, a large window with the curtains drawn, a desk with a swivelling black chair and neat papers on the desk. There was a little hallway to her left with another door, presumably the bathroom, and Bella couldn't see farther. It looked like a hotel room - perfectly neat, clean, and unused. Except for the bed. Bella got out of bed and stood, a little wobbly at first. She walked around, examining the room.

Down the tiny hallway was another door, probably leading out into the hotel hallway. Bella walked to the window and pulled open the curtains, gasping. It was bright outside, as expected, but the view outside was definitely not that of Forks. She was in a city, a small one, but still a city. Tall buildings rose above her, and looking down, she realised that she was quite high up as well. Bella began to panic. She had no idea where she was. She paced the room for a second, contemplating whether or not to go out of the room.

At her seventh pace, she noticed something that she hadn't seen before. On the bedside table next to the lamp was a little sheet of paper. Pleased with her discovery, Bella hurried over to it and snatched it up, holding it close and reading it.

Bella,

I know you're probably confused - hell, I would be. Waking up in Spokane. That's where you are, by the way. Still in Washington State, but a long way away from Forks. You've got to understand that this is for your safety - someone's come to Forks. Someone evil. I can explain everything to you later, but for now, please stay in the room and I promise to be back soon.

-April.

P.S.: Jasper and Rosalie are here, too.

Frowning, Bella set down the note. Someone evil, the note had said. Who could that be? Another vampire? But that wasn't much of a reason to bring her...

Wait. She was in Spokane? Bella's mind went into panic mode again - Spokane was a long way from Forks, but in the same state.

What about Charlie? She thought. He doesn't know where I am! Urgently, Bella searched the room for a phone. She checked her pockets, all the drawers, the bathroom, under furniture, but found nothing. Not even a room phone. She took deep breaths and looked down at herself. She was wearing the same wrinkled grey top and jeans that she had worn the previous day - she had fallen asleep in them.

Her sneakers sat neatly against the wall and her navy blue jumper hung on the bathroom door knob. Bella quickly put on her shoes and grabbed her jumped, sliding it on. With her hand, she combed through tangles in her hair and brushed it back from her face before exiting the bathroom. She opened the front door of the room, planning to leave.

"Hi, Bella." April grinned, standing outside. One of her hands was on her hip, whilst the other held a blue plastic tray with all sorts of sweet smelling foods on it. It made Bella's mouth water - she was starving.

"April - Why am I -"

"Why don't you go ahead in?" April said cheerfully, herding Bella inside and kicking the door shut behind her. It was stopped by a pale hand, and Jasper entered after her. He wore a black sweater over a white T-shirt and jeans, casually dressed. His spiky ash blonde hair was limp and slightly wet, and his eyes followed April.

April left the tray on the desk and sat in the chair, while Jasper leaned against a chest of drawers.

"Why am I in Spokane?" Bella waved the note.

"Because we brought you here." April answered simply.

"Yes, but why?"

"Forks isn't safe anymore, Bella. It's time we get to some explaining. We'll start with the Aeternas.

"So you're in a resistance against these Aeternas?" Bella confirmed.

"Yes." Jasper answered quietly.

"And Celia - sorry, Celeste, is an Aeterna. But what about Charlie? And my friends? And Alice! Where's Alice? And you mentioned Rosalie - where is she?" Bella's questions came tumbling out.

"Slow down!" April laughed. She suddenly sobered. "We haven't really planned anything. Alice wasn't there, and Rosalie is off somewhere. As for Charlie and your friends...We haven't really thought of them."

"But Celeste, if she's this evil, merciless killer, won't she kill them? If she's after you two, won't she kill people to get to you?" Bella said, her voice getting faster and faster.

"Bella, calm down." Jasper said, sending soothing thoughts towards her. "We don't know that for sure. And we know she's trying to kill me because of my involvement with the Hostium; maybe she's forgotten about April, or just doesn't care enough." After Jasper said this, April looked to her left at an empty space. She seemed to be listening to what the air was saying, and nodded slightly.

"Oh, Bella, there's one more thing. I have a power as well." April said. "I can..." she stopped when Jasper sent her a glare.

"What?" she hissed. Jasper mouthed something too quickly for Bella to read, and April nodded in acknowledgement.

"Never mind, then." April said, her smile returning. It seemed fake and forced now.

"We brought you some breakfast." she said, gesturing to the tray.

"I'm not hungry," Bella lied. "Now tell me about your 'power'."

Fire. Smoke. More smoke. Purple smoke. Fire fighters. Red truck. Ambulance.

Images flashed through Alice's mind, giving her a headache. It was a vision, but poorly constructed. She was just driving out of Seattle – it was about ten o'clock.

Esme's face. Ash. Soot. Carlisle's body.

The images started to scare her now, and she drove faster.

"We've got two! Call the paramedics!" someone yells.

"Don't bother," someone else mutters. "They're dead. No pulse."

Alice's breaths came faster now, and she was sure she was breaking the speed limits – on a highway. Her yellow Porsche was just that fast. She was now in a rush to get back to Forks, and decided that the other cars were just too slow. Grinning, Alice turned off the highway and crashed through a metal fence, dangerously crossing the other lane and onto the grassy field.

Her Porsche still drove smoothly and quickly on the rough terrain and she was able to go even faster without dodging other cars.

April – power – ghosts – dead – Lyreco

More things flashed in her mind, but this was now only a jumbled thought. She could put it together though, and it surprised her. April had a power to see the dead – ghosts. But Alice didn't remember who Lyreco was, although the name was familiar.

April – power – ghosts – communicate – Emmett.

Confusing? Probably. Questions? Leave in reviews. ;) Oh, and that end bit...Well, figure it out. Long chapter - hooray! (Besides the author's notes) There are 2685 words!

Please review. ;D