The bleak light shone through the spotless window as Ella groggily sat up in bed. Yawning, she untangled herself from Edward's arms and dragged herself into the bathroom. A moment later, the sound of the shower running resounded throughout the room.
Edward smoothly got up and in mere minutes, had gotten dressed and was ready for the day. He had just settled down to wait for Ella when Alice and Rosalie soundlessly burst into the room. Edward found himself pushed out of the room and a heavy door slammed in his face.
"Go down to breakfast!" Alice commanded. "We're going to help Ella get ready."
Edward, grumbling a little about evil sisters, complied.
Ten minutes later, Ella walked out of the shower in nothing but a towel. She jumped back in fright when she saw that, instead of Edward, Rosalie and Alice stared back at her.
"Man, you scared me! Don't do that again. You almost gave me a heart attack. Next time warn me if you're going to invade my room!" Ella complained. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"We decided to help you get ready. You know, a little girl time. We hardly get to spend time together anymore," Rosalie commented.
At first, Rosalie had hated Ella, just like Bella. She quickly softened, however, when Ella had assured her that she'd had no intention of becoming a vampire. This had gotten them talking, and soon, they'd bonded over their love of children. Ella had told Rosalie that she'd wanted two of her own, and that when she did have them, Rose could help her raise them. That had done it. Rosalie and Ella had become the best of friends.
"Fine," Ella answered indifferently. This was a common occurrence ever since Ella had said she hadn't minded, as long as she got a say.
"So today I wanna pull a strappy heels, jeans and cami ensemble." Alice briskly walked into the closet and came back with a pair of dark-wash, boot cut jeans, a plain white tank top, a black cami, and a pair of black strappy heals, adorned with a white crystal at the base.
"Is this good?" Alice asked.
"It's perfect, and I don't care what you do for hair and makeup. Surprise me," Ella replied, pulling on the clothes.
After she was done, Alice pushed her into a chair and started attacking her face with makeup as Rosalie started on her hair with a wide curling iron. In minutes they were done and Ella stood in her outfit with large, bouncing curls and natural looking makeup — but you could make out some white on the eyelids.
"Well, down to breakfast we go!" Ella hooked her arms around one of both Cullen sisters and half-marched, half-pulled them through the door and all the way to the kitchen.
Everyone else was already there. Most of them were just standing around while Bella and Jacob ate. "Morning," several voices greeted as Edward pulled Ella into his embrace. Bella was just finishing her first bowl; Jacob was already on tenth.
"Morning..." Jacob muttered a little late, his mouth full of cereal.
"Morning everyone," Ella replied, pulling out of Edward's arms and pouring herself a bowl of cereal.
"So what are the plans for today?" Esme asked kindly.
Ella swallowed her mouthful before answering, with a glance at the window. "I think you guys should go hunt. The rain has been heavy the past few days and this area is known for flooding. You'd better fill up just in case, 'cause wildlife is scarce here during floods. Better safe then sorry."
"I am not leaving you alone, Ella. I don't want anything to happen to you," Edward said sternly.
"I won't be alone, Edward. Jacob and Bella will be here and he can look after us," Ella reasoned. "We'll be fine. So go."
"Fine," Edward reluctantly conceded. "But if anything should happen to you, I will kill the mutt."
"What was that, bloodsucker?" Jacob exclaimed. "Why I ought to..."
"Edward! What can possibly happen to me in a guarded castle while I am under the protecting of a werewolf?" Ella asked.
"Nothing, I suppose..." Edward shamefully replied.
The Cullens walked out the door to hunt. Ella, Bella, and Jacob finished their food and moved into the game room. After and hour and several video games, Bella, Jacob and Ella moved on to the movie theater.
"So what movie do you wanna watch?" Ella asked.
"Something scary," Jacob demanded.
"How about An American Haunting?" Ella suggested.
"Perfect!" Jacob replied approvingly.
"It's all right with me," Bella nonchalantly replied, thinking of the chance to be romantic with Jacob during the scary parts.
"An American Haunting it is!" Ella declared excitedly.
Part way through the movie, Bella and Jacob started outrageously flirting, ending in a popcorn fight.
"Hey, quit it!" Ella scolded, grabbing Jacob's arm to stop him from throwing more popcorn.
"Hey! What the hell? Why'd you stop us?" Jacob whined.
"Because I don't want you making a mess of my house, especially since we will have to clean it ourselves," Ella scolded further.
"But I thought you had servants..." Jacob complained in response.
"Yes, but they're people too. Today is their day off, so we have to clean up after ourselves," Ella explained.
Jacob's face fell. "Oh. Sorry about that..." he sincerely apologized.
"It's okay. I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back," Ella informed them as she got up and left the room.
She was only gone for ten minutes when a scream echoed through the castle.
"Ella!" Jacob and Bella simultaneously shouted as a way of explanation. They instantly jumped up and raced out of the room. Both frantically raced through the house, opening doors, hoping that Ella was behind one of them, waiting to say, "I gotcha!"
They checked all of the bathrooms and anywhere they could think of that Ella could be.
"Where can she be? !" Bella said frantically.
"I don't know!" replied an equally frantic Jacob.
"You don't think she was kidnapped by a ghost, do you?" Bella asked in a fearful tone.
"Of course not! That's just the movie getting to you. She probably fell down and hit her head, successfully knocking herself out. I bet we'll find her if we just keep searching," Jacob said, trying to reassure Bella — and himself.
They continued to search till they heard a noise in the entryway. They rushed to the stairs as the Cullens entered through the front door. The lights were off.
The Cullens started to investigate what was going on when a flash of lighting illuminated the room to reveal a dark figure hanging from the ceiling. Carlisle reached over and flipped the switch, causing the lights to come to life.
Silence fell as everyone stared in shock at Ella's body swung from the chandelier, a noose around her neck. Her body: lifeless. Lightning flashed again and the power went out, throwing everything into complete darkness.
A scream wretched itself from Rosalie's throat.
"No! Ella!" she screamed before breaking down into hysterics. Emmett pulled her into his arms as she buried her face into his chest.
Alice stared in shock, stuttering, "But how, I , vision, gone, I didn't see, how's that possible, why couldn't I see," as her body filled with grief that she didn't see this happen. Jasper futilely tried to consol his wife and take away her overwhelming guilt.
Bella and Jacob continued to stand at the top of the staircase, both blaming themselves for ever letting Ella out of their sight, wondering what they were going to tell Edward.
Edward continued to stare at the no longer visible body of his fiancé, his body numb with shock, refusing to believe his Ella was dead.
She can't be dead. She's waiting in our bedroom, waiting to welcome me home and tell me how she couldn't wait for our wedding, he thought to himself. As soon as those words floated through his mind, he instantly knew they were false, but he foolishly ignored his gut and convinced himself that Ella was still alive, waiting for him to rescue her.
They stood like that for hours, till the horizon outside the large bay windows slowly lit up in shades of purple, pink and orange. Slowly the room lit up to show an empty room with the Cullens still standing in the doorway and Jacob and Bella still at the top of the stairs.
An empty noose swung from the chandelier. Ella's body was no were to be found.
This is when Edward decided that he was going to find Ella. If she was alive, he would continue to devote himself to her, and if she wasn't, he would avenge her death before causing his own.