Chapter 3

Jessica's POV

I couldn't find my voice as I watched in helpless horror the giant animal flying toward me. Mike's weak shove finally brought me back to reality, and the scream that had been building in my chest finally found its way out. He managed to put me out of the wolf's path, and I stumbled out of the way as he was thrown to the ground by the animal's giant form. I was sure that he was going to take a chunk out of us, or out of that woman that had been standing there only moments before.

But now, they were both gone. Next to me, Mike lay on the ground, unconscious and bleeding. I looked over to Bella, who was frozen in the middle of the clearing, her eyes wide. We stared at each for a few moments, though neither one of us said anything. I think we were both in shock.

"Bella?" a voice said from the edge of the clearing. Bella turned slowly in the direction of the voice, and choked back a sob when she saw who was there.

"Esme," she said, her voice full of relief. I realized then that the woman was Dr. Cullen's wife. Before I could even register than the woman had moved, she was next to Bella, who had started to collapse.

"Oh sweetheart," Mrs. Cullen said, holding Bella tightly so she didn't fall to the ground. "What on earth happened?"

"I don't know," Bella sobbed. "Edward said Jake was in the woods and so I came out to see him and there was a woman and Jessica and Mike were here and I've ruined everything," she babbled, her voice barely recognizable due to the hiccups that came every few seconds.

"Oh dear," Mrs. Cullen said, as she glanced at me and my fallen companion. "It will all be okay darling, just breathe. Edward is on his way. You are safe."

"I know I'm safe," Bella wailed into her future mother-in-laws shoulder. "But what have I done?"

I was entirely confused. She wasn't scared about the wolf or almost being killed (which I assumed, was the case). She was scared because of something else.

"We will figure it all out," she said as she stroked the girl's hair. "But now we need to get out of the woods. Can you walk with your friend back to the parking lot?"

Bella sniffed and pulled her face away from Mrs. Cullen's shoulder. "Wait," I said, finding my voice. "We can't just leave Mike here." Although part of me really didn't care at the moment.

"Of course not, honey," Mrs. Cullen said sweetly. "Don't you worry about it. Just go back with Bella. I will take care of him." I saw Bella glance at her anxiously.

"Are you sure you'll be okay Esme?" Bella asked anxiously. They both looked in Mike's direction, where a pool of blood had begun to form under his unmoving body.

"Yes, don't worry about me," Mrs. Cullen said, though I could sense something different in her voice. Fear? Anxiety? I wasn't entirely sure.

Bella paused hesitantly before walking in my direction. She looked back again at the small woman, worry etched onto her face. After a moment, however, she breathed out what sounded like a sigh. "Okay, Jess. Let's go."

I was all too willing to get out of there, so I led the way. We had only gone a few steps, however, before my urge to look back at Mike took hold. When I glanced over my shoulder, I was shocked at what I saw: Mrs. Cullen, a woman no bigger than Bella or myself, was carrying Mike with perfect ease. Or what looked like perfect ease. Her face showed serious strain, though her body indicated nothing of the sort. I frowned, but decided that I would rather get out of the forest before demanding an explanation.

The walk back to the parking lot took a lot less time than the trip into the forest. As soon as we set foot on the welcoming pavement, a familiar silver car squealed into the driveway. Following behind Edward's Volvo was a bright red BMW, and after that, a black Mercedes. Bella's pace quickened as she noticed the cars come into view, though I stopped where I was.

The engine of the silver car hadn't even died down before Edward was at Bella's side, her face between his worried hands. Alice was out soon after, though she paused as she got out of the car, a strange expression on her face. Everybody was moving so fast, I was starting to get a headache. One moment Rosalie was inside the car, and the next she was also at Bella's side. And I swear that I saw Emmett and Jasper in the cars, but two seconds later, they were nowhere to be seen.

I stayed silent as I watched the scene play out in front of me. Dr. Cullen had taken Mike from his wife's arms, and was already placing him gently in the back of his black Mercedes. Esme, who had been previously dresses in a light cardigan, now wore only a thin camisole, despite the fact that it was barely sixty degrees outside. Alice was no longer standing next to Edward's car, but was instead standing at the edge of the parking lot, looking directly into the blackness of the forest.

Nobody even noticed me standing there. I was frozen, unsure as to what I should do. I took an unsure step in Bella's direction, but was caught off guard by the piercing sound of a wolf's howl, which caused me to jump three feet in the air. I saw every look in the direction of the forest, and then back to Edward, as if he held the key to something.

"We need to go," he said, breaking the eerie silence that had come over the group. Alice turned around quickly, grabbing my arm without any explanation.

"Where are we going?" I asked she dragged me toward Rosalie's red car. Nobody spoke, they just moved silently, like ghosts, to wherever they knew they should be. I watched from the corner of my eye as Edward half dragged, half carried Bella to his own car. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen were already pulling away from the parking lot, with Mike in the back seat. Rosalie had also disappeared, just like Emmett and Jasper. "Wait," I said desperately, my throat dry. "Wait, where are we going?"

Alice looked at me, concern etched across her perfect, pixie-like features. "I'm taking you back to our place. I promise, I will explain everything later. Just trust me."

Her eyes bore into mine. I did trust her, though I had a strange feeling that I shouldn't.