Poco a Poco Chapter 9
-Lianna-
I ignored the fear, ignored the common sense and let my anger and hate slowly build as I refused to answer. This woman, this thing had murdered my family, my life, my sanity. I had nightmares of her every night. At this point, I would rather die then succumb. "Os harè màs dolor que tù puedes comprender." Maria said almost lovingly, and Edward snarled, trying to get up. (I will cause you more pain than you can comprehend.)
Maria came over and unbuttoned the first three buttons of my pajama top so that my stomach was exposed, and in the cool morning air, it made me want to shiver. Suddenly, she had a knife that farmer use to cut wool off their sheep, the wickedly long blade glinting ominously. Slowly, she put the tip in my belly button, and then slowly started to push; going slower than any human could try to go. The blade passed through my skin and started to go deeper and deeper, pain making my face screw up and my body tense. Warm blood pooled up and across my stomach, rolling down the sides.
"Hmmm…brave soul. Last human I did that to was screaming." Maria said indifferently, licking the knife. All the vampires holding Edward had frozen, but were staying still. "But…where is Jasper Whitlock?" She snarled, and drove the palm of her hand into my shoulder, and it dislocated and broke with a large snapping noise, making me gasp loudly.
-Alice-
By the way, Alice's vision is only a few seconds ahead of what I wrote above.
"But…where is Jasper Whitlock?" A Mexican voice snarled and the vampire that had to be Maria suddenly spun and drove her hand into Lianna's shoulder, and she gasped as it snapped. There was blood still running off her stomach, and 4 vampires in a corner where wrestling to keep Edward still. Lianna let her head drop as she forced herself to stay silent, gasping silently inbetween gritting her teeth. Then she lifted her head and glared at Maria, then laid it back down. "So be it. You will tell me." Maria's eyes were flashing a sinister red as she walked down to her foot, took a knife, and shoved it straight through her arch into her foot. She screamed and Edward roared-
"ALICE!" Jasper's shout made me jump and snap back to the present. He looked worried, like he always did when I had a particularly long vision. I was horrified; Maria was near, and Lianna, Lianna was in danger-
"We-we have to go. Now." I stressed, standing up too quickly and wobbling.
"Alice, what's happening, what's wrong?" Carlisle asked calmly, and then I noticed the whole family standing around in a half moon in front of the couch.
"It's Maria. She'll find Edward and Lianna, but she's going to," I paled at the thought as it rang through my head again, the snarled question, Lianna's pure scream of pain, and Edward's furious roar, "She's going to ask Lianna where Jasper is. She's going to use force." My voice, which had been high, rushed and panicked before, dropped to a human whisper as I finished my sentence. Esme gasped.
"Where, did you see where?" Carlisle asked, sounding strained as another vision of the same predicament played in my head without me actually viewing it, but I knew that I must be only a few seconds ahead in the future, because Lianna was still resisting, even though tears were streaking down her cheeks from the pain-
"A barn, with whitewashed planks on the inside, hay bales are everywhere, and there's a table," I swallowed, not wanting to finish my sentence. Jasper took my hand, kept me on pace as everyone bolted for the door. "She's being so brave." I whispered, and Jasper shot me a frightened glance.
-Lianna-
The scream only died when I ran out of air. It felt like my whole foot was cramping inward on it's self, like a foot Charley Horse from hell, but much, much worse. I could still hear Edward shouting and roaring in his fight to get free, and I felt tears racing down my face as I slowly started to breathe easier. Maria smiled at me, then slowly started to wiggle the knife out, making me cry out repeatedly as she went to far one way or another. Finally she pulled the knife out all the way and licked it again.
"Lianna…where is Jasper Whitlock?" She asked innocently as Edward snarled and twisted in the four vampires grasp. All of them were watching the torture with mild expressions, although they looked very thirsty. She gave me a moment as I panted for breath, and then lifted my head again. My body was trembling, my nerves felt like they were on fire, but Edward and his family had showed me nothing but kindness, and I knew that Maria was the reason why Jasper was turned in the first place, and he hates her for it.
Maria snarled and drove her elbow into my hurt shoulder, but I forced myself to not make a sound, even when I felt the shards move deeper into the muscle. Before I could blink, she was down by my feet, and then I felt the knife pass through again, making a new hole, and I shrieked in pain as she pushed harder and harder, until with a sick squelch, it the tip came through the top of my foot. Maria pulled the knife quickly this time when I closed my eyes as my sore body wanted to shut down. "No, Lianna! Stay with me!" I heard Edward shout, and then more furious hissing and scrabbling to control him sounded from the corner.
A cold hand grabbed my chin, and I opened my eyes, and managed to still glare at Maria. "I've run out of patience, my dear. This is your last chance, or I'll have to bite you."
"NO!" Edward roared, and there was a screech and a snap, then the corner was silent. I forced myself to stare deep into Maria's swirling red eyes, I knew that she wouldn't be able to stop when she bit me, and I would die. I didn't want to leave Edward in this way, but his family had been so kind and willing to help me, that I wanted to give them some protection. I knew that Edward would keep Jasper's location a secret too, he'd die rather than tell Maria after she had just killed me in front of him. I didn't care if the family was on the way or not. Maria slowly undid the leather and lifted my wrist, flipped my hand to expose my wrist.
"You would have been great in my army. It's a shame I'm going to drain you." She sniffed my wrist delicately, and then picked a spot. She lifted her head to smile at a desperate Edward, who currently had a vampire on either side, ready to bite off his head. I gasped as suddenly her teeth were in my flesh, and the strange sucking and tugging sensation around her lips was nothing compared to the hot flash of pain that came with her venom. The roof of the barn seemed to swim in front of my eyes as I felt her swap my blood for her venom, killing me.
As it started to hurt more and more, my body trembled, and my breathing was in small short gasps. The venom entered my lungs and couldn't help but vocalize the pain. Every breath seared my throat. I forced my head to move to look at the last thing I wanted to see, Edward. His eyes were burning with anguish, and I blinked slowly. In that moment, there was a loud crash, and I felt Maria's teeth rip out of my skin, and my arm fall and dangle limply off the table as vampires were suddenly fighting everywhere. My eyes closed from the pain and exhaustion I had tried so hard to ignore.
I felt cool hands flying across the leather, and it vanished. "Lianna? Lianna, can you hear me?" Carlisle's voice was border lining on panicked. A furious roar broke through the din of the fighting, and there was a loud crash, then silence.
"Oh god," I heard Alice breathe, and then cool hands were shaking me, trying to get a response. I knew I looked dead, and that's because I probably would be in a few minutes.
"Lianna, Lianna!?" Edward sounded beside himself. "Come on, Lianna, you're alright, fight it!"
"Edward, listen to me. If Lianna's going to live, you need to suck out the venom. It's killing her. It's that, or change her." Carlisle said firmly.
"I can't do either, I can't." Edward sounded desperate, and his voice was tormented.
"She'll die without either, but you will have to stop precisely. If you take too much blood, considering she's lost so much, she'll certainly die."
"Do it, Edward. If you go too far, we can try to change her." I heard Alice say. Edward said nothing, but a hand gently picked up my hand, reversing the slow stream of blood that had been running down my hand and fingertips to make a long line go down my shirt sleeve. I could feel his indecision, and he hesitated. In that moment, the combined venom from her bite and the venom from the knife combined and pushed heavily through my blood stream, scraping at the edges, burning my nerves.
"Edward," I heard myself gasp after my groan of agony as the pain suddenly spiked, forcing me into speech. I didn't even recognize my own voice, it was clear and musical. I heard someone gasp, and quiet mutterings started, making my head spin. Edward still hadn't done anything, his grip frozen around my wrist. "Edward, Edward, it-" I lurched, my eyes snapping open, to see Edward looking over my wrist in shock as the pain pushed again.
"Lianna?" He whispered, dropping my hand and reaching for me, cradled my face as I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth to keep from screaming. My eyes fluttered open unwillingly as I heard his voice deepen and slow, calling me frantically. The world was turning black when I opened my eyes. Edward was looking horrified and desperate, but seeing his face made the largest smile in 7 years stretch over my face tiredly.
"I-" Sheer pain made me close my eyes, stopped my speech, and sent me down a dizzying black void. I heard a voice shout, and then the last thing I felt was a new set of teeth entering my skin.