I have added on to this chapter like I had originally planned so this shouldn't be a cliffy. I think. To those who submitted the answer to last chapter's question, you were all right!!! YAY!!! BUT, only ONE of you won. The winner is…RisaAnise! Congrats and I'll be contacting you and asking you some questions.
He opened his arms wide and I ran into them, ignoring the panicked looks of the others.
"I've missed you Isabee," he murmured and I buried my face into his shoulder.
"I missed you too," I hesitated before saying his name. "Anthony."
My eyes flickered open to stare at the creamy white ceiling of my room. I lie there for an extra minute or two reliving yesterday's events and the one thing that was most unusual, but not completely surprising…
"Anthony."
"I've been searching for you since the accident. I even went to Aunt Renee's house to see if you were there," Anthony said as he hugged me.
"I thought you were dead," I choked. "Is anyone else…?"
He shook he head somberly. "Sorry Isabee; they didn't make it."
I sighed and started to pull away from him, but the sight of his red eyes made me flinch back in surprise.
"What?" I exclaimed. "You've killed humans? Why?"
"No." Anthony objected stonily. "Never. The reason my eyes are red is because I'm still a newborn and the human blood is still inside me. Besides, after being killed and brought back myself, then watching my twin and the rest of my life snatched away, I would never sentence anyone to that kind of pain. That, and being forced to stay with my creator has taken away any appetite I ever had and every will have for human blood."
I stiffened as his words sunk in. Forced to stay with the one that made him? That meant…
"James," I whispered and I heard a growl come from behind me.
"Congrats," a smooth voice accompanied by the blonde haired man I had only gotten a glimpse of earlier stepped into my sight. "I was hoping you would eventually realize who I was. But the game is not over yet my little necromancer. As a matter of fact, it just got better."
Necromancer? What's he talking about…Wait a minute. Suddenly, thoughts of my mother-who's DEAD by the way- talking to me at our kitchen table flashed through my mind. A necromancer has the ability to see and, if powerful enough, raise the dead at their will. But even if what James says is true and I am a necromancer, why would he want to kill me?
James spoke up as he read the question on my face. "So you don't know, do you? And neither, it seems, do your friends. Legend speaks of a girl betrayed by one close to her for power and looses everything because of it. This single creature will be the most powerful necromancer of all time and the coven that protects her will pay any price to keep her safe. That girl's blood is sacred and the essence of her power. She is you. Your blood is the most powerful in the world and I want the power it can give me."
Anthony growled. "I won't let you touch her!"
"James." A sharp voice interrupted. Laurent. "That's enough. The activities you did while you were alone have nothing to do with now. We'd best leave."
"That would be very much appreciated," Carlisle spoke up. As he talked, I jolted back to reality; I had forgotten about the Cullen's. And Edward.
We waited until James, Laurent and the woman walked away to move. Anthony and I turned simultaneously to face the Cullen's. They all seemed to agree on something because they didn't question Anthony's presence as we raced to the car. Edward, Alice, Jasper, Anthony, and I piled into the Jeep and Edward drove s out onto the street.
"We have to hide her Edward," Alice said grimly.
"I know," his voice was tight and he gripped the steering wheel tighter. "There has to be somewhere we can go that he'll never guess."
"Guys," I interrupted, getting an idea.
"It has to be somewhere he won't suspect we'd ever be. But who's going to go with her?" Edward continued.
"Jasper and I will go," Alice told him and Anthony started to protest.
"Guys," I repeated.
"Are you sure Jasper can handle that Alice?" Edward asked her, doubtful.
"Hey!" Jasper exclaimed defensively.
"But what about me!" Anthony cried. "I'm her brother!"
"And I'm her boyfriend. But as you can see, I', not going," Edward growled as he glared at Alice.
"GUYS!" I shouted and everybody shut up. "What about Uncle Charlie?" I turned to Anthony. "He was devastated when you all died. He didn't even attend the funeral he was so depressed. I can't just leave him without a word after all of that!"
"Fine," I heard Edward grind his teeth. :We'll make sure Esme and Rosalie keep after him. James is one of the most dangerous trackers I've crossed in all my years. He'll get you through any outlet he can."
"And then there's the matter of where to go," Jasper mused.
"I could go home," I said, finally revealing the other half of my thought.
"To New York?" Anthony's face screwed up.
"Yeah. I'll find some way to tell James I'm going back to New York. He'll know that we'll know that he's listening. He'll never believe I'm actually going where I say I'm going," I told them. The plan starting to sound more logical than it did in my head.
"I can see it already Edward; it'll work," Alice told him softly.
"Fine." Edward sighed, then his eyes flicked to Anthony. "But you have to remain under the radar at the moment. As far as everybody else is concerned, you're dead."
Anthony nodded stiffly. "I know."
Edward thought for a moment as he drove along and finally made a grunt of agreement.
"Good," Alice said with a satisfied smirk. "Besides, you knew I would win this."
"Yeah, so?" Edward mumbled.
Just then, the Jeep came to a sudden stop and everyone turned to look at me.
"I got this," I said with confidence I didn't feel. "I used to be an actress, remember?"
Edward came over to my side of the car, opened the door for me, and escorted me to the house. All the while his eyes scanned the yard for signs of James.
When we reached the front door, I looked down and my eyes filled with tears. "Get away from me," I whispered.
"What?" Edward sounded confused
My head snapped up and I shouted, "Get away from me, Edward! Don't ever bother me again!" I whirled around, opened the door, and slammed it shut in Edward's shocked face.
"Bells!" Charlie came rushing out from the living room at the sound of the door slamming. "What's going on?"
"I'm leaving; I can't do this!" I cried as I rushed up the stairs.
"What do you mean 'you're leaving'?" Charlie's concerned voice floated up the stairs and through the door as Edward (who'd figured out I was faking and came in through the window) and I frantically packed up some of my things.
"Just what you think it means! I'm leaving Forks and going back to Birmingham! I can't do this anymore. I can't pretend everything is okay and nothing happened like you can. I just can't!" I managed to get out through all the stuffing and throwing.
"Bells," Charlie's voice got quiet and I knew he was startled and hurt by my words. "You have to know that this has been hard for me too. I know we haven't spent much time together, but I can change."
"Go," Edward kissed my forehead. "I'll be in your Mert."
I opened my bedroom door and looked at Charlie, willing my inner most hateful side to come out. "No. that wont change things, no matter how hard you try. My life has fallen apart and you haven't helped pick up the pieces."
Charlie recoiled as if I had slapped him. I knew what I was saying was a lie-that Charlie was one of the only people who helped pick up the pieces after the accident-but I had to keep him safe at all costs.
"Bella, please." Charlie pleaded with me as I raced back down the stairs. "At least wait until the morning. We'll go together if you want."
I stopped and turned, hating myself for this. "Just let me go Charlie. You were never part of our family in the first place."
And with that, I slammed the door in his startled, tear-stained face.
"Charlie will hate me forever and a day when this is all over," I moaned from the passenger seat of my Mercedes as Edward pulled into the driveway at his house. This was the first thing I'd said the whole trip and Edward could feel my pain, even without Jasper.
"He'll forgive you," Edward murmured. "I can promise you."
We walked into the Cullen garage. I could hear them discussing how to lead James away from me while I was on my way to New York. Anthony was sitting in the corner and I went over to him. I put my head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around my waist. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only one, even if he was a vampire.
"We're going to make it through this Isabee," Anthony said as we watched the Cullens. "I promise."
I merely nodded, not wanting to ruin this moment. For all I knew, it could be our last and I wanted to cherish it.
Finally, Alice came over to me and said, "It's time to go."
I hugged Anthony and went over to Carlisle's black car. As I slid into the backseat, Edward leaned in and lowered his voice. "Don't worry Bella. Alice and Jasper are going to take car of you. This will be over before you know it."
"Okay," I said, voice dull.
Edward kissed me as his goodbye, but I felt his tension with every second.
"Be safe my heart and remember: I love you."
"Love you too."
Alice drove fast that night, talking to Jasper about something in low tones. I couldn't tell you what it was though. I tuned out everyone and everything except for my iPod. Slow, depressing music filled the speakers though the trip and I slept at random times. One of the last things I remember is seeing the door open and two strong arms reaching for me before the darkness pulled me back under.
A knock on the hotel room door startled me from my reminiscing. Alice.
"Hi," she said softly and closed the door behind her. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," I said and turned over to look at the hotel room's digital clock. "How long have I been out?"
"Almost twelve hours if you don't count the time in the car," she said. "Are you hungry? Cuz I ordered some room service."
I stretched and sat up. At the foot of the bed was a pair of black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt.
"Get dressed and I'll bring you your food." Alice smiled and got up to leave the room.
"Hey Alice. Do you think you could-,"
"Already done," Alice nodded her head towards the green bags on the floor and left the room.
Well, I thought as I got dressed. At least Alice went to the book store and got me some books so I won't be bored to death.
Two days.
That's how long i've been trapped in this hell hole. And after two days, we're checking out to meet Edward and Carlisle at the airport so Edward can "take me somewhere". In the mean time, the only good thing that happened was I finally got to read City of Glass, the last book in a series I had been reading. That and Alice had a vision. But I wouldn't say it was good. Basically, she had a vision of me dying in my old ballet studio. Because that's were I've always wanted to be killed by a murderous raving lunatic of a person: in a musty, crappy, old ballet studio. My toes ache at the thought of setting a foot inside.
Suddenly, my phone rang. I looked at the screen and saw the number for Renee's cell phone.
"Aunt Renee?" I answered tentatively.
"Izzy? Izzy! IZZY!!!" Her screams got louder as she went on. There was a click and then James came on the phone. I was shaking with fear from those three screams.
"Hello Isabella," James' smooth voice said. "Why didn't you tell me your aunt was such a hospitable person. She'll open the door for almost everyone."
"You let her got you creeper!" I demanded.
"Oh, no can do sweetheart. She's the vinegar. Now I need you to be a good fly and come to me."
"Where?" I asked without thinking, even though I already knew the answer.
"Your old ballet studio," James chuckled. "Meet me there today and don't bring any of the others or she'll suffer like the rest. But then again, I think you knew that."
He hung up without another word and I stood in the middle of the hotel suite, deciding. Nodding to myself, I decided to change clothes before Alice and Jasper came back from the checkout desk.
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and examined myself. I could see so much of my mother in my face, I almost cried. But I couldn't. Today was the ultimate acting experience and I couldn't let any emotions show. I mean, how do you lie to a vampire when they can hear your heart speed up when you do?
Alice knows. Well, she thinks she knows. She had a vision as soon as she stepped back into the hotel room. She thinks they aren't going to do their job right and James is going to come and snatch me from their grasps when they aren't looking. She's right, in a way. But I can't let him have Renee.
"Are you hungry?" jasper asked as we walked past the food places in the airport.
I nodded.
"Okay," Alice said as she glanced at her phone. "They should e landing in a couple of minutes, so I'll go and you stay here."
We both nodded this time and watched Alice walk away before moving. Jasper put his hand on the small of my back to guide me, but I stopped him.
"I've got to use the facilities first if you don't mind," I told him shyly.
Jasper barely stammered "Of course" before I whirled around and left him. When I got into the bathroom, I kept walking until I reached the other door. I shoved it open and came out on the other side of the airport. Perfect.
I broke into a run as I left the airport and barely managed to flag down a taxi. I told the driver the address of the studio and sat back, surprisingly calm, as thee taxi driver took me closer to my fate.
When we arrived, I paid the driver and stepped out, soaking in the image of the studio I had attended for years. I waited until the driver pulled away to go inside. I walked past the desk and into the room. It was dark and I could see the outline of my figure in the surrounding mirrors.
"Renee?" I said softly and the same screams I had heard on the phone assaulted me now, this time from a closet at the end of the room.
"Izzy? Izzy! IZZY!!!"
I ran to the other side of the room and ripped open the closet doors. A screen flashed an old home movie of me and my aunt as we played in the backyard of our house one summer. She hadn't wanted to climb the tree I made her climb and she wanted to get down. Mom had gotten the video camera to capture the moment of our aunt dangling from a tree and freaking out, barely ten feet off the ground.
My heart sank. It's all a trap, I thought.
I slowly turned around and stared at the air. "Alright James, I know it was a fluke now. You can come out."
James emerged from the empty space I had been staring at and smiled.
"I'm sorry. Did I fail to mention that I didn't actually have her in my possession?" he shrugged and raised his hands. "My bad."
I lowered my head and scolded myself for falling for his trick.
"But hey," James said, coming closer. "Now that you're here, the real party begins. Not only am I going to kill you and drink your blood to become the most powerful vampire in the world, I'm going to film it. Isn't that great?"
James stopped in front of me and held up a video camera that was already recording. "Smile."
I pushed past him and started running for the doorway. Stupid, I know, but I couldn't not try. I heard James growl and felt a gust of wind over my head. I twisted around just in time as James had slashed his hand were my head used to be. I landed on my feet, crouched down and ready to fight. Unfortunately, so did he.
"Aren't you afraid to fight me?" I asked, truly curious. "Even if you know how powerful I am?"
"No," James shook his head. "You're too untrained to be any real threat."
He leapt towards me and I ducked at the last second, having time to whip around and swipe his feet out from under him. My foot shot out and aimed for a kick in the face, but he grabbed it and threw me up in the air. I did a triple tuck and landed on the ground, barely having time to backflip before James reached me. The backflip got him under the jaw and sent him tumbling backwards.
"Not bad," he said as he felt the cracks on his face. "But not good enough."
His fist came up to punch me in the face (probably aiming to crack most of the bones in my face), but I blocked him. Again and again he struck, fast as lighting, and again I blocked him with my reflexes. Finally, I got a punch in and hit James in his stomach, causing him to double over. I then kneed him in his groin and took off. Or I tried to take off. James jumped back up and, using it like a knife, thrust his hand unto my right side, breaking several ribs. My Achilles heel, if you will.
I collapsed, all previous bravado gone. I could feel the blood seeping out of my body as I struggled to get up. I managed to crawl a foot before James broke my right leg. The pain shot through me, hot like a poker after it's been stuck in a fire. Still, the pain meant I was alive, so I tried to drag myself with just my arms. If I can draw this out a bit longer, the Cullens will have time to get here.
I saw James stoop down before me and I stopped, knowing what was coming before he did it. The snap in my arm was something I heard instead of felt it break.
"You were a worthy opponent," James chuckled humorlessly and patted my broken arm. "Maybe if you had trained properly…"
He trailed off when he looked at my face. I managed to grab onto his shirt and pull his face down to mine. "This isn't over. They will avenge me. I will come back, somehow, and kill you myself!"
James looked startled for a second at my sudden fury. Then he smiled and started to speak. The only thing was, I couldn't hear him. My vision started to cloud and the black sea loomed at the edges of my mind drawing me under. The last thing I remember were shadows bursting in the door, letting in the light.