Book 3 : Julia

Tracking

As Bella fell asleep, I slowly got up. My feet touched the floor lightly, just enough to move and light enough not to wake the now sleeping girl. I'd just told her things I probably shouldn't, I came here for no reason and now she knew about me. I sighed, knowing Edward would never truly forgive me, and that more fights between us were sure to come.

I went to Bella and was careful not to touch her skin as I moved her hair to reveal her one open ear.

"You wont remember this, none of this ever happened. Courtney Clark never moved here and was never your friend. Julia did not come to you to help you out. Edward left you and you must keep yourself safe for his return." I repeated, brainwashing the girl so she couldn't remember.

It didn't matter anyways, Edward was still going to find out. I knew I was going to tell him, one way or another, my mouth would blurt it out and he'd never forgive me. Our relationship would finally be lost forever. But this way made it easier for her, not that it was easy for her in the first place.

When she sighed and began to toss and turn, I knew my plan had worked and I made my way out the window, leaving Bella in her bed, having nightmares of something that should have never happened.

My feet moved slower as the rain picked up on the way back home. A part of me didn't want to leave. I'd just been welcome back home, it finally felt right, and now I had to leave. It was unfair, but Edward needed me. He couldn't track whoever it was he was trying to find. The one who was putting Bella in danger.

Victoria…or himself.

I picked up pace and the rain drops broke on my skin like glass pellets on a marble floor. Perfection ruined by one fall up, one trip.

It was almost dawn by the time I got back to the house. I first ordered plane tickets. The plane left in 3 hours.

My room sat in the same way it always had, dust slowly accumulating on everything. I stopped in front of the pictures that hung on the wall. I didn't look right with him, I finally saw it now. Edward didn't need someone like me by him, he really needed her. She would make him stronger, she would make him whole. Edward and I were too much alike to be in love. Our frustrations angered us too much and caused us to argue, we always had to be right. We were lonely even when together, both of us not loving each other the way everyone else did. Both envy of the love everyone else had but we just couldn't seem to obtain.

I walked to my closet and grabbed a backpack. My clothing hung neatly around on three walls, one left open to a mirror which I used to use constantly. When we first moved here, I refused to go to school. It seemed like a waste of time and Esme would be lonely everyday. No one bothered to argue with me, knowing I wouldn't give in. I would sit on the floor and look at myself everyday, remembering the past, noticing how I hadn't changed in almost eighty years. Imagining what I would look like if I were eighty years old. Would I be old and wrinkled? Ugly and tarnished? Not able to stand, force to a chair because gravity was to heavy for my frail legs? Would I still have a childish glow, or would I be grown up and beautiful? I would always come to the conclusion that if I wasn't unable to grow and survive, I would be dead.

I looked at my reflection now. The chandelier's light reflect perfectly on my ice skin and sent my body a glow. Jewels. I chuckled under my breath and slightly shook my head. Alice seemed so far away right now, everyone did. I was still alone just like I'd been for the past year.

A white blotch caught my eyes as I was watching my reflection. I hadn't noticed the paper until now, but I knew it had to be here the whole time. My hand reached for it and it slightly crinkled from my grasp. I sat down as I read it, terrified that my marble legs might crumble underneath me.

It was Edward's script, eloquently reminding me of my goodbye. The bitter taste of sorrow sat in my mouth and caused me to touch my undead heart, to make sure it was still there.

Along with the goodbyes, the song…our piano piece was jotted down and under the notes rested:

I missed you too.

I flipped the paper over and recognized the letter I'd written him in Maine, before he came to ask for help with Bella. Help to control himself. My hand released the paper and it dropped next to me on the floor. I looked at my reflection now, and it was ugly. This would be how I would look if I were able to live. Sick, alone, sad, terrified, and wrong, oh so wrong.

I called a cab and told them to hurry for an extra tip.

I forced my body up and started to grab clothes, not caring what they looked like, just as long as there were enough to fill the bag. Stripping down, I grabbed some other clothes that would have better endurance for hunting. I twisted my hair into a ponytail and put on shoes and dashed down the stairs. I opened a drawer in the kitchen and got money and a credit card. I then grab my phone and dialed 2 .

"Julia?" he answered, sound terrified like he had earlier.

"Hey, Edward." I replied as I climbed into cab that had just pulled up. I put the phone to my chest and said "the airport" then brought the phone back to my ear and mouth. "I'm on my way, I already ordered my plane ticket and I'll be out there in at least 12 hours."

"You're going to help me." brightness slightly touched his voice.

"Naturally." I smiled and my small body seemed to warm. "I'll tell you when I arrive. Okay?"

"Yes, and Julia, be safe…I need you."

"I know. Bye." I hung up and saw the taxi driver eyeing me, no doubt wondering what a girl my age was doing going to the airport without her parents and having a conversation like that, even though the conversation wouldn't make sense if you didn't know the pretense behind it.

The cab passed the school and the parking lot was empty, today was Saturday. There was no doubt in my mind that Bella was already awake, afraid to try and go back to sleep. Doing some pointless thing just to keep her mind off of him. I wondered why she didn't just leave? There had to be a better place. Like away from the dark and wet town. Here, where every turn only brought painful memories.

~*

As I sat on the plane, I watched the people get on. First class was pretty much empty beside a couple which sat, conversing together. They were cute together, their bodies fitting together like two piece of a puzzle. Many families were getting on and they all had their own way of forcing me to remember of the Cullen Coven. How we all worked together and had our own unique qualities.

I took a deep breath and pretended to sleep the whole way there.

~*

"Edward, I'm on my way." I told him as he picked up the phone.

As soon as I was far enough away from human eyes to run, I did. My body flew past trees the sun shown and glittered of my skin. I was bright and fast, covered by dense shades of green and brown and when my eyes closed and flurry of color ranged around me. Every color had more then one shade, but I was able to spot Edward's perfectly. His voice rung out to me. He was still frantic, but getting slightly better knowing help was on the way. I wanted to see him, to help him in anyway possible. To help him go back to her. To make things right, anything.

I stopped a few feet away from him and he turned around and looked at me, relief only a spec of dirt on his face.

"Edward?" I questioned tilting my head to the side. It couldn't possibly be him. Edward was charming, Edward was beautiful, Edward was an angel. But here, now, he looked horrible, dead, and scary. His eyes were as black as the night sky. They reflected my confused face and showed no emotion from him. His hair was tangled and nomadic looking, holding broken leaves and twisting around small twigs within it. His body looked as though it were shaking like a child having a nervous spasm. He looked at me like he was about to ask a question, or break apart into small pieces at my feet.

I placed my hands of his arms to hold him together. I brought one hand to his face and looked at his brutal black eyes. "Edward, are you okay? It's going to be fine, calm down, I'm here, it'll be alright." my voice tried to comfort him, but it was shaking as well. The instability of it gave false hopes and a rocky floor to rest upon.

He shook his head back and forth under my hand. His hair flew drops of water onto my face. I looked around, I hadn't noticed the rain. The rain would make everything so much more difficult. The colors were going to blur together, it would be hard to spot one specific color. I stopped thinking of it, and began to know I could do it.

We could do it.

"Edward, we'll find her. Well make Bella safe. You can go back to her."

He shook his head again and grabbed my hand. He brought it down and held it in his. "I can never go back." he whispered.

"You cant talk like that…She needs you." I smiled and looked up at his downward face. It was so hard to look at, I didn't know this Edward. "I need to see her color Edward, before it washes away. You have to show me were her scent is." I told him, my voice becoming stronger.

His head nodded and he lead me to a tree. The tree was green and brown and red and had little colors that I knew belonged to insects. I touched the red and looked harder at the color. It was vibrant and horrifying, it was also disappearing faster then Edward stability.

"I've got it." I told him. "Do you have her scent?" he replied by nodding again, but not saying a word.

"Lets go." I started off into the woods, running slightly faster then him, following the thin red line which would hopefully lead me to the woman. To Edward's nightmare.

The trail weaved in and out of trees, up and down branches. Sometimes breaking out into two paths. She was tricking Edward, she was the reason behind his trembling. She was the reason he need me.

She was good.

I stopped at the first fork and Edward stopped at my side grabbing and shaking his head. It was hard to make out but his head and thoughts, which were jumbled beyond any mess in the world, told me she's been doing this, wasting my time, driving me crazy. I've never felt weaker in my life.

I sighed and looked deeper at the colors. One of the reds were slightly brighter, from what I could tell, and wasn't blurred, it was still extremely hard to see.

"Edward. Is this side stronger in scent?" I asked pointing to our right.

"Yes." his voice got brighter as he took in my thoughts.

We jolted again and continued the race again. The rain only picked up and the trail continued to get harder to follow. We traced it for ten days straight. Not stopping and no slowing down. I never thought I could be tired. My eyes felt as though they were going to melt out of my sockets. My body slowed and I took a deep breath, opening my eyes and letting the air hit them. It stung and the rain didn't help the way it needed too. It only provided a little soothing until it was replaced with venom.

"Julia!" Edward's voice yelled to me.

"Coming!" I race again, closing my eyes and following the trail again.

I probably wouldn't have mind it much, hunting with Edward was always fun, but tracking was different. Our hunting trips were fun, we would race to see who would catch the doe first or who would have better luck of killing the mountain lion and not getting to messed up. But, like I said, this was different. We didn't talk, we didn't joke, there was no fun. Only running and well tracking. Edward didn't have me on the mind. Only Bella and Victoria. I guess it didn't really matter, it didn't bother me too much.

That was a lie. It bothered me way too much, more then it should have. Why was I so self centered. He doesn't love you. He never will. I opened my eyes to see him staring at me.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Don't you have more important things to focus on?" he asked bitterly.

I took a breath in. I felt like a school girl getting dumped for the first time. But I kept following him, not trying to think of how my heart was getting torn to shreds little by little. It didn't matter. Not at the moment. I'd promised myself I would try as hard as I could to keep Bella safe for him. I did have something more important to focus on.

We continued and the days flew by and at the end of the month, it was clear we couldn't catch her.

"Edward." I stopped, placing my hand on the tree next to me. "I cant see her color…and I know you cant smell her. We both know its impossible to find her now."

"Keep going!" Edward said, but he was stopped too and he also knew we couldn't find her. "We have to try."

"Edward we've been following nothing for the past week! We're wasting our time!" I yelled at his persistence. I didn't want this kind of time with Edward. I wanted to have the good old times we used to have.

"Julia! We don't have time for what you want. We have to find Victoria! If we don't catch her now she'll kill Bella!"

"SHE'S NOT EVEN IN THE UNITED STATES EDWARD! WE'RE IN SOUTH AMERICA! BESIDES HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IF SHE WENT TO BELLA?! SHE'S TOO FAR AWAY FOR YOU TO HEAR HER THOUGHTS AND YOU ARENT EVEN TRYING TO PROTECT BELLA!" I shouted, frustrated with him, fed up with the waste of time.

"EXCUSE ME?! WHY DO YOU THINK I LEFT?! I LEFT TO PROTECT HER! I LEFT FOR A GOOD REASON UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE I KNOW!"

Our bodies were now crouched, like prepare to fight crouched. A real fight. A mean one, one too the death. I shook my head and straightened up.

"You aren't doing any good here Edward. The girl misses you, so much. She needs you. You think just staying away and hiding things under floor boards is just going to make her forget about you? Everything she looks at brings her more memories, every night is filled with nightmares that you aren't coming back, that she'll truly never see you again. Don't let that nightmare become reality. Don't do the same mistake that I did." I begged him. The realized that I'd slipped up. I filled my lungs up with unneeded air and prepared for my reprimand, I was two again.

"You went to her house?" he growled and looked deeper into my thoughts. "You talked to her?!" he was getting angrier. "You became her friend?! YOU WENT TO HER WHEN I TOLD YOU NOT TO?! JULIA! HOW COULD YOU?!"

"She needed something!" I tried to stick up for myself, but knew I couldn't. I knew I went against his word. "You hate me don't you?" I whispered.

"No, I don't hate you. But right now, I don't ever want to see you again."

"What?" my head shot to him and my now black eyes looked at the back of his head. "But, I just, I just got you back. We were supposed to go back as a family. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. We were going to go back to Forks with Alice and Carlisle and everyone else and we were supposed to be happy. You were supposed to go back to Bella."

"Yeah, well the last time I tried to take you back with me, you said no, so think of it as me returning the favor." his tone was bitter and his body started to move away.

"Edward! Please…don't leave. If you don't come back, I wont be able to help you." I started shaking my head and I dropped to my knees letting every barrier, every fear go. The most important one, him going to Volettra and me watching, not being able to do nothing.

My arms held my back and shoulders up like table legs. "If you go to the Volturi, I wont be able to do anything."

"And that too is my fault." he then started into a run.

I couldn't look at him. It wasn't possible.

Hours which felt only like minutes passed and I curled into a small ball watching and feeling the rain cover and soak my body. My body ached, I was tried. The ground feet in front of my sounded an intruder.

I twisted up and looked over, my hair falling to the side of my face. "Edward?" I question, my vision still thrown off from the month of not truly seeing.

"Wrong answer." A woman's voice purred.

"No…" I whispered and then quickly jolted up, she was faster at the moment. Her hand covered my mouth and held me against a tree.

"Aren't you a cute thing?" she questioned as her head tilted to the side. "Now why would the fool choose the human over you."

My foot kicked her away from me and I lurched my body forward to attack but she moved and when I went to quickly turn around, the wet ground caused me to stumble.

"You wont hurt me." she smiled.

"Really?" I yelled to her. "How about you tell me why that is?"

"Because I give you a connection to Edward. The poor boy will need you to help kill me, and you cant let that chance to get back on his good side go away."

"If I kill you now he wont have to worry about that now will he?" I asked, now thinking of how right she was.

"You can possibly hope of defeating me right now, you're tried, even a vampire can survive a month without blood and still be as strong as they need to be. You see I've been feeding myself and getting the proper nutrients. Human blood is so much more filling and strengthening then you're little deer blood.

She was right. I was hungry and that made me weak. I was tired and that was a bad thing. I couldn't possibly help to defeat her right now, I could most likely only give her small scratch.

"You better get away fast." I growled. "I run a lot faster then you."

"You wont follow me anyways." she smirked and jolted off.

I'd failed.

Again.