Chapter six

Honesty

"Yes, Anne, I see why you want that. But we can't charge into Volterra, grab your friends, and run out again. We need a plan, a hunting party and defence. Bella can only protect those in a few miles radius. We are trying our best." Edward assured me, and started to walk out. It seemed, after four days, that he had forgiven me, for my sake or Bella's, I didn't know. It was so uncomfortable, knowing he was listening to every thought that went through my head. He put it down to my longing for Oscar. Bella wasn't even bothered by the fact that I loved him – marriage proved that I couldn't have him. I only had myself to blame, I guess. I tried to lie down comfortably and think out my options, but all I could think about was Will, Edward and Oscar. It confused me. Only two months or so ago I had nothing, nothing at all – and now I had too much, way too much. I love you, Edward. I know you love me, too. He froze in my doorway. I held my breath. I hated it when I let...well made my thoughts go out of control like that.

"No, Anne. Don't say that." He whispered. He turned to look at me. "Your emotions are mixed up." His face was strained. He seemed more focused on convincing himself than me.

I pressed my lips together. "No, Edward. My love for Oscar is only a small fraction of how I feel for you right now. How many times have I wished I was Bella? How many times have I thought of killing her for taking you for granted? You know you love me too. Admit it." He took a step into my room, and then whispered, pleading me. I saw the anger that flashed to his face when I mentioned killing Bella, but he was good at self-control.

"I don't love you, Anne. You don't love me, either. We are just friends. If you won't believe that, then I will stay away. Don't hurt us both like this." And then he vanished. I sat on my bed, thinking about what I had just done. Bella didn't deserve this, and judging by the way her and Edward acted around each other, it looked like they both deserved each other. I stared unseeingly at the blank white ceiling, my mind blank, almost like it was floating, free. I stared at the four walls around me, thinking...

A couple of hours later William arrived, looking cautious.

"Hey." He said, looking at me with concern.

"William." I croaked. He scanned me, searching for any obvious signs that I was injured or harmed. "I only hurt here." I whispered, placing a hand on my heart. It had stopped beating oh so many years ago, but it still managed to give me agony every single day for the last 24 years.

"What's wrong? Has something happened?" He asked urgently.

"Yes...we need to leave. It's not worth all this just to find them both dead." I turned away from him, folding my arms across my chest. That was my thoughts – I hadn't intended to say that out loud.

"It can't have been that bad, Anne. Everyone is acting like normal, maybe even celebrating." He said, imitating me when he said the last word. I glared at him coldly.

"Just because you can hold yourself together doesn't mean I can. Sure you can numb the pain, but I can't take much more of this. You can stay, but I'm leaving." I said dryly, making sure he knew I meant it. He stared at me with disbelief.

"You know this is our last chance, our only hope. You can't just throw their hospitality back in their faces!" He exclaimed, horror clear on his face as he realised I had made my decision.

"Just watch me, Will." I snapped. I ran downstairs, and spoke to Esme. "I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to leave. Thank you for your help, I'm sure William will stay with you. I have some urgent matters to attend to back home. Tell Will to call me if you find out anything." I whispered on the last part. I couldn't even look at her, so I ran back upstairs and started packing my bags.

"You can't do this to me...to us, Anne. We've got so many opportunities here; support, shelter, company and people who want to stop this as much as we do. You can't give up now." He looked like I'd just hurt him. I ignored Will, and when my bags were packed I decided to tell Bella how I felt. She would understand, hopefully. I'm sorry I left a mess like this behind for you to clean up. I hope you forgive me, Renesmee too. I will always remember you all, don't worry. William will help you more than me and I hope you all succeed. Good luck, Bella. With that I ran out of the house, and ran for all I was worth. I didn't stop, even when I heard Will shouting for me. The Cullens were all there, staring after me. I glanced back at Edward, his face smooth as he was holding Renesmee's hand and Bella's. I sighed. Goodbye, Forks.

As I was running, I thought of all the things I would be missing; my chance to save Oscar and Vivian (though I presumed they were already dead), William my only friend, and the safety and shelter of the Cullen household. I would feel just as safe with my clan; I've lived there for years. But I couldn't stop thinking of Forks as my home now. I forced myself to keep running, but I stopped suddenly as an awful smell entered the air – the werewolves. I tensed up, waiting for them to pounce out from the shadows and attack. I knew I was no match for them, skilled as I was. My clan always moved out the area of werewolves, so we had never had much trouble with them – I had always been told that they were dangerous and unpredictable. I waited for what seemed like hours, sniffing cautiously every five minutes. At least I would have an excuse for dying. I stiffened as I heard the werewolf approach. What I was not prepared for was all my different feelings at once.

One was fear, but it only lasted a second. The second was relief, like they weren't dangerous. The third was absolute shock. There were twelve of them. They were huge, and they walked in perfect synchronisation, like it was choreographed. They almost pranced toward me. I stood frozen still as they approached. One of them shook his head, like he was almost as shocked as I was. One of them lurched toward me, growling. I ran away, my eyes wide with fear. The other werewolves followed, and I started to panic. Then suddenly they all stopped, four of them holding the one that was chasing after me. I crouched, ready to pounce. Then I fell backwards, startled. They were disappearing. What was happening? I spent a few seconds concentrating, and I saw that they were running, one at a time, then coming back as...human. I recalled the memory of clothes of some sort in their mouths, on their backs. Then I recalled Edward's introduction to the guy that had walked in when I first arrived in Forks.

"There are werewolves – no, not Children of the Moon – around here most of the time. We have truces...sometimes." He had tensed, like he was angry about something. I frowned, trying to figure it out. Werewolves, he had said – but not Children of the Moon? They were the same thing – weren't they? When half of them were human, they looked questioningly at their obvious leader. He was tall, very tall with thick long hair. He was the alpha, and the first to speak.

"What...the...d'you think you're doing here?!" He demanded, almost shouting the words. He started shaking, but quickly controlled it. I gasped, trying to speak for myself.

"I-I'm leaving this-This area. I-I don't know an-any other wa-way." I gasped, still shocked. I stood up, hunched, scared.

"Great excuse kid." One snorted, glaring at me.

"You broke the treaty – at last. Finally we can have some fun around here." One grinned, also cold and glaring.

"Wait. What if the excuse is true? We can prove that she is one of them, but she might not know. Let's not do anything too hasty." The alpha said, trying to keep them back. The minute they were distracted, I ran. In an instant I was captured by five of the wolves, unable to move. I gave up then, showing defeat. They wrinkled their noses and looked at me with disgust. I started to struggle, throwing my arms back, throwing them through the forest. More wolves circled me, and I hissed and spat at them. They closed in on me, and I started to try and throw them away, one by one. They seemed to be multiplying until all twelve of the wolves were around me. The large one, the alpha, knocked me down and ran out, coming back as human. I was trapped.

"Well let's see what the other bloodsuckers have to say about this." The alpha said, getting out a cell phone. "Hey, Bells. We have a problem here. I think you know what." He said, saying the words slowly, but growling. He was trying to keep himself calm. "No, a few of you will be fine. Just pick her up and keep her away from here." He spat the last part, quivering as he said it. A few seconds later a car arrived, Bella and Emmett climbing out of the car. I was glad Edward wasn't here. Though he probably already knew about all of this, him being here would have made it just that bit harder. I looked around me, puzzled. What exactly had I done? It wasn't a crime to run away from a werewolf, or whatever they were – maybe cowardly to do so, but not a crime. Fighting in defence wasn't bad, either. I sighed as Bella run to the tree closest to the edge of the forest, waiting for something. As the wolves shoved me towards her, I realised she was waiting for me. What was wrong with getting me herself? Were the werewolves really that dangerous?

"Thanks, Jake." She whispered, looking at me with concern. I glared at her.

"Did you bring Nessie?" He asked, looking at the car eagerly.

"Sorry Jake, I didn't want her to see you like this. She may already understand, but it might frighten her all the same. I've got Emmett here if there's trouble. Thanks again." She said, glancing at him. What was their problem; Friends, but not even standing near each other? I struggled as the wolves shoved me out of the forest, and Emmett made his move. I found once again I was restrained, and I groaned. Why were they so desperate to capture me? I hissed and growled, and the wolves retreated, ready to jump in if necessary. I spat at them. Why didn't they see I just wanted to run? I knew it was useless, but I still struggled. Emmett shoved me into the car, ignoring my menacing hisses. Once they were both in the car, I gave up. Where were they taking me? I decided if they were taking me back home – I mean back to their prison, and then I would run for it. Surprisingly, the car headed away from their prison. I gave Bella a puzzled look as Emmett kept driving away. I didn't want Emmett to hear my fear, so I spoke to Bella silently. What the hell happened there?! I demanded.

"You crossed the line, Anne. We have a treaty. We forgot to tell you about that, since we break it most of the time." She whispered.

You forgot to tell me about it?! FORGOT?! I screamed at her. She flinched, like I was making her ears bleed. I wished that was the case.

"You were so locked up when you came with us; we didn't want to scare you more. We thought as long as you were with us, you would be safe. It turns out none of us thought to tell you when you left. We are truly sorry." She said earnestly. I glared at her.

"I just got almost mashed to pieces by some werewolves, and you're saying sorry?!" I screamed at her. "And anyway, why didn't they rip me to pieces when they had the chance?!"

"The alpha, Jake...Jacob, was a friend, a very good friend. It was...for old time's sake, I guess." She looked away. I glared at her, but curiousness was taking over my mad mood.

"You said friends...Werewolves and vampires...friends?!" I finally managed to splutter. She looked back at me, her eyes misted over, like she was remembering something from long ago. I stared back at her, waiting for my answer.

"Yes. We have made truces on occasions. The Quileute wolves have been very understanding at times..." She trailed off. Then she said in a much more soothing tone;

"I know there's no excuse for not telling you about our treaty, but we're taking you home safely. We didn't mean for it to come to this. William almost had a heart attack when he heard what happened. That's not the easiest thing to do to a vampire." She grinned. "We wanted to give you a gift for the future. Whatever happens, we'll be there." She said in a softer voice, handing me a dark blue silk box. I stared at it like an idiot. Emmett cleared his throat, chuckling.

"Which way do we go from here, Anne? Right or left?" He asked, staring at me through a mirror.

"Right, then keep going until you find a row of lilies and then turn right again." I whispered, leaving out the detail that all of the lilies were dead or wilting. I was absorbed by the box. I carefully lifted the lid, and it revealed a bracelet. It was made of tiny diamonds with silver edges, and in rubies the word "Cullens" Was on it. I stared at it for a long time, and then looked back at Bella.

"It matches your eyes, Alice told us." She grinned. It was silent for a long time, and then I threw my arms around her.

"Thank you." I choked out the words. She rubbed my back, a smile in her voice.

"You're very welcome. Take care of yourself for me, Anne. We won't hesitate to help you when you need it. Good luck." She hugged me and then opened the door for me. I stepped out, and took in my surroundings. I was home.