"What do you think they want?" I asked Edward, trying to stay calm.
"I think they want some answers," Alice answered me instead. "They aren't necessarily angry at Edward for killing a human, so to speak. They just want to know why it ended up in the newspaper."
"But he didn't kill anybody!" I protested, unwilling to imagine what they would do to him for a punishment. Edward had only told me about the Volturi, but what he said was enough for me to fear them. They were going to justify whatever they thought Edward did wrong.
"Don't worry about me, Bella. I'm more worried about you." Edward kept a straight face, as usual. I wondered how he could avoid his danger so easily.
"Me?" I whispered in a hoarse voice, trying to see his reasoning to back up his statement. "I don't get you, Edward Cullen," I muttered, scowling at him. I wasn't in the best of moods.
"Don't be angry with me, Bella. But can you imagine what they would want to do if they realized your full potential? They would take you away from us and use you for their own selfish benefit." I could finally hear the anger in his voice; the reaction I was expecting in the beginning.
I finally realized the horror in what was going on. They would most likely kill Edward for being inconspicuous, and they would force me to work for them against my will, so I could help them gain more power with my manipulation. Could they manipulate me to manipulate? I panicked and realized my hands were curled into fists and had made a dent in the steel table the Cullen's all sat around.
Edward seemed oblivious to the damage I had caused on their furniture and continued, "The worst thing they could do to me was take you away. I'd rather them kill you. Bella, when they arrive, you must promise me you will not say a thing in your mind. Don't let them even get a hint of your talent. I don't want to take any chances; I don't know what they're capable of." The anxiety in his tone traumatized me. He was usually more controlled than this.
"Edward, what if I tell them in my mind to leave us the hell alone?" I hated seeing distress on his gorgeous face. It made me feel like there was no hope for the rest of us.
"You can't do that Bella. When you first tried your power on me, I noticed right away that I was forced to do something I didn't want to do. Even if you tell them to back off, they'll find a way to enforce their law. You'll only increase their spark of increase on this dim subject…"
Edward was right. If I was going to do something like that, I might as well have kissed my luck goodbye. They would only see that as more of a reason to barge in. But what were we supposed to do?
"We can maybe hide her," Esme suggested, looking a little frantic herself.
"Or just give her to the Volturi as a distraction," Rosalie suggested gruffly. She was still very bitter towards me. I was the reason that their life was so chaotic at the moment. I didn't blame her. Edward didn't seem to be thinking the same thing as he snarled in her direction.
"We will not give her to the Volturi. That is not an option." He made his decision and nobody was going to change his mind.
"How would we hide her?" Jasper asked, ignoring the small quarrelsome glances being exchanged among the two. "Don't you think the Volturi would know?"
"I don't know, but we can try," replied Edward. His voice sounded resigned, and it made me feel uneasy. What was wrong with me for bringing everyone into this mess? I should have never even moved to Forks in the first place.
You don't think that, I told myself. You wouldn't trade Edward for anything.
"How much time do we have?" Carlisle piped in, looking intently at Alice. Her face looked blank as she fished for answers.
"I'm not sure. Not much. Maybe an hour, two at the most."
"Let's move, now. Edward, you have to stay here. You are what they want right now. Bella and I will go somewhere safe. You can count on that," Carlisle decided eagerly.
"No," Alice stopped him, putting her hand up. "I would be better to go with her. That way we will know if the plan went haywire, or if we need to find a different hiding place." Carlisle only nodded at her words.
"Do you know where to go, then?"
"Of course. It's not hard to find. Unless you have never been there before." Alice smiled at some inside joke. I had no idea what any of them were talking about.
"This is all nuts!" I exclaimed angrily. "Surely you don't think this will work."
"Bella, trust us. This is better than any other plan. You'll be fine." I really wanted to believe Edward's words. They were somewhat comforting, but I still felt nauseous about the whole idea. So many things could go wrong. My lips curled out into a pout. I might go along with it, but I don't have to like it, I thought to myself.
Alice grabbed my wrist and pulled me through a set of doors across from us. Edward followed behind, most likely to say goodbye to us before we left. This wasn't the way out though. Why were we going farther in the building? Did Alice forget something and was only going back to retrieve it?
I heard Edward clearing his throat deliberately and I noticed we had stopped. Alice pushed a painting of Paris aside, and it uncovered a large hole, with darkness emerging from it. The cold damp air that I felt while I looked through the dark tunnel sent shivers down my spine. What was going on?
I turned around and stared quizzically into Edward's golden eyes. Where are we going, Edward?
"You and Alice are taking this escape tunnel to a hideaway place that Carlisle built centuries ago. Don't worry, you'll be fine. As long as we keep the Volturi from coming in this room, everything shall run smoothly." I hoped I only imagined the false note in his voice. I was being too paranoid.
Okay, I trust you. Love you," I whispered to him in my head.
"I love you too, Isabella Swan. Don't you forget that." He leaned in and kissed me quickly, and almost frantically. I just wanted everything to go back to normal. When he pulled away, the look in his eyes told me, "Don't lose hope, Bella." I nodded reassuringly, even though he hadn't officially asked the question.
"Let's go now," Alice said impatiently. She sometimes got annoyed with our mushy goodbyes. I squeezed Edward's hands, and he pushed me into the dark entrance, with Alice following behind me. He moved the painting back in place, and then he was gone.