Chapter 4 – race
I hesitated on the grey, cloud-covered side walk, "no Alice, I'll drive then you can be free to look ahead for us."
"OK," she agreed quickly.
I sped round to the other side as Alice slid across the car, jumped in the seat and was moving before I had even shut the door. This was no time for traffic laws, I floored it, I wouldn't crash, I was a vampire now.
"OK, now tell me what he's going to do, please Alice?" I let the desperation slip, unveiled, into my voice at the end.
"There was a dark hour when he decided to go hunting in the city, but that one changed pretty quickly. Right now, he seems to have settled for this latest plan, to just walk out into the sun, keep it simple." her voice had grown morose by the end.
Keep it simple, now there was an understatement. Yet that's all it would take, the picture of Edward glistening in the sun, standing in the meadow, was one of the sharpest human memories I had, no human would ever forget a scene like that. My eyes flickered to the sky and back to the road. It was cloudy now but the sky ahead was clearing.
"We're going to be too late," waves of despair broke over me, threatening to drag me under into their dark depths.
"Well, actually... he's being typically Edward and leaning towards the melodramatic. He's waiting until midday to get the largest audience possible."
My chest relaxed, we had some time. "How long does it take to get to...?"
"Volterra? That depends on ow fast you drive," both our eyes flickered to the clock on the dashboard.
Both the landscape and the cars seemed to be racing backwards as I weaved in and out of the traffic, my new vampire senses and reflexes making it possible for me to weave in and around a small traffic jam, barely slowing my speed.
Alice returned to the present after quite a considerable amount of time, "There's some kind of festival going on, hang on, I think it's St Marcus day. Well, that's ironic."
"Ironic? How?"
"Volterra holds a celebration every year in memory of Father Marcus – who is also Marcus of the Volturi – driving out all the vampires from Volterra."
"Oh, I see what you mean," I tried to control my hands as they threatened to crush the steering wheel.
"That's where all the crosses and garlic stuff comes from"
"Alice, tell me what I have to do once we get in the city."
Alice closed her eyes and became utterly still for a few moments, then, without opening her eyes she told me, " We're – no you're – going to be able to get into the city walls, so that's good because most of the streets are narrow with high buildings on both sides. But it'll probably be better if you run from there," she proceeded to give me directions to the central plaza, "Edward will be under the clock tower, in an alley to the right."
"OK" I said as I stored all her directions into my now infallible memory.
"All you have to do is make sure he sees you before he steps into the light."
I could see the ancient brick walls of the castle city of Volterra, I could see the macabre towers and turrets encased in the claustrophobic protection of the outer walls. I could see the entire shape of the city on top of the hill outlined against the bright blue sky.
I felt my apprehension and anxiety deepen and grow, planted in my heart their roots then spread, intertwining through everywhere they could find purchase, all my muscles tensed, I bit my lip uncontrollably, I felt unbelievably queasy (I hadn't actually known that was even possible for a vampire) and I gasped for breath, even though I didn't actually need to breathe any more.
As the road grew steeper, it grew more congested. I didn't see how we were going to past the gate. It loomed in front of us looking so ominous... so.... final, like it was waiting to trap us inside. Yet I would rather it trap me in than lock me out. I simply had to get on the other side of that gate. I put my foot down, determined to get past this traffic one way or another, I would even go off-road if that's what it took.
Angry horns blared out from the cars behind us, but I didn't care, in fact, I barely noticed, there were much more important things on my mind than a few irritated drivers. I raced past the guard directing traffic back to find a parking spot beside the road, and headed full throttle towards the gate. There was another guard wearing the same uniform running towards the middle of the gate.
"Will he move?" I hissed through my clenched teeth.
"No, he'll assume you'll stop."
"Dammit!" I growled, "here, you take the wheel and get me into the shade," I half expected Alice to argue, things had been going so badly lately for me, but she didn't and I was extremely thankful.
We swapped seats and the Porsche didn't even swerve, as far as the guard was concerned Alice had been the one driving the whole time. The car continued to hurtle towards the guard, then, at the last minute, Alice slammed down on the brake and turned the steering wheel hard to the left, a handbrake turn, only without the handbrake. The car span on its front wheels and ended up perpendicular to the road, my door was covered by the shadow of the gate and I could see that it would be easy to keep out of the sunlight inside the city. I was completely out of the car with the door shut behind me and running into the city before the car had come to a standstill.
Before I had left the car my eyes had automatically glimpsed the clock on the dashboard, it had said eleven fifty eight. I had two minutes to get to the centre of this winding maze of a city.
I moved like a ghost in between the tourists, through impossibly small spaces, never actually touching a human. To the people clad in red I was just another gust of wind in this already windy city. My feet barely touched the worn cobbled street, I flew past the slightly crumbling houses and walls, winding through the city to arrive at the plaza.
There was a heaving sea of red packed into the open plaza before me. How could I get past? I scanned the plaza desperately looking for something to help me, my hope dwindling. My hope blazed fiercely as I realized on my immediate left there was a covered walk way leading all the way round to the clock tower. My eyes hit the clock tower then dropped quickly, only to be disappointed that I couldn't see Edward yet. No matter, I knew he was there, it seemed like every cell in my body was being magnetically pulled forward towards him. I could feel my aching heart healing itself, the scar across my chest growing steadily smaller.
The clock began to strike sending me into an immediate, frenzied panic. I ran. It was all I could do. The second strike sounded. It rang loudly in my ears. I reached Edward when the third strike sounded.
It was the most beautiful sight in the world, even in the stress of the situation I could appreciate that. Instantly it was like he had never gone away, I had never been dealt that crippling blow to my chest, I had never been rejected so forcefully by the one thing I couldn't live without, and in truth, I had never really lived since he'd gone away, I had merely survived.
I saw his sculpted marble chest, that would be now more comforting than a statue but still as perfect as before, correction, even more perfect than before now that I could truly see it now that the cloudy veil of human sight had been removed from my eyes. I had thought Edward was perfect in every way possible, but I had been blind.
His face seemed peaceful, tranquil. He had his eyes closed as if he were living in a pleasant memory. He completely contrasted with me, desperately, wildly running to save his life, to save me and my world.
He lifted his foot about to take another step towards the light – I yanked on his hand, pulling him back towards the safety of the shadows, a small part of my brain, right at the back noted amazedly that I actually could yank him back, as if he were another human, as if we were equals. Maybe he would like me more now that I was more equal to him, strong pale and sure to be pretty now. Perhaps because I no longer tempted him so much, was no longer his own personal brand of heroin?
I doubted it yet I couldn't completely shut out the hope. That's what I got for building myself up for this.