Memo: Thanks for the lovely reviews! All you people inspired me to write the second chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or New Moon. That is the work of the amazing Stephenie Meyer!
A/N: Chapter has a lot of action in it and very little fluff…all the fluff will come next chapter!
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Victoria Returns
I smiled, turning to the other members of my coven: Damien, William, and Analese. Since James had died, Laurent had left to stay with a coven in Alaska. He wanted to restrict his diet to only animals. Ha! Now what's the fun in that? I grinned. I couldn't wait to tell him of how I had drunk the blood from the girl that he had failed to kill. Oh, how much he was missing! Analese tapped my shoulder.
"Are you ready?" she sneered.
"Yes. Now remember the plan. Damien will cause the car accident. William will kill the father and Analese will move the car away. We don't want anyone knowing that this happened. Not until we leave."
"And what about the girl?" asked Damien. I smiled, wickedly.
"Leave her for me."
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BELLA POV
The drive was long and boring. I checked the dashboard clock on the police cruiser for the tenth time. Charlie had insisted we drive his car although I knew it would slow down traffic. We were still on one of the back roads, winding towards the Seattle airport. I sighed….Hours and hours still ahead of us…I looked out at the rain washed window and green trees. This would be the first time I left the Washington Peninsula since the fiasco in Italy…the first time I would leave Edward by choice. I tried not to think of it, instead picking up the CD player I had managed to bring along and popping my first CD in. A loud blaring noise met my ears and I knew that the song had begun…this was the CD Phil gave me—the one with the blaring noises and screaming. Once I'd gotten past the loud noises, it wasn't that bad. I sighed, resting my head against the seat; blocking out all thoughts…
……………
I startled, looking around. Charlie was still driving and, of course, it was raining. I must have fallen asleep, I thought.
"How long has it been since we left the house?" I asked. Charlie looked at me, surprised.
"Thirty minutes." Only thirty minutes? I knew I couldn't fall asleep again and even if I tried, I would just end up thinking about Edward—something I didn't want to do. Imagining his perfect face would bring up unwanted feelings. I hadn't been away from him since the Italy incident. Even then, I had no choice but to sulk and try to forget. Now that I knew he was back and staying, leaving was just harder. I missed his presence. Like a part of me was absent. It made me feel…on edge. I decided to call Phil—something to keep me busy. I picked up Charlie's phone and skimmed the contacts until I reached the right one, pressing it and waiting for an answer.
"Hello?" a gruff voice answered.
"Phil?" I asked, seeing Charlie gaze at me from the corner of my eye.
"Yes?" he questioned.
"It's Bella. How's mom?"
"In pain," he replied. "She wants you here."
"I know," I sighed. "Tell h…" a sudden crash made me drop the phone. I looked at Charlie. He was looking around, scared. I picked up the phone, quickly telling Phil I'd call him back.
"Wha—what was that?" Charlie looked at me, suddenly aware that I was there.
"Are you ok Bella?" he asked, hurriedly.
"I'm fine. Did we hit something?"
"Stay here, I'll go check." He got out of the car, running outside to check the front. I ignored Charlie's command and left the car, looking around the road for anything that might have hit the back. There was none. I ran around to the front. Charlie was bending down and staring at something, his mouth agape. I followed his gaze, seeing a huge dent in the car, the shape of two long hands.
"How in the..." he wondered out loud. At that moment, it hit me. One thought erupted through my mind like a thousand volcanoes. Vampires. I heard a growl behind me and whirled around, my heart stopping. Victoria. In a second she had thrown Charlie to the side. He landed with a thump by a tree, groaning. I was too scared to even think; my throat felt dry as paper, my mouth formed words but no sound came out. This was not at all like the four men in Port Angeles—I could have at least tried to take them down—this was Victoria; she could kill me in a second. She sauntered toward me, her mouth spread in a wide grin. I closed my eyes, waiting for it to be over. Just kill me…Leave Charlie, leave everyone else…leave Edward…Pain shot through me as I thought of his heavenly face. How much he had gone through to save me…everything going to waste now.
I squinted after a minute, looking around. She was nowhere in sight. I realized something cold was holding to me to the ground and I looked up. Alice. She was singing softly, holding my body carefully in place. I tried to speak, but shock still enveloped me. I gulped down air, letting the rain wash my face.
"A—Alice?" She looked down at me, her eyes wary.
"It's ok Bella. Everything is all right." I tried to sit up, but she kept me pinned down.
"It's better if you stay here. You're still in danger." I wanted to get up, wanted see what happened, but Alice was determined to keep me here. I sighed, impatiently.
"There was this accident. And Victoria was here. And then Charl…" she hushed me.
"I know. Edward and Emmett are taking care of it." I gasped, my worst fear coming to life.
"Edward!" I practically screamed to Alice. "No. He can't…he can't be…this is Victoria!" I finished, yelling now.
"Quiet Bella," Alice said, sternly. "Edward and Emmett are strong enough for Victoria. You should know that. They finished off James, what makes you think they can't do the same for her?" I shook my head, tears streaming down my face, catching on to my hair.
"It's not the same. She's…" I didn't get the chance to finish my sentence. At that second a pale figure stepped out of the trees—another one of them. He had shaggy black hair that fell to his chin. His eyes were deep burgundy, expression unreadable.
"You," he called in a cold voice, his eyes focused on me, quickly flashing to Alice. I thought I saw a flicker of fear cross her face, but it was gone in a second, replaced by anger. Alice spoke in a low voice, to quiet for my hearing. I took notice of the menace behind her words. The other vampire spoke back, quite fiercely. I managed to pick up something this time.
"Part of her coven…orders…kill girl…no need…fight…" I could pick up the gist of the argument. The vampire was probably part of Victoria's new coven. She wanted me dead—that was obvious. The last part I didn't understand. Alice and the vampire continued to bicker, Alice still holding me down. My thoughts were scattered, my heart pumping erratically. Fear boiled beneath my skin. Fear not for me, but for Edward. Fear for the danger he faced. Fear for whatever lay ahead. I was suddenly aware of the complete silence that pierced my ears. I looked up—the vampire was nowhere in sight. Alice was still glaring into the distance, frustrated. I didn't think I'd ever seen Alice so angry. Ever.
"Alice?" I questioned, softly. Her gaze turned to me, eyes gentle. "Are you alright?" She laughed; her musical voice had a slight edge.
"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you." I smiled, tentatively.
"I'm ok. Where did he go?" She turned to look at the forest again.
"Far away I hope."
"What did you tell him Alice?" I whispered. She paused, quickly looking down at me.
"Let's just say I scared him off." I shivered, involuntarily. I waited for a moment, focusing on getting my thoughts together.
"And Carlisle and Esme?" I asked. "Do they know?"
"I knew this would happen before it actually did," she said. "I had already told everyone. Edward was the first to react, of course. Emmett came with him—in case there was more danger. All I saw was the car swerving and Victoria standing by you. I wasn't aware that she'd joined a coven." She sighed. "There must be more of them." As if on cue, another figure stepped out. Alice immediately leapt up with inhuman speed, holding me behind her. I could recognize the face—Emmett. She relaxed her position, staring at him. They spoke in low tones. I tried to read their expressions. Alice was confused at a point, enraged the next, and then her face turned to deep sadness—the kind I would have never seen from Alice. Emmett's expression was somber too. I was apprehensive.
"What?" I asked when they stopped talking. Both of them didn't answer. "What is it?" I repeated, loudly this time. "Where is Edward?" Alice grimaced and Emmett looked away, shaking. "Emmett!" I yelled, shaking him. "Where is he?" Finally, Emmett spoke.
"He's…" Emmett started. Alice held me in her small arms, shaking slightly.
"He what Emmett?" I demanded, although I had a sick, miserable feeling in the bottom of my stomach.
"Edward……Edward is gone."
"Gone where?" I asked, hysterical now. They were trying to keep something from me and I needed to find out what.
"She could go into shock," Alice whispered to Emmett, quietly.
"Alice!" I whirled around to face her. She looked away, into the dense forest growth. "Alice what happened to him? Where is he? Tell me now or so help me God I will…" She cut me off, muttering something.
"What did you say?" I asked.
"Edward is…Edward is dead, Bella."
A/N: Cliffhanger!!!! I know, I know…Authors love them, but readers hate them…Thanks for reading and please review! I need input to make the story better! If you are wondering about why Alice didn't see this coming, wait till' the next chapter—it will be explained there.
Your writer,
--loveatfirstsite2--
