Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight
Guys I can not even express how sorry I am that I haven't updated in so long. I have some excuses, but really there is no excuse for not updating for such a long time. Well I haven't forgotten about the story or about my wonderful reviewers. So here it is. The long awaited Chapter 11 dedicated to : Sam91 and TwilightObsessed for all of their many beautiful reviews. Thanks for the feedback!
Chapter 11 – Mansion
Bella's POV
The room boomed with applause. I might've been flattered if I wasn't dreading the very thing I was about to do. I handed the microphone back to the man and whispered so only vampires could hear "I will always love you." With those last words to Edward, I slipped behind the red curtain. One of Christopher's vampires from the other night was waiting there for me.
"Hi um, I'm Cameron. We have to go." He said somewhat hesitantly.
I nodded solemnly and walked behind him so I could climb on his back. He just shook his head and lifted me against his chest, using one hand to support my back and the other to support my head. Why is he holding me like this? I thought. Even when Edward runs – At the thought of Edward I felt myself dissolve into tears. I clamped my eyes shut as instinct when we began to run. This is the right thing to do, I repeated to myself. But I'm leaving Edward, my heart protested. How can this be the right thing if I'm leaving Edward? I began to cry even harder, soaking Cameron's shirt.
"Shh, It'll be ok." He tried to sooth.
"Okay? It's never going to be ok!" I sobbed, muffled by his shirt.
"Then why are you doing this?" He asked quietly.
"Because he'll die!" I practically screamed into his chest. "Because If I don't do this, Christopher will kill Edward and his entire family."
"You really do love him don't you?" Cameron asked with slight wonder.
I nodded, completely worn out and still tearing. "With all of my heart."
Cameron paused for a minute. "You can open your eyes, you know."
I shook my head. "I get sick when I run."
"Well, this isn't exactly normal running. I think you'll be alright." He said with what I'm sure was a knowing half-smile.
I opened my eyes and gasped. This certainly wasn't regular running. It was more like flying actually. Everything around me seemed frozen in time as we sped through hundreds of miles in split seconds. Even drops of rain seemed to be still in midair compared to the speed we were going.
"Superspeed." Cameron offered. "We're going 20 to 30 times faster than the average vampire." So that's what Christopher was referring to when he said his companion was 'very fast.' Edward had no chance of catching up. More tears leaked from my eyes. Of course Edward couldn't catch up for the plan to work, even though a small part of me still wished he would. I tried to crane my neck to take in my full surroundings, but Cameron stopped me with his hand.
"You have to keep your body very close to mine or the speed will tear you apart." He said with a small smile. "That's why I'm holding you like this. But feel free to keep your eyes open for the view."
He looked off into the distance and seemed to be calculating the direction. I took the opportunity to actually look at Cameron for the first time. He had short, dark brown hair, honey colored eyes, and overall very good looks. His body felt hard and chiseled like Edward's, but the similarities only made my ache for Edward stronger. I could literally feel the pain contracting inside me. My muscles clenched with the acrid feeling. Cameron must have noticed.
"Um, Bella. I know I haven't known you for very long but you really should calm down. You're only human and your body's too fragile for this kind of experience. You have to believe that it's going to be ok. Just relax. Try to think about something else for a while." He told me.
I swallowed and tried to distract myself from the giant hole that was forming in my chest.
"So, um, wher-re are we uh going anyway?" I asked shakily.
Cameron smiled at me. "We're going to the mansion. You'll like it, it really is like paradise. See, it's on its own private island and we all live in this massive structure. There are so many great people. And there's everything you could ever want, swimming pools, courts for every sport, movie theaters… The weather's great too. It's always sunny but there's a beautiful breeze from the east…" he sighed. "Paradise."
I could tell he was trying to distract me and get me to look forward to living there, but no place could be paradise for me unless Edward was there with me. I was also concerned with being a human on an island full of vampires.
"Won't it b-be complicated with um, me being hu- human and everything…" I trailed off questioningly.
"Everyone on the island is vegetarian." He winked at me. "You have to be to join the coven. Besides Chris would never let anything bad happen to you. He wants to keep you safe and um comfortable."
I nodded. Comfortable? In a foreign island without the love of my life? The idea was laughable, but I decided not to dwell on it. "So when will we arrive at this place?" I managed to ask without shaking.
"Very soon. Just one last ocean to cross" he said with a smile. I thought he was joking until I glanced down and realized we were literally running over water. I let out another small gasp of surprise.
Cameron just laughed. "Hahaha I forgot how shocking it is at first to be going so fast."
I nodded again, but the feeling of hopelessness was starting to seep into me. I was oceans away from Edward. I would never see him again.
"So uh, how did you get involved with a coven of vampires in the first place?" He asked me after a short while. I could tell he wanted to keep me talking so I wouldn't think about the situation. It was a kind of sweet attempt, so I decided to give it a try.
"Well I - I moved to Washington to live with my father after my mom got remarried. I um didn't really like it at first. It was such a tiny, green town and it rained all the time. It was a huge adjustment from Arizona." I laughed somewhat bitterly to myself. "Funny how I used to hate the rain, and now I practically worship it… Not that I don't enjoy the sun on the weekends. The way you sparkle is just… incredible." I couldn't help but conjure up the memory of the first time Edward had shown himself to me in the meadow. There weren't even words to express how beautiful he was in the sun.
I felt my voice start to waver but I continued anyway. "Anyway the Cullens were at my new school. No one- Nobody ever spoke to them. They were too different, too beautiful for everyone else." I chuckled softly. "I actually thought Edward hated me in the beginning. Well he did hate me. He couldn't read my mind. It was like I was his personal devil. See, I tempted him more than anyone else in the world. But I didn't know that at the time. I just always caught him glaring at me and staying as far away as possible." I frowned at the memory.
"But then he well. He - he saved my life. More than once actually. I half guessed, half received the knowledge of his secret and…"
"And what?" Cameron asked seriously when I hesitated.
"And I didn't care. I think he could have been the devil himself at that point and it wouldn't have mattered. I was in love with him. Completely and irrevocably. He kept warning me to stay away, but neither one of us could." My eyes started to water, but I continued. "So that was it. There were a lot of obstacles in the way, but everything turned out ok. The lion and the lamb, as Edward likes to say."
"That's one crazy lamb." Cameron replied.
"And one masochistic lion." I added in a whisper. He nodded.
"And what about the rest of the Cullens?" He probed.
"They're - they're just great. I love all of them. Alice is my best friend. All of them are like family."
Cameron shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't wrap my head around it. You're in love with a vampire. You feel most comfortable with a family of creatures who could kill you in a second. And yet you love them so much… Amazing." He said
I shrugged sadly. "It's not like it matters now anyway."
Cameron nodded and looked away. It wasn't until then that I realized we were walking on land at a normal pace. I twisted around in Cameron's hold. Before us lay the most beautiful and massive building I had ever seen. There were sprawling acres of gorgeous palm trees and pristine beaches. I didn't care at all. I was physically and mentally exhausted and this place was as much a prison for me as iron bars and a cell. I saw a handful of gorgeous sparkling vampires walking about the island before Cameron sped us down a stone path into what seemed to be a private lobby. He kept me in his arms.
"Um Cameron you know you can put me down." I said, feeling pathetic being carried around like a fragile doll.
Cameron looked down at me doubtfully. "Okay, but be careful. Your body could go into shock, and your legs probably won't function normally. He set me down gently. Embarrassingly enough I stumbled forward. I could feel numbness and pain in different parts all over my body. Cameron caught me and steadied me.
"Thank you Cameron." I said. "I mean um for everything – I mean well you've been really nice to me the entire time and you didn't really have to-"
"Don't mention it" He interrupted. "Call me Cam by the way. And if you need anything just let me know" He told me in quickly but in a genuine tone. With that he turned me around to see I was face to face with Christopher.
"Hello Bella. Cam. How was the trip was everything alright?" He asked in his silky arrogant voice.
"The trip was fine Chris." Cam answered in a dignified fashion. Then he whispered something too fast for me to hear and Christopher nodded.
"Bella how are you feeling? Welcome to the mansion. I'm sure you will like it here. You have made an excellent decision to come peacefully, you know, it really is much easier this way. No one has to get hurt." Christopher smiled. I grimaced but didn't say a word in reply.
"Come with me and I will show you your rooms." Christopher gestured. I looked anxiously around to see that Cam had disappeared. I followed Christopher up a grand staircase. This section of the mansion seemed to be empty in comparison to the rest of the sprawling area which seemed to be teeming with curious vampires. Finally we came to a halt before a pair of beautiful French doors.
"Bella this is my private section of the mansion. No one will bother you here. This," He motioned towards the doors in front of us "is your bedroom. You have your own bathroom on your left. We have a chef and a fully stocked kitchen to the right, and the living rooms are down the hall. Of course, feel free to explore the entire mansion and all the grounds. We have wonderful accommodations, but if you need anything don't hesitate to ask." He paused and then opened the doors to my room. It was absolutely stunning but I couldn't have cared less.
"Your things have already been unpacked." He looked at me "I trust these rooms are up to standard. If you need anything, I promise we'll do everything we can to accommodate you." Then he laughed. "We'll treat you even better than the Cullens did." He spat the name as if the very sound of it offended him.
I felt the rage boiling within me. This guy really was a bastard. Here he was acting like it was some sort of game when he had just torn apart my life. I clenched my jaw and bit down on the inside of my cheeks to keep from talking.
"Bella you should know that this will actually be good for you. I promise. They could never give you what I'll give you. I'll make you a queen amongst our world. I'll make every one of your wildest dreams come true. Soon you will forget that they ever existed. After all, human memories do fade very quickly." I bit down on my cheek a little harder. Christopher gauged my expression of hatred.
"What's a matter my dear? Do you miss those filthy Cullens of yours? Do you miss that unworthy Edward?" He questioned viciously.
"Stop it!" I finally screamed. "How dare you even speak their names to me you son of a bitch? I hate you! You separate me from the people I love and then mock them to my face, you piece of- of garbage! You'll never amount to one twentieth of Edward. I don't want anything from you. I love the Cullens. The only reason I'm here is to protect them from the likes of you!" I seethed with pure fury, but I could feel the wet tracks on my face and knew I was crying as well.
For a second Christopher's eyes blazed with anger. But then, looking like he was restraining himself he said calmly "Bella, please don't cry. I should be more sensitive of the situation. Of course your love for that family – for Edward is understandable but you were misled. You don't know what kind of terrible and disloyal things Edward has done in his past. I was his best friend and he betrayed me, Bella." He spoke in angry, but measured tones, as if he was focusing all his control on refraining from lashing out like he desired.
"I don't believe you Christopher." I replied scathingly. "And I was not misled. I love him and you will never be able to change that. Plus from what it sounds like you were going to change some unwilling girl and had Edward not-"
"Do not speak to me about Allison!" He yelled. "You do not know anything about what happened. Not a thing. Edward betrayed me! He was tactless and foolish. He lost me the love of my life because of his ignorant, disloyal actions. Do you know what he did? He let her watch him hunt! She didn't believe that we were indeed vampires and so to prove our monstrosity he showed her the very moment when we let all our hideous inhibitions loose. She saw him tear flesh and drink blood like an animal and she ran away forever. Who wouldn't? I loved her more than life itself yet the last time I saw her she shrunk away in fear from me and told me to stay away from her for the rest of her life. I never even got a chance to explain, to put it delicately. Edward – Edward ruined everything for me. And that is why you are here right now."
So that's what Edward had done. He had let this girl Allison watch him hunt and she ran away forever. Well that explained why Edward was so sensitive when I asked him if I could watch him hunt. But did he really think I would runaway like Allison did? Surely even if I had seen Edward hunt I would still love him. Christopher was still wrong in my opinion.
"Well maybe that was indelicate of him, but you were going to change her without her knowledge! Edward believes that vampires have no souls, he thought you were going to damn her eternally without even warning her in advance. And frankly if a little bit of hunting sent her running then she probably wasn't changing material anyway. I would still love Edward even if I saw him drink blood."
For a moment Christopher paused and opened his mouth to snarl a reply but then he began to laugh. He shook his head in disbelief. "You really are incredible Bella. Vampirism really doesn't bother you at all. You don't have any sense of self-preservation do you? Look at you sticking up for Edward. You don't understand the situation at all and yet you still defend him – you love a monster. Unbelievable. That whole event doesn't matter now anyway. It's too late, it's in the past, but you Bella, you are the present. You will make a perfect wife for me Bella. You're not scared of hunting, or of becoming one of us are you Bella?" He smiled at me.
Wife? Was he insane? The guy flitted from screaming to laughter in seconds and now he thinks I'll be his vampire wife? Lunatic. I could almost sympathize with his situation too if not for the whole kidnapping revenge plot and everything.
"No," He continued walking towards me to the bed " No, you're not afraid of vampires or the change Bella. That of course is why I had to have you. You will be perfect for me. The human who wasn't afraid. That is why I am going to change you Bella. And since you form a strong bond with the one who changes you, and you seem to be rather attached to your Edward, I mind as well do it now." He finished, his mouth inches from the base of my neck.
"Yes Bella, you want to be changed don't you? And right now in all your feistiness you are utterly irresistable, so brave and fearless. I'm going to change you now Bella." Christopher murmured.
Oh my G-d.
Author's note: Well guys how was it? Did you understand everything? What's going to happen next? Will Chris change Bella or will some one save Bella in time? Okay so I won't set any review limits because I really got such an amazing response last chapter. But if I don't get any responses then I'm going to have to start setting limits again. Remember reviews are not just food for my ego they are my motivation and inspiration to continue. The more reviews the quicker I update, but I really appreciate reviews which contain some insight about what you think of my story. Anonymous reviews, questions, comments, and constructive criticism are all welcome! Again I'm so so so sorry for not updating in a long time but it's the Summer now so more free time more updates!!!
Also, I am in need of an editor because I can not reach my past one. Kindly pm me or leave a review if you are interested.
Thanks so much for reading guys!
