Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight…
This chapter is dedicated to every single wonderful reviewer. This is for you guys and I'm so sorry for the delay. Also, sorry about the confusion, I just needed to add a little cliffhanger to this chapter, so I released it again.
Chapter 13 – Strength
Bella's POV
G-d, vampires were fast. How I wished that I, too, was fast, beautiful, graceful, and strong. I wished that I was strong enough to stop being the victim for once in my life. I wished that I was strong enough to escape… But maybe that was the key.
Maybe… Maybe I had to become a vampire to escape…
As much as I was adverse to the idea of anyone besides Edward changing me, I might have to make some sacrifices if I was going to succeed. So even though I wanted Edward's lips to be the last on my human skin, as much as I wanted only Edward's venom to fill me and posses me, perhaps I would have to be changed by another to be near Edward at all.
But this was just speculation. What I needed was information. I needed to find out where we actually were. What continent? What ocean surrounded us? I needed to become familiar with my environment. How did the other vampires come and go from the island? Was there some sort of transportation? How did they communicate with the outside world? I needed to know all about the change as well. How long would it take for me to recover? How much time will I need to learn control and resistance? Would I still be the same, in essence? Well I was certainly not going to find these answers from this bedroom. So, as exhausted as I was I decided to take Chris's advice… and explore.
The mansion really was beautiful. Every inch had been planned and executed to perfection and under different circumstances, I was sure I would have appreciated it. I turned down the hall and descended down the grand staircase into a marble lobby. No one was around this area and I wondered if the other vampires had been barred from Christopher's quarters on my account. I exited the building from a pair of huge, steel, double doors and began walking down the stone path before me.
Soon I could see that the grounds truly were tremendous. In the distance I could make out what I believed to be courts of some type, although they were six to seven times larger than the standard sizes. I imagined that if vampires were to play a sport like tennis, they would need gigantic courts to make the game exciting. With a hard sigh, I recalled the long distances between the bases when the Cullens played baseball… In the other direction there was a huge glistening expanse of tropical water. But even the sparkling blue ocean and pristine white sand seemed dull in contrast to the glittering, beautiful creatures that lounged around them. In the sun, the vampires were merely diamond blurs sprawled across the beach. The pathway I was walking on forked into six different trails. I chose the one that seemed to lead to a shady grove of palm trees and a lane of cement flooring that indicated a pool.
"Bella?" someone called from beside me. I turned around and saw Cameron.
"Oh. Hi, Cam." I was glad to see a familiar face. Next to Cameron was a pretty, redheaded vampire, who wore a bandana and a friendly, tentative smile. "Hi, I'm Leigh, a friend of Cameron's." I smiled back.
"Looking for something in particular?" Cam asked.
"No, I just figured if I'm going to live here I should try to get the lay of the land. And speaking of land, you never did tell me where exactly we are." I said smoothly. Hopefully, no one would suspect the human of subterfuge, because I would have to ask a lot of questions over the next few days.
"French Polynesia. But it's a private island, so it's not anything you would recognize from a map. We're actually not far from Bora Bora though… Cool, huh?" Leigh answered.
"Yeah… cool." I tired to remember where Bora Bora was in relation to North America. If I was correct, then it was somewhere along the Pacific ocean, in between Hawaii and Australia…
Suddenly Cam turned his head to the right as if someone had spoken his name. "Oh, sorry, they need me to referee their game. Leigh can stay here and talk to you though, right, Leigh?"
"Sure." She said with a genuine smile as Cam disappeared, "So what else would you like to know…?"
Leigh proved to be an excellent source of information. And within a week, I had the answers to most of my questions, however disappointing some of them had been. The encouraging news was that I discovered privately owned jets left the island at least once a week towards New York City, Paris, Tokyo, L.A., and a few other choice locations. The planes were small though, and sneaking onto one of them with a bunch of superhuman passengers would be no easy feat. There was supposedly cell phone service as well, but there were one hundred and fifty vampires on the island and I had yet to see even a single Nokia. I wasn't sure how communication could help me, anyway. Who would I call, the police? Ha. Edward? There was nothing more comforting than the thought of hearing his soothing voice, but he would demand to know where I was and he would get himself killed in the rescue attempt.
The news about the change was even worse. I already knew that becoming a vampire would take three excruciating days, but I hadn't realized how much time it would take for me to adjust and to learn self-control. Leigh, who had been a very disciplined vegan as a human, had said proudly that it had only taken her thirty years to perfect her new diet. Apparently, I would desire blood more than anything. And even though things would be different for me, because there were no humans on the island for me to attack, I would be crazed by the anguish of bloodlust. Only thirty years. And that wasn't even the worst part, because I was sure I could wait even that long if it meant returning to Edward without murdering every warm-blooded creature in my sight. The worst news was that everyone I spoke to was positive that I would forget all my human memories.
I wasn't worried about the agony of the transformation, I was anxious about forgetting everything I'd ever known. I was terrified of forgetting Edward. But I could see no other option. Would I wait until the change was forced upon me? Would I wait until Edward, or one of the other Cullens was hurt on my behalf? Becoming a vampire was the only way I could possibly escape, the only way to even the odds in my favor. No. There was no alternative. I would just have to take my chances and hold on with all my strength to my memories, to my humanity.
"Chris!" I shouted. He appeared in front of me a few moments later. I had been carefully avoiding him for the entire length of my stay, but now I needed his help.
"Yes, Bella. How can I be of service?" he replied.
"I'm ready for you to change me now… I- I'm ready." I spoke with finality, trying to quiet my concerns and fears.
"Now?" He raised his brows in question, "I mean, of course. Everything is prepared, I just… What brought about this change of heart?"
"I'm tired of being the only weak one around," I answered, and that much was true. "And I'm ready to move on with my life. There's no point in procrastination."
"Alright. When?" Chris's voice oozed with satisfaction, although he tried to keep his tone level.
"Now. Right Now," I answered. For a second his eyes tightened with suspicion, but he could see no advantage on my part. After all, this is what he wanted.
"Alex," he called. He spoke to the other vampire in a frequency I couldn't decipher and in a few minutes he was finished. "Come, Bella." Chris led me into a corridor I had never seen before, into a crimson colored room. Four or five other vampires stood by the entrance, and I recognized one from the club, Suede, where this had all started. His power was paralysis and I realized that he must be there as a precaution should Christopher or one of the others get out of control. I gulped instinctively as I was forced to recognize that this was not a fool-proof process. I could die.
Shaking my head of that thought I looked around the room. Beside the satin sheets were a host of medical supplies: syringes, painkillers, all in hopes of alleviating my transition. "Lie down, Bella. Everything's going to be alright." Chris commanded. Fear rose again in my throat and I pushed myself forward to lie across the large canopied mattress. Please G-d, give me the strength to go through with this, I prayed.
Christopher eased himself on top of me. I fought back revulsion and tried to concentrate instead on my human memories, on my angel. "If anything even seems to be going wrong I've ordered them to restrain me. Alex will paralyze anyone who tries to harm you. Do not worry." Chris began to lower his lips to my neck, kissing and caressing my skin there. He looked at my face then and perhaps he saw the raw panic that threatened to consume me at any moment, because he stopped kissing and moved to my vein. "Ready?"
I nodded."I'm ready." I felt his razor teeth at my skin and then screamed at the gush of pure unadulterated pain as he tore through me. "Edward, I love you," was my last conscious thought.
EPOV
Nothing. Nothing. Alice could see absolutely nothing. I had no inkling, no clue as to Bella's welfare. Was she a vampire? Was she alive? Was there any chance she was still human? Perhaps she had found some way… No, I could not allow myself to hope for so much. Alive… well, alive as our kind could be, was good enough. I could not imagine her pain… the transformation was excruciating… There were so many things that could go wrong. And I wanted to be there to comfort her, came an errant thought. Yes. If I could imagine her changed, then I could imagine seeing it through by her side, stroking her, murmuring to her, or humming her lullaby to assuage the agony.
Damn it. Damn it, where was she? If I could only figure out her location then maybe I could… A plot began to formulate in my mind. I would have to be very careful… but if I could somehow find her, I might be able to slip her away unscathed. I couldn't fight them, but perhaps I was quick enough to steal her back. We could run to somewhere remote before they noticed she was gone, the thickets of the Amazon, or the glaciers of Antarctica. The family would have to hide away, as well, but it was a sacrifice I was sure they would make for my happiness.
I paced around my living room, carelessly knocking around furniture and belongings. The plan was a long-shot, I admitted. But even if it took hundreds of years… even if I were destroyed in the attempt… there was no alternative. Christopher and his coven were too many, too powerful. I racked my brain for any minute clue, any minuscule tidbit that would help me find her. I knew Christopher, we were once friends. I knew his mind. I could do this… I rewound every conversation I had ever had with him and played it over in my head… If I were Christopher, where the hell would I go? Determined to answer this question, I paced faster and faster. My foot caught against the edge of the couch and flipped it over, knocking down the coffee table. The small pile of magazines above it scattered about, pages fluttering down to the floor.
Edward?" Esme's soft voice asked.
I looked up at her and then down at the mess I had made. What benefit was there of destroying our home, a home Esme worked tirelessly to make beautiful? "I'm sorry, Esme. I'm so sorry." I dashed around the room picking up the torn shiny pages.
"No, Edward, please… It's alright… you don't have to… Edward?" Esme's voice turned with concern as I froze suddenly gazing at the cover of one of the fallen magazines. 'Win an all expense paid beach vacation to Tahiti…'
That's it, I recalled. "If you could live anywhere in the entire world, where would it be, Edward?" Chris had asked me, so long ago... It had been too sunny to go outdoors, so we were waiting out the day inside, together. "Nowhere." I had said grimly. "Six feet under the ground, if I could." He had just rolled his eyes. "Oh Edward, stop being so morose. You know where I would go? I'd go to Tahiti. Lie on the beach all day in the sun… do you think they'd mind if they saw me sparkling brighter than a bauble at their beaches?" he'd laughed heartily at his own joke...
"That's it." I said aloud.
"What's it?" Esme asked, alarmed now at my intensity.
"That's it. That's it! Well it's a starting point anyway, French Polynesia." I said even louder.
"What's in French Polynesia?" Emmett appeared.
"Bella, maybe. I'll have to see." I replied.
"See what?" Emmett asked again, but I was too far ahead, already making plans in my head to find her, to save her. I can read minds after all, it shouldn't be too difficult to navigate around whoever guarded her…
"Edward, what's going on?" Carlisle. My entire family and the Neilans had gathered at the sound of my ruckus. Well, I at least owed them an explanation before I left. And they would have to move soon.
"I think that Christopher's coven is somewhere by Tahiti, you know, French Polynesia, Bora Bora… Anyway, I'm going to start looking for her there and move westward… And when I find her, and I will find her, no matter how many years it takes, I'm going to sneak her away and we'll hide for the rest of our lives. Oh, and you should probably go into hiding too, for your safety."
"Edward that plan is crazy." Carlisle reasoned. Truthfully, my plan sounded insane even to my own ears...
"Does anyone have a better alternative?" I replied. No one answered. "Ok. Then I'm going now. And I'm going alone."
"Don't be ridiculous, Edward. Let's think this over. And we're going with you." Alice exclaimed.
"No. If there's more than one of us, it's more likely we'll be detected. This is something I have to do. By myself. That's not negotiable." Carlisle inhaled sharply and remained silent for a long time.
"Alright. Ok. I can't think of another way. But just look at yourself, Edward. You're a mess. You haven't fed in weeks, you haven't stopped pacing for days… Right now you're at your weakest, son. And for this mission you need to be your strongest," he glanced pointedly at the Neilans. "Edward, before you go… let's make you strong."
I read his mind and caught the gist of what he meant… I shook my head, horrified. "No. I won't do it. Please, anything but that."
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Author's note: Please, please, please tell me what you think. I'm almost done writing the next chapter, but I'm not going to release it unless I get 20 reviews on this chapter. So if you're interested in reading more, please give me some feedback!! It's not food for my ego, I just want to know how I'm doing. PLEASE
