Chapter Two:
"Get off me!" Ayden screamed, I shot up eyes wide as I scanned the ground.
"Where's the girl?" a voice hissed, I glanced through the trees to see Ayden being shoved against the tree I was hiding in.
"I don't know what you're talking about. What girl?" he hissed.
"The one you are traveling with, Estella. Where is she?" the vampire hissed shifting his hand to Ayden's throat.
"I'm not traveling with anyone," Ayden replied shoving the vampire off him into the tree.
"Her scent is here. We can smell her," the vampire hissed, "Tell us where she is and we will pretend we never saw you."
"Maybe she stayed here but not with me," Ayden said his hand slipping to the back of his belt toward his flare gun.
"No, don't…" I whispered.
"What was that?" a vampire hissed glancing up at my tree.
"Climb the tree," Ayden glanced over at me with panic in his eyes. The vampire smiled viciously before climbing up the tree quickly. Panicked I climbed higher trying to find a hidden branch where if I was found would break.
"Up, up, up we go," whispered the vampire, my eyes were glued to his head as I hid myself amongst the branches.
"Anything?" the vampire holding Ayden called up toward his scout in my tree.
"No, but I can smell her. And it's fresh," the scout replied. My heart began to race as I glanced down towards the ground, I was over two hundred feet up, and if I landed wrong, jumping from here could kill me. The scout was gaining on me, and I had to make a decision and quickly. Glancing down I met eyes with Ayden, he shook his head slightly telling me not to jump but I had no other choice. I had maybe three seconds before the scout spotted me. I climbed up one more limb and scooted towards the end of the branch to steady myself.
"Hey boys…" I called the vampires eyes shot up to where I was standing in the tree, "I hear you are looking for me."
"Girl," one vamp hissed starting up the tree as well.
Estella don't
I flinched; it had been ages since my father's voice had rand through my head when I was doing something reckless.
Please sweetheart, don't do this.
"You left me," I whispered keeping my eyes on the advancing vampires, "this is the only way to save Ayden. I can't be alone." Without a second thought I stepped backwards and dropped off the branch toward the ground.
"ELLA!" Ayden's screams rushed to my ears, but I closed my eyes as I waited for the hard thud against the ground.
"I gotcha!" a voice whispered, I lashed out feeling arms holding me against someone's chest.
"No-" a hand clamped over my mouth.
"Shhhh…I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm here to help," I opened my eyes and recognized the face of the man I had seen earlier. I stopped fighting as I stared at him, he was different up close. I didn't let myself forget what was happening though, I stumbled out of his arms.
"Ayden…" I whispered starting for the trees.
"Are you crazy? You can't go back in there," Edward hissed, I was surprised I remembered his name but I did.
"My friend…no he is my brother. He is the only family I have, you don't understand," I could feel tears welling up in my eyes; "I can't lose him. I have to save him," I replied.
"Well you're not going alone," the girl from earlier, Audrey, I think her name was stepped from the shadows.
"I don't need help," I hissed.
"No, I can see that. But there are too many, and they are looking for you," Edward replied, "You need us, even if you don't want to admit it. You know it's true." I stared at them; this was not the time for an argument with strangers.
"Fine," I replied starting for the trees again the two of them close behind me. The sound of a punch being thrown echoed in the trees.
"Where did she go?" someone yelled.
"I don't-…I don't know," Ayden replied his voice ragged, it made me hurt. They were torturing him for me…why me?
"Don't lie to us again. Where is she?" I peeked through the branches of the tree I was hiding in; Ayden was being held against a tree across the clearing, his arms being held by two vamps while a third stood in front of him.
"You know the same amount I do. She jumped, please that's all I know. We never made meet up plans. We have never been separated before. Just please…that's all I know," Ayden replied his voice hoarse. My hand slipped to the flare gun in my waistband, I glanced over to where Edward and Audrey stood, both carrying guns as well.
Don't be stupid Estella!
"Oh shut up," I whispered before stepping from behind my cover hiding the gun behind my back.
"It's never a good idea to mess with someone's family boys," I called. Who I assumed to be the leader vamp, or at least the one giving orders spun around giving me a sneer.
"The girl lives I see," he snarled, I glanced at Ayden, one of his eyes was swollen shut and he had several cuts a bruises on his face.
"Yes, you didn't think a fall like that would kill me? Did you? I mean you vamps aren't the only special ones," I smirked; Ayden threw me his 'don't get cocky' look. But I wasn't cocky not this time…I was just mad, furious that they would hurt him like that.
"No, but I didn't think you would be foolish enough to come back here," the vamp replied.
"Well you are screwing with my family. So yeah, I come back," I replied.
"First mistake little girl, there is no family. Unless you are one of us," he replied. I laughed, I couldn't help myself, and the way he talked made it impossible to take him seriously.
"Mistake? And you have families? Please like that is possible," I replied shifting the gun in my hand.
"Well you mortals shall I call you don't have families how could you? You are fighting to stay alive," he hissed.
"Did you think about this smart one? We don't have families, your kind runs out of blood and if you run out of blood you become even more dammed than before. I've seen them, the monsters who live in the sewers, they are disgusting. You wanna end up like them keep doing what you are doing," I was smarting off but I didn't care the longer I kept them from hurting Ayden the better.
"You've got a big mouth girl," the leader replied.
"I've been told. Used to get me in trouble…a lot of trouble back before your kind killed my parents," I replied. The vampire laughed and started towards me, I backed up slightly but stopped myself and held my ground, "What's so funny?"
"My dear child. Your parents aren't dead," he replied, I stared at him.
"I saw their bodies, I buried them. They are dead," I replied my voice going flat.
"Oh really then why are we right here?" I spun around, blocking my only exit stood my parents. But they weren't my parents anymore, they were the very things I hated. Vampires.