The first memory that emerged out of the pensive took place in a clearing. The Cullen Clan including a human Bella Swan stood around a make shift baseball diamond.
"These are the rest of the Cullen's," Thomas said. "That's Carlisle and his mate, Esme." He pointed to a man with blonde hair that was wearing a baseball jersey and playing with a baseball bat. He then pointed to a woman with caramel color hair who was putting on a baseball cap. "That's Rosalie and the giant man bear is her mate Emmett." He pointed to a blonde woman in a purple jacket and man in a purple track suit. "You already know Jasper and Alice." Said people smiled. "And finally we have Edward and his mate Bella who was human at the time." He pointed at a bronze haired man and an auburn haired woman.
Thomas noticed that a few people stiffened when he said Bella but he didn't comment. Several people that attended Hogwarts around the same time as Harry thought that Edward looked a lot like Cedric Diggory. They also thought that this group was just as gorgeous as the one in the room with them; more so in the case of Rosalie.
"All of you are going to play baseball?" Jen asked and Alice and Jasper nodded. "In that weather?" She added as she eyed the stormy overcast in the memory.
"There was no chance of rain," Alice chirped. "And we needed the thunder."
"Did you check the weather reports?" Hermione asked her.
"Nope," Alice popped the 'P' sound. "I already knew that it wouldn't rain."
Hermione frowned before her face cleared, "You can see the future." She commented and Alice just nodded her head.
"I'll explain more later." Alice promised and Hermione nodded.
They watched as the Cullen's began to get into position. They saw Esme pull Bella close to her and lead her to home base. Esme was asking Bella to help be the umpire for the game.
"She thinks we cheat," They heard Emmett say.
"I know you cheat." Esme retorted. "Call them as you see them Bella." She added as she took her position.
"Okay." Bella said meekly.
Rosalie took her position at bat and did a few practice swings. Edward stood in left filed. Carlisle and Jasper were standing off to the side. Emmett was hyping himself up as thunder began to rumble.
"It's time." Memory Alice announced.
After one more swing, Rosalie nodded to let Alice know that she was ready. Alice put her hands behind her head, brought them down, lifted up her left leg, drew her right hand back then threw the ball. Those who had somewhat limited sight couldn't really follow the ball but they did hear the bat and the ball connect.
"So that's why you need the thunder." Jen muttered to herself.
"Ok I see why you need the thunder," Bella murmured to Esme as she squinted to see the ball. "That's got be a home run right?" She added as Edward sprinted after the ball.
"Edward's very fast." Esme said with a slight shake of her head.
"An understatement if I ever heard one." Embry muttered to Thomas who stifled a laugh at the look on his fellow Alpha's face. Embry and Edward had a friendly race a while back and Embry was a close second. It's not that Embry hated that he lost; it was more of the fact that he lost while Edward was holding back. Embry was fast in his own right thanks to his ascension but Edward was faster while Demetri was even faster than the two of them.
"I probably should have asked you to slow it down," Thomas said to Artorius. "But don't worry the person of interest will show himself soon." He finished as he saw Rosalie slide into home and Bella said she was out.
"Er do they not get along?" Astoria asked as she saw Rosalie glare at Bella while Emmett was trying to calm her down by reminding her that it was just a game.
"Rosalie didn't really like Bella back then," Thomas explained. "She felt that her relationship with Edward was wrong despite the fact they are mates. Humans are not supposed to know about vampires," He added as he watched Carlisle hit the ball and ran to first base. "Edward…accidentally revealed his secret when he saved Bella's life prior to this get together. To be fair to him though; no one in their right mind would let their mate be killed."
He said nothing else as Jasper took a swing next. He hit the ball and Emmett went after it.
"My monkey man." Rosalie smiled after Emmett bounded his way up a tree and caught the ball before throwing it to home base.
"We should play sometime." Bertram said to Thomas as Rosalie went to bat again.
"Well Mr. Ed," Thomas began as a few people snickered when Bertram let out an indignant whinny. "If we ever get the chance to play; we'll make sure to go easy on you." He patted Bertram's shoulder and Bertram bared his teeth. Thomas merely chuckled along with Embry but they stopped when the saw the look of horror on Alice's face in the memory.
"Stop!" She yelled. Edward's face snapped to hers along with everyone else except Edward started to look behind him, towards a rolling fog. All the Cullen's on the field began to run towards home plate. "They were leaving but then they heard us!" Alice said frantically to Edward and the others. "Oh god I'm so sorry I didn't see them until it was too late!"
"There were nomads in the area," Alice explained flatly before anyone could ask. "They killed a few people in Seattle and in the town we were staying in at the time. They were leaving the area but they heard us playing and decided to investigate."
"It's not your fault," Thomas said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Our gifts are not without flaws and you didn't have any control over the situation."
Alice smiled gratefully at him along with Jasper. All three of them turned back to the memory.
"Let's go." Edward told Bella but he was interrupted by Carlisle.
"It's too late son." He said and Edward froze in his spot before turning to Bella.
"Get your hair down," He told her and she frowned before complying.
"Like that'll help," Rosalie sneered at him. "I can smell her from across the field."
Edward ignored her but it didn't matter as Rosalie joined the others who started to form a line of defense. The memory shifted to show three people emerging from the fog. There were two men and a woman. The man out in front had a dark complexion and was well muscled. He had dreads that went down his back and a goatee. He was wearing an orange jacket, no shirt, and a pair of jeans. He was easily the more handsome of the two men.
The other man had dirty blonde hair that was in a small pony tail. He was wearing a faded brown jacket and jeans. He had a fair complexion and some very nondescript features. The only woman in the group had a white fur coat, a green shirt and pair of black leather pants. Unlike the other two, she wasn't wearing any footwear. She also had a wild mass of fiery red hair that had leaves in it.
Thomas and Embry were already tense through out the moment but they hissed when they saw Laurent and James and growled when they saw Victoria. Jasper snarled when he saw James and Alice squeezed his hand to calm him down.
"Sorry," Thomas said when he saw some people flinch away from them. "We had some personal experience with one of them that we could have done without."
"Likewise." Jasper said.
Irina had tensed when she saw Laurent but Embry pulled him close to her and she cuddled into him.
"Bella I'm so sorry," Edward said. "I shouldn't have brought you here."
A few people that knew Edward rolled their eyes, thinking that him apologizing for something that wasn't his fault was typical behavior for him. Hermione and a few others thought that Harry and Edward were very similar in that regard.
"What? What are you-"Bella began but Edward cut her off.
"Just please be quiet and stay behind me." He told her quietly as he led her to their line.
The three nomads floated over to the Cullen's as if they hadn't a care in the world though as they got closer, they started to move more cautiously.
"They were afraid weren't they?" Thomas asked Jasper after he glanced at him for a moment.
"They felt threatened," Jasper confirmed. "Can't really blame them though; most Nomads avoid covens altogether especially one of our size."
"How do you know how they felt," Draco asked Jasper. "Are you good at reading other vampires?"
"He should be considering that he's an empath," Thomas said off handedly. "I'll explain later I promise; for now how about we finish this." He gestured to the memory and the others nodded.
They watched as James and Victoria scanned the Cullen's with their deep burgundy colored eyes. Laurent smiled when he stopped and held up the baseball that Rosalie hit.
"I believe this belongs to you," Laurent said in slight French accent and he tossed the ball towards Carlisle who caught it and smiled slightly.
"Thank you,"Carlisle murmured.
"My name is Laurent," Laurent introduced himself. "And this Victoria," He gestured to her and she smirked as her eyes scanned the group in front of her. "And James." James cocked his head slightly to left as he looked at the group.
"He looks very normal," Hermione commented. "He's not as…"
"Good looking as the others?" Tanya asked her when she trailed off. Hermione nodded. "That's probably because he was ugly when he was human. Powers aren't the only things that a human brings with them when they change." She added when Hermione blinked at her. "Their physical appearance is the most affected regardless if they have powers or not. The more beautiful the person is, the more beautiful they will be as a vampire. The uglier you look the more normal they will be as a vampire." Hermione nodded in understanding and they both turned back to the memory.
"My name is Carlisle and this is my family," Carlisle pointed to each of them as he said their names. "Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Esme, Alice, Edward and Bella."
"Hello." Laurent greeted them with another smile. The Cullen's inclined their heads slightly.
"I'm afraid that your hunting activities have caused something of a mess for us,"Carlisle told them politely.
"Our apologies, we didn't realize that the territory had been claimed." Laurent said honestly.
"Was he lying?" Thomas asked Jasper who shook his head.
"He was telling the truth," Jasper murmured. "And he really was sorry about causing us trouble."
"I noticed that you said that he was sorry," Blaise commented and Jasper shrugged slightly.
"The others cared less about killing the humans," The Empath explained. "But they knew that we had every right to destroy them for encroaching on our territory so they were slightly contrite."
Thomas snorted at the thought of James and Victoria being even close to contrite. Neither of them was capable of something like that.
"Yes well," Carlisle began. "We maintain a permanent residence nearby."
"Really?" Laurent asked in surprise and a little bit of humor as if the idea amused him. He glanced at his fellow Nomads who looked like they didn't quite grasp what Carlisle was saying. Like the idea of staying in one place was a foreign concept to them. "Well," Laurent continued, "We won't be a problem any more, we were just passing through."
"The humans were tracking us," Victoria said in an unnaturally high voice. "But we lead them to the East." She leaned in and stage whispered, "You should be safe."
Sweet Merlin what is wrong with her voice?! Several people thought but didn't say anything out loud as they were enthralled with the memory. So far James didn't seem that menacing; none of them did but they were going to wait and see what happened.
Thomas shook his head when he heard Victoria speak. He thought something was wrong with his gift when he heard her speak so he didn't really think about it at the time. Even during the newborn battle he had trouble believing that was her voice.
"Excellent,"Carlisle inclined his head with a small smile.
"So, could you use three more players?" Laurent asked conversationally. The Cullen's looked towards Carlisle but he remained quite. "Oh come on." Laurent cajoled. "Just one game."
"Sure, why not," Carlisle said with a little unease though he played it off as best as he could. "Some of us were leaving; you can take their place. We'll bat first."
He tossed the ball towards Laurent but Victoria caught it without taking her eyes off of Carlisle.
"I'm the one with the wicked curve ball," She purred dangerously.
"Oh I think we can handle that," Memory Jasper countered playfully and Laurent made a noise of anticipation and James smiled slightly. Several other members of the Cullen clan made noises of agreement and turned to get ready.
"We'll see,"Victoria muttered to Laurent with a smirk as they began to walk away. James didn't move; he just watched the group for a moment, eyeing Bella and Edward curiously.
"Don't vampires have good hearing?" Teddy asked.
"They do but the storm was covering Bella's heartbeat," Thomas answered but Teddy's spoken question and his unspoken one. "As there was no wind, and since she was near a large group of vampires, her smell was covered though her scent was extremely potent at times."
He shrugged and turned back to the memory as James began to walk away. He stopped as a small breeze passed them. He closed his eyes, threw his head back, and inhaled Bella's pleasant scent. When his eyes were open they were pitch black with hunger and he flared his nostrils. He gave Edward a sardonic grin.
"So you brought a snack," He murmured as Edward pushed Bella behind him. James hissed and crouched while Edward snarled. The rest of the family flashed over to him and Bella and hissed at James. The supernatural beings watching the memory growled or hissed at his words.
"A human?" Laurent said incredulously as he crouched next to James. Victoria was on the others side of James and she eyed every single one of the Cullen's.
Harry, his friends, and his family were shocked at the level of ferocity that was on Edward's face. Not too long before they had seen him smiling, having a good time even. But now in his place stood an enraged demon that looked like he was ready to kill. They all made mental notes never to upset him.
"She is with us," Carlisle said in a firm tone. His face wasn't as fierce as his family but it was set with a determined expression. "I think it's best if you leave." He said to Laurent as he was the one who made it seem that he lead this group.
"I can see that the game is over," Laurent said after a small beat of silence while James stared at Bella who was frozen in her spot. "We will go now." Laurent added while holding his hands up in surrender. "James," He called as he backed away but the tracker didn't move from his spot immediately.
When he did he gave a slight smirk towards Edward and moved away from the group. Victoria followed them and James threw an arm around her as he turned his back on the group thinking that nothing was going to happen. Laurent still faced them with his hands up but after a while he turned around and they all flitted away.
"Get Bella out of here," Carlisle told Edward, "Go, now."
The memory started to fade as Alice, Edward, Emmett lead Bella away.
"He wasn't their leader was he," Harry said then clarified, "Laurent, he wasn't their leader."
"No," Thomas shook his head. "That coven was lead by James. Victoria was his mate and Laurent was their friend. They just pretended that Laurent was the leader as he was the more civilized one of the group. I'm actually surprised that they didn't kill each other. Most Nomadic covens only have two members." He explained when people looked at him questioningly. "They're usually a mated pair, really close friends or siblings but three is very unheard of which is why I said that I was surprised.
"I was especially surprised because those who stick to the traditional diet have a very hard time getting along with others who do. Most traditional covens have two to four members but there are extremely rare cases where they have more. My wife and her coven-"
"Our coven." Tanya corrected him with narrowed eyes.
"I'm not a vampire so technically-"Thomas began but Tanya cut him off again.
"You are my mate," She growled. "That is more than enough reason to consider you a member of this coven." She glared at him, daring at him to challenge her.
"I do consider myself to be apart of this coven," Thomas told her. "But others won't; especially those who do not understand our bond."
"That is their problem, not ours." Tanya said softly as she began to bury her face into his neck. Thomas sighed in both content and exasperation but he continued with his explanation.
"Our coven and Carlisle's are the biggest thus far," He said. "Animal blood makes vampires more civil and allows them to form familial bonds with others."
"Do you have a hard time around those who drink human blood?" Narcissa asked.
"Was that question for me or…" Thomas trailed off with raised eyebrows.
"Any of you." Narcissa said.
"For me, I have a hard time with those who kill for fun or for sport," Thomas said truthfully. "I understand that vampires need blood to survive, but I don't think that any of them need to kill people for no reason if they don't have to. I also understand that animal blood is not easy to take too; especially if you have been on a traditional diet for so long or don't have a strong enough reason to stop.
"Some of my best friends do drink human blood but they don't take pride in doing it and only drink what they need to. They don't kill innocent people and those they do kill aren't exactly people I feel sorry for." Several people looked at him in surprise so he added, "They gave up their right to live when they chose to ruin the lives of others. I would have felt sorry for them if they were repentant but they didn't care about their victims and felt that they did nothing wrong. Why should I care about them?" Thomas had seen some of these people beg for their lives but when their victims were mentioned, they said that it was something that needed to be done, something that was necessary. He felt angered by their behavior but let it go after they were killed.
"I agree with my brother," Embry said after there was a few beats of silence. "Not just because he is my brother; but because he makes a great point. When we became what we are, we were told that it was our duty to protect our tribe, the Quileute, and any other human from vampires. A lot of us took that to heart in the beginning and we never really questioned it and we should have.
"The world is not just black and white; there are massive amounts grey in between. By that token; not all vampires are vicious monsters who have little regard for human life and not all humans are innocent. I don't have it in me to take the life of a human though I am very capable of it. That doesn't mean that I have to save a group of punks who would have no problem with beating on a defenseless person, or a drug dealer who sells crack to children, or some bastard who rapes women nor does it mean I will hate my friends for killing them.
"Like Thomas said; they gave up their right to live when they ruined the lives of others."
Thomas gave Embry a small grin and Embry grinned back.
"Well said you too," Amanda said. "And I agree." She added as she grabbed Fred's hand in support. Others murmured their agreement and Narcissa nodded in understanding along with many others. They didn't like senseless killing but if a vampire killed someone to make sure that they never willingly hurt anyone ever again, they would understand that decision.
"This next memory is short but it gives you an idea of how James follows his prey. You may want to slow it down a bit so you can follow." Thomas nodded to Artorius who tapped the rune on the pensive again and the next began to play. Artorius waved his hand after a he saw things blur past a few trees. The images slowed down to reveal Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward. "Their spreading Bella's scent around," Thomas explained. "James apparently had several plans in place after he encountered Bella's scent so Jasper and Alice took her away from the area while the rest of the Cullen's protected Bella's father and lead James on a wild goose chase."
They watched as Rosalie rubbed Bella's jacket against a tree before sprinting away. James came into the picture and sniffed the tree before leaning against it and hitting it with a growl of frustration.
"He knows that he's been played." Draco said unnecessarily.
James ran back in the direction that he came from and the three members' of the Cullen clan stopped.
"He knows," Edward said in horrified tone. "He knows that she's not here."
As they ran to regroup, the memory faded.
"Damn, you weren't kidding when you said that it was short." Bertram said. "And he wasn't really good at hunting now was he."
"He was better than most," Thomas murmured. "Not everyone can be good at tracking; it's something you are gifted in or not. Edward tried using his gift to read minds to do it and he had a difficult time with it. Again I will explain later on," He added when people raised their eyebrows at him. "But we must continue," He hesitated for a second," This next memory will be very difficult to watch but it will explain the animosity we felt towards James."
He paused for a moment and spoke again.
"Before this took place, James asked Victoria to go to ForksHigh School," Thomas started. "It was the school that Bella was attending at the time and she got the information that James needed. He…tricked Bella into thinking that he had her mother as a hostage." This comment was met with many gasps, some in surprise others in outrage. "He had overheard her saying to her father that she was going to visit her mother. He didn't think that she would go but he was pleased that she did. He called her and made her agree to meet him alone."
Alice put her head into her hands and Jasper pulled her into his lap. They never forgave themselves for letting Bella out of their sights but they honestly thought that she wouldn't do anything like that. Thomas stared at her sadly.
"You didn't know my little Pixie Pire," He ran a hand across her back to comfort her. "Bella was so smart and so stupid to do what she did but I don't blame her for doing it. I'd have done the same; even when I was still human. I should have helped all of you but I didn't know if you would believe me."
The others who didn't know about the tense history between the Quileute and Cullen's frowned but didn't comment. Something Thomas was grateful for as he needed to focus on what was coming up. Thomas nodded to Artorius and the memory began to play.
Bella entered a ballet studio and she heard her mother's voice. She ran frantically to a closet door and opened it. In the closet was a TV that showed a young Bella being comforted by her mother.
They heard someone laughing and Bella turned around to see James standing right there.
"That's my favorite part," He commented while nodding to the video. "You were stubborn child weren't you?" He added as he moved closer to Bella.
She still is, Several people thought but didn't say anything out loud.
"She's not even here," Bella stated and James shook his head.
"I am sorry about tricking you Bella," James said and man people snorted in derision.
"Sorry my ass," Bertram muttered to his girlfriend who nodded in agreement.
"But don't you see that its better that your mother is not involved," James said in a courteous and kind voice.
"Yes," Bella said in a voice that was saturated with relief.
"You don't sound very angry," James told Bella as he looked at her curiously.
"I'm not," Bella replied. Several people thought that she should be but those who knew her knew that she would sooner die before letting someone else she loved to get hurt.
"How odd, you actually mean that." James said as he looked at Bella intently. He moved closer and pushed her slowly against the wall. This action brought many snarls from those who were watching. They wanted to shout at him to get away from her but had to remind themselves that it was a memory. "I'll give your strange coven this much; you humans can be very interesting." He continued. "I suppose I can see the appeal of observing your kind. It's amazing really-some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all."
He then proceeded to drone on about how he had his mate help him in laying this trap. He said was disappointing; that he expected more of a challenge from a coven as big as the Cullen's. James looked like he wanted to laugh when Bella said that she left Edward a letter mainly because he guessed that she asked him not to look for James.
"Would you mind if I left a letter to your boyfriend, Edward, was it?" James took a step back and reached for a palm-sized video camera that was on top of a stereo. "Oh I hope you don't mind, I borrowed this from your house." He adjusted the frame a few times while Bella stared at him in horror.
"He's going to film this?" Harry grunted in disgust and Thomas chuckled without humor.
"What sadist wouldn't want to play with their victims before they could kill them?" He asked rhetorically. "And what better way to draw the attention of Edward?"
Harry said nothing but his hand twitched towards his wand. That action was mirrored by those who carried wands. Blaise, Draco, and Neville were glaring at the vampire in the memory. Their wives were trying to keep them calm but they were angry themselves. Teddy was growling and his eyes were the color of amber. Claudius, Cassius, and Wilfred White Senior pulled their wives close to them when they started to cry. Cassius also grabbed his sister who was shaking with barely suppressed rage.
Artorius, Bertram, and Wilfred were twitching in anger but they didn't move or say anything. Jen and Maddie were not that far behind with what they were feeling.
The Denali's mirrored their actions but they were beside themselves with anger especially Carmen who had come to view Bella as a sister. Tia placed a calming hand on her mate's arm when she noticed that the water in the room began to rise and wrap around his clenched fists.
Jasper was trying to calm everyone down but he was angry himself for not protecting Bella when he promised that he would. He felt a hand grasp his shoulder before he was smacked in the back of the head twice. His mate and his best friend had hit him because they could sense that he felt bad about what happened even though it wasn't his fault.
"You need to stop hanging around Edward," Thomas muttered to his empathic friend whose mate stifled a giggle that threatened to escape her mouth. Her humor was short lived as she saw the sadistic tracker grin at her sister in the memory.
"We're good," James said after he was finished with his adjustments. "I'm sorry but I doubt that he will be able to resist hunting me after he watches this. This will show him that I did it for him and you were just caught in the cross fire. A human that was in the wrong place, at the wrong time and hanging out with the wrong crowd, I might add." James smirked at Bella's discomfort. "Oh yes, it will break Edward's little heart to know that it was his fault that this happened to you."
Bella seemed to have found her voice so she spoke up.
"You have…Edward has nothing to do with this!" She exclaimed and stepped forward but James pushed her back which caused many people to growl.
"Oh but he does," James told her. "His rage will prove for more interesting sport than his pathetic attempts to protect you." He paused and smiled at her. "All of this could have been avoided had he done what should have been done. I was actually afraid that your boyfriend would ruin my fun earlier because I was thinking about a similar situation. It involved the only prey that ever escaped from me.
"It happened ages ago you see. There was an older vampire who was very fond of this victim that I intended to claim. When he found out about my intentions he stole her from the asylum that he worked in. I will never understand the obsession some vampires feel for you humans," He shook his head. "Anyway, when the old one freed her he made the choice that your Edward was to weak to make; he made her into one of us. The poor thing probably never even felt the pain.
"See over a hundred years ago she would have been burned at the stake like so many across the country; across the world even, for her visions." James explained and a few people had a feeling that they knew who he was talking about. "In the nineteen-twenties the preferred method of dealing with someone like her was the insane asylum; complete with electro-shock therapy and a room with padded walls. Her eyes were strong in her vampiric youth; like she had never seen the sun or been through any trauma. The old one made her into a strong vampire and ruined my chance at a good meal," He sighed and a fierce snarl tore through Jasper's lips. "I destroyed the old fool for denying me my kill."
"Alice," Bella breathed in astonishment. Those watching the memory and didn't know about Alice's history turned to future seeing vampire. She just smiled at them but made no comment.
"Yes, your little friend," James nodded. "Imagine my surprise when I saw her in the clearing. I didn't say anything because I doubt it would have been appreciated, though I must admit that she smells just as good as she did before. Better than you in fact. I don't say that to be mean," He added hastily. "You smell very good but your floral scent is vastly different from her sugary one. Perhaps her coven can draw comfort from this experience. I get you and they get the one who got away. Your friend should feel honored; she's the only one that can lay claim to that."
Bella can claim that now too fucker, Alice thought viciously.
James paused and ran a hand across Bella's face with a curious expression. He lingered near her throat and her jaw line.
"No," He murmured as he dropped his hand. "I will never understand." He sighed and lifted up the camera. "Now let's continue." He said. "So I can leave your Edward and his family a very strong message with your broken body."
Bella bit her lip and flicked her right wrist slightly. A small can of pepper spray appeared in her palm. She shifted for a moment before bringing her hand up and spraying James in the face. While James growled in irritation, Bella made a break for it. James spun around and jumped across the room before landing in front of Bella.
Bella gasped as James appeared in front of her. He gripped her right shoulder which caused her to cry out before he threw her across the hardwood floor and into a column. Several people winced in sympathy or whimpered when they heard her head hit the hard surface.
Bella sat up with a groan and she placed a hand in the back of her head. She brought it in front of her and there was a patch of blood in her palm.
"Very beautiful," James taunted her. "This place is very visually stunning. I chose my stage well."
He knelt in front of her and gripped her wrist. He leaned in to smell her blood.
"It's too bad that he didn't have the strength to change you," He murmured. "You would have been glorious as a vampire. But instead of doing what was right he kept as this fragile little human. It's cruel and unusual."
Then without warning; he snapped the bone in her right leg. Bella started screaming as did some of the women in the group that watched the memory. They turned away while the others watched in horror.
"Tell Edward how much it hurts," James encouraged Bella over her screaming while he held the camera. "Tell him to avenge you. Tell him."
"No Edward don't!" Bella yelled while shaking her head.
"Tell him," James growled at her. "Tell him!" He roared before he was shoved away from a blurred figure. James skidded across the floor before rolling upright then shifting into a crouch. He glared at the newcomer who was an enraged Edward Cullen. His face was even fiercer than the time in clearing as he hissed at James. He turned to Bella and his face crumpled in pain at the sight of her.
James took that moment to lunge at Edward with a growl and slammed him into the opposite column. The glass surrounding it cracked and fell to the floor when Edward's face hit it.
"You're alone because you're faster than the others," James commented before slamming Edward again. "But you're not stronger."
"I'm strong enough to kill you," Edward slapped James' arm away then kicked him into a mirror sending large shards of glass everywhere. He then flitted over to Bella and cradled her gently. He then murmured an apology and leapt towards the balcony that led to the second floor but James caught him by the ankle. James slammed Edward to the ground. Edward held onto Bella but when they landed Bella bounced of off Edward and landed into a pile of broken glass and a large piece punctured her thigh.
James, who still had a hold on Edward's ankle, threw him into a window as Bella removed the piece of glass from her thigh. Edward dangled from the outside of the window but propped himself up as James grabbed Bella's hand and bit into her wrist.
Many people gasped but said nothing as Edward pushed himself off of the wall and tackled James. Bella started grunting and groaning as her body twitched.
"What's wrong with Bella?" Teddy asked worriedly.
"James infected her with vampire venom." Thomas explained quickly as the floorboards were uprooted by the impact of James and Edward's struggle. "Her body is reacting that way because vampire venom burns a human as they go through the change."
Thomas said no more as Edward raised James up and threw him into the air. James landed on his feet, jumped towards the column behind him and jumped off of it in an attempt to get the upper hand. Edward was already in the air and caught James by his throat. They collided with the column and Edward shoved James through it.
They battled for dominance, deep growls rumbled in their chests. Finally Edward won and bit it James' neck, earning a shriek of pain from the tracker. Edward spat out the chunk that he had in his mouth. He held James with one hand and drew the other one back. A hand shot out and caught his arm.
"Edward that's enough," Came the soft voice of Carlisle as he appeared with Alice, Emmett, and Jasper flashing into the room. Alice danced over to Bella and tried to calm her down while Emmett and Jasper positioned themselves near Edward though they still kept a respectable distance. "Son, that's enough. Remember who you are; this is not you." Carlisle continued while Edward still looked like he wanted to hit something. "Bella needs you." He added when Edward struggled to calm down.
"It's ok," Alice cooed to Bella. "Oh god," She added when she saw how much blood Bella was losing. "Carlisle! Her blood." She said.
"Your brothers will take care of him," No sooner than the words left Carlisle's mouth Jasper and Emmett grabbed James who began to struggle.
"I got him!" Emmett growled. "Stop moving around you asshole." He added when James still tried to break out of his hold.
"Start a fire," Carlisle told them. "Use the floorboards but be careful." He rushed over to Bella as Jasper collected some pieces of the floorboards and lit one of them with a Zippo lighter.
"Alice!" Jasper called for his mate when he grabbed one of James' arms while Emmett held the other.
"Alice, go!"Carlisle told her and she sprinted over to her mate and her brother. As Carlisle worked on Bella; Alice wrapped her tiny hands around James' head and tore it off. Jasper and Emmett ripped the rest of him apart as Alice threw his head into the fire.
Carlisle told Edward that she Bella was losing a lot of blood and the venom was starting to spread.
Edward began to suck the venom out of Bella after some debating with Carlisle and Alice about letting it spread.
"Don't worry Bella recovered from the attack," Thomas said as the memory began to fade. "How about we take a break to calm down?" He asked the shaken crowd who nodded in agreement. Artorius called for Dips and asked for some potions and beverages to help calm everyone down. Jasper sent out waves of calm to help the process.
After about fifteen minutes, Thomas called Artorius over to help extract the next set of memories.