Betrayal
Phil and Renée were unable to arrange a flight with me because all airlines were fully booked throughout the summer. Remaining flights were so expensive even I wasn't willing to make my mother and stepfather pay for them. Besides, I wasn't going to stay long in Florida.
Jacob helped me with my project. After about a week, I was able to move the sculpture to my father's house where I could work in peace. Charlie knew exactly when I liked company and when I didn't. Working was an incredibly effective distraction from what Edward did to me. Simply not thinking about it helped a lot. As long as Edward didn't bother me again, I would be alright.
Then, the impossible happened.
I woke up from a strange jolt from the inside of my body. I looked at my alarm clock. It was only 5:00 A.M. I tried to go back to sleep, but I felt the jolt again and again and again. I rushed to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. Nothing was different, except that there was a conspicuous little bulge at my lower belly. The next nudge was a powerful one that almost knocked my off my feet. Horrified, I realized: I was pregnant with a half-vampire baby.
I was suddenly glad that I didn't have to go to Florida soon. If this freakish pregnancy proved to be too much for me, it would be devastating for my mother. I sneaked downstairs to pop a sleeping pill and then headed back to bed. Jacob and I could talk this out tomorrow.
I told Charlie I felt sick, so he let me stay in the house. He locked all the doors, but I kept my window open for Jacob after asking him to come over. To my surprise, Jacob knocked on the front door, compelling me to go downstairs and open it for him. Jacob had brought Emily Young along.
Emily had never come to the town of Forks before; at least, I had never seen her walking around these parts. Sam probably wouldn't have allowed her. "It's nice to see you here, Emily," I said while giving Jacob an inquiring look.
"I need her opinion," explained Jacob. "I don't know anything about these things."
"Well, come in," I said, standing aside. "Help yourself to some coffee or tea or whatever …"
But neither Emily nor Jacob were interested in any refreshments. They sat me down on the couch. Sitting beside me, Emily asked me a series of questions. She asked about my mood and my appetite.
"I haven't eaten anything today," I said. "I don't have an appetite."
"Do you feel hungry though?"
"Yes, but I don't know what I feel like eating."
Emily promptly ordered Jacob to blend an apple and serve it with a pack of crackers. While he busied himself in the kitchen, Emily asked me how I was feeling.
"I feel normal, I guess," I said. "I'm not as upset about the rape, and I don't feel, like, depressed or anything …"
Emily flinched at the sound of the word "rape." "Do you feel sick or nauseous or dizzy?"
"Not really," I said. "I stayed in bed this morning because I literally don't feel like doing anything."
Emily nods then takes out two white sticks out of her purse. "Take this," she said, "to find out if you're really pregnant."
Jacob arrived while I was reading the instructions. I drank the apple smoothie slowly. When I emptied the glass, I was ready to go to the bathroom. While I was doing what I had to do, I thought about Edward. I wondered how he would react when he found out. Then, I shuddered with fear; he'd probably find out by now, because of Alice. I envisioned Jacob in his wolf form locking his jaws around Edward, the way he probably always wanted. I envisioned Alice effortlessly dodging one wolf after another like a flying gymnast until somebody eventually catches her off-guard and shatters her. I imagined Rosalie trying to cut me open; she'd wanted desperately to have a baby of her own. It's just as well; I'd never imagined myself wanting one.
I felt another nudge from within as I was pulling up my trousers. I realized angrily: Edward had stolen my very body from me.
In the next several minutes that we waited, I felt several nudges of varying degrees of power. Both Emily and Jacob were fearful for me. They looked like they expected the monster to burst out of my stomach like the Alien chest-burster; which, it probably would. Finally, the obnoxious plus sign on the pregnancy test showed itself. The looks on Emily's and Jacob's faces showed it: It was a death sentence.
"We should get it out of you," said Jacob.
"No, we're not!" was my instinctive reply.
"Bella, this isn't a normal pregnancy at all," said Emily. "Women take at least a week or two to find out they were pregnant. And most find out on their second or third month. Either way, it's way too early for you to feel the baby moving."
"But …" I envisioned a tiny person growing inside me. For better or for worse, it was my child as much as it was Edward's. I was a mother now. It—no—he or she was my responsibility now.
"Bella, don't tell me you want to keep it," said Jacob.
"Jacob, it's none of your business if I do," I said crossly.
"Of course it is! You're my girlfriend!"
"And this is my child!"
Emily stood between us. "Bella, at the rate of how things are going, it just might kill you," she said. "And Jacob, don't be presumptuous; it's Bella's choice whether she keeps it or not."
"If she does, she will die!" shrilled Jacob. He covered his face in his hands and cried. I had never seen Jacob break down like this before. It was both sweet and heartbreaking.
"Jacob, I'm sorry," I said, "but I need to make it clear that you can't tell me what I must do to my own body. It's just that I hardly think that my child should be punished for all this."
"So it should be Edward," he said, and he strode out of the door.
"I didn't say that!" I cried. "Jake!" I ran after Jacob and grabbed his hand. Squeezing it as much as I could, I screamed, "Jacob, PLEASE! DON'T HURT EDWARD!"
"WHY?" roared Jacob.
"If you act rashly, they can take advantage of you! If you want to fight him, talk it out with your brothers!"
I let Jacob and Emily go home. This turned out to be a bad idea because, on my way upstairs from watching TV alone, my vision shrank as if I was falling into a well and the whole world was the light at the mouth. When I came to, I was in the emergency room with a teary-eyed Charlie.
"What happened?" I asked him.
"I found you passed out on the stairs when I got home. It's a miracle you're not injured. The nurse did some routine checkups and blood tests, so we can see what you need."
My throat closed up. Blood testing—they'd find out for sure.
My face couldn't hide the worry. "What's the matter, Bells?"
"Daddy, I—"
Just then, a doctor finally arrived. She was a beautiful Chinese lady name Charlene Hao. She smiled at me so nicely I smiled back. "I'm glad to see you awake, Isabella," said Dr. Hao. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't feel anything different," I said, dreading what was coming next.
"Good," said Dr. Hao, still smiling.
"But Doctor, why did she pass out?" asked Charlie.
"Well, Chief, your daughter here has mild iron-deficiency anemia attributed to her pregnancy."
"What did you say?"
"Daddy," I said, grasping Charlie's hand.
It took a few seconds for Dr. Hao to figure out the situation. Her kind grin was reduced to a small, respectful smile. "Chief Swan," she said in a low and serious tone, "your daughter has anemia, which is why she had insufficient supply of oxygen for her brain. As long as she keeps an iron-rich diet, she can carry a healthy baby. Excuse me. …"
Charlie waited until Dr. Hao was out of the room before he spoke: "Did you know?" He was very serious but neither particularly sad nor angry.
"I found out today while you were gone," I said. "I was going to tell you as soon as you got home."
Charlie's features softened. He kissed my cheek. We didn't talk between that time and the time when Dr. Hao returned with my release statement. After paying my hospital expenses, Charlie led me to the police cruiser in the parking lot. I offered to drive, but Charlie refused. "Only I am allowed to drive this," he reminded me.
There was a haze over his eyes. I pursed my lips, suddenly afraid he might hit me. He didn't. "Did you sleep with him?" he asked in a dangerous tone I didn't recognize.
I shook my head and cried. "He raped me, Daddy!"
Charlie remained quiet. Then, he did it: He skipped a turn and went to the Cullen House just outside town. "Dad, please," I said, when he stopped outside the door.
But Charlie got out of the car. To my horror, he was carrying a loaded pistol at his belt. I followed him to the door. Carlisle opened it.
Charlie showed his badge. "Your son raped my daughter."
"He's not here," said Carlisle.
Charlie glanced at where the back door was. He walked past Carlisle and found the back door in one try. Charlie then followed the trail to the cabin.
"Daddy, stop!" I screamed, following my father. Rosalie stopped me. I wriggled away from her grip and ran along the trail. Carlisle overtook me.
Charlie was calling for Edward with his gun out.
"Dad, let's just go home!" I pleaded.
"Charlie," said Carlisle, grasping Charlie's bare forearm.
The icy and hard feel of Carlisle's arm noticeably startled Charlie, who aimed at Carlisle's chest and fired point-blank. The bullet bounced off and hit Charlie's chest instead.
Charlie looked down, confused over what had happened.
"Rosalie, get away from here!" Carlisle told Rosalie, who was right behind me.
Charlie fell on his knees and started bleeding from his mouth and nose. I rushed to help him, but there was nothing I can do. By the look on his eyes, he knew, too. "Bells," Charlie managed to say through the blood. He put my hand over his heart.
"I love you," I wailed.
Charlie grew heavy. Carlisle and I lay him down. Charlie shuddered and went limp. His eyes went blank.
"You killed him!" I screamed at Carlisle.
"Bella, you saw what happened!" said Carlisle.
"I hate you! I hate you!" Then, there was the tunnel vision again. I felt myself falling into the darkness again.
#
I woke up in the ridiculously magnificent four-poster bed in Edward's room. I groaned when I remembered how Edward had bought this bed just for me for only a few days' sleepover before our big fight with Victoria.
"Are you feeling okay?" asked Edward's voice. He was standing at the doorway, looking worried. The clock above the threshold said it was ten o'clock in the morning.
"Please, stop acting like you give a shit," I snapped.
Edward chuckled. "Since when have you started swearing?"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
Rosalie turned up beside Edward and pushed him away. "Stay away from her, Edward!" she said.
Edward hissed at Rosalie and left.
I cried in front of Rosalie. "Charlie wouldn't be dead if it weren't for Edward," I said. "Please, take me to La Push."
"Only up to the border," said Rosalie.
"That's okay," I said. "I'll call Jacob."
In the car, Rosalie spoke first: "I might have asked you to stay awhile, but I figured you wouldn't want to stay in the house."
"Thank you for understanding," I said. I glanced at Rosalie's perfection. I didn't know if she knew what I was planning, but it pained me to put her through that.
"Don't worry," she said somewhat stiffly, "we had everything handled while you were passed out. We contacted J. Jenks from Seattle to arrange Charlie's death certificate and other funeral services."
"What about me?"
"Jenks is working on making the house yours," explained Rosalie. "You can sell it for college money."
I hated the certainty of her words. I was not going to survive long enough to go to college.
At the border, I transferred from Rosalie's BMW convertible to Jacob's Volkswagen Rabbit, already waiting for me. Rosalie made eye contact with Jacob and then drove away.
"Blondie doing favors for you now," said Jacob mischievously.
"None of your business, Jacob," I snapped. I might hate the Cullen family now, but its individual members remained dear to me.
"Sorry."
Jacob took me to Emily's house again, where the wolf pack was already gathered.
"Oh, Isabella," drawled Leah, "you just can't resist giving us trouble, can you?"
To my surprise, nobody called her out of this, this time. All the men wore looks of disapproval, and they were all directed at me. Even Seth, who had developed an amicable bond with Edward since Victoria's attack, was not pleased with me.
"Come on, guys," said Jacob. "You know that's not fair."
"I'll tell you what's not fair!" said Paul. "Her putting herself in danger and then making us clean up her mess!"
"I honestly don't want you to have to do anything."
"But we do have to," said Jared. "Our desire is irrelevant. This is our duty."
"The Cullens have officially violated the treaty," said Quil. "While they have not bitten, killed, or turned Charlie, they are responsible for his death as it happened right in their property."
"Furthermore," began Sam, "there is the matter regarding your child. She is part-vampire."
"In other words," said Embry, "we will fight the Cullens."
"No!" I cried.
"Bella," said Jacob, "they have violated the treaty by killing Charlie and impregnating you. We are the consequence for their actions."
"No! I can't let you do this again!" I cried, looking at all of them. They were all so young—practically children. They were lucky with the newborns because the newborns had no game plan. The Cullens, on the other hand … "It's just that—I know this is all a matter of duty for you, but I'd rather you don't fight for me."
"For you?" growled Leah. "You think if I fight the Cullens, I'd be doing it for you?"
"Leah!" barked Jacob, who was about to grab Leah. Sam grabbed his arm first. "Let them talk," said the Alpha. Sam's eyes met Leah's.
I waited for someone else to speak, but no one did. "It's just that—I understand if you don't want to," I explained.
"Of course I don't want to!" said Leah. "Except for your lapdog here, neither my brothers nor I want to go anywhere near those bloodsucking disco balls. Personally, I don't even care about you. If you die carrying your baby to term, that's your choice. But my brothers and I will be willing to preserve the lives of people who don't have a choice, like your father. I will crack Edward's jawbreaker head if that's what it takes to save the tribe and the humans in Forks."
Sam moved close to Leah. He held her hand. To my surprise, she let him. They exchanged meaningful glances and then separated again.
Sam told me, "We're going to protect you because you are one of us."
"What do you mean?"
"You're related to my grandma," said Quil. "Her surname was Swan. You have a common ancestor: Solomon Swan, a member of Ephraim Black's pack."
"I am Quileute," I whispered, awestruck.
"We are obligated to protect you, Isabella Swan," drawled Leah. "Don't get too comfortable."
Emily let me stay the night at her house. Jacob let me pass by my house to get a week's worth of clothes, toiletry, and savings.
After three days of planning, I went with the wolf pack to the little clearing where they had trained with the Cullens in preparation for the battle with Victoria's army of newborns. As testament of Alice's talent, the Cullens were already there waiting for us. Jacob and Sam were the only ones to stay in human form to speak with the Cullens. They didn't trust Edward to interpret their thoughts accurately. I wouldn't trust Edward any better; he looked more distressed than ever.
Sam spoke first: "You are either too brave or too proud to not call for reinforcement."
"This is our fight—no one else's," said Jasper.
"Even if we wanted to, our friends would have refused," said Alice.
"I know we have existed in peace for a long time," said Carlisle imploringly. "My family has no enmity with the Quileute tribe. We don't have to fight today."
This was more than I could take. "What about my father? He trusted you! Instead, Edward raped me!" I gasped when I felt a powerful kick from the inside. It felt horribly like a jab from a professional boxer. When I doubled over in the ground, Jacob hurried in front of me but not to comfort me. When I looked up, Edward was in front of him. "Did you try to come near me?" I asked Edward angrily.
"Bella, I didn't want this!" Edward said in a high pitch of distress.
"So, what?" I shouted. "You tricked me! You raped me! You impregnated me! This led to my father's death! And soon, I will die, too!"
Edward was distraught. Then, his face became calm and hard. "Carlisle can get it out of you."
Shame and fury gripped my being. So, this was the boy I had fallen in love with. Now, more than ever, Edward was exactly the monster he had warned me he was. Becoming as indignant as I was, Jacob phased. Emmett came to his brother's defense and jabbed Jacob's muzzle. Sam phased, too. The rest of the pack charged.
Carlisle and Esme charged to defend their children. Seth and Embry attacked. Carlisle managed to evade them, but Esme wasn't as successful. Seth and Embry dismembered Esme quickly. Alice throttled Seth with her legs, but Leah broke off Alice's head. Sam attacked Jasper, who was hurtling toward Leah. Rosalie clung to Sam's back and locked her arms around his neck, but Sam continued to smash Jasper's body with his claws and teeth. Embry and Jared chased Carlisle, who kept evading them with ease. When Quil pulled Rosalie off Sam, she thrashed her powerful arms and legs to keep Quil's claws and jaws at a safe distance. Meanwhile, Jacob continued to wrestle both Edward and Emmett. Then, Paul pulled Emmett off Jacob.
I gathered a pile of fallen branches and put a bunch of twigs and bark on top of them. I took out a match I had brought in my backpack and started a fire.
While I was building the fire, Alice's and Esme's headless torsos were now holding Leah down. Alice was holding Leah's hind legs while Esme was holding Leah's neck. Seth was trying to pull Esme off, but this only succeeded to choke poor Leah. By the time the flames were growing, Quil was bleeding from his nose and mouth. All the vampires had developed cracks all over their body as Embry and Jared had finally caught up with Carlisle. Sam had efficiently broken Jasper apart, so he helped Paul with Emmett who had maimed Paul's back, shoulders, face and legs, by now.
Edward was still clawing and kicking Jacob. Jacob had pounced on him. Like Carlisle, Edward had a knack for escaping Jacob's jaws and claws as many times as he could. But Edward had as many cracks on his body as there were wounds in Jacob's. Edward and Jacob were unleashing all the frustration and jealousy they had for each other. I could only watch this violence escalate, and I hated it.
Emmett had knocked out Paul. Emmett was about to give the finishing move, but Sam charged and broke Emmett apart with a few great swipes of his paw. Once succeeding this, Sam helped Seth with Esme and Alice. Leah had fallen unconscious and had reverted as a result. Sam carried his sister to safety while Embry and Seth took care of the vampires' remains.
"You will get nothing out of this!" said Carlisle, who was perched on a dead tree with Rosalie. Heedless of his words, Embry and Jared continued to reach for Carlisle and Rosalie, with no success. Agitated, Embry and Jared resorted to shaking the tree. Rosalie and Carlisle held on. They both looked at me. No, I couldn't let them do this to me. I looked away. "Edward!" Rosalie cried.
Edward and Jacob still hadn't finished with their duel. A chunk of Edward's shoulder had come off and the cracks on his body were more pronounced. Jacob had wounds on his back, face, and shoulders. Edward charged, but Jacob was ready. Jacob drew his shoulders and forelegs up to catch Edward under his body. Edward was effectively immobilized. Edward looked at me. He knew what was going to happen. I did, too. Jacob bit Edward on one shoulder and shook his body like a chew toy. I would have looked away, but this was too satisfying to miss. Edward screamed as his body crumbled. Rosalie screamed when Edward stopped.
A great ache was lifted from my heart. Edward was dead. I was free.
After tossing Edward's remains in the pyre I had prepared, Jacob reverted and collapsed. Sam congratulated him with a paw on his back. "We're still not finished," said Jacob, glancing at Carlisle and Rosalie. Sam followed his gaze and helped Embry and Jared to dislodge the two remaining vampires from the tree.
"No! No, please!" said Carlisle. "You have to spare us!"
"Why should we?" challenged Jacob.
"I know how to take care of Bella!" said Carlisle. "If you give me a chance, I can save her!"
"I can take care of the baby!" pleaded Rosalie. She looked at me. "I respect your decision to save the baby, Bella! I'm with you!" A little of my love for the Cullens came back.
Jacob and I looked at each other. Jacob and Sam gazed at each other, too. Sam stopped shaking the tree and stepped back. Embry and Jared stopped, too. Sam retreated to the bushes while Embry and Jared protected Jacob and me from Carlisle and Rosalie. All of the wolves had various degrees of injury. I gagged at the sight and smell of blood on the grass. They limped and coughed up blood as they carried the remains of the rest of the Cullens into the pyre.
Sam returned in human form and wearing jean shorts. "Some of my brothers need medical assistance," he told Carlisle. "I will let you look after them—no funny business."
"None, I swear," said Carlisle.
"Good," said Sam.
We all made our way silently to the Cullen House.