"Bella?"
It was completely dark in here. Not even my vampire vision could make anything out in the gloom. It wasn't even gloom it was so dark.
"Bella, is that you?" The voice called out again.
"Alice?"
"Oh, Bella it is you!"
"Thank god! You can get us out!" That was…no?
"Rosalie?"
"Yes, Esme's here too."
"Hello Bella, I'm glad you're alright."
"How did you all get in here anyway? Felix was mumbling about disobeying orders and being locked away."
"Well, I guess there was kind of a fight when you left. Lets just say it was us verses the Volturi and all the other guests. It didn't really work out for us. Stupid really, but well, we couldn't really let you get yourself captured like that…even though you did…" I heard Alice frown.
"You gave us time…and now…" I bit my lip to stop the sobs escaping. "I'm in here, waiting."
"Waiting? What do you mean, Bella?"
"I gave myself up for him and Edward being Edward will go off and do the same. I know he will."
"See, I told you."
"Did you see something?" I became frantic.
"No, just instinct."
"Could you try and see something now?" I asked.
"Could you help, Bella?" I heard her smirk.
"Yes, sorry, yes." All of the girls laughed that made a sound like bells.
After a while I realised I had no idea what to do.
"Um, Alice. How?"
She laughed. "Concentrate on Edward and think about what he's going to do. It's easier once you get the hang of it."
I nodded but then realised no one could see me. "Okay."
It was obviously too easy to think about Edward. He was all I ever did think about. He was my world and I would do anything for him, whether it was tearing myself away from him, which I already did or hurting myself to save him. I wasn't worth his love so I would gladly keep him alive in exchange for my life.
Edward, running down a hallway, looking back franticly ever now and then. Him speeding up in an effort to get away from whatever he was running from. A loud, feminine laugh coming from behind him and he turns to sprint away from the noise, a lot faster than before. He reaches outside and his nostrils flare. His eyes go deadly black and his other side takes over. Edward flashes his gleaming white teeth in the darkness as he races around Volterra's street corners. It is night time and Edward hasn't fed in a month. He sees a young girl, out late with bags from food shopping. She doesn't have enough time to scream before his hand muffles her cries. Crimson blood seeps into the drains and a limp hand hits the cobbled street with a quiet thud.
I sucked in a deep breath after I found I was holding it for all that time.
My whole body trembled. That couldn't be Edward. My Edward wouldn't do that, he was better than that. He wouldn't attack a poor innocent girl, he would remember not to, he would know not to. He wouldn't, would he?
"A-Alice?" My voice was shaking.
"Bella?" Her voice sounded just the same. "Did you see…it too? Edward and that girl?"
"Yes," I whispered into the darkness.
"What? Edward and another girl?" Rosalie asked outraged but I found it strangely friendly that she cared if Edward cheated on me. I knew he wouldn't but it was odd coming from Rosalie.
"Not like that," she mumbled. "Attacking her."
"Oh."
"Yes 'oh.'"
"But - but why would he do that?"
"I don't know, Bella." It was Esme speaking this time. "He knows it's wrong. Maybe it's just his hunger getting the better of him. We don't know."
We were all silent for a while, pulling in our haywire emotions. I needed to know if we could stop what was going to happen. It wasn't like Edward to give up 90 years of control just like that.
"Alice, was it night in your vision?"
"Yes."
"That means we have a day."
"How do you know?" Rosalie asked.
"It was dawn when I came in here. It should be after dusk when he attacks."
"We need to get out of here." Esme mused.
"I'm open to suggestions."
Alice breathed in as if she was about to speak but then released it. "What were you going to say?"
"Well, what else did you get from meeting everyone in the ballroom?"
"Um, it's more, what didn't I get."
"Did you get manipulation or control?"
"Err, I think so."
Alice squealed. "This is brilliant!" I was amazed at how her moods changed so drastically. I didn't know how Jasper put up with her swings. "All you have to do is concentrate on someone, say the person outside with the keys, and get them to open the door! It'll work perfectly!"
"And, how exactly, do I concentrate on a person I've never seen before nor met?"
"Ahh," she finally saw the flaw in her plan…then patched it up. "Just think of someone you know. Like Felix."
"Felix?"
She sighed, exasperated. "Yes Felix."
"Why Felix exactly?"
"Because he seems to like you."
"What?"
"You heard me."
"Alice…What? That's totally absurd."
"He won't do anything, Bella! He knows you're in love with Edward. I mean it like he looks up to you."
"Oh, well, what do I do then?"
"Same as my gift. Just concentrate on Felix and think about him coming to spring us from here. Simple really."
"You seem to know a lot on the subject." Rosalie commented.
"Well, duh! I'm Alice!"
"Of course, how stupid of us. All bow down and praise Lady Alice."
"I'm glad you think so." She said with what sounded like a smirk. I just rolled my eyes and gave my attention to dragging Felix here.
Alice was right, it was simple. All I had to focus on was Felix himself, the idea of him opening our door for us and the mental pull that brought him there. It felt like reaching into his soul and dragging it to where I wanted it. It worked however strange it felt.
We were blinded by light as the door opened. We all stood and as our eyes adjusted to the brightness a tall, bulky shadow blocked the entrance.
Rosalie jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist.
"Emmett!" she half whispered, half shouted. I smiled, happy for her. Rosalie was stubborn at times but I felt like that was just a shell, a cover of what she really was. It felt like there was a lot more to her than what she would show. Maybe it was just because I was human that she hated me. That seemed to fit.
"Hello Rose," he mumbled into her hair.
Jasper then made an entrance. Alice ran up to him, and like Rosalie, pounced on him. My smile grew. They were all so right for each other. You could see in their eyes that they only loved each other and would never love another. I was happy for them but it also made me sad. I missed Edward so much. I loved him so much. I wanted to wrap myself in his arms and never let go…
But I couldn't, we needed to stop him first.
I coughed loudly so nothing would get out of hand, per say and they all looked up sheepishly. I raised an eyebrow. "Are we going or what?"
"Bella," Emmett began. "Where are we going?"
I smiled. "We are going to find Edward, before it's too late. Rosalie and Alice will explain…Wait, where's Carlisle?"
"Oh, um, in the thrown room with Aro and his brothers." Emmett murmured. Esme's hand cupped her mouth and Rosalie swept her into a hug.
"They won't hurt him, Aro is friends with him. They won't, don't worry, Esme." Jasper sent out some strength to us all. We needed it.
"Come on, let's get going."
I never really got a chance to look around the hallway when I was thrown in. It was lavishly decorated like the rest of the castle but in a gothic way, gloomy enough but with enough light to fill everywhere. Rosalie, Emmett and Esme started walking in front of me so I went to walk with Jasper and Alice. Using his gift a little, it felt like he was feeling sad.
"What's wrong Jasper?"
He looked at me, confused for a second and then understood. "It's my fault you're here. If I hadn't had better self control that day I could have stopped this happening."
I was appalled that he could blame himself. "Jasper, it's not your fault. I don't blame you and Edward was bound to leave me even if you did try and attack me or not. True, I was in constant danger but I chose to be. I chose to be with you all after finding out you were vampires. Most people would run and scream but I knew that because you opted to feed of animals, you were all good. I don't blame you and well, I got what I wanted I suppose. I'm a vampire now."
Jasper smiled at me and I felt my words had eased the guilt he was feeling. I heard Emmett mumble about me being a 'damn good vampire' and saw Rosalie smack him upside the head.
"Thank you, Rosalie." I called.
"No problem, Bella."
The rest of the trip was silent, with the occasional discussion on where Edward would be or how we would get to him if he was there. Esme would sometimes exclaim about where we should live next and how Forks was totally out of the question because the Blacks would be after us for breaking the treaty. The only thing I was concentrating on was finding Edward and in consequence, so was Jasper.
"I think we're going in circles." Emmett stated after a while.
"I think you're going in circles." Alice retorted.
"I think you should shut up."
"I think you should be careful what you say to my wife." Jasper butted in.
"I think you should shut up too!" Emmett almost yelled.
"Just everyone, shut up! We're not going in circles." I said, sending a calm feeling around the hall. Jasper just rolled his eyes as I grinned.
We eventually started turning corners and made our way out of the strange shadowy passage and came to a shaded area and then a lot of sun. We stayed in the shade but only just. The building broke off in the middle of a town square. Okay, the Volturi were locking us up and they thought we were in the locked rooms but didn't this make it hard for them to get here too?
"So, sunlight…" Emmett said, stating the obvious.
"Yes. Plans, anyone?" I asked.
No one spoke.
"Jasper, how did you and Emmett get here before?"
"It wasn't quite as sunny then…"
"Ah, we'll be here for a while then."
I sunk to the floor, staring out into the square. We were hidden from sight but most of the people looked skittish, like they sensed something was about to happen. In the centre of the square there was a market. The kind you hardly ever see anymore with striped fabric covering the goods and people wandering around, browsing the stalls whilst eating peaches from the fruit and vegetable stall. It was so odd and so human. It made me want to go up to them, talk about irrelevant things and buy some of the goods. I'd never felt anything like it.
Then the wind changed and their scent hit me. I recoiled, instantly stopping my breath and forgetting that I could use the gift of repulsion to their blood. The vampire side of me was trying to get its way up into my throat and the burning was getting first. I needed to hunt soon.
"I'm…going…inside…now…" I snarled it out through my jaw that was clamped shut. The Cullens shot confused looks at each other as I stormed inside the gloomy hall. The door shut suddenly, leaving me in dreariness. I mentally kicked myself. I could have avoided all of that if I just used the gift. So, so, stupid. Completely stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid –
I was blinded by light as the door swung open. Jasper came to sit on the floor with me.
"Humans?" I nodded, not meeting his gaze. "It's okay, it's expected from you. You're not even a week old and you have almost perfect control. I'm amazed you didn't run out into the sun to attack one."
"I…I just feel like I should be there. There being human."
"I know what you mean." I frowned at him. "We all know what you mean, Alice especially. We want to go out and be human, sleep, eat, get drunk."
"Drunk?"
"Emmett, don't ask." I giggled, thinking about the Cullens drunk and staggering around in a bar. Jasper started laughing too. I could just see Emmett spinning around, trying to make Rosalie dance with him.
"What's with all the hysterical giggling?" Alice asked, sticking her head through the door.
"I have…no idea." Jasper choked out in between taking breaths.
"Emmett…Drunk…"
"Emmett?" She called back outside. "Are you drunk?"
"No!" He screamed at her. Jasper and I just erupted and fell about laughing even more.
Until it got dark we sat, either inside or out of the building, talking over things that had happened. None of us brought up Edward or what would happen and I was more than thankful. The Cullens had done all they could to distract me from the aching where my heart was and although nothing could really distract me, it was appreciated. The darker it got, the more worried I got.
"Come on, let's get going." Alice said, bringing us all from the comfortable silence we had been sitting in. "It's dark enough to go now." We all got up and made our way across the square.
Over the day, Alice had been checking on Edward and each time she would get the same vision of blood streaming down into the gutter and a limp hand hitting the floor. I had, when I felt up to it, tried it myself. The visions hadn't changed.
Well, not at least until now.
I felt Alice slip into one of her visions and I dug into her thoughts as Jasper caught her as she fell.
Edward and Demetri glaring at each other, fuming over something. Outside in the night air they start talking about pointless matters that will stall each of them. Edward's eyes are a golden shade that proves he has not fed from a human.
"Stop the stalling, there's really no need. You won't be able to get to her." Demetri says.
"I have to disagree. I can see where she is through your mind." Edward proclaims and Demetri swore under his breath.
"Well, then, I'll just have to stop you." His eyes glint in the dark as he smiles an evil grin. Edward clenches his jaw as he attacks Demetri. His grin turns to a smirk as Edward is flung to the side.
Darkness.
"Bella?" Alice called out but I was already gone. I had to get there in time. They were in the square if the vision was correct. I had to make it in time. Edward was weak from not hunting in ages and needed all the help he could get.
I flung myself out into the night air and turned a sharp corner. The clock tower was striking nine o'clock as I saw the scene unfold. Alice wasn't seeing the future in that vision. She was seeing the present.
Demetri stood over Edward. Edward's eyes were glazed over as he looked up at the object Demetri was holding. A lit match. I called out but it was too late.
He dropped it.
A/N: -sigh- Edward's done it again.
He's gone suicidal on me...Okay, not really but as good as. I hope you're happy that this is up. It's now 23:48 and I need to sleep. I've got places to be tomorrow, thing to do, people to see.Y'know, the usual.
Another thing, I've started a new story called 'Confusion and Devotion' and I'm sad. You wanna know why? Because no one is reviewing! I can't wait to start it and it's gone unnoticed... It has such potential... -wipes tears from face- So review and make me happy.
Don't hate me but when I say it's going to end soon, I mean it. Only a few more chapters and an Epilogue to go.
Please review!
Emma
PS: Have not proof read...
