Lots of you have been asking for Edward's POV, so later on, I might, but for the moment, it's still pretty essential that we keep this party in Bella's POV. Perhaps later, then we could move this shindig to the male side!
Chapter 16
I was lost, broken, and bleeding; I knew there was only one person in the world who would take me in.
Alice. Although she had warned me, I hadn't listened. Now I was reaping the consequences of those actions.
I banished myself from my own world, and made an outcast of myself in the other; what else was there? I could never be known again as Isabella Swan; I could never go out into the world by that identity.
Thankfully, her store wasn't too far, or I felt I would have broken down again. I sort of wished I hadn't gotten my memory back; I yearned for that ignorance once more. I wanted that blackness of not having a worry in the world.
I brought my hand up, paused for another memory; and thankfully received none. I let my fist knock as lightly as possible; I kept my hood down over my face in the event that Lucinda answered. What if she answered? Then I'd have to run, run even more.
The door creaked open and, to my extreme relief, Alice stood rubbing her eyes; I saw she was already in her nightgown. That horrid thing Lucinda had made for her. My heart raced and I felt like I could finally breathe; I needed to see her. I had missed her a lot more than I thought.
"Yes?" She muttered tiredly, seeming to be bothered by a disturbance. But she straightened up, thinking I was someone important; she wasn't supposed to be casual with women.
"Alice, it's me." I whispered with a broken sob, stepping up closer to her; her eyes widened in surprise and she took a step back.
"Look ma'am, I'm not supposed to let strangers—"
"Alice, it's me." I growled, pulling down my hood; my eyes were ferocious as I glared into hers, I didn't have the energy to play the guessing game.
Her eyes opened even wider, and she covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes started to water. I vaguely wondered why, and my resolve wavered.
"Bella?" She cried, almost like she couldn't believe it was true and that uttering my name would hurt her; I sighed.
"Yes, can I come in, please?" I desperately needed a shoulder to cry on; she nodded and motioned for me to get down; I looked behind me, into the pouring rain one last time before I crouched down on my knees, and started to crawl in the way Alice walked.
Luckily, her room was downstairs, as opposed to her Mother's, being upstairs; the warmth from the shop was inviting. I felt I would break down into horrible sobbing any minute, but I attempted to keep the roaring waters sealed up.
Once in her classically decorated room, she opened her closet, in which we both crawled into.
When we were inside, the first thing she did, which I hadn't foreseen, was she grabbed me into a hard and heartfelt embrace, filled with so much relief.
I was overcome with the emotion, and I did something I'd been holding back for the entire day. I let my mask slip, and I began to wail hideously into her shoulder. I held onto her and cried mournfully into her shoulder.
"Oh Bella." She cried in a muffled way, to stifle the noise. "What happened to you? I've missed you so much!" She clung to me, as if she thought I would vanish. I let out a small laugh, I truly had missed her. She was like a breath of fresh air; I'd missed her a lot more than I had thought that much was true.
"I—I…" I mumbled incoherently. I couldn't tell her I went to the other side, could I? "I can't tell you." I sobbed, not wanting to see her face; I knew the dishonesty would kill her.
"Why? Bella, you can tell me anything." She suddenly gasped and grabbed my hair in dismay. "And, and, your hair! What happened to you hair?" She half shrieked, feeling it and grabbing it in disbelief; her hands grazed it and just marveled at length, she looked so shaken by it.
"Thanks Alice." I whispered cynically. I didn't like it; I didn't need her telling me how horrid it looked. "I cut it."
Her eyebrows came down in incomprehension. "Why would you do that?"
I looked up, feeling so vulnerable and muted. "I can't tell you! I want to Alice, I really do, but I can't!" My hands wrapped around her arms like if I were to let go, I would fall into an empty abyss. Hurt dominated her face, hers eyes bored into mine in confusion pain. It killed me inside.
I felt so stifled, I wanted to tell her more than anything; I'd never wanted her to tell her anything more before. I wanted to rant; I wanted to call Edward so many bad things, that I would forget how to use proper English.
"Please, Bella, you don't sound like yourself. Tell me what happened." She held me close to her and rested her head on my own. I stared into her eyes, she stared right back; my resolved slowly broke down, like bread to water. I couldn't hold it back any longer.
"I…" I started, having to force the next part out. "Crossed The Wall. I went to the other side." I whimpered, not wanting to hear her reaction.
She suddenly released me and scooted back until she hit the wall of her closet; she stared at me, like I was an outsider. Her eyes were filled with terror and disbelief.
"You didn't." She whispered, her eyes watching me carefully.
"Yeah." I nodded, thinking she was merely shocked; and interested look entered her gaze.
"How did you survive?"
"I…befriended someone." I said, with my head facing the floor, more than befriended; she gasped.
"A man?" Her voice was so high I could barely understand her soprano trill.
"Yes." I answered, still not meeting her gawk.
"What was it like?" She leaned forward, staring at me as if I were a brand new color that had just been discovered.
"You know, it was alright." I shrugged, not too enticed to go into explicit detail in describing it to her. I just wanted to vent about him.
"I don't know! Please, tell me! How did you befriend him? Was he an animal? Did you give him treats?" She was practically bouncing up and down. What? What was she talking about?
"No Alice, you have it all wrong, some are really nice, and they're not all that different from us." I barely understood the words coming out of my mouth. "Ole' Rust was a nice place, really."
"Wait, what's an 'Ole' Rust'?" She interrupted, holding her palms forward. "Was that his name?"
"No, that's a city." It went right over her head; she just stared back with a blank expression.
"City?" She pronounced cautiously.
"Yes." I answered, a bit irritated.
"Like in the old days?" She was insatiable.
"Yes."
"Well what's his name? Did you overpower him with intellect and reason?" She had scooted back to me, with curiosity as her only priority.
I snarled. "Look Alice, I don't want to talk about that, and no. But stop stereotyping, they're not like that."
She rolled her eyes. "Then, please Bella, enlighten me." She crossed her hands over her chest, and cocked an eyebrow.
I had to phrase this carefully. "The school is wrong. Men are not that bad." Not all men. One was though. "They're sort of like us…but not really. It's hard to explain. It's weird, but great in a way." I trailed off, mediating her expression. Her expression went from interested to devastated. "Alice, what's wrong?"
Her eyes closed, "Bella, stop talking like that. We had this conversation before."
"How could you say that though? I was there, I know it! It's the only thing I'm sure of." I turned her face so I could look her in the eyes.
"No Bella, you've been through so much. You need to let this go. I don't know what happened over there, but it's wrong." She cried, as if I were gone. "Besides, it can't be that great, you're in tears."
I paused, taking a moment to take in her demeanor.
She was right; in a way. I was in tears, I was sad (an understatement), and yet, I was defending it. It was the side I was defending, not Edward.
"It's not the side I'm crying for it was, the man I befriended." I choked; this was it.
"What? What's wrong?" Alice's voice dropped along with her eyebrows.
I sniffled, and dove straight into the emotions. "He was my friend once, and then I found I liked him much more than that." I started, getting prepared to talk about the lies. She just sat there, as confused as ever.
"What do you mean 'more than a friend'? Like a… best friend?" She muttered scandalously.
I groaned and rubbed my temples; she didn't understand. I would have to spell it out for her.
"No, Alice." I took a deep and thought of a way to explain this in a way she could comprehend. "You know the stories about men and women the Crazies told?"
"Sure, but what does…" Understanding brightened in her eyes for a split second, and when it came, it was replaced with terror. "No, Bella, you're not…"
I nodded in shame and closed my eyes.
"Pregnant?"
My head shot up.
"What?" I didn't even think about what that would have required. "Where did you…how—?"
"Well I read in textbooks that long ago that was usually what these conversations led to! That it used to be a huge problem before The Change. Teenage pregnancy and all that, I just assumed."
"Alice." I said in a silent rage. "This whole, thinking and assuming thing isn't working out for you. Stop it."
"Then what is it?" She popped back up enthusiastically.
"You were thinking of the textbook answer." I repeated to myself. I sighed, still shaken by the answer she had given me. Had she really thought that of me? "No, think harder."
She cocked her head and careful contemplation.
I choked back a sob. "Please, don't make say it out loud." I whimpered; I feared what sobbing fit I would go into if I told her the 'L' word. Oh, what has happened to me? Since when did I become so…I couldn't even think of an adjective to describe it! It was stupid, it was weak; it was everything I had become.
"Love?" She asked in a quiet voice; I almost doubled over in pain.
"Yeah, that." I gasped, my eyes wide, staring unseeingly.
"Oh Bella," She moaned, covering her face with her hands. "How did that happen?"
"I don't know!" I nearly shrieked, grabbing my short hair in frustration. "But he lied, and found out it was all fake!"
"Wait, what was fake?" She stopped me once again.
"Him! He was just being that way to me to get me to the Volturi. To turn me in as soon as he could." I gasped at the shock wave that came from saying the words out loud.
"I find that hard to believe." She said quietly, my head shot up once more. "If he really wanted to turn you in you wouldn't be here. Why would he have waited so long?" She cocked her head to the side.
"Well because I was injured." I muttered.
"You said they were like us, and if I were a Hawk, I would have…" She stopped. "Besides, you have no proof that he's affiliated with the Volturi." I opened my mouth once again to speak.
"Yes I do—"
"Look, Bella." She placed her hand on my shoulder and drew me toward her. She stroked my hair in a motherly way. "I know this must be confusing, but a few days back in normality should get you thinking clearly; I guarantee it." She whispered.
"I'm already convicted; the Hawks are already looking for me." I muttered lowly, my eyes digging in hers. She and I just weren't on the same page. She just gazed back with a disbelieving expression.
She… actually thought I was lying.
I stared, dumbstruck. We weren't on the same page. This whole conversation, we never were. She wasn't going to listen to me; I now had nobody in the world. Absolutely nobody. The last person in the world to care for me was gone; my supposed best friend had turned to someone else.
She was now trying to convince me I was insane, and everything that had changed in me was wrong. Who knows, maybe she's right. But I couldn't believe that.
I pled to her with my eyes, hoping she'd turn back to the Alice I knew; for I was now looking at a stranger. But she only stared at me back, with a foreign expression.
Like I was an alien.
Gathering what remained of my dignity and self respect; I stood up and opened the closet door.
"Bella, what are you doing?" She half screamed, grabbing my arm with the grip that could kill. I look to her with a cold and emotionless expression, and spoke with no inflection.
"If you're going to treat me like I'm just another Crazy, then I can't stay here." My voice cracked a bit at the end, her eyes turned into two pools filled with hopelessness. "No matter what you say, I know what happened. If you can't accept that and be my friend, I don't belong here."
The words looked like they sliced through her, her eyes were pained; and with that, her grip on my arm loosened her hand slipped away.
I felt my life leave me as I stepped quietly through the shop, and walked like a ghost into the pouring rain.
With the last remains of my humanity left back there with Alice, I became just another faceless silhouette, on a trek to nowhere, in the storm of my life.
With nowhere to go, and no one to bail me out of this one, I took it upon myself to try to find a place to sleep for the night. I had walked all night. I couldn't tell how long I walked, for the moon was obscured by the storm clouds, but it felt like forever.
Icy water soaked my entire body as it fell from the grey, gloomy clouds overhead, and dripped from my fingertips and the end of my hood; I counted how many drips fell from the front of my hood, using it as my marker for time.
I'd walked far enough so that I was out of the colony, and was now on the side of the countryside road. Still untouched by civilization.
Earlier, I had noted I'd never been out of my colony on this side, but I figured I was way past that point; I was now a professional at running away and wandering into unknown territory.
Nobody lived out here, it was uninhabited; when I got far enough away, I was hit by déjà vu once more. The Wall seemed to get smaller and smaller on the horizon, I was now equally as far away from it then I was on that side. When I trusted him fully.
The irony was spiteful. I couldn't even see the mountaintops on the male side, for they were too far away. Almost like they never existed.
I knew not where I was going, and a part of me didn't care; as long as it was away.
My heart was growing numb now; I was able to focus on the road to keep my mind off of my ghosts that were haunting me.
The mountains in the distance on this side were sad looking, the trees were of the same species, just shorter and tamed. It broke my heart. This side could possess the attitude the other one side, it was stifled. I could see the trees were screaming to be allowed to grow taller, let their branches spread, let their vegetation grow free and wild.
The thing I clung to was the words my father wrote on the back of the necklace, its purpose was fulfilled; I used it to unleash the truth, and my doom. I would keep it despite its uselessness; it was a remnant of whatever love I could receive.
Before I left the colony, I did something I never dreamed I would do. I stole.
I stole a dress; it was kind of essential. Although I knew I needed to get rid of the man clothes, I still felt guilty about stealing. I had to blend in somehow. But I kept the cloak, I couldn't let it go; I had to hide my appearance, I also just plain didn't wish to throw it out. I was fond of how mysterious it made me; I didn't have to put up any appearances. I was just a blank face.
Eventually, I needed a break; I told myself I would just rest for a second, and then keep going. I shut my eyes for a second, and when I reopened them, the sun was streaming brilliantly through the trees' canopy.
I pried my eyelids open, and brought myself up onto my feet; the ache in my legs that I was now used to after walking so much wasn't there. I was momentarily confused, it didn't hurt so much to walk anymore, and I guessed my body was finally getting used to the physical exertion.
Lucking out, I found an apple tree, which contained glistening, enticing, red apples. My mouth was practically watering; I had kept the man clothes in case I got cold, and I took the shirt and used as a make-shift bag, taking around ten apples. Who knew when I would come across food again?
I also found a stream, with pristine water, that was as clear as diamonds. I eagerly took a drink, slightly discontented by the fact that I could not take any with me.
Before going to that side, I never would have made it this far; I wouldn't have had the survival skills to survive more than three feet from my house if I hadn't taken that journey through the forest. I guessed I had that much to thank the harshness of the forest.
I was unknowingly being prepared; I could do this. I had the strength and experience to handle this situation. I could make it.
After a few hours, I saw a woman on a horse carrying goods, except they were fabrics and clothing. Not hay this time; I was once more slapped in the face by memories.
I had asked her politely for a ride. When she asked me where, I just replied 'anywhere'. I hopped into the back and began to think, she had said we were going to Mystic Waters, which would take another day or two.
It crossed my mind about when Edward got us a house to stay in Ole' Rust, and how he got us a ride back; I just figured it was a coincidence. I was sure the only reason the woman let me ride in the back was because I must have looked so pitiful, I couldn't be a thief (though I was in a way).
Father had said that the agents use their authority as if they were already members to get what they want; I supposed all they had to do was show them their tattoos.
Had Edward used his tattoo to strike fear into the men we came in contact? He'd asked me to stay outside for a reason, and the man was also shaking like he'd just seen a ghost. Edward had said he had a disease. However, Edward lied about lots of things. I could only assume he lied about this too.
I imagined it, Edward going into the old man's house, merely having to lift up his sleeve, to bully the old man into letting us stay there. I was suddenly very disgusted with myself. If I had known what Edward did to get us a place to stay, I would have slept on the streets. My burning hatred flared higher and increased in potency.
He was so cruel. How could he do that? How could anyone do that?
What kind of heartless monster was he? Even if we needed a place that's no reason to bully innocent people around, the guilt now burrowed deeper into my heart.
I bet he used his power to get us a ride back too, how many times has he done this before I came? I had been so utterly blind.
That was the highlight of the trip. I just stared up at the sky the rest of the time; when nightfall came, and we stopped and took a break.
It was uncomfortable though, she kept observing me in a suspicious way; didn't she understand if I was going to rob her, I would have done it already? In an attempt to ease her, I offered her an apple. She refused it coldly.
I slept in the back, she'd made sure to move her good dresses away from me, where she rested; her distrust irritated me, but it wasn't my main issue.
I spent the night planning about what I would do when I got to Mystic Waters; I prayed it had less Hawks, and that they weren't looking for me as persistently as Hollow Wood was. Something told me they would be though. Maybe if I stayed hidden, I could make a new living for myself. Possibly get a job at a vegetable shop. Go under an alias.
Maybe if I stayed hidden, I could achieve some partial form of happiness. I dreamt of a new life, a very fragile, delicate new life.
From staying up late, I woke up late; the sun was past its peak, indicating it was a little past noon, maybe twelve-thirty. I finished off my apples without guilt, because the woman said that we would reach Mystic Waters in a few hours. She had started riding at around five in the morning; I wished I could wake up so early.
After hours of me staring up at the sky, I started to see the first signs of a town; it started with little cottages, and then turned into two story homes, and finally shops.
I was in awe; Mystic Waters was so different. Almost no Hawks roamed the streets, and the ones that did were cheery and laughing along with women who talked to them. Although some were standing erect and proper, others laugh boisterously and shoved each other jokingly in the streets. I shot up, just staring at the joy that filled this town.
The Hawks still had weapons, but they were tucked away as they smiled knowingly toward shopkeepers, little girls walked around with ice cream in their small hands, licking enthusiastically.
The town radiated contentment and glee. I wished I'd known such a place existed sooner. I longed to stay here, for as long as I could. This was a place I wanted to be my whole life, everyone was carefree, and joyful.
But something seemed to be missing; it was cheery, yet, somehow forced. Or maybe that was my point of view.
This was happiness at its peak; so why wasn't I happy?
I was glad this place was real, but it lacked something. Perhaps it was the fact that I was an outlaw now? No, it seemed like, it could be happier if…I didn't know. I couldn't put my finger on what it lacked, all I knew was that it lacked.
The cart stopped in front of a dress shop, and I hoped off of it.
"Thank you ma'am." I thanked her; as I was about to walk away, she stopped me.
"Wait!" She called, catching up to me, I spun around, confused. "Do you need a place to stay?" She asked. I paused; was she really asking me this? I had caught vibes that she despised me.
"Um…yes." I muttered, still waiting for the catch.
"Well, why don't you come in my shop? I have to go to the market real quick, but wait there." She replied, seeming like she genuinely asking. Warmth spread through me, and I smiled back as brightly as I could; who knew she was so nice?
"Thank you very much." I answered gratefully, and entering the shop. She disappeared into the streets.
I sighed and let my eyes wander around the quaint little shop; she really did have a nice inventory of dresses.
Was she really going to let me stay here tonight? I wondered if she would offer me a job here. That would be nice. Get right on my feet when first coming here.
I let my fingers feel over the fabrics, as the smile stayed permanently plastered on my face.
After a few minutes, I spotted a beautiful dress on display; it was green and had had long sleeves made out of satin. The way she was displaying it; higher above all others; I could tell she was truly proud of it.
I made a beeline toward it; it was gorgeous, but strangely familiar. I wondered if I made enough money, I could buy it eventually.
I picked up the tag and read the price, and almost fainted. It cost so much! I found out why though. It said 'two of a kind' on the tag.
I went rigid.
My eyes trailed downward, in between the opening in the cloak.
The dress I had stolen was the exact shade of green, the same fabric, the same design, the same everything. Uh-oh. They were the same dress.
In that moment, the door was thrust open, and could hear three Hawks charge in along with an infuriated store owner.
"There she is, she's the one who stole my dress!" She pointed at me accusingly. It all fit together now; she invited e to stay only to make sure wouldn't run away.
Three Hawks, the same merry ones I'd seen outside, had changed and looked exactly the same as the ones in Hollow Wood; cold, and angry.
I gasped in betrayal and let the tag drop; I could only stare. My heart clenched, like I'd just been punched in the gut. I had been doing so well, I was almost in the clear, and now, I was going to get arrested for something insignificant compared to all else.
They all stomped toward me and gripped my forearms, I yelled out in pain; I could only gawk at the woman. I knew it was only what I deserved, but to think, I actually thought she was going to take me in.
I was so close. Now it was ripped away.
I faced utter humiliation as the Hawks carried me out; the street went silent as they gazed at the girl with the funny looking hair get arrested; I supposed that didn't happen often here.
To think, I let it happen again. I put my trust in someone; and it was thrown back in my face. Maybe I should just stop. Stop fighting my fate. I was never meant to function in society; I had to face that truth. I belonged absolutely nowhere. Except jail.
The silence was piercing as the Hawks put hand cuffs around my wrists and sat me on a buggy to go who knows where. I blushed and turned my head downward, not able to look into the faces of the townspeople.
So close…I thought to myself in a daze; I was finished.
I couldn't fight even if I wanted to; I was going to the one place I prayed never to go. All because I had to go and open my mouth. I could have found the things and just kept quiet, but no, I couldn't keep it contained.
But if I hadn't, I never would have found father's journal, but then again, I could have lived peacefully for the rest of my life.
I wanted to thrash, whip back at them, who carried me as if I were nothing; but my fire was out. It had taken too much weathering. I let something inside me die. I felt no anger, no betrayal, no sadness, I tried to build up some emotion, but it was prominently broken down. I felt like I was out of breath.
My head lolled back in the seat when the horse started trotting away; two Hawks sat, gripping my arms like I was some mysterious murderer. I wanted to tell them I wasn't going to spring up all of a sudden; I wasn't that crazy. Then again, maybe I was. If I twitched my arm, their eyes shot to it, and glared at me. It didn't encourage me to move much.
How did this happen? I was trying to avoid the big problem, when I was tripped up by such a minuscule one; was being arrested not for defying what the school said, not for crossing The Wall, but for stealing a dress. Such a simple crime, it could have easily been avoided; I had been much too careless.
There was no possible way to avoid the Volturi; nobody could defy them.
I wanted to ask where we were going, but I knew I would get no answer. I could only guess one place.
I sat as still as possible, afraid to move. I never dreamed I would get arrested; I was supposed to be good. The one who never got in trouble, the innocent by stander, the one with a clean slate. Now, my future was shattered, and I was unable to pick up the pieces.
I wished nothing more but to blame this all on Edward, but I knew I had brought this on myself. I wanted to pin it all on him somehow, but I couldn't even fool myself.
The ride was the longest ride of my life, I wasn't used to being treated like a criminal, but I was quickly adapting to it. Nobody caring what you thought, nobody caring what you had to say. But when we finally did stop, I saw we were at a large building.
They grabbed me, and thrust me out of the buggy with so much force; I thought my shoulders would come out of their sockets. They still held onto me, and dragged me into the grayish building.
I knew it wasn't jail, although this building was intimidating, it wasn't nearly as menacing as jail would look, I was positive. It was too tame, too professional.
They set me down, not letting me go, but I got to walk now; my breathing grew shallow as we walked through a pristine white hallway; where could they possibly be taking me? Why wasn't I going to jail?
Upon entering a room decorated with electronic devices; it was huge, and was filled with many women sitting in front of monitors, watching.
"Why did she say to bring her here?" One of the Hawks whispered to the other, I listened intently, slightly happy that I wasn't the only one in the dark. The other just shrugged, I exhaled noisily.
"Who do we have here?" A tall, skinny woman with pointed cheek bones stepped over to where I was being held; I gulped, wanting to shrink into my cloak.
"She stole this dress, we were going to take her to The Institute for torture for a week," The Institute? Oh….the jail. Torture? "But our Head said to bring her here." The second one answered in a confused manor, offering me up like a dish. Perhaps that was why they were keeping such close watch on me.
She eyed me carefully, a confident smile plastered on her face; she leaned toward me, and scoured my eyes. Sweat began forming at the nape of my neck. After a moment of looking, she let out a short chuckle and closed her eyes.
"Two of our agents had a run in with her in Hollow Wood, she seemed suspicious, so they were going to follow her, but she disappeared before they could." She said coldly to the hawks behind me; then her eyes flickered back to mine. "Isn't that right, Mary?" She stressed my alias. I nodded, meekly.
"Yes ma'am." She seemed amused by this.
"You see ladies," She addressed the Hawks. "This is no ordinary thief. This is the notorious Isabella Swan." Her eyes bored into mine, calling me on my lie. "The girl who listened to the insane stories of the Crazies, and then disappeared before she could be captured." Although she was talking to her agents, she was glaring at me smugly the whole time. "Well done, Isabella, you eluded even our best agents." She gave me false praise.
It seemed I was famous here; or infamous was more accurate. It made me feel no better than before.
"Now, I'm curious, Isabella." She phrased, placing her hands haughtily on her hips. "Just how did you manage to stay hidden for so long? Though, your arrest was inevitable, I wonder how a mere teenage girl was able to stay away for such a period of time."
"Fate?" I replied smartly, wanting to do nothing more than annoy this woman and avoid the subject altogether, for I knew I would eventually crack if they investigated enough.
She looked taken aback, like she hadn't expected me to reply in such a way; now all the women in the room were watching us, like it was some show.
"Well, if you're really that clueless, I have no more use for you." Her false smile struck fear into my heart. "Take her to the Institute where she will live out the rest of her now numbered days."
My heart dropped into my stomach; although I knew this was coming, hearing the terrible words aloud, sealed my fate. I dropped my head in defeat as the two Hawks dragged me back roughly to the buggy.
I looked over my shoulder at the woman, she was beaming smugly at me as I was being taken to my death; a look of sweet victory covered her face, like she relished the thrill of the kill. Such a cruel woman deserved the Volturi.
Returning to the buggy, they took their guarding positions like before while the third Hawk began driving again; I just stared blankly ahead. I was too in a daze to notice anything.
The ride must have been hours, but to me, it felt like minutes. As if time sped up, eager to get to my doom.
I was exhausted, but I had refused to go to sleep the whole ride; but now I could feel my will power fading, I was going to pass out soon enough. Already moments of reality were being cut out into a dream; thoughts were being dragged along for too long, and soon enough, they started playing themselves out in my mind. The line between thoughts and dreams was slowly becoming less and less distinctive.
A building in the distance slowly became more and more visible. Only it wasn't a building; it was much too large for that. I didn't know what to call it; with tall grey walls, and menacing spikes all around it, it stood as a symbol for gloom and foreboding.
This must be jail. I thought passively, my head lolling back once more, before coming back up.
My heart pounded so hard it was all I could hear in my ears, I never believed I would end up here. In a place filled with so much pain and misery, it would kill me itself.
As I felt all of the blood drain from my face and out the soles of my feet, the breath of the Hawk to my right danced across my neck as she leaned down.
"Welcome home."
So, our dear Bella is going to jail….I wonder who she'll meet there…
Review for the rest of the teaser:
"Miss?" I whispered, although there was no need to; I nudged her shoulder, she mumbled incoherently before she rolled over to face me. Her eyes were empty.
"Yes?"
"I was just curious." I twiddled my thumbs once more. "It just doesn't make sense to me."
She closed her eyes before answering. "What doesn't make sense?" I took a deep breath before answering.
"That day, the day you were taken, it seemed like something inside you had finally let go. And, although it isn't my business, I was wondering if you would tell me what that was, if there was something." I finished, careful to read her reaction, a corner of her mouth turned up a fraction of an inch.