Disclaimer: Not mine
A/N: I apologize for the brevity of this chapter. I really wanted all the action to happen at once, so this is what you get. I would already have the next chapter in the capable hands of Dalloway5906, but our power went out today and I lost almost 2K words! So I will keep working on it and you will have it on Wednesday! Happy Mother's day to those who are Mothers. And a Happy Birthday to Dalloway5906's little puddin' who turns 4 today! Love you sweetie!
EPOV
There must not be a God. If there was such an all-powerful being, there was no way that they could allow this poor child to suffer like this. Bella was standing unmoving in the open doorway. Light flooded into the room, placing the girl in a spotlight. Her tiny body was trembling and her thoughts recounted how she arrived here as she prepared herself for death.
Knew I should have listened to Mom and not followed Jessica. She was always trying to get me in trouble. The big man that pulled me into the van made my stomach feel funny, like the time I ate too much cotton candy at the fair and went on the ferris wheel. Should have listened to Mom. Now I will never get to see her again. And my poor fish, who will take care of them? I never got to feed them today. Will anyone remember to feed them? I never should have followed Jessica. I would not have been in that park after dark if I had just listened to Mom and come inside and did my homework. Now this pretty lady with the weird red eyes is gonna hurt me. I can just feel it.
Her thoughts faded out into incoherent ramblings and I prayed that Bella would at least have the control to end her gently. There was no way she would be able to resist the scent of this child. Even through the window it called to me, and I had decades of resisting human blood behind me. Bella was still standing in the doorway. She looked like an ethereal apparition as she stood with the light streaming behind her. If not for the crimson eyes and glimmering venom spilling from her mouth I would have thought she was waiting for God to give her wings.
I pulled my eyes from the scene in front of me to glance towards the woods where Alice, Jasper and Emmett were waiting. As my eyes landed on Alice, her thoughts streamed into my mind.
Just wait Edward. Her future is changing so rapidly I am having trouble keeping up. It is brutal for Aro to have tempted her this way. If she is unable to resist, that poor girl will go quickly, Bella will not draw it out.
As much as it pained me to think about the repercussions of Bella ending this child's life, I was glad that Alice was able to reassure me that the girl would not suffer unnecessarily. My eyes drifted back to the room as Aro slid through the doorway, pushing past the still immobile Bella. He walked over to the girl, who was pulled so tightly into a ball, only her hair was visible.
"Just look at her Isabella. Can you smell her fear? Adrenalin makes the blood so much sweeter. I don't really allow myself to indulge in children that often. It is like chocolate to a human, one taste and you are hooked. It is harder to find children, their parents are so cautious now a days. It was much better in the 50's when people thought the world was safe and they only worried about nuclear war. They would have never suspected that their children could be kidnapped and made into a feast for a coven of vampires." He said as he reached out to stoke the quivering child's hair.
"You should have seen the parties we had back then. Demetri would go out every Halloween and bring back a mess of little children all dressed up in costumes. We showed them that there were really monsters out there, but of course there was nothing to save them then." He chuckled.
My stomach rolled just thinking about the fear those children must have felt. I could hear Bella's teeth grinding together trying to resist what Aro was offering. He continued to run his hand down her hair, releasing her scent to the room. Bella swayed on her feet as the smell hit her nose and her hand grabbed the door knob as she attempted to stay in place.
"Why are you resisting? This is what we truly are. Humans are like cattle to us. You would never resist a steak when you were human, why resist this meal?" He taunted as he grabbed the child's chin and forced her head up. He caressed her throat as tears fell silently down her cheeks. "What is your name child?"
Her breath released in a shaky whimper. "Angela."
"Come Bella, have a taste of little Angela and see how good it can be." Aro said as he used his nail to split the delicate skin covering her jugular. Blood spilled in a stream down her throat and onto the collar of her filth-covered white shirt. She cried out softly as her hands reached up to grab Aro's wrist.
Bella's eyes turned flat black as she watched the path of the flowing blood. The metal door knob turned to dust in her hand as she attempted to hold herself back. I knew she would be unable to resist this temptation.
Her mouth opened and her nostrils flared as she drew in the scent of Angela's blood. Her feet moved slowly towards the huddling child and Angela struggled in Aro's grip.
"Please."
"Please."
Angela and Bella spoke at the same time. One begging for mercy and the other for strength.
BPOV
If I had not believed Aro was a monster before, I would have now as I looked at the frightened child in the corner. The blood spilling from the gash on her neck was like ambrosia to my senses. My mind was overwhelmed with the thoughts of how good it would feel to have that sweet liquid flow over my tongue and down my inflamed throat. I just knew that the burning would stop if I could just have one drop of that fluid, just one. I felt the door handle disintegrate in my hand as I squeezed it. The only thing holding me back was the thought that Edward might be watching through the window. I could not tear my eyes away from the flowing red nectar to see if he was indeed out there.
"Please." I whimpered as the burning increased to the point of agony. My mind recognized that the frightened child had spoken the same word as I had, quietly begging me not to hurt her.
I needed a reason to resist. The life of this child was too precious, I could not end it. Edward and I would never have a child of our own now. There would never be a brown-eyed, auburn haired little boy or girl who would call us 'Mommy' and 'Daddy.' That thought had never bothered me before, but now that I was frozen in this eternal state, my heart broke thinking of it. I would save this child, in memory of the child we would never have.
My stance widened and my back straightened as I steeled myself for battle. "No Aro, I will not do this to her."
His jaw dropped and his grip on Angela's throat tightened, causing her to squeak in fear. "What do you mean? You can not resist her. This is what we truly are Isabella. The sooner you accept it, the stronger you will become. Do you really think that the Cullens are living up to their abilities by drinking from animals? They could be so much stronger, more powerful if they accepted their true destiny."
"You are wrong. They are more powerful than you are because they resist becoming monsters. I will not do this… and neither will you." I said, as I walked forward. I stopped breathing, not willing to tempt myself with Angela's still flowing blood.
Aro's grip tightened even further, and I could see the imprints of his fingers in her delicate skin. A few more seconds and his fingers would meet, crushing her neck in the process.
"Stop." I whispered. Aro froze, incredulous that I would defy him. His face contorted into pure hatred as he looked down at the timid girl in his grasp.
"Aro, stop." I said, raising my hand towards the pair.
"Who do you think you are? You are my creation, mine to use as I please. You have no power over me." He seethed as he released the girl and stalked towards me.
He stood tall before me, his hands clenched into tight fists against his thighs. I could feel the hatred pouring off him. I pulled myself up to my full height, my face tipped up so I could maintain eye contact.
"I could destroy you right now." He whispered.
"Try it." I taunted.
A/N: Please click that cute little green button and tell me you don't hate me :)