Chapter7
REMEMBERING
DISCLAIMER: IF YOU THINK THAT I OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA THEN TRULY; YOU DO NOT THINK MUCH, NOW DO YOU?
Bella POV
I was close enough to hear her high-pitched voice. Her father stared at me in surprise as I bore down on them, rasping out Edward's name repeatedly. 'Edward... I need to find Edward' was the only thought in my brain.
The older girl giggled and said something to her mother, gesturing toward the shadows again impatiently. What had the girl seen in those shadows? Not, Edward?
I swerved around the father – he clutched the baby out of my way – and sprinted for the gloomy breach behind them as the clock tolled over my head.
"Edward! No!" I screamed, but my voice was lost in the roar of the chime. Edward please, please be able to hear me, please.
I could see him now. Moreover, I could see that he could not see me.
It was really him, no hallucination this time. In addition, I realized that my delusions were more flawed than I'd realized; they'd never done him justice. My weak human mind could not accurately use my imagination to recreate the perfection that is Edward. Edward is just too beautiful; inside and out for my mortal senses to comprehend.
Edward stood as motionless as a statue; just a few feet from the mouth of the alley. His eyes were shut, the rings underneath them deep purple, his arms relaxed at his sides, his palms turned forward. His expression was very peaceful, as if he was dreaming pleasant things. , Edward, you need to open your eyes I longed to scream. I longed to yell at him until he looked at me until he saw that I was alive.
The marble skin of his chest was bare – there was a small pile of white fabric at his feet. The light reflecting from the pavement of the square gleamed dimly from his skin.
I had never seen anything more beautiful – even as I ran, gasping and screaming, I could appreciate that. The last seven months meant nothing. His words in the forest meant nothing. It did not matter if he did not want me. I would never want anything but him, no matter how long I lived. Edward I realised is my life, my love. All that I would ever need I would be Edward I was sure. Without Edward, I am nothing.
The clock tolled, and he took a large stride toward the light.
"No!" I screamed. "Edward, look at me!"
He was not listening. He smiled very slightly.
He raised his foot to take the step that would put him directly in the path of the sun. No, he could not do this, he held my entire reason for living and here he was about to throw it all away?
I slammed into him so hard that the force would have hurled me to the ground if his arms hadn't caught me and held me up. It knocked my breath out of me and snapped my head back.
His dark eyes opened slowly as the clock tolled again.
He looked down at me with quiet surprise.
"Amazing," he said, his exquisite voice full of wonder, slightly amused. "Carlisle was right."
"Edward," I tried to gasp, but my voice had no sound. "You've got to get back into the shadows. You have to move!"
He seemed bemused. His hand brushed softly against my cheek. He didn't appear to notice that I was trying to force him back. I could have been pushing against the alley walls for all the progress I was making. The clock tolled, but he didn't react.
It was very strange, for I knew we were both in mortal danger. Still, in that instant, I felt well. I fely as though I were once again whole. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect – not healed, but as if, there had been no wound in the first place. I looked into Edward's eyes and I felt his body in my arms, the moment was perfect, or would have been had the possibility of our imminent death not been looming over our heads.
"I can't believe how quick it was. I didn't feel a thing – they're very good," he mused, closing his eyes again and pressing his lips against my hair. His voice was like honey and velvet. Oh how I had missed his voice, how I had missed Edward.
"Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty," he murmured, and I recognized the line spoken by Romeo in the tomb. The clock boomed out its final chime "You smell just exactly the same as always," he went on. "So maybe this is hell. I do not care. I'll take it."
"I'm not dead," I interrupted. "And neither are you! Please Edward, we have to move. They can't be far away!" The Volturi were coming of that I was sure, and I did not want to be here when they arrive.
Felix POV
'Aw c'mon, get a room!' I think as I see Cullen clutching some human chick to his metaphorical bosom. Heh bosom, boy I love that word. "Do you reckon it's time to break the happy couple up?" I ask Demetri, otherwise known as Mimi-I could tell you why but then I would have to kill you. Whoa, Felix man, you are talking to yourself-not good, snap out of it, you do not want Mimi to think that you have lost your marbles now do you? "Felix, Feellliiixxx... Cat-food c'mon, focus on the task at hand!" Aw Mimi, always there to save me from... wait, did he just call me Cat-food? "What did you just call me?" I demand. At this, Mimi looks puzzled. Suddenly a look of realisation crosses his face. "You mean Cat-food? Alec and I decided that is your new nickname, you do know that Felix is a Cat-food brand, right?" I must look as puzzled as I feel, as Mimi immediately says, "Don't think to hard Felix, you might hurt yourself!" Quickly Mimi runs off laughing, before my fist can connect with his face.
Demetri POV
'Holy cow,' I think 'she does smell good!' Hmm I wonder if Cullen would mind me having a small taste of his little human. Then I see the human girl's face. For a human, she is very pretty, almost beautiful. 'If she were a vampire...' I ponder staring at her delicate features. I quickly come to the realisation, that if this girl was turned into one of us... Hell, Heidi would look hideous beside her! When I hear Felix's-I mean Cat-food's sharp intake of an unnecessary breath I know that he is on the same page as I am.
Oh, no Cullen has fixed us with death-glare. He knows we are here and I guess from his expression he just read both Cat-food's thoughts and mine about his Bella. 'Her name suits her I must say' I muse as I tense my body for a fight. It would appear that Cullen will have to learn to share.
Bella POV
I struggled in his arms, and his brow furrowed in confusion. Come on Edward we need to move, I resisted the urge to scream.
"What was that?" he asked politely. Now is not the time to be polite, now is the time to get the hell out of this city of vampires.
"We're not dead, not yet! But we have to get out of here before the Volturi –"
Comprehension flickered on his face as I spoke. Before I could finish, he suddenly yanked me away from the edge of the shadows, spinning me effortlessly so that my back was tight against the brick wall, and his back was to me as he faced away into the alley. His arms spread wide, protectively, in front of me.
I peeked under his arm to see two dark shapes detach themselves from the gloom.
"Greetings, gentlemen," Edward's voice was calm and pleasant, on the surface. "I don't think I'll be requiring your services today. I would appreciate it very much, however, if you would send my thanks to your masters."
"Shall we take this conversation to a more appropriate venue?" a smooth voice whispered menacingly.
"I don't believe that will be necessary." Edward's voice was harder now. "I know your instructions, Felix. I haven't broken any rules." Because of my impeccable timing, I longed to say, also...Felix? Was that not a cat food brand or something?
"Felix merely meant to point out the proximity of the sun," the other shadow said in a soothing tone. They were both concealed within smoky gray cloaks that reached to the ground and undulated in the wind. "Let us seek better cover."
"I'll be right behind you," Edward said dryly. "Bella, go back to the square and enjoy the festival."
"No, bring the girl," the first shadow said, somehow injecting a leer into his whisper. Talk about creepy. If I get out of this alive, I probably will have nightmares about that voice.
"I don't think so." The pretence of civility disappeared. Edward's voice was flat and icy. His weight shifted infinitesimally, and I could see that he was preparing to fight.
"No." I mouthed the word.
"Shh," he murmured, only for me. I suspected the sound was meant to be reassuring, but it had the opposite effect on me.
"Felix," the second, more reasonable shadow cautioned. "Not here." He turned to Edward.
"Aro would simply like to speak with you again, if you have decided not to force our hand after all."
"Certainly," Edward agreed. '"But the girl goes free."
"I'm afraid that's not possible," the polite shadow said regretfully. "We do have rules to obey."
"Then I'm afraid that I'll be unable to accept Aro's invitation, Demetri." Wow, I cannot stop myself from thinking, 'If these were not the bad guys, I would probably compliment their names.'
"That's just fine," Felix purred. My eyes were adjusting to the deep shade, and I could see that Felix was very big, tall and thick through the shoulders. His size reminded me of Emmett. Oh no, if they decide to pick a fight, we are dead meat.
"Aro will be disappointed," Demetri said, sighing.
"I'm sure he'll survive the letdown," Edward replied.
Felix and Demetri came closer, towards the mouth of the alley; they were parting slightly so that they could come at Edward from two sides. They clearly meant to force him deeper into the alley, to avoid a scene. No reflected light found access to their skin; they were safe inside their cloaks.
Edward did not move an inch. He was dooming himself by protecting me. Why could Edward not go and save himself? He does not love me, so why was he condemning himself to die in this way?
Abruptly, Edward's head whipped around, toward the darkness of the winding alley, and Demetri and Felix did the same, in response to some sound or movement too subtle for my senses.
"Let's behave ourselves, shall we?" a lilting voice suggested. "There are ladies present."
Alice tripped lightly to Edward's side, her stance was casual. There was no hint of any underlying tension. She looked so tiny, so fragile. Her little arms swung like a childs.
Yet Demetri and Felix both straightened up, their cloaks swirling slightly as a gust of wind funnelled through the alley. Felix's face soured. Apparently, they did not like even numbers. I was terrified. I knew that Edward and Alice, even with their talents... could never defeat all of these human eating vampires alone. To take out James, Emmet, Alice, and Jasper were needed.
"We're not alone," she reminded them.
Demetri glanced over his shoulder. A few yards into the square, the little family, with the girls in their red dresses, was watching us. The mother was speaking urgently to her husband, her eyes on the five of us. She looked away when Demetri met her gaze. The man walked a few steps farther into the plaza, and tapped one of the men wearing a red blazer on the shoulder.
Demetri shook his head. "Please, Edward, let's be reasonable," he said.
"Let's," Edward agreed. "And we'll leave quietly now, with no one the wiser."
Demetri sighed in frustration. "At least let us discuss this more privately."
Six men in red now joined the family as they watched us with anxious expressions. I was very conscious of Edward's protective stance in front of me – sure that this was what caused their alarm. I wanted to scream to them to run.
Edward's teeth came together audibly. "No."
Felix smiled.
"Enough."
The voice was high, reedy, and it came from behind us.
I peeked under Edward's other arm to see a small, dark shape coming toward us. By the way that the edges billowed, I knew it would be another one of them. Who else could it possibly be? Now we were most definitely outnumbered.
At first, I thought it was a young boy. The newcomer was as tiny as Alice was, with lank, pale brown hair trimmed short. The body under the cloak – which was darker, almost black –was slim and androgynous. However, the face was too pretty for a boy. The wide-eyed, full-lipped face would make a Botticelli angel look like a gargoyle. Even with the exception of the dull crimson irises.
Her size was so insignificant that the reaction to her appearance confused me.
Felix and Demetri relaxed immediately, they stepped back from their offensive positions to blend again with the shadows of the overhanging walls.
Edward dropped his arms and relaxed his position as well – but in defeat.
"Jane," he sighed in recognition and resignation.
Alice folded her arms across her chest, her expression was completely impassive.
"Follow me," Jane spoke again, her childish voice a monotone. She turned her back on us and drifted silently into the dark.
Felix gestured for us to go first, smirking. I did not like or trust that smirk. I was afraid.
Jane POV
I cannot help myself from shooting the occasional curious glance at the human. She appears to be afraid, yet although she knows what we are and what we can do, she has yet to begin screaming. I find this rather interesting. I wish she was alone, thatwe were alone so as I could talk to her. Aro has been talking about Edward-I-have-golden-eyes-so-I-am-the-good-guy-Cullen's thoughts about Bella Swan for most of the day. To tell the truth, I think that she sounds cool.
Back in the alleyway, I could see that she was more concerned for the human bystanders than she was for herself. Such selflessness is not a trait that is common in Volterra-selfishness on the other hand is rife, it can be seen anywhere within these walls. However, selflessness is an incredibly rare quality especially in a human, and such a young one at that!
Based on all that I have heard, and all that I have seen of Bella Swan, I think that if I was given a chance, I would like Bella and indeed, we would possibly be friends if only she was not with the Cullen freaks...
AUTHORS NOTE: HEY EVERYONE! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THAT CHAPTER-THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I AM LOCKED IN A ROOM FOR A LOOONG PERIOD WITH A NOTEPAD AND A PENCIL. AS USUAL THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS-ESPECIALLY THOS WHO REVIEWED THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER INCLUDING:
shans97
TheBlackSeaReaper
lunjul
Matthias Stormcrow
Twiligirl
jjcullen
tennisgirl608
withering blossoms
anonymous
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ADDED THIS STORY TO THEIR FAVORITE OR ALERTS!
REMEMBER:narration
Directly From New Moon
"speaking"
'thinking'
OK NOW PLEASE REVIEW OR PM ME TO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS CHAPTER!