Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Twilight is written by Stephanie Meyer. This fanfic is written by me.

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Bella's POV

My eyes flickered open to reveal a bright, sunny morning. I smiled and basked in the warm light, so rare in Forks. I glanced out my closed window and saw a pretty colored bird flit through the sky. Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw something sparkle. I turned to look beside me on the bed and, surprisingly, saw Edward's bronze haired head on a separate pillow facing away from me. My heart raced with excitement and I couldn't keep a grin off of my face.

He had come back. Edward was back for me. My Edward. I sat staring at him a moment, glancing at the brilliant patterns the multifaceted jewels in his skin cast on the wall and ceiling. Then I wondered why he hadn't turned to greet me yet. Well, I told myself, he was probably thinking deeply about something. I reached my hand over to tousle his shiny hair.

Still no reaction. I ran my hand through his hair again, trailing my fingers along the back of his cold neck, saying, "Hello, Edward?" Then, in a move I knew would grab his attention, I whipped off the comforter. What I saw made me freeze.

There was nothing there. No perfect, vampire body to accompany the head. Instead there was only a pool of dried blood. That's when I started screaming. My whole body shook as I realized Edward would be dead. I quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the window. I threw open the window causing the glass pane shaking with the quick movement. A horrible haze of smoke rose out of nowhere, drifting into my room. Coughing and sputtering, I slammed the window shut. When my eyes had cleared of the tears the smoke had brought on, I looked out the window again. There was a fire. Judging by the smell, it wasn't just an ordinary fire either.

That was all the confirmation I needed. I sunk to the ground, wailing Edward's name over and over again. I looked, through my tear-filled eyes, at Edward's head lying alone on my bed. My god, my angel, my Edward was dead. Then, everything went black.

"Shhhh Bella… Shhhh" I woke with a start, feeling icy hands on my burning forehead. I was back in my bed and everything was dark.

"It was just a dream, Bella. Just a dream." The familiar, soothing voice whispered comfortingly. The cold hands ran through my sweat soaked hair and held my heated face.

"Alice?" I asked blinking several times to make sure I wasn't dreaming again. But, sure enough, Alice's small figure was kneeling beside my pillow.

"Jasper, bring me a cool rag, please. Don't wake Charlie." Alice called into the darkness. I squinted to see if I could see him. I only heard the quiet opening of my door and assumed he had already left.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alice got off the corner of my bed and knelt on the ground at my bedside. I closed my eyes, shaking my head. I felt horrible. I was covered in a cold sweat and was burning up with a sudden, fear inspired fever. I shook as the memory of my dream washed over me. The horror, the pain and the sadness all cut at me like knives. I cringed and curled into as small a position as possible to minimize the pain.

"That bad?" I looked to see Alice's wide eyes full of compassion and warmth. "There there, it was just a dream. Whatever happened will never come true, I promise." Her small hand patted my shoulder. The door to my room reopened and Jasper's lanky silhouette was visible against the faint light coming from the hallway.

A cold, wet rag was placed against my forehead. I blinked away moisture from my eyes and rubbed at them weakly. Jasper came to Alice's side and knelt near her. Both pairs of dark amber eyes watched me intently.

"Do you want something to drink?" Jasper's silky, calming voice eased the pounding of my heart. I nodded, noticing for the first time the dryness in my throat. He made a move to stand but Alice's delicate hand on his shoulder stopped him. Instead, she stood and, despite the darkness, I could see her marble white figure flit to the doorway.

"I've got it, Jazz" she whispered before silently sweeping out the door. Jasper's tawny eyes lingered on the doorway before traveling back to rest on my face. I swallowed dryly, wincing at the rawness of my throat.

"Where is Edward?" I asked painfully. My voice was hoarse and shaky but Jasper seemed to have heard it. He closed his eyes.

"We don't know" Jasper answered truthfully. I winced at the thought that Edward hadn't returned. What if he is hurt? Or worse? I let out a cry of despair; my head filling with the image of Edward's severed head.

Jasper looked awkward by my bedside. I could tell he wanted to help me, to ease my pain. However, Jasper couldn't use his calming abilities nor would he be the one to hold my hand or touch my face to sooth me. His eyes flicked from me to the doorway, awaiting the return of Alice.

"We were supposed to be out looking for him. At least, that's what Alice told Carlisle we'd be doing. She insisted on coming here, guessing you would need us. She needs to see that you're alright." Jasper explained coolly to fill the silence. I bit my quivering lower lip to keep from whimpering and nodded stiffly.

"Is anyone else looking for him?" I asked croakily. I swallowed again. My hand moved to my tender throat, rubbing at it. The skin there was hot and uncomfortable. I pulled the material of my pajamas away from my neck. I reached to grab the rag but Jasper's frigid hand beat me to it.

"Let me." He said softly. His hand brought the rag to my neck, setting it there gently. Jasper met my eyes warily. Without the rag there my forehead began to burn uncomfortably. Another sweat broke out only adding to my discomfort.

"Here…" Jasper's icy hand rested on my forehead taking the place of the rag. The relief was instantaneous and I sighed as my body temperature cooled. Jasper trailed his fingers along one side of my face and then the other. Each frosty touch sent cooling waves throughout my body. Jasper brought his other hand to soothe my still burning throat.

"Thank you." I mumbled with gratitude and even a little embarrassment. A ghost of a smile played upon Jasper's lips. Just then Alice entered carrying several glasses of water and an icepack. She flashed a smile at Jasper before skillfully crossing the room without spilling a drop. Jasper stood and took two glasses from Alice. Alice brought the third glass to me.

Using her free hand, Alice helped me sit up. Then she gave me the glass and I drank thirstily. Before I knew it I was being handed a second glass which went down just as fast. Jasper gave Alice the final glass and she proceeded to give it to me.

Knowing it was the last glass available kept me from downing it like I had the first two. I took a generous sip, feeling the refreshing liquid slide down my parched throat. I looked at Alice and Jasper. Jasper had moved over and opened my window, letting in the fresh, damp night air. I reveled in the satisfying breeze as it caressed my face.

"Is anybody looking for Edward now?" I repeated my question, my voice finally sounding more normal. Alice and Jasper shared a look.

"We were the only ones allowed out of the house to look. Carlisle doesn't want too many of us out at a time, for safety reasons." Alice explained as se climbed onto my bed. She settled herself cross-legged at the foot of my bed.

"And instead, you came here?" I asked incredulously. Edward was God knows where and rather than searching for him they were comforting me because of a nightmare? I felt guilt settle on me like a heavy weight. If anything happens to Edward it's going to be my fault. I brought the glass I was holding to my lips with a shaky hand. My whole body quivered slightly as I took a large gulp of the water to calm myself.

Jasper turned away from his view of the outside to look at me. "I think you should go look for him. Now." I said, struggling to keep my voice steady or at least coherent. I couldn't shake the feel that Edward was hurt, possibly worse, or if not, he was in danger of becoming so. I couldn't stand it if something happened to him while Alice and Jasper were with me and not looking for him.

"But Bella…" Alice started sadly. She placed her hand lightly on my blanketed foot. In a silent movement too quick to see, Jasper was at the door to my bedroom.

"You stay with Bella, Alice. I know you want to. I'll go if Bella would like me to start our search." Jasper looked adoringly at Alice before turning to me for approval. Alice too turned to see what I would say. Her expression was torn. I could tell she wanted to be with Jasper and me at the same. Her dark ocher eyes flashed back to Jasper's lithe form and then quickly back to meet my gaze.

"That'd be good, Jasper. Thank you" I answered with out meeting Alice's eyes. Jasper moved to leave, but stalled to look back at Alice. She was biting worriedly on her lower lip, her wide eyes flickering rapidly from me to Jasper and back to me. Alice swiftly leapt off my bed, landing gracefully and silently, only shaking the bed frame slightly. In less than a second she was at Jasper's side.

Alice placed one marble hand lightly on his chest and looked into his eyes. Jasper's eyebrows rose questioningly. "I can't leave you, Jazz" Alice said with such emotion that I immediately felt guilty for agreeing to the idea of him leaving. I closed my eyes and nodded. As much I would love to have her stay, Edward's safe return was much more important to me, especially after my horrible nightmare.

"You'll come back once you find him?" I asked hopefully. I couldn't stand to be apart from the Cullens for long. I already dreaded the moment Alice would walk out the door with Jasper. Alice was nodding enthusiastically in answer to my question. Her face was pinched as if she was about to cry. Alice ran to me for a tight hug.

"We'll find him soon. Then we'll come here right away" Alice promised. Jasper was nodding in agreement. I smiled at him and Alice. As they headed to the door, about to leave for an unknown period of time, I felt myself becoming more and more afraid of the thought of being alone.

I called out, "Alice, Jasper!" Both of their beautiful faces turned to me in unison. "Could you maybe just stay a little longer?" In a moment, they were both back at my bedside, leaning in to hear my quiet voice. "Just until I get tired, okay?"

Alice laughed quietly. "Of course, Bella. Now close your eyes." I obeyed and with the feeling of her small hand in mine, I began to drift off into a restless sleep.

Edward's POV

I blinked my eyes in an attempt to make out the six figures before me. The sky had grown unbelievably dark. Maybe I had been running for longer than I had originally thought. My eyes grew accustomed to the lack of light and I was able to clearly see five of the six vampires I knew there to be.

"They are golden" A tiny, awed voice drew my attention to the two smallest figures. A pair of similar angelic faces stared back at me intently belonging to a boy and girl standing, hand in hand, an arm's distance away from me.

I was nearly choked up with the innocent perfection displayed on their young yet still dazzlingly beautiful faces. Everything about them was flawless: their milky white complexions, bright wide eyes, and their sparkling white teeth. The boy and girl were nearly identical, exactly equal in height and stature. They both had the same white blonde hair. The boy's was medium length with a slight curl to it whereas the girl's was long—past her thin shoulders—straight, and slightly frizzy.

The small girl was smiling adorably at me and I couldn't help but smile back. Her ruby eyes were glittering with curiosity. I found myself bending down to her height and moving towards her and the boy I assumed to be her twin.

When I was eye to eye with her, I noticed with a jolt that four of her teeth were sharpened, unnaturally, to a deadly point. The girl noticed I was staring at her teeth and brought a slender finger to her mouth. I winced as she lightly touched the flat side of the tooth.

"Really makes me look like a real vampire, doesn't it?" The girl asked sweetly. "Liv said they looked cool. Didn't you Livvy?" She turned her angelic face to the female still holding my arm. I craned my head to glare at the vampire named Liv. She was smiling coyly at me, showing her own equally sharp canines.

I felt a wave of revulsion wash over me at the thought of subjecting such precious children to the unnatural creation of these oral weapons. I looked back to the twins, resisting the urge to pull the both of them into my arms.

"Oh, quit looking so disgusted" the voice belonging to the vampire called Gwen hissed at me. "It was the only way to get them to feed." I shivered at the very thought of either of the two small children stalking scared humans, sinking their deadly teeth into the flesh of their prey. As a way of distracting myself from such thoughts, I turned my attention to the little boy.

To my surprise, he was scowling at me fiercely; his blood red eyes were narrowed into hate-filled slits. His tiny hand, not cradling the girl's hand, was balled into a fist. I cringed, wanting nothing more than to make him smile.

I heard a scoffing laugh followed by the smooth, cruel voice from before. "Good luck with that. He hates you already." I stood and swiveled to the direction of the voice. If I hadn't been so determined to find the speaker, I probably wouldn't have seen him there, lurking in the darkness. Dressed all in black, his lean, muscular form blended seamlessly in with the dark shadows. After a momentary pause, a single alabaster hand was thrust at me out of the darkness.

"The name's Bane" the vampire stated in a monotone. "The twins are Julienne and Jayden. Then there are Gwendolyn and Olivia also known as Gwen and Liv respectively," he paused to gesture at the two vampires on either side of me. "And he would be Logan" Bane pointed further into the shadows at the sixth and final vampire.

I smiled grimly, pleased to finally have names to put to faces. As much as I wanted to study the four obviously older vampires, my attention was inadvertently drawn to the twins again.

"They tend to have that effect" Bane commented. That's when the realization hit me. He was reading my mind. Everything he had said was a direct response to a thought that had flashed through my mind. A cold feeling of dread settled over me. He could read minds and I could not. Now was a good a time as any to figure out what powers this strange coven had to use against us.

I willed my gaze to leave the two children and turned once more to Bane. Mind reader? I thought directly at him. He nodded slowly, some of his long jet black hair drifting into his eyes. He brushed it away absently. Which of you can manipulate the powers of others? I added in thought.

"You learn fast, Cullen." Bane said with a vaguely approving tone. By this point we had the other five vampires' rapt attention. He nodded in the direction of Olivia. "That'd be her." Just as we had suspected, my mind added automatically, thinking of my family.

Olivia's gaze snapped to Bane's face, a cold confusion coloring her features. "What? What would be me?" While her tone was indifferent, to me, her face told a different story. She was uncomfortable that we were talking about her and worried what I had thought in regards to her. Bane's black eyes met mine and he nodded in response to my thoughts.

A wicked smile spread across Bane's face. "Oh, nothing interesting Livvy." He waved his hand in a vague gesture to let the topic drop. Olivia's eyes flashed with fury and her grip that she still had on my bicep tightened painfully. She yanked on my arm, immediately drawing my attention to her.

As her crimson eyes looked over my face, her rage subsided considerably. "What were you thinking Edward?" Her head tilted to one side, bearing a shocking resemblance to a puppy dog rather than a bloodsucking vampire. She watched me, waiting for an answer. The grip she had on my arm tightened. I ignored the added discomfort and met Olivia's frantic, searching gaze coolly.

"It would be you who is keeping my power from me," I responded truthfully and calmly. Olivia's face clouded and her hand released its viselike grip on my arm so she could twirl a tendril of her chestnut colored hair around a single pale finger.

"Do you want it back?" Olivia asked with a coy smile. I raised my eyebrows, signaling that she really shouldn't have to ask. "Are you going to beg?" She asked, some sort of strange hope sparking in her wide, red eyes.

I smiled the one sided smile that Bella always insisted was "dazzling." "I really wasn't planning on begging, Liv," I said softly, laying on the charm as thick as possible. I saw Olivia's hard-to-get attitude physically dissolve and she swallowed once, completely taken in by the charade I was displaying. "Wouldn't it be easier to just give it back?" I whispered, taking a step closer to her. Olivia blinked her entranced ruby eyes, nodding dazedly.

I felt like laughing because of how my well my charms seemed to work when, out of nowhere, a booming voice hissed, "He cannot be trusted!" I turned in the direction of the protest to see Logan's muscular, toned form stalking towards our huddle. He crossed his brawny arms over his chest menacingly, a hostile gesture that had me measuring him up and trying to find a visible weakness.

My quick survey showed that Logan's physique much resembled Emmett's as in burly and muscular although maybe not quite as large overall. As with all vampires, Logan had a face worthy for a model, but his was marred with an expression of rage.

"What do you mean, he can't be trusted?" Olivia demanded. "He came here, didn't he? He came without a fight, leaving behind his family," she said, spitting the last word out like a curse. Logan, ignoring Olivia's cries of protests, took a threatening step towards me. I stood my ground, not about to cave in because I was deemed untrustworthy.

In a flash, Olivia's slender form had moved in front of me. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the unnecessary protection. "Liv, get out of the way," Logan snarled, baring his viciously sharp teeth. "I only want proof of his loyalty to our coven."

"And how do you plan on getting that proof?" Olivia snapped in response. She didn't move from her position and seemed unfazed. She even whipped her head around to smile at me before returning her confident gaze to Logan's imposing form.

"I have my ways," Logan snarled, eyes blazing with a fierce determination and hatred towards me. He growled threateningly and crouched, preparing to lunge past Olivia to me.

"You better not move a muscle" Olivia hissed between gritted teeth. She narrowed her eyes ferociously. A demonic smile broke out on Logan's handsome face. It was an unsettling smile that would have sent chills down my spine had I the ability to feel cold. It seemed to be unnerving to Olivia as well, and her fighting stance faltered. With a flick of his hand nearly too quick to see, she cringed away from Logan's imposing form, moving back to the shadows beside me.

"Good girl," Logan drawled, sneering mockingly. I looked over to see Olivia tearing her gaze from him and shifting her eyes to meet mine. Her ruby irises searched my eyes frantically, then they left my face to look me once over, moving abnormally fast with panic. Then she closed her dark lavender lids calmly, as if in defeat. I examined her critically, wondering why she had given up, and saw her chest rise with one long, slow breath.

She extended her hand to me, holding her arm steady. Olivia's fingers spread out and she tilted her head back slowly. Suddenly as if a stopper had been pulled from somewhere in my mind, thoughts came flooding into my head. Fragments, sentences and daydreams swirled around, most indecipherable in the chaos.

As I was engulfed in the hectic thoughts of the coven, I was also overcome by a supreme feeling of relief. After only a few moments of the sweet mental freedom I remembered the enraged vampire before me. I began shoving aside the random thoughts of the five other vampires, focusing solely on Logan's thoughts which centered on the impending fight and the violent bloodlust that plagued him. He was going to go for my throat, of that much I was certain and I could also pick out various other fighting techniques from the tangle of vicious thoughts.

The mental strategizing ceased for a fraction of a second, long enough for the clear, internal shout of NOW! to pass from Logan to me. Half anticipation and half instinct smoothly moved my body to the right just in time for Logan's lunging form to sail past me. He rebounded quickly but mentally I had already predicted him springing at my head. I ducked and Logan's muscled mass flew over me. He landed with an audible thud against the hard ground.

"Olivia!" Logan roared, spitting dirt out of his mouth. Both Logan's eyes and my own moved to face her. Olivia's face was the picture of demure innocence, betrayed only by the smug smile slowly blooming on her full lips. "You gave it back, didn't you?" Logan's voice dropped into a deadly whisper.

"Maybe. Maybe not," Olivia murmured playfully, her smile growing. Logan's body shook with anger and he growled wildly. He pulled back as if to pounce but was stopped by Gwen's tall, thin form. She slowly walked to stand directly in front of him, trailing a hand leisurely across his chest.

"C'mon now Logan, don't kill Eddy just yet. We haven't had a chance to play with him. He is a fresh face" Gwen cooed with a sultry look in my direction. Olivia's smile immediately escaped from her face.

He's mine! She thought defensively. In a flash she was at my side, grabbing at my arm again. This time, however, I pulled away roughly. It was impossible to keep my thoughts from straying to Bella. I couldn't help but wonder what my love was doing right now. I still felt horrible about leaving her, but also about nearly losing control. I couldn't have stayed and now I had an inside look at the coven. Before my thoughts could delve any further into the strategic planning my family and I would use, I remembered with a jolt that Bane could read minds.

I glanced over at him cautiously. His black eyes gave away nothing; his expression was blank. At first I thought he hadn't heard me at all. Soon enough, however, Bane's thought of Who's Bella? echoed in my head.

I rolled my eyes and tried not to cringe as I thought back No one. She's not important. Bane seemed to accept this answer with no question and moved to crouch down in front of the twins. Little Julienne flung her slender arms around his neck with a high-pitched giggle. He stood, carrying the fair-haired girl up with him. Are they immortal children? I thought to myself knowing that Bane could hear me.

No. The response was immediate and fierce. I noticed Bane's figure tensed up and he held Julienne almost protectively. They are both old enough to control their thirsts and thoughts. I would know. Bane's hand reached up to tenderly stroke Julienne's pretty flaxen hair. I was a little shocked at this obvious display of tenderness. I wouldn't have expected it from such a solitary looking vampire. Jayden tugged with annoyance at the hem of Bane's dark black shirt. I watched this interaction a moment longer before my attention was involuntarily drawn back to Olivia, Gwen and Logan.

Olivia had stepped back into my line of sight. She placed a hand on her hip impatiently, tapping her bare foot. "Eddy, what are you thinking?" I tried not to let the fact that Bella had many a time uttered those exact words to me enter my head. Instead I shrugged indifferently. Olivia studied my face skeptically.

He's hiding something. The thought rang clear in my head. However, its source was not one, but two of the vampires before me. Both Olivia and Gwen shared that thought and I tried not to let their apparent doubt affect me in any way.

Gwen, Logan, Olivia and I were quiet for a moment. The two females seemed to be trying to stare the other down. Logan was still fuming from our short brawl and looked as though he would have liked to continue if Gwen wasn't in his way. The air was thick with tension; no one dared to move. I took the time to examine the clearing we were standing in. As far as I could tell, there were no signs of residency, permanent or otherwise.

Olivia's crimson gaze turned to me and saw my searching glance of the area. "Oh! Why don't I show you around?" She suggested suddenly, clasping her hands together. I should have done that earlier. This is no way to treat a guest. Especially a special guest. The path of her thoughts began heading in a direction I was in no hurry to hear so I quickly focused on Logan. His thoughts were strangely sparse and most were focused on his unhappiness with Olivia and her choice to return my ability.

And with that suggestion, Olivia darted away, past the ring of trees surrounding the clearing. I followed her warily and yet quickly, not wanting to lose my way. In a graceful spring, she flung her slender form up from the ground and into a short tree. I watched her, mesmerized, as she flew from tree limb to tree limb. I soon lost sight of Olivia among all the branches and wet leaves.

Glancing in all directions, I waited for her to notice I was gone. Then, in a rustle of leaves right over my head, her pretty face emerged in front of me with a genuine smile. She leaned forward to kiss my nose with a musical laugh. "Silly Edward," she murmured with a tone of amusement. "You have to keep up." She disappeared. With a sigh and trying desperately to contain my thoughts of rage and those of my family and my Bella I so dearly missed, I leapt up to follow her into the maze of branches.

Okay, so it's been forever. Serious writer's block. Anyway, I'll be back now because it's summer. And hey! This is 10 pages on word!! Yay!! So REVIEW!!! Leave comments, suggestions, whatever… THANK YOU!