A/N: I am baaccck! I didn't make ya wait 2 weeks for an update. Consider it a treat in your Easter Basket! My beta ia back from land of finals and studying.. welcome back sweetie! I missed you. To all my reviews.. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Your kind and generous words keep my going! I will admit the last chapters have been heavy.. so I am gonna slow it down..just a bit. I hope you enjoy it and then review!
The story, the character and this world belong to Ms. Meyer...I am just playing..seriously..that is all!
The Hunt Begins
Without thinking, I followed that trail. I inhaled deeply, committing that scent to my memory. It became ingrained in me, it was my driving force. I had found what I was searching for and there was no way I was going to fail. The scent was faint; if I had to guess it was close to a week old. But it was there. Occasionally I would stop to smell a tree or some leaves just to make sure I was still on the right path. Each time I was able to find her scent and it propelled me forward.
I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Alice's number. This was the first time I sought her out and I was a bit nervous. She answered before the first ring was done, "You're on her trail?"
"Yes, I just found it a few hours ago. I think it's close to a week old. I found it in British Columbia; I was on my way to Denali to speak to Laurent. I wonder what she was doing up here?" It was the first time I had ever voiced that question, though I had posed it to myself many times before. I wondered if she would see what I was really asking.
"I can't get a read on her, Edward. I did not pay much attention to her the last time and so I have no real connection to search for her decisions. When I look for you I just see you going after her. Maybe if you actually catch up to her, I may get a better sense of where she is going."
I had a feeling that would be her response, but I needed to ask. I had come to realize how much I missed her and leaned on her in times such as this. I wanted to apologize for my abysmal behavior when I last saw her, but the words would not come out. This apology would need to be done face to face. I owed that to her, to us. So instead I simply said, "Thanks. Tell everyone I said hello and will call when I can."
She was silent for a moment and I wondered if she had seen that I wanted to apologize and was going to say something. I shook my head, hoping she would see that and know that this was not the time. Instead she gave me some rather good news.
"You remember that little girl that we donated the money to?" How could I not? Those eyes were forever burned into my memory. They haunted and comforted me simultaneously.
"Yes. What about her?"
"She had her marrow transplant a few weeks ago. We have been following her website ever since we donated. It looks like she is doing well and is getting stronger. They will not know for a few more months if she will be cancer free, but she is doing better. I thought you would like to know."
A true smile spread across my face, the first in quite some time. I was pleased to hear that the little girl was able to get the proper medical care and treatments. I could only hope she would grow into a strong and beautiful young woman.
"Thanks, Alice. It was nice to know that. I really need to go. She is already days ahead of me and the trail is faint enough as it is, I don't want to lose it."
"Take care, Edward," she whispered softly before she discontinued the call. I wanted to puzzle over Alice's abrupt hang up, but Victoria was my most pressing concern. I stowed the phone away and continued to follow the scent.
Just outside Washington State I ran across what looked like an old feeding ground of hers. There were faint signs of blood on the ground, marks to make it look like an animal attack and ripped clothing. I quickly searched the area for a body but found none. A small feeling of helplessness crept over me. Knowing that Victoria was out there and hurting other people enraged me. For once my anger could be directed at someone other than myself and it felt good. I was no longer just protecting my love by hunting down Victoria. I was hoping to stop the slaughter of innocent people she feed upon. Guilt ate at me that their deaths would stain my hands. Their nameless faces would be added to the countless other lives I had a hand in taking.
Giving myself a mental shake, I continued on. The trail headed down a path that hovered between Washington and Idaho. The fact that she was so very close to my angel was maddening. The fact that I was so very close to her drove me crazy. For a few precious minutes I gazed towards Forks and tried to will my love to her. We were in the same state for the first time in months and every cell in my body screamed at me to run, run back to her. I closed my eyes at the indecision; the desire to just see her was overwhelming. My legs twitched uncontrollably with the need to run towards her. Instead I whispered my love and my promise to make this world safe for her.
As I continued to follow Victoria's trail and it lead further and further away from Forks, I felt my heart breaking all over again. I did not think it was possible, but the pain and loss that crashed over me told me otherwise. I staggered against a tree and it groaned under the force of my weight. Tearless sobs wracked my body and for once I didn't try to stop them. I needed to let some of this go if I wanted focus on finding and killing Victoria.
Minutes passed that felt more like hours when I found it in me to pull it together and regain my focus. I was still days behind Victoria and I needed to use all my time making up that distance, not dwelling on the pain. There would be plenty of time to do that once this was all taken care of. With a tremendous effort, I pushed it all aside and concentrated on the task at hand.
With a renewed effort and determination, I forged ahead. The scent went from Washington to Oregon. Several times her trail double backed. It was almost as if she thought someone was following her and it was her way of checking. She even laid false trails which, a few times, I followed. They went nowhere and I had to double back. Victoria was crafty and resourceful. She was not to be undermined.
I followed the trail from Oregon to Idaho with nothing happening. The trail was getting stronger which gave me the hope that I was gaining on her. As I got closer to Utah the trail got significantly stronger. I had been running non-stop for over four days. When prey crossed the path I was on I fed, otherwise I stayed on her trail. In Utah, she seemed to have been everywhere. There were concentrated areas that reeked of her. I briefly wondered if this is where she was from. I found places that would be suitable hiding areas during sunny days. She stayed mostly in the mountainous areas. At least for the most part she abides by the rules of staying inconspicuous. But my gut twisted when I also realized how it would make feeding easier for her.
I reached northern Utah as the sun was setting and it allowed me to continue to cover much ground. Several areas I found appeared to be newer traces of her. I was excited to find her and end this madness once and for all. During one of my many sweeps of the areas I found a small little cave and from the smell of it, at least two vampires were inside. I reached out with my mind to gauge what they were up to.
Their minds were full of their most recent feeds and how one kill was pleasing to them. The obvious joy in their thoughts sickened me. Feelings of shame that I had, at one time, relished the kill just as much flooded my body.
"Did you see how she tried to fight? I love it when they have some spunk in them."
In his mind I saw a young woman, walking towards her car. She was wearing a uniform of some sort and looked tired. He replayed him coming up behind her and her attempts to push and hit and even kick him. The maniacal laugh he gave her finally froze her in fear. I blocked out the rest of his thoughts. The other was more subdued; he had found two young men and dispatched them quickly.
I was able to take my leave, when a brief memory flashed through one of their minds. It was the hair that made me pause, it was red, and it appeared he knew of Victoria. Instantly I concluded I needed to engage these men and fish for whatever information they may have, it was imperative. I ran through several likely scenarios that would illicit the most information with minimal amount of time on my part. From the thoughts of the two vampires, they did not hold Victoria in high regard. Maybe that was my way in.
I alerted them to my presence by stepping on a twig. They ghosted out of the cave in an instant. They both had the appearance of nomads. Hiker clothing that was showing the wear and tear, air untidy and unkempt. One was taller than the other. The taller one had dark hair, almost black, while the other one had a short crop of blond hair. The taller one stepped forward. His thoughts were the most hostile and suspicious.
"This is our area, what are you doing here?" His blood red eyes narrowed as he looked me over. He took note of my rather clean clothes and youthful appearance.
I relaxed my stance to show that I was not going to become aggressive and kept my tone impassive.
"Looking for someone, I followed her scent here. Maybe you have seen her? Tall, wild red hair, goes by the name of Victoria…" I let my words trail off. I prayed he would take the bait.
The other one was not able to school his facial expression when I mentioned Victoria. A low growl rumbled deep in his chest. The taller one held up a hand to silence him.
"I may know who you're talking about. Why do you want to see her?" His air of superiority was getting on my nerves. I decided I needed to get right to it.
"Because she has something of mine and I want it back." My words were laced with venom. "I have been following after her and she knows it and she is playing games with me. I am tired of it."
Their thoughts were excited by my lies. They had been duped by her and were ready to see her get taken down a notch or two. I was sure they would not mourn her when I killed her. Blondie was especially excited by the idea of me tracking Victoria down. His thoughts were filled with their recent tryst and it did not end well. Seems Victoria is a love 'em and leave 'em kind of vampire. He still harbors a bit of anger because of it.
Seeing as Blondie was less careful with his thoughts, I knew the best way to glean truthful information would be to phrase my questions and responses with caution. His friend was not as forth coming and his thoughts were just as guarded.
"What did she take your lettermen's jacket?" They both laughed at their obvious but stupid joke at my youthful appearance. This was one of those times when I cursed being forever seventeen, made it hard to be taken seriously by other vampires.
My eyes narrowed in anger and my voice was filled with all the contempt I felt towards Victoria, "No. She took my money. I won it fair and square but she decided it was hers. I don't take kindly to people stealing my money." I was thinking on my feet. I knew from past nomadic experiences that money means a lot to solitary vampires. They mostly get it off their victims and they usually have little time or patience in invest it.
Again, my words found purchase with the blond guy. Memories of them losing a significant amount of money to her played out. This time the other one was unable to compose his expression. He also replayed the same memories his friend had. This was the source of his anger towards Victoria. I had found their Achilles heel.
"I told her that I would stop at nothing to get my money back and when I did, she would regret it. She's been running from me ever since. The longer this goes on, the more annoyed I am getting with her." I let the feeling of malice and the threat of violence permeate the air. There would be no mistaking what I would do once she was within my grasp.
"Do you really think you could take her down?" Blondie was unable to stay silent anymore. He desired Victoria to suffer and was more than willing to let me do all the dirty work. I felt the same; I was more than ok with doing the work. Now I needed them to point me in the right direction. However, their constant beating around the bush was getting old.
"Does it matter to you? All I want to know is if you have seen her or if you know where she went. The rest is between me and her." The irritation in my voice was not faked. I had wasted enough time trying to play the game, all I really wanted was to get back on her trail. I had made up an incredible amount of time and distance and was unwilling to relinquish it.
The dark haired one was growing irritated at my tone; he felt disrespected by me. I almost laughed when felt a 'newbie' vampire should be more respectful to one over fifty years old. If he only knew I was the elder one and one that was twice his age. I made my face one of indifference as I continued,
"Well, obviously you have no useful information, and I am bored with talking to you both." With that said I slung my bag over my shoulder and made a movement to leave when Blondie spoke.
"Colorado, she said she was headed to Colorado."
I did not turn around, but I did pause in taking another step forward and cocked my head to the side.
"Hmm…I guess that is a bit helpful. Should I even bother to ask if you know where in Colorado she was headed?" Sarcasm and skepticism laced my words. The implied thought was there, I did not think they knew any useful information.
"Colorado Springs," stated the dark haired one the same time Blondie thought, Denver. I knew Blondie was being more truthful. I nodded my head as a way of thanks and in a flash I left the area. Colorado here I come. As I left the area, Blondie's thoughts again were very useful, I hope he finds her; she only left less than two days ago. I wanted to shout my excitement in knowing I was only hours behind instead of days.
Ever the perfectionist and wanting to cover all my bases, I ran the entire length of the Utah and Colorado border. I did not want to miss a single trail of Victoria. Just as I suspected, a trail that would put me closer to Denver was the freshest and strongest trail. The one a bit further south and could lead to Colorado Springs was faint and older. I followed the more recent trail toward Denver.
I ran faster than I ever had. Determination and a focus I did not know I was capable of drove me. My need to do to do something, to protect my love and kept her safe was paramount. But even more intense was the need to eliminate Victoria. She was the last tie to James, the last reminder of that awful incident last spring. If I could just erase the final reminder, the world and my angel would be safer. Although Victoria did not harm Bella, she was an accomplice to James' twisted and sadistic games. She was his wing man and assistant and for that she needed to die.
I made it into Denver in a matter of hours. Like previous trails I followed, Victoria left several false ones and double backed on herself many times. She must have a talent or an innate sense of self-preservation and I speculated on it for much of my run. Once in Denver, I needed to be much more strategic in my searching. True to her form, Victoria stayed to the out skirts of the city and I ran a lone parallel to hers.
Denver was a bustling town; there are railways and planes, a heavy amount of car traffic and a steady stream of hikers coming in and out of the city. While it provided us both with anonymity, it also provided too many avenues for her escape. I needed to peg her down, find the connection or the reason for her to be here. Luckily for me, it was still dark and I was able to cover massive amounts of area.
After searching for a few hours, I found a rather potent trail that was even fresher than the one that led me to Colorado. It must have been a route she travels frequently. Hope and excitement flared in my body. They were unfamiliar emotions and I struggled to contain them. They were dangerous and alluring. I wanted to give into the idea that I could have this all finished in a matter hours, a day or two at the most. But the darker side of me knew better. This was not over until Victoria's body was a pile of smoldering ash.
I followed the fresher trail as it meandered in and out of Denver and skirting the edges of some of the closer suburbs. In vain I tried to see if there was a method to her madness, a strange pattern to give me a clue as to why she moves in crazy circles and double back the way she did. The longer it took for me to find a reasonable answer the more frustrated I got. But I still pushed myself to my upmost limits, moving as fast as I could and then some.
On my way back to Denver after following a trail outside the city I noticed a fresher trail that reeked of her. That alone did not surprise me, what did was that it crossed mine and it wasn't that long ago. Suddenly two things became very clear to me. First, Victoria was close and I was gaining on her and second, she knew I was after her. Although our scents were mingled, it was easy to see that her scent overlapped mine. I had lost my element of surprise.
I took off after the most recent trail still trying to process what exactly it meant that she knew it is me who is after her. My suspicion was that it just made my job much more difficult. Even more frustrating than that was the knowledge that I could change nothing. I knew of no other strategy that would allow me to combat this change in circumstances. Now, if I had Jasper with me, I am sure it would have been no big deal. But I was a novice at this and tracking was not my forte. With heavy reluctance, there was nothing I could do but to continue to follow the scent as it wound through the scenic nature surrounding Denver. I hunted small game to keep me energized and strong. In the early morning hours of a cloudy day my luck continued.
Victoria had headed into a heavily industrialized part of Denver. Even at this early hour, there was a large grouping of people already hard at work. The factories had people streaming in and out. Warehouses had trucks coming in a constant flow. It was busy and a perfect place for Victoria to feed. I reached out with my mind looking for anything that may indicate Victoria had been seen.
With my tattered hiking clothes, I could easily fit in with constant influx of people milling around the area. I wandered aimlessly, always keeping Victoria's scent trail close at hand. My eyes scanned the work yards for a brilliant shock of red hair and my mind scanned the thoughts of everyone I could sense. The constant stream of thoughts was loud and almost deafening. It had been too long since I was exposed to this many voices and thoughts.
On my second sweep of the area before I followed the trail again, I caught a glimpse of red hair in someone's thoughts. I spotted the man and I walked faster towards him as he was busy telling his buddies about her.
"Man, you should have seen her! She was curvy in all the right places and she looked ready for a good time." His buddies laughed and made crude jokes. As much as I hated the tone of their conversation, I had to continue to listen in and gather as much information as possible. From the memories floating in his head, he ran into Victoria in the night. He was out on a smoke break when he saw her. He had called out to her, but she just turned and smiled. She made a move towards him and he had barely registered the hue in her eyes when other people spilled out of the door he was standing by. Seeing all the people, Victoria had sped away.
I made my way over to where he had last seen her and I found her trail once more. I looked at my surrounding and notice that a high bluff overlooked the area I was in. I needed to gain a better vantage in which to spot her and the bluff was my perfect chance. If I could stay above her and follow her that way, it may take her longer to realize how close I was. I had no doubt that once I got close to her, she would take off and the real pursuit would commence.
I followed her scent as it wove into the forest that touched the edges of the industrialized area. It was a perfect place for her to wait for a person, or in her case a meal, to wonder just far enough that she could feed. The idea sickened me. Now I needed to figure out where I should place myself. Although I would like to keep her from feeding, I knew that my primary goal was her. I glanced once more at the bluffs surrounding the area and knew they were my best option.
Once in the forest I hastily made my way towards the bluffs. I knew it was my only chance to get ahead of Victoria; I was tired of playing catch up with her. The bluffs were densely populated with shrubs and thick vegetation. There were small groupings of trees and I scaled one to improve my vantage point.
Once I found a sturdy branch to support me, I looked out over the bluff. With my enhanced vision, I was able to see for several miles over the forest and over the factories and warehouses. I was even able to discern even more details from the forest. I saw large animals as they grazed or ran. I saw factory workers as they went just inside the fringe of the forest to relieve themselves. What I was most looking for was the color red. Something that would stand out easily among the sea of green and brown that was before me.
I was not aware of how much time had elapsed since I started to watch for Victoria. My focus and concentration was on her and it matter little to me how much time I had to spend here before I found her. Like my search of the states, I swept the forest in a methodical and precise pattern, unwilling to let just one piece of the forest go unsearched or monitored.
It was just before sunset when I spotted something fiery red. It blew in the breeze and when I really focused my attention, I could make out curly hair. It was Victoria. I had found her at last. Excitement and jubilation raced through my veins. The anticipation of the fight was layered in the venom that flooded my mouth. My muscles tightened with the expectation of a fight. But before any of that could happen, I needed to get closer. She looked to be about three-quarters of a mile away from me. I needed to come at her downwind so my scent did not alert her to my presence.
Scanning the banks of the bluff, I noticed a line of trees that went in the direction I needed to go. It was perfect. It allowed me to stay downwind and keep a higher vantage point to keep tabs on her whereabouts. For the mean time, she did not appear to be moving. Her gaze was focused in the direction of the warehouses.
Swiftly I went from tree to tree, always keeping her in my line of sight. A few times I needed to leave my perch up high and run for the nearest grouping of trees. Her attention never left the workers coming and going from the warehouses. It couldn't have been more perfect.
The joy at knowing I was finally going to put an end to Victoria was all consuming. For over two months this had been my sole purpose and to see it coming to an end, it was bittersweet. I knew once this was completed, I would be faced with an endless amount of time alone. I did not relish in that, in fact it frightened me. I had yet to fare well in being alone. Shaking myself back to the task at hand, I looked again to make sure Victoria had not moved.
I was less than a quarter mile from her and I could see the wicked gleam in her eyes. She was looking for an easy target in the workers below her. Her hair was wild and full of the forest she has been hiding in and her clothes were well worn and ripped. She looked every part the nomad that she was. She stayed in a perpetual crouch, ready to spring and fight if need be. Quietly I continued to watch as I planned where to go next. The winds were starting to become variable and it was possible she would smell me soon. I needed to determine the best possible way to ambush her and take her down.
I had just leapt from one tree to another when her head whipped in my direction. Her eyes narrowed into angry slits and her lips curled back in a snarl. I could see her body shake with tremors as she scanned the immediate area. I fixed my mind on trying to hear her thoughts. I have never heard her speak and so I was having trouble locating them in the noise surrounding me. As I got closer, I could vaguely pick out the tenor of her thoughts which were nothing too specific, but it was her body language that spoke volumes. Part of her wanted to engage me and end this game of cat and mouse, but she was also occupied with finding a way out.
Like a lightning bolt she gave into her urge to flee and I followed right behind her. She flitted from tree to tree with a grace and sure footed ability. The speed in which she ran had me stunned. It was like she found the best route possible for escape. My inability to hear her decisions hindered me in that I could not anticipate her moves, merely react to them. I gained no ground on her and in fact it appeared she was widening the distance between us.
In the distance I could make out a rail yard and Victoria was headed in the direction. I kept her in front of me and pushed myself to my limits. My desire to get my hands on her drove me to be relentless. I needed to end this.
So focused on just keeping her in my line of sight I failed to see what her destination was and use that to my advantage. Not until it was too late. The rail yard was full of trains, most of them were stationary. There were workers scurrying around, hooking up cars and fixing axels and changing tracks. It was busy and chaotic and it was right where she was headed. She angled her path to intersect the rail yard, but she was headed straight towards the largest concentration of people. I paused for a fraction of a second, confused by where she was headed and I worried about exposure.
The moment of hesitation was all she needed. Just then a train going full speed raced by and I heard her intentions the second before she jumped the train in a single bound. From my vantage point I could not see over the train. I knew I needed to jump as well. My worry about exposure was minimal compared with my need keep on Victoria's trail. A quick scan of thoughts showed that no one perceived her jump and I made mine.
I landed on the train hoping to spot her and immediately noticed how her scent followed the path of the train. She had to be on one of the cars. She was clever. I swung down so I was on the side of the train car and the scent was stronger. For a brief second I closed my eyes trying to locate her with her thoughts, but I was coming up empty. Frustration like I had never felt before clouded my mind. As I hurriedly made my way from car to car, looking between them to see if she was holding on, I pondered why I could not hear her. I was hoping that it was my lack of familiarity with her and her actual voice, but I knew that was not always the case. Even now I could hear the faint mind of the engineer as he manned the controls of the train. I decided to abandon my attempt to hear her and keep moving forward.
The closer and closer I got to the front, the stronger Victoria's scent became. I kept my movements as silent as possible. I was less than five cars away from the front and the smell was overwhelming. On my jump to the next rail car, I spotted it. Words that I rarely thought much less said out loud poured out of my mouth. There in between the rail cars was Victoria's shirt. That was the source of the scent.
In one movement I ripped the shirt off the rail car and leapt down. I pounded the ground in frustration as a screamed ripped from my chest. I wanted to rage and cry and give up all at once. How could I have let her go? I tore her shirt into shreds; it took the place of the owner. I kept a scrap for me to heighten my sensitivity to her scent.
My mind scrambled to determine where she went. She must have landed on the train and stayed on long enough to place her shirt as a decoy. Then she jumped off and went in another direction. I had lost time and miles to her cleverness or was it my stupidity. I did not care which one it was, the fact remained that once again I was a failure.
A/N: So.. we have had a confrontation with Victoria! Please leave me some love... some Easter goodies in my email basket.. PLEASE! As always: I respond to all reviews and even give ya a nugget of what is to come! THANKS FOR READING.. now click that button!