All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer
It was completely dark when I finally woke up. I stretched and realized too late that I was far too comfortable to still be in the backseat of a car. I reached around me for a light of some kind and eventually found a lamp sitting on a table by the bed I was in.
I blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted to the new brightness in the room. I was in a hotel room of some sort; the lamp bolted to the side table gave that away. The curtains were drawn so I had no idea if it was day or night.
"Oh." My hand automatically flew to my chest, and my breath caught in my throat. There sitting silently in a chair across the room was Edward. He looked like a statue made of stone. Only after I started to breath again did he move. Had he been watching me sleep?
"Did you sleep well?"
"I slept ok. Where are we?" I asked no longer able to keep my curiosity at bay.
"We're in a hotel room just out side of Chicago."
"Chicago." I breathed.
"We won't be staying, but you needed a good nights rest and some decent food before we continued."
"How long have we been traveling? Where will we be going?"
"We've been traveling for a little over a day now. We will be going as far as we need to; at least until I feel it is safe to stop."
I bit my lip as I considered what he just told me. We had made good time to be in Chicago already. A day and a half…it seemed much shorter…"Charlie." I had completely forgotten I needed to call him. He must be worried sick. I should have called him a long time ago.
"Can I use a phone?"
He narrowed his eyes briefly deciding, before nodding his head ever so slightly. "You can't tell him where we are, or any details for that matter." He approached the bed and handed me the small silver phone Carlisle had given him before we had left Forks.
"I'll give you some privacy." He stared at me for a few minutes before he spoke again. "I really am partial to that color with you skin."
I looked back at him wide eyed before I ducked my head. I hoped he couldn't see the red filling my cheeks. I waited until I heard the door click shut before I looked up again, and then turned my attention to the phone in my hand.
I took a deep breath before I dialed the familiar numbers. I was hoping he would be at work, but I was not that lucky. He answered on the first ring.
"Bella?"
I could hear the concern in his voice and I had to swallow hard before I could answer. "Yeah Dad, it's me."
"Are you ok?"
"I'm fine."
"Where are you?"
"I'm safe. I just needed to get away to clear my head that's all."
I heard him sigh on the other end. "Bella honey, come home. We can work this out. If you're really that miserable here then…I'm sure your mother would be more than happy to have you back." He was desperate and I could hear the deep sadness in his voice.
Tears started to form in my eyes and I had to fight hard to keep them from spilling over. "I will come home as soon as I can. I promise. This has nothing to do with you. It's all me. I'll check in again as soon as I can. I love you Dad."
"I love you too Bells."
I hung up without saying goodbye. It sounded too definite--to final--and I couldn't make myself do that. I would see him again, and soon.
I threw the phone across the bed and pulled my knees up to my chest. I sat with my arms wrapped around me as tears streamed down my face. I was surprised I hadn't run out by now. It seemed I had an endless supply.
After a long while, I disentangled myself and slowly rose from the bed. At the foot of the bed I found the bags of clothing Alice had bought for me. I selected the first things my hands touched and went into the bathroom off my room.
I turned the water on as hot as I could stand it, before I stripped and got in. The water felt amazing. I allowed it to freely flow over my body as I tried to relax, but soon found myself shaking with sobs. I pounded my hand lightly against the stall wall as I slide to the shower floor.
I wished for my life back. The one I had before when vampires didn't exist and the world made sense again. In that world I didn't have to hurt the people I loved. There was no danger, and no one was risking his or her life for mine. I was safe, the people around me were safe, and there was no need to run and hide.
Once I had finally cried myself out I forced myself to take a few deep breaths. Crying was getting me nowhere. No mater how much I wished for things to be different, they were not going to change. I had made my choices and now I had to live with them.
I stood up and began washing my body. There were questions I needed answered and sitting around feeling sorry for myself was solving nothing. With one last deep breath I turned off the water and dressed quickly. It took longer to detangle my hair, but eventually I managed to get all the knots out.
I would not break down again.
I opened the door to what could only be described as a mini apartment. We must be staying in a very nice hotel. I cringed as I thought of the amount of money one night must cost. On the couch I found Alice and Edward sitting together watching the TV. It was on very low. I almost couldn't hear it. At the sound of my approach Alice turned to me and Edward stood up.
His eyes looked sad—almost pained. "I ordered you some food. It should be here shortly."
"What time is it?" I asked as I sat in the over sized chair next to the couch.
"Four in the afternoon."
I nodded. "Are you going to tell me what's going on now?"
I watched as Edward sighed sitting back down. He didn't speak for a long moment, thinking of what to say.
"You said you knew what we were…how much do you know exactly?"
"I know enough. I know you're incredibly strong and fast. You can read minds, but not mine for some reason. I know…" I faltered briefly before I continued. I wasn't sure how he would react to my confession. "I know you're a vampire, that you hunt animals instead of…well…instead." I stumbled unwilling to say the word.
He looked at me with a stunned expression on his face. Clearly he had not imagined I was so well informed. "How did you come to this knowledge?" He asked genuinely intrigued, but he never once denied it.
"Well after Tyler's van tried to squish me I guessed a few things, and when you and your sister were arguing…I might have over heard her say you couldn't read my mind."
"And the other parts." He prodded.
"Well…" I trailed off looking down at my hands as I played nervously with a piece of my hair. I didn't want to get anyone in trouble, least of all Jake.
"Yes." I could tell he was getting impatient.
I sighed loudly. "I ran into an old family friend while at the beach, the same weekend you went away."
He furrowed his brows in confusion.
"H-His dad is one of the Quileute elders." His face froze as realization hit him. "He told me of one of their legends about…vampires. He mentioned your family, but said you were not supposed to be dangerous because you…ate differently than the others."
He was quiet for a moment before he responded in a soft voice. "All this time, you knew…and still…" He mused looking off towards the wall. As the silence dragged on I was afraid I might have upset him.
Eventually he sighed looking back at me. "You are much more informed than I ever would have believed possible. Still, it does make my job easier."
"What?"
"There are many things you know about my kind, but still many more you do not. We are the ultimate predators in many ways. We are physically attractive to our prey; our very scent lures them in. We are fast, agile, and far stronger than any human. Not all of us live the lifestyle my family has chosen, to fed off animals, the majority of my kind…well…let's just say their eating habits differ greatly."
I shivered knowing full well what he was implying. I was amazed at how easily he was able to talk about things now.
"A coven of vampires visited the area on Sunday. They seemed merely curious." I noticed his voice turning hard and his hands forming into fists as he continued to speak. "One of them saw me with you, and decided he wanted you. That is what we are hiding from."
I was confused. I hadn't seen Edward once all weekend. How could this other vampire have seen him with me? What made him so dangerous? Why had be chosen me?
I opened my mouth to ask another question when a knock came to the door. I visibly jumped in surprise. I had forgotten Alice was still in the room and was taken aback to see her get up to answer the door.
My food had arrived.
The smell of beef and potatoes filled the room. As if on command my stomach growled loudly. I could feel myself flush with embarrassment. I guess I was hungrier than I thought.
Alice smiled as she put the tray of food on the table in front of me. I didn't waste anytime and started devouring the food as they both stared back at the TV.
With their attention diverted it gave me time to consider what I had just learned. I plopped a piece of steak in my mouth, chewing slowly as I thought things through. We were heading East, but clearly had no set destination. How long would we keep this up? How long could I keep this up? Edward had been very candid with me thus far, yet I could tell there were many things he was leaving out. Like why this other vampire wanted me. His explanation didn't make sense to me. It wasn't just that Edward was nowhere near me over the weekend. Had I done something to make this other vampire want me dead unknowingly? Had Edward? Was this the reason he was obsessing over my safety, watching me sleep, allowing me to go nowhere alone? Alice had mentioned something in the mall bathroom. She had told me he was concerned for me, but never once told me why. She explained it was his place to tell not hers…
It would make sense. It would explain the guilt ridden, pained looks that seemed to cross his face. I couldn't imagine what he could have done to cause this other vampire to act this way, nor did I understand how killing me would exact revenge on Edward. There were still too many questions and not enough answers.
I pushed my food away, not half done, unable to eat another bite. At the sound of my tray scrapping against the table Edward turned to look at me.
He quirked an eyebrow, "You're done already?"
"I can't eat anymore." I said as my hand rested on my bulging stomach.
His eyes looked briefly towards my hand then back at me and he nodded.
"I do have some more questions though."
"I knew you would."
I began sifting through my thoughts deciding which to ask first. I decided to start with the easiest. "You said there were many things I didn't know about your kind, I was wondering if you could tell me more."
"What exactly do you want to know?" I tried to bite back the smile that was threatening to cross my lips. This was good. He seemed more than willing to answer.
"Why can you read minds? Are you the only one? What are the limitations? Can you hear anyone anywhere? What about those after me? Do they have special things they can do?"
He chuckled once without humor. "To answer your first question. I don't know. Carlisle has a theory, but it's unproven. No, I am not the only one. There are others of my kind who have the same ability or something similar. I can only hear those close to me, no more than a few miles away. The more familiar someone's mind is the farther away I can hear him or her. I can only hear the thoughts people are having as they enter their mind."
He paused, clenching his jaw before he answered my last two questions. "I am not sure what special abilities those after you may possess. Their thoughts were clear of such things." He sounded almost disappointed.
I frowned remembering the conversation at his house with his family. "But you called one of them a tracker, is that not a special ability? If not, then why did your family react like they did when you told them?"
He surprised me when he burst out with laughter. It was one of the most beautiful sounds I had ever heard. I wondered idly, why he didn't laugh more. "You miss nothing do you?"
I didn't say anything as I looked back at him, folding my hands in my lap waiting.
He sighed heavily before answering. "Yes, one of those after you is a tracker. I guess you could call it a special talent, but all of us possess the ability. James," he said practically spitting his name from his lips, "seems especially talented in that area. That is the reason my family reacted the way they did."
I nodded. I opened my mouth to ask another question but he raised his hand up stopping me.
"No more questions tonight. There is plenty of time for that later. You need to rest. We leave tomorrow at first light."
I did feel tired, and agreed willingly to his terms. As long as he was willing to answer my questions I could wait. I wanted to take advantage of the bed while I could. I politely excused myself from the room. I didn't bother changing as I climbed onto the bed, all my crying and traveling had caught up to me. Sleep found me almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.