I don't own anything. :)

Bella POV

xxx

At first, I didn't let myself hear anything. I didn't let myself breath, speak, see…it was all just a blur. Partly because I didn't want to know, and partly because the numbness was slowly transforming into pain. And…more pain.

A lot more pain.

We didn't go very far away from the scene before I basically collapsed, my mind fizzing with new facts and information. A new vampire, my father dead. People seeing me. The risking of our secret. All of it was my fault. My mistakes, my loathsomeness.

"I'm so sorry, Jasper. I messed everything up!" I fell to my knees, curling into a ball and leaning against a tree. My voice was thick and harsh, compared the normal tinkling sound that I was used to hearing in my ears. It sounded almost…human. Rimmed with hurt and defeat, and the voice of someone who was about to cry.

"Bella, it's not your fault." Jasper leaned down, and brushed a piece of hair from my eyes. "It's not like we knew this was going to happen…not even Alice saw it – she's wasn't looking, so…"

"It's still my fault." I said, burying my face into my hands. I tried to keep the battle that was raging in my mind down to a minimum, but there was too much going on – a fight against Edward and I, my pitying self against my logical self, Jasper against me. Not the mention the noise that was carrying through the wind…the noise of people calling my name, and the sweeps of flashlight coming dangerously close to where we were sitting.

"Bella, we have to go. They'll find us."

"You know what? That's just fantastic." I answered with a bitter edge of sarcasm. "It's not like I can't take them." I whispered to myself angrily.

Jasper sighed and stood up straighter, extending his hand to my level. I glanced at it briefly then let out a long breath that I was holding. The horribly amazing scent of fresh blood climbed its way to me, clinging to my throat. I hadn't noticed how thirsty I was…and it smelled so amazing…

"Jasper…" I stretched out his name in agonizing worry. "Get me away…" I wasn't breathing anymore, but I could see the ambulances' flashing lights in the night, and the smell of the blood from the accident. My eyes stayed glue to the scene. "Jasper…" I whimpered.

"Bella, get up! Let's go!" Jasper grabbed my limp hand and forcefully pulled me from the ground, standing me on my feet. I swayed slightly, my vision turning red with anticipation, my throat burning with thirst. "Run, Bella. Go!"

I nodded and slowly trudged one in front of another until the trees starting blurring beside me, and wind whipped at my face. I could hear Jasper's feet slowly making their way closer to me, and, eventually, I could make out his pale figure next to me.

The itch in my throat was almost unbearable. I was careful to not breath, trying my best to hold the need for blood until we were away from people.

Well, we were away from people – but everything was so much more intense to me when I was thirsty, and I could still smell the blood from miles away.

But there was the fact of the new vampire. Not a newborn – she was too controlled around people; in fact, she might have been interacting with them, trying to fit in like the Cullens' do. Was she a vegetarian vampire, too? I wondered. And it was a she…but the voice wasn't familiar, and she insulted me. I could understand the insulting part – but what she said didn't make any sense.

"Not so high and mighty now, are we?" She had asked me. What could that mean?

My thoughts meandered through possible explanations, but none seemed rational enough. At least it was a way to keep me from thinking of my burning throat…

A faint heartbeat caught my attention, and I stopped, Jasper halting beside me. I breathed in deeply, the scent of human blood still lingering in my venom-filled mouth, and recognized the familiarity of deer blood. It was to the left, not far, and I immediately sped toward it, my mouth pooling with more and more venom.

It was in a small patch of grass, holding a protective stance over a baby. It's baby, I assumed. It had heard us, however silent our running may have been, but wasn't afraid of trying to attack us to save it's baby.

I didn't have it in my heart to leap and kill it…it would have been so easy, so simple to crack it's neck and satisfy the burn. But I couldn't it. The deer's heartbeat was steady, hovering in the silent sky, persuading me to just go and kill it.

But the problem was I'm too logical sometimes. It's inhumane to kill any animals, endangered or not, for food, unless it's been raised for that reason. Couldn't that mean that the wild were raised for us, vampires, though? No. That was the problem. I couldn't kill a mother.

Especially since my own father was already dead. Killed.

I sighed, turning to Jasper, and shook my head. Jasper's eyes softened, but stayed alert and intense – I noticed his were dark and only patchy with gold. He was not hunting because of me. He could see the hurt that, I'm sure, was evident in my eyes, and plain my face, and he obeyed it.

For me.

Jasper was too nice – but he'd had plenty of practice with emotion. I had to wonder how he did it, sometimes.

"Go, Jasper. Just find me." I said. Jazz nodded and crept, dead silent, toward the animal. It sprinted away, then, but it's heartbeat was resounding in my hands, thumping unevenly in my ears.

I cringed when it abruptly stopped, leaving the air cold and hovering with the scent of fresh blood. I turned away, walking slowly, and eventually found a small rabbit to feed off. I almost had to stop myself from killing it, too, but the blood was thick and lush, warm as it flowed from the puncture in it's neck down my stinging throat.

I dropped the empty carcass to the ground when it was drained, the rabbit's fur matted and dirty. Splattered with its own blood, because of me. I examined myself, too, disgusted with the fact that even after three years of hunting, I couldn't do it neatly.

My shirt had small, near invisible dots of red stained to it, now, and my mouth was dripping. I licked it up, sighing with a fleeting glance at the rabbit, and started to leave, searching for Jasper in the near distance. There was something – someone – there, though. A flash of dark brown hair, and surge of fleeing legs. The figure darted behind a tree, and I spun around, trying to glimpse him or her again.

There was another flash of running feet, the slight crunching of leaves under shoes echoing in my ears. It was behind me, but by the time I turned, the person was gone. I cursed under my breath, angry at the horror movie cliché this person was putting on.

"Looking for me?" the memorable sweet, child like voice said from behind me. It was the girl from earlier – how was I not surprised to see her?

I turned and gasped. She was gorgeous, more breathtaking then Rosalie, even – her tiny frame matching her innocent voice. Her full lips and wide, red-rimmed irises that sent a shudder through me. Her smile was saintly, far surpassing the elegance of any painting of a portrayal of an angel. Her hair was dark brown, chopped short, and framed her thin face.

I had to look down significantly to fully talk and see her. "Hello?" I said timidly, backing up slightly.

The girl didn't miss my movement with her appraising eyes, and she frowned at it. Actually, horrid frustration lurked in her blood red eyes – I found it ironic that her eyes would be "blood" red – like the look Edward gave me when he wasn't able to read my mind.

"Huh." The girl said, languidly sulking into what would be a more comfortable position for a human. She smiled wickedly, her eyes sparkling. "I'm Jane, by the way."

She extended her hand, and I warily shook it, saying, "Bella."

"Oh, I know. We've been watching you, dear." Something about her tone was off – it was so sickly sweet and innocent, but buried underneath it was a vast pool of malevolence. It was edged with the power of knowing she could hurt me, but almost like it wasn't in the way she wanted to.

"We've?" I questioned, dropping our hands.

"Oh, yes. My…family and I. Alec or Aro couldn't come with, sadly, but I'm sure everyone will be exceptionally pleased to meet the infamous Bella Swan." Her cruel smile twisted obliquely on her gentle face, giving her the deathly appearance of a murderer. She was a murderer though – her red eyes gave off that much. I shuddered as she inched slightly closer to me, closing to the gap oh so subtly.

"Your family?" My voice rang with fear, and I knew she could hear it.

Jane nodded and stood on her tiptoes, reaching her mouth to my ear. "Yes. The most powerful vampire family in the world. You might know us. Aro, Alec, Felix, Marcus, Caius… we all live in Volterra, Italy."

Volterra? Italy? Most powerful vampire family? Acknowledgment spread through me, like fear draining from the top of your head to the ends of your toes. She was part of the Volturi…

"The Volturi." She stage-whispered, her cold breath fanning across my face. Her voice was phlegmatic, hinting at no sign of distress or worry. Or…anything.

"Oh." I said quietly as she returned to her previous posture in front of me.

Jane giggled – it was comparable to nothing, not even Alice's tinkling of bells laugh. "Thought you would understand. Anyway, Edward came to us a couple days ago, pleading for the end. He said he couldn't live without his Bella anymore. So we were considerate, and, of course denied his request. It was a lot of fun using my power on him, though. He tried so hard to not give into pain, but, it was all futile. But we were interested in you, my dear Bella. Curious why someone as plain Jane as you could cause so much pain to a poor person like Edward."

My heart ached at her words. Edward…had asked them for death? We were on the same brain wave, apparently. Neither of us could live without the other.

But what sent the spasm of terrifyingly painful hurt to wash through me was the time. A couple days ago. The words cut me, like each one had a blade that sliced through me. If it was a couple of days ago, then all this time both of us were leading miserable lives without the other. Both of us completely and totally depended on each other to survive.

Both of us still loved each other.

I shook my head, barely holding in a sob. Jane didn't miss a beat, though, and she comfortingly wrapped her dainty arm around my waist.

It didn't make sense. One minute she, back at the house, insulted me. And now she wanted to comfort me?

"Jane?" I asked in a small voice. "Why…what is your power?"

Jane looked up at me, her porcelain skin glinting in the dull patch of moonlight. "I can make people think they are in Hell – it causes excruciating pain. It's all in the mind, but I make them believe that they are on fire, being burned alive. It matches my past, and can be quite gleeful sometimes. Watching your Edward, for example. It made me smile."

I gasped and stepped out of her hold, glaring at her. I didn't miss the fact that she called him "my Edward," though.

"I can't with you, sadly, though. Tell me. What's wrong with your brain?" she asked me sweetly, her voice almost like a curious child. I wondered idly how old she was when she turned…

I snorted, turning my back toward Jane, and crossed my arms. "A shield. I can block other's powers."

Jane was silent behind me, and a loud quiet fell over us. It rang in my ears, almost painfully, and I wished Jasper would return.

"Well, Bella. We should be going. I'm sure Edward is eager to see you again, and I know Aro will be delighted to meet you." Disappointed resounded in her light tone. I know she wished she could hurt me, and take amusement in that disgusting act of pleasure.

"Jasper. He's here, too. We should take him. Was Alice with Edward?"

"Yes, yes. Of course. Alice and the rest of the family are all in Volterra now, taking care of some loose ends. We'll wait for Jasper, I suppose. I assume you have a passport?"

The passport fell heavy in my pocket as I answered with a stiff nod, and the note, too, was silently growing more profound.

Jane smiled. "Good. Now, come." She grabbed my hand, bulky in her tiny one, and dragged me toward the general direction I was running from. My thirst, though, was under control now.

I wondered why we were going back though. Did she want people to know that we were vampires? Did she want people know about the blood sucking, murderous creatures?

Jane's dark and grim robes flowed behind her, dragging in the dirt. Her clutch around my wrist was tight, strong – I found myself surprised that she, as small as she was, could hold so firmly to a person twice the size as her.

Jane turned abruptly, then walked a little further before she stopped, pulling me next to her. In front of us was the fraying scene of the…murder? Of my front yard, at least. A few police quietly mourned, asking questions to bystanders. I could hear them, sadness evident in their voices. I was glad that the ambulance was gone, though – there was an exceptional amount of blood that lurked inside the vehicle, triggering the natural instinct to go and get it.

I was speechless, but Jane talked. "So your father's dead? I wonder who did that. It's sad." She didn't sound sad. In fact, she sounded almost too innocent. Too monotone and played up. But I knew that Jane was being oddly nice to me – anyone who has red orbs and belongs to the Volturi can't be that nice. It was all an act because she wanted me to return to Volterra with her.

What surprised me, though, was that…Jasper was down there. I noticed him only after a minute of surveillance. He was hiding in the shadows, on the other side of my white house, watching intently. Through the darkness, I could see the strange mask of emotions playing on his face.

"Bella, be a doll, and go get him. We really do need to be on our way." I rolled my eyes and ran through the last of the trees, dodging them expertly. Jasper looked up at the sound of movement, and smiled faintly. That disappeared when he looked behind me, noticing Jane. I stopped beside him and quickly explained the situation – about the Volturi, about Jane, about Edward.

About how we would be there in a little less than a day…

Jasper never made eye contact with me, but kept his gaze trained on Jane, I assumed. He nodded when I finished, preparing to leave.

It was then that Jasper became immobile, freezing with a terrified expression on his face. The worst kind pain etched itself on his face, and I could almost see the flame burning in his eyes, like a man being burned alive.

I gasped as he let out a moan, falling to the ground. He grabbed his temples, rubbing them fiercely, and clutched his hands into fists. Tendons and veins popped out from underneath his thin and pale skin, and I could see how hard he was trying not to yell out.

I turned to Jane on the other side of the house, and stared wide eyed at her. She was doing this! And she was smiling at it!

Jasper cried out, dropping his head in between his knees. I sunk down beside him throwing a pleading glance at Jane. The few police men heard him, however, and ran quickly over to us.

I cursed, soothing Jasper, and hid my face behind a wall of brown hair.

"What's going on here?" A frantic voice asked from behind me.

"Nothing, nothing. It's fine." I answered quietly, my hands searching desperately to find something to make Jane stop.

"Look, girl. We've got a murder to investigate – we don't need some kids playing this off as a joke." Kids?! Joke!? Anger rolled through me, hot and fresh, and I turned myself around, coming to my feet in a blink of an eye.

Jasper was silent at my feet, and I could feel the heavy and ragged breathing he was emitting. I looked quickly over at Jane – she was smiling, leaning against a tree.

"How can you call me -" I glared murderously at the officers, showing the full intent of death in my eyes. I could feel myself turning into the blood craving, human wanting vampire – it came with the anger. "…a kid with a joke?" My voice was harsh and thick, throwing the men off balance. Their eyes grew wide and terrified, but I saw the comprehension spreading across their faces.

"Uhh…sorry, miss…we'll, uh, be going now…" One of them stuttered. The other nodded and walked slowly backward, holding his hands up in an act of defeat.

"Go for the kill, Bella," Jane's voice said behind me. I knew what she was doing, though – the logic in the back of mind nagged at me to not listen to her. I knew they would question me, ask me to join them, even. They were getting me ready.

The Volturi drank human blood, not animal.

But I didn't listen to the voice of reason, and took a step forward, the evil laugh from Jane urging me ahead. She appeared next to me, her light smile lighting her horrible features. Red lined my vision, and I became dizzy, their scent filling my senses.

The men turned and ran, to the car parked on the curb. I could see the other people scattering from my lawn, running at the murderous glares of Jane and I.

But what made me so angry, what made me want to do something horrible was the fact that I could also hear them talking… "Isn't that Bella Swan? What happened to her?"

The other replied, "I don't know. Isn't she supposed to be dead?"

I was dead. Immortal. I didn't have a heartbeat, I drank the blood of stupid animals like them. I couldn't be considered a person – I was a killer, designed to lull in people like them with my terrifyingly gorgeous looks.

"She's so pale," one said as they slowed to a walk, glancing behind them.

"She looked dead, though. That's for sure. Did you see the look in her eyes, though? I thought she was going to murder us."

"Bella, don't." Jasper said at my feet. I let out a breath, their scent clinging to my mouth.

"Do it, Bella." Jane said.

"She looked good, though. Beautiful."

"That's for sure."

They laughed, and I was reminded of the scene in Port Angeles, with the men trapping me. Edward saving me.

They reached the side walk, then, and gave another look behind them.

"Wouldn't mind a girl like her, myself."

"Bella, no! Don't!" Jasper's hand became a restraining one around my wrist. He released it within seconds, giving off another howl of pain.

"Bella…kill them. Or I will." They were no witnesses around, but I had never tasted human blood. I hadn't ever planned on it, either. Could now be the time…?

"You know? I'm kinda glad her father is dead, even though she's supposed to be, too. Didn't like him much."

I growled, making my decision.

"Bella! DON'T!"

I ignored Jasper and lunged forward.

xxx

Wow. Intense.

Anyhoo...the Twilight movie was brilliant! Jasper...sigh. I saw the midnight showing. I have lots to say on it, so if you want to talk, PM me! Also notice that I changed my pen name from vampiresquebite to ellibobelli. I'm just trying to make things uniform - my e-mail and such will also be this.

I thought I would also let you know that Edward is coming back in this fic! If not in the next chapter, then at least in seven. I've already written that chapter, and, let me tell you. It's not how I expected it to happen, even as the writer. :)

So, if you review, I'll give you a little sneak peek of Edward-ness. Because I'm oh so nice like that.

Elli