A/N: I'm baaaack! I hope I didn't let you wait for too long ;) I'm working on my updating skills, I promise...
Alright, this chapter is gonna be confusing/mind blowing/ sad/ entertaining/ definitely confusing.
My beta says it's her favorite chapter so far, so I'm just gonna trust her judgement.
Cheers to lish the fish by the way for updating the story the last time ;) She did a good job (although she was too lazy to look through the whole chapter and take out the remaining mistakes) and we all love her for that, no?
Okay, I'll shut my mouth... you go on and read!
"Bella? Bellaaaa?"
Alice's voice sounded like she was a million miles away. I didn't even notice that the rest of the group had entered Edward's room as well.
Hell, I didn't even know that they had followed us.
I only vaguely noticed how someone snatched the note out of my hands. I didn't mind, though. I already had it memorized. It was stamped into my memory for eternity.
I slowly sat down on Edward's bed and stared blankly ahead. Edward's scent was all around me, which made this whole situation even more surreal.
In the corner of my eye, I saw Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper reading the note. Alice paled visibly and Jasper had to catch her before she hit the floor.
He gently sat her down beside me. "You're not going anywhere," he then instructed, looking first at me and then at Chris.
I didn't argue.
"Of course we are," Chris protested. There was no reason for me to argue, since I knew that Chris already had that covered and I was not in the shape to put up a fight.
"No, you are not. It's a trap and you would be walking straight into it."
"Well, can you think of anything else we can do?"
"Yes," Rose interfered and slowly made her way to the door. "I'm gonna go now and look for Carlisle. We should have talked to right in the beginning."
"But Rose," Emmett pleaded, "Don't you remember Alice's vision?"
"I do, but that is hardly going to help us right now. We can't just sit around and do nothing," Rose snapped at him.
"Rose, wait," Alice now spoke up. Her voice was strained and she sounded distant.
I turned my gaze to her and saw that she had those blank eyes again.
"Fire…water… I can't make anything out really. The whole future is a blurry mess," Alice muttered quietly. She mumbled a few more things before she drew in a sharp breath.
"What is it, Alice?" Jasper asked her, concern clear in his voice.
"Death…destruction…sadness," Alice stated flatly. "I'm seeing too far ahead and I'm not even sure if it has anything to do with us because I've never met any of those people…"
"Alice, maybe you should stop searching. It's only wearing you out," Jasper suggested.
Alice shook her head fiercely. "It's your destiny to make the prophecy come true. It has been written to show you your life's path and to guide you. You have been born into this world with a purpose, which you are not able to deny. The worlds have been living in denial for far too long and it's your task to end this," Alice said quickly.
I didn't know what she was talking about, but I was not the only one in the room who was confused by that.
Alice's eyes took on their regular color again.
"Whatever," Rose commented after she stared at Alice for a few seconds. "I'm going." She waltzed out of the room, not looking back once.
"Emmett, let's go," Alice instructed and got up to follow Rose.
"What about us?" Chris asked in disbelief.
"You'll stay and listen to Jasper. It's important for you to do the right thing at the right time," she replied gently, her eyes glazing over, but not going in their blank mode for once.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you shouldn't do anything that I wouldn't do while we are gone," Alice replied lightly and then followed Emmett who was already standing in the door frame.
"But Al—" Jasper started to protest.
"Relax, Jazz. We'll be back in a couple of minutes," she told him with a wink.
And just like that, it was just the three of us in the room.
Jasper sighed and pointed his wand at the door. The door lock clicked once, announcing that we were not able to leave the room anymore.
I didn't move from my position on the bed, while Chris started pacing around in the room.
Until now I hadn't paid any attention to the bond, but now that I didn't have much to concentrate on except mine and Chris' emotions, I felt how the bond buzzed with so many different feelings.
Even though we acted differently, Chris and I were absolutely in sync with our emotions.
Worry, fear, anger, helplessness, desperation, self-blame, regret and misery all bubbled within us.
With each moment that passed, another emotion made its way through.
Neither of us said anything, for which I was partly thankful, although I also wished for this silence to end.
Thoughts started to fill my mind, but they weren't my own.
Chris wasn't intentionally forcing herself into my mind, I noticed as soon as I started to focus my attention on those thoughts.
She was beating herself up for not being cautious enough, for not keeping her guard up and for not taking the situation seriously enough. She went through the past weeks and months and went through every clue which should have told her that something was wrong.
I didn't comment on her thoughts, I just let them pass through my mind.
She recalled various situations in which she had felt watched and couldn't get over the fact that she hadn't figured Irina's ability out sooner.
It went on like this for what felt like hours.
I only followed Chris' train of thought, agreeing with her every now and then. At some point I felt like we had one mind together, sharing thoughts and emotions.
Then suddenly, Jasper groaned in pain and buried his head in his hands.
He hadn't moved from his spot on the couch, so I didn't know what had caused him pain all of the sudden.
"Jasper, are you alright?" I asked him carefully and started to get up.
Jasper got up abruptly and moved in the opposite direction, as if trying to get away from me.
I continued to approach him, while Jasper backed up against the wall and let himself sink down to the floor.
I had been about to kneel down next to him when a writing appeared on the wall next to him.
Let him be, just leave. It's the right time now.
It didn't take me long to figure out that the message was from Alice, and apparently Chris had read and figured it out as well because she suddenly kicked against the door in an attempt to open it. The door didn't budge, but Chris continued her assault, muttering various curses while doing so.
I turned back to Jasper whose pain seemed to have increased.
"Jasper, isn't there anything we can do to help you?" I asked him helplessly, not knowing what was wrong with him.
Jasper shook his head and dug his hands into his hair, pulling on his blond locks. The sob that escaped his mouth almost made my heart break, but I still didn't know what was wrong with him.
The sound of an explosion made me turn back around to Chris.
Her hands were both blazing and the door was now nothing more than a pile of ashes.
"Jasp—" I tried again, but he interrupted me.
"Just leave!" he cried. "Get out and leave me alone."
What was wrong with him? Had we done something to him? And why did Alice not care?
"Bella, let's go," Chris said quietly and pulled me along. "He'll be alright. Alice knew that this would happen."
"What makes you think that?"
"'Don't do anything I wouldn't do'," Chris recited, while walking briskly through the corridors.
I quickly fell into step with her and together we made our way through the Black House until we were out. The sky was already starting to darken, but I couldn't have cared less about that. Various students passed us and some of them even greeted us. It looked like everyone was heading to the party now.
"Isabella," a voice called loudly and I turned around briefly.
I wanted to groan in annoyance when I saw the person running toward us, but I couldn't bring myself to it in that moment.
"Isabella," the person said breathlessly when he had finally fallen in step with us, though he had to struggle to keep up with us.
I didn't look at him. Instead I looked straight ahead, not once wanting to lose sight of our destination.
The building could already be seen and my pace increased.
Chris didn't say anything – she only matched her stride to mine. We were almost jogging by now.
"Um… Isabella, aren't you supposed to go to the party with me?" Eric asked in an uncertain voice.
"Yes," I replied curtly.
"Oh, okay… Because I thought—it kind of seems like you're…"
"I'm not going to the party," I cut him off. I had been less than thrilled all day to be going to the party with him but now it was the last thing on my mind.
"Why not?" Hurt was evident in his voice, but I didn't care.
I looked briefly at him, my stare not conveying any kind of emotion. "Something came up," I told him flatly.
And with that being said, I actually did start to jog, knowing that Chris would follow.
It took us about five minutes to finally reach the building. The area was completely deserted, which caused a chill to run up my spine.
I felt completely exposed and unsure, which was not the best condition to be in if you're intending to save someone.
"Don't worry, Bells, I don't feel any better," Chris whispered as she stared up at the top floor.
I smiled weakly at her. "I guess, we should go in then," I whispered, although I had no real reason to do so.
Chris nodded in agreement and attempted to push the doors open.
Then she halted in her movements and looked at me.
"What?" I asked her in confusion.
"Might as well get it over with fast," she said and pulled me to her side.
Before I knew what was going on, she had slung her arms around me and we were pulled away from our current position.
A second later I felt ground beneath my feet again. I opened my eyes, which I had closed in the process of beaming, and looked around.
We were in a big room that seemed to be an office. In the middle stood a conference table and on the chairs around it sat a few familiar people.
Demetri Sleigh, Victoria Nomad and Irina.
There seemed to have been an argument going on until we surprisingly appeared in the room.
The three of them looked up slowly, all of them a little startled at our sudden appearance.
My eyes swept the room quickly in search of Edward and Dylan, but they were nowhere to be seen.
"You were saying, Nightmare?" Irina asked the woman next to her in with a triumphant smile on her face.
I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Shut up," Victoria hissed back at her.
Irina continued to smile and then turned toward us. "It's really nice of you to join us," she stated in a pleasant voice.
"What do you want?" I asked her immediately, not trying to mask the irritation in my voice.
Irina's eyes widened. "Me? Nothing. What makes you think that?" she asked innocently.
I felt how Chris' temper flared up and I was actually thankful for that. It helped me keep myself in control.
"Listen, freak," Chris started threateningly and moved closer to the table, although she held a safe distance from the three people. "Either you tell us where Edward and Dylan are, or I'll set you on fire."
Irina's expression changed into slight horror, which would have been amusing in any other situation.
Chris had been about to lift her hand, but suddenly her hands were crossed on her back like someone was holding them down.
I backed away from Chris, not seeing anyone, while she struggled to free herself.
"Houdini, have I taught you nothing? We don't treat our guests like that. Especially not if they are as precious as these two are," a pleasant voice suddenly spoke up.
I whirled around to face the entrance of the room and immediately froze.
I felt like I had been dropped into icy water with no hope of ever getting out.
My entire mind shut down for a moment when I looked at the person standing in the door way.
Mr. Aro Volturi.
Never in a million years would I have imagined that.
Beside me, Chris was still struggling against a now visible person.
"You," I stated breathlessly, staring at the principal.
Maybe the fact that Edward found out that our principal didn't possess any gift of his own should have made us more cautious. Maybe we should have known that something wasn't right about the person who intended to lure us to his school with the help of a mind possessing spell.
But then again, who suspects the one person that everybody trusts to be a... I didn't even have a word to describe him.
What was he? A murderer? A pedophile? Or just a good old psychopath?
I didn't know, mainly because I didn't know what he wanted from Chris and me.
What was it about us that made him aware of our existence—that made him have us enrolled at this school?
Millions of questions ran through my head and I felt how Chris tried to keep up with my thoughts. I felt the jolt of surprise and shock when she registered that Mr. Volturi was behind all of this.
"Now Isabella and Christabel, why don't you take a seat first?" Mr. Volturi said in pleasant voice.
I continued to stare at him, not moving an inch. In the corner of my eye I saw the man who was holding Chris' arms down vanish again, freeing her hands.
She whirled around right away, needing to see Mr. Volturi with her own eyes.
Once more I felt the shock going through her and the questions that had been rushing through my brain just moments before now filled hers.
Mr. Volturi sighed when neither of us moved to sit down. He made a quick gesture with his hand and suddenly I felt a chair knocking against the back of my legs, effectively letting me slump down on it before it moved toward the table and locked me there.
Chris was caged between the table and the chair as well which seemed to put Irina at ease.
The dirty blonde man who had been doing the vanishing appeared next to Victoria and maneuvered her onto his lap before he started showering her neck with kisses.
I vaguely remembered Edward's voice telling me that his name was James.
The thought of him made the dull pain in my chest grow, which I had been suppressing for the longest amount of time. I wanted to shout and ask where the hell Edward was, but the presence of Mr. Volturi was strangely intimidating.
He strolled gracefully around the table before he sat down on the opposite side of Chris and I.
The happy couple to his left stopped their little love games and rested their eyes on us just like everybody else did.
"Blossom, why don't you go and check on our potion?" Mr. Volturi asked gently, although it sounded more like an order.
Irina got up and waltzed across the room to a corner in which a giant kettle sat. I had seen it before, but unlike last time when I had seen it through Chris' mind, the potion inside the kettle seemed to glow.
The corner in which the kettle stood was illuminated with a strange green glow that had a slight bluish tint to it.
"It should be ready in few minutes," Irina announced proudly.
"Good," Mr. Volturi breathed, "Houdini, Shadow, would you please bring our other two guests in?"
James sighed at having to get up again but he followed the orders anyway. Both he and the janitor seemed to vanish before our eyes and I briefly wondered if it had anything to do with the strange nicknames they had.
Probably, otherwise I can't explain how Irina could have possibly gotten the nickname 'Blossom', Chris commented on my thoughts. It seemed like she had been hovering around in my mind for a little while now. Not that I could blame her, seeing how close our minds have been ever since we entered Edward's bedroom.
"Master, I think it's done," Irina called from the corner where she was still standing and peered into the kettle.
Mr. Volturi stopped watching Chris and I like we were the most fascinating thing in the world and turned his attention to her. The green glow was now entirely blue.
"Excellent. You and Nightmare should get everything ready—we're not going to waste much time."
While Victoria got up and helped Irina with whatever it was she was now doing, Mr. Volturi turned back to us.
"It's been so long since the last time I have seen the two of you," he said, sounding almost reverent.
I wasn't sure, but I could have sworn that I even saw tears welling up in his eyes.
"It's amazing how you always seem to be the most beautiful beings in any room."
I turned my head to Chris and looked at her in question.
She didn't look at me, though. Instead she was staring at Mr. Volturi who was still looking at us in awe.
"You don't remember me, do you?" he asked us quietly.
I eyed him carefully. "Well, you are the principal, so of course we remember you," I responded, slightly confused by his behavior.
He let out a quiet laugh and shook his head. "You don't remember," he stated quietly.
"What exactly should we remember?" Chris asked him, sharing my confusion.
Mr. Volturi smile almost pitifully at us before he rose from his chair. "We're going back to where it all ended the last time," he announced, and joined Victoria and Irina.
The two of them were currently drawing something on the wall that looked like a door frame.
Mr. Volturi was filling two silver cups with the potion and positioned them on the floor on each and of the drawn door frame before he filled a third cup and waited for Irina and Victoria to finish.
Only then I noticed that the door frame wasn't drawn but written. They had written something on the wall in the shape of a frame and were mumbling something under their breaths.
"Master," a breathless voice spoke from behind us.
Both Chris and I turned as well as we could in our chairs at the sound.
"Edward! Dylan!" Chris and I exclaimed at the same time when we caught sight of the two boys.
Both of them looked up at the sound of their names and both of them looked horrified when they saw us.
I didn't understand this reaction, but I could ask them about it either, since Mr. Volturi was now walking towards the little group. He patted both Demetri and James' shoulders in some kind of grateful gesture and then circled around the two boys, watching them with interest.
"It's really fascinating," he mumbled. "You don't remember a thing but it seems like your patterns haven't changed all that much."
"Will you let them go?" Chris asked, ignoring his mumblings.
Mr. Volturi stopped pacing and looked at her with an amused expression. "Let them go? Now that would be a pretty stupid thing to do, don't you think?"
"Why? We are here and that's what you wanted or not?"
Mr. Volturi dashed toward her in blinding speed. I hadn't even seen him move. Hadn't Edward said that he didn't have a gift on his own? So why was he able to move this fast?
He knelt in front of Chris. "Amarantha, beautiful Amarantha," he said so gently that it caught me off guard. He took Chris' hands and placed them on his cheeks. "I don't intend to hurt you or your beloved ones, but I cannot let them go. I did that the last time and then you tricked all of us. I need them to come along, just to be sure that everything will go as planned," he explained swiftly, while looking at Chris as if he was asking for forgiveness.
"What are you talking about?" she asked and pulled her hands away. "And why are you calling me Amarantha?"
Mr. Volturi smiled lightly and got up.
"You have always liked me less than the others," he stated and then looked at me. "But I don't blame you for that"
"Master, we're done," the shrill voice of Victoria called.
Mr. Volturi turned and walked over to them, gesturing for Demetri and James to follow him.
As soon as the general attention was not on us anymore, Edward and Dylan moved to our sides quickly.
"What were you thinking coming here?" Edward instantly hissed, while he pulled me into his arms as close as he could.
"We just came to save you," I mumbled.
"You shouldn't have done that," Dylan said, leaning against the table. "It's not safe here for you."
"Can't you just be thankful that we care about you guys?" Chris complained, although it didn't sound like she was really complaining.
"Chris, you are not supposed to put yourself in danger because of me. You should have gone to find help or at least wait and see if Edward and I make it back on our own. We're not helpless, you know."
"Rose, Emmett and Alice went to Carlisle," I piped in quietly.
"Rose?" Edward wondered. "What about Alice's vision?"
"Rose didn't care," I told him.
"Well, I think it's time to make our exit now," Chris whispered and looked meaningfully at Dylan.
"We can't," Dylan replied.
"What do you mean?"
Edward turned around and knelt down. He pulled the collar of his shirt down for us to see his neck.
He had a small circle made up of signs I didn't recognize on his skin.
"What's that?" I asked, lightly tracing over the circle with my fingers.
"A Curse Mark. It pretty much closes us off from our magic abilities," Edward explained.
"So you can't even use your powers?" Chris asked in disbelief.
"We could, but that would set the curse off. It doesn't disable us from using our gifts, it merely paralyzes the whole body in case we try. At least that was what Mr. Volturi said while he put them on us. I didn't feel paralyzed when I tried it out, though. I only felt pain and no beaming," Dylan said.
"Great, so we're stuck here," Chris grumbled.
"No, you are not. The two of you can still leave," Edward insisted and looked at me with pleading eyes. "Just leave and get someone to help, but don't put yourselves in danger."
I gently put my hand on his cheek. "It's too late for that."
"As much as I hate to spoil this little moment of yours, we have work to do," the voice of Mr. Volturi suddenly spoke up from behind me, causing my heart to jump. His voice sounded colder than it had before and I shivered at the sound of it.
"Now the plan is quite simple," Mr. Volturi continued, the earlier friendliness in his voice slightly wavering. "We are going to step through the gate. I will lead the group, seeing as the two of you don't remember a single thing, and I will have my…friends…guarding you. None of you will be able to escape because if any of you tries, I'm simply going to set the Curse Marks off. The pain that the boys have experienced so far is nothing compared to what I can do when it comes to Curse Marks, so all of you will be better off cooperating."
All of us only looked at him during his speech.
He looked us over and then his smile returned before he made a motion with his hand, freeing Chris and me from our seats. Then he walked back to where Irina and Victoria had finished their scribbling on the wall, and picked up the cup that he had filled earlier. He spilled the liquid in it on the wall and it spread itself within the door frame on the wall until every little spot was covered in the shining blue light.
Mr. Volturi smiled proudly and then reached his hand out slightly toward the light. He didn't touch it though—he went straight through it.
I watched in awe when I saw him vanishing in the beautiful glow.
"Let's go. Ladies first," James said with a nasty sneer on his face and yanked both Chris and I through the door as well.
I felt a change of hot and cold while walking through it and once we were on the other side, I had to take a deep breath before I felt somewhat normal again.
I looked around and found that we were in the middle of a deep forest. It looked almost like a jungle.
I heard the rest of the group coming up from behind us and just a few seconds later I felt Edward's hand gripping mine tightly.
Mr. Volturi turned around with a big smile on his face. "Is everybody here?" he asked, sounding much like a teacher on a field trip.
I looked around and saw that James was still next to me, while his 'better half' was right next to Edward, who stood behind me.
The other two, Irina and Demetri, were hovering around Chris and Dylan and I noticed that Chris kept stealing glances in my direction, looking like she would prefer holding hands with me in that moment than Dylan.
I gave her a small smile and the nervous shifting of her eyes decreased a little.
"Let's get going, people," Mr. Volturi announced cheerfully.
Chris POV
The man was just plain weird. It was hard to believe he was evil when he was behaving like an over-motivated teacher, but still there was something about him that made him intimidating and even stranger, there was something about him that drew me in.
I wondered if Bella felt that too.
I let my eyes drift over our surroundings again and I couldn't shake this other feeling that I had. It was actually a mixture of different things, but it was definitely making me nervous.
Dylan sensed that and took my hand, wanting to comfort me. Unfortunately, his touch only made it worse.
I felt like I had been here before and that there was something I should remember, but couldn't. I felt uneasy and the most unsettling of all…I was scared.
All Bella could do was smile at me, which helped a little but I still felt the need to be close to her.
When our group started to move through the woods, I suddenly felt the presence of something that hadn't been there before.
It wasn't exactly a presence but a force that seemed to be weighing down on me.
"Where are we?" I whispered to Dylan. This place was starting to mess with my senses.
"That is an excellent question, Amarantha," Mr. Volturi called back to me. "We are in the so-called Astral Plane."
I frowned at his revelation and looked around once more. It felt like I had been here before, but nothing here looked familiar.
"The Astral Plane has various levels and most of them cannot be entered by teleporting," Dylan explained swiftly when he noticed my growing confusion. "The place where you have been was between life and death, the last stop before the end. This here is a little different. At least it feels like it."
"I always knew that I had brilliant students," Mr. Volturi commented. "We are currently between time and space. Personally, I don't like being here—it messes up my inner clock—but there is no way around it." Mr. Volturi gave me a meaningful look and then turned back around to continue leading us through the woods.
I briefly wondered why his cloak didn't get caught between all these branches.
Suddenly, I felt how my vision slightly blurred and I had to tighten my grasp on Dylan's hand to keep myself from falling.
"Chris, are you okay?" he asked worriedly and I immediately felt Bella's worry as well.
I nodded bravely. "I'm fine, just a little dizzy."
I thought I saw a tiny smile when I looked up and saw Mr. Volturi looking at us. He turned back around and suddenly I had the creeping suspicion that he had something to do with my current state.
"So, um…what exactly are we doing here?" Bella asked carefully after a few moments of silence.
"Just getting what is rightfully mine," Mr. Volturi answered, "to enable me to finally set the world right. I've been waiting for so many years that even I wonder sometimes if this obsession is healthy, but they make sure to remind me of their presence every time again."
"Who are they?" I asked.
"Oh, don't you know what, Amarantha?" He smiled when he asked me that and I wondered if he liked calling me that on purpose.
Why did he call me Amarantha anyway?
Then I remembered and almost hit myself for not noticing that earlier.
"These two wands belonged to Melantha and Amarantha." I heard Alistair's voice so clearly in my head that it rang in my ears.
Melantha and Amarantha; Heaven and Hell.
But why did he call me that?
Did he know about our wands and what stood in their boxes? Was he really crazy enough to believe that Bella and I were Heaven and Hell?
Suddenly, my head started spinning and I let go of Dylan's hand, only to throw my arms around him.
My vision blurred once more until everything was just a colorful mess.
And then my mind filled with images—memories that didn't belong to me but felt familiar all the same.
A beautiful woman with dark brown hair stood in front of me and smiled lovingly. "You are very special, my child. You and your sister are going to change the world," she said.
The memory shifted and the same woman was now standing in front a fireplace talking to a tall, dark-haired man.
"You cannot take them with you. They are witches, they need to stay with their kind," the woman said.
"They are not witches—quit convincing yourself that they are. They are my children as well and I am going to take them to where they belong," the man replied.
"They don't belong there! You are dooming the girls by taking them with you."
"Have you seen the power of Amarantha? She is perfect. She does things that take my kind a whole life to learn and she is only six years old! You can keep Melantha because she is in fact a witch. But I'm taking Amarantha with me—she belongs to us demons."
Again the memory shifted, but the next one I saw wavered and was unclear.
It was dark and yet I could see perfectly. I saw people bowing in front of me. I saw blood.
The scenery changed.
I was pregnant and a man stood in front of me, frowning.
"You shouldn't be doing this."
"It's too late for that."
"This will not end well!"
"Don't you want a child? Don't you think that a child would be a good thing?"
The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I do not deny that a child would be a good thing, but I'd rather have you carrying my own flesh and blood instead of the monster that is growing inside you now."
"He is not a monster!"
"But he is different."
"I'm different too, so does that make me a monster?"
"No, bu—"
"Did it ever occur to you that every child that will grow inside me is going to be different?"
"I have thought about it—"
"Then why are you insulting my child? My son is not a monster. You may call him a bastard, but he is not a monster."
"He is not a bastard either because I have agreed to marry you. I have sworn to stay by your side no matter what."The man was now kneeling down in front of me, rubbing my stomach ever so slightly.
"But he is not your child," I whispered.
"Forgive me, my love. I didn't mean to upset you. He is my son just as he is your son and I will be there for him as a father just as you are there for him. I didn't mean to hurt you or our son, but it breaks my heart to see you suffering like this. He is draining you physically more than any child should, while his brother sucks the magic out of your sister."
"They are very special children with very special needs. Each of them is unique and I am willing to suffer for them just like my sister is."
The last thing I saw were three children playing in the yard, before I finally gained my sight back and returned to where I was.
I was kneeling on the ground with Dylan beside me, while Bella was struggling against Victoria to get close to me.
I couldn't concentrate on that though.
The image of the three children was still stuck in my mind and it shocked me more than anything else today.
I opened my mind for Bella to see what I saw and the moment she had caught sight of the three children, she went still.
"What does this mean?" she asked me so quietly that I shouldn't have been able to hear her.
I shook my head, telling her that I didn't know.
Then a chuckle came from Mr. Volturi. "Did the memories come back?" he asked.
"What did you do to her?" Bella asked him quietly, still looking at me.
"I opened her mind and enabled her to remember. I didn't know if it would work, so I tested it on her first before I decide to let you remember as well."
I stared at him, completely lost. I had no clue what he was talking about.
"I guess, I have to let you remember as well, otherwise we might have a little problem once we get to our destination," Mr. Volturi continued and now walked up to Bella.
Bella seemed to be waking from her daze and now struggled to get back to where she was before, but Victoria held her in a tight grip.
Mr. Volturi stood in front of her and smiled slightly apologetic. "I'm sorry if this causes you any pain," he said softly to her.
For a brief moment I wondered why he was son concerned about Bella, but seemed to be willing to test his skills out on me. Earlier he had been saying that he didn't want either of us hurt and he had been looking at the both of us with the same expression, when we all sat at the table.
Another memory struck me then.
"Aro, get down there!"
"You are not my mother," the stubborn boy replied and climbed even higher on the tree.
"Of course I am your mother and I just told you to get down from there. You'll hurt yourself."
"Why do you even care? Mommy is the one that loves me—not you."
"Aro, get down or I will shake you off that tree."
Reluctantly, the boy climbed down again and landed with a soft thud in front of me in the grass. He looked up at me. "Why do I have two mothers?"
"Because you are special."
"Are the others special too?"
"Yes, but they are not like you."
"Do you love the others more than me?"
I stared at him for moment. "Sometimes I do, but most of the times I love you all the same."
"Why do you love me less sometimes?"
"Because you are partly right—I'm not your mommy, and yet I am. I love you just like I love the others, but I wasn't the one to give birth to you, that is why sometimes I love the others more."
"Do you sometimes hate me?"
"Don't be absurd. I could never hate you, no matter what you do. Remember that, okay?"
The boy nodded, grinned and then threw his arms around me in a hug.
I patted his head and ignored the feeling of energy being sucked out of my body.
I may not hate him, but sometimes it felt as if he hated me.
"Whose memories are they?" I asked breathlessly and did my best to concentrate on the current situation.
Mr. Volturi halted in his movements and dropped Bella's hand.
Both of them looked at me. I didn't think that Bella saw the things that clouded my mind.
"They are my mother's," he replied.
"Your mother's?" I repeated thoughtfully.
"Yes. She was a very...forceful woman."
"You had two mothers," I stated, recalling the memory.
Mr. Volturi's smile widened, while everybody else just watched us in confusion and didn't say a word. "Yes, I did. One of them was my mother and the other one was not, ye—"
"Yet she was still your mother," I interrupted.
"Yes. I see that my little charm is working perfectly."
I ignored his last statement. "Why did you give me her memories?" I asked him, fighting to stay in my mind and not to be pulled into another flashback.
Mr. Volturi looked at me and shook his head slightly. "You remind me of her," he stated then.
"Did you hate her? Do you hate me?"
He looked shocked that I had asked this question and he immediately appeared by my side, taking my hands from Dylan and looking me deep in the eyes. "I have never hated you and I will never be capable of doing that. I have missed you in all those years just as much as I have missed my mother. I have blamed myself for your death many, many times but..." He stopped talking and looked at something far away. "I'm sorry that our reunion is not like you might have wanted it. You have to understand that I'm only doing this for the greater good. I don't like death and destruction any more than you do, but you have to understand that sometimes sacrifices have to be made."
"What are you talking about?" I whispered, tears starting to rise in my eyes. I didn't even know why, but suddenly I felt very sad.
My heart broke for my son who was just so misguided.
Wait a minute…my son?
"I love you, Aro, but what you are doing is wrong," I whispered and squeezed his hands slightly. "What you intend to do is not the right thing—it's going to destroy life altogether."
"No, you don't understand. I don't want to destroy life. I just want to save my kind. The war has been going on for hundreds of years and no one is winning. The humans are slowly taking over the whole world and they extinguish our kind. It is not fair. We have a right to live as well."
"So do they," I replied.
He looked at me in anger. "No, they do not. They are filthy little creatures. They don't do anything good for this world and I am not going to sit back and watch my people die." He got up and walked back to Bella.
I blinked, confused as to why words had been escaping my mouth that I didn't even intend to say.
Bella's worried gaze rested on me, while I chewed on my bottom lip trying to think.
"Master, don't we have to get going soon? The gate will close eventually and then we will be stuck here," Irina suddenly whined.
"Shut up," Aro snapped at her, while he placed Bella's hands on his face just like he had done earlier with me. He mumbled something and it took me a second to realize that he was muttering a name.
Of course not just any name. It was Melantha.
He let go of Bella's hands and placed a soft kiss on her cheek before he resumed his walk through the woods, expecting us to follow him.
I didn't know what I had expected.
Fireworks, screaming, or Bella just having flashbacks like I did, but nothing happened so far.
Then it came to my mind that I didn't get the flashbacks right away, so it might take a while before they started.
I looked at Bella, who seemed to be a little dazed, while Edward gently took her in his arms, scowling at Victoria who had been holding her in a vicious grip before.
Victoria only sneered back at Edward and drew out her wand, holding it in his direction in a threatening manner. "Did you want to complain about something?" she asked in that shrill voice of hers.
Edward opened his mouth and was undoubtedly about to say something that might cause him pain only a few seconds later, but James was faster than him and spoke up first.
"Babe, wait at least until we actually get to the exciting part. I'm sure you will get to torture him more than enough then," he whispered to her, although loud enough for all of us to hear.
"And you, get up," Irina instructed then shoving me with her foot, since I was still sitting on the ground while Aro was starting to get out of sight.
I didn't budge though, feeling completely drained and exhausted. I had a feeling that this had something to do with Aro's ability, although I wasn't quite sure what it was. From what I had gathered so far, it seemed like he was absorbing energy.
"I said, get up," Irina repeated and suddenly I felt a yank on my hair.
The one thing I had always hated more than anything was when people yanked on my hair.
Then things happened really fast.
I cried out in pain, Dylan pushed Irina away from me who fell. Unfortunately, I had been standing up since she was pulling on my hair and when she fell, she pulled me down with her and ripped some of my hair out.
As soon as she was lying on the floor, Aro reappeared and looked at her menacingly. "What have I told you about hurting them?" he barked in the coldest and cruelest voice I have ever heard.
I shivered and saw Bella do the same just before her eyes became unfocused.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Irina suddenly screamed, sounding like she was in pain.
I looked back at her and saw that Aro still towered over her, his left foot touching the side of her body. "That's what I thought," he replied flatly and then turned on his heel to resume his walk.
James hurried to grab me by my arm and pull me along while Demetri did the same with Bella and Victoria turned around and grinned at Irina who was slowly getting back on her shaky legs.
I looked up at Dylan in horror, who eyed me in return with an inspecting gaze.
"Are you okay?" he asked me after a few seconds quietly.
I nodded.
It was weird. Bella and I had come to rescue the guys but now I felt like we were the captives while the boys were here for support.
The walk was now silent and everyone tried to keep up with Aro until Bella suddenly started to stumble and fell to the ground.
"Not again," James grumbled and then turned to Edward. "You, carry her!"
Edward obliged immediately if not even earlier. He swept Bella into his arms quickly, while she was staring into space, moving her lips slightly.
I looked at her worriedly until Dylan leaned down and whispered into my ear, "She's okay. It's the same thing that you did earlier."
I nodded slowly and turned my gaze back to the countless trees, but not without looking in Bella's direction every few seconds.
Eventually we made it to a trail that seemed to be leading towards a meadow.
I had a feeling that the goal was coming closer.
"Ah, can you feel it? We're getting closer," Aro called from the front.
The end of the trail was already in sight and I saw a giant rock blocking the way.
As we got closer I came to realize that there was a cave in it, which was probably our goal.
Another memory crept into my mind.
I was running down the trail, giggling was no way that she would catch me!
I turned to look if she was anywhere in sight. Of course, since my attention was no longer at where I was going, I tripped.
I fell straight into the bushes that had always been at the end of the trail.
The leaves and branches surrounded me and got on my nerves very quickly.
I somehow got up and fought myself through it, only to get out on the other side of these bushes.
I had never known that there was something behind those masses of plants.
I looked up at the giant rock in front of me and was in awe when I noticed the cave opening.
"Melantha, come here fast. There is something here that you might want to see," I called over my shoulder.
It didn't surprise me that she hadn't been far and as soon as I knew she was right by my side, I led the way inside.
Just when I actually wanted to see how it continued for once, it ended. As if I hadn't been punished enough with the current situation.
The closer we got to the cave, the weirder I started to feel.
A strange power made its way through my system, making me feel highly alert.
I felt something similar coming from Bella, just before a sudden spark ignited the bond.
"Nightmare and Houdini, keep the boys in check. I don't want any unpleasant surprises now," Aro called back to us.
Victoria and James immediately obliged. Just like that, the two of them separated Dylan and me, and pushed me toward Bella.
Now the two of us were between Victoria and James with Irina behind us and Demetri in front, while Edward seemed to have James' wand in his back and Dylan had Victoria's.
"What are you doing? You can't—" I started to protest, but my struggle was cut short when Aro came to a stop, halting the whole group.
"Stop complaining," Victoria sneered. "Just be happy that we haven't killed the two of them yet and do your job." She grabbed a hold of me and then dragged me with her.
I hadn't even noticed that we had come to halt in front of the cave until Victoria had started dragging me in, letting Dylan lead the way.
I turned as good as I could and looked straight in the eyes of Edward.
The remorse and guilt that I had suppressed the whole time now made its way to the surface.
I tried to smile encouragingly at Edward, but I knew that I failed miserably and that my emotions were written clearly on my face.
Edward shook his head slightly and smiled comfortingly at me. "It's not your fault, Chris," he whispered silently.
I opened my mouth to protest but Aro's presence made me shut my mouth.
He breezed past us and led the way through the dark tunnel. He muttered something that I didn't understand, but I was pretty sure that no one did.
The tunnel continued for a little while until I could see a light at the end of it.
We all made our way towards it, but just when everyone could see the actual cave clearly illuminated in front of them, Aro stopped the group again.
"The girls are going in first," he instructed and shot stern looks at Victoria and James.
Aro's minions let go of us and I felt how I was being pushed toward him. Bella stumbled next to me while Aro smiled hugely at the two of us.
"At last we have made it to this point where we will finally unlock those powers that have been sealed so many centuries ago. I have waited for this moment a very long time," he said before he took both our hands and pulled us gently into the cave.
As soon as I stepped into the illuminated space I felt a strange power vibrating within me once more.
I looked around in search of the source, but saw nothing more than stone walls.
Aro tugged us along to the wall right in front of us and then looked at us expectantly.
I cast a look in Bella's direction, but she only shrugged, just as confused as I was.
"What do you want?" I asked Aro then.
He looked at us with a small frown, but then sighed in defeat. Meanwhile I could hear the others shuffling in behind us.
"I had hoped that you would remember how to open the seal. Well, maybe you are not really in touch with yourselves yet."
With one simple movement, he caused both me and Bella to fly across the place.
I hit the wall with my back and hissed out in pain before I looked up to see Bella on my opposite side.
I heard Edward and Dylan shout our names, but I didn't look at them. Instead, I stared up at Aro.
He stood there, no longer looking as friendly as he had before. His expression was empty now. "I will try to make the seal visible to help you remember, but I'm telling you that this is the limit of my patience. I want that seal broken," he said in an eerily calm voice.
I stared wide-eyed at Bella.
Then another memory struck me and I squeezed my eyes shut.
I was in this exact cave, standing in front of the stony wall in a protective stance. Every part of my body hurt and I could feel my energy leaving me.
"You will not get it," I hissed at the two grown men in front of me.
Time had passed too fast. It wasn't too long ago that those two had been little children, who both looked up to me and my sister.
Now we both stood here with the very last ounce of power left in our bodies and had to look into their cold faces. Had we done something wrong? Or had Caleb been right and these children really are monsters?
I looked at my sister next to me just when she had turned to look at me. We both knew that this was the end.
Our own sons would be the ones to end our lives…
A sudden blast pulled me back into reality.
I looked up and saw Aro lying on the ground several feet away from where he had been before.
"Master!" Irina immediately screeched and hurried to help him up.
He only pushed her aside. "It seems my powers are not enough for this level of magic," he said in a cold voice. "The two of you should be able to make it on your own though." The expectant look he gave us made me feel helpless. "Well?" he pressed.
"What do you want us to do?" Bella asked quietly, just as lost as I was
"What do I want you to do?" he asked. "What do I want you to do?" Aro's calm demeanor and patience must have worn off.
None of it was left now as he screamed at my twin sister, who flinched back at the sound of his voice.
"I want you to open this goddamn seal—that the two of you created in the first place—and unlock the power that is rightfully mine!"
"If it is indeed yours, then why is it sealed away? Shouldn't you have it in your possession?" I questioned from where I sat, wanting to turn his attention away from Bella.
In a flash, Aro was by my side. "Don't make me hurt you. I regret being the cause of your death, but if you keep this up, I will actually be the one to kill you," he hissed.
"You already did that the last time," I spat back.
"No, I didn't do it. You just died, sacrificing yourself for those filthy humans. None of them deserved that, but you did it anyway. That just shows that this power was never meant for you. It is mine and you are going to give it to me."
Again, I felt a weird flash of power go through me. I suddenly had the feeling that this place was increasing my powers.
I squared my shoulders and looked Aro straight in the eyes before I calmly said, "No."
"Yes, you will."
"Make me."
I instantly regretted my choice of words when I saw the cruel smile on Aro's face.
"Victoria," he called.
I heard a nasty giggle come from her before a new sound filled the room.
A scream of pain. Victoria only pointed her wand at Dylan but he was writhing on the floor screaming out in pain as if he was being tortured.
I stared for the tiniest moment before tears rose in my eyes and I scrambled to my feet. "Stop! Stop it!"
A sudden force slammed me back against the wall and I saw Bella being thrown back as well.
Aro made a sign toward Victoria and whatever she had done before stopped now because Dylan stopped screaming.
He didn't move anymore and seemed to be catching his breath.
The tears in my eyes blurred my sight, but I stood anyway. "Okay, okay, I'll do it. But how?"
Aro smiled pitifully. "You are the one with the great skill, you should know." He simply gestured toward the wall before he made a sign again and this time the screams of Edward and Dylan rang in my ears.
Sobbing madly along with Bella, the two of us tried to find something—anything—on that wall that would tell us what we should do.
The sobbing became impossibly worse when I discovered that there was nothing.
"You weren't so slow when you were sealing it," Aro noted from behind us and the screams of the boys got impossibly louder.
The sound filled my ears and made my head spin. In the same moment, I felt another memory making its way into my mind. I prayed silently that it would help me in this situation.
I held my sister's hand and concentrated on the last thing that I was about to do for this world. I felt Melantha's presence and her magic building up as well.
This was it. The end for us, but hopefully a new beginning for the world.
I had been ready to let go. I hadn't even dared to hope for anything just when a new presence filled the room.
I opened my eyes and looked at the new addition just like everybody else did. The joy, confusion and surprise that my sister felt were the exact same thing that I had been feeling.
I felt how my mind seemed to have trouble keeping up with the constant changes and dealing with my emotional state. I struggled to stay focused but the blackness was too inviting. It only got worse when I felt that Bella had similar problems. Then suddenly, a deep rumble was to be heard in the cave.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and the silence that followed enabled us to hear the next rumble. The earth vibrated lightly to the sound.
Then it got louder and the earth shook a little harder.
I turned to look at Bella but she was not looking at me. Her eyes were closed.
I reached through the bond but something kept me from entering her thoughts. I only felt a strange mixture of emotions coming from her that all seemed to vibrate along with the earth.
The rumble that we heard came from beneath us, and just when I had discovered that fact, the ground parted right in front of the wall were Bella and I knelt.
A mass of water made its way through, climbing up the wall.
Suddenly I knew what to do. Instinctively I placed my hands on the ground in front of me and turned every ounce of concentration inward.
The flames I felt were raging, but I didn't have the time to calm down completely. I willed every flame I could into my hands, hoping to get a result. The fire obliged reluctantly.
I opened my eyes to see my hands blazing. Then the flames moved very fast.
They shot out on both sides and crawled up the wall as well, starting to cover it from above while Bella's water slowly built up from below.
In a matter of minutes those two elements would collide, which wasn't something that should happen.
Slowly, I whispered to the fire, very slowly.
But the flames didn't listen. I didn't have control on this mass of fire and I knew now that I might feel more powerful in this place, but I couldn't deal with it.
I felt that Bella was struggling as well, but I had to return my concentration back to my element. I tried to slow the movements down but nothing happened. The fire continued its way down the wall while the water kept flowing up.
And then it happened, the thing that we should have prevented.
Our two elements collided.
In the same moment as these two opposites touched, Bella and I stopped trying to influence them.
But it was too late.
A force that was stronger than anything I had ever felt erupted from this collision and threw both Bella and I back. It was like a huge explosion, just with no sound.
The air was whirling around madly, throwing everyone on the floor.
In this mess, I tried to look around. The dirt that had been lying on the floor was whirled up as
well, but I could see Bella crawling towards James.
"Bella, what are you doing?" I called over the sharp sound of the wind.
In her mind I saw what she was planning. She wanted to get to Edward and pull him out of this cave.
That's insane, Bella. You'll never make it! I thought to her.
"Get Dylan and then we are out of here," she shouted toward me.
"Bella, we can't leave!" I shouted back to her.
"Get him."
The wind was starting to die down and everyone was trying to get back on their feet.
I reached Dylan before Victoria could and pulled him into my lap. At the same time I saw that Bella had reached Edward and had pushed James aside while she pulled his weak figure into a tight embrace and sobbed.
Dylan was breathing somewhat evenly and opened his left eye slightly as the wind died down and sent me the best smile he could muster. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
"Don't cry, I'm fine," he said in a weak voice and reached up in an attempt to wipe away my tears.
I was pulled away, though, by an unseen force and I knew that Aro had regained the control of the situation.
"Your job is only halfway done," he said when he had both Bella and me floating slightly above the ground beside him. He turned with us around to face the wall on which we had just worked our magic.
A big circle-like sign was on the wall now.
I knew instantly that it was a seal even if it looked nothing like the ones we had seen before.
Between the two outer circles were various signs written that I couldn't decipher. On four spots in that circle were different signs that looked more like little pictures. The one at the bottom looked like a flame and the one at the top like a wave. The four signs were connected with lines and in the middle where all lines met was another circle.
"Open it," Aro instructed. He let go of us and started to pace around us. "I have been waiting too long to have this ruined by two teenagers," he spat. "You should embrace your former existence quickly; otherwise I will be forced to kill your partners again."
Before I could ask Bella if she had any idea what we should do now, I had another flashback.
The two men in front of us whirled around in surprise.
"You!" the two of them hissed.
"Don't even think about hurting them," the third one replied, his voice filled with the same hatred.
A sudden flash illuminated the room...
A thundering sound was suddenly coming from the tunnel and a lightning bolt struck right in the middle of the cave.
Irina and Demetri immediately turned toward the entrance and took on defense stances.
Another bolt struck forward, causing the two of them to jump aside.
A cloaked figure made its way into our midst, their wand directed at Aro.
"Let them go," the person beneath the hood roared.
I knew the voice all too well and I'd never felt more relieved by the arrival of a teacher.
"Laurent," I whispered.
I didn't know if he had noticed me saying his name because he instantly let another lightning bolt shoot out of his wand and in Aro's direction.
Aro merely held open his hand as if to catch it and I saw how he seemed to absorb he whole thing like a sponge.
Aro looked unaffected for a moment until little flashes of light shot out of his body on various place and he hissed in pain.
Laurent moved the hood of his cloak, revealing his face and the smug smile he wore.
Just then, another cloaked figure entered the room, but she didn't wear her hood on her head.
Irina, who had gotten back on her feet, immediately launched herself at Ms. Carmina, while Victoria and James both grabbed Edward and Dylan with their wands drawn.
I looked back at Aro and Laurent who were now shooting lightning bolts back and forth, although Aro didn't need a wand for that. When I returned my attention to Ms. Carmina, I saw her shooting a strangely colored light ball at Demetri, who lost his wand and didn't pay attention when she sprung onto her hands, kicked him so hard that he flew against the wall, and got back to her feet again.
With one swift twirl she was facing Irina now, who kept a safe distance now that she had seen that Ms. Carmina knew some physical fighting techniques.
"What do we do?" I asked Bella.
"Get the boys," she replied instantly and moved in the direction of James and Victoria.
I followed her, but as soon as we moved closer, both of them pointed their wands at the boys threateningly.
"One more step and he's dead," James warned.
Neither of the boys looked very much alive at that moment, but that hardly mattered.
I allowed the raging flames within me to break free and as soon as my whole body was blazing up, I was teleporting myself right next to James.
He was surprised at this new development and enabled me to grab a hold of his wand which was then a stick on fire.
In the corner of my eye I saw Edward being carried away by little waves.
Then all of a sudden, a mass of water crushed down on me. I was pushed back to the ground and fell right on top of Edward, who seemed to be more awake than I thought.
I saw Victoria towering over me with an evil grin. Behind her, I saw Bella slowly creeping up to James. Without his wand, it seemed like he was powerless because it didn't seem to enter his mind to just turn invisible.
I only had to distract Victoria, so Bella could get Dylan away from James.
"Is that all you can do?" I snapped at the red-haired harpy in front of me. My strength was leaving me now that I was soaking wet and I knew that it was only a matter of time before I would faint.
Victoria's eyes glinted dangerously and she yanked me up on my hair just like Irina had earlier.
I cried out in pain.
"No, don—" I heard Aro shout but his protest was cut short by another flash of light.
"You little bitch. Just because you are the key to our success doesn't mean that I don't see you for what you are. You are just a filthy human. You don't deserve to live, but I can't kill you, so I'll just have to settle for your little friend." She pulled me to her side, still holding me up by my hair, which brought the tears back into my eyes.
I saw Edward slowly trying to sit up and judging by the way he was moving toward me, he was trying to help me.
I tried to free myself and wiggled around as much as I could in Victoria's grip. She only hissed various curses at me, until I discovered a knife tied to her ankle.
I had stretch to reach it and when I did, I felt the pulling force on my hair getting stronger, while Victoria now started to torture Edward again.
"Stay strong, Edward," I whispered, hopefully loud enough for him to hear me over his screams and over the gurgling noise that now came from behind us.
I reached the knife and sighed in relief when I had it.
Victoria noticed this, of course.
"Silly girl, do you honestly think this is going to work on me? You didn't ash my wand yet," Victoria sneered.
I realized that she was right.
But then I felt how my legs slowly started to dry. I knew that it was Bella's doing.
I contemplated my options for a few moments.
"Are you not gonna start a pathetic attempt to free yourself?" Victoria asked and giggled. She pointed her wand at Edward again and his screams mixed with the battle sounds around us.
I felt how Bella's control wavered and so I sprang into action right away.
I lifted the knife and reached up behind me.
Victoria's screeching laughter increased.
I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for the stunt that I was trying to pull off.
With one quick movement, the pull on my hair was gone and I was free to move again.
I turned around fast, still on the floor, and willed the remaining flames in my body to project themselves into my feet, which were the only dry part on my body just then.
I kicked Victoria away with both feet just when she had been about to lift her wand.
She fell right in front of Bella, who had produced an icicle in her hand.
The horrified look in Victoria's eyes was too much for me and I turned my attention in another direction.
Dylan was trying to get up not too far from me.
My head whipped back and forth between Edward and Dylan, but Edward motioned for me to go and assist his brother.
"Thanks," he mouthed and attempted to smile. It only came out as a grimace of pain.
I quickly crawled over to where Dylan was collapsing back on the ground, ignoring the pain in my body.
I put his head gently into my lap and he grabbed a hold of my hand.
"I still have one wish left, right?" he asked me quietly—almost too quiet in this noise.
I nodded my head fiercely.
"Please don't leave," he whispered and then his eyes drifted shut.
I leaned my forehead against his, letting my tears fall until the darkness finally wrapped me in its arms.
Bella POV
I stared down at the woman lying in front of me, raising the icicle above my head, ready to strike.
The hatred I felt for her in that moment was so strong that it even surprised me and I wanted nothing more than for her to die.
And yet, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Just like when I had attempted to drown James by creating a water bubble around his head.
The gurgling sounds that left his mouth had brought me back to reality and I let him free. Now he was unconscious on the floor.
I felt Edward slowly approaching me from behind. His long fingers closed around my hands and he gently pulled them down.
"You know that you are better than them, Bella," he whispered softly so that no one apart from me heard him.
"But she has hurt you so much… I just want her dead," I choked out, knowing full well what I was saying.
"But do you really intend to kill her?" he asked.
Victoria was only laying there, her eyes closed. She had hit the floor pretty hard and was now unconscious as well.
"I wished that I was able to do it, but I can't."
"Then don't," Edward said softly and tried to pry the icicle out of my hands. He laid one soft kiss on my cheek and made every negative emotion vanish just like that. The icicle in my hand turned back into water and dripped out of my grasp, while I leaned against Edward and took deep breaths.
"Are you okay?" I asked him softly.
"I'm all better now," he replied and closed his arms around me.
The last thing I heard was someone screaming something about Aro getting away before I drifted away like I had wanted to the whole time.
A/N: Finally, this chapter is done! I know that it's shorter than the others but I couldn't type anymore. I've had this chapter planned for ages and even changed a few things to make it more entertaining. Now that it's done I feel oddly relieved- like a huge weight had been taken off my shoulder *phew*
I'm not sure if I can answer all of your question, just in case this chapter suddenly made you feel like you had to ask questions.
Leave a review and I'll do my best to get back at you ;)
Lot's of love to all of you *throws love into the crowd*