Chapter 14

Mirror Images

"So let me get this straight," Ary said with a stifled chuckle before shutting the door to her bedroom. "You decided to come over here because I wasn't at school?"

"No," I insisted while my eyes poured over Ary's gigantic room in awe. I was pretty sure the entire top floor of my house could fit inside this one space. The walls of were dark cherry wood, while the furniture was adorned with black upholstery. From the nightstand to the chest and drawers, everything was a rich ebony color. My eyes panned over to the corner where, propped against the wall, I saw a platform-style bed. I was confused for a few seconds, thinking of Edward's statement that vampires didn't sleep, but remembered that Ary was only half vampire. The concept of her sleeping wasn't completely absurd. I turned to see her standing in the doorway, watching m with a humored smile.

"So what did they tell you?" Ary inquired and leaned casually against the wall, staring at me with heightened interest.

"What do you mean?" I asked and moved deeper into the room, briefly noticing a series of deep scratches in the walls. My brow indented heavily as I inspected them from a distance. They were not scratches; they were deeper than that. Whatever made those had to be big—really big.

"Well," Ary startled me by suddenly appearing at my side, following my gaze with her own eyes and grimacing a bit. "Since you didn't come over here just because I wasn't in school, I can only deduce that the others told you something that forced your curiosity. Am I right so far?" I nodded and she continued, moving around the room with her hands behind her back. "Now, knowing my family the way I do, I'm guessing it was Ira."

I bit my bottom lip as Ary turned back and stared at me expectantly. Not wanting to rat out anyone, I stared at the floor and twiddled my fingers anxiously. However, as I continued to look anywhere—except at Ary—she strolled across the distance separating us crossed her arms.

"Bella," she chuckled lightheartedly and touched my arm lightly, making me lift my head in curiosity. "It's okay; I'm not mad, just curious."

I briefly contemplated if I should tell her, and, after another reassuring smile from Ary, I sighed and nodded. "Ira told me that Lazarus contacted you—that's all."

Her smile slowly retreated to a frown and her eyes lowered to the ground. With a heavy sigh, she shifted and sat down on the edge of the gigantic bed. I struggled not to let my eyes roam around the room, knowing that I should be worried about Ary, so I followed and took a seat beside her.

She remained silent, despite my close proximity, which made me increasingly nervous.

"Ary, why does he bother you so much?" I asked, breaking the silence after a few minutes. My knowledge of Lazarus had grown—but not by much. My biggest question was: why did he upset Ary?

"He's my husband, Bella," she said with a forced smile and turned to face me.

"Oh." I guess it wasn't unthinkable that Ary was married, I just never saw her with anyone, so assumed she was single. My eyebrows pulled together as I remembered the Cullens and their habits with their own mates. They were never away from one another for extended periods of time, except to go hunting. So what was different about Ary and Lazarus? "I didn't know that you were married."

"Of course you didn't," she said with a blank expression, voice filled with sarcasm. "Because I didn't tell you."

I laughed at her point. "That's true," I agreed, and Ary turned away from me, wrapping her arms around her stomach in a very familiar way. Despite my attention to her hunched posture, I pressed for more information on Lazarus. "So, how long have you two been married?"

"Time doesn't mean much to me anymore, Bella," she said with an exasperated sigh and I nodded. "Almost two hundred years, if my memory serves me right."

"Wow," was the only thing I could say. Her relationship with Lazarus made mine and Edward's miniscule in comparison. While I stared at Ary, I saw a strange sadness behind her eyes, and I had to know more. "So, where is he?"

Ary lowered her head and her arms, wrapped around her stomach, tightened. "In Texas—somewhere."

Again, my curiosity flared up and I immediately had to know why Lazarus was so far away. Was there something going on? Did they have a fight? The first seemed more logical than the second, since vampires mate for life, but what could force Lazarus to leave his wife behind. My internal conversation must have translated across my face, because Ary answered my unspoken questions.

"He doesn't want to be around me," she said with a defeated tone and her shoulders slumped forward. My mouth fell open but I was speechless, and, as I stared, she curled up in the fetal position on the bed. For the first time since I came in the room, I took in Ary's physical appearance. Her eyes were sunken in with dark circles surrounding them, sallow cheeks, and she appeared more pale than usual. In simple terms: Ary looked very tired.

As I continued to inspect her, she shifted her eyes to me and my world came to halt. The look in her eyes—the emptiness, the pain—it was like looking into a mirror of myself. Her arms tightened around her stomach, trying to hold herself together, and a single tear slipped down her cheek.

"Ary," I whispered and scooted closer to her. "Why do you think he doesn't want you around?"

"Because he told me," she replied in a soft, broken voice.

"How could he say such a thing?" I demanded and shook my head wildly at her. "I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want you around! You're funny and smart." Ary closed her eyes softly and let out a quiet sob, and I couldn't help myself. "And you're the best friend I've ever had."

My mind immediately screamed at me, trying to remind me of Alice and the bond I shared with her, but I couldn't bring myself to care about it. Alice left, whatever her reasoning, and even though I would never forget her, I had to accept that and move on. So, with a deep breath, I swallowed the pain rising in my chest, and accepted the agony with a willing determination. My breath hitched as a twin set of tears rolled down my own cheeks and splashed onto my hands.

Ary propped herself up on one elbow and raised her eyebrows at me.

"Who said you could cry?" she asked with a sideways smirk.

"Who said you could?" I ricocheted the question back at her, which earned me a quirky laugh.

She took a deep breath and sat up a little more. "You know the worst part of this?" she asked with a furrowed brow, and I shrugged in response. "It was all a lie."

There was silence for a few seconds before I shook my head, confused. "What do you mean?"

Ary pushed herself off the bed and, after walking to the nightstand, picked up a small envelope. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the white object towards me and I inspected it. The front of the envelope had several stamps on it; like it had been sent several different places prior. As I stared at the envelope, realization spread across my face. At Eric's birthday, Rochester had brought an envelope and given it straight to Ary.

"This was what Rochester brought," I said and stared at Ary, who grimaced at the mention of his name.

"Yes," she said and motioned to the envelope. "You can read it, if you like."

Without hesitating, I pulled out the letter and began reading the most beautiful script I had ever seen. The elegant penmanship surpassed anything, including Edward's. After admiring the writing, I began reading the contents.

My Dearest Yana,

If you are reading this then I have proceeded with my plan, and am currently living in the south. There is nothing left for me to say but I'm sorry. Yana, everything that I told you was false. Knowing that you would never leave my side made it necessary to give false witness. You had to hate me before you would let me leave. Please believe me when I say, I love you….

I quickly shut the letter, feeling the aching hollowness rip through me, and looked back at Ary. "So, he lied about everything?" She nodded. "Then why are you so upset? It's obvious that he loves you."

"Bella, you don't understand," she said with a pained expression and moved to the far corner of the room. "I've always had a feeling that he feels responsible for me. After all, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be like this." She motioned to her pallid exterior and my mouth fell open.

Confusion rushed through me while I wondered how Lazarus could have had an impact on her creation. Eric had told me Ary was bitten by a vampire and, rather than kill her, it bonded with her on a cellular level. My mouth fell open as an epiphany hit me. "Lazarus was the one who bit you."

"Strange, isn't it," she chuckled darkly and took a seat in a chair. "We became officially mated after that."

"Well, Ary." I moved over to her quickly, speaking the entire way. "I'm sure that's not the reason he married you."

"How can I be sure?" she growled and gripped both armrests of the chair tightly. I slowly took a step back as a small tremor rolled down Ary's skin and the blue in her eyes began to dissipate.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I spoke cautiously, not wanting to upset her. "Because someone once told me that vampires mate for life," I sighed and moved closer to her slowly. "And the letter doesn't seem like it was written by someone who doesn't care."

She sighed and, as her shoulders relaxed, she sobbed again. "I'm sorry," she choked out as her chest heaved and wrapped her arms around herself. "It's like I have no control anymore, Bella. I can hardly breathe without him."

Without trying to catch herself, Ary lurched forward and fell on the floor, gripping her stomach and sobbing. I couldn't help myself, instinctively, I lowered myself and wrapped both my arms around her, feeling the heat of her skin and her tears warm my skin. I didn't really know what I was doing; I had never been that kind of friend before. After Edward left, I had turned away from everyone I had once called a friend, and shut myself away. But this was different, Ary and I were mirror images; both of us had been shunned by the one we loved the most, and left to deal with our pain alone.

The difference was Ary had a silver lining, there was a chance that Lazarus still loved and wanted her. Edward had made it clear that I was nothing more than a distraction. I winced as the pain engulfed me and, as she leaned away from me, I wrapped my arm around my midsection, trying to hold the pain in. After a few minutes, the pain began to dull and my face flushed with embarrassment. As I lifted my head and met Ary's stare, she shook her head slowly.

"I told you it doesn't help," she muttered, indicating my stomach.

I scoffed and shook my head. "Yeah, I should listen to you more."

"There's something I never told you, Bella," she said hesitantly and grimaced slightly. "When I saw you in the forest, after the Cullen boy left, it wasn't your scent that caught my attention."

"I don't understand," I said with confusion. Ary had indeed told me that while her family was investigating the area—trying to find out if it was suitable to live in—Ary had happened upon my and Edward's scent. Worried that a vampire had made off with a human, she followed it and found us both.

"I saw him leave you," she admitted and lowered her head. "His words and your reaction were what held me there. When he left, I couldn't let you stay there—I had to make sure you were okay."

I sighed and winced softly as the dull ache became sharper. "It doesn't matter anymore, he's gone."

"That may be," she said and her soft laughter caused me to perk up. "But you have a chance for happiness again."

"What?" I asked curiously. After seeing her sly smile, I assumed she meant Eric. "I don't know about that, Ary."

"Why not?" She sat up and leaned against the chair she was previously sitting in. "He's very interested, you know."

"So I've surmised." I grimaced as I recalled what Rochester had said about him. "But, I've heard bad things about him."

"Like what?" she asked indignantly with a wide grin.

"That he's had a lot of women." I lowered my head while I spoke, not wanting to see Ary's reaction to the slanderous comments about her brother. When I looked up, Ary didn't look angry or surprised in the least, she looked confused.

"What's your point?" she asked blankly.

"My point is," I clarified and narrowed my eyes at her, "that I don't want to be another vampire's distraction."

"Well," Ary said with a resigned smile and folded her arms over her chest. "I would suggest giving him a chance. He may surprise you."

As I listened to Ary, I couldn't help but point out her sudden change of heart. After all, she had made no attempt to hide her displeasure of our closeness in the past; what had changed?

"Ary?" My eyebrows pulled together in curiosity and confusion. "Why the sudden change of opinion?"

"What do you mean?" she asked and stood up from the bed.

I followed her closely, noticing a strange sluggishness in her walk but my curiosity of her sudden acceptance of Erickson forced me away from it. "Not too long ago, you were obviously against the idea of Eric having feelings for me."

"I was," she agreed and opened a door, which revealed a small walk in closet. Reaching up on the shelves, she pulled down a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before she began to change right in front of me.

I averted my eyes and turned around quickly. "So, what's changed?"

"Well," I heard Ary say from behind me. "After Friday's events, despite my anger at Erickson's decisions, he's made it quite clear that his intentions are not what I anticipated."

"What did you anticipate?" I inquired with a snort, wondering if she thought Eric would use me like he had the others.

"Certainly not this," she said with a strange inflection in her voice. I heard her exhale heavily and, before I could find out what she had anticipated, she appeared beside me. "Besides," she continued and moved back to the bed. "You'll need someone to look after you in the coming weeks."

"Coming weeks?" My stomach tightened at the ominous undertones of her words. "What do you mean?"

"I'm leaving, Bella," Ary said hesitantly. "In two days."

My mouth fell open and the acidic hole, dormant for far too long, ripped open, almost forcing me to my knees. As I gasped for breath, the only thing I could remember was Edward's final farewell to me. The memories tore at me, ripping my insides to pieces like a dull knife. I winced against all the pain I felt as Ary's frantic calls broke through my muffled hearing.

"Bella?" she cried anxiously and began to shake me. "Are you all right? Bella?"

"Y-You're l-leaving?" My chest heaved as uncontrollable sobs cut off my ability to breathe normally.

Understanding slowly formed in Ary's eyes, and she immediately hugged me. "Bella," she chuckled halfheartedly into my shoulder before pulling away. "I'm coming back."

"W-What?" My eyes rose hopefully.

"I'm just going to Seattle for a few weeks," Ary said and touched my shoulder reassuringly.

"Do you promise?" I wasn't exactly sure why I said it, but I couldn't find it in myself to regret it.

Ary smiled softly as she helped me back up to my feet, and with a resigned sigh, she nodded. "I promise."

Interim II: Erickson McRae

The air flew around me as I maneuvered my body through the lush forest, eyes locked on my prey. The mountain lion, knowing that I was the bigger fish in the pond, skidded across the terrain in a vain escape attempt. With a sadistic chuckle, I crouched and propelled my body across the distance separating us, and wrapped both my arms around the lean muscular cat. The animal squirmed and hissed in my grasp, and with a silent prayer, I bit into the furry exterior of the beast. The blood flowed, hot and fresh, into my mouth, and I couldn't help the laughter that peeled out of me.

Reaping the benefits of a well stalked kill always brought a smile to my face.

As the remainder of the animal's natural nectar flowed into my mouth, I released the lifeless corpse and walked slowly to a nearby tree, dragging my sleeve across my mouth to clean up the excess. Breathing deeply, I squatted on the ground and looked out at the majestic splendor before me. I had somehow found my way to the top of a high cliff overlooking the wide expanse below. Inhaling lightly, I marveled at the crystal clear water, the bright green forests, and the endless gray sky. Just like Forks.

As my mind retreated to images of the small town, nestled under a blanket of grey clouds, I couldn't help but think about the one radical element in my otherwise flawless existence. Bella. Even the thought of her name brought forth an onslaught of emotions and feelings that I thought had died long ago. I ran my palm through my hair and fell backwards, relishing in the dew soaked ground below me. Despite the beauty of the white snow and the green grass, all I could see if brown—chocolate and mahogany.

I sighed and rolled over on my side to stare at the dirt on the ground. Brown. My memories danced vividly through my mind, showing me the brief smiles and frequent blushes that made me feel like my heart was beating.

I turned to lay flat on my back, lacing my fingers behind my head for no particular purpose and grinned at the lush canopy above me. A grin stretched across my face as I accurately recalled our first visit to the forest.

"Ah, mi Bella," I whispered and shut my eyes, imagining nothing but her face on the back of my eyelids. The irony of my predicament did not escape me, and I chuckled at the absurdity of it. Vampire and human… hmm, what a cliché.

A roar in the distance forced me to sit up, and as the forest fled in fear, I laughed. I knew that sound very well; it was Argos. I'm guessing that right about now he's about to take down Bullwinkle.

My nose wrinkled as I thought about the moose that he was so fond of. The taste of a moose was about as bland as a common forest deer—but to each his own. In truth, nothing on earth compared to human blood and its elegant texture. I abruptly stopped thinking and shook my head, not wanting to focus on my lack of true sustenance. I had been without human blood for almost two months now, and I refused to let myself want it. Discipline, Erickson, remember discipline.

I breathed heavily and lifted myself off the forest floor, and started down a winding trail, which would lead me down the side of the cliff. As I dusted the dirt off my black shirt, I briefly noticed the thin scar tracing its way up my wrist, and cursed softly.

As soon as Aryana had returned from driving Bella home, she had wasted no time in attempting to rip my head off—and she almost succeeded. Now, due to her anger, I had quite a number of scars across my body. It took Avarice and his shield to keep her off me. I reached a hand through the back of my shirt, feeling the scar where her teeth had sank into my flesh.

It's no more than I deserve. I growled softly and stopped as I remembered the true victim in all of this: Bella. How could I have been such an idiot? Bella was there at my request and what do I do? I bring around one of the most dangerous friends I have. True, it was better that she was there so I could protect her. With her scent all around the property, Rochester would have found her eventually.

What am I going to do? She probably detests me now.

I shivered as my memory retreated to that fateful night, seeing Bella in his grasp and, for a split second, feeling completely mad with rage. In that moment, I didn't see Bella dangling there in the clutches of a monster; I saw my wife, the one who I couldn't save. My jaw clenched tightly as my mind anxiously looked for the memories of my past, but, like always, I was met with a blank wall. I silently cursed

Lazarus for his ability and ran my hands through the dirt below me, unable to contain the anger that was boiling inside me. As I trembled with pure raw emotion, I lifted myself off the ground and became an instant blur.

The wind felt nice against my skin and, as I inhaled, the air filtered into my lungs and I was aware of every scent in the area. As the wet earth moved beneath me, I altered my direction as a new aroma caught my attention. Just a few feet in front of me, I spotted a larger animal, one more delicious

than the previous mountain lion. A gigantic Grizzly bear.

The animal within me burst free, and, with a loud snarl, I soared through the distance separating us. This was what I loved about my existence. As I closed in on my meal, I could see every detail of every object that I passed, the simple bark shavings that clung to the trees, the tiny droplets of dew that saturated the tips of the grass. I could see their clarity and beauty without even trying.

My mind redirected just in time to force all my weight onto the grizzly, sending the surprised creature and I tumbling down a steep incline. At any time I could have planted my feet and stopped, but this was too much fun. The bear's anxious grunts made me chuckle and, after I had satisfied my humor, I dug my feet into the moist earth and came to a halt. The bear continued to barrel towards the small valley below and, after he had came to a crashing stop, he roared angrily. He stumbled to his feet and glanced around, not having enough reasoning skills to look where he had fallen. Seizing the opportunity, I propelled my body towards him again, mouth open and ready.

An hour later, I was in precisely the same spot the bear had been grazing in, flat on my back with a wide smile spread across my face. There was nothing better than a cool breeze, no disturbances for miles, and a stomach full of sustenance. I stretched my arms needlessly and adjusted myself so I could better see the stars, which were peeking at me through the canopy of branches and foliage.

Taking a deep breath, I groaned internally as I smelled the rough, woodsy odor of my older brother and lifted off the forest floor to greet him properly. Argos and I never quite got along, that much was certain, and it was especially tense when we were alone. His displeasure with my previous exploits was no doubt prevalent, and my scorn of his judgmental attitude knew no bounds.

His loud, thundering footsteps closed in on me, slowing their pace and becoming a rhythmic symphony. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the awkward silent treatment I was about to endure. After all these years, I should have been used to the narrowed eye stares and silent threats, but they had never gotten old.

Argos appeared suddenly, his movement blurred by his quick speed, and I cringed at his outward appearance. I preferred to dine with grace and dignity, as did the others of my family—except Argos. As he passed, barely acknowledging me with the exception of a head nod, he made no attempt to hide the fact that his clothes were torn and dripping with animal blood. Whenever he phased into his gigantic bear-man thing, his clothes were automatically ripped.

"Argos," I muttered in acknowledgement, which earned me a sideways glance from the giant. After being in the wild for the past couple of days, I needed someone to talk to—even if that someone was my brother. "Was your hunt successful?"

Argos turned over his shoulder, eyebrows raised high on his forehead, and stared at me for a few seconds. I was just about convinced he wasn't going to speak, when suddenly he sighed and muttered, "It was."

My frown pulled up on one side, forming a half grin, and I nodded my head at him. "Good."

"And you?" Argos said hesitantly, without looking at me.

"Very well, thank you," I smiled without looking at him. "Should we head out then?"

"I suppose," he grunted and turned over his shoulder again to sneer at me. "I suppose you wish to get back to your human."

"Argos," I warned with a growl, "don't."

"Come now, Erickson," he laughed sarcastically, his Romanian accent saturating every syllable. "Can you honestly tell me that this is no different than your previous exploits?"

"Yes!" I demanded with a hiss and pushed myself off the ground. "I can." He leered at me menacingly, expanding his body to his full height. If I was being honest, I was very intimidated by my brother, but, unlike Ary, he was not well known for his temper. So, with this knowledge, I approached him

with an angry glare. "You think I can't change, don't you?" I asked with a hateful tone.

"You have yet to," he sighed with the same disparaging grin, which angered me to no end.

"All right." I glared at him, once again offended by his words, and crossed my arms over my chest. "Then tell me how I can improve."

Argos's head jerked back in surprise, and his entire face lit up with awe at my suggestion. In the past, I would usually go off on a tangent, saying how he should mind his own business and such, but now I was asking for his ideas. He was thoroughly taken aback and, after a few moments of silence, I prodded him some more.

"Well, come on, brother," I spat the word at him bitterly. "You seem to know enough to criticize me—tell me what I can do to change."

With a deep breath, he took two steps forward and huffed. "You can start by not singling out Bella."

"Singling her out?" I exclaimed in a mix of confusion and humor before laughing. "How on Earth am I doing that?"

"Your advances are making her uncomfortable," Argos said seriously and added, "Everyone can see it."

I shuffled a bit, taking in what he said, and thought back to our meetings and exchanges. I had never seen any sign of discomfort or dislike in her posture, what was Argos talking about?

"Aryana has made it obvious that Bella has been through…quite a lot," Argos continued and his voice grew progressively stronger. "She won't be won over that easily."

"And you know this?" I scoffed and turned my back on him, trying to avoid the fact that he was more than likely right.

"Yes," he acknowledged and moved quickly to stand in front of me. "You have not been human for a very long time, Erickson. Perhaps, you've forgotten how to romance a woman."

My eyebrows rose to a high arch as my brother insinuated that I, Erickson McRae, was unable of romancing a woman. My head cocked to the side with an arrogant smile, and I couldn't help the egotistical laugh and expression that overtook me.

"Not only have I not forgotten, Argos," I said coolly and approached him. "I have gained even more knowledge of the timeless art." As he tried to speak, I cut him off by turning and walking away. "You say Bella's different—I will not contest that—but I will prove to you that I am different."

Argos snorted. "This should be interesting."