Chapter Eleven: The Plan
"Will," Ana said, "get three tickets each to Kennedy and Houston airports." After she said this, she turned her attention to the rest of us. "Edward and Jasper will come with me to New York. Bella and Emmett will go with Will to Houston."
"And what are the rest of us supposed to do?" Jacob asked. "Sit at home and knit?"
"You'll need as many of you here as possible just in case Demetri doubles back," Ana answered matter-of-factly.
"Or, you just don't want any wolves around," Jacob spat. "I remember how nervous the Volturi were when they got a look at our pack last year."
"Is that all you do: shoot your mouth off?" Ana sounded angry. "How about you shut your toothy trap and let the professional handle this." She glared at Jacob. "To tell you the truth, you're right. I don't want you along. Our only hope for success is subtle strategy, and your half-cocked attitude is exactly what could get Renesme killed—or do you even care what happens to her?"
"Ana!" I began angrily. I wasn't going to let her talk to Jacob like that.
"Bella!" Ana shouted in response before I could continue. "I don't expect you to see my logic in this," she said. "Maybe that's because you still, secretly, want to jump him. So let me put this another way: you want my help, we do things my way."
Where did she get off saying things like that? Before I could tell her where to get off instead, Carlisle spoke. "We do trust you," he said to Ana, though his voice was wary. "We do appreciate your help." And we didn't have much choice but to accept her help; though, it didn't stop the nagging feeling that this help would come at a terrible price. What did they say about making deals with the devil? That it was never a good idea.
Ana turned to Will and nodded a "go ahead." He immediately excused himself to another corner of the room and opened his cell phone. It sounded like he was talking to the airline companies. After a few minutes, Will rejoined our group. "The soonest they could give us was tomorrow morning," he said. "The flights will be a few hours each so, with the time change, we should get to our destinations by tomorrow evening."
"That's not soon enough," I protested. "We can't possibly wait almost a whole day."
"Actually," Ana said quite calmly, "this works out fine. It will give me some time to contact some friends of mine beforehand who should be able to help us."
"Are these friends you can trust?" asked Carlisle.
"Of course," Ana confirmed. "Now, if you'll excuse me," she smiled, "I have to make a few calls."
"It's probably time to switch phones," Will said to Ana.
"You're right," Ana answered. With that, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and exchanged it with another that Will gave her.
"We keep a supply of prepaid cell phones," Will explained to the rest of us. "They're harder to trace."
Ana seemed to disappear, while the rest of us, including Will, went to sit in the living room. I sat on the couch next to Edward, his hand in mine for comfort, lost in my thoughts. I kept trying to tell myself that Renesme was okay and that we would get to her in time. Alice's question broke through my reverie.
"How did you meet Ana?" she asked Will.
Will looked up from his new cell phone and laughed lightly. He seemed completely different from Ana; she was harsh and haughty, whereas Will was friendly. Something in his eyes encouraged you to smile and laugh along with him. He seemed genuinely trustworthy. "No that's quite the story," he said fondly. He glanced around the room at all of us and then at Alice, who seemed interested. "Well," he began, "I was a professor of anthropology and cultural mythology. That was three years ago. I taught at Stanford University."
"Stanford?" Carlisle wondered.
"Yes," Will confirmed. "I was an academic. Though, as much as I enjoyed the scholar's life, I got burned out eventually. Teaching is rough work. So, I decided to take some time off." Will told his story with a smile on his face. "While on my sabbatical, I traveled," he continued. "I went to places that I'd always wanted to visit. One of those places was also of an academic interest to me, with its rich mythology: Volterra."
"Volterra?" I perked up at the mention of Aro's "hometown."
"Of course," Will answered as he grinned. "The lore surrounding Volterra is classic." He paused, seeming to think, and chuckled at his thoughts. "You know," he said, "I never really believed vampires were real, though I discussed each culture's adaptation of the myths with my students. But still, how could I pass up the opportunity to visit a place dense with cultural history? So, I went to visit the castle. And I got the special tour." He stopped.
Special tour? What could he be talking about, if not the…? "They took you into the main room in the tower?" I asked out loud, incredulously. Will nodded and my stomach dropped.
I remembered being a witness to the "special tour." It had been a few years ago, when I had first met the Volturi. Edward had gone to Italy because he thought that I was dead. We had been taken to the main room, and then released after Aro had had some fun at our expense. As we left the main chamber, where the Volturi sat on their thrones, a group of unsuspecting humans had been ushered in. The Volturi had planned to kill and feed on them. A vivid picture came back to my mind from that day: one of an older woman clutching her rosary, looking petrified—like she knew what was coming.
"The Volturi were going to kill you," I finally said to Will.
"I didn't know I was in for such a treat," Will answered simply with a sly smile.
"That's horrible," I breathed.
"That's what I thought at the time too," Will continued. "But, when it was my turn, I told them that if they killed me, I'd come back as a Japanese Yurei to avenge my own death. I think my chanting made them think twice."
"You were singing the Stanford fight song," Ana said. She seemed to have appeared, silently, out of nowhere.
"Hey, whose story is this?" Will feigned hurt, but when he looked up at Ana, he smiled. She smiled back as they exchanged a look; what was it? Fondness? Love? I couldn't see how someone like Ana could love, or how anyone could love her. Will continued, "Did you get a hold of Henry and…?"
"Yes," Ana cut him off, as if she didn't want him to say names. But why?
"Anyway," Will said as he turned back to us, "the Volturi stopped; they didn't kill me," he said. "You see, Ana was there. She was smitten with me," he said as he seemed to puff out his chest feathers.
"I asked Aro to save him for me," Ana finished. "I can't change anyone because I'm only half vampire, so I asked my father to change Will for me."
"How fortunate for you," Jacob said to Will, though his sarcasm was directed at Ana. "Or maybe she was just already full."
"Oh no," Will interrupted, "Ana doesn't…"
"I don't drink the blood of live humans," Ana finished. "Neither does Will. We get our blood from hospitals and blood banks. Of course, that doesn't mean my father doesn't make me watch his dining habits; he doesn't think I have a healthy enough appetite."
"I feel so much better," Jacob said with more sarcasm.
Ana zeroed in on Jacob with a look and a sneer. "Though I make an exception when I'm on a job," she continued. "There's no point in being wasteful. Like that girl in the woods for example."
Jacob tensed and Edward's hand tightened on mine, else I would have jumped up. How could she be so unfeeling about human life? How could she call it a "job" and then treat killing innocent life like some sort of hobby? Hey Daddy-o, let's go hunting this weekend. We can tie our kill to the roof of the truck and maybe even keep the head as a trophy!
"You look stressed," Ana told me as I played out the scenario in my head. I glared at her in return.
"Ana actually went to Stanford," Will said in an effort to change the subject. "Though it was before my time of course."
"I went to a lot of universities," Ana added. "And each time, I majored in music." She smiled. "I am Italian after all." She looked at Edward. "We should do a duet some time," she said to him. "You could play the piano and I could sing." She walked over to the piano, sat down, and started to play a melody softly while she hummed along. She sounded beautiful—I had to admit to myself grudgingly—like a dark angel. "Come on Edward," she pushed.
Will was suddenly at the piano bench, sitting beside Ana. He started to play—or, I should say, tried to play—"Over the Rainbow." He grinned at Ana. "Aren't you going to sing honey?" he asked. They exchanged a look, and I thought I saw Ana roll her eyes.
It was quiet for a moment before Emmett broke in. "So what else is the Volturi up to these days besides trying to kill us?"
"There was this author they were worried about," Will volunteered off-handedly when he stopped plunking at the piano keys. "Stephenie Mayor or something."
"Stephenie Meyer," Ana corrected. "She got frighteningly close to the truth in some of her books."
"The Volturi were going to get rid of her," Will added.
"Did they?" I asked incredulously. I couldn't bear it if that poor woman had been killed just because she had written some books.
"No," Ana told me. "There weren't many fans anyway, except for a small cult-like following. And the Volturi had their hands full with other, more important things." She smiled. "Meaning, all of you." I swallowed hard.
"You should go lie down," she continued. "I'm sure Edward could help you with the stress," she said with a smirk. Edward's hand couldn't stop me now; I stood up fast to face Ana. "I mean it," Ana said to me, unfazed by my sudden movement. "You're probably not going to see Eddie for awhile since he'll be coming with me to New York."
I was fuming. "If I didn't need your help," I spat, "I wouldn't…"
"You wouldn't what?" Ana interrupted. "Invite me to tea?"
"When this is over," I gritted my teeth, "you stay away from my family and friends. You're nothing but a selfish and disgusting half-breed."
Ana just smiled at this, much to my frustration. "Remind me to let you know when the hurt from that comment sets in," she said sarcastically. "Though we'll probably both be long dead by then."
"Enough," Will said calmly, but firmly, much to my surprise. "We have things to do before we leave."
Ana took her eyes off me focused on Will. "You'll need to get us a car," she said to him.
"I'm on it," Will answered. "How long has it been since you slept?" he added.
Ana looked annoyed at Will. "I'm fine," she said.
"Forgive me Ana," Carlisle cut in. "I didn't think you needed to sleep. I have plenty of beds to offer."
"I'm fine Carlisle," she said. "Thank you."
"She's like my students were," Will told Carlisle. "She pulls her own kind of 'all-nighters'; she just has more of a capability to do it because she's half vampire."
"We'll also need blood," Ana said to Will abruptly.
"I suppose I could…" Carlisle began uncertainly.
"Don't be silly Carlisle," Ana said. "I wouldn't want you to compromise yourself. I'm perfectly capable of breaking into the hospital on my own." With that, Ana turned and left the room, on her way out.
"You all really should rest," Will said to us. "Tomorrow's going to be a rough day." Then he turned and left as well.
Little did I know just how rough tomorrow was going to be. The thought that my family would never be the same again, was what stuck in my head for the rest of the night. I laid in Edward's arms, willing the morning to come.