Chapter 10 – Desperately Seeking Alice
It had 24 hours since Alice's disappearance. 24 hours; 1440 minutes; 86400 seconds.
Esme breathed out a loaded sigh as she resumed her near obsessive cleaning of a non-existent stain on an all too shiny pot. The object in question squeaked in protest as Esme conducted a rather vigorous rubbing motion. The resulting sound made the matriarch wince, her sensitive hearing having amplified the noise tenfold. She sighed again, setting the cloth down almost reluctantly as another sound, more disturbing, floated over to nudge at her eardrums. Honey washed eyes flickered upward, staring worriedly at the ceiling. Her undead heart clenched in sympathy as a muffled whimper squeezed through the floorboards only to dust the air in the kitchen.
Yet another sigh ghosted past pursed lips; it seemed as if Esme had suddenly accommodated an endless supply. However, each sigh was unique in that it was clothed with a different emotion; this latest one being one of helplessness. The vampire knew better than to go comfort Bella; the girl would not let anybody near her. Even Emmett had been rejected despite his best efforts, though it did not stop her mountain of a son from patrolling outside of the room Bella had shut herself in.
The motherly vampire picked up the cleaning cloth, giving serious consideration to delve back into the abyss of housework. However, after eyeballing the spotless kitchen and unnecessarily clean kitchen utensils, Esme dropped the cloth back onto the counter and drifted over to the open balcony. She balanced strong elbows on the railings as she took a moment's reprieve. Closing pale lids over amber eyes, Esme allowed the sounds of nature to roll over acute senses; there was a hint of musk and pine in the air, mingled with the damp scent of the ever-predictable rain. She could hear a herd of deer grazing at a clearing to the north-west of the woods, their velvet noses nudging away clumps of dirt as their mouths worked to chew at the dew covered flora. An owl hooted in the distance and leaves rustled against the slight breeze that caressed gentle fingers through the thick trees.
Esme inhaled deeply, letting the forest soothe her frazzled nerves. In spite of this, the motherly vampire's mind had other plans; it drew up a memory that etched itself into the vampire's psyche near 24 hours ago. With the memory came the emotions; one particular recollection sent a shiver down Esme's back. In the many years she had been alive, she had never been subjected to the sound Bella had made when it had sunk in that Alice had left.
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"ALIIIIIIICE!"
The name slashed its way out of Bella's windpipe with such force that the girl half expected the tinge of blood to taint her lips. She ripped herself from Emmett and stole to the door, every cell in her body screaming at her to run after the seer. Two well-muscled arms that locked themselves around her torso prevented her from completing that task. Bella screamed as she writhed and struggled within Emmett's secure grip; it was blatantly obvious that she would have no chance of breaking his hold on her but something in Bella had snapped the minute she saw Alice vanish.
"LET ME GO!"
Bella was hysterical, bordering on a nervous breakdown as she twisted within the confines of Emmett's trunk-like arms, her legs kicking and flailing uselessly at the burly vampire's shins. She was doing more damage to herself than the vampire; it was like kicking a ton of bricks, and she was barefoot to boot. Bella swung a hand to Emmett's face, her pinky finger making contact with Emmett's nose. There was a small crunch, causing Emmett to wince, not because it hurt but because he knew Bella had just broken her finger. Nevertheless, it did not seem to deter the girl. Mad with grief and hysteria, Bella continued to thrash about violently, her body rapidly exhausting her stock of adrenaline. The adrenaline that was coursing through her veins, however, was only serving to make Bella unreasonable. The girl would not stop her antics, although Emmett could feel each kick and punch lose strength as the seconds ticked by. He debated knocking her unconscious; one gentle tap to the temple would send the girl reeling into darkness. But if he even loosened his hold for even a fraction of a second, he was sure Bella would escape.
Carlisle solved the vampire's dilemma by stepping forward. There was a flash of metal that glinted off the light; the doctor depressed a tranquilizer filled needle into Bella's arm. The effect was almost immediate; Bella's movements slowed, as if she were suddenly slugging through a swimming pool. She collapsed against Emmett, a low keening sound pouring from her lips. Her face was flushed from exertion and hot tears were evident on both cheeks. She mumbled Alice's name, the word slurring together as her speech became distorted. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Bella slipped into unconsciousness and became a sudden dead weight in Emmett's arms, her limbs hanging limply by her sides.
Emmett had breathed a sigh of stark relief but Carlisle warned that with her rapid healing ability, her body would most likely pump out the drug in a few short hours. Hasty preparations were made as Emmett carried a now silent Bella to Alice's room. He volunteered to watch her and nobody objected; Emmett was now the closest thing Bella had.
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The scent of blood jerked Esme back to the present. Perturbed, she sniffed at the air cautiously, shoulders slumping in relief as she detected it to be elk. Then she took another sniff...
And stiffened.
A southerly wind blew over Esme and she was suddenly awash with the overpowering scent of blood. Not just elk this time; bear, deer, mountain lion, even wolf. The air was thick with blood and the beginning of decay.
Esme spun around and nearly collided with Jasper. So drunk on the scent, Esme had failed to hear her son come up to her. Now they struck up a wordless conversation, their eyes locked onto each other as realization and understanding made the gold in their eyes glimmer.
"I'm going to go get her," Jasper intoned. His voice was solemn, though the slight catch in his tone meant that he was struggling to overpower his thirst. It did not help that a second gust of wind swirled the smell of blood more tightly around them. His shoulders visibly tightened.
"No." A new voice flitted over to the pair and both mother and son turned to see Edward walk into the kitchen. His face was determined. "Let me go." His golden dipped eyes implored them to understand. A curt nod from Jasper had Edward springing into action, literally. He bounded onto the balcony railings before pushing off, somersaulting in midair before limber hands shot out to grab at a nearby branch. He backflipped and landed neatly on his heels, not slowing even slightly as he spun around on the spot and began to racing off in the direction of the mingled scent of animal blood.
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Edward ran hard; he was easily the fastest of all the Cullens and proved it by eating up the path, dodging overhead branches and tree stumps with a grace and efficiency of a well-trained hunter. While not the best tracker, that title fell to Jasper, the aroma of blood was so heady and copious that Edward had no problem following the path. It helped that as he ran, the odor of blood grew stronger, until he could taste the coppery tang of it in his mouth. It enticed his taste buds, tantalizing his thirst and seducing a trail down his throat to the point where his stomach seized in tantrum of not having fresh blood to coat its walls. Edward pushed his beast down; now was not about him. It was about his sister. And Edward was going to bring her home in one piece, come hell or high water.
The bronze haired vampire blazed through the woods for a solid two hours before coming to a screeching halt at a particularly scenic clearing. A small brook gurgled happily as it trickled water over little rocks. Wild flowers grew abundant and through the canopy of gently swaying trees, a shaft of moonlight penetrated through, throwing the clearing into a surreal milky white light.
Whilst this background may have seemed beautiful, poetic even, it only made Edward forcibly repress the shiver of fear that crawled down his spine. Because, in the middle of this picturesque setting was something that was in contradiction to all that surrounded it.
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