Characters are always the property of Stephenie Meyer.
Chapter 7 Flight
Thinking that I left to protect the Brothers made it easier to look up once I landed softly on the far side of the wall. Alice was standing by Jasper, his arm thrown around her waist as he tried to nudge her into the backseat of a yellow Porsche. There was a second car, a midnight blue Ferrari, parked in front of it. That engine was already running and I could make out the profile of a female driver.
Then I heard the voice.
Soft like velvet, smooth like satin, inspiring like music. My eyes whipped back to the Porsche to seek out the owner of the most amazing voice I had ever heard. When I saw him, my knees went weak. I stopped my slow approach and stared at the most brilliant sight I had ever beheld. He was running long fingers through his unnatural bronze hair, staring off in the distance. He wore a troubled look as he spoke.
"Where is he?"
I gasped aloud and his head flicked toward me in surprise. I suddenly found myself staring into a set of deep golden eyes. As he met my gaze, I could feel a powerful pull toward him. I wanted to run to him and throw myself into his arms and melt away. It was so strong I had to wonder if that was his power. I shook my head throwing my shield further out from me to block him. When the feeling didn't fade, I had to force my eyes away. Alice was smiling at me, but Jasper was looking in the direction the other one had been looking a second ago.
"Who is that?" An unfamiliar voice hissed.
Turning, I saw the driver of the Mercedes stepping out, eyes narrowed and fixed on me. The look she wore would have put any of Caius' to shame and that was saying something. The long legged blond sneered and I was instantly reminded of Heidi, though they looked nothing alike. Each was tall, leggy and bursting with venom.
My own lips curled back from my teeth and I growled at her. Suddenly there was a hand on my elbow. Jasper grabbed me again. I set my furious gaze on him, but he laughed. "She's our prisoner of war," he called over my shoulder.
"Bella's special," Alice added. "She's the key to everything."
"I don't even want to know what you're talking about. This is not a good idea," the blond hissed.
"Relax, Rose," Jasper intervened. I immediately felt the effects of his power sweep over me. It made me wonder why I was having such a hard time blocking today. I was just shaky. My whole life was crashing down around me. I had every right to feel a little off.
"Get in!" Someone shouted from behind. "Hurry! Go!"
I turned to see a man the roughly the size and shape of Felix running like mad toward us. With no hesitation, the Cullens began to pile in the cars. Jasper hopped in the backseat after Alice. Without letting go of my arm, he pulled me inside, snapping the front seat into position as he went. The bronze haired one reached across me and pulled the door shut with a quick snap. His arm brushed my breast as he withdrew it, lingering a little longer than necessary. My skin tingled beneath his touch and I sucked in a breath. What was with this guy? I didn't like the way my stomach was flipping and the look on his perfect face only made it worse. One eyebrow was raised, curious, but as soon as I moved my eyes to his, he narrowed them. He looked like he hated me and an uncomfortable insecurity wound around me.
I glanced away in time to see the other man rush past out window and fling himself into the passenger seat of the Ferrari. I was immediately pushed back against the seat as the Porsche accelerated the same instant the other car did. In a matter of seconds, we wound our way down Mount Volterra and were zig-zagging in and out of traffic on the road.
Alice and Jasper whispered sweetness to each other occasionally, but for the most part were quiet. I could imagine how the reunion must have felt. The man driving – the perfect man who looked more godlike than any being had the right – was completely silent. Try as I might, I couldn't keep my eyes from returning to his angular jaw, creamy white neck that disappeared into the bright white collar of his shirt...
But every time I glanced in his direction, I caught him looking back at me. Sometimes he looked plainly interested and others downright furious. Overall, he just looked confused. Finally, I turned my head toward the window and let my hair cascade in between us like a wall. Stare at that all you want.
We drove for hours in the mindless silence. I was beginning to wonder what I was doing here. I didn't belong with these silent beings. And that blond had seemed pretty threatening. I'd hate for Jasper and Alice to go through all this trouble, just to have me kill the other sister. That thought made me smile, and I spent awhile thinking of all the scenarios where I would be able to gloat over her lifeless body.
I was interrupted by the low chime of a cell phone. The driver took a small silver phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen on the front. "It's Carlisle," he said, that musical voice sending shivers through my body. He immediately flipped it open. "Carlisle."
I heard the voice on the other line. It was soft and cut in and out, but it sounded exactly like what it was. The past. "Edward," it said. "Is it done?"
Edward.
"Yes, we're on our way now." The man next to me answered.
I could barely discern the sigh Carlisle released, though the sense of relief was evident. "And Alice? Jasper?" He wondered.
Edward smiled a crooked grin that made me want to reach over and kiss it right off his face. "Perfect," was his answer. I closed my eyes again. What was with me today?
"Thank god!" Carlisle said, softly. "We've been so worried."
"Tell him not to, but have Esme ready so we can leave as soon as we get there. Demetri will be tracking us by dawn," Alice chimed in from the back. She slid forward to rest her head on my seat and looked at Edward. I instinctively scooted away from her, pressing my back against the window.
She smiled. "I'm not going to bite you," she said. "Though, I thought about it after you attacked Jasper."
My eyes shifted to her mate. He winked at me again.
"Did you get that?" Edward asked the phone.
There was a slight pause before the voice asked, "Who else is there?"
The car was eerily silent as they decided what to tell Carlisle about their little souvenir from Volterra. Edward held up the phone to Alice, who immediately slipped deep into the tiny backseat. Her dark eyes were wide as she shook her head vigorously.
"Edward," the voice on the line threatened.
"We're almost there. You can discuss it with Alice when we see you," the bronze haired god said, closing the phone quickly. I involuntarily flicked my eyes back on him. I drank him in as he signaled the next right and exited the freeway. "Why is it you don't want to explain this little," he gestured toward me, unable to find the right word to describe me. I thought of a million: enemy, liability, monster. Edward seemed to switch the flow of his thoughts. "Why won't you explain yourself to Carlisle?"
Alice was silent. We both turned in our seats to look at her. Her face was riddled with guilt and she was determinedly not looking at either of us. "What!" Edward suddenly hissed.
His eyes were burning into me. I tried not to look at him. His anger made me nervous, and it seemed to be building in the air. Jasper reached forward and put a steady hand on Edward's shoulder. As quickly as it had come, the tension dissipated, and was replaced by a sense of peace. I growled a warning at him, despite the euphoria I felt, and Jasper reigned back a bit.
Edward returned his eyes to the road in front of us, attempting not to look back in my direction, so I allowed myself to stare at him. I wasn't sure why he spit at Alice that way, but it made the twisting in my stomach harder to bare.
So involved in studying him, I didn't even notice where we were heading. When the tires left the pavement, I finally tore my eyes away, looking over a huge empty space. Far in front of us was a small plane. Even from this distance I could hear the engines rumbling, ready for takeoff. I suddenly panicked. This was the already the farthest I had ever been out of Volterra in my entire existence. If they thought they could drag me anywhere in that, well, they had another thing coming.
"What are we doing here?" I already knew the answer.
"We have to leave the country, Bella. We'll be too easy to spot right under their noses. The Volturi are a lot of things, but dumb is not one of them. They're going to know exactly who's responsible for this." Alice's voice was gentle, but it wasn't enough.
"I don't think so," I snarled at her.
"It isn't like you have a choice," her mate answered, a smile in his voice.
I turned to look at him, narrowing my eyes. "There's always a choice," I hissed at him.
"Not this time," Edward whispered.
I looked around happy to have the excuse to stare at him again, no matter if I was seconds away exploding.
"Now look here-" I started, but suddenly found myself being pulled upward and away from the car by a massive pair of arms. I hadn't even realized we'd stopped driving. "Let me down!" I shrieked furiously, but it was no use. The huge brother had my arms pinned against my body, and was carrying me like a football to the plane on the unkempt runway.
My legs flailed uselessly in the air a good five feet from the ground. I kicked them out in a frenzy, but was unable to connect with the brute. Another pair of strong hands suddenly had my ankles. I jerked my head up and saw Jasper locking my legs in his tight grasp. A feral growl rumbled in my throat. Summoning all my strength, I lashed out with my power. Like a rubber band, it shot out and slapped their faces. It was hard enough to sound above the roar of the engines and Emmett released me in shock, reaching for the welt forming across his cheek.
Jasper couldn't support my body by only my ankles and I fell in an ungraceful heap to the ground. I kicked again, my shoe slipping off into a surprised hand and threw myself to my feet, landing in a crouched position. The venom pooled in the back of my throat as I stared down my opponents.
"I told you if you touched him again, Bella, I wouldn't let you off so easily," Alice growled at me.
Both Alice and the leggy blond were standing in front of the others. If Alice looked angry, the other looked simply murderous. It would only take one crack to the face to make me feel better. See, it didn't have to be Jasper. I'd settle for the big one or the blond. Just a swift kick in the nose and all could be right with the world.
The blond was snarling openly, taking slow deliberate steps toward me. As the immediate risk, I narrowed my eyes at her and prepared for her lunge. Suddenly, a voice too familiar, too bittersweet, breathed my name. "Isabella?"
Before straightening from my fighting stance I took two deep breaths to calm myself. Slowly, I turned my eyes and saw him: as golden as he had been nearly two centuries ago.
"Carlisle," I sighed, not sure how seeing his face again after all this time was affecting me. Standing at his side was Edward, looking between us in open shock. Then, a set of broad arms wrapped around my body again and carried me to the plane. This time I didn't struggle. It took everything I had not to start sobbing.
Absolutely not like me at all.
"You're a wily one aren't you?" The huge one chuckled. My entire body shook with his laughter.
His blond walked next to him, glaring at me. "You touch any of them again, I'll rip your head from that pretty little throat," she hissed.
The big one laughed again, climbed aboard the plane, and dumped me unceremoniously onto one of the seats. I quickly took in my surroundings, a feeling of claustrophobia creeping over me. Not to mention spending hours crossing and ocean trapped in here with Carlisle... and Edward. I closed my eyes tightly at that thought. I didn't even know Edward. Why did he make me feel so uncomfortable?
My knees bounced nervously as I looked around at the faces of my captors, all too aware of the irony that I had been captor only a few short hours ago. The big one settled across from me, next to the blond, and eyed me with a bemused expression on his face. He whispered quietly to the female.
I realized my first impression of him wasn't accurate in the slightest. I had taken him for being the same build as Felix. Now that I saw him sitting still, I was aware how wrong I was. He was absolutely huge. I even had to wonder how he fit in the small seat, but he looked far from uncomfortable. One massive arm was thrown around his wife's shoulder, who never took her glaring stare from me, and he engaged in a conversation with Jasper who was seated to my direct right. Alice danced her way next to him and their fingers entwined as she smiled brightly.
Carlisle came in with another female – his mate, I guessed – but they walked past us and into the cockpit without a word. Carlisle tried to catch my eye as he walked by, but I turned them to the ground and they passed in silence. I was struck by the characteristics this mock family share, a characteristic Jasper and Alice would share again once they fed. All four sets of eyes had a bright, golden glow to them, a tribute to their lifestyle.
I was distinctly aware of the bronze haired one as he slouched into the seat to my left. I felt his eyes – the most brilliant gold of all – penetrate me, but resisted the urge to turn. I realized what was happening. How stupid I had been for not seeing it earlier. He was the mind reader. And I had been foolish enough to sit next to him, with my shield on the fritz. I had practically handed him my mind for the last few hours. The idea sickened me and I had to look away. Instead, I concentrated harder than was strictly necessary to the others' conversation.
"So cool, Emmett! The bombs were amazing. You did perfectly," Jasper was commending the big one. "I'm surprised you were able to get your hands on the nitrate compound. It's been banned in 39 countries."
"Yeah, well, lucky for us, Italy isn't one of them," Emmett answered with a huge smile. Dimples puckered in his cheeks. Along with his dark curly hair, he looked like an overgrown toddler.
"Well, it went magnificently," Alice joined. "The plan was brilliant, Edward."
At the sound of his name being spoken, my eyes flicked toward the vampire next to me. My stomach fluttered uncomfortably, but I didn't turn away. Mostly, because he didn't look back at me right away. He engaged in pleasantries with his coven. Suddenly, a completely radiant smile spread his full lips and I felt myself slipping away; almost like I was going to faint. He flashed it directly at me.
"I'm curious and I'm sure the others are too," he started smoothly. The velvety tone sent shivers up and down my arms. "How is it you ended up here?"
The way he asked felt like a slap across my face. His smile became a sneer and he stared into my eyes. His had been a deep gold earlier, but now flashed with electric black. I knew the thirst couldn't have taken him so fast. No, Edward was angry; furious. And he glared at me. Couldn't he just see in my thoughts that I had no idea? It was all some stupid mistake that I was regretting more and more every second.
I felt like my instincts were finally up to par again and I stared back, allowing my own eyes to flash the anger I felt. Somehow, today had gone in a million directions and I was reeling. Impossibly, I had gone from being a part of the Elite Volturi Guard, to willingly leaving the city with two escaped prisoners, then being forcefully trapped on a small jet. Not the most ideal of evenings. To make it worse, Carlisle was here. And this Edward was making me jumpy. My aggression was building the more I thought about all the things that had gone wrong tonight.
"Now's not the time, Edward," Jasper whispered, maybe picking up on how volatile my mood was becoming.
"There's no better time than the present," the blond suddenly spoke up. She was still glaring, but that was easier to bear than the look that Edward was burning me with.
Jasper moved his hand to my shoulder and I felt myself calming immediately. He smiled and caught my eye.
"Not here, Rosalie," Alice hissed back at the leggy female. I was silently thanking her. Jasper or no that one was getting on my nerves.
"I think I need some time alone." I quickly rose and took a step toward the door that separated us from the luggage area.
In an instant, everyone was on their feet and Rosalie was snarling again. My body instinctively fell into an attack stance. Emmett pushed his way in the front of the blond and Alice, while Jasper and Edward flanked his sides. They worked together like a machine. I retreated a half step. The back of my legs pressed against the bottom of the seat. There was nowhere to run.
Like one of the shock-waves from the bombs earlier, a feeling of calm slammed into me. My body automatically relaxed, but my mind stayed intent on the fight. Jasper stepped forward from his family, holding up a hand slowly in a gesture to match the mood he was creating.
"Peace, Bella," he said, softly. "I'll sit with you awhile."
I weighed my other options briefly, knowing it was the best idea. I wasn't afraid of Jasper. He didn't wish me harm, no matter how much he should. After all, I had been ready to execute him, for no other reason than I had been told to do so. I examined his expression as he reached out for me. He winked again and with a quick glance at Alice's expectant face, I followed Jasper to the back of the plane. He closed the door behind us.
"You're confused," Jasper said, settling his body on top of a large red trunk. Refusing to sit, I nervously paced back and forth in front of him. His eyes followed my path for awhile before he spoke again. "I'm not sure what the connection is between you and Carlisle, but it's stronger than I expected. I'd say he's very pleased to see you."
"Oh, I'm sure," I mumbled, but added, "What exactly am I feeling?" I couldn't decipher my own emotions. He might be able to pick them apart for me.
"It's actually difficult to pinpoint your individual emotions," he answered as he turned his eyes upward in concentration. "It probably has something to do with that shield you snapped us with earlier."
I ducked my head sheepishly, but Jasper chuckled. "You're anxious."
"I've been kidnapped!" I shot back.
His smile was still easy. "Yes, but I felt it as soon as you left the city."
In the following silence, I nodded. "You're right. I've never even been outside Volterra before."
"And you're claustrophobic?"
Now I smiled back at him. "Not exactly, but I do have issues flying across large bodies of water in a tin can. What else?"
"Anger," he said simply.
I huffed out a breath and threw my arms up impatiently. "Of course, I'm angry."
"But you've always been angry. I felt that the first time we met. It's so ingrained in you. There's that, and..." he hesitated trying to name another emotion.
I thought it just as he said it. "Guilt."
"Black eyes stared into mine and I nodded, "Yes." I finally breathed. "You're very perceptive."
Perhaps understanding my reluctance to continue on that path, Jasper went on trying to pick apart the flurries of emotions swirling inside my cold body. "Then there's lust."
Jasper's laughter rolled from him. All I could do was stare at him, mouth agape. But who was I trying to kid? We can't hide our thoughts to ourselves. He already knew. And if it hadn't come from Jasper and his laughing fit, it most certainly came from my own mind.
"Tell me about the others," I asked him.
His mood sobered immediately. "Why?"
There were a million reasons spinning through my brain like wildfire, most having to do with that incredibly sexy creature out there, but I didn't trust myself to speak them aloud, so I shrugged.
After a silent moment, Jasper said, "I want you to be comfortable, Bella."
I pondered his statement and retorted with the same word he had used. "Why?"
He answered in one quick breath. "Alice."
Not what I had expected at all. "Like that explains anything," I groaned exasperatedly.
"It explains everything," Jasper insisted. "Alice doesn't do anything without reason."
After that, we sat in silence for a long time. I tried not to let the dips and falls of the plane work me up too much, but Jasper stayed in control and I managed to relax enough to finally sit down, joining him on the trunk.
"What's going to happen now?" I finally asked.
"We'll find somewhere to hide and figure that out."
"What about me?" I pressed.
Jasper shrugged. "I don't know. It depends on why you did come with us."
There it was. The reason I tried to run away from the others. Now I was about to lay my speculations on Jasper. And that's all they were. Guesses. "I'm not sure what the real reason I let you lead me from Volterra . I just knew I had to go. At first, it was Alice. I couldn't get her out of my mind. It was infuriating. Then you," I looked at him apologetically. "I used you as an outlet for that. I couldn't bring myself to attack her. Not that I know the reason behind that either. She saw a vision about my future, supposed future and I was determined not to let it happen. All of that drew me, but it's not the reason I left."
He looked at me intently. "Why then?"
"I don't know." My voice was the slightest of whispers, but he heard and nodded.
"What did she see?"
I told him something else. Again, not knowing why I would, but it felt immediately better to do so. "I was born in France. The brothers were much younger then. New to their power, and still trying to conquer. Aro had chosen me as a human, aware of my power even then. He had saved me alone, destroying all the humans from my village. Caius had seen me as a threat to the brothers' power, but Aro nurtured me himself, raised me from a child, and changed me when I turned 18. All the while he kept me safely hidden away from any attacks Caius might have sent my way. After my change, I was a natural. Having being raised to accept my fate, I never suffered the wild neophyte craze."
Jasper flinched slightly at that and I stored it away, continuing, "I moved easily through the ranks of Guardsmen and ended up where you found me. Or should I say where I found you?" I hesitated, deciding not to tell him how high I had actually climbed up the Volturi social ladder. I wasn't entirely sure why I neglected to add that crucial fact, when I so willingly gave him all the others. He would realize soon enough. With the mind reader and Alice, it would hardly be a secret.
"Alice saw me destroy the brotherhood," I finally whispered. Jasper's eyes grew wide for an instant, before he composed himself again.
"And this 'supposed future'?" he asked carefully. "What does this mean to you?"
I was quiet for awhile as I mulled it over. "It meant enough for me to leave," I finally told him. "It meant enough that I wasn't going to stay there knowing what I could be capable of. Understand, that had been my whole life. I don't want to be the one that condemns it."
My voice had started to rise as I spoke and Jasper, feeling my mood start to spin toward uncontrollable, stunned me with relaxation. I slumped backwards, letting my back rest against the smooth metal of the plane. He was silent for the rest of the flight and I closed my eyes and imagined I was anywhere in the world other than right there at that moment.
I felt completely embarrassed that I had spilled my life story to this stranger; that Edward could hear all of my thoughts; that Carlisle was less than 30 feet from me, with his mate.
What the hell was I thinking leaving Volterra? At least there I had some control over my life. Now, I was stepping out into the unknown.