The Firstborn
Excruciating pain went through her body. It was all she could see and all she could feel. She pressed her hand against her chest, trying to make the pain less, to protect it. The nausea and panic blinded her sight. Suddenly she felt two cold hands gripping her face tightly.
'Bella, listen to me!' A familiar voice told her. 'You are awake! You are not really feeling this pain anymore. Let it go. Focus on your breathing.'
Her breathing was ragged and irregular and she tried to concentrate on it. She inhaled in hiccoughs and kept her breath in as long as she could. She repeated this process a few times and slowly felt the pain flow away. Her sight returned and she stared in the tortured eyes of Jasper.
'Jazz!' She exclaimed and threw herself in his arms.
He held her tight and she pressed her face in his chest, wetting his shirt with her tears. The shock of her dream pressed hard on her shoulders and all she could do was cry. She stiffened, when her brain started to work a little more rationally. She entangled herself from Jasper and tried to stand up.
'Liam! I have to go!'
She took a step, but was stopped by multiple cold hands.
'Tell us what is going on, Bella.' Carlisle said, easing her back on her bed.
She hesitated, but saw the determined looks from her family in the room. They were never going to let her go until they knew.
She explained softly, wincing in pain again when she told them of the torture Liam had gone through. She saw Edward's face contract in fury and he wasn't the only one.
'Maria talked to you through your dream?' Carlisle asked incredulously.
'Yes, she knew all about my dreams of the past. She says she wants to have a talk with me.'
'Why would Maria want to talk to you this badly?' Emmett asked.
'She doesn't really want to talk to me.' Bella answered.
She stared in the confused faces around her.
'If I come to her and she knows I will, she will know everything about me. She will know all my secrets. What I can do, who is in my life now and what I feel.'
Her eyes glided over Edward for a short moment.
'She will know about the werewolves too.'
Carlisle nodded.
'Maybe you are immune to her abilities, just like you are immune to Jane's and Edward's. It is very plausible that her abilities work in the same way as Edward's and that would make you immune.'
'Even if I am,' Bella answered immediately, 'you most certainly are not and I don't think you will let me go alone.'
Their determined faces told her she was right.
'And even if you will let me go alone, they definitely wouldn't.' She pointed to the wolves.
'Not even a chance.' Jake answered and Bella sighed.
'I am very sorry to say this, Bella.' Jasper said seriously. 'I don't think you should go at all. One human boy is not worth risking your life for.'
She looked at Jasper immediately, seeing in his eyes the true reason behind his suggestion. He was afraid of losing her.
'You know I can't do that, Jazz.' She whispered softly. 'Liam is innocent and Maria will torture him and his family until I come. I have no choice. I can't stay here and let Liam suffer the consequences of who I am, but if I go Maria will know all of our secrets and I will risk placing myself in her power again. Either way I lose.'
'Then don't go.' This time Edward said it and he looked at her pleading.
It was almost too hard to deny his sorrow filled eyes.
'I have to.' She repeated softly, they heard that from her before. 'I wouldn't be who I am if I didn't.'
'Bella is right. We have to protect Liam.' Carlisle said quickly. 'Alice, do you see something?'
Alice shook her head.
'The wolves are determined to follow her, so our future is unclear.'
'Can't you shield us?' Emmett asked.
For a moment she remembered their battle with Aro and how she shielded them all. It hurt her even to think about it. She practiced her shield since that day, but it was not nearly powerful enough.
'I can't shield all of you the whole time, don't you remember what happened last time I did that?'
'Uhm yes, stupid idea.' Emmett muttered.
Bella suddenly felt restless.
'I am wasting time. Every minute I wait, I risk Maria torturing Liam again. I have to go!'
'We will all go.' Edward said quickly, taking her hand.
Bella nodded, feeling relieved they were doing something. She walked to the door, followed by the Cullens, when Sam stepped in front of the door, barring her from it.
Edward growled.
'Move out of her way!' He ordered.
'We can't let you go.' Sam said firmly. 'We can't let you risk your life, our whole tribe and many others for one boy.'
Jacob and Quil backed Sam up. In the yard they heard the other wolves howl.
'I have told you before!' Edward said angry. 'She is not your property! Move out of the way, I won't ask again.'
Bella didn't wait until it got out of hand. She didn't have time for a domestic struggle. She stepped in between Edward and Sam.
'I know that my dream just now hurt you all immensely.' She gave Sam a look, daring him to deny it. 'If I don't do this, Maria will torture Liam even more and I will be the one to feel it and with me so will you.'
She waited for a moment to see Sam, Jacob and Quil cringe in pain. Only the idea of her being again in that much pain, was hurtful for them.
'We will go and save the boy. You will stay here.' Sam answered.
'No, I won't. It won't help at all if I stay here. Maria will still know all my secrets from you and she told me I had to go, otherwise Liam and his family were going to die. She has other vampires on them.'
Sam thought for a moment and Bella was getting impatient.
'Please, let me pass.' She asked.
'Fine, we will follow you.' Sam decided.
She was expecting that, so she nodded, but she had to make sure she could talk to Maria alone. If Maria felt threatened at all, she would kill Liam.
'You can follow me and stay close, but you have to promise me that you will let me go talk to Maria alone, all of you.'
She looked around and saw all the discontent faces, before they could voice their objections she interrupted.
'I can defend myself and she will not hurt me, it is not what she wants. It is the only way to save Liam.'
'We promise, Bella.' Carlisle said calmly. 'We will split up in two groups, one group will stay close to you, while the other group searches for the other vampires Maria has helping her. Maybe we can free Liam's family and kill Maria at the same time.'
They took several cars and drove towards their old village in Alaska in no time. Bella was growing more and more restless with each minute that passed. Jasper sat next to her and felt it. He took her hand and tried to calm her.
'We are almost there, you have to be focused to be able to protect yourself.'
She nodded and tried to control her anxiety. It worked somewhat with Jasper's help. Edward looked at her concerned from the wheel.
'Promise me you won't let anything happen to yourself, Bella.' Edward said to her and she was surprised by the tenseness in his voice. 'Please, for me.'
'I promise.' She answered quickly.
She would never hurt Edward in any way.
They arrived at Liam's house and Edward tensed immediately.
'Maria is inside with Liam. She is alone and she knows we are here.'
Bella struggled with her feelings again. She ached to get in there. They spoke in the car about the two groups. Edward, Esme, Jasper and Alice were staying in the car in front of the house. Emmett, Carlisle and Rosalie would go hunting for the other vampires. Half of the werewolves were going with them and the other half made a perimeter around Liam's house. She opened her door and looked back once. She saw their anxious and panicked faces.
'I will be fine, I promise.' She said softly and then she walked away.
Bella felt her heart bounce in her chest while she slowly walked inside the house. She knew where she would find Liam and Maria, she had seen that in her dream. She was still startled when she saw Maria, standing in the exact same spot. She was still as a statue and held Liam on his arm next to her.
'Bella!' Liam called to her.
His terrified face broke her heart. Maria's eyes sparkled when she saw Bella.
'There you are, sweet girl. I am glad you have come.' Her voice was filled with victory. 'I know your friends are waiting for you outside the house, but I also know you would not try to kill me, would you Bella?'
Bella shook her head.
'They promised to stay in the car.' She said softly.
Maria laughed.
'Of course I betted on you bringing them, how else was I going to know all these interesting things? So you have werewolves protecting you now as well. How curious, I never knew such creatures existed.'
Bella bit her lip in frustration.
'I have done what you asked. Let Liam go!'
'So impatient. We will talk first. Didn't I promise you I had meaningful information.'
She giggled and Bella tried to control herself. Her fists were clutched in anger.
'Don't try anything foolish, child.' Maria said, guessing Bella's intentions. 'My new tracker and his coven are extremely gifted. Your friends won't find him and I have ordered him to kill this entire village if I won't return, starting with his family.'
She juggled Liam, who gave a small cry in fear. Bella relaxed herself, stopping the urge to freeze Maria.
'Very good.' Maria said smiling. 'The information I have concerns you very much. My gift told me that Aro hides another child. She is called—'
'Coraline.' Bella interrupted. 'I already knew that! If you tortured my friend and wasted my time for this, I will hate you even more.'
Maria glanced at her annoyed.
'Don't interrupt me! I know the prophecy and I am willing to tell you, but only if you behave.'
Bella thought for a moment. Maria would know the prophecy, it was one of Aro's secrets and therefore hers as well. It could be important to listen to her. Maria laughed again.
'Now that I have your attention. Listen carefully. The prophecy was done almost a thousand years ago by one of the most gifted vampires that has ever existed. She was very old, older even than the roman vampires, much older than Aro, some even think she was the first of our race. She could see far into the future and every prophecy she gave eventually came true. Many sought her, to ask for her guidance, until Aro visited her. She told him the following prophecy. "If your heart desires power above all else, then search the world for the coming of the child. Many years in the future two children will be born, minutes apart, linked through blood and soul. Powerful as they are, only the Firstborn will carry the key to ultimate power. Their souls will choose the paths of good or evil and their abilities will reflect those paths. Corrupted their souls can be. The other child, the Secondborn, will be the means to either destroy or gain control over the First."'
Maria stopped there, but Bella had a feeling she was not giving her all of the prophecy. She was confused by what she had heard and needed time to think. She had already guessed Coraline was her sister, but it was still hard to have it confirmed and she was even her twin sister. She wondered how they got seperated and where her real parents where, now that she was sure she was born. It hurt her to think about what Aro did to her sister. He had already corrupted her soul and Bella was next.
'What happened to the vampire who gave the prophecy?' She asked.
'Nobody knows, not long after her prophecy to Aro, she simply disappeared and nobody has seen or heard from her since that day.'
Bella was even more unsettled by that piece of information. She couldn't fully grasp why. Maria wasn't telling her everything, but somehow Bella knew she was telling the truth. It puzzled her.
'Why are you telling me all this?' Bella asked.
Maria chuckled.
'Aro already gained one of the children. It would be extremely unfair if he gained another one.'
She shook Liam again.
'Your love for this human makes you weak and vulnerable, but I will keep my promise. You can have him.'
Maria scrutinized her face for a moment and then smiled.
'I am done with you now. I will leave, but don't be afraid. You will not have to miss me for long. You will be hearing from me soon.'
'I will be ready for that moment to kill you.' Bella couldn't help to say it, although she had never said anything like that before. Anger and hate infested her heart. Maria was unimpressed.
'Your threats are meaningless. You have chosen the path of good and your abilities reflect that. What are you going to do, protect me to death?'
Maria gave her a taunting smile and before Bella could blink or reply to give her threat more meaning, she had disappeared. Liam dropped to the floor. She ran to him quickly, taking his face in her hands.
'Edward.' She called, knowing he would hear her.
He was by her side immediately, followed closely by the others. Liam was in a bad state. It was going to be the second time he ended up in a hospital because of her, this time with even more scars, physical and mental. Bella felt tears well up in her eyes again. She should have protected him better.
Although she had saved his life and the lives of his family, she knew she had lost this round. Maria was going to be even more dangerous than she already was. They might not have lost the war, but they had lost an important battle.
A few hours later Edward was carrying her through the chilled air. He had convinced her to go sleep for a few hours in their old house. She was glad he did, because she felt exhausted. Mentally and physically she was spent. She was vaguely aware that the other Cullens and the werewolves were following them, except for Carlisle who had stayed in the hospital with Liam.
Before she knew it, Edward placed her on her old bed, which was apparently made by one of her family. He tried the disentangle her arms from his neck, but for once she couldn't let him. She needed him, all she could feel was the overwhelming need to have him with her. She couldn't care what it would do to their relationship, she just held on to him.
'Please stay with me.' She whispered softly.
He studied her face for a moment, but she was too tired to read his eyes. She tried to pull him on the bed next to her and to her surprise he easily let it happen. She kept her arms around his neck and pulled herself on his chest. His arms locked around her on her lower back and held her in place. She buried her face in his neck, her lips touching his skin. She felt so safe, so peaceful and she slowly let all her painful memories go. She counted the breathes he took, until he softly began to hum her lullaby.
Calm and blissfully empty sleep overtook her.