*** This story contains some mild language, suspense, romance, and some frightening images and situations—13 and older, please.
In the Grip of Twilight
By:
Olivia Tannis Moore
Chapter Thirty Three:
Options and Sacrifice
I awoke to darkness and a key opening the lock. Not quite awake, I sat up in the bed. "Edward?" I said hopefully, and then I bit my lip remembering, in hazy bits and pieces, the events of last night. I rubbed my swollen eyes, nearly blinded by the light flooding in from the hall.
I saw her red hair first. Lit from behind, her pale face seemed surrounded by long flames. She held a silver tray in her hands loaded with more food than any human could possibly eat.
"I don't want it," I told her, my voice raspy from sleep and a raw throat.
Elena set the tray down on the bedside table and crossed the room to the windows. Saying nothing, she yanked the heavy draperies back and let the daylight stream in. She stood there in her strapless sundress gazing out the window, her skin glinting so profusely that I had to shade my eyes. I looked at my wristwatch; it was three o'clock in the afternoon.
"I'm not going to eat your food until I get some answers."
She huffed, and then slowly turned. "You're stuck with me until you eat—I don't think either one of us wants that sort of torture."
I swallowed back the lump in my throat. I was afraid that if I said his name there would be no holding back the tears.
"Where is he?" I asked. It was the question that had consumed me since Demetri brought me back to my room.
She went to one of the lounge chairs and plopped down as if she was resigned to a long stay. "He's in Quarantine."
"He's okay, then?" I asked, my voice pitifully anxious.
"For now," she answered. "Father is weighing his options." She gazed at the tray and then back to me.
I reached over and plucked a few grapes from the tray and popped one in my mouth. "What options?"
She smiled humorlessly. "Option one, hand Edward over to the Lycans, it could open things up to negotiations. The Lycans want him very badly. And we get rid of the nasty little virus that came with him."
I covered my mouth with both hands. That wasn't an option—it was a death sentence.
"Option two, hold Edward until we're certain we're not infected. Let the war wage on. And, well, I suppose it ends the same as option one."
I thought I still held a trump card; maybe it didn't hold the power it once did, now that I was their prisoner, but I did have the ability to make things difficult. "Tell Aro that if he lets Edward go home to his family, I'll do whatever he asks. I'll stay here as long as he wants—just let him go…"
Elena looked at me in surprise. "Ahh, another option. I'd not thought of self-sacrifice as a choice."
But of course she hadn't. The idea of giving up your life or happiness was unimaginable to her.
"Get him home and Carlisle will cure him," I said carefully. I was hoping that she still had enough desire for him that she'd see the benefit of my suggestion.
"I'll think on it," she said coolly. "I suppose we'll have to get along to a certain degree since you'll soon be my half-sister, in a way."
I recoiled in horror. That could only mean one thing…Aro would be the one to change me.
***
(Thanks for the comments—they pepped me up after a strange day. Thanks for reading and I'll see you tomorrow. OTM)
(For Adriana: This is the only way I could answer the question you posed on the comment page. Yes, Edward is a vampire, but he doesn't need water, or air (when he's fighting the virus, he pants) for anything other than to cool the raging fever that threatens to take over. Think of it as a coolant, not a human biological need or nourishment. Hope that helps. OTM