Hey guys - hope you've been enjoying your holidays! Be warned...this chapter is filled with drama!
I can officially say now that there WILL be a sequel, and it's planned out! I'm not giving ANYTHING away!
Reverie - Megan McCauley. (Mild language ahead!)
Chapter Eighteen
Emmett's POV
Alice and Emmett hadn't gone far from the van.
They had only strayed back to the thick forests on the left of the highway. On the right huge mountains ringed an unseen valley – a nature reserve. They followed closely behind the van they had broken out of, careful to avoid their pursuer from the other vehicle. Alice had wanted to go back and get help, but Emmett had stubbornly insisted that there was no time. Finally, the two black vans slowed and pulled off the road onto a thin dirt path before edging underneath a huge boulder to get through to the valley. Occasionally, they had to stop to avoid rocks. These vans weren't built for this kind of terrain.
Alice and Emmett had to hide as far back as possible when they noticed another vampire coming. They had gone far enough that they couldn't see what was happening, but heard the agonising cries of pain. Darkness had fallen across the lands, and they crept back over the hills to find debris from the vans strewn across the place they once sat. Piles of grey dust formed in odd places, and a severed arm rolled across the ruins of one of the black vans.
Tire marks showed that the other had driven away. Emmett sped down the hill and skidded to a stop by the dust. He soundlessly scooped a few grains on his finger and brought it close to his nose, smelling it. It was had a strong, sweet scent that left him slightly disoriented. But something familiar rang in the scent of this powder...it was a unique smell, but held the signature trace of vampires. These scents were too faint for a human's senses, but strong for the amplified senses of a vampire.
Emmett felt Alice tense next to him and whirled around to look at her. She was frozen in place, eyes staring off into space. Her pupils seemed to dart around her golden eyes, seeing what no one else could. Her face was overcome with a mask of complete terror; she let out a bloodcurdling scream and dropped to her knees, clawing at her head.
"Alice!" Emmett kneeled next to her, not knowing what to do. Finally, she looked up at him with distressed eyes. She was shaking wildly, and her mouth shaped into a small O before she stood, trembling.
"I'm...sorry...I can't..." she mumbled. Alice's whole body jerked down, her hair falling in her face. She screamed again, it was a terrifying, spine-chilling screech that filled the valley and echoed, making Emmett jump. The scream cut off suddenly with a moan of pain and finally silence.
"...Alice?" he whispered. In a flash, he was pinned down on the ground by Alice, who snarled above him.
"Alice! What are you doing? Get off!" Emmett bucked her off, but she had already moved in front of him, a vicious glare extending across her small, pixie-like face. She didn't back off from the fight, but instead lunged at Emmett skilfully, trying to swipe his neck while efficiently dodging his large hands.
"Alice!" he yelled again. He didn't want to hurt Alice, but she wasn't stopping. Emmett tried to only use defensive techniques and not go on the offensive, but it was his nature to strike out. Behind him, he heard familiar laughter. For a moment, he thought Bella was behind him, but the laugh had a cruelty and beauty to it that didn't match hers. Emmett knew that it was Francesca's, but he didn't dare turn his back on Alice while she was in this state.
"Stop!" he growled at Francesca. "Whatever you're doing, stop!" The spiteful chuckle continued, and so did Alice's blind rage.
Their fight was a blur, Emmett relying on brute strength and Alice using speed and her own techniques to take her opponent down. Finally, Emmett got his arms on hers and held Alice in place. She thrashed and struggled, but his force kept her still. He didn't have to turn, Francesca walked around to face Emmett, clapping in sync with her slow steps. She stopped in front of him and her arms dropped to fold across her chest. Her face still donned a sickly sweet smirk.
"You bitch!" Emmett yelled, careful not to lose his hold on the growling and thrashing Alice.
"Stop!" he shouted at Francesca again. Emmett had to admit that she was beautiful. After all, she was Bella's...twin? Her face twisted into a scowl, and her eyes seemed to blaze redder.
"I'd choose my words a little more carefully, you twit." She snapped. "Seeing as I'm the one that has Bella, you're in no position to be angering me." Emmett's glare stopped at the mention of Bella, and in the second that he faltered Alice got free. She leapt forward and flipped mid-air, facing Emmett again. Francesca snapped her small fingers and little Alice fell on the ground, slumping over. Her head rolled to look up, and at the sight of Francesca she leapt up, standing straight. She saw Emmett and her face twisted in an apologetic frown.
"Emmett, I'm so sorry, she -"
"It's okay. I know." Emmett cut Alice off. He turned to face Francesca again, who had not regained her smirk.
"Where's Bella?" he demanded.
Here. Francesca's voice was in his head – as if she had transmitted a mental message. She probably had, Emmett thought. Something pale appeared out of the shadows to her right, no, someone. Bella was in the same clothes as the previous day, and she glanced around in fear. She was shivering from the cold outdoor air, but as she looked up at Francesca Emmett was sure that it was in fear.
"Bella!" Emmett cried, running towards her. As soon as he reached within a metre of her she disappeared, eyes wide.
"Emmett?" Bella croaked. She was behind him suddenly, holding her head and staggering as if she was dizzy. As soon as he faced her, she vanished into the darkness again and reappeared about ten metres away.
This continued for only five minutes, whenever Emmett got close to Bella she would unintentionally teleport somewhere else.
"Stop!" she finally cried, looking up at Francesca. The vampire stifled a laugh as Bella moved again. Her transportations became more frequent that in the split seconds that she was visible, Emmett saw her kneeling and holding her head. Her face was twisted in pain. He lunged at Francesca, seeing red.
She dodged his every move and countered his attacks easily, all whilst smirking maliciously and silently. Finally, she seemed to get bored. She threw out a hand as Emmett charged for his next attack, and he instantaneously froze and fell to the floor, jerking in unnatural angles. He groaned in agony as he was powerless against the unseen torture he was going through.
"Stop!" Bella shrieked, her voice echoing in the silence. But Francesca didn't stop the pain.
"Please!" Bella screamed again. "Don't hurt him!" Emmett was still writhing in agony on the ground, letting out piercing howls of pain.
Bella's POV
During the action, Bella had momentary flashbacks of when she had gone to the Volturi to save Edward. Jane had put Edward through the same pain. There had been nothing she could do about his torture – even though it was short, she felt helpless that he was going through such pain.
No, Bella thought defiantly. This time, I will help. Still feeling weak and disoriented from the torturous teleporting, Bella managed to get up, tears flooding from her eyes. She cast a quick look at Emmett – using telekinesis; Francesca had lifted him off the ground and was now absorbed in watching him scream in pain whilst airborne. She didn't even noticed Bella stagger towards her. Halfway there, she tripped on something hard and sharp.
It grazed her skin, but didn't draw blood. She rolled over on the ground quickly and grabbed the object – a rock with a sharp edge. Looking around one last time, Bella noticed Alice frozen a couple metres away from Emmett. Her eyes were looking around helplessly while her body was stuck in place; standing still and watching her brother suffer.
Francesca had messed with enough people. Bella remembered a story told to her by Billy Black once. After the Cullens had left, Jacob had been there for her, bringing her to the Reservation for all sorts of things – bonfires, council meetings, and a welcoming meeting for some new wolves. During that meeting, Billy had told everyone the story of the first wolves.
He had mentioned the Third Wife, and how she had sacrificed herself as a distraction for her husband to kill the 'Cold One'. Feeling a surge of courage, Bella stood up, still gripping the rock. Shuddering, she pressed it to her wrist and dug it in as hard as she could. With a little gasp, she pulled upward and let it pierce her skin.
Crimson blood oozed from the long cut, a whole trail slid down her hand and dripped slightly on the ground. Francesca's head snapped to her direction, her smile wiped right off. Emmett yelled as he fell to the ground with a thud, but was back up in less than a second.
They all ran in the same direction – Francesca to Bella and Emmett to Francesca. Alice was also free from the Power and ran to Bella, not because of bloodlust, but to protect her. Emmett and Alice never made it to her in time, and she saw them freeze as Francesca drew a cold, hard finger gently across Bella's throat. She didn't go for her bleeding wrist, but instead taunted the Cullen vampires by letting it drip slowly. Bella swallowed down sobs and met Emmett's gaze.
"Stubborn little girl," Francesca murmured, resting her head on Bella's shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Francesca smirk.
"Thought you could save your boyfriend by distracting me." Francesca sighed and pulled back, keeping a hand on Bella's quivering shoulder.
"A stupid move. You have no idea how old and powerful I am – such little things like smell don't affect me anymore. Did you know, that actually, once Immortals reach a certain age, if they have a normal blood diet, are stronger than newborns. They have consumed so much blood over the centuries, small amounts staying in their system which build up until it is no longer necessary for the Immortal to feed. But of course, they still do." Francesca shrugged lightly before continuing.
"New Powers awaken inside of them, and if you're ever unfortunate to come across one of the Originals like me, you'll find that their Powers are usually very dangerous." Francesca lifted Bella's right arm up, and placed her little finger against it.
"With a tiny amount of pressure," she said. "I could pierce Bella's skin and break her arm. With a single finger."
(CHANGE THE SONG - NOW! NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW! Love is Worth the Fall - O.A.R. If you don't change the song I'll eat you alive. No joke!)
"With a little more pressure," she continued. "I could snap her whole arm off. Clean through the skin, muscles, and bones." Bella's breath caught in a gasp and she shook even harder. There was a tiny pinching feeling on her arm, and pain shot through it. Emmett snarled, a wild noise, and some swearing broke through as his snarl ripped through the quiet night air.
Bella cried out as the final surge of pain finally hit her, and clutched her arm to her chest, sobbing. Before she would run away, Francesca grabbed her by her long, chocolate brown hair and pulled her backwards. Bella cried out in pain. Emmett charged forward, catching Francesca off guard. As soon as he reached her, Alice cried for him to stop, but Francesca dropped Bella and let her sink to the floor. As he approached, she grabbed his head with her bare hands and –
Bella screamed and looked away as she heard an ear-splitting snap tear through the midnight air. She let herself crumple to the floor, still clutching her arm, and cried out as she saw something round and white fall and bounce on the ground. It rolled over to her, and Bella saw Emmett's frozen face on his severed head.
From that point, everything was unclear. Bella was screaming and crying at the same time, Alice was kneeling next to her, crying as well, and Francesca had disappeared. A glint of orange caught her eye, and Bella's eyes searched the area. Everything was blurry from the tears in her eyes, but she just noticed some sort of fire spreading across the grass. She didn't care. She didn't move. If Emmett was dead, Bella would die too. Burned alive.
She barely noticed Alice yelling, and before she knew it she was being carried away from Emmett.
"No!" she shrieked, struggling. "We can't leave him! No!" Bella heard Alice's sobs, but she reluctantly dropped Bella in the grass with a thud. She screamed when she landed on her broken arm, but Alice was gone. A moment later, Bella saw her emerge from the flames carrying a body and a strange, circular object...she looked away when she realised what they were.
"Come on," Alice whispered, suddenly at her side. "We have to leave. We have to leave." She comforted Bella as she lifted her up off the ground. She seemed to be carrying everyone – dead and alive.
Emmett's POV
Death was painful.
He felt cold hands lock his head in place, and cast one last glace at Bella.
"I love you." He mouthed. Her face cracked in pain – she had heard. That was all that mattered, Bella knew that Emmett loved her. With a simple twist of someone's hands, he felt a horrible burning at his neck, and felt everything inside him tear. His eyes widened and he knew he wore a face of pain. This was his end. Time seemed to slow, and he felt images fly past him. His life. His memories. Everything flew through his eyes at that one moment.
His childhood. His two brothers Mathew and Stephen. Being forced by his father to work on the railroads while his sister Alicia stayed at home.
Walking in the forest – being attacked by a bear. Rosalie finding him. Like an angel, she found him and brought him to Carlisle.
The pain of the Change. Waking up to Rosalie's face. Their love that was thought to be eternal. Life with the Cullens for only a year, before he left to Africa with his true love, Rosalie. Returning to an unchanging family. Meeting Bella...and falling in love.
Mistakes that he had made in his relationship with Bella. Every kiss, every touch. Their fights, but their love that didn't fail. Bella's kidnapping. Previous events.
He saw every second of his life, in one second of real life. He watched from third-person view of his death. His head snapping clean off...
Emmett let himself be sucked into darkness. He knew that he was going to Hell, and accepted it.
Emmett let himself die.
:'( I will not give away ANYTHING about Emmett. Well...I'll probably blurt it out to my brother...who'll just say piss off or something. =D Whatever. Guys...don't cry. The sequel will be sadder.
And that's all I'm saying. ;'')