CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHANGE OF PLANS

The blinds were pulled, Jasper and Alice stared blankly at the TV set. I was curled on Jasper's lap, flipping lazily threw a magazine. Bella entered the room with her cellphone in her hand, "I wish he'd call."

Alice gestured to the plates of food crowding the table, "You should eat."

Bella ignored the food, sitting on the couch. Jasper made me look at the food and gave me a pleading stare, "Eat, please."

"I don't wanna," I whined childishly.

Jasper kissed my forehead, "Too bad." He grabbed a plate of apple pie and held a fork out in front of my mouth. I inwardly rolled my eyes at the notion of him feeding me but I took the offered food into my mouth anyway.

"They could get hurt," Bella murmured, agonized, "It's not worth it."

Jasper insisted harshly, "Yes. It is."

Bella looked taken aback. Of course, it was the first time he engaged in conversation with her.

"Edward's changed since he found you. And none of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you." He grabbed another bite of the pie and held it for me, gazing at my face like it was the Mona Lisa, "It's worth it."

Suddenly Alice's face looked blank. Jasper asked her, "What do you see?"

Alice's forehead creased with worry, "The tracker. He just changed course..."

Jasper quickly set a pad of paper and a pencil in front of her and her hand darted across the sheet, creating some drawing. She murmured, "Mirrors. It's a room of mirrors." Alice drew at hyper speed, closing her eyes, trying to see it clearly.

"How do the visions work?" Bella asked idly, "Edward said they weren't always certain."

Jasper looked up at her as I pushed my plate of pie away, "She sees the course people are on, while they're on it. If they change their minds, the vision changes."

Bella looked over to Alice's drawing, "So the course James is on now will lead him to... a ballet studio?"

Alice paused in her drawing and asked, "You've been here?"

"No – I don't know. I used to take lessons as a kid. The school had an arch like that."

"Was your school here in Phoenix?" Jasper asked, trying to figure this out.

"Yeah, around the corner from my house. But I haven't been there in ten years."

I sat up, "What could possibly lead him there? Do you have any reason to go back there now?" I asked Bella.

"No, I hated that place," Bella said sincerely.

Alice and Jasper shared a look. Suddenly, Bella's phone rang, making me and her jump. She excused herself to answer it.

Alice was in the lobby settling the bill while Jasper loaded the car out front. I packed my things with Bella in out room when her phone rang. She stepped out to answer it. All I heard was, "Mom I'm so glad-"

I finished packing my bag again. I zipped it up and started bringing it out of the room when I heard, "Where should I meet you?"

Bella was on the phone with someone. And it didn't sound like her mother. I peered in through the doorway as I watched Bella hand up. She started flinging open drawers, searching for something. She paused momentarily before she grabbed her pursed and dumped it, grabbing a can of pepper spray. She clung to it in her hand and I knew.

She was going to meet James.

I followed Bella through the lobby – without her knowing. I saw Jasper and Alice at the porte cacher, loading the Mercedes, in a heated discussion. Bella slipped out the opposite door and rushed towards a taxi. I ran after her and jumped into the cab after her.

Bella gasped, "Heather? What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm not letting you go on a suicide mission," I swore, "Now tell the nice driver where to take us."

Bella glared at me before she muttered, "8th and Palo Verde, please."

The taxi pulled out. Bella looked at me, "I was supposed to be alone."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm sure he won't mind my showing up."

We passed polished malls, cactus gardens and adobe buildings. All empty.

Soon the taxi reached it's destination and stopped. Bella paid and we climbed out. The cab drove off, leaving us on the curb. Bella reached for her pepper spray and shook it. She slipped it back into her jeans pocket and took a breath, "Let's do this."

Uh oh. How is James going to react to Heather showing up? Will she survive...?

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