Chapter Two

Bella

"They could have taken you all?"

Esme laughed, "He could probably have taken us all, he's fast and deadly Bella. Just be thankful he wasn't thirsty".

I wasn't sure it was lack of thirst that stopped him. I'd locked eyes with him and I thought perhaps...well. We lapsed into silence as the journey wore on then Carlisle's cell phone went and I heard him talking to someone. He flipped it shut and looked at me.

"Charlie is safe, Rose is watching him. Alice and Emmett are still ahead of Laurent. He's still tracking them thinking its you. Alice is leaving your scent wherever she can".

I nodded, "And Edward?"

"He's behind Laurent but not able to catch him yet. Don't worry Bella you'll be safe".

"I'm not worried for me Carlisle, only for Charlie and the others".

Esme smiled, "Don't Bella, we can take care of ourselves".

When we arrived in Phoenix the sun was down and we booked in at a hotel near the airport.

"Why here?" I asked.

Carlisle pointed to the airport,

"Just in case we need to leave".

So he wasn't quite as confident as he made out. I wondered if it was the Major who had him spooked. The room was nice and large but I paced, I wanted to know they'd found Laurent and made me safe, made Charlie safe. When the phone went, in the middle of the night, I woke with a start. I'd fallen asleep on the couch but someone had put me to bed. I opened the door to hear Esme,

"Carlisle, its Alice. Laurent had worked out the trail is false. He's headed away and Edward can't track him any further. She says she can see something, a place he'll be. She's sending an e-mail copy of what she saw to your I pad. Edward is coming to get Bella. He'll be here in a few hours. We just need to keep her safe a little while longer then he'll take over".

Carlisle had clicked on to his e mails as I walked into the room. I saw the place drawn by Alice, it was my old school hall. I gasped and Carlisle looked up.

"Are you OK Bella? Do you recognise this place?"

I looked again. "It looks like my old school hall here in Phoenix".

"Oh" he looked worried, "Well Edward will be here soon to get you away and we'll go back to Forks and guard Charlie".

I nodded, "Good. Can I ring my Mum and let her know I'm OK. She'll go nuts if I don't contact her, I should have e-mailed hours ago, she worries".

He thought about this, "OK but don't tell her where you are".

I wasn't sure why I shouldn't but I nodded, "OK".

I rang the house and the phone was answered but it wasn't Renee or Phil.

"Bella how nice to hear from you again. Don't say anything that will alert the Cullens to who is on the phone. Just act as if you are talking to your mother, who is here by the way but looking scared".

He was at my mothers!

"Hi mum" I said walking into the bedroom and shutting the door.

"Good girl. You do as I say and your mother will be fine, OK?"

"Yes, don't hurt her please".

"Oh I won't if you do as I say. I want you to go to your old school hall, I want you there in two hours. Will that be possible?"

"How, I'm not alone?"

"That's your problem. You get here late and poor Renee will need a box".

"OK I'll find a way".

"Good, and come alone Bella. Anyone with you, she dies".

He put the receiver down. Now what was I going to do? How could I get away from Esme and Carlisle? "Can I go get something to eat?"

"What about room service?" suggested Esme.

"I need to stretch my legs. I'll only be at the restaurant".

They loomed at each other.

"Well I think one of us should go with you". Great!

"Carlisle would you come, I'd like to ask you a few things".

Esme looked a little crestfallen but he agreed.

When we got down to the restaurant I was relieved to see the rest rooms were near the main entrance. I ordered food then excused my self to use the facilities. I watched as Carlisle picked up a paper someone had left on the seat and dived out of the door. Luckily there was a taxi waiting and getting in I gave the driver the address of the school. He looked at me a little oddly until I showed him money then he drove off. I looked back but Carlisle was nowhere to be seen. I'd done it. I was going to my death but it was in a good cause, my mother's life. She didn't deserve to die because I fell in love with a vampire. That was my mistake and if anyone should pay it was me.

The taxi dropped me off and the driver gave me a very odd look,

"You OK?" he wanted to know.

I nodded, "Meeting my boyfriend" I explained.

He nodded "OK, but it's not safe for you here in the dark".

I nodded "I know he'll be here in a sec".

He shrugged "OK girl".

He drove away slowly but I waited until he'd disappeared from view before entering the school.

The door was open and a single torch lay on the floor illuminating the way to the hall. I followed it's beam until I heard Renee's voice calling for me. Then I broke into a run and crashed through the doors calling to her. In the middle of the hall stood a table containing a TV and VCR. On the TV screen was a video of me, in ballet dress curled up in a corner hiding. My mother was calling me. I remembered the occasion. I'd fallen during a concert and run into the cloakroom to hide. So Renee wasn't here or in danger at all.

Then I heard Laurent laugh, "So gullible human. Aren't you glad your mother isn't in danger from me?"

I looked to where he stood watching me from the far wall. I turned to run and suddenly he was in front of me.

"Now Bella that's not very polite, running away when you've only just got here. Lets play shall we?"

He grabbed my arm and threw me against the wall. My head hit with a bang and I fell to the floor dizzy and threw up.

"Oh Bella, gross. Let's try again shall we?" he asked grabbing my arm again.
This time he threw me into a stack of tubular chairs with enough force to bend the metal as I hit them. I felt a rib crack and gasped, holding my side.

He came and knelt before me, "So Bella, had enough?"

I spat in his face and he threw me again. This time my leg hit the corner of the stage and an agonising pain shot up it. I grabbed it with a scream and he smiled.

"So Bella why don't you beg for mercy?"

"Would it do me any good?" I hissed between my teeth.

He shook his head, "No, but I'd like to hear it anyway"

There was a crashing as the plate-glass in the far wall broke into a thousand shards. Laurent growled and picking me up threw me again. I landed in the glass, a huge piece slashing my thigh. As the blood started to flow I heard that word again, "Enough". Then a scream.

As the room spun and I threw up again I saw through a mist, a face, red-eyed looking at me and I knew I was dead. I felt a tearing at my waist then a terrible pinching around my injured thigh. My hand was taken by a cold one and I remembered nothing more.