Chapter Ten

Bella

I drove to the Diner, parking up at the back in case Charlie went by. He'd want to know who I was with, what I was going ….it would go on and on. Jasper walked beside me, seemingly relaxed whereas I was a nervous wreck but luckily I made it to a table without falling over my own feet. When the waitress came over he looked at me questioningly,

"I'll have a Coke please"

"I'll have the same thank you"

His smile I was pleased to see, sent her away a bumbling wreck.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"About you actually"

That stumped me. Why would he want to know about me?

"OK go ahead and ask".

He laughed then but waited until the waitress returned with the drinks before speaking.

As I poured my Coke into a glass he started, ignoring his own drink,

"I understand your mother died recently?"

This wasn't how I expected him to begin a conversation and I hesitated before nodding my head.

"Did you know her well?"

"I'm sorry? I don't understand the question"

"No, I guess I'm probably going about this the wrong way. Bella, I know about your mother...and more importantly, your father."

I stopped, the glass halfway to my lips.

"You know about Charlie and Renee?"

"No. I said I know about your mother and father."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you are getting at".

I took a sip and then put the glass down,

"I don't think I want to continue this conversation, but thanks for the Coke."

I got up ready to leave when he whispered something that made me sit down again curious,

"I know the Cold Ones who hide in plain sight."

"How do you know about that?"

He shrugged and took a deep breath holding out his hand, palm up.

I looked at it but he just sat hand on the table so I reached out and touched it with a finger then snatched it back.

"Who are you? No, what are you? What did you mean?"

"You just felt my hand, you know what I am, but don't worry, I'm on the side of the angels as far as you are concerned. Your own private guardian angel."

"If you are one of them then why should I trust you? Renee was terrified of them."

"Yes she was, and with good reason. She was a tool, a way of getting what he wanted. Renee wasn't important to him, you were."

"Me? Why? I'm nothing special"

"Oh yes you are, most definitely. He lost track of you partly due to Renee fleeing and partly down to the amulet you wore and partly due to you, but now you are visible and he will find out soon. If he does then he will come for you and you'll have no choice but to go with him, he is your father after all."

"I don't understand any of it. Explain it all to me."

"Not here, too many ears and eyes. Would it be acceptable for me to visit you tonight?"

"What will you tell Charlie?"

"He wont know I've been, trust me."

"Just give me one reason to trust you."

"I already have. You know what I am, a secret to the rest of the world."

"But no one will believe me, even I don't believe me."

"My friend said you might be difficult to persuade."

"Friend? The guy who stopped me on the way from the Res yesterday?"

"Yes Peter. He's taken over security for Alice Cullen so I could talk to you."

"Security for Alice Cullen? She's involved in this? How?"

"Alice Cullen is your sister, her father and your father are the same person."

"She knows about this, what's going on?"

"Yes. Would you like me to bring her along tonight?"

I hesitated, but decided I wanted to be told alone first.

Jasper

I knew she thought it was a joke, my coming to her room without her father finding out but I sensed she was waiting in spite of herself. Once I knew Charlie was asleep I jumped onto her window sill and tapped the glass. She jumped, then came over and cautiously pulled back the curtain. When she saw me she frowned but opened the window and I slipped in. She peered out, looking for a ladder I assumed, she wouldn't find one, I hardly needed props like that. Nervously she went back and sat on her bed while I tried to appear as non threatening as possible, sitting on the chair by the window and looking at her.

"OK You can do party tricks, I'm impressed. Now what did you want to discuss Jasper?"

Peter had been right, she wasn't going to be easy but something about her was different.

"Your mother Renee was chosen because she possessed a latent talent".

"Chosen by who?"

"One of the Cold Ones. He sent out a scout to find any humans with exceptional talents whose children would have the same powers only much stronger then he introduced himself to them as a special being, he dazzled them, flattered them, persuaded them to meet him in quiet places and had sex with them knowing they would become pregnant with his off spring. When these children were born they were watched and checked to see if the talent was there. If it was the child was taken away and brought up with their fathers people".

"So what about me? Was I a reject?"

I shook my head,

"Just the opposite Bella. You have a very strong talent which protected both you and Renee for years. She was never going to live very long Bella. The venom was destroying her body. Not enough to change her but enough to poison her system. She lasted much longer than we thought and kept you safe while we tracked down the others. Some we were too late to save, some we did save, and some were safe because they never reached their potential"

"You said I saved Renee and myself with an exceptional talent, what is it?"

"That I can't tell you. It is for you to discover for yourself, once its fully developed."

"Was Alice one of these children like me?"

"Yes she was, but unfortunately we were to late to save her entirely."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She'd been singled out by another Cold One and was changed. We did however save her from being collected by the Volturi."

"The who?"

"The Volturi. They are a kind of ruling family."

"So my father is one of this ruling family?"

"Yes."

"But why does he want these exceptional talents?"

"Power Bella, it's all about power. He controls the most powerfully gifted of vampires."

"So he wants me to become a vampire?"

"Yes, and I think its in your destiny to become one."

"No. I wont do it."

"It's not something you can prevent. For example I could overpower and bite you now, tonight, and in three days you would be one of us with nothing you could do to stop it"

She shrank back on the bed and I tried to reassure her,

"I'm not going to bite you. If I wanted to change you I would hardly have come up with such a story, I don't need to"

"So why do you stop him getting his way? What's in it for you?"

"It stops him becoming too powerful. There are still those of us around who prefer to live quietly among the humans."

"So have you been a vampire long?"

"Yes, too long."

"How many of you are there?"

"Like me? Only three of us who are working to stop him."

Bella

As he stood up and stretched before leaning against the wall, suddenly I knew where I'd seen that stance before,

"Its you...all three of you, there's a woman involved with you."

He looked at me startled,

"How do you know that?"

"Renee had a photo of you. The three of you outside a tower"

He looked confused so I got the photo out and handed it to him, he looked at it and sighed,

"So, Renee had this? But how did you recognize me? It's out of focus."

"I know but when I saw it I knew I'd seen that stance before"

"You recognize the way I stood?"

"Yes, so the guy behind you is Peter, the one who tried to warn me off the other day and the woman is the third of your group."

"Yes that's Charlotte, but she isn't with us at the moment. She's guarding another, a brother to you and Alice."

It was all a bit much in one go. I was to believe there was a vampire standing in my bedroom telling me I was part Vampire part Human and there were three of us. On top of that I had some kick ass talent that my father the vampire big wig wanted for himself. And on top of all that I was to become a vampire myself.

"So where do we go from here?"

He shook his head,

"That's up to you Bella. If you stop asking questions and settle down to life in Forks with your father, sorry Charlie, then I think you'll be safe enough."

"How can I be though?"

"You will be, trust me. But if you keep stirring things up with the Quileutes and others then you will come to his attention eventually, if you haven't already. Then he will send people to get you and take you to Volterra to be with him."

"Vol where? And how will I know if he's found me?"

"Volterra, its in Italy and you'll only know when you wake up and find yourself there."

"So how can you protect me?"

"I'm very good at what I do"

"And that is?"

"Security. Peter and I are the best fighters in our world. We take over your security and you'll be fine as long as you do as we instruct."

"Do I have to decide now?"

"Yesterday would have been better but if you need time I guess there's nothing I can do but wait. Just stop looking for any more answers please."

"Well you've answered them all anyway but I need to talk to someone"

"Who? Who else knows?"

"Jake,"

"Jacob Black the Quileute? He'll tell you to come live on the Reservation and then send his friends to kill us. Could start a war."

"Why are you enemies?"

He laughed out loud at that and Charlie stirred. As he went to the window he turned,

"You decide and let me know at school but if you want to prevent a fight I wouldn't tell Jacob Black too much. If he wants to know he only has to ask his father."

"Billy knows it all?"

"Yes. Billy knows all about the Cold Ones and about Renee. Why do you think he gave you that amulet when you were little? You didn't need it really, you protected yourself without any help. The problem now is that others are involved who you can't protect, and they are the people he will hear about you from."