Chapter Sixteen

Bella

When Alice came back Peter joined her and I knew she'd been to talk to Jasper. I felt a strange jealousy which was stupid because he wasn't mine, I was just a job to him. I had to get some distance from the strange pull he exerted over me. Jasper came back to me and smiled,

"You OK Bella?"

I nodded still looking at Alice

"I'd like to go home please."

He looked slightly surprised but helped me to my feet and walked me through the darkness to my truck.

"What's wrong Bella? Are you ill?"

"No. Yes, I don't know. I need to get home, I'm tired."

He looked suspicious but helped me in to the passenger seat and drove slowly back to Forks and Charlies house. I looked at my watch and saw it was only ten thirty, Charlie was sure to ask what was wrong for me to be home so early and I groaned. Jasper looked across and took my hand in his cold one.

"What's wrong Bella? I sense you are unhappy. Did I do something to upset you?"

I shook my head unable to speak for fear of starting to cry. I took a few deep breaths and managed a few words

"Just reaction to everything you told me I think."

He nodded, after all it sounded plausible.

Jasper

I thought there was more to it than reaction at what she'd learned but it was obvious she wasn't going to say any more to me so the rest of the drive was in silence. As I pulled up outside the house Bella undid her seat belt and prepared to open the door so I took her hand again,

"You have your phone?"

She nodded and slipped it out of her pocket to show me.

"OK I'll be close by so don't worry"

She nodded and got out not waiting for me to come to her side. At the front door she turned,

"Thank you for a lovely day. It must have been boring for you but I enjoyed it."

She touched my cheek with her hand then opened the door and slipped inside with a whispered "Goodnight"

I posted the truck keys I was still holding through the letter flap and walked away from the house. Something had gone very wrong tonight and I had no idea what or why. I needed to talk to Alice so I rang her, standing in the shadow of the trees near the house.

"Yes Jasper?"

"What did you say to Bella?"

"Nothing, why?"

"She's acting very weird."

"I think she feels more than she lets on"

"What's that supposed to mean Alice? I'm no good with riddles"

"Then you are going to be very puzzled by Bella. Go away Jazz, bring Charlotte here."

"Tell me why Alice"

"I can't Jazz. I can only tell you to get away from here."

"Am I in danger Alice?"

"Yes but not the kind you're used to Jazz"

She wouldn't say anything else so I cut the connection and mused on her words. I had learned to trust Alice's predictions in the past but usually she was much more forthright. This new and cryptic Alice was driving me mad. Bella was driving me mad, perhaps she had been right. Maybe I needed a break from the constant strain of watching and anticipating a danger that hadn't so far materialized. Did I think the Volturi would still be looking for these last few experiments? Probably. Would they ever give up the search? Who knew. Would there come a time when we could slip away into the darkness, our job done? I doubted it somehow.

I rang Peter,

"Hey Major, you left early, trouble?"

"I don't know Peter but some thing's up"

"Like?"

"Bella"

"What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know but she's acting really strange and Alice keeps telling me to leave and bring Charlotte up here to take my place."

"Oh, you think Alice is jealous?"

"Of what?"

"Fuck you can be thick sometimes Major. Of you. She had you all to herself for a long time now."

"She knows its a job"

"No, you know its a job. I think she's keen on you"

"But I don't think of her that way"

"Your point being?"

"You think I should leave?"

"I follow orders, you're the one who gives them. You decide."

"Thanks for the help Peter" I said sarcastically,

"Glad to be of service. Just let me know what you decide. Must be nice to have the girls fighting over you"

I cut the call before he said anything else. Was Alice jealous? She knew how I felt, I'd always been open with her. She knew I would protect her but I had no feelings other than that for her. She was a friend, that was all. I did feel unsettled though, perhaps it would be good to get some distance. I flipped open my phone again and dialled.

Bella

I couldn't sleep, what was happening to me? My life since Renee died had been a voyage of discovery and I hated what I'd learned. My mother had been used as an experimental brood mare for some vampire and I was the result. Now I had vampires guarding me from my real father who was looking for me to join him in some crazy vampire guard. Putting it like that I wondered if maybe there was something in the water round here. Did I really believe all this crap? Did it sound at all plausible? Was I being taken for a ride by the Cullens and the Quileutes in some sick joke? I wanted to go to sleep and wake up back in Phoenix with Renee and Phil knowing this had been a strange dream. I closed my eyes and heard the rain start to fall, hitting my window loudly in the silence of the night. Was Jasper really out there somewhere or was it all a bad dream? I picked up my new cell phone and wrote a text to Jasper, apologising for my rude departure. My finger hovered over send, then I hit delete. I'd see him at school on Monday if he didn't turn up tomorrow, but of course he would, because he was guarding me from the evil Volturi!

I got up and found the book pages and things that we'd found under the floor in this room. I added them to the book Phil had sent and took it all back to bed. I started at the beginning and read through the book again. It was Renee's writing I recognised that, and the first half of the book sounded like a young girl in love and excited at the idea of a life with the man of her dreams. The same words and sentiments that you could read in a million young girls diaries, but then it all went so horribly wrong. One question that had never occurred to me before was why Renee? Why here in dull Forks? How had she been singled out in so tiny a community? Why was her future ruined? And was mine also forfeit? Was my real father really out there looking for me? If he was, he was in for a rude awakening, Jasper thought I was a prize to be eagerly sought but I was beginning to think he was wrong after all. I hadn't saved my mother had I? We had run and hidden all my life but she was dying the whole time. A disease or an infection from a vampire? I shook my head to clear it and carried on reading. I didn't find anything new but the later pages made me think it wasn't a dream after all, the monsters were alive and well, and hunting me.