Chapter Twenty Two

Charlotte

The Major was as unhappy as I thought he'd be but it wasn't up to me, Bella had to make her own decisions and she was adamant about the party on the Reservation. The only bright spot was that he'd traced the Volturi guards back to a plane that had departed for Italy so they had no idea where to look next. It didn't mean they'd stopped looking, just a reprieve, so I was a little less nervous when I got out of the truck as Bella reached the treaty line.

"Remember use your phone when you leave. I'll be waiting right here for you."

"Yes Charlotte I know, you've told me three times already and I've had a text from Jasper saying the same thing."

She drove off towards Jacob Blacks house and I knew she was safe for a few hours so I went off to hunt. I didn't want to do so too close to the town so I made for Port Angeles knowing I had plenty of time before I needed to pick her up again.

Bella

I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw Charlotte take off in my rear view mirror. For a few hours I would be on my own, a normal person without a storm trooper at my back. I knew they were doing it for my own good but it did get wearing after a while, especially since nothing had happened since I got here. The Volturi had become like the monster under my bed when I was a little girl, terrifying in the dark when I was alone but never seen. Jake was waiting for me as the truck pulled up and he almost dragged me from the seat before my belt was off.

"Bells you came"

"Yeah its me"

"No creepy guards around?"

I shook my head

"No, they got a night off as I'm here"

"Good, you don't need them while you're here. We'll look after you"

"Jake I'm not sure I need guards anyway. It's all so fantastic and crazy I'm beginning to think I'm in a story of some kind and soon I'll see THE END. printed somewhere."

"Never underestimate the power of stories Bella"

"Oh God not you too Jake!"

He stopped then and we walked through the forest to the huge clearing where the bonfire had already been lit. It cast amazing shadows on the tree trunks and made the faces of the assembled Quileutes ripple eerily. I shivered involuntarily and Jake put his arm around my shoulder

"Don't worry Bells I'll protect you."

I should have felt happy that Jake was here with me but I shrugged his arm off, it reminded me too much of the last party I'd been to, when it had been Jaspers arm around me. Jake's touch was nothing like his and just made me miss him more.

"What Bella? Am I not good enough for you?"

"It's not that Jake. I'm just not...interested in you that way. We're friends."

"Oh and that guy Jasper was more than that?"

"No. I don't want to get involved with anyone Jake, not while this is hanging over me."

He wasn't happy but he grabbed my hand and dragged me over to where his friends were sitting a little away from the fire. It should have been a good evening but I felt wrong. As if I didn't belong here, the boys were just that, high-spirited boys and their silly antics just grated on my nerves. So much so that after a couple of hours I made an excuse to leave them and see Emily, but I just ran to my truck, wanting to get away from it all. I just wanted to get home, to my room and listen to Jasper's voice again. It seemed that nothing else could sooth my shattered nerves. In my haste I forgot to ring Charlotte so when I reached the Quileute border there was no one waiting for me. I just drove on, uncaring, nothing was going to happen to me, the monster was still tucked safely beneath my bed.

Peter

Alice and I were hunting, or at least she was hunting while I watched from a high vantage point. Chasing after furry animals and draining their blood wasn't my idea of fun but I appreciated it was her way so I didn't interfere. Suddenly I got this really bad feeling in my guts and I grabbed my phone ringing Charlotte and fuming when she took her time to answer.

"Thanks Peter. My dinner just got away because of you"

"I think more than your dinner got away,. I have a bad feeling about Bella. What time are you supposed to be meeting her?"

"She's going to ring me"

"I don't think so Char. I think she's already on her way and something bad is going to happen. I'll try to catch up with her. Get back as quick as you can and for Gods sake don't tell the Major."

I called to Alice to tell her where I was going and she insisted on going with me, citing her own safety as the reason. I didn't have time to argue with her so we both set off running. If Bella were in danger then taking Alice with me was a pretty dumb move, but hey what could I do?

Bella

I saw the figure in my headlights, standing in the middle of the road with arms outstretched to stop me. It was then I realized what an idiot I'd been in leaving without telling anyone. I picked up my cell phone and cursed as I realized I hadn't charged it up. The battery was almost dead so I crossed my fingers and pressed 000. The light on the display flickered and went out as the phone died. Had the message got through? And if it had could I expect anyone to get to me before something bad happened? I gunned the engine about to swerve round the figure when two more leaped up on the running board, one putting its arm through the open window to grab the steering wheel from me.

"Stop now or crash"

I heard the growled command and slammed my foot on the brakes hoping to catapult them off the truck but they clung on as it came to a bone jarring halt. My door was ripped open and I was pulled roughly from the cab banging my forehead on the door pillar and almost knocking myself out. As I put my hand up to the lump now rising on my head I heard a female voice

"Get her in the car and let's get the hell out of here"

I was spun round and thrust roughly into the back of a large dark colored car before it screeched away down the road in the direction of Forks.