Chapter Seventy Three

Jasper

Charlie had rung and left a message, that was what startled Bella and made her panic so I turned the ringer off cursing his bad timing. He had spoken to the police and they had released Renee's personal effects although there was still no sign of Phil Dwyer and they were no further forward in finding out what had happened to him or Bella or who had murdered Renee.

"Carlisle arranged for his lawyer Jenks to sort out the collection of Renee's things and I thought you'd like Bella's ring back so I asked him to post it to you. I'm worried Jasper, let me know how Bella is please son."

While Bella slept uneasily I went to check my mail box and there it was, in a long legal envelope wrapped in tissue paper, Bella's engagement ring. Seeing it reminded me of the day we had chosen it, the happiness and excitement that danced in her eyes, would I ever see it again? I had to, life without Bella at my side wasn't even worth thinking about but I still blamed myself for what happened. I should have shadowed them, kept her safe, Renee and Phil too. Darius also rang to tell me they were still keeping Victor Mendoza on ice but I had no intention of ending his pain and terror until I had Bella back and I told Darius so.

"No problem Major, Emmett and I are taking it in turns keeping a watch on him, you concentrate on Bella"

Checking to make sure Bella was still asleep and hoping it was a healing sleep although from her murmurings I doubted it I went through to the bathroom and finished clearing up. The mess had triggered her last panic attack and I didn't want any sign of it when she woke. It didn't take long and afterwards I threw Bella's sweats down the garbage chute followed by the dressing gown which had become splashed when Bella was sick.

I sprayed the room with an air freshener so there was nothing left to remind her of that episode and then I went back to sit beside her as she slept. I looked at the ring in my palm, had she put it on Renee's dead hand as a message to me, a plea for help? If she had it had taken long enough to alert me there was trouble and I was ashamed of that too.

My cell phone buzzed quietly and I took it out of my pocket checking the number, Carlisle.

"Yes?"

"Jasper any improvement?"

"No, not yet."

"Listen I'm sorry son but I had a call from Aro Volturi asking me what was happening."

I tensed, Aro could go to hell as far as I was concerned but I waited for the rest.

"I explained the situation to him and asked for an extension for Bella."

"And?"

I know I sounded cold but I couldn't help myself. I couldn't change Bella the condition she was in now, she might never recover her wits if I did.

"He agreed to a three month extension, it's the best I could do under the circumstances. I had to be careful, I am waiting to speak to him again, I have other favors to ask, he hasn't heard about the children yet and that is going to be a difficult discussion."

"I'm sorry Carlisle but right now I'm only interested in Bella."

"I understand son, I thought I should tell you although I doubt it had entered your head with everything else that's going on."

He was right it hadn't but it would be there now like a clock ticking down to Doomsday.

Bella

I found myself back in the sunny pretty bedroom once more and realized I was wearing a long tee shirt that certainly didn't belong to me. The sleeves were turned back so I could find my hands and it reached to mid thigh. Looking at my legs I could see the bruises and scrapes on them, along with the ugly sores that the chains had rubbed on my ankles but even these didn't hurt so much now. I touched one and it felt greasy, as if someone had applied ointment to it. It had to have been him, the stranger. He'd lent me his clothes and he had soothed my pains, was this a part of the trick too? I remembered being horrified and sickened by something I had remembered after I vomited over the bathroom floor but the details were lost in a fog.

I jumped off the bed and ran through to the bathroom dreading what I would see but it was clean and smelled fresh, of flowers. The tub gleamed and there were fluffy white towels hanging on the rail. Surely I hadn't dreamed it all? No, because my skin looked clean and pink and my hair felt fresh and smelled of strawberries. Strawberries? That nudged a memory but it stuck just out of reach yet tantalizingly close.

As I turned to go back into the bedroom the stranger appeared but somehow he looked different. I studied him from lowered eyes, what was different? His eyes, they had been a golden color when I saw him at first but now they were black as night and he looked ill, so pale and there were bruises under both eyes. He looked….unearthly….and that word reminded me of something that I'd seen but where?

"How are you feeling now Bella?"

I nodded,

"Better thank you. I am so sorry about the mess, you should have left it for me to clear up but thank you so much."

"For what?"

"For not punishing me but he's going to be really cross with you for cleaning up my mess."

"No he's not Bella, he's never going to find out, in fact you will never have to see him again."

I thought about the meaning of those words, not see him again? Why? Then it hit me, I had been so wicked he had sold me to this stranger. He couldn't be bothered to try with me any longer and tears ran scalding down my cheeks, I was worthless to him.

The stranger approached and took my arm gently but I tried to pull away terrified he was going to slap me or shout at me for crying, crying wasn't allowed, it was a sign of weakness and weakness was a bad wicked thing. As I pulled away I saw another flash of memory, two men fighting and then an arm lying on the ground but no blood. This stranger had lost an arm but there was no blood. Yet there was his arm, or both of them hanging at his sides. If I had seen an arm ripped off but no blood then there was only one explanation….I had died and gone to hell, just as he had predicted and this stranger with an angel's face was really a demon in disguise standing ready to torture me for all eternity.

I closed my eyes and sank to the floor hugging myself and reciting a prayer over and over, the only one I could remember,

"Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take."

My mother had taught me that prayer as a little girl kneeling by my bed. my mother, I tried to visualize her face but when it came I wanted to scream, her eyes were open wide and staring, her throat cut and the blood still creeping out in a pool around her head, I screamed…

Jasper

Whatever Bella had seen or remembered was so horrific she couldn't bear the emotions which hit me like a freight train almost bringing me to my knees. Her memories were finally breaking free but she wasn't strong enough to deal with them alone. I wanted to help her but Charlie's words kept echoing in my ears, he was right, all I could do was be here when the nightmare stopped ready to catch her before she fell.