18
Bella only had a handful of memories La Push, mostly running around with the kids from the reservation while her father fished with his friends. And then she got sick, too sick to make the trip from Arizona to back to Forks. The La Push from her childhood memories was nothing like the small, rundown reservation they were currently walking into. No, the La Push now was all but abandoned. There were no signs of life, and quick glance at the people around her, told her they also didn't sense any signs of life.
Bella opened her mouth to speak, but Carlisle put his hand up, stopping all of them in the middle of Main Street. He closed his eyes, inhaling a sharp breath before his eyes snapped open and he looked back, right at her.
"They're here. North, and they aren't alone. There's three . . . No, four of them."
"So what are we waiting for?" Emmett asked. "Let's go!"
"Just . . . just remember that our goal is get Charlie and Renee out safely. If we have to fight, then we'll fight, but our goal is to get Charlie and Renee out first, and safely."
With hesitant nods, and nervous glances back at her, everyone agreed. They were being stupid, she knew. Risking everything for her parents. Charlie and Renee had made their choice, decided Bella had been worth sacrificing everything for. Something she wasn't as sure about. Her gifts had caused nothing but problems, it seemed to her. While they might have made the decision that she was worth dying for, she couldn't stand back and let them die for her.
Carlisle, Garrett, and Edward led the way, with Bella, Esme, Alice, and Rosalie in the middle and Emmett, Kate, and Jasper behind them. The feeling that they were walking into trap filled her, and she found herself searching the area for any sign of life, though there wasn't any. Every house, every business, seemed abandoned, which seemed odd to her. Did they evacuate La Push knowing they would be coming?
She could sense the wolves, smell them unfortunately, but she couldn't sense her parents, which worried her. Were they already dead? Were they too late? The thought of losing them had her struggling. They'd given up everything to give her a second chance, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that it had been for nothing.
They hadn't been walking more than few miles when Carlisle and Garrett shared a look, stopping them outside of an old, clearly abandoned house hidden just north of La Push.
Garrett motioned for her to go through the front while the others moved to the back of the house. Bella knew the wolves wanted her there, her and her alone. She had just reached for the doorknob, when the door was yanked open, and she found herself face to face with a tall, thin russet skinned man with shorty cropped black hair. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and he had tribal tattoo on his left shoulder. He smiled, though it was as sinister and eerie as his voice had been through the phone, and she knew he had been the one to call. She knew this because as soon as she saw him, she remembered. Once upon a time, they had been friends. Of course, that was before a brain tumor invaded her head, tried to kill her, and Sam Uley pushed her away, left her to die alone, like most of her so-called friends had.
"I should have known it was you, Sam Uley."
"Bella Swan," he said, smoothly, folding his arms in front of him. "Didn't think you were going to show. Took you long enough."
"Got a little sidetracked by the dead body I found in your bunker," she replied, causing him to grin bigger. "Poor Emily. Never stood a chance against a dog like you."
"She should have stayed in her lane," he said. "Like you should have."
"My lane," she scoffed. "You mean I should have died. Let cancer kill me."
"It's how it was supposed to be. You can't go around playing God, changing your fate just because it's not fair."
"Playing God?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "You shift into a giant, stinky wolf, yet they are playing God by giving me the chance to live? Why did you take my parents?"
Sam smirked, crossing his arms in front of him. "Because they knew the rules, and they defied them."
"The rules," she scoffed, grabbing the front of his shirt, throwing him into the yard. He scrambled to his feet, his eyes full of amusement. Amusement that she wanted nothing more than to beat out of him. "Where are they?"
"Close," he countered, taking a couple of steps to the right, which she mimicked, moving to the left. "Figured you and I needed to chat, you know? Clear the air, so to speak."
"There's nothing to clear," she snarled, tilting her head from one side to the other. "You shouldn't have touched them, Uley. You, of all people, shouldn't have put your filthy paws on them."
"They should have let you die," he growled. "He knew what the writings said, and he chose to break the rules anyway."
"Writings? What writings?" Bella asked, but instead of answering, Sam released a horrifying growl as he leapt into the air toward her, shifting from a human into a giant, black wolf.
Bella acted on instinct, throwing her hands up, catching him in the middle and throwing him against the side of the house, which shook and cracked as he slid to the ground. He shook it off and came at her again, and again, she deflected him, this time he hit a tree, which bent backward, hitting the ground with a shattering thud, causing the trees in the area to shake.
Sam growled, baring his teeth at her, but before he could try to attack her again, he took several steps backward. It wasn't until she saw Garrett and Edward on either side of her that she understood. He hadn't expected her to bring help.
"They're in the basement," Edward said, placing his hand on her elbow, and when she looked at him, she saw the defeat in his eyes. "It's . . . you need to hurry, if . . . if you want to say goodbye."
Bella clenched her jaw tight as she looked from him to Sam. "Don't let him go. I'll be back to finish this."
"Sweetheart," Edward whispered.
"He's mine," she growled, and before he could stop her, she turned and hurried into the house.
Had she been human, and not dead, she would have been crying, would have been freaking out, yet she felt oddly calm. As she made her way through the dark, decrepit house, she found herself knowing immediately where to go. She'd been there before. The memories were in the back of her mind, yet she knew. She, Jacob, Sam, and Seth Clearwater used to play inside the house. They'd sneak in while Charlie, Billy, and Seth's father, Harry, were fishing. It had been their club house. Made sense that Sam would bring Charlie and Renee there. In his insane, twisted mind, Sam Uley was bringing Bella home. Home to kill her since Fred failed.
Bella pushed open the door leading to the basement, the smell of rot assaulting her senses. She took each step slowly, afraid of what she was going to find when she got to the bottom, afraid that her parents sacrifice was for nothing. They couldn't live in a world without her, and she couldn't live in a world where they died for her.
When she stepped off the last step and turned toward the back of the dark, musky basement, her eyes shifted around large, carnivorous room in the span of a second. The first thing she saw was Emmett and Jasper holding two russet skinned men — boys — in their arms, both looking beaten, bloody, still alive. For now, at least.
She knew immediately who they were. Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron. The two boys had been a year older than her. Like Sam, Bella had known them from the reservation, but unlike Sam, she hadn't cared for them. They were bullies, picked on her, Seth, and Jacob. Called them babies, called them stupid, called them monsters. Or maybe, they were calling her the monster.
Bella turned her attention away from them to where Esme and Carlisle, who were kneeling next to another young russet skinned boy. Unlike Sam, Paul, or Jared, however, his hair was long, tangled. He had bruises covering the majority of his body. He was bare-chested, wearing only a pair of denim jeans that were stained with blood. His eyes were swollen, his cheeks red, puffy, and bruised. His lips were busted, and there was blood seeping from his left ear.
"Jake," Bella whispered, walking over and kneeling a couple feet away. "Oh, Jake."
"I'm sorry," he choked, wincing when he fell back against Esme.
"He wasn't with them," she said, giving Bella a look. "He was trying to stop them, Bella. He . . . he was trying to help your parents. He fought with us."
She nodded, before placing her hand on Jacob's arm before looking over her shoulder, finding Rosalie and Alice kneeling next to Charlie and Renee. Charlie looked much like Jacob, battered and bruised. His face was swollen and so bruised, she barely recognized him. Renee wasn't as bruised, but there were still bruising on her neck, her face, and her arms.
"Go to them, Bella," Esme said, drawing her attention back to her. "I'll take care of Jacob. Go to them."
Bella stood and turned around, walking over to her parents. She knelt next to them, placing a hand on each of them. Their eyes opened and they looked right at her, smiling through the pain.
"Oh, my baby girl," Renee breathed. "Look at you."
"Momma," Bella whimpered, wishing her tears would fall once more for them. "Oh, momma."
"You're beautiful," she whispered, trying to lift her hand, but Bella grabbed it. "So beautiful."
"Stay with me, Momma," Bella cried, shifting her eyes to Charlie. "Daddy, oh, Daddy."
"Be . . . Bella," he stammered, choking as blood poured out of his mouth.
"Daddy!" she wailed, grabbing his hand. She looked up at Rosalie and Alice. "Change them."
"Bella," Alice fretted, sharing a look with Rosalie. "We've never . . . We might not be able to stop, if . . ."
Understanding, Bella's eyes closed. They had never changed anyone before, and the ability to stop might be there if they tried. Opening her eyes, Bella blew out a deep breath before she said, "I'll do it."
"Bella, you . . . are you sure you can?" Alice asked, reaching over and covering her hand.
Though, unlike most of the time when Alice touched her hand, Bella didn't have a vison, or get any type of insight into what Alice was seeing, which was why she was touching her.
"I can't let them die," Bella whispered, slipping her hand out of under Alice's. "I can't."
Rosalie and Alice looked at each other, both giving a somewhat reluctant nod.
"Okay," Rosalie said. "Okay, here is what we are going to do. Alice go get Edward. She'll need his support if she's going to do this."
Alice nodded before she scrambled up the stairs.
Carlisle took her place, reaching out for her hand. "I can do it, if . . . if you're not sure you can, Bella."
"No, I can do it," she whispered, placing her hand in his. "They . . . I can do it, Carlisle. Thanks, though."
He simply nodded and released her hand as Edward hurried downstairs, taking his place next to her.
"So, I just . . . bite?" she asked, shifting her eyes from Carlisle to Edward, down to her parents, who had passed out from the pain. Death was close, she knew. "Am I too late?"
"No, sweetheart," Edward murmured, reaching out and covering her hand with his. "There's still time, but are you sure this is what they would want?"
"No," she admitted with a sigh. "No, I'm not, but I can't . . . They fought for me to live, Edward, and now, now I have to fight for them."
"Okay, sweetheart," he said, leaning over and kissing the side of her head. "Then I'll help you."
"Thank you," she whispered, blowing out a deep breath before she lifted her father's body off the ground.
Charlie's eyes flew open and he looked directly at her, fear and sadness staring back up at her. "Bella," he breathed, almost gasping for air.
"I love you, Daddy." Bella licked her lips before she tilted his head to the side and moving slower than she ever had, even as a human, leaned down and sunk her teeth through his skin, through the tissue, and muscles, into his blood supply.
Charlie screamed, thrashing against her as she yanked her mouth off his neck, spitting the blood out of her mouth.
"It . . . it burns! Is it supposed to burn my mouth, my throat?" she asked with horror as she looked at Edward.
"No," he replied, slowly. "It burned your mouth?"
She nodded, looking from her father to her mother.
"I'll change her," Edward offered, reaching toward Renee.
"No, I can . . . I can do it."
"Are you sure, sweetheart? If it hurts you . . ."
Bella nodded, shifting Charlie back onto the ground. "I'm sure, but stay close."
Like her, her father laid completely still on the ground. She shifted so that she was on the other side of Renee, whose head flopped to the side as Bella slipped her arms under her, lifting her off the ground.
Tears filled her eyes and she whimpered, "Bella."
"I love you, Momma," she whispered, tilting her head to the side. "Everything is going to be okay, Momma. I promise."
Just like she had with Charlie, Bella leaned down and sinking her teeth into her mother's skin, through the tissue and muscles, and into her vein. And just like with her father, the taste of blood burned her mouth, her throat. And just like with her father, Renee screamed, thrashing in her arms. Bella released her, watching in horror as Renee flailed next to Charlie, who laid still, calm — too calm?
"I've got her, Bella," Rosalie said, slipping Renee into her arms. "We need to deal with them, and get out of here. Before . . . before we draw any more attention to ourselves."
Feeling everyone's eyes shift to hers, except Charlie and Renee (one of whom was laying still, though breathing, and the other crying out in pain), Bella nodded and stood up, walking past Jacob Black who was still laying in Esme's arms, and over to where Jasper and Emmett were still holding Paul and Jared.
"Take them outside," she ordered.
They didn't argue with her as they stood, lifting the boys easily and carrying them upstairs. Bella turned and looked back at Edward, who simply nodded and followed her upstairs and outside. Garrett and Alice were holding Sam, who had transformed himself back into his human form, while Emmett held Jared, and Jasper held Paul. The three men looked from each other back to her, smirks spreading on their lips.
"If only you knew what you've put into motion, bloodsucker," Sam laughed. "But you'll find out. Soon, you'll all find out that what you put in motion, will be the end . . . the end of all of humanity."
Bella walked up to him, placing one hand on either side of his head, pushing his head backward as much as it could go without killing him, and leaned down until her lips were just millimeters away from his.
"You should have never put your hands on them." Bella tilted her head to the side. "I don't know what writings you're talking about, what so-called plan you think has been set in motion, but what I do know is that you and your buddies here, will never be able to hurt another soul as long as I am here. This is for Charlie and Renee, and Emily. I hope you rot in Hell."
And before he could utter a sound, Bella pushed his head backward more, tearing it off and letting it hit the ground. Paul and Jared started screaming, but she moved quickly, silencing them the same way she had just silenced Sam Uley.
"You go," Garrett said, pushing her backward. "Take your parents and go. I'll take care of their bodies."
Though she wanted to press for more information, she turned as Carlisle and Rosalie carried Charlie and Renee out, while Esme was supporting Jacob. Garrett growled and started toward him, but Bella grabbed him by the arm, throwing him backward. He managed to get his feet under him before he hit the ground, his eyes shifting from her to Jacob and back.
"He's coming with us, unharmed," she snarled.
"Okay, geez, that's all you had to say," Garrett quipped, dusting himself off. "Go. I won't be too far behind."
She simply nodded before she stretched her hand out toward Edward, who took it. As they ran into the woods, she knew sooner or later she would have to answer for killing Sam, Paul, and Jared. Sooner or later, others from the reservation would come for her, come after her for taking them out, for setting in motion whatever ridiculous plan they had in mind, but for now, well, for now she would be grateful her parents were still alive. She just hoped they wouldn't be angry with her for changing them.
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