24

Bella snarled and had Eleazar pinned to the closest wall before even she realized what she was doing. Around her, she could hear everyone moving, a mixture of growls, roars, and screams filled the air, but her focus was the dark haired vampire in front of her. Before anyone could stop her, she had him outside the house, dragging him into the woods. She was done playing these coy games with him. It was time for them to talk one on one. He had done nothing since she woke but insinuate how dangerous she was, yet he had been keeping vital information from all of them, information that she was going to get from him, even if she had to beat it out of him.

Once she was sure they hadn't been followed, she threw Eleazar onto the ground, using her foot to keep him from moving. She held her hand up, trying to calm down, not that it helped. She was tired being branded the villain of her own story.

"Let me go, Bella," he said, grabbing her foot, but when she pressed down firmer, he put his hands up in front of him. "Just let me explain!"

"I'm not stopping you," she quipped, but pulled her foot off the middle of his chest, watching as he scrambled to his feet. "Talk."

Eleazar placed his hands on his hips before he started speaking. "I was changed in the early seventeen hundreds. Like most of us who were changed so long ago, I don't have many memories of my time as a human. Thanks to my gift, I was brought into the Volturi, given a position as a member of their guard. It was supposed to be an honorable position, the best of the best talents to help rule vampire kind, Bella. My job, my task, was to search humans and vampires whose gifts I could sense, and if the brothers deemed them worthy, they would change them if still human, and if not, they fed off them. If they had already been changed, it was my job to encourage them to join the guard. Around the start of the eighteen hundreds, however, their mission changed. They weren't searching for just any vampire with gifts, though they still brought anyone they thought worth it in, they were looking for one specific human, one who would wield the greatest power ever known to exist."

"Why?" Bella asked. "Why did they suddenly change their mission, so to speak?"

"As you know the Volturi leadership is made up of the three brothers: Aro, Marcus, and Caius. While they would tell you they are . . . equal partners, Bella, that is not the case. Aro rules over them, and what he says is law. In 1805, Aro disappeared for several months. Marcus and Caius claimed that he was in contact communication with them, that they knew where he was, but it's not like they could just pick up the phone," he quipped. "Six, seven months had passed when Aro returned. He and his brothers sent for me late one evening, and that's when they told me about you."

"Me?"

Eleazar nodded. "Aro apparently had heard rumors of a prophecy, of writings that had been discovered deep in the Amazon and he went searching for them, needed to see them for himself, I suppose."

"Did he find them?"

Once more, the man nodded. "He did. Took him several months to translate them, thanks to the help of an old Shaman, the one who had received the prophecy personally. Apparently he was rather reluctant, but Aro has his ways of convincing people to do what he wants."

"He changed him, didn't he?"

"He did," he admitted. "Once he had changed, gotten his thirst under control, he managed to translate the writings, and they were very similar to those the wolf spoke of. They speak of a girl so powerful, she can alter time and space, a girl born with the mark of lunar phase. Aro was obsessed with finding said girl, Bella. It became his mission, his quest, and he doesn't care who gets in his way. I've seen him destroy villages to find her."

"And you think I'm that girl?"

"I know you are," he replied, sadly. "For almost a century, I led him into villages where I felt immense power. Too many young souls destroyed because of me."

"Is that why you left? Because you felt remorse for their souls?"

"Partly," he admitted, frowning. "I found Carmen in in 1901. She had been changed around the same time as I, but had lived a nomadic life. I . . ." He smiled, laughing softly. "I fell in love with her the minute I saw her. Finding her was like finding the brightest star in the sky, seeing the ocean for the first time. She made me want a better life, Bella. She didn't like the Volturi, didn't agree with their . . . with our methods, and made it clear that if I loved her, if I wanted a life with her, I had to choose. And, well, I chose her, chose peace, chose humanity, and I don't regret that decision, Bella, I don't, but it comes with a great cost. The Volturi are always watching, always waiting for me to sense the greatest threat to humanity. I don't want them to find you, to hurt you, dear."

"So what am I supposed to do? Kill myself?" she asked.

"No, of course not!" he insisted.

"I suffered for years, Eleazar, as a human. Years knowing that cancer was attacking my mind and body, trying to kill me. I just . . . I just want a life without that pain, a life . . . a life with Edward. I want that bright star, and seeing the ocean for the first time. I deserve a chance to live!"

"But if they find you, you won't get that chance," Eleazar pleaded, taking a step toward her, but she moved away from him. He put his hands up. "I'm sorry, Bella. I know I haven't . . . I haven't been very welcoming, but Carmen, Kate, Irina, and Tanya, they're my family, and I'm just trying to protect them."

"From me. You're trying to protect them from me."

"I am," he confessed. "I'm sorry. I truly am."

"So you keep saying." Bella closed her eyes, trying to calm down before her eyes opened and she said, "You said they have powers. My parents, I mean. What do you feel with them?"

"I think your father might be a shield, like you. Not as strong as yours. That's why Alice's visions of him are cloudy, as she put it. His shied is more like veil, I suppose. You can see through it, but it's murky at best. As for your mother, I don't know yet. She's still too frantic after her change. Sometimes it can take a while for the newness of their change to wear off before I can get a real feel for someone."

Nodding, Bella wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't . . . I don't want to be this person you're painting me out to be. You know, I just . . . I'm just me, just Bella. Why can't I just be Bella?"

"Because you're not just Bella." Eleazar closed the distance between them, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You're spectacular and amazing, Bella, but you need to be prepared if it turns out that I'm right. And believe me, I really don't to be right, not about you."

"Yeah, I don't want you to be right, either."

And without giving him the chance to stop her, or convince her that she was going to end the world, Bella turned and headed deeper into the woods, needing some time to collect herself, because if Eleazar was right, if Jacob was right, Bella made the wrong decision when she said yes. What was the point of living if that meant destroying everyone you loved?

—Stay—

Bella wasn't sure how long she had been out there when she heard someone coming up behind her. Sighing, she turned expecting it to be Edward or even Alice, so imagine her surprise when she saw Jasper. He'd made it a habit of keeping his distance, and she didn't blame him, of course. Her power hurt him, physically, emotionally, mentally.

"Hey," he murmured, stopping several feet away. "We've been looking for you ever since Eleazar came back alone. He swore he hadn't done ya in yet, but you know, we didn't believe him," he added with a laugh, though it came off as forced, stiff.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I needed . . . I don't know what I needed. A minute where I wasn't the scariest person in the room."

"Suppose I understand that."

"You do?"

Jasper nodded. "I'm sure Edward told you that I . . . I struggle with our way of life."

"He might have mentioned that you struggle with feeding off animals."

He frowned. "I do, that's true. I spent a long time, too long tasting human blood, changing people, killing them. It's . . . it's not easy to suddenly shift your mindset."

"So why do you do it?"

Jasper snapped his eyes to hers. "I don't want to be that person anymore, Bella. I hated every second of my existents. Feeling their fear, their despair." He smiled weakly. "I didn't know there was any other way for a long time. Too long, and by the time I found out, I had killed a lot of humans."

"Why did you stay with Maria so long?"

"I don't know." Jasper squatted, picking up a stick, and twirling it between his fingers. "For a long time, I had convinced myself that I was in love with her, but love shouldn't be that hard. By the time I realized what I felt wasn't love, I was too scared to leave, I guess."

"What changed?"

Jasper stood. "We were in Mexico City and she'd brought me two newborns. A man and a woman. They'd been hiking when she stumbled upon them, changed them. The fear that radiated off them was . . ." He shook his head and looked over at her. "They looked at each other with so much love and passion, even in their darkest moments. It was a look that I had never seen before, Bella, and I knew in that moment I was done. Peter and Charlotte hadn't been the kind to fight, they were hippies one might say," he added with a laugh. "They wanted to leave, offered to let me travel with them, and I couldn't say no. I wanted out, and they were giving me an out, I guess, so I took it. As I told you before, Maria went a little crazy, tried to stop me, tried to kill us, but we killed her instead."

Jasper stepped toward her, but then put his hands up, moving backward. "Sorry, it's . . . it's weird for me, you know? Feeling your power the way I do. I'm not usually so affected by others emotions like this. I've learned how to turn that part of me off, save my sanity, but I can't seem to do that around you, Bella."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, taking a few steps back. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable around me, Jasper. I don't want to be . . . I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Then don't," he said, taking a deep breath before he walked up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We don't even know if there is any truth to these so-called writings, Bella. Let's find out. Let's find the truth before we brand you the end of humanity."

"Jasper," she mumbled, shaking her head. "What if I am?"

"Then we'll figure out how to help you control it, because you're our family, Bella, and we won't give up on family." Jasper released her and took several steps backward, giving her a smirk. "Besides, you make my brother less of a dick, so I'd like to keep you around for a while."

Bella laughed. "Thanks, Jasper. I think."

"You're welcome. I'll let them know you're still breathing, so to speak," he snickered. "Put your trust in us, Bella, and we'll trust you back."

—Stay—

Bella stayed out for a while longer before she turned and headed back to the house. There were plans that needed to be made, secrets to uncover, but how could she trust everyone when they had spent the last month tiptoeing around her because of these 'gifts' she had reborn with? But still, she had to know if she really was a danger to humans, if she had the ability to end the world.

Edward was out the front door as soon as she cleared the tree line. He wrapped her in his arms, lifting her off the ground, his lips finding hers. She wound her arms around him, holding onto him for dear life, needing him to be closer, to love her no matter what happened, no matter what they found out.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, leaning her forehead against his.

"Why are you sorry?" he asked, frowning.

"I . . . I just am," she murmured, threading her fingers in his hair, pulling his head backward. "I love you."

Edward smiled. "I love you, too." He kissed her again. "They're worried about you. Are you ready to go inside?"

Bella nodded, though she wasn't entirely sure she was, but hiding wasn't going to get them anywhere, so she slipped her hand in with his and the two turned, and walked into the house.

Just like before, Jacob and Tanya were curled up together in the back corner of the room, Alice and Jasper sat with Emmett and Rosalie in the middle of the room. The only real changes was that instead of Carlisle and Esme sitting with them, they were closer to Charlie and Renee with Garrett and Kate. Irina, Eleazar, and Carmen were as far away from everyone as they could get, as usual.

"I'm sorry," Bella said, leaning against Edward. "I don't know what he told you."

"He refused to tell us anything," Garrett said, standing up. "Seems to think he's protecting you that way."

Bella nodded. "I'm sure he is."

"I am," Eleazar insisted. "I told you, and only you because you're the only one who needs to know."

"No, she's not," Charlie snarled, standing and taking a step, only stopping when Carlisle and Garrett grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backward. "She's my daughter, and you're acting like she's a monster."

Eleazar shrugged, which didn't help calm Charlie down, of course. Just as he threw Carlisle and Garrett's hand off him, Bella spoke, "Enough!"

Everyone flinched, and the windows shook, drawing their attention all to her. Bella inhaled a sharp breath to calm down, exhaling through clenched teeth before she continued. "Call me a skeptic, but I'm just not ready to accept that I'm going end the world. I'm just a girl, who was dying from a brain tumor, who wanted to live. I'm sorry, but I just . . . I just can't take your word, or Jake's, that I'm a dangerous person." She shifted her eyes around the room. "I want to see the writings for myself. All of the writings."

"I think we'd all like to see them," Carlisle said, moving so that he was standing next to her. "So, here's what we're going to do. Half of us, those of us willing," he amended, glaring at Eleazar, "will follow the lead Eleazar gave you, Bella, and the rest will go have a conversation with Billy Black. Then, we will meet in the middle, compare notes, and go from there, not that it matters. You're a part of our family, and we don't give up on family. Ever."

Bella smiled, and nodded. "Thank you."

"So, who goes where?" Emmett asked, standing up and placing his hands on his hips.

"Well, Jake and Tanya will lead me, Edward, Jasper, and Alice to Billy Black," Bella said, giving Jacob a look that made it clear he had no choice, and she knew Tanya wouldn't let Jacob go anywhere without her. "You, Rosalie, Carlisle, Esme, Garrett, and Kate can go to the Amazon. Apparently, that's where the other writings are, if Eleazar is telling the truth, of course. He might be lying out his ass for all we know."

"I'm not," he argued, but she waved him off.

"What about me?"

Bella sighed, and looked at her father. "Dad."

"I'm not letting you go alone!" Charlie insisted, grabbing her arm.

Bella eased her arm out of his grip, and turned, placing her hands on his chest. "Dad, you can't. It's . . . There's going to be a lot of humans, and . . ." Her eyes shifted to Renee, who was sitting comfortable in Esme and Kate's arms. "It's not safe."

"Bella," he whispered, shaking his head. "We just got you back."

"I know, and I don't want leave you again, but I . . . I have to find out the truth, and I can't do that if I'm worried about you and Mom." She shifted her eyes to Eleazar, Carmen, and Irina. "Besides, I need you to keep your eye on him. I don't trust him not to bail the second we're gone. For all we know, he's still working for the Volturi."

"I'm not," Eleazar grumbled. "And we don't need babysitters, either. This is our house."

"Well, technically," Tanya said, drawing everyone's attention back to her as she and Jacob shared a look. "It's my house, and you failed to share a vital part of your time with the Volturi, so, yeah, I think you do need a babysitter."

"Fine, whatever," Eleazar muttered before he turned and hurried upstairs.

"He's not as bad as you think he is," Carmen said, before she turned and followed.

Bella, however, wasn't so sure.

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