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Bella was tired of these wild goose chases and cryptic messages. The two Sentinels standing in front of her were like everyone else in her life: claiming she was the hero, the villain, all depending on who they were. And these two were claiming she was one of them, their leader reincarnated?
"What are you talking about?" Jacob asked, and when the two men looked at him, he stumbled back against the wall. "I mean . . . you said we had to save my people. What . . . what do you mean by that?"
"We must protect your people, for they are sacred to us."
"Wait, just wait," Bella said, putting her hand up. Though, she quickly lowered it when she saw the tips of her fingers begin to glow. She clenched her hands into tight fists and slammed them against the side of her thighs as the two being looked back at her. "The Quileute are sacred?"
They nodded.
"Why?"
"They, like us, are of old magic, protectors of their people. We lived in peace until the blood drinkers forced us into hiding and they became dormant. Then, we started feeling their energy awakenings. When the first one ascended, we felt a ripple, a shift in our prison. A crack that grew with each and every one that was gifted with change."
"Gifted?" Jacob scoffed, folding his arms in front of him. "You call it a gift. I call it a curse."
"You are given the gift to protect your people. That is not a curse," the man on the left said, tilting his head to the side. "Nor would you have found your imprint, had you not received the gift of change."
"You know about her?" Bella asked.
The two men smiled and looked back at her before the one on the right said, "Yes, we know about his blood drinker. They are different than the others. They choose humanity over need. It's admirable."
"Wait, get back to my people," Jacob said, stepping forward. "They're in danger?"
The men frowned and nodded.
"The others blame them for our prison, curse them for bringing the writings to life. That's why they went after the elders. We are sorry we could not stop them. They fought valiantly."
"They killed my father," Jacob whimpered. "How can I protect my people? There are innocent children, women who have idea what about the world we live in. We can't leave them unprotected!"
"And we won't," Bella assured him before turning to the two being in front of them. "How much time do we have?"
"A day, maybe two," they replied together.
"We can't get back to Mesa in time," Jacob groaned, leaning against the wall and bending over, placing his hands on his knees.
"They were moved to Mesa?" Bella asked, knowing very little about the small tribal town of Mesa, Washington. Just that it was small, out of the way, and secluded, and private for the Pima Tribe.
Jacob nodded. "Dad thought it would be easier. They weren't planning on keeping everyone gone for long. They should still be there."
"Okay, here is what we are going to do," Bella murmured, closing her eyes as she formed a plan. "We're going to call the others: Dad, Mom, Tanya, Jasper, and Alice. They should be able to get to Mesa in a day. If they leave right now. Jacob, you take the car and head that way."
"You and Edward are going to what?"
"We're going to find the writings," she said, lifting her arm and pointing at the two men standing on the other side of the room. "And they are going to help us both. One will go with you, one will come with us. We are going to find out the truth, one way or another."
"You think you can order us around?" the one on the left laughed, but when Bella raised her hand, showing her fingers still glowing, both men stepped backward, hitting the closed door.
"Yes, I do," she replied, throwing her hand back to her side. "I don't trust you. Either of you, but you seem to have information that could prove helpful, so here is what is going to happen. One of you, and I don't much care which of you it is, is going to travel back to Mesa, Washington with Jacob, where you will do your damnedest to help save the Quileute Tribe. While they may not be my favorite people right now, I won't let women and children suffer because of us, or you."
The two men looked at one another before they nodded.
"That's what I thought. The other will accompany me and Edward up the mountain, in search of the writings," Bella quipped, before she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. "I'll be right back."
Bella gave Edward and Jacob a look before she walked past the two beings and stepped outside, making sure the door was closed behind her. She needed a moment to collect herself, to absorb everything they had learned. These creatures, these Sentinels, seemed sincere enough, but if what they were saying was true, what did that mean? Was she a vampire? Had she ever been human? Had her body really not been able to handle the strain of her powers and that's why she ended up with cancer?
Taking a needless deep breath to center her emotions, she called her father, knowing she needed to touch base with him again. The phone rang once before going to voicemail. Frowning, she tried Renee. Thankfully, the call only rang twice when she heard her mother answer with a breathless, "Bella?"
"Hey, Mom," she whispered, leaning against the wall and sliding to the concrete sidewalk. "You okay? I called Dad, but he didn't answer."
"Oh, well, he broke his phone," she said. "Dad and I were hunting, and, well, he was aggressive, I guess, and somehow ended up in a tree. His phone fell out of his pocket, hit a rock, and broke. I settled for a couple of elk. I don't like them as much as the caribou. I can't believe I just said that."
Bella laughed. "Kind of a lot to get used to, isn't it?"
Renee hummed. "Where are you?"
"Um, Colorado Springs. We're going to be heading out soon for some caves in the Cheyenne Mountains, up around Boehmer Creek. According to Billy Black, that's where the writings are."
"Dad said he was killed."
"He was."
"He said he suffered."
"He did."
Renee was quiet for a minute before she said, "He used to be our friend, Bella. Before you were born, he was my friend. He never forgave me for taking you, for leaving Charlie, but he was never cruel until we begged them to save you. How could he be angry for just wanting our child to live? You deserved the chance to live, didn't you? If he were in our shoes, he would want his child to live, don't you think?"
"I don't know, Mom. Maybe not. He did leave Jacob behind."
"I miss you," she said, softly. "Feels like we just got you back and you're off trying to save the world. Fits, though."
"It does?"
"You were always a fighter, Bella. For what's right. Not easy, but right. My biggest regret was taking you from Forks, from him. You deserved more time with your father, Bella."
"Well, I'm going to get a thousand years with him, with both of you. But first, I need you to do something for me. Something that I know is going to be very, very difficult."
"What?" she asked, and Bella could heard the wariness in her voice.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she opened them and explained, "The Quileute are in danger, Mom. The creatures who killed the Tribal Council are on their way to Mesa to kill all of them, and I know you're angry, and I know you're new to this life, and it's hard, but, Mom, we can't sit by and let them die. There are innocent women and children, people like us."
"You want us to go help them, don't you?"
"I do."
"Just more proof that you're better than they are," Renee whispered before she spoke louder and said, "Tell me exactly what we're expecting."
"I don't know much, but they are called Sentinels. They are quick, feral, and cruel. They are angry at the Quileute, blame them for starting the war between us and the Brothers."
"They aren't wrong," Renee quipped. "What about that man? This Eleazar? Do we just leave him here unsupervised? Isn't that dangerous?"
"It is, and that's my next call, but, Mom, I need to know that you can handle this. If being around humans is going to be too hard, you need to tell me now."
"I can do it," she said, quickly.
"Are you sure? There's no shame in staying behind."
"For you, I can be strong, honey. Just promise me something in return."
"What?"
"Be careful. I know you need answers to all of this, and it's . . . it's been a lot, but Dad and I knew you were meant for something great in life, Bella. You've always had a fire inside you, a will to live, and I know it wasn't easy at the end, and I know you were exhausted, but you have to promise me, promise Dad, that you will be careful, that you'll come back to us. We aren't anymore ready to lose you now than we were then."
"I promise, Mom. I just have to find out the truth."
"I know, I love you, Bella."
"I love you, too. You, me, and Dad, we're going to have to have a lifetime together."
"I hope so."
Renee ended the call before Bella could say anything else. Closing her eyes for a moment, she made another call, this one to Jasper. For a reason she couldn't explain, she knew Jasper was the only one who would be able to understand the situation.
"Edward?"
"No, it's me. It's Bella. He gave me his phone so I could my parents. Guess you didn't know."
Jasper laughed. "No, I didn't. You doing okay, darlin'?"
"Not really," she said. "And I don't have time to get into it. Listen, I know you just got back, but we need you to head to Mesa, Washington."
"Mesa? Why Mesa?"
"That's where the Quileute were moved when they left La Push. The creatures that killed the Tribal Council, Jasper, they going after the rest of them. They aren't going to care who is innocent and who is guilty. We can't let that happen."
"So you want me to what? I mean, I have an idea, but I'd like to hear you actually say it."
"I need you, I need all of you, to go save them. If we sit back and let them die, let innocent women and children die, we aren't any better than they are, are we?"
"You realize this will definitely draw the attention of the Volturi, don't you?
"I do." And she did. "But sooner or later, the Volturi would have heard about me, about my parents, Jasper. We'll deal with them when the time comes, but I refuse to let innocent women and children die because of me."
"He's not going to want to go with us," Jasper said. "And I won't leave him alone."
"Then I guess you need to find a way to entice him to help. Maybe Alice has some . . . insight."
"Insight, huh? Yeah. Maybe."
"I know it's a lot to ask, and I haven't been very thankful for what you've done for me, what all of you've done for me."
"Are you in love with Edward?"
"Yes," she said, confused by the quick and sudden change in topic.
"Then that's all the thanks we need. I'll let you know when we are on our way. Just don't anything stupid, Swan. We've come to love you."
"Thanks, Jasper."
Bella ended the call and stood up, stowing her phone in the back pocket of her jeans. She glanced around the area before she turned and stepped back into the motel room. Edward and Jacob were standing on one side of the room while the two men in dark cloaks stood on the other. The air was thick, tense, and for a moment — a brief moment — Bella wondered if she'd made a mistake rallying the team, so to speak.
"You two got names?" she asked, turning toward the two Sentinels.
"I am called Cain. This is my brother Abel."
"Like out of the bible?" Edward asked.
"The very same," Abel replied. "Where do you think the stories come from?"
"You're saying . . ." Bella shook her head. "You know what? I don't even care. Which one is going with Jacob?"
"I shall," Abel said, lifting his arm. "We must hurry. Time if fleeting."
Bella nodded and looked at her old friend, who looked as scared and disgusted as she felt. "They'll meet you there. Be safe, Jacob."
"You too, Bella. Just . . ." Jacob shifted his eyes from Cain and Abel to Edward and back to her. "I hope you find answers."
"Me too."
Without giving her the chance to say anything else, Jacob walked over to Abel, grabbed his arm, and dragged him out of the motel room. Bella followed them to the door, watching as the two climbed into the black SUV and drove away. And she found herself praying that they would make it, that they would save Jacob's people, because imprint or not, Jacob would never forgive her for saying yes if he lost his people.
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