XVIII. Time for Murder

Up until this point, I hadn't questioned whether I was bound to the rules of the book. If I was supposed to be the main character, why the hell shouldn't I get to choose the direction of the story? Was that seriously too much to ask for?! But no. Apparently, making plans to circumvent future events resulted in those shitty plot points coming to find me.

But, let me start from the beginning.

It was a cloudy Saturday morning and Charlie had decided to not go fishing. Instead, we sat at the kitchen table awaiting Edward's arrival.

"That'll be him," I informed him at the sound of the doorbell. I stood to my feet and headed down the hall, Charlie at my heels.

For once, I felt the pang of my physical age, as Charlie leaned over my shoulder to greet Edward at the door, "You must be Edward. Come in."

No wonder teenagers are always so surly, I mentally grimaced, stepping aside for Edward to join us in the living room, a prickling of irritation burning in my chest. The flash of resentment must've bled into my expression, because Edward shot me a concerned glance.

Nonetheless, Edward greeted Charlie politely, "Thank you, Chief Swan."

"Go ahead and call me Charlie. Take a seat, Edward," he replied, voice gruff. Holding back a resigned sigh, I plopped on the sofa beside Charlie while mentally berating myself. It was moments like these when Charlie resembled my dad so much that it physically hurt. But I couldn't be so unfair towards him―he'd lost a daughter too, even if he didn't know it.

"So, I hear you're taking my girl hiking?" Charlie's expression was dubious. It was such reminders that made me doubt Azmon's insistence that there was no Bella. There must've been, because I sure as hell have never been clumsy to the point of injury.

"Yes, sir, that's the plan," Edward confirmed.

"Well, more power to you then," Charlie laughed.

Although Charlie didn't notice, I caught the small hesitation in Edward's expression before he joined Charlie with a false chuckle of his own.

I abruptly stood to my feet. "I think we should get going." Charlie may have come to slowly accept me as Bella over the past few weeks, but there were some things that could still easily tip him off. Better not risk it.

They followed me out into the hall. The weather was supposed to remain cloudy but dry for the rest of the morning, so I didn't bother with my coat.

"You take care of my girl, alright?" Charlie tacked on as we exited the house.

"She'll be safe with me, I promise, sir."

Charlie lingered by the door, and as I plodded across the driveway, I turned back long enough to shoot him a reassuring grin, "Later, chief!" Of course, Edward overtook my steps in time to open the passenger door on my behalf. I flashed him a quick smile before dropping into my seat.

A few minutes into the drive, Edward tossed me a cautious glance and carefully stated, "You don't like your father."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise and I quickly shook my head. "Actually, Charlie's really great."

Edward frowned. "But...you don't view him as a father-figure?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "No. Charlie and Renée mean well, but no," I disclosed. "But," I heaved a sigh, "Let's leave that conversation for another time." I clasped my hands together, eager, "How soon will we be there?"

His demeanor eased. Reaching over to tangle his fingers with mine, he said, "Not long. A few minutes at most."

Going by the speedometer, I didn't doubt it.

"You did a lot of hiking in Arizona?" There was a cautious note to his voice.

I bobbed my head. "Uh huh! My friend and I would bring a portable speaker to play adventure music, and we'd go off trail and climb rocks. We liked to pretend we were explorers."

Edward burst into delighted laughter. "I would've brought a speaker if I'd known."

"No," I waved him off, "This is my first time hiking in the forest, so it's already exciting enough."

I sat up when I saw him merging out of the freeway. We took a lone road for another few minutes before the pavement suddenly ended. Despite my impatience, I wasn't quick enough to open the door myself.

I jumped out, feet sinking into the damp grass as I gazed up at the imposing woods. "Wait," I frowned, turning to Edward as he shut my door. "We're not taking a trail," I recalled.

Edward shot me an amused smile. "What happened to going off trail and exploring?"

I huffed. "Not for miles though. I just liked climbing the boulders off the mountain trails, but it's not exactly safe." Trails existed for a reason. Although I'd never gotten myself injured going off trail, there had definitely been a few close calls. "Once, I almost took a header over a cliff," I faintly recalled.

Edward's expression became alarmed.

"It's fine," I laughed sheepishly, "Ryan yanked me back before I could slip off." If this is his reaction to one of my many near-death experiences, I can't imagine he'll be too happy when he finds out I actually died.

"Ah," Edward nodded, momentarily relieved as though I weren't standing right in front of him. Then, he frowned and prompted, "Ryan?"

I nodded, gesturing for him to lead the way, which started off relatively flat. It almost felt like a casual stroll through the woods, rather than a hike. I swung our hands back and forth, contemplating Edward's peeved expression. Is it...jealousy? The thought was so silly, I wanted to laugh. Instead, I explained, "Yeah. My friend Ryan and I used to do a lot of outdoorsy stuff before he started dating my best friend, Mia."

His shoulders relaxed, expression pacified. "I see. When was the last time you went hiking?"

I scrunched my brow, trying to recall. "Um, not for a while. It was either with Aaron or Kennedy. After Ryan stopped being my go-to, I coerced different friends to go with me, but it wasn't as fun. They usually gave up after two miles of uphill hiking."

Edward chuckled, holding my hand up, helping my balance as I climbed over a moss-covered boulder. "I'm sure you'll be pleased to know we have five more miles to go."

I waved my other hand in a so-and-so motion. "Not necessarily," I frowned. "It was after the first two miles that the trail petered out. It slanted up and down around the mountain, so we got a break before we jumped onto another mountain trail. Five miles up? I don't know if I'll make it," I chuckled nervously.

Edward tilted his head in contemplation, observing as our path began to slant upwards. Pushing a web of moss aside, he pulled me forward and said, "It will teeter between uphill and flat ground, so you should be fine." His lips curled into a sharp smirk. "I can always carry you otherwise."

"Don't sound so eager," I laughed, jumping atop a fallen tree.

We trekked through the ancient, green maze, our laughter echoing in the otherwise eerie silence. Edward asked me question after question, having learned that I would easily answer as long as he avoided any questions regarding Renée and my family life. I only had to skirt around the fact that all my friends were in their twenties, not their teens―which was easier than I'd imagined.

And then he asked something that had me stumbling over a slippery patch of moss. "Do you miss your friends?"

My voice constricted, a simmering ache at the base of my throat. So I nodded instead.

"Do you plan to go back to them?"

I heaved a shuddering sigh. "No, I can't." I flashed him a strained smile and, despite the curiosity burning in his gaze, he dropped it.

We drifted into silence. It was when I'd jumped atop a decaying log with a delighted grin, that Edward tilted his head up at me and wondered, "Why did your father appear so sceptical of your ability to hike? Does he not know you do this often?"

My smile turned weak as I shook my head. "He thinks I'm clumsy."

Edward's features twisted with bewilderment. "Why?"

I pursed my lips. "I think we need a safe word."

"A safe word?" he repeated with a confused chuckle.

"Uh huh," I nodded, hopping off the log and continuing onwards. "Some stuff is hard to explain without telling you the truth." I swallowed thickly, fingers rubbing my throat. "And the truth is wretched."

Edward nodded, eyes softening. "Alright," he agreed.

I tapped a finger to my chin in thought, as Edward pushed aside a mass of wet ferns blocking our way. "I got it!" I exclaimed with a snap of my finger, "Obliviate!"

His brow furrowed as he turned to peer down at me. "I'm certain that's not a word, Isabella."

"I know that," I sniffed, insulted he would question my intelligence. At his gesture, we stepped forward before he allowed the ferns to spring back into place with a wet smack. "It's a memory charm. It's supposed to be able to delete specific memories from a victim."

Edward cocked his head, penny copper locks falling into his eyes. "You're into witchcraft?"

I came to an abrupt halt and swept my arms up with an exasperated huff. Tilting my gaze towards the heavens, I prayed, "Dear Lord, bless this clueless child with some pop culture knowledge."

Edward tugged at my ponytail until I met his disgruntled gaze. "You could just explain."

I snickered. "Sorry, sorry. It's just a reference to the Harry Potter series."

"Ah. Yes, I think I've heard of that," he nodded.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Yikes, Edward, you're worse than Captain America after he came out of the ice."

"You're into comics?" His eyebrows shot up with surprise.

"Uh," I stammered and then dramatically responded with, "Obliviate!" I've got years before I can watch those movies, damn it. Maybe I will start reading the comics.

"It's not very accurate," he huffed, leading me up a slippery patch of rock, "I'm not going to forget the question―just save it for later."

"There's not a spell for that, Edward. Just roll with it," I pouted.

"I don't know. I find the lack of accuracy bothersome," he shot me a teasing grin.

I scoffed. "I could change it from a charm to a curse."

"Do your worse," he laughed.

I narrowed my eyes up at him and then grinned. "Fine. Then we'll go with confringo."

Edward's eyebrows quirked up. "Okay...what's that supposed to do?"

"Explodes flames on the victim," I explained blithely. Despite his already corpse-pale countenance, he somehow became gray with dread.

"That's not your secret, is it?" he hedged.

It took me a second to realize he thought I might be a witch. I burst into laughter, and I had to pause to clutch my stomach. "Uh, no, Edward," I huffed, wiping the tears from my eyes, "That's not it at all. I mean, I wish. But no."

He nodded unsurely. "Um, can we go back to obliviate?"

I patted his arm. "Yes, that's what I thought."

We continued like so, for yet another hour, before we finally came across his meadow. With an awed gaze, I stepped into the perfectly round expanse of deep jade grass. Wild flowers sprung in colorful patches of white, yellow, and violet. I twirled as I plodded forward, taking it in with impressed eyes. "It's stunning," I gasped. It was right out of a fairytale storybook. And, admittedly, I was a bit of a sap for nature. When Edward finally followed after me with an easy gait, I needled him, "Too bad it's not sunny."

"Next time," he shrugged, coming to halt before me.

I tilted my head up at him. "Glittery skin and your very own fairy ring?" I asked, gesturing towards the circle of flowers. "Are you sure you're a vampire?" I teased him.

He chuckled, "Unfortunately."

Today, his eyes gleamed pale butterscotch. The burst of affection that swelled in my chest when he locked eyes with mine, staggered me, and I had to cast my gaze down. It's why I didn't immediately notice the way his whole body became taut like a violin string. Not until he hissed, "We have to go."

My head shot up, but he'd already grasped my arms and tossed me onto his back. My head spun, but he hadn't taken a step forward, before we were surrounded by a trio of red-eyed vampires.

It was the familiar sight of Victoria's flaming red curls that clued me in on which nomadic coven decided to drop in on us. The two males were unfamiliar to my eyes, but I could guess. One was olive-toned, with glossy black hair cropped short―Laurent. And James―short brown hair and vigilant, burgundy eyes. They wore hiking attire, old and worn, and their feet were bare, caked with mud.

The way they circled us with a cat-like gait and amused smiles wide enough to expose brilliant white teeth, reminded me of the hyenas from The Lion King.

"We thought we smelled something delectable," Victoria sneered, eyes hungrily flashing over me. "We can take her off your hands if you're not thirsty."

The rumble of Edward's thunderous snarl resounded through me. I tightened my grip around him, arms locking across his neck.

Laurent held up a palm. "Victoria, peace. It appears this meal has already been claimed."

Victoria's face twisted with disdain. It was James who wondered with an amused tilt of his lips, "A meal? Is that what she is to you?"

When Edward didn't confirm, they burst into varying sounds of laughter. Even Laurent, who I had hoped would maintain peace, didn't seem all that bothered. Guess he's not so cowardly when he's not the one who's outnumbered, I mentally sneered.

"A pet?" Victoria mocked, voice shrill. "How trite. Let us seize her lest she be wasted on you."

In a flash too quick for my eyes to keep track of, they pounced.

I was forced to tighten my legs around Edward's torso of my own accord when he released me and shot up in a dizzying burst, catapulting across the treetops, and pushing off of a tree the moment he began to descend. Behind us, I heard the thunderous crack of a trunk hitting the forest ground.

Red flashed in my peripherals and I gasped, "Faster!"

Edward didn't need to be told twice.

He streaked through the forest in a dizzying pattern, zig-zagging, taking sharp turns, and swinging from tree branches in rapid-fire twists worse than any rollercoaster. My ponytail smacked painfully against my cheek, and my face tightened with windburn, eyes drying painfully. My heart hammered so loudly against my ribcage, I thought it would burst. Around me, the trees flew by at deadly speeds.

And still, a small turn of my head revealed their relentless pursuit.

An idea occurred to me, but my arms were frozen in terror, locked in a vice grip around Edward, and my breathing had turned ragged.

Beneath me, Edward vaulted, somersaulting midair, gracefully avoiding a grab from Victoria. My stomach dropped.

"You may be fast, but you're outnumbered! She can't be that special," Victoria cackled behind us.

"He can't run forever," Laurent reassured her with a throaty chuckle.

"Damn it all," Edward cursed. It was the fear in his voice that incited me to act. Tightening my left arm around him, I painstakingly unlocked my other arm, until it completely slid off.

"Isabella?!" Edward demanded, launching off yet another tree, which splintered and crashed soon after.

"Don't drop me," I shrieked as my right hand fell. Miraculously, I found my cellphone still wedged deep in my back pocket. Fuckfuckfuck, don't drop it! My hand shook uncontrollably, but I managed to curl my fingers around the small device. Once I pulled it out, I tucked my elbow in, bringing the phone close to my face, but I made no move to flip it open.

Instead, I took stock of the pursuing nomads. James had fallen back. Victoria and Laurent streaked closer, flanking Edward on either side. Despite their effort, they couldn't seem to catch up to him. Everything was too blurred for me to make out anything beyond that.

Reassured that we still had a chance, I shakily tucked my hand between my chest and Edward's shoulder, lest the phone fly from my weak grip. Digging my thumb into its side, I managed to flip open the screen, but it shook so much I wasn't sure who I ended up calling.

Please let it be Emmett, I prayed, pressing the phone into my ear with a terrified shriek as Edward spun beneath me and dived sharply from Laurent's assault. The ringing of the phone was weak against the wind whistling in my ear.

"Hello?" The alluring voice was unmistakable.

"Rosalie!" I cried into the phone, "You have to help us―"

To my horror, the device was ripped from my grasp. It took another second for me to realize that it was Edward who'd taken the phone, hissing into the microphone so rapidly, I couldn't track his words.

"Look out!" I shouted the moment Victoria's vivid red hair closed in on our right, immediately wrapping my right arm back around him.

Edward instantly spun away, eluding her grasp, and swung from another tree. We flew, somehow evading every sharp branch, until a boulder cracked beneath his feet as he launched himself, this time across the bank of a river. Edward continued to weave in and out, branches snapping beneath his feet, whole trees collapsing, and bedrock fracturing as he eluded every ambush from Victoria and Laurent.

We continued like so, streaking through the forest with dizzying force as they gave chase, until we suddenly broke out from the cover of the trees, blazing across an empty field, before Edward abruptly spun back around and came to a sharp halt

For one, terrifying moment, I expected the nomads to pounce on us.

But no―in front of us, another trio of vampires shielded us. Emmett's massive figure was comforting. On either side of him, stood Garrett and Rosalie.

"Oh, you messed with the wrong coven," Emmett laughed gleefully, right before he launched himself forward.

A/N: Oops. My finger slipped.

Dedicated to brainless19 who I know has been craving some action. Enjoy it for what it is because I'm not sure I'll be writing much more action any time soon! x)

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this! Haha I'll try not to keep y'all waiting for too long! xD