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Chapter 19

Two Thirsty Vampires, the Cullens and Me

Today was Sunday. Today was the day Jonath and I would go to Victoria. Edward, Alice, and Jasper had spent all of yesterday trying to distract me from today. Still, Victoria kept creeping into my thoughts. They took me swimming, taught me chess, and even wanted to cook with me.

The swim was a lot of fun, even if I was a bit confused by Edward's sight at the beginning!

"Don't worry, Bella. It's no different for him, he just overplays it better!" Alice had whispered in my ear when I couldn't tear my gaze from Edward and blushed when he started chuckling.

At Alice's words, however, he froze and looked embarrassed, so it was my turn to chuckle ...

Sweet!

The chess game itself went strangely.

At times I was so concentrated on what I was doing that Alice and Edward gave me astonished looks. Why exactly, however, I did not know. Probably because I was such a miserable player.

The play between Edward and Alice was just hilarious.

Alice was looking into the future all the time, while Edward was following this in her mind, planning his next move, which Alice again saw in the future and tried to counter.

The game lasted less than five minutes. They had both moved two pawns each when Edward knocked over his king and looked at Alice pissed off.

"Won!", however, this one only said and went to Jasper to get a kiss as a reward.

I also went over to Edward and sat on his lap, wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him his 'consolation prize'!

"If I get this as a consolation prize, what are you going to do to me if I win?" he whispered in my ear after our kiss.

Of course, I ran tomato red, which only elicited a little chuckle from him.

But despite all the efforts of the three of them, every now and then my mind would wander to Victoria and when I thought about all the things I wanted to throw at her.

I didn't want to show her that I hadn't spoken for months because of her. I didn't want to show her what an insane fear I had of her. I just wanted to take out all my anger on her.

But this earned me reprimanding looks from Edward every time. He actually didn't even want to let me near her, so it bothered him all the more that I might lose control and make her angry. For me as a human, it would not be good to bleed near this woman or even near Jo. Victoria was not going to hold back at all and with Jo the problem was that he had only been vegetarian for about two years. His control was not as great as the Cullens.

By now, the Cullens perceived the human blood only as a slight tugging in their throats, or so Edward had explained it to me. They did not have to pull themselves together strongly in order to control themselves with open wounds of a human being, they were practiced in it.

With Jo, on the other hand, it was quite different. Even if I was just in the same room as him and the blood was safely - or not - locked under my skin, his throat would burst into flames. He had shown me once and I really admired him for being able to be so close to me, to take me in his arms and all that.

So it was going to be pretty dangerous for me today if I got hurt.

Alice had foreseen that the wind would be favorable, so the Cullens could hide in the woods behind Jonath and me and go unnoticed by Victoria.

That reassured me a little, knowing they were all close to me.

Jasper promised to ease my anxiety.

I just didn't want to show this weakness in front of this woman. I wanted to hate her.

However, Edward additionally took Jasper's promise to keep my anger at this woman in check. He was really insanely afraid that something would happen to me.

When it was time to leave for the clearing, I gave Edward one more long intense kiss.

'Promise to turn me if something goes wrong.'

I looked deep into his eyes, thinking only of those words, not of my fear and anger.

As Edward reluctantly nodded at me, I got on Jo's back. He would run ahead with me so as not to arouse suspicion. The Cullens followed us at a little distance.

After about ten minutes, the time had come.

Jo stopped and let me slide off his back, then grabbed my hand.

We slowly stepped out of the forest.

Victoria was standing about fifty meters in front of us. She had a sardonic grin on her face.

When Jo withdrew his hand from me and placed it on my back, I became slightly nervous.

'Thank you Jasper! Edward, I love you.'

That was the last thing of which I could think.

"Here ... you can have she. I never want to have anything to do with you again, Victoria! And if I have to sacrifice Bella to do it, that's fine with me. Even if she was a good friend."

Victoria opened her eyes in shock.

It had the desired effect!