FAGE: Sweet 16

Title: Amaranthine

Written for: hem16- I hope you enjoy this!

Written By: Bkhchica

Rating: M

Prompt used: "It's been 15 years and I still regret what happened at the lake that night. It wasn't meant to play out that way."

Summary: After Victoria murders her friend, Bella Swan decides that enough is enough. There is only one way to keep everyone safe... Run.

Hand holder and Beta: GoOasis726 —thank you so so much for helping! This story wouldn't be nearly as good without you making it pretty!

Prologue

April

Mahogany strands swirled around her in the chilly spring air. Bella rolled her pant legs up a few times and dipped her feet into the cold, murky water, sitting at the end of the dock. She anxiously clutched the wine cooler in her left hand, bracing herself as footsteps approached her from behind. Suddenly, Quil and Embry sat on either side of her, hugging her between them.

When she sighed in relief, Quil asked, "You alright, Bells?"

"Yeah. The rowdy crowd is just a bit much. I just needed a breather."

The heavy oceanside winds at La Push had made the waves too choppy and unsafe. As an alternative, the teens retreated to Lake Pleasant. It was only a ten-minute drive from Forks, and the water would be calmer. Safer.

Despite the wind, it was nice out. The sun shone brightly through the sky that afternoon, making the foliage and grass sparkle like emeralds around the lake. But now, the sky darkened as the temperature grew colder. Bella pushed her hair back, trying to tame the wild locks, and jumped as another set of hands met hers. She looked over her shoulder at a grinning Paul and smiled back in greeting.

"Hey, Swan. No need to explain. Crowds make me itchy sometimes, too. But I can help with your hair. Want me to braid it for you?" Paul's voice fell away, but he continued to run his fingers through her hair.

She could have been catty, but these were her friends. She loved them and knew they were looking out for her. "Sure, Paul! That would be great!"

He wasted no time plaiting her hair into two French braids down the sides of her head. He brought them together at the base of her neck and joined the tail, tying it off with a leather cord he had tied to his wrist.

"Thanks, Paul," she said and patted his arm. "It was driving me crazy with the wind blowing it everywhere."

"It was no problem."

As they sat at the end of the dock chatting about summer plans and possibilities for future bonfires on Second Beach, Bella relaxed and let their deep voices wash over her.

The quiet evening was interrupted when all three wolves surrounding her stiffened, sniffing the air, bodies quaking furiously. Quil and Embry hopped to their feet and pulled her up with them.

Bella urged them, "Go. Do what you need to do. I'll be fine with my crew from school."

Paul's commanding voice echoed in her ears, "Get over there now, then, Swan. We need to hurry."

Bella grabbed her shoes and hustled toward the fire, where her school chums danced, drank, and partied like the teenagers they were. All were unaware of the danger they were in.

As she reached Angela's side, Bella turned to watch three of her favorite people head off to an uncertain future. She tried to hide her worry, but anxiety crept higher and higher up her throat, threatening to cut off her airway. The need to slip away unnoticed was overwhelming, but Bella couldn't do that. She couldn't put the guys at risk like that. She couldn't divert their attention from the real threat.

Bella glanced around at her friends, spotting Mike and Tyler playing keep-away from poor Eric. Lauren was shaking her ass, trying to get the attention of any present male. Bella recognized several others, but as she turned in a circle, her heart sank, and her stomach filled with dread.

Panting, she looked at Angela, "W-where's Jess?"

Gesturing with the flap of her hand, Angela said, "Oh, she had to pee. She's over behind a tree somewhere."

Overwhelmed with worry for her fickle friend, Bella dropped, landing on her ass. She stared into the darkness, hoping the guys would eliminate the threat before it was too late. She begged and pleaded with every deity she could recall, praying for her friends and family to be safe. Angela knelt beside her on the grassy bank and gripped Bella's hand, not understanding her sudden panic.

"Bella?" Angela's lips quivered as she looked at her friend, unsure how to help her. She hoped this wasn't the return of Zombie Bella, who barely existed, drifting from home to school and work. She snapped her fingers in front of Bella's face and waved her hand frantically, but there was no response. "Bella? Come on, sweetie. Snap out of it."

Blinking, Bella looked up at her worried friend. "We need to holler for Jess to come back. I have a horrible feeling about being out here right now." Bella sucked in a deep breath. "I don't think we should leave the group, Ange. Promise me you'll stay with the group?"

Not understanding Bella's freak-out moment, Angela agreed, "Of course, Bella. I didn't plan on leaving the group until it was time to go home."

"Can you wait for Paul and the boys to say when it's safe to leave?"

"I don't understand where this is coming from, but yes. I can do that."

Bella's sigh of relief was short-lived. A shriek cut through the night air before stopping suddenly. Her heart picked up its erratic beat, and her breath came in great gulps as she turned toward the noise. A few others exchanged glances, turning on flashlights on their phones as they moved toward where the scream came from.

Bella stuttered, "W-we need to stay together!"

As the group converged near the trees, a pool of blood ran towards their shoes. Bella's eyes followed the stream of blood to the source, and she fell to her knees, sobbing as the lifeless eyes of Jessica stared back at her. Jessica appeared to have been mauled by an animal. Her body lay scored by claw marks, and her throat ripped open. And yet, there were fingertip-shaped bruises at the sides, as though someone had tried to strangle her first.

Bella knew what kind of animal committed this terrible act. The was the kind of animal that had hunted her to Phoenix. The kind who left her in the woods to die. The kind that was after Bella, seeking revenge for the death of her mate. A vampire had killed Jessica, and Bella did not doubt who had done it.

Jessica's death was Bella's fault–at least, that's how Bella felt. There was no other reason for Jessica to die in such a terrible way. This cruel act was a message from Bitch-toria to Bella.

Bella tried to gain control of her emotions. She could hear other people around her crying and sobbing. Pulling her phone from her back pocket, she called her dad. Charlie would know what to do. As she sat there on the ground with her phone gripped to her ear, Paul came and picked her up, cradling her in his lap to help still the tremors wracking her body. Holding her phone to one ear, she clutched onto Paul.

"Hey, Bells. What's up?"

"Dad?" Bella's sobs took over again at hearing his voice. She didn't fight when Paul slipped the phone from her fingers to talk to Charlie for her.

"Chief? It's Paul Lahote, Bella's friend." He kept his tone solemn and respectful, knowing there was no room for his usual sarcasm at that moment. "There's been another animal attack. At Lake Pleasant, this time. The victim is Bella's friend—Jessica, I think was her name. Just come to the bonfire. That's where everyone will be."

Bella could only hear Paul's side of the conversation, but it was enough to send her spiraling back into hysterical sobs again. There was a pause as Paul listened to whatever Charlie was saying.

"I'll try, Chief." Pushing the button to end the call, he met Bella's eyes.

"My dad is coming?"

"Yeah, I'm supposed to keep everyone from leaving."

Bella looked around and hiccuped. "Where's Em and Quil?"

"Quil broke his arm while trying to catch the leech. She threw him into a boulder. Em took him to Sue to get patched up."

Hearing that Quil had also gotten hurt was the final straw as Bella began planning her next move.

The only way to keep her friends and family safe was to leave. She would have to sell her truck and empty her savings. Thank goodness the Cullens had kept depositing five grand into her account every month. She was up to forty thousand and hadn't spent a penny. But it would get her a decent car, a new look, and the heck out of dodge. She could start over in some random town where no one knew or recognized her.

With steely determination in her eyes, she hugged Paul long and hard, kissed him on the cheek, then sent him to corral some nearby kids who were planning to leave. As soon as his back was turned, she bolted to her truck. Bella would get moving as soon as she could. There was no way she was going to be responsible for another murder. She couldn't handle it if one more person died because of her.