Chapter 10: The War
Bella pulled her cardigan tightly around her, trying to stave off the chill that crept through the church. The choir sang a hymn and while some of the parishioners joined in, she slumped a little in her seat, feeling a profound sense of boredom and anxiety. Her eyes wandered restlessly until they landed on a blonde woman sporting an obscenely large cocktail hat. The netting was so thick that Bella could barely discern the woman's features. The man behind her kept craning his neck around, struggling to see past the elaborate headspace. Bella couldn't help but stifle a giggle under her breath as the man reached out to adjust the hat downward, just as the woman leaned forward to get something out of her purse.
Jasper slid into the seat next to her, and the fleeting joy vanished from her face. "You need to explain what the hell is going on," she demanded.
He ignored her and instead picked up a hymnal from the back of the pew in front of him and began to sing along.
Bella gaped at him, surprised by how beautiful yet human his voice was as he sang. She shook her head to clear it. "Jasper," she pleaded, her hand automatically reaching out to grab his sleeve, though she hesitated. "Why is Victoria here? What happened to her? You destroyed my home. I need an explanation." He glanced at her once. "Ugh," she muttered under her breath as he put a note into her outstretched hand. "I did what I was told. You're the one who didn't take her."
"Get rid of your tail," he said simply.
Bella stared at him, her expression blank.
"Are you stupid?" he asked, eyes wide as if he were genuinely expecting an answer.
Ignoring his question, Bella turned her attention straight ahead, focusing on the pastor as he climbed up the steps to the pulpit to read from a large Bible. So, that car was the reason he didn't take the woman. Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. Jasper wore a peaceful expression as he listened to the sermon, with his features softened and an oddly youthful charm about him that belied his actual age and this typically menacing demeanor. His eyes, usually sharp and angry, now held a sense of earnestness and curiosity. Despite her better judgment, she found herself momentarily drawn to this contrast, as if, in that moment, he had shed his usual facade to reveal a glimpse of the person he might have been under different circumstances.
Bella's hands clenched into fists as she struggled to contain her angry tears. He wasn't the person she imagined him to be; he never was and never would be. He was horrible—a monster, a manipulator, a psychopath. There was no trace of innocence or goodness in him, only a calculated cruelty hidden behind a mask. He twisted his appearance into a weapon against her while he tortured and blackmailed her.
"Where's Victoria?" she hissed. The thought of that woman climbing up her window again had destroyed any semblance of a goodnight's sleep for the last week.
"I've got her somewhere she won't be able to bother you," he stated matter-of-factly.
"I thought you guys killed her years ago." Jasper didn't respond to this, though Bella caught the almost imperceptible clench of his jaw. "What happened to her eyes? Her…teeth?"
Jasper, continuing to look forward, leaned over to whisper in her ear, "I stole them."
She felt her breakfast lurch up. Stole them? She couldn't explain why this shocked her; he had mutilated Christine, hadn't he? But normal vampires like Victoria don't bleed, she thought, remembering the blood dripping down her face from her eye sockets.
When the mass concluded, the parishioners filed out of the church in a steady stream. Bella waited for Jasper to leave his seat, deliberately lingering behind as he chatted with some of the older women, including Gina.
"Jasper, do you have any plans this afternoon?" Gina asked. "I thought it might be nice to take you to that new cafe Amoré that just opened nearby and introduce you to my partner Shorae.'
"Sure, I'd love to," Jasper responded with a charming smile.
Bella seized the opportunity. "Perfect timing! I've been meaning to check out that cafe myself. It'd be great if we could all go together."
Gina's expression faltered, clearly caught off guard. "Oh…you have?" she asked, looking uncomfortable.
"Yes, and since I'm new to this church, I'd really enjoy getting the chance to know you all better," Bella added, trying to maintain her friendly composure. Her eyes flitted to Jasper's. Fucker, she hoped he could read that from her expression.
Gina hesitated, then turned to Jasper. "Well, will you join us, Jasper?"
Jasper's eyes flickered between Bella and Gina before settling on Bella with a faint hint of suspicion. "Shall we? It'll be fun," he challenged with a glimmer of amusement.
Bella stepped out into the parking lot, her irritation mounting as she spotted the familiar red sedan. She snuck up the side of the car, approaching the driver's side, and slammed her hands against the window. Mr. Marsala jumped in his seat and dropped the hot dog he was eating into his lap. She smirked in satisfaction when the mustard smeared on his white shirt.
"Hey! Have you been following me?" Bella demanded sharply.
Mr. Marsala's face drained of color, his eyes widening in alarm.
"You thought I didn't know?" Bella continued, her tone clipped.
He swallowed hard, flustered. "I'm sorry. I wanted to see what you said with my own eyes," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.
Bella regarded him with a mixture of skepticism and frustration. "You said you wanted proof? Follow me if you want to see something exciting."
She had a plan.
At the cafe, Gina couldn't contain her excitement as she oohed and ahhed over the desserts. "You were just trying to get Jasper by himself here, weren't you, Bella?' she teased, once they had ordered and sat at a table. "Are you sure we aren't interrupting something?"
Shorae chimed in, "I was wondering if something was going on between you two."
Bella managed a forced laugh. "No, it's not like that at all." She threw a look at Jasper, observing the sunlight play on his skin. The light briefly shone on his eye and Bella thought she caught a glimpse of his iris flashing scarlet. She had thought he was wearing brown contacts, but maybe not. "I'm here with all of you so that I'm safe." You ready for a challenge? she thought with a smile.
"Safe?" Gina questioned, perplexed. Then she gave Bella a knowing smile. "From his charms? Oooh."
Jasper chuckled, but there was a hardness in his eyes. "Bella, you don't have to be afraid of me. What would I do to you?"
Shorae picked up on the tension. "What's going on? Is there something between you two?"
Bella shifted uncomfortably. "No, it's really not like that," she replied nervously.
Jasper flashed a charming smile, his chin resting on his fist. "She's a business partner. I think that's the best way to put it."
"Business partner?" Gina's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
Jasper nodded. "Yes, Bella would be the perfect fit for what I'm doing now, so she's been working with me for a while."
"Oh my, really?
"Yes, Bella does her job exceptionally well. I feel completely comfortable putting my trust in her hands," Jasper remarked, his gaze fixed on Bella, wearing a broad grin, delighted that she looked upset. "Isn't that right, Bella?"
Bella's lips twitched as she fought to keep her composure. She wanted to scream and throw herself across the table to slap him.
"Number 21!" The barista's voice rang out from behind the counter.
"I'll get it!" Bella volunteered.
Business partner? Bella seethed inwardly. She clenched her fists. She was going to end this charade today. Who in the world would try to kill their business partner while threatening to kill their family members? Would business partners keep secrets like why another murderous vampire was still lurking around, blind and toothless?
She would never let him do this to her again.
There was a reason he didn't take that woman from her car. At first, she didn't understand it, but he told her in plain and simple words when he asked her to "get rid of her tail."
He didn't want his identity exposed. He wanted to continue pretending to be human.
Bastard, you want to live quietly among us, do you? That's fine, she thought, her resolve hardening. But in a place with so many witnesses, if his identity were exposed, could he ever show his face again? Sure, he could temporarily make them not care, but he couldn't erase their memories.
She balanced the tray of coffees with one hand while discreetly retrieving the pocket knife Charlie had given her for Christmas.
"Ah, there's our coff—" Gina started.
Bella didn't even have to pretend to be clumsy; the tray was heavy, and she lacked the balance to carry it all the way back to the table, even if she tried. As she struggled, the tray tipped, and the coffee mugs crashed to the floor, shattering into hundreds of pieces.
"Oh my God!" exclaimed Shorae, rushing over to Bella, who was already on the ground, having accidentally slipped on the spilled coffee. "Are you okay?"
Jasper rose from his seat to assist. "You ladies stay back; I'll—" He stopped suddenly, his eyes snapping open in alarm. Large drops of blood splattered onto the floor, swirling into the coffee puddle.
"Yes," Bella said to Shorae, as she slipped the closed pocket knife back into her jacket. "I'm fine." She looked up at Jasper, unable to contain her smile when she saw his expression. "But Jasper…you don't look so good."
Jasper's eyes flashed scarlet and Bella felt a familiar throb in her temples as her vision blurred. She couldn't even see the coffee shop around her or Shorae and Gina running off to grab napkins. All she felt and wanted to feel was the calm, peaceful sensation coursing through her veins. The only time she had felt even a fraction of this feeling was when she was given morphine in the hospital after the incident with James. When she leaned forward, the feeling intensified, tempting her to surrender completely. She felt that if she went any further, she would be lost in the enticing feeling. But she couldn't help it.
In the next moment, her eyes fluttered open and Jasper's canines were scraping against her throat, his thumb pressed firmly on the other side of her neck against her pulse. He moved his mouth away, gasping for breath, the tips of their noses touching, his warm breath on her lips. Unable to bear the thought of the sensation disappearing, Bella reached out to grasp his sleeve, trying to pull him closer, and, just briefly, their lips brushed against one anothers, before Jasper abruptly pushed her away, tearing his now bloodied sleeve from her grip. His cufflink loosened into her hand.
As he covered his face and part of his mouth with his hand, Jasper's eyes turned pitch black. "You played a joke," he breathed with a surprised laugh. "A prank." They locked eyes and Bella could see the burning rage behind them, but it was his expression that rooted her in her spot. As if she could read every thought, he seemed to say, "The more I think of what you've done, the more I want to punish you. "
Gina came hurrying back to Bella. "Oh my goodness, Bella, we need to get you to an ER."
"Yes, I think so," Bella replied, dazed. Her temples throbbed from the rapid change in emotion
"Jasper?" But Jasper was already walking out of the cafe. "What? Why is he leaving?"
Bella shook the fog out of her head and, with Gina's help, got to her feet. "Um, sorry, I'll head out too."
"Do you need help getting to the hospital?"
"No, I can go alone," Bella assured her, waving her bloody hand goodbye.
Shorae joined Gina with a stack of napkins in both hands. "Oh, poor girl. Give us a call, okay?"
Bella hurried out of the cafe and made her way to her car, her heart still pounding, lips still tingling. Jasper's car was already gone. She fumbled, pulling her cell phone out of her jacket and dialed Mr. Marsala's number. "Where are you?" Scanning the street, she spotted the red sedan and rushed over, thumping on the passenger side window. "Did you take the pictures?"
"Your hand!" Mr. Marsala exclaimed, pointing at her still-bleeding wound
The wound was dripping blood and hurt enough to bring fresh tears to her eyes, but Bella ignored the pain. "Did you bring a bandage?" she asked, getting into the passenger seat.
"Yes, here." Mr. Marsala quickly pulled out a roll of white gauze from the center console, though didn't bother helping to wrap the bandage around her hand. "You'll need stitches."
"Show me what you took." She reached for his camera but he slapped her hand away.
"Back there, what was that?" Mr. Marsala asked gravely.
"Which part?"
"You were all so still. Frozen. You were on the ground but nobody even turned their head to look at you. Those two women you were with, they just stood looking away from you, pulling out napkin after napkin. Only he was moving towards you."
"Show me!" Bella demanded, growing increasingly impatient. She seized the camera away from him and clicked through the images. "What?" Each click felt like a stab of disappointment. Every single one of them: black. "Did you even take any pictures? What is this?"
"Huh? Why is it like this?" He took the camera back, his expression mirroring Bella's confusion as he looked through the pictures himself.
Bella let out a frustrated sigh, a sob catching in her throat, and stepped out of the car. "Mr. Marsala,
don't follow me anymore." She had wondered all week whether she should tell him that his son's murderer was still wandering blindly around Seattle. "And don't look for vampires or anything. It might be safer for you if you just ran away."
He scoffed dismissively. "Run away? Don't be ridiculous. That man…he's one of them. I was sitting a hundred yards from the building, but as soon as I clicked to take the picture, the shutter made a sound, and something changed. Through the lens, I saw him freeze, as if he heard the sound. I felt him look right at me."
"H-he saw you?" Bella asked, panicking. She snatched the camera from him again and flipped open the side compartment. The SD card was missing. She turned the camera to show him, both of them falling silent, their eyes fixed on the empty card slot. "I think it's best for you to lay for a while Mr. Marsala. Before he starts coming after you too."
Bella was eating a bowl of cereal over her sink, getting ready to head out for her first morning class, while listening to the news on Monday morning when the news reporter said something that cut through her like a blade.
"Seattle police are conducting a homicide investigation after a body was discovered on a remote road in the far northeast near Hart Swamp. Seattle police received a call for a body found on Route 203. According to Sheriff Baylar, a trucker was driving when they noticed a large wooden box in the middle of the road. After stopping to look, they found a body inside showing slight decomposition and evidence of severe trauma. Police say based on the intact facial bones, they suspect the victim is 22-year-old Jason Ventas…."
The bowl clattered into the sink, splashing milk onto her shirt. It felt like the ground had been yanked out from underneath her and a leaden weight was squeezing the breath out of her lungs. Her vision blurred as she leaned heavily against the counter.
"Motherfucker!" she screamed. Was this revenge for what she had done in the cafe yesterday?
Her mind raced as she tried to figure out her next steps. The police had found a note on Jason's computer, which had probably been planted by Jasper, indicating that he was responsible for Christine's death. But there was no way the police would believe that if their main suspect was dead inside a box. She worried her lip, thinking about how Jason had warned her that he told the detectives to look into her. But she was in the Diner when he was taken by Jasper, so she was safe, right?
She stormed into her bedroom and kicked the side of her mattress before falling into it and screaming into her pillow.
It's all going to point to me. There's no way out of this anymore. It's over.
Her frantic thoughts were interrupted by a sudden realization. Lifting her head from her pillow, she looked at her desk drawer. She rushed towards her desk and pulled open the drawer to reveal the small, gold cufflink she had accidentally ripped off Jasper's shirt yesterday in the cafe. It gleamed brilliantly, its surface adorned with the unmistakable engraving of the Cullen crest.
She cradled the cufflink delicately in her palm and then immediately dropped it. A curse escaped her lips as she scrambled to retrieve it from under her desk. As she gripped the cufflink once more, the tendrils of a plan began to form in her mind.
I will make you stumble.
Bella found herself back driving on a long stretch of highway in the dead of night, to the middle of nowhere. This time, she was careful to watch her rearview mirror for any sign that a car was tailing her and was satisfied when she found none. The last two miles, she cut the headlights before finally turning into the secluded spot she had found herself in only a month ago. This time, the trek through the forest was incalculably difficult. The snow was up to her knees and the wind was so strong that, at times, she struggled to breathe.
Eventually, she found her way back to the clearing, bordered by tall trees and thickets, and she stared at where she had stashed the duffel bag.
Bella tried to rationalize it—she couldn't undo what happened to Christine a month ago when she ended up on Bella's bed in a duffel bag; the girl would have been dead anyway. No vampire was going to serve jail time for the horrific things that were done to her. Rather than murder, she was responsible for keeping Christine away from her family and never giving them the closure they needed.
Resolved, she dragged the duffel bag out, thankful that the cold wind had numbed her nose past the point of functioning. She dragged the duffel bag two miles back to where she parked. Her hands shook tremendously as she pulled the cufflink out of her jacket's inside pocket. It was unbelievable to her that a whole person had died and the entirety of them was in the bag in front of her. She knelt down and unzipped the bag slightly, gagging at the smell of decomposition wafting out in thick waves, and slipped the cufflink inside. She closed up the bag, put it in the trunk and dropped the bag off at an intersection leading out of the rural empty road onto the interstate.
Her friends had gossiped about Jason Ventas the whole week—and it seemed Stephanie and Rupa's doubts about Bella had eased slightly. Even if they had lingering thoughts of her involvement, they probably didn't think Bella was stupid enough to leave her victim in the middle of the road. But days had passed, and it was already Friday night, and there was nothing in the news about Christine or the duffel bag. Her nails were worn down from biting it as she entertained the idea of going back and hiding the body again. But what if they had found it and they weren't releasing it to the public yet? Bella ran her fingers through her hair, stressed. I can't turn back now.
She showered in lukewarm water and looked at herself in the mirror as she dried off. A few months ago, she had been anxious and a little depressed, but she had looked healthy…alive. But now she was a ghost of herself. Dark shadows bruised her bloodshot eyes, her cheeks hollow and gaunt, her lips pale. Even her hair had lost all luster as it hung limply past her shoulders.
In her dreams, she was running away but the darkness behind her always seemed to be just at her heels. But then, in a moment of light, she burst into a paradise, only to have the darkness close around her, brushing past her lips.
She woke up gasping for breath, her skin numb from the cold. With trembling hands, she pulled her laptop onto her lap and looked at the news again. A cry escaped her lips as she read the headline.
Christine Davis Found.
The article reported about her body being found at the intersection Bella had left her at and recounted the story of Jason and Christine's relationship and the doubts that were now cast on their mysterious disappearances and deaths.
There was no mention of the cufflink.
Bella gripped her hair tightly, feeling a familiar panic rising. Did they not find it? She had placed it right at the top!
But her jaw immediately dropped when she read the end of the article. "A coroner has stated that both victims had digested blood in their stomachs, suggesting that both Christine and Jason were alive when they ingested the blood. The coroner also stated that the blood in their stomachs came from the same source, though it is not entirely clear whether the blood comes from a human or primate. More details to follow."
"What the fuck is he up to?" Bella whispered, horrified. He made them drink his blood before he killed them?
They didn't find the cufflink. The laptop slipped from her lap onto the bed as she buried her face in her hands. She wondered if it would be better at this point to just turn herself in. They were going to pin it on her eventually. And maybe that would reward her family with some protection if she warned the police. She weighed the idea for a while before a wave of fury overtook her.
She couldn't let Jasper escape unpunished. I want him to fall with me. I want him to suffer for what he's done.
Bella left her apartment Saturday afternoon and immediately spotted the red sedan in the parking lot, eliciting a frustrated groan from her. It was irritating at first, but now it was beginning to border on frightening. She stormed over to the car and banged on the window. This couldn't keep happening. "What are you doing here? How did you even find out where I live? This is getting out of hand, Mr. Marsala. Do you want him to see us together?"
"Have you seen that thing again?" Mr. Marsala's voice quivered. He appeared disheveled, and from the look inside of his car, it looked as if he had been living in it for some time.
"No, and hopefully I'll never have to," Bella replied sharply. She debated whether she should share more information. Part of her screamed "No!" but another gnawing part of her reminded her that this was the only human being in her life that could remotely understand what she was talking about. "There was a body found on the interstate this week. There's a cufflink in there that'll condemn him. Unfortunately, no one is reporting on it."
"How do you know about this?"
"I'm just letting you know. Now, please get out of here and don't come to my home."
"Where are you running off to?"
"Ugh! Do you have zero awareness of your safety?" she screeched.
Mr. Marsala stared at her, surprised. "I need to know more about him…it," he said through gritted teeth.
Bella sighed. She could see the determination on his face. "His name is Jasper Cullen. He feeds on humans, probably once a week. He can control the emotions of others—paralyze them with his power if needed. You saw him use it at the cafe, didn't you? He has integrated himself into society. He goes to the Precious Promises Children Foundation once a month, donates a ton of money to them, and goes to church weekly. The cufflink found with the body belongs to him—it has his family's crest on it.
"Cullen? Family crest?" Mr. Marsala gasped. He dug into his center console and pulled out a small ziplock baggie. Inside was a thin silver chain with a small, round charm. In the center was the same Cullen crest.
"Where did you get this?" Bella asked, her voice barely above a whisper..
Mr. Marsala swallowed hard, and when Bella looked closely, she could see that he was on the verge of tears. "My son…he was killed by one of them three years ago. I saw it—that red-haired woman dragging him around with one hand. His body was already limp…destroyed by that monster."
Bella listened in horrified silence.
"And she stood there, in these lavish clothes as my boy lay there on the ground. I couldn't help it—I ran at her with all my might and screamed, and kicked, and punched, and scratched at her. I ripped off the necklace she wore. She stood there a-and laughed at me as my own hands began to bruise from beating on what felt like rocks. I began to wail over my son; I begged him to come back to me." Mr. Marsala had a far away look. "And for a moment, her expression changed, and I thought I myself would become broken and violated like my son. But she smiled and said, 'If you have a problem with what I've done, find Edward Cullen. He'll explain to you why your son is dead…and then she disappeared, right before my eyes."
Bella stood there, stunned. Edward had promised her that Victoria was "taken care of." She had assumed it meant that the Cullens had killed her like they had James, but had they dressed her up and sent her off with their crest? And how in the world did she go from brutally murdering a college student three years ago to Jasper's bleeding, mutilated mess in Bella's old bedroom?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Marsala," she whispered, her heart heavy. Mr. Marsala's son had looked eerily like Edward. It was no coincidence that Victoria had chosen to murder someone who looked like her partner's killer. She came to the resolution that there was no point in telling him that Victoria was alive and in town again—it was clear there was nothing either of them could do. Then, she said in a colder voice, "You don't know how to escape from vampires, do you?"
Mr. Marsala was silent, still gazing far away.
"What else can you tell me about the male?" he asked monotonously.
She shook her head. "That's all I know. I need to go."
This snapped him out of his thoughts. "Then what about the body you mentioned? Was that Jasper as well?"
"I..I need to go. I don't have time for this. We've been talking for too long—he might already be watching us."
"Don't—"
Bella interrupted him, her hands clenched. "Mr. Marsala, I'm being serious. Don't follow me, don't come to my home, and don't contact me again. I think you should hide for now. Stay safe."
They stared at one another until Mr. Marsala finally rolled up his window, shifted his gears, and drove out of the parking lot.
Bella let out a heavy sigh. Hopefully, she managed to get rid of one crazy person from her life. She was about to walk to the nearby gas station when her phone beeped with a new text message.
Meet me at Croquette at 5:30 PM. We need to catch up. I'll tell you everything you need to know.
She frowned at the unfamiliar phone number. She wondered if it was Jasper. "Catch up," she scoffed. "No, more like you need to tell me what the hell you're doing." It was already almost 5:00 and her breath smelled like the canned tuna she ate over her trash can earlier. "Whatever," she muttered, getting into her car. If Jasper tried to smell her again, like he had a habit of doing, she'd just turn her head and exhale in his face.
When she pulled up to the restaurant, she immediately became self-conscious in her hoodie and jeans. It was a nice restaurant with walls of wine racks and several beautiful chandeliers. She quickly popped a breath mint before making her way into the restaurant, nerves tingling.
As she entered, her eyes immediately fell upon a familiar cocktail hat perched on top of a head of beautiful wavy golden hair. The woman turned, catching Bella's eyes, and a satisfied smirk spread across her lips.
"Rosalie?"
A/N: This was a fun chapter to write.