Chapter 11: The Friend and The Foe
Bella immediately panicked and frantically scanned the restaurant, trying to find Jasper. Was this a "business" meeting that Jasper had joked about at the cafe? Were they now expecting her to find two victims per week? If quiet, stoic Jasper was this cruel to her, she couldn't fathom how vicious Rosalie would be.
Rosalie turned around fully in her seat as Bella continued to stand frozen in place. "Bella, it's just us. Come, sit." She beckoned to the seat across from her.
Bella tentatively walked over towards the table, unable to avert her eyes from Rosalie.
Rosalie was still strikingly beautiful, though her beauty no longer seemed to transcend mortal standards as it once had. Her cheeks, once flawlessly porcelain, now softened and held a subtle flush of color, and her eyes, a brilliant violet-blue.
"Rosalie, what are you doing here?" Bella asked, sitting down across from her. She regarded Rosalie with a mix of awe and concern, unable to believe the transformation she was seeing. She seemed to have undergone the same changes as Jasper, though her eyes weren't the terrifying scarlet Bella saw in her nightmares.
"I'm glad you didn't ignore my text." Rosalie replied, a faint hint of amusement touching her lips. "Sounds like some things have happened between you and Jasper lately. You've gotten him in quite a bit of trouble so he has asked me to accompany him for the time being."
"Jasper's in trouble?" Bella scoffed in amazement. "He deserves it! Do you know what he's been doing?" Her chin trembled slightly.
Rosalie sighed deeply and rolled her eyes in exacerbation. "Yes, I've gathered a bit about what you two have been up to."
"It's not 'you two.' It's all him!" Bella interjected vehemently. She looked around and lowered her voice. "He's been blackmailing me for a month! There are two dead people, probably after Jasper made them drink his blood, and three other people missing. And Victoria! She's blind and toothless and broke into my room and tried to kill me but Jasper destroyed my apartment building and dragged her away and he won't tell me what he's doing and now I live in a roach motel. I'm at my wit's end, I have no idea—"
"Bella, breath," Rosalie interrupted, then held her hand in front of her scrunched up nose. "Oh my God, what did you eat?"
"Never mind that. Why did you want to meet with me?" Bella snapped. "Did you come here with Jasper?" She shivered involuntarily. "Are you going to ask me to bring victims too?"
Rosalie gave her a curious look. "Don't lump me with the likes of him. I'm here to help you take him down."
Bella blinked. This was the last thing she expected. "Take him down?" she balked. She then narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why? How do I know I can trust you?"
"Ask me anything," Rosalie shrugged. "I'll tell you about whatever you want to know."
Bella looked at her skeptically.
"You've made things difficult for him. Which means he's made things difficult for me." At Bella's unchanging expression, Rosalie continued, her speech more pressured. "We were both dead to the vampire world except for a few Volturi guards; but now, the Denalis know. Then, Jasper tells me you left a cufflink with the Cullen crest in a bodybag, so now the Volturi Guard is looking at him even closer. Which means they're going to start looking at me."
Rosalie sighed and shook her head again. "I asked Jasper, 'Why would Bella Swan, Edward's boring ex-girlfriend—
"Hey, that's not—"
"—steal your cufflink and put it on a dead body?' Bella, you don't know what you're up against anymore. I hope you know that girl is never going to get justice. The investigation is going to stop; the Volturi will ensure it. But, Jasper's still in trouble for being so naughty and attracting all this attention. He's not allowed to hunt, harm anyone, or draw any attention to himself." Rosalie smirked. "You've been holding up pretty well against him, haven't you?"
Bella didn't have a response for that. She felt like she had been floundering for weeks.
"This is his address." Bella's phone pinged with a text notification. "He's on vacation in California during his punishment; I asked him to leave before he screwed up trying to mess with you again. I would like you to kill him."
Bella's stopped breathing. "Kill him?"
"He can't hunt. He'll be at his weakest by the end of the month. This is your chance."
Bella scoffed. "You need to back up before you start demanding crazy things like that. First, I think you should explain what the hell is going on."
"What do you want to know?" Rosalie asked calmly.
"Let's start with what happened to you and Jasper. Why don't you look like vampires anymore?"
Rosalie's lips formed a tight smile. "It's not a pleasant story, Bella."
"I don't care; I'm sick of being in the dark. And if you're asking me to kill him, I need to know exactly what you two are."
Rosalie observed her with a mix of boredom and disgust. "Fine, whatever. Jasper, Alice, and Edward were tracking Victoria about a year ago, and found themselves in a conflict in a small village in Peru, which caught the attention of the Volturi." At Bella's nod that she understood who the Volturi were, she continued. "Don't ask me 'what conflict' because Jasper refuses to share. Carlisle and Esme rushed to their aid immediately.
"Emmett and I were living in Oregon at the time, and I pleaded with him not to get involved, not where the Volturi were concerned. But, he was determined to protect the rest of the coven and followed them to Peru." She swallowed hard, before looking Bella in the eye. "I stayed behind. Their problems were not mine to bear.
"Then, a few weeks later, Jasper found me on my way to South America alone. He was still a vampire…but not quite the same, as you know. He…he was quite irresistible in his new form, in a way I can't fully explain. His blood was…." Rosalie's voice faltered momentarily, licking her lips. "I can understand now what Edward experienced with you. Jasper told me that…." Rosalie stopped, looking away into the restaurant. "He told me that Emmett was killed, along with Alice and Edward; that the Volturi had taken Carlisle and Esme as prisoners. He refused to share any more details.
"In my anger, my thirst, my anguish—I couldn't control myself, and I bit him. But there was something about his blood that weakened me and I was unable to end his life. Over the next few days, I felt my skin soften; it no longer reflected the light as it once did. My eyes shifted from amber to the color they were when I was human. I thought surely, something in his blood had changed me back to human. I no longer crave or drink blood. I can eat human food. I have a gray hair." She gestured to the crown of her head where not a single strand deviated from its golden hue.
Bella gaped at Rosalie, struggling to fully process what Rosalie had just said. "Jasper's blood made you human?" she asked incredulously.
"Not quite," Rosalie clarified. "I still possess strength beyond that of most humans, and my eyes can still shift to amber, particularly when I experience intense emotions. But, I'm aging now, whereas Jasper isn't. It must be a consequence of abstaining from human or animal blood."
"Why is he still drinking blood, then?" Bella asked. "If you've found a way to live without it, why can't he?"
"We're not the same kind of vampire," Rosalie explained. "He was always…something else. He said he never had the choice after whatever happened to him. Now Jasper's blood has a unique effect, transforming real vampires into beings like me, but he still craves it and requires blood at least once a month to sustain himself."
"Once a month?" Bella echoed, feeling suddenly very hollow. "But he's been asking me to bring him one every week!"
"Because you're dumb enough to do what he says," Rosalie sneered.
Bella recoiled as if Rosalie's words had physically struck her. "He threatened to kill my family," she said, her voice trembling with disbelief. "What else could I do? Go tell the cops that a vampire blackmailed me? I was stuck."
"Yeah," Rosalie agreed nonchalantly, as if she couldn't understand Bella's predicament. "But I suppose you would have played into his games either way."
"You're asking me to kill him," she spat, her voice trembling with disbelief. "Why are you still with him?"
Rosalie met Bella's gaze with a mixture of resignation and bitterness. "Bella, being a vampire is a lonely experience. Being a vampire with blood coursing through your veins is…unbearable. We are the only two of our kind, but I'm essentially human now, and I prefer to keep my existence hidden from other vampires and live a quiet life. Jasper, however, still has obligations to fulfill to the Volturi Guard for whatever reason, and he requires me to remain close in order to maintain the facade and keep my identity concealed from the Volturi."
"Okay…then why do you want him dead?"
"I don't like him," Rosalie replied simply, devoid of emotion. "He doesn't get to wield power over me just because he holds all the answers. He's intentionally keeping me in the dark about what occurred in Peru and how he returned half a vampire. Then there's the shenanigans you two have been up to which has turned many eyes on us." She let out a hollow laugh, her gaze shifting to her manicured nails. "You think he's difficult for you? Imagine him as your only companion, the only vampire in the world who knows of your existence. I want to be free of him."
Bella remained silent for a minute before rising from her seat.
"Where are you going?" Rosalie asked sharply.
"This was a lot to process—"
"What part was difficult to understand?" Rosalie interrupted snidely.
"—and I need some time to think things through—"
"Because that's your strong suit, right? I thought you wanted to be a vampire when you were dating Edward? Did you think things through then?"
"And I need a break from you goddamn vampires!" Bella screamed, her voice loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the restaurant. She breathed heavily as the chatter died down and eyes turned towards her. She awkwardly pushed her chair in and hurried towards the exit, her shoulders hunched. Glancing back one last time, she saw Rosalie still seated facing the opposite direction, motionless, before running out of the restaurant.
Bella waited until Sunday before gaining the courage to drive to the address Rosalie had texted her. Jasper hadn't attended Mass that morning, like Rosalie had promised he wouldn't, given his supposed "vacation" in another state. Her jaw dropped as she recognized the road as she approached the Haunted House on Fox Hill. How could he be so cavalier to purchase this home? And then allow people nearby to hear screaming from inside?
Bella hesitated at the imposing double doors, her hand poised to knock, but before she could make a move, the door swung open and Rosalie stood there in a sleek designer suit.
"You're late," Rosalie said, gesturing for Bella to enter.
What if this is a trap? Bella thought as she stepped inside. What could I even do, even just by looking around the house?"
"Why don't you kill him?" Bella blurted out.
"He'll see it coming." Rosalie shrugged. "I've expressed my displeasure more often than not."
"And I haven't?" Bella snarked.
"You're a weak little human to him. He would never expect you to."
"Okay, well then do you know how I would kill him?"
"No, I don't," Rosalie admitted.
They locked eyes in silence. "Are you joking? Then what are you even asking me to do?" Bella exclaimed.
Suddenly, Bella heard a muffled screaming coming from behind a nearby door.
"Is that…Victoria?" she asked, her voice breaking.
"You're welcome to go down and see."
Bella eyed Rosalie suspiciously. Was she going to shut the door behind her and lock her in the house? Rosalie rolled her eyes and went through the door in front of her, leaving it open behind her.
Bella cautiously followed, her footsteps echoing in the dimly lit basement. The air was thick with a musty smell, and the floor was covered in a layer of dust. The room felt like it hadn't been touched in years. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw a large prison cell against one wall. It was made of rusty metal bars and had several heavy padlocks securing the door. Inside the cell, there were several forms slumped on the ground, though only one caught her attention. It was a woman, her body seizing as she let out another piercing scream.
Bella's stomach churned with horror as she realized it was Victoria and that the other bodies were the three missing people. Once fiery and untouchable, Victoria now looked broken and desperate, her arms reaching out blindly through the bars, her fingers ending in stumps.
"What-what-what—" She struggled to form any coherent words. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Victoria's bleeding face and hands.
"Better her than me," Rosalie said dryly.
"What the fuck is going on?" Bella screamed. "Why? Didn't you guys invite her into the coven? I know you guys gave her a Cullen crest. Why would he harm her?"
"Edward, Alice, and Jasper caught up to her after they killed James"—Victoria let out a wail at his name—"and came to a truce. She was offered membership in our coven and protection if needed, as long as she stopped hunting Edward. Idiots thought they could sing kumbaya with a Nomad," Rosalie snorted. "I suspect that since Edward died, she's been trying to find and kill you instead. And then she proved my point and killed some kid a month later a mile away from here."
Steven Marsala. That's why Mr. Marsala was able to grab the necklace off Victoria—she had just freshly broken her truce with the Cullens.
"Then what is she doing here like this?" Bella shrieked. There was no way Jasper was keeping Victoria here to keep Bella safe.
"I suspect he's experimenting on her."
The room was starting to spin. This was too much. She couldn't look at Victoria anymore. "The others…"
"They're alive," Rosalie assured her. "Just sedated."
Bella couldn't imagine anyone deserving this—even Victoria. She thought hard about what Mr. Marsala had said about what she had done to his son, but seeing her moaning helpless against the bars with her eyes and teeth ripped out—
"I need to get out of here," Bella whispered, tripping and running up the stairs. She burst through a small door in the hallway, which she assumed was the bathroom, and emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet.
"Sorry, I guess that was upsetting." Rosalie smiled apologetically.
Bella shot Rosalie a dirty look. "I could call the police right now. Those people can be saved."
"You can try," Rosalie shrugged. "You can save those three people; you can reveal the existence of vampires to the world, if that's what you really want. But just keep in mind—if Jasper is alive at the end of this, he will torture and kill you and your entire family. Your choice."
Bella struggled to say anything, her chin trembling, her lips pressed into a tight line, quivering with brimming frustration. She imagined Charlie in a prison like the one downstairs, tortured and missing his eyes and she shook her head quickly to expel the thought.
She let out an exasperated groan before wordlessly beginning her search around the house. The grandeur of the place struck her—tall ceilings, intricate moldings, and expansive windows that flooded each room with sunlight. Yet, despite its size, the house felt empty, devoid of warmth or life.
She wandered through the spacious rooms, her steps echoing softly against the polished floors. In the dim light flittering through the curtains, she explored the elegant living areas, the dining room with its ornate chandelier, the cozy sitting rooms furnished with plush sofas. She tried to imagine Jasper in each room she visited and felt an overwhelming sense of sadness that she couldn't explain.
She stumbled upon the master bedroom, which was relatively tidy with the furniture arranged with precision. The only hint that someone was using the bedroom was the unmade bed. Her eyes scanned the room until they settled on a bunched-up shirt lying in front of one of the pillows. Her heart began to race as she sped up to the bed to pick up the shirt. The fabric felt cool and soft beneath her fingers until it stiffened at the sleeve, covered in dried blood. She recognized it immediately: it was the same shirt Jasper had worn to the cafe, the one she had grabbed with her bloody hand.
A wave of revulsion washed over her. Had Jasper kept the shirt as some kind of twisted memento? Or perhaps, it was a reminder of what she had done, a reminder that Bella needed to be punished.
With trembling hands, she balled up the shirt and swiftly disposed of it in the kitchen trash can. Whatever he was planning to do with the shirt, she wasn't going to let him get away with his disgusting perversions.
She resumed her search and eventually returned to a set of French doors back at the front of the house, which opened into a large, airy study. A massive oak desk dominated the space. Bella approached the desk and began to sift through the drawers, her fingers brushing against the smooth wood as she searched for anything that she could hold against Jasper. In the bottom drawer, she found a letter opener with an intricate handle and a small leather book.
"What are you doing?" Rosalie asked, entering the study. "This isn't a house tour."
"I found this book—"
"I didn't know we had guests over."
Rosalie and Bella both spun around, their faces draining of color as Jasper loomed in the doorway.
"What are you two doing?" His tone was cool, his expression unreadable.
Bella's hand instinctively closed around the letter opener in the drawer, but as she stepped back, she bumped into him. She gasped and whirled to face him—she hadn't seen him move from the doorway.
He gently took the dagger from her hand. "Like a little mouse, caught stealing some cheese." He turned the letter opener to examine it before casually putting it back in the drawer. "It's been a while since I last had a proper guest in this house. I'll treat you to a meal, specially made by me," he said, leaving the study without acknowledging Rosalie's presence.
"What?" Bella exclaimed. "N-no, I'll leave." No way in hell I'm eating anything you make. She and Rosalie exchanged uneasy looks before reluctantly trailing after Jasper into the kitchen.
"Besides, it's getting late…" Bella protested weakly.
"Bella. Eat." Jasper commanded, his attention fixed on the plate he was retrieving from the fridge. Her heart sank as she spotted the large piece of meat.
Rosalie licked her bottom lip once nervously. "Jas, she's uncomfortable, just let her—"
"Rosalie." The way Jasper's voice sliced through the air silenced them both. "She's going to eat before she leaves."
Oh my god, I can't breathe. This jerk isn't even asking why I'm here or what I'm doing. She glanced at Rosalie, who wore an equally confused expression.
"What do you think of my home?" Jasper asked suddenly, hand gesturing to his surroundings.
"Huh?" Bella blinked, surprised by the question.
"Does it live up to its name?"
"I-I don't know—"
He was looking at the plate he was holding. "Hm, do we have enough food….Do I need to go catch something?" Jasper teased, a mischievous gleam in his eye. Bella couldn't gauge his mood, but his playful mood unnerved her as he set down the plate in front of her, revealing a 12-ounce steak.
She was the only one with a plate in front of her. "Um, aren't you going to eat?"
He was leaning on the kitchen island, his chin resting on his fist as he watched her. "I'm not hungry," he responded quickly.
She didn't believe him. Now that she was looking at him more carefully, he was as pale as a corpse, like a real vampire. If what Rosalie had theorized about Jasper using Christine and Jason as bait was true, then he must not have fed for over a month now. It almost explained why he was frequently at her throat.
"Are-are you sure you don't want to eat?" she pressed, nudging the plate closer to him. Is this really steak? What if it's human meat?
"Don't worry about me. I eat everything that you bring me," he said with a smile, watching her reaction closely.
Bella felt her blood freeze. Was he lying to her?
He turned around and grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and grabbed a tall dark bottle. She watched dark red liquid pour out of the bottle into the glass. She had never seen wine that color. He placed the wine glass in front of her. "Drink this too," he instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Bella shuddered. "I…I don't drink alcohol—" What's in that glass?
"It's not alcohol," Jasper stated firmly.
"—and I drove here—"
"I'll let you go if you drink this." His eyes flashed scarlet, his voice taking on an edge. "If you drink, I'll let you leave quietly."
Bella thought she was going to faint. Was he going to feed her his blood? Was she going to end up like Christine and Jason? A victim with unknown digested blood in her stomach? Reluctantly, Bella picked up the glass, her hand shaking slightly. She hesitated a moment before bringing the glass to her lips and forcing herself to swallow it all, her throat tightening with each quick gulp. She pulled the glass away, her expression filled with horror, Jasper burst into laughter, his hand pressed firmly against his chest. Bella's eyes widened in disbelief.
It was just juice.
She slammed the wine glass down. "Is this it? I'm leaving…goddamn asshole," she spat. With every ounce of self-control she could muster, she resisted the urge to throttle him and stormed out of the kitchen.
"Bye, Bella," Jasper cooed, mockingly. Bella could hear his laughter echoing after her as she made her exit.
Bella cursed under her breath all the way out. Before she got into her car, she saw the red sedan parked across the street. Mr. Marsala. He was holding his camera under his chin feebly, his face white as a sheet, as his horrified eyes landed on her.
She briefly imagined running up to his car and screaming at him that she'd call the cops. He was clearly stalking her and this couldn't go by unchecked. But she hesitated, remembering last year when she threatened to report similar behavior, the police had told her they couldn't do anything unless there were "visible injuries to the victim." She shot him an expression that she hoped conveyed her warning—I see you, idiot.
She sighed and rolled her eyes at him and got into her car. If she saw him one more time near her, she would call the police, regardless of what they said.
In her car, Bella couldn't shake the disturbing encounter she had at the Haunted House—Victoria and the three missing people. She gnawed on her fingernail. Something needed to be done so those people could be released. But at least for the next month, Jasper couldn't hunt or harm humans. She had walked into his house, snooped around, and he still let her go. She wondered if she was free from him for now.
She arrived at her apartment late in the evening, lugging her groceries one step at a time. only to find Rosalie waiting for her with a large travel bag in hand. Rosalie looked every bit the vintage diva, her coat straight out of a 50s magazine.
"What are you doing here?" Bella asked, shocked.
"I'll be staying here for a while," Rosalie replied nonchalantly.
Bella just looked at her. "You can't just decide that!"
"Jasper and I had a fight." Rosalie's looked detached, almost severed from the present.
"Okay…but no matter what happened between you two, you can't—"
Rosalie shrugged, unfazed. "Don't you have more questions about what we are now? Our limitations? I'm giving you an opportunity."
A/N: I hope the timeline with Victoria makes sense. If it doesn't: basically like canon, the Cullens chase Victoria after the showdown with James but when they catch up with her, they come to a truce and invite her to their coven. A few months later, she goes back to Seattle and kills Steven Marsala, a boy who looks similar to Edward. At this point, the Cullens have left Bella and Edward, with the help of Alice and Jasper, hunts Victoria all the way to Peru where something happens resulting in the deaths we know about. Jasper follows her back to Seattle and lures her. Hope that clears things up!