I took a while and I´m back with a somewhat short chapter. I´m working on writing the next chapter, but I was busy with work and studies. I hope you like it.
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Sam moved quickly to get Emily out of the hallway, as soon as he moved her away from the door, the disgust she felt gradually dimmed, she felt incredibly exhausted, although her exhaustion was mostly mental, her body felt heavy, her stomach empty, and the acidic taste of bile lingered on her tongue.
Bella had pulled the collar of her sweater to cover her nose and mouth with it so wouldn't breathe, everything was happening fast and she didn't have time to process why Jacob and Emily were suddenly sick, although she was worried about her friends, she was also upset because they vomited on the floor of her hallway.
His thoughts disappeared when she heard that smelled like a vampire inside the house and she felt the need to flee the place, she began to feel nauseous, but it was not related to the strange phenomenon that hit the Quileute, it was just the reflection of his anxiety emerging.
Bella's heart started to beat fast as she heard Sam, Leah, Seth and Jacob growl.
"Go away" Jacob said with an almost strangled voice, he slowly got up from the ground, but Bella didn't react.
The young woman just stood there in the hallway, staring at the floor in shock, her mind racing with thousands of scenarios of Victoria inside her room.
"Go away…" Jacob said louder as he trembled and his voice seemed to get deeper, losing his patience.
Knowing that it was better to act before everything got out of control, Seth lunged forward, carefully scooping Bella into his arms and ran down the stairs, sitting her next to Emily on the couch, who had Sam's head in her lap and was stroking his short black hair while he was kneeling at her feet.
"Bella, are you okay?" The younger wolf asked softly, his eyes shining with concern, he tilted his head innocently to the side as he looked worriedly at his friend.
"Victoria…" It came out like a whisper from Bella's lips, she seemed to be still trapped in her mind, measuring the risks and thinking.
Seth and Emily exchanged a worried look, not knowing how to react.
Jacob went down the stairs and was preparing to leave the house, his brow was furrowed and he planned to look for the damn leech before the smell disappeared.
"Where do you think you're going, Jacob?" Sam asked without lifting his head from Emily's lap.
"I'm not going to stay on my knees on the ground while our goal slips away." The young Black said with an acidic tone, clearly displeased "What's wrong, Sam? Are you planning to stay on your knees all night or are you planning to move?"
Sam grunted and slowly stood up, looking at Jacob who seemed to be challenging him.
"And leave Emily unprotected?" Sam's deep voice sent a shiver down Bella's spine, snapping her out of her thoughts and forcing her to look at their confrontation.
"Emily can stay with Leah and Seth just like Bella" Jacob continued to insist, unwilling to let the strange vampire escape.
Leah walked down the stairs and crossed her arms looking at both men.
"If you're going to do something, do it now" Leah's biting tone made everyone pay attention to her, she sighed deeply and walked towards Sam and looked up at him with disdain "It's no use sitting around while the vampires come and go, serve a purpose and do your job."
Sam exhaled sharply and looked at the floor clenching his jaw, he felt a soft hand caressing his own, he didn't have to turn to know it was Emily.
"I'll be fine, Honey" Her kind and sweet voice encouraged him "Go to Jacob and catch the vampire."
Bella watched as Sam moved to go to Jacob, she bit the inside of her cheeks thinking of ways she could help the Quileutes.
She was startled when the door slammed shut and Seth seemed to deflate at the same time as Leah sighed and rubbed her face with her hands.
Outside the house, Sam and Jacob headed towards the tree line that could be seen from Bella's bedroom window, Sam was ahead but before reaching the trees a feeling of disgust and nausea came over him, however, the feeling was weak, he managed to stop himself from vomiting by breathing deeply and backing away until the sensation went away.
Jacob observed that and saw how Sam relaxed as he took 4 steps back, he frowned looking at.
"Shit…what was that?" Sam's eyes were open as he breathed heavily, not even when it was normal did, he feel anything like that.
"You felt it, didn't you?" Jacob approached Sam and put his hand on the alpha's shoulder "The same disgust that Emily and I felt, but you didn't vomit..."
Sam shook his head and turned to look at the young Black, Sam's brow furrowed in displeasure.
"A feeling of disgust, but… it wasn't strong enough to make me vomit." They both turned to look at the road in front of them.
Jacob frowned curiously and attempted to take four steps forward, his scowl deepening as a wave of disgust washed over him again, but this time it was much weaker, he retreated again, feeling the disgust disappear.
"There is something…" Jacob said thoughtfully in a low voice.
Sam watched him with curiosity and annoyance, inhaled and smelled the faint scent of vampire going in the direction they couldn't walk.
"Can't we follow the leech?" Sam was angry, thinking about how they had created the wave of disgust.
Jacob looked at the ground thoughtfully, trying to figure out what was happening.
"I don't know… the smell is covered by this…foulness...However, it only has an effect if you 'collide' with that essence... even so, it was stronger 15 minutes ago inside the house, it's like... like it's disappearing" Jacob was remembering how intense the feeling was when he tried to enter Bella's room.
Curious, Jacob began to walk to the side and then forward towards the tree line, trying to 'surround' where the vampire smell was and where the wave of disgust was hitting, his eyes widened in amazement when he noticed that he could move forward without feeling the disgust.
"We can move forward if we avoid the direct path behind the smell" Jacob said a little more animated, with an arrogant smile at his discovery.
"We have to be quick, the smell will disappear completely soon" Sam began to circle the direct path following Jacob and positioning himself in front of him.
They both went deeper into the trees, transforming and running quickly following the vampire's trail.
Bella's phone, which was forgotten inside Sam's pants, was destroyed by the force and physical impact of the Alpha's transformation.
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Emily, Leah and Seth were sitting on Bella's couch, they had been waiting for about 5 minutes while Bella looked for white paper and pencils.
Leah frowns suspiciously, Seth rocked in his seat, and Emily rubbed her forehead with her hand knowing what Bella wanted to do. Emily hoped that the incident would make Bella forget her intensity.
"So... What is Bella trying to do?" The youngest of the wolves asked curiously.
Emily sighed and shook her head.
"The question is, what isn't Bella trying to do, Seth?" Emily sounded tired and Leah doubted it was from recent events.
Bella returned to the living room carrying in her arms a folder full of white sheets and several pens, she seemed almost upset and anxious, Leah wondered if Bella's poor mental health had finally gone out the window, no one could stay sane with everything she's been through lately.
Even Seth was looking at her with concern, but Bella had no interest in paying attention to other people's concerns.
"Well, I've been thinking about this for hours, but I preferred to wait until they were together." Bella dropped everything on the living room table in front of the couch where the 3 Quileutes were "I'll talk to Jake and Sam about it later..."
"Bella, what is all this?" Leah crossed her arms as she looked at Bella with a frown and narrowed eyes.
"I'm trying to help" Bella said with her gaze fixed on the pages where she began to scribble.
"Bella... we already talked about this" Emily's voice was a little tired as she ran her fingers through her hair.
The Clearwater siblings watched the exchange in confusion, Leah's gaze fell back on Bella, who was still scribbling with a frown.
"Bella…" Leah began to lose patience with the youngest, she didn't like any of this.
Bella sighed and looked up from the leaves, her eyes quickly scanning the three familiar faces.
"I know a few things that might help..." She seemed anxious; Bella was already anticipating the refusal.
"We do not go to…"
"Just let me talk!... please" The brunette interrupted Leah, her fists were clenched.
Leah sighed in annoyance and looked at Emily to find a look that silently told her that Bella wasn't going to give in.
"You have five minutes" Leah said through her teeth clenched in irritation.
Bella, now animated, took the papers in her hands and sat on the edge of the table in front of the Quileutes.
"When I was 17, the Cullens took me on an outing with them where they played baseball, that's where I met Victoria." Bella looked at the three before continuing and showed them a sheet where there was an attempt at a drawing where she tried to represent three people, the drawing of a man with a ponytail had X-shaped eyes, there was the drawing of a man with dreadlocks and a question mark and another that looked like an attempt to draw Victoria. Seth smiled as he found the drawing amusing, Emily and Leah looked at him curiously.
"The Cullens killed James" Bella pointed to the drawing of the man with the x's in his eyes "He wanted to kill me, but they saved me" Bella quickly scratched the drawing of James "He, Laurent, is missing, he was a partner of Victoria and James, I don't know if he will continue to be Victoria's friend or abandoned her. He really didn't seem very loyal after selling James."
Leah looked back at Bella suspiciously and raised an eyebrow in doubt.
"And what good is this information for us?" she asked without leaving his biting tone aside.
Bella smiled and showed another drawing, it was an attempt to draw fire and next to the flame was James' drawing again.
"The Cullens killed James by tearing him up and throwing him into the fire, we could kill Victoria if we find a way to ambush her and burn her." Bella frowned and rubbed her chin thoughtfully "But I think what is sensitive to fire is its poison, if we try to burn it probably won't hurt much... and I can't physically harm a vampire."
Leah, Emily and Seth looked at each other, Seth frowning slightly.
"Maybe if we got something that could start a fire, like a match or something, I could be a decoy to attract Victoria and…"
"No! Enough!" Annoyed Leah interrupted, who got up from the couch and started walking around the living room "You went crazy?! Now you're a pyromaniac and suicidal?!"
Bella stood up and looked at her, Emily was rubbing her eyebrows with her fingers, and Seth was silent watching the exchange.
"What? No! I just thought…"
"That's the problem! You thought!" Leah angrily raised her hands almost in disbelief "We're in this trouble because you thought the Cullens were good company! You almost got killed in Phoenix because you thought you were going to save your mother! You were depressed for a year because you thought bloodsuckers were going to see you as more than lunch!"
Bella stayed silent looking at Leah not knowing how to defend herself, Emily looked up at her cousin.
"Leah, that's enough..." Emily murmured softly.
"No! Someone must tell him! Since he got here, he's just ruined everything!" Leah was screaming and clenching her fists in disgust "We try to fix the problems it causes and she thinks the leech is going to sit with its mouth open waiting for Bella to light a match and throw it in its mouth!"
"I trust you! How is it so difficult to receive that back?" Bella stood up angry, trying to control her trembling and avoid tears "If any of your efforts were better, it wouldn't have taken you almost two years chasing Victoria. Not even a vampire could have entered my house!"
Leah walked until she was face to face with Bella, Emily looked at them not knowing how to intervene and Seth wasn't sure what to say.
"Do you think we've been taking walks in the countryside, jumping and singing?" Leah's voice was low and thick, intimidating the younger girl and causing her to shiver. Bella swallowed without looking away from Leah's dark eyes "You may not know it and I honestly don't care, but every day we are risking our lives. We all have families; do you think everything revolves around you? I'm not chasing bloodsuckers just to save you, I'm trying to keep my people and what's left of my family safe, although my dreams were different..."
Leah's piercing eyes momentarily moved away from Bella to look at Emily, who lowered her face in shame.
"We already know that they burn to death…" Seth's voice was almost a whisper "Don't you remember the campfire stories?"
Bella looked away, embarrassed to admit that she only paid attention when they mentioned the cold ones.
Leah pulled away breathing and rubbing her face with her hands to relax.
"We know that you have to tear them apart and burn them to prevent them from coming together... but you shouldn't expose yourself that way" Seth tried to convince Bella, but his expression did not seem to indicate that he would give in.
"Bella, think carefully, you have nothing to do against her" Emily pleaded, her face showing genuine concern.
Bella looked at the three Quileutes and turned around walking towards the kitchen to get away a little. The three Quileutes looked at each other, each with a different thought.
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The sound of keys being slammed was the only thing breaking the quiet Forks Police Chief's office, dimly illuminated by the blue light projected by the computer monitor, the darkness loomed large outside the police station, Charlie sighed and ran his fingers through his dark mustache, having just finished a call from a police officer.
Everything seemed to be going wrong, months had passed and there was still no trace of the missing young girl, he felt incompetent.
"God...how am I supposed to solve this?"
He was supposed to protect the citizens, and he was unable to track down and rescue a young girl who could very well be younger than his own daughter.
There were officers who kept theorizing that it could be an animal attack, but there were many clues and signs that everything was the work of someone rational and with malicious intentions, there were too many coincidences to be overlooked.
Charlie's black hair was beginning to gray from stress.
He hadn't wanted to worry his Bella by showing her how bad he was going through, after all, everyone depended on him to get through this crisis.
It had to be strong for everyone.
For she…
Charlie had spent the last few hours examining records and leads to find out about Riley's whereabouts and whether he was actively involved in this or was truly just another victim.
Nothing…
There was nothing…
It was as if the boy had vanished into thin air.
I was about to leave it at that and go look for more clues.
Or maybe go home to spend the night lounging with Bella or watching TV.
When was the last time he was able to relax watching a game at night while drinking a beer and eating pizza?
A sound snapped Charlie out of his thoughts, it was fast and loud, it didn't give his brain time to process it properly and determine the source.
He listened to see if it would ring again, he was in no mood to deal with drunk men.
A loud knock sounded from a tree, Charlie was startled and quickly grabbed his flashlight as he got up from his chair to go investigate. No idiot was brainless enough to cause trouble near the police station.
Charlie walked through the dark police station, heading towards the exit, he could barely see outside because of all the fog that was beginning to cover the place and the imposing trees rising to the sky.
He turned on his flashlight and started walking around, trying to see a drunk or an animal causing trouble.
Nothing.
"Hello?... is anybody there?"
There was no answer.
Frowning, he began to head towards the back of the police station.
The silence was disturbing.
Usually there were crickets or small animals hanging around, but everything seemed desolate.
Dead.
The hairs on the back of Charlie's neck stood up and he started to get goosebumps.
He felt a pit in his stomach, he almost felt hopeless.
There was still time to turn around.
"If there's anyone there, get out now..."
There's no answer.
Swallowing his unease, he decided to tentatively head towards the forest.
His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath.
It smelled so sweet.
Was it a perfume?
The smell made him think of the Cullen family.
Why would it smell similar in the forest at night?
"Carlisle?"
He blurted out the first name that crossed his mind.
Silence.
Why would there be a response?
His feet moved without thinking towards that aroma.
Almost as if he was attracted.
He barely managed to cross the line of trees, making very little progress.
The flashlight wasn't being much help.
The darkness was thick and impenetrable.
Before taking another step, he froze.
Your heart could almost fail.
A guttural growl filled the air, an almost destructive and unnatural sound.
It was thunderous and invasive.
Cold sweat began to run across Charlie's forehead, he trembled and, in his mind, he prayed all the prayers his parents taught him.
Very slowly his hand went down to pat his pants.
His gun was gone.
He shakily licks his dry lips until two small glosses catch his attention.
Deep in the liquid darkness that engulfed and enveloped the thick trees there were two small yellowish twinkling lights.
Eyes.
But the height they were at was abnormal, Charlie's brain didn't process whether the bears' eyes glowed in the dark.
With a trembling hand he brought the flashlight to where the eyes were shining.
The enormous head of a wolf was staring at him.
The size was not normal, a wolf of such enormous size could not exist.
The beast bared its enormous fangs, it could easily chop off its head if it tried.
Only hell could possess a beast of such magnitude.
The flashlight falls to the ground and illuminates the beast's enormous legs.
Charlie's heart was beating erratically.
Frightened, he begins to back away, watching as the wolf stares at him without moving.
Through his eyes he could feel the animal's reasoning and intelligence.
His legs give out and Charlie falls backwards to the ground, quickly getting up and running as best he can.
The beast does not seem to follow him.
Charlie clumsily enters the police station and, in his office, begins to look for his gun, but it is not in its place.
"Fuck… Not now, please. Where is?"
Charlie practically begs and curses at the same time, wondering if the beast is waiting to kill him.
Perhaps all those dead young men were killed by those colossal beasts with human eyes.
It could not be otherwise.
Charlie remembers that his gun was in the glove compartment of his car, moving as best he could, panic-stricken, he leaves the police station and stumbles, but manages to get there.
He starts searching the glove compartment, finds his gun and loads it.
He removes the safety and armed with his gun and adrenaline; he decides to return to the forest where that monster awaits him.
He keeps his finger on the trigger and takes aim with a trembling hand, determined not to let his guard down.
He ventured into the dark and dense forest, but the beast disappeared.
Charlie notices that the sweet scent has also disappeared.
He presses his back against the nearest tree and squeezes his eyes shut.
He can't stop shaking, he's still in a cold sweat and he drops to the ground, clutching his head in his hands, feeling like he could faint at any moment.
He couldn't forget the human eyes of the beast looking at him intelligently, almost with disdain or anger as it revealed its row of fangs, it was terrifying.
If the wolf had jumped on him, would praying have helped? ask for mercy?
Tears fell from her eyes and she let out a sigh.