Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.
This story contains fem slash.
Author's Note:
A note for readers who were following this story prior to 2024: I have revamped (no pun intended) this story and intend to start posting new chapters occasionally. I would recommend rereading the existing content before continuing to the new chapters.*
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Last updated/edited on 10/01/2024.
Third Person POV: Jacob
Jacob watched from First Beach as Bella leapt off the edge of the cliffs over the ocean. Jacob sprinted towards the ocean and dove in towards the spot she went under.
What was Bella thinking? Was she suicidal or just overestimating her human durability? This was bad, the ocean water was tumultuous and frigid. He was able to endure the temperature because of his high body heat but Bella would almost certainly get hypothermia.
He pushed himself harder, swimming rapidly through the waves. When he reached the area where she had landed, he took a deep breath and plunged down into the water. He kicked hard, propelling himself down toward the rocks and prayed Bella had not injured herself. That was unlikely though - she always managed to get hurt.
He spotted a flash of reddish orange in his left peripheral vision and started swimming towards it. As he approached, he saw Victoria swimming away, leaving Bella's body behind. This was the closest Jacob had ever managed to get to Victoria, but his priority was getting Bella safe.
Jacob cradled Bella's body with one arm and headed for the shore. He noticed a thick streak of blood flowing from the back of her head. Shit! She must have hit her head on the rocks after all. He carried her drenched body to the shore and laid her down on the beach.
Bella released a pained moan, and Jacob was relieved that she was still semi-conscious despite her head injury. But as he leaned down to give her CPR, she released a shrill scream and started thrashing violently.
Jacob pulled back in confusion and caught a faint whiff of venom through the pungent sea stench. He gently turned Bella's head away and pushed her damp hair away from her neck. His heart dropped as he saw a fresh bite mark. The wound had already healed and stood out as two opposing silver crescent marks on Bella's pale skin.
He knew what he was obligated to do… Newly turned vampires lacked control and were notoriously aggressive. Not to mention his pack was sworn to eliminating vampires and protecting humans.
But as Jacob looked down at the girl he loved; he just couldn't find it in himself to kill her.
He released a sharp breath and raked a hand through his buzzed hair. He thought through his limited options, opting for the simplest solution. He had to get Bella somewhere far away from Forks so that Victoria wouldn't find her and away from any highly populated areas so that she wouldn't encounter any humans when she woke. He could bring her to central Alaska. The Gates of the Arctic National Park had a vast expanse of terrain with plenty of wildlife to sustain her. He would need his dad's help to stall the pack, but if he drove the whole trip, his pack mates wouldn't be able to track him by scent. However, once he got back, he wouldn't be able to hide what he'd done from the pack-mind.
Timing-wise the destination was perfect; the drive to the national park would take approximately three days with minimal sleep and Bella would wake soon after he dropped her off. He knew the pack would shun him for saving a leech, but Bella was his best friend.
Jacob scooped Bella up bridal style and jogged to his car. He placed her in the trunk and grabbed a sweatshirt to wrap around her neck and face to muffle her screams. He closed the trunk and took off down the road towards his house.
When he arrived home, he found his dad lounging in the family room watching the football game. His father greeted him when he entered, and Jacob took a seat next to him.
"Dad… I need to ask you for a favor, but I need you to not ask any questions for now." He implored him. His father switched off the television and turned his full attention to his son. Billy looked at his son searchingly, it was out of character for him to be so serious about anything.
"Okay son. What do you need?" He inquired.
"I need to leave the res for a few days, and I don't want anyone from the pack coming after me. You can tell them whatever excuse you want; say we had a fight, and I needed to cool down, but please, just make sure they don't follow me."
His father released a long breath, contemplating. Jacob knew his father trusted him – he had been so proud when Jacob became a protector for the tribe - but this request was sketchy.
"Okay, I will do this for you, but I want you to explain the full situation to me when you return. Deal?" His father told him.
Jacob's shoulders sagged in relief, and he gave his father a quick hug. "Deal! Thank you, dad."
Jacob jogged to his car and immediately set off to the Gates of the Arctic National Park with Bella still in the back. He wished he could give her more dignity then being stuck in the trunk, but he didn't want anyone to see a screaming girl in his passenger seat and report him to the police.
He had just enough time to spare to make it to Alaska before she woke.
First Person POV: Nameless
I felt myself being carried and placed gently on the ground. I was in agony. I clawed at the individual and screamed, begging for mercy. The burning had started to recede from my extremities, focusing hotter and hotter as it closed in on my heart.
The individual stepped back and spoke to me.
"I hope you can hear me… I just… I want to tell you that you can't come back to Forks." I heard a pained baritone voice say and then heard retreating footsteps. I cried out with new vigor, my voice hoarse from overuse, begging the individual to end my suffering. But it was in vain as all I heard was the fading sound of them running away.
The burning was converging on my heart now. I let out one last sharp cry of pain before my heart gave a resounding beat once, twice, and then stilled.
It was over.
I took a moment to breathe in relief. I could smell the overwhelming fragrance of pine and undertones of fresh dirt and flowers. And somewhere far away were beings with a rich earthy scent. I felt myself laying on a bed of pine needles. I gently shifted my fingers and felt my fingertips brush across the soft surface. I heard the birds chirping and water rushing in a stream nearby. There was an uncomfortable burning sensation growing at the base of my throat.
I opened my eyes and was greeted by a rush of stimulation. I blinked a few times and focused on the space in front of me. I could make out tiny pollen molecules suspended in the air. I allowed my eyes to focus farther out and saw sunrays filtering through the gaps in the pine needles and tree leaves. And the leaves! I could see every vein on them from this distance.
I moved to stand and found myself landing gracefully on my feet. I searched the immediate area for any signs of life but found no other beings close by. After a few moments, I grew bored waiting for nothing and began to walk aimlessly through the forest.
I recalled the individual who left me here speaking to me before I woke… you can't come back to Forks. I didn't know where Forks was, but I assumed that I must have lived there at some point. However, I was clearly unwanted there and I had no maps nor a mode of transportation to get there regardless. I let out a dejected huff. The forest was beautiful, maybe I would just stay here for now?
After a few hours of wandering, the burning in my throat had still not dissipated, in fact it had grown more intense as time had passed.
I took a deep breath and picked up on the rich earthy scent again. I decided to follow my instincts, running towards the direction of the pleasant scent. A herd of caribou came into view. Of course, when they heard me break through the undergrowth, they scattered but I darted after one and pounced. I pierced my teeth into the animal's neck and felt warm blood start to gush out. Although the taste was earthy and slightly bitter, it was also rich and sweet. I swallowed it down, only managing to consume about half the liquid that spilled out of the wound. As I finished drinking from the caribou, I pondered. Drinking from the caribou had reduced the burn in my throat, but it hadn't tasted particularly good. There had to be better options out there.
I glanced down and realized that the front of my shirt was now covered with blood along with my hands and face. I would have to find a water source to clean myself. Hopefully, I'd learn to stay clean when drinking with more practice.
I spent the rest of the day hunting caribou to soothe the burn in my throat. I worked on my stealth, sneaking up on the herds and catching my prey unaware. Their blood was sweeter when they were surprised.
Third Person POV: Victoria
Victoria stepped onto the shore of an empty beach in Portugal. She was thankful to be far away from those mangey wolves on the West Coast.
Today she had taken a significant step towards her revenge against the Cullen coven. She would see them suffer for her mate's death. But first she wanted to give them a taste of the suffering that they had caused her.
Victoria had accomplished what she set out to do - Bella was either dead or undead by now. It didn't matter really – it would break Edward's heart either way. Afterall, the one thing he held most dearly was Bella's humanity and now she had taken that from him. If Bella was dead, then Edward would be torn with grief. And if Bella was undead, then all his efforts were wasted. Plus, she figured that the head trauma Bella suffered would wipe away the bulk of her human memories even if she survived the change. She and Edward might never find each other if that was the case. Well maybe not never, but she would deal with that once they got there.
She wondered how Edward would react when he heard about the fate of his human love. She only wished she could be there to witness it.
