Mozi and Matrika told us the tales of their family in great detail. It was incredibly interesting, but I couldn't understand why they had trusted us with such vital information. These stories were never before relayed to anyone outside of their own bloodline. It was a huge honor. I was able to leave the patron hall with a much better understanding of reapers and their existence here. I would have liked to say that it put me to ease, knowing that I one day would become one of them. But I still had a lot of worries and doubts.
On the other hand, Ana seemed to be adjusting surprisingly well with all of this. At times, I almost forgot who I was talking to when she spoke. The vessel that housed her was so foreign. But I knew it was her. She had all her mannerisms and little quirks that made her my little sister. I only hoped that I would be able to accept these changes and move forward the same as we where before her death.
Edward had officially welcomed her into the company, having her meet with some of the others employed here at the company. They all welcomed her with kindness and respect. It was far different when Edward had brought me into the company. Everyone was in a bit of disbelief when meeting me. It was clear none of them thought to highly of humans. So, Ana didn't have any problem. She was a reaper. One of them.
Since Ana was so fresh into this world, classified as an infant reaper, she wouldn't be assigned a very difficult position within the company. For the time, Edward has assigned her to be Jacob's personal assistant. She would have nothing to do with reaping, or book-keeping. Instead, she would hand the secretarially tasks that Jacob may have. Organizing his files of those who were already reaped. Or fetching him soul stones. Just small tasks that aren't really necessary. Until she was given formal training, this is all she was approved to do.
We lingered in Jacob's office as he explained her role to her. Jacob's office was nearly half the size of Edward, but it truly suited him. He had it decorated his space with sports posters, workout equipment and a mini fridge full of alcohol. It was the essence of who he was. The remained strictly within his stereotype of dumb jock. Although, I know there is more to him than that… I've just never been showed anything different. Maybe it would be different for Ana. She may find the man inside him with redeeming qualities.
I watched quietly as Ana shyly stood in front of Jacob, hanging onto each of his words. As if she was in a trance. She clearly was attracted to him. But there wasn't much to expect in that scenario. Ana had always been boy crazy. Their eternal marking did change things however.
"So, uh, I'll have a desk brought in here, so you have a place to comfortably work." Jacob said, rubbing the back of his head slightly. "I'd prefer to… keep a close eye on you, while you are here."
Ana fanned herself, clearly letting herself get a bit frazzled. It was something she always ended up doing when she blushed. Even though this wasn't a possibility for her anymore, it must just be a habit now. "Oh, well, thank you. It's nice to have a handsome man keeping a watch on me."
She wasn't bothering taking this slow. She was already flirting. That was so like her. She was only sixteen after all. A baby in my eyes. She was eager to start living like a teenage should, which means, flirting with guys.
Jacob smirked slightly, leaning in to wrap an arm around her shoulder, drawing her in close. "It's nice to see you are nothing like your sister. Your taste in men is much better."
I rolled my eyes, turning away from them to take a few steps outside of the office. Edward followed, tossing an annoyed look towards Jacob.
"Don't mind him, he's an asshole by default. That much won't change. Eternal marking or not I'm afraid." Edward said shrugged his shoulders as he pulled me in close to his chest. "I do hope Ana will enjoy her new life."
"I'd imagine anything would be better than the life she lived previously. It may sound strange, but I'm a little… envious of her. She seems to be fitting so well here. Better than I ever could." I admitted quietly.
"It's only because she is a reaper now. If she had come to this company as a human, like you, it would have been a completely different reaction from the others. Don't fret. It will be different for you as well, when you return as a reaper." Edward comforted me with a soft kiss to my forehead.
"I hope you're right." I muttered, now putting a smile on my face as Jacob and Ana returned.
"What's next?" Ana asked with a cheerful grin. "Can we finally go don something fun?"
"Not quite, we need to go get ready for our flight." I responded with a sigh.
Ana's eyes brightened. "We are flying. Where are we heading?"
"You're funeral. It's been held back home."
Her enthusiasm deflated instantly. "Do I really have to go to that? I'd rather not… see the rest of the family like this…" She nervously chewed at her nails. "I mean it would be suspicious if I showed up there, wouldn't it?"
"Not really, you look nothing like you used to. No one would even know who you are. But, ultimately, it's up to you… I don't have a choice; I have to go." I shrugged my shoulders.
Ana groaned, appearing a bit uncomfortable. "Fine, I guess I'll go. But if people start getting emotional, I won't stick around for long. I can't… handle seeing all the sad stuff, you know what I mean?"
I nodded in understand, offering her a sympathetic smile. "Understood, let's head back home so we can get out bags packed. Our flight is in a few hours."
The four of us made our way through the building, everyone we passed kept their heads down, bowing in respect to the new leader of the company. Edward didn't pay them any attention. In the past, I knew he would have a cold glare on his face at each and every one of them. It was nice to see that he was calming down into his new role nicely. There was no need for him to be cruel and harsh. He didn't want to run this company with intimidation or fear. For this, I was very proud of the person he was becoming.
But his calm demeanor was soon melting away as we witnessed a public spectacle in the main lobby. Reapers were crowding the area, chanting and cheering. They were circled around something; I couldn't quite make out what or who it was.
"What's the meaning of this commotion?" Edward called out in an even tone.
At his voice, the room instantly went silent. Reapers began to shuffle away in a hurry, revealing a hideous creature, crumpled to the ground, arms lifted over it's head, shielding itself from the on slaughter of Alice, whipping her fists towards it with fiery anger. Jasper attempted to hold Alice back from the creature, his hold around her tight, yet Alice still was able to get a few more cracks of her fists to the retched thing.
"A devourer?" Jacob hissed with a glare, moving to position himself in front of Alice in a protective stance.
Edward tensed as well, his eyes scanning over the situation with a mixture of confusion and alarm. "Jasper, what's the situation here?" He demanded, moving me behind him as well, before taking a few steps towards them.
I moved with him, staying close behind him. I wasn't about to let him get to close to that thing.
"No, it's not a devourer. It's Tanya. She just turned herself in." Jasper said, now able to fully pull Alice away. He gave her a shove to the side with a warning look in her direction. "That's enough Alice, don't you see, she is already injured. Let it go."
"Let it go? That fucking bitch ruined my life. She deserves death. Not to be taken prisoner. I swear if you keep getting in my way, I'll kill you too Jasper." Alice hissed at him with rage.
This was Tanya? This disgusting creature, wallowing on the ground was the person responsible for ending my sister's human life? She was the one that had broken Edward's heart into pieces. I too was overcome with anger at the sight of her.
Without thinking I began to march forward as well, my hands balled into fists at my sides. Before I could reach her, Edward got in the middle, taking me a hold of me by my waist. His hands lightly ran over the small bump of my stomach. He rested his chin on my shoulder to whisper in my ear.
"I understand how you're feeling right now. But please, don't do anything reckless. I don't want something bad happening to you or the baby." He said quietly, before leaving a soft kiss at my neck.
Again, he moved me behind him as we approached Tanya. My fury continued, I chewed fiercely at my lip, ripping chunks of skin off it. I felt the salty taste of blood for a moment but ignored the discomfort. I was seething. And I couldn't stop myself from glaring coldly at the creature.
"Why have you come to turn yourself in? You can't convince me that you've had a change of heart. Aro put you up to this didn't he?" Edward said with an edge to his voice.
The creature lifted her head, appearing to be breathing heavily. "No, he nearly killed me… When I went to collect my reward for killing that sickly girl, he turned against me. I barely got out of there alive. I had no where else to go… Jasper urged me to come here… but if I would have known this would be the reaction… I would have just stayed and died on the streets." Even her voice was unpleasant.
"How are we supposed to believe that?" Alice snapped, her hands on her hips. She looked at Edward with a raised brow. "She's a liar. You know that. We can't take her word for it."
"She's telling the truth. Someone please go get Katlyn and bring her here. She can prove that Tanya is telling the truth. Please, just hear her out." Jasper begged, turning to Edward as well.
Edward turned to me, lightly stroking my cheek. "If Tanya has hurt anyone, it would be you. She caused Ana's death. Compared to that, nothing else she has done matters more. So, I'll leave this decision to you."
I was extremely tempted to just allow Alice to kill her. It would feel like I was taking vengeance for Ana. But I knew Ana would never want something like that. And I wasn't raised to act out of revenge. My father would be disappointed in me, if I gave into my rage and make a decision with my emotions.
"Let me speak to her." I muttered quietly.
"Not to close," Edward said gently as he lead me to a safe distance. Close enough that I could have a face to face conversation, but far enough away that she couldn't reach out and attack me. But by the looks of her, she didn't look like she was in any kind of shape to move. Let alone fight.
Jacob had taken care of the loitering reapers in the area. He shooed them off, getting them back to their tasks. Alice and Jasper remained, snapping back and forth at each other. They didn't seem quite as worried about Tanya's fate at the moment, they just wanted to rip into each other.
"It's nice to meet you, Tanya." I began.
The creature snorted, slowly moving its deformed head in the opposite direction of me. There was no reply, but at least I knew she could hear me.
"So, why Aro? Couldn't you find another way to get what you wanted?" I asked, watching her closely. "What did you want Aro to reward you with?"
"To break my curse, you idiot. Why else?" She snarled in an animal-like growl. She still didn't look in my direction.
Edward gritted his teeth at my side, appearing to struggle to subdue his obvious anger at her quip. His hand continued soothing circles on my stomach. His presence helped me remain calm.
"So, he is the only one that could have broken the curse?"
"He's the only one that was willing to help. I didn't have a choice. I don't give a shit who I had to kill. I don't care who else would come to hate me. I can't keep living this way." She snapped coldly. "A human like you, would never understand my suffering."
"You're right, I am human. I don't know what you've been through. Not all of it. But I do know that you don't deserve everything that has happened." I said reluctantly.
The creature now moved, staring at me with wield reptilian eyes. There was a waft of odor surrounding her, a putrid smell that burned at my eyes. But I forced myself not to react. I was being the bigger person here. I wouldn't try to embarrass her.
"I don't want your pity." She scoffed.
"Good, because I don't feel any pity for you. I'm just telling you, my opinion. Even though you have done some truly awful things, it was under the control of someone else. You had been manipulated. And once you were turned into this… you did what you thought you had to… to be happy again. That's all you want, isn't it? To go back to how you looked before."
"I want my life back. My home. My friends. My husband. I want it all back."
"You can't have Edward." I felt my anger flash hot inside of me. I realized that my words had turned a bit sharper. I quickly regained my composure. "If you can promise to give up on that aspect… I can promise you that I'll have your curse removed."
Tanya hesitated. "How could you possibly lift the curse? You're human. You have no power against a reaper."
"Esme is the one that placed the curse, so she is the one that can remove it. All I have to do is ask her nicely to remove it. And she will."
Tanya snorted. "That old bitch wouldn't lift this curse. Not for me. Not for anyone."
"Actually, Esme really is fond of Bella, I'm sure she would do it for her, if she asked. Anything to keep the mother of my child happy." Edward commented smugly.
A strange noise escaped Tanya's mouth, something like surprise or possibly disgust. It was hard to tell. But it was clear that she wasn't happy by his statement. She appeared even more wounded than she had been previously.
"You sure the kid is yours Eddie boy? Didn't she fuck Emmett too?" Tanya shot at him rudely.
Her words knocked the breath out of me. My arms trembled. Before I could stop myself, I threw my arm back and smashed my fist into the face of the creature. The contact felt like sandpaper, I recoiled my arm back. Shocked that I had actually hit her.
Tanya let out a quiet whimper as the force of the impact made her body shift. She now was rolled onto her back. Her breathing labored again. She curled into herself. A cold glare on her face as she watched me.
Edward lightly moved me away from her, lightly stroking my hand that had hit her. My fist had been bruised a little and bloodied. But I didn't even feel the pain. I was losing control over my temper. I needed to keep my distance. I shouldn't have let her get to me like that.
Alice offered me a thumbs up, a wide smirk on her face. "Way to go, I didn't think you had it in you." Although it was nice to see Alice impressed with me for once, I couldn't take any pride in this. I had done the one thing I didn't want to do. Lower myself to Tanya's level. Why couldn't I ever contain this recklessness?
"I think I'll take over this conversation now. It's clear that you don't truly value your life. You should have accepted Bella's generosity. But you couldn't humble yourself. You had to keep pushing her, until she snapped. You truly haven't changed at all, have you?" Edward glared towards Tanya with disapproval.
"I'd rather die, then live the rest of my life watching you love someone else. Just end it." She replied quietly. Her tone was much softer with Edward.
"As you wish, nothing would make me happier." He replied with a twisted smile coming to his face. This was a look I've never seen before. I've always seen Edward as a kind, rational man. Yes, he had a temper, but he would never do something so cruel as to kill someone… right here… in front of everyone. This wasn't usually how he conducted himself.
He lifted his arm, darkness enveloping him fully. His dastardly smile going wider. I could see it in his eyes, the bloodlust. He wanted to kill her. There was no doubt in my mind that he wasn't playing around. Was this what it looked like, when Edward completely lost control over his reaper powers? Darkness would take over him. His morals would fly out the window?
"Edward no, don't!" Jasper called out desperately.
Edward snapped his head in Jasper's direction, his eyes shifting to a blistering dark purple. I've never seen his eyes change like this. What did it mean? Half of his body had converted to his skeletal form.
"Why, do you want one more chance to fuck her?" Edward spoke in a thunderous voice.
Everyone was quiet. The room had frozen in a mixture of shock and fear. The force of his tone and the huge amounts of energy falling off his body was palpable. I was too afraid to move. I knew if I could just place a hand on him and reminded him of our bond, the eternal mark could calm him. But I was frozen like the rest of them.
"Edward, you know you don't give a shit about that. Stop making excuses. You're acting like this because of your own guilt." Another voice called out.
I peeked over to who had spoken, surprised to see Emmett and Esme standing just a few feet away. Both of them appeared tense as they approached.
"Bella dear, come to me. It's not safe being close to him right now." Esme waved her hand to me, anxiety clear in his face.
I looked to Edward, feeling tears slide down my cheeks. He looked to me, without emotion, giving me a sharp nod. "Go ahead. She is right. If anything happens to you, or the baby… I'd kill every last living thing within one hundred miles radius from this area."
Reluctantly I scurried over to Esme and Emmett. Esme moved me behind her, lightly giving my stomach a pat, before turning her worried eyes on her son. Emmett threw me a shameful look, before moving to Edward's side. It appeared that this might have happened before, he seemed to know just what to do. He had the right words.
"Edward. You need to get a handle on yourself. Now isn't the time. Tanya isn't that special. She isn't worth it. You're going to become a father in a few months. You need to control yourself. Don't let anger decide your choices here." Emmett said with a stiff arm on Edward's shoulder.
Edward thew Emmett's hand away from him. "Don't stop me. I want to do this. She hurt Bella. She is a threat to my child. I can't trust her. She is the enemy now. I want her dead. She wants me to kill her. So let me do it."
"Give her a second chance Edward. Show mercy. You're suppose to be a better leader than your mother. So, stop acting like her. Killing isn't the answer. And you know that." Jasper called out with a frown on his face. "If you do this, there is no going back."
Esme glared coldly towards Jasper, but didn't comment. She just continued to shield me from what was happening right now. I turned to see Jacob and Ana had taken a safer spot, away from everything. They stood towards the elevators, talking quietly to one another. Alice had retreated as well, sensing the turmoil and keeping her distance as well.
"I don't want to hear another fucking word out of your mouth. I want to kill you too, for being on Tanya's side this whole time." Edward growled in Jasper's direction.
"I'm not on anyone's side Edward. Can't you see, I'm supporting Tanya because she is the one that weak and helpless. You don't need my support. She needs me." Jasper yelled angrily. "You're my best friend, dumbass. So, I don't want you making bad choices that you are going to have to live with forever."
"Think about it Edward. Let her live. We can guarantee that she won't be a threat to Bella or the baby. She hasn't even had a chance to redeem herself. Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance? It may not seem like she has changed, but she has. I've seen it myself." Emmett said, again placing his hand on Edward's shoulder.
This time, Edward didn't move. His eyes started to return the normal emerald green. He was starting to calm down, little by little. But I sensed the anger hadn't resolved within him. His emotions were so harsh right now. It was almost painful feeling it second-hand. I hadn't any idea of how much agony Edward held onto. Was he really that upset with Tanya and Jasper's betrayal?
There was a long silence. It felt like no one moved an inch. Or even took a breath. I could see the subtle changes in Edward over time. And when Esme finally relaxed her stance, I felt myself leave out a shaky breath. The worst of it must be over.
Edward turned his back on Tanya and took a couple steps away from her. "Well, you heard how everyone in this room feels Tanya? Have you gotten your fill of amusement? Everyone is bending to your ever whim. Just like they did in the past. You may look like a devourer. But your abilities haven't changed." His voice was quiet.
"Emotions can be manipulated so easily. Right? It's the only skill I have to speak of. Can you blame me for using it fully?" She replied with a hint of amusement in his voice. "All this fuss, over little old me? It's what I live for."
"What are you talking about Edward?" Emmett asked with a raised brow. He kept a close watch on Edward's every move.
"I hadn't realized this until recently. Ever since I met Tanya, there has been this… invisible force pressing into my emotions, mixing them up. All of that ended when I gave Bella my eternal mark. It was like… I'd been freed of some kind of spell. All the feelings that I thought I had… they were never there at all. They were illusions. The effects of her using her abilities on me. And of everyone in my life." He continued.
"Impossible." Jasper said now approaching him and Emmett. "Right Tanya, you didn't fabricate others' emotions… did you?"
"Of course I did." She snapped. "It was the only way I could get anyone to help me. Do you really think you actually hold romantic feelings for me? Ever? Do you think Esme actually was willing to curse you as well? Do you think Emmett would have willingly become a traitor and went to work for Aro? Or help me kill that sickly girl?"
All the pieces were starting to make sense now. Tanya had been the puppet-master of a lot of the hardships we have been facing.
"I thought as much." Edward said shaking his head slowly. "I knew it was a mistake the second Esme allowed you into this company. I remember how much I found you annoying and untrustworthy. It didn't make sense that I started a relationship with you. And worse married you. It was all going according to your plan, wasn't it?"
"Don't be silly. I fell in love with you right away Edward, my goal initially was to take over this company. But I had every intention of doing it, with you by my side. Unfortunately, your mother wasn't an idiot. She knew my intentions and was able to use her powers to mess with our relationship." Tanya grumbled with a hostile look towards Esme. "She manipulated me into having an affair with Jasper. Which, broke us up."
Jasper and Edward exchanged uncomfortable looks at each other. But didn't comment. It was clear, they both wanted to appear calm and level-headed. Even though Tanya was clearly trying to make them upset.
"Then, she cursed me into this form and exiled me from the company. I lost communication with you all for a while, but that's when I ran into Jasper." She said, almost in a gloating manner. "It was too easy to manipulate his emotions, he became my savior. He supported me and has done everything he could to lift this curse from me. Even Emmett, I manipulated his emotions as well, it was easy with how miserable he felt when I bumped into him. He would help me carry out my mission, so Aro would break my curse. And it worked. Yet here I am… still this hideous monster."
It seems the inside was a refection of the outside. Tanya was much worse than I had thought. I thought she was the one that had been taken advantage of and was being controlled. But it was the other way around. If Aro had kept his word, she would have gotten everything she wanted, just by using her abilities to control these men in her life. She didn't care what could have happened to them. She really was a monster.
"Knowing this, have the two of you changed your minds?" Edward asked after a while, looking at Emmett and Jasper.
They both lowered their heads, mixtures of shame and anger on their faces. Instead of them answering, Esme spoke up. She moved from my side, going over to the three of them with a serous look on her face.
"This isn't a decision that you boys are able to make rationally. And to be honest, I think 'the grim' should be the one that deals with her from this point on. I don't want any mistakes being made here. Let's take her to the patron hall and call for an audience with 'the grim'." She said, not bothering to even look in Tanya's direction.
"That… sounds reasonable." Jasper said with a heavy sigh.
Emmett nodded, lowering his head a bit. "Yeah, let's get a few others in here to help transport her. We don't want her abilities taking control of anyone's emotions. If that happens, I'm sure she could convince someone to help her escape."
This seemed to really distress Tanya. Even she feared the grim. I could hear her quietly begging the others to be merciful. She made a bunch of empty promises and even began to beg. But the decision had been made. Tanya was officially put into custody; they placed her deformed body into chains that wouldn't allow her to use her abilities. It was the safest course of action, to be sure she would get to 'the grim' without fail.
Once all the excitement died down, everyone seemed to go their separate ways. Jasper hung back to speak with Alice. They seemed to be speaking much nicer to one another. Esme left the building, after getting a copy of my ultrasound, Emmett following her. They mentioned that they were going out to a nearby diner to chat. Esme was going to offer Emmett all the details she had of his birth mother. It was nice seeing them begin to rebuild their relationship. I wasn't quite ready to speak to Emmett just yet. Not after everything that happened with Ana. Even if Tanya had manipulated him into helping her… he was part of the reason that my sister had died.
Ana walked with me out to Edward's car. Babbling on about how crazy Tanya seemed. We got into the backseat, while Edward and Jacob took the front seats. We would all be taking the trip to Plum together in the next few hours. I wasn't surprised that Jacob was tagging along. He never wanted to be away from Ana for long. It was beginning to become normal.
Edward and Jacob stayed mostly quiet, but I had the feeling there was something they were keeping from me. There was something they wanted to say but didn't. Was it because of Ana being here? Was it something I would need to worry about? Or was I just being paranoid. The way they were steal glances back at me and Ana, had me on edge.
What was happening next?
Thanks for reading. Leave a review if you are enjoying this story. What did you all think of Tanya's story? What do you think her punishment should be?