Three days later, I was getting ready for school when Alice let out a shriek was so piercing that I dropped my hairbrush. It clattered to the floor as I bolted from my room. I barely registered the sound of my own feet pounding down the stairs, too focused on the sight of Alice—her expression unusually panicked as she flung open the front door and sprinted toward her car.
"Alice!" I called after her, but she didn't stop. She didn't even look back.
My stomach twisted as I ran after her, desperate to know what was happening. By the time I caught up, she was already in the driver's seat, her hands gripping the wheel tightly.
"Get in!" she barked, her voice sharper than I'd ever heard it.
I didn't hesitate. I threw myself into the passenger seat and barely managed to slam the door shut before she peeled out, the tires screeching against the pavement.
"What's going on?" I demanded, fumbling with my seatbelt as the car lurched forward. My fingers struggled to fasten it as Alice swerved sharply to avoid an oncoming car, her eyes locked on the road ahead.
"It's Bella," she said, her voice tight with urgency. "She's in danger."
My stomach dropped. "What? What kind of danger?"
Alice's jaw tightened as she weaved through traffic, ignoring the honks and angry shouts of other drivers. Her knuckles were white on the steering wheel. "An assassin."
An assassin. The words hit me like a freight train. My vision blurred for a moment as panic surged through me. "How could you not see this coming?" I asked, my voice rising with fear.
"The Volturi must have hired him through an intermediary," Alice said angrily. "It's too far removed from them for me to see it. They must've planned it that way."
I let out a strangled noise, somewhere between a gasp and a sob, and grabbed her arm for support as the car took a sharp turn. Alice shook me off, her focus unwavering as she shifted gears and pushed the car to its limits.
The engine roared as we sped along a narrow road, the scenery outside blurring into a smear of green and gray. I could barely breathe as I tried to process what was happening. Bella. My Bella. In danger. From a hired murderer.
Alice's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "We're close," she said, her words clipped.
We rounded another corner, and the road suddenly narrowed, hugging the edge of a cliff. I gasped as I spotted a scenic overpass up ahead. Parked at an awkward angle near the edge was a rental car, its door flung open. And standing near the cliff's edge was a vampire.
He was tall and lean, with such cruelty in his posture that it made me feel cold. His eyes glinted with malice as he gazed down at something—or someone—below.
Alice didn't hesitate. With a growl, she slammed her foot on the accelerator, and the car surged forward.
"Alice!" I screamed, bracing myself as the car hurtled toward the vampire - and the cliff.
The car's impact against the assassin's body was jarring, the sound of metal crunching against flesh and bone echoing in my ears and twisting my stomach. Alice twisted the wheel and hit the brakes - and the car somehow bounced off the guardrail. The vampire flew off the cliff, his body twisting in the air before disappearing from view.
Alice didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before she flung open her door and jumped out. "I'll go after him!" she shouted, her voice full of determination. "You find Bella!"
She was already a blur of motion, leaping fearlessly over the edge of the cliff.
I stumbled out of the car, my legs trembling as I made my way to the cliff's edge. My eyes darted frantically, searching for any sign of Bella. My heart felt like it might burst as I leaned over, praying that I wasn't too late.
My eyes frantically scanned the scene, and my stomach churned with dread.
"Bella?" I called out, my voice trembling as I crept toward the edge.
The cliff yawned before me, the ground giving way to jagged rocks and crashing waves far below. I felt the vertigo set in, the world spinning as I peered down. My eyes darted from one ledge to the next, desperately searching.
Then I saw her.
The sight of Bella's broken body at the bottom of the cliff froze me in place. Her motorcycle lay crumpled against the rocks nearby, its frame twisted beyond recognition. For one horrifying moment, I couldn't move, couldn't think—just stood frozen at the edge, staring at her lifeless form.
She looked so small, so fragile, lying there among the jagged stones near the crashing waves. Her limbs were bent at unnatural angles, her skin as pale as moonlight. My mind raced with possibilities, and the only conclusions I could draw made my stomach churn. Either the assassin had thrown Bella off the cliff and thrown the motorcycle after her - or, he'd lifted the motorcycle, with Bella still on it, and hurled them both over the edge.
"Bella!" I screamed, my voice breaking as I leapt from the cliff.
The wind howled past me as I plummeted, the rocky ground rushing up to meet me. I landed with a force no human could survive, my legs absorbing the impact as I stumbled forward, unscathed. I didn't even pause before scrambling over the uneven rocks toward her.
"Bella," I choked out again, reaching her side. My trembling hands hovered over her broken body, terrified to touch her, to hurt her more than she already was. She looked dead, but as I looked closer, I could see her chest rising and falling in shallow, uneven breaths. Her pulse, faint and erratic, was barely there.
"Please," I whispered. "Please be alive. Please answer me."
She didn't move. Her head lolled to the side, her eyes closed, her lips slightly parted.
"No," I gasped, my voice cracking as the weight of my helplessness crushed me. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms. "No, no, no!"
In that moment, I knew what I had to do. There was no other choice. If Bella was going to die, I would give her the only chance I had to save her.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice trembling as I leaned down. My lips found her neck, and my teeth pierced her skin.
The taste of her blood hit my tongue, rich and intoxicating, but I forced myself to stop after just a few sips. I pulled back and pressed frantic kisses to the wounds covering her body, injecting venom into every broken limb, every gash, every bruise.
"Please work," I begged, my voice barely audible over the roar of the waves. "Please, Bella. Come back to me."
A sudden blur of movement made me look up. Alice skidded to a stop beside us, her expression grim as she tossed something away—a severed head, I realized with a jolt.
"I took care of him," she said shortly, kneeling beside Bella. Without hesitation, she began doing the same thing—pressing her lips to Bella's wounds, her venom mixing with mine as she worked.
"I don't know what I'm doing," I admitted, my voice trembling. "Alice, I've never—what if I do it wrong?"
Alice's eyes met mine, fierce and determined. "Neither have I," she said, her voice steady despite the panic in her gaze. "But you're doing it right. Between the two of us, this should work."
I swallowed hard. "What do your visions tell you?"
Alice hesitated, her lips tightening. "It could go either way," she said quietly. "I see her funeral. I also see your wedding. Keep giving her your venom, Bree."
The thought of a future without Bella was too much to bear. I pressed another kiss to her temple, my venom mingling with the tears that streaked her pale skin.
Suddenly, Bella's eyes snapped open, and she gasped, her body arching as a moan of pain escaped her lips.
I jerked back, my heart leaping with hope and terror. "Bella!"
Alice grabbed my arm, pulling me back down. "Keep going, Bree! There's no way to save her without the pain of becoming a vampire."
I nodded, biting back my sobs as I resumed kissing her wounds, pouring everything I had into her. My heart broke with every pained sound she made, but I couldn't stop. I wouldn't stop.
"Stay with me, Bella," I whispered, my voice shaking. "Please, stay with me."
Bella's moan tore through me like a knife, her voice fractured and barely audible. "Bree... Alice... Edward…"
My heart leapt at the sound of my name on her lips, but fear gripped me. Was she calling out for us, or was her mind drifting somewhere I couldn't follow?
"Bella!" I scrambled up, kneeling beside her head to look into her pain-filled eyes. Her pupils darted erratically, unfocused and glassy, as if caught between worlds. Her shallow breaths and strained moans made it clear she was barely clinging to consciousness.
I forced the panic clawing at my throat down, willing myself to stay calm for her. I softened my voice into the sing-song lilt I used during hypnosis, hoping it might soothe her—or at least distract her from the agony.
"Bella," I murmured, cradling her face gently. "Look at me. Look directly into my eyes."
Her gaze flickered toward mine, but the pain clouding her expression made it hard to tell if she was truly seeing me. I pressed on, desperation lacing my words.
"I love you, and I will not leave you," I said, keeping my tone steady and rhythmic. "Just focus on my eyes, Bella. Everything will be all right. Just trust me and look into my eyes. Fall into my eyes. Listen to my voice, Bella, and think of nothing else—just me. My eyes. My voice."
I repeated the words like a mantra, coaxing her with every ounce of conviction I could muster. Her eyelids fluttered, her gaze wavering. Was it working? Or was the pain overtaking her? I couldn't tell, but I refused to stop.
"Bella," I whispered, "you are at peace. You are safe. You are among friends. You are loved. You are free, Bella—free from pain, free from worry, free from fear. You are whole. You are safe. You are with people who love you. Everything will be all right, Bella. I promise."
Her body went limp, and for a horrifying moment, I thought I'd lost her. But then I heard it—a faint, unsteady gasp. She was alive.
Alice knelt beside me, her hand on my shoulder. "I think we have to move her," she said, her voice tight but steady.
I nodded, stepping aside as Alice gently lifted Bella into her arms like she weighed nothing at all. The sight of Alice cradling her like a fragile doll made my chest ache.
I scrambled up the cliff behind Alice, every step a battle against the rising tide of worry. When we reached the top, Alice placed Bella in the back seat of the car, her movements careful and precise. I climbed in beside Bella, cradling her head in my lap, as Alice slid behind the wheel.
As she sped down the winding roads toward the Cullen house, Alice broke the tense silence. "Bree, as soon as we get home, call Carlisle at the hospital and tell him what happened. I'll call the school and say you're sick today."
"Got it," I said, gripping the door handle tightly as we rounded another sharp corner.
Alice glanced at me, a wry smile tugging at her lips despite the circumstances. "Oh, by the way, that hypnosis thing you do is... really sexy. Or at least, it would've been if, you know, Bella weren't dying."
I blinked at her, startled by the comment—and by the hint of levity in her tone. It was so unexpected, so Alice, that I couldn't help but let out a weak laugh.
"Thanks," I murmured. The laughter didn't last, but it was enough to remind me that we weren't giving up. Bella was alive, and we would do everything in our power to keep her that way.
Alice carried Bella into Carlisle's small infirmary with a tenderness that was startling for someone so usually brisk and precise. Her movements were careful, her expression determined as she placed Bella on the table. The room felt too quiet, the air too heavy with worry.
I pulled up a chair beside Bella's still form. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow. My heart twisted at the sight of her like this—so fragile, so unlike the vibrant, stubborn woman I loved.
Once the calls were made, I took her hand in mine, ignoring the cold, clammy feel of her skin. I leaned close, letting my voice slip into the familiar, soothing cadence I used for hypnosis.
"Bella," I murmured, brushing a strand of dirty hair from her face. "It's me, Bree. I love you, and I'm here. You're safe now. Everything will be all right. I promise. Just rest. Let go of the pain. You're safe, Bella. You're loved."
Her chest rose and fell rhythmically, but there was no sign she could hear me. Still, I kept talking, my voice steady despite the lump in my throat threatening to choke me.
A few minutes later, Carlisle arrived, his calm presence easing some of the tension in the room. He examined Bella with practiced efficiency, checking her vitals, her injuries, the marks where Alice and I had kissed venom into her wounds.
"You did everything you could," he said finally, his voice warm and reassuring. "And you did it correctly. Now we wait."
"How long?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Carlisle looked at me with kind, steady eyes. "Two days. We should know by then whether she'll wake up or…" He didn't finish, but he didn't need to.
"Two days?" I echoed, my stomach twisting.
Alice chimed in, leaning against the doorframe. "It's usually three. Don't you remember when it happened to you?"
I shook my head, biting my lip. "Not really. I try not to think about it."
Carlisle placed a hand on my shoulder, grounding me. "I'll call Charlie and tell him Bella's staying here for a couple of days."
I frowned, confused. "Charlie? Shouldn't we—?"
"He can't do anything to help," Carlisle interrupted gently. "He can't see her like this, and there's no point in torturing him with worry until we know more."
I hesitated but nodded reluctantly. He was right. As much as it hurt to keep this from Charlie, it would hurt him more to be here now, helpless and scared.
Alice kissed my cheek, her cool lips a brief comfort. "I won't leave the house," she promised. "Call me if you need anything."
With a squeeze of my hand, she and Carlisle left the room, leaving us in dimmed light and heavy silence.
I turned back to Bella, her face illuminated only by the soft glow of a lamp. I leaned closer, taking her hand again.
"Bella," I whispered, my voice slipping back into that hypnotic cadence. "It's okay. You're safe. I'll never leave you. Just rest, love. Ignore the pain. Everything will be all right. I love you, Bella. You're safe. You're loved. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."
I didn't know if she could hear me, but I poured every ounce of love and hope I had into my words, willing her to feel it—to hold on, to fight.
I stayed by her side, whispering to her through the long hours of the night, praying she would come back to me.
