Twilight Fan Fiction ❯ Shooting Star ❯ Evasion ( Chapter 18 )

CHAPTER 18: Evasion

 

I wanted so badly to run.

I wanted so badly to scream.

But I realized either path would only lead to someone dead. And most likely, as always, that someone would be me. But I didn't care about myself at the moment. I was frightened by what Jane had said.

“That is, if you ever wish to see your beloved Edward again.”

Had Jane brought the entire guard alone with her? All of those incredibly talented, lethal warriors driven by the sole purpose of exterminating everything I held dear: my love, my life, my family, my future.

Did they already have Jasper and Alice? What about Jacob? And Edward…

I tried to tilt my head, to see if he was still standing by the drink refrigerator with Jacob.
There were two people standing next to Edward and Jacob, both of them pale, and extraordinarily beautiful. One was a tall male, with dirty blonde hair, and the other was a girl, about twenty looking with tight auburn curls. They all wore plain traveling clothes. That surprised me, although I could think why they wouldn't wear their normal black cloaks into a store.

Edward was whispering to Jacob, his lips moving so fast it looked as if they were trembling. Explaining I realized.

“Now, I suggest you come with us willingly. You're a cooperative girl, right, Bella? I wouldn't want to have to do this the hard way. No one wishes to have to see the consequences of that course.”

I glanced over at Edward. He was still rooted to the same place, Jacob the same, his eyes glued to the small vampire at my side. Edward's eyes were glaring, livid, at Jane. They then flicked to mine, and changed into an expression of panic, horror.

“Bella—” Edward started, but the girl's hand was on his shoulder.

“Now, now,” she said, her voice crooning and soft, “you wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious Bella, now would you, Edward? If you were to do something drastic, well…accidents do happen.”

I suddenly felt cold hand on the front of my throat, and another closing over my mouth. I inhaled sharply with shock. Edward's eyes grew so wide I thought they would pop out of their sockets. Horror washed over his face.

“I'll do whatever you want,” he said in a rushed voice, “just please don't hurt her!” I'd never heard Edward beg like that before.

“Sounds like a fair deal,” Jane said passively. She repositioned her hand on my shoulder. “Now let's discuss this outside, shall we?” her voice was calm; pleasant. “And take the back way out, if you don't mind.”

I started walking, my legs moving on their own.

Once on the outside of the building, the back wall faced a forest of huge pine trees that loomed over me. I wheeled around when Jane loosened her hold on my shoulder. I could see Edward and Jacob being led out by the two vampires I had seen beside them earlier.

A moment later, they were followed by Alice and Jasper, flanked by three vampires, Alec—who I recognized from our visit to Italy—a girl who looked to be my age, and a tall man with jet black hair, and a fierce expression.

“So you were able to round them up, Gabriel,” Jane smiled her approval. The dark haired man nodded. I looked back at Edward, and noticed the girl with ginger hair had disappeared. “Anastasia?” Jane crooned.

Princess Anastasia… is a vampire! Is that why people kept saying they saw her all those years she was missing?

The girl suddenly appeared beside her—materializing out of thin air.

“She has the ability to become invisible at will.”

“The others didn't notice a thing. They're still waiting for these five to come back.” Anastasia reported.

Jane sighed and looked at Jacob.

“I recognize your scent.” Recognition lit her eyes. “You again? You're that wolf!” She looked him over, seizing him up, and then turned away. “I have no need of you. Alec?” She asked, turning to him, “Would you kindly deal with this?” She waved her and at Jacob.

“No! Jake!” I cried. Jacob stopped me.

“I'll be fine, Bells.” He winked, and suddenly was sprinting towards the forest, his shape shaking apart—vibrating; disintegrating— until a huge wolf ran in his place. Alec blurred after him into the forest.

And then Alice, Jasper, and Edward were beside me, facing Jane, our backs to the dark forest.

“Don't move until I tell you too,” Edward breathed in my ear. I nodded.

“Can you read their thoughts, Edward?” Alice asked. Edward only shook his head.
“I'm a no-go too,” Jasper whispered.

I scanned the dark eyes in front of me. Was one of them the one named Anthony? The one who had had his fangs to my neck on my wedding day? There was a boy with cropped ginger hair who was smiling smugly. That must be him, I assumed.

Edward leaned towards Jasper, and whispered something into his ear that sounded like:

“We need to get out of here—this is serious.”

“Good to see you, again, Edward,” Jane greeted, a smile in her voice.

“Wish I could say likewise,” Edward retorted through clenched teeth. I recognized his posture and it scared me. It was the stance of a defender, preparing to fight. I had seen this when Victoria had approached our camp.

He was going to fight them!
“Edward,” I leaned to whisper in his ear as softly as possible. “Don't do anything rash. Please. For me?” His eyes flickered like a candle wick. In the dim light behind the store, I couldn't interpret the meaning behind it.

He could not win against the Volturi guard. Even if the rest of them—Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Tessa, and Erin—were here, we would still lose.

Why were they willing to risk their lives?

Why was Edward willing to risk his life?

And if they did risk their lives…who would be lost?

Far away in the woods, a wolf howled.

“Jake!” I gasped. Edward grabbed my arm before I realized I'd started to move.

“He's fine, Bella,” he hissed.

“Why did Aro send the entire guard out?” Alice asked in a hard tone.

“He didn't,” Jane replied with a smile. Edward looked over at Alice, and she nodded, her eyes wide.

“Edward…”

“Don't…move, Bella,” he said quietly. To my surprise, Jane began to laugh.

“Edward, Edward, dear.” She gave him a condescending look. “Do you honestly think we plan to attack anything that moves like wild animals?”

“You attacked Jacob.”

“He attacked first,” she countered, her expression never wavering. “And now Alec is serving him his well deserved justice. That's what we're all about, isn't it?”

“Then what justice are you serving now? What crime did we ever commit?”

“You know what you did, Edward. You exposed us to a human.” An edge of bitterness entered her voice.

“That didn't stop Aro from letting us go last spring,” Edward protested.

“Only because you promised to make her immortal. Alice showed us the date was set when you yourself were going to turn her, and yet, here she stands,” she waved a hand at me, “her heart still beating—blood still rushing through her veins. You lied to us, Edward.”

“I would have turned her, if only you hadn't showed up on our wedding day!” Jane seemed taken a back. She paused a minute to consider.

“That is irrelevant. Aro said Alice saw her turned almost a month before that.”

“What's your point?” Alice's voice had a defiant edge. Her crouch mirrored Edwards: defensive.

“I guess I'm just a little upset,” she admitted, her eerie calm and serenity returning. She smiled. “Old habits and all that…”

“We need to get out of here,” Alice whispered for Jaspers benefit, for I was certain Edward could read the thought in her mind.

I wondered why Anthony's strange power only affected the Volturi. Alice suddenly stared at Edward wide eyed.

“Are you crazy?” Alice hissed.

“Only if it won't work,” he replied. Alice sighed, closing her eyes for a brief second.

“It will work, but I can't see what will happen after that—I supposed we'll meet up with Jacob.”

“Are you willing?” Edward asked.

“Of course.” She nodded, her eyes flicking back to Jane. They were whispering so low I could barely tell what they were saying—and I was a foot away.

But the look of intense concentration on Jane's face, I could guess she couldn't hear.

“What are you all whispering about?” Jane asked, her voice sweet and innocent. As she turned to look at Alice, her robe swished open. On the inside, I saw a lock of hair pinned to the dark fabric. The strands were the same orange color as the boy Anthony's hair.

That must be how they were doing it! If they had a piece of him with them, the power transferred onto that piece.

How strange…

“Edward, they all have a piece of Anthony's hair. That's how they're getting away with all being blocked.” Edward's eyebrow's shot up in surprise, but he said nothing as Jane had just turned back to him.

“Now, Edward, what we wanted to discuss—” She was suddenly cut off by a calm voice that sent a wave of relief washing over me.
“So this is where you all got off too.” Carlisle's voice was smooth, but his eyes were uncharacteristically threatening as he strolled across the lawn from around the corner of the gas station. Behind him, shadows followed him, shadows I recognized as soon as the faint light hit them—Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Erin, and Tessa—all of their expressions grim.

“Carlisle,” Jane spoke his name in what I guessed was meant to be a greeting, but was too flat, too emotionless. Carlisle glanced around at the six menacing figures that held us captive.

With the arrival of the rest of the family, our force was nine strong.

“We will be taking our leave now,” Carlisle announced in the same unshaken tone.

“Not so fast, Carlisle,” she said, her manner indignant, “We have unfinished business to discuss with these four.” She gestured to Edward, Alice, Jasper, and me.

“I don't think so.” Carlisle's tone changed from calm and light, to hard and commanding.

“You dare defy us?” Jane questioned, her eyes burning.

“We are leaving,” Carlisle repeating, weighing heavily on his words. He shot a look at Edward, and he nodded. “Go!”

Suddenly, Edward grabbed my hand and swung me up onto his back, and we were swerving through the trees, the back of the gas station disappearing from view in seconds.

I was too startled to close my eyes—my stomach already churning so violently that the motion sickness did not even registered in my jumbled brain. I realized Alice and Jasper were running just behind us, dodging the trees with incredible speed, just as Edward was.

“What did Carlisle say?” I asked hurriedly, my voice weak because I wasn't quite able to draw in a lung full of air.

“He said he would hold them off as long as they could.” I gasped. In my mind I was seeing horrible warfare between my immortal family, and my immortal enemies. “Don't worry, Bella,” Edward said in response to my sharp intake of breath. “He assured me that as soon as any one was in danger they would retreat and join up with us later. I wasn't about to let anyone get killed on my account.”

Despite his words, the revelation of safety was a strange high. I suddenly felt buoyant. Partly because of the promise Carlisle had made to make sure no one got killed on our account, and partly because, in spite of the odds, we'd gotten away.

“We got away!” I whispered excitedly. “We lost them!”

“For now,” Edward added in a grim tone.

“For now,” I agreed.