Unexpected: Hide and Seek | Twilight Edward Cullen [2]

Chapter 1: Bangkok

•••

July 2010, when my journey really started.

The moon was shining bright in the dark sky. But the streets of Bangkok stayed busy nevertheless. People, native or tourist, were pressed against each other, walking, eating, admiring. They were all immersed in their life, unaware of others. Unaware of what lied in the dark. But it wasn't a bad thing. It was the contrary in fact. It was better in that way. Humans should keep living in that ignorance, not knowing about the superior forces, the supernatural forces. Otherwise, another hunt would happen. Just like back centuries ago, when humans were persecuting wizards and witches. No one wanted another blood bath.

That was why, Irene was observing the city from above, standing on the roof of a building. Her blonde hair was flowing backwards, giving a better look of her pale face. Her features were thin and sharp. But what was draining attention was her golden eyes, shining at the moonlight. Her pale figure and her blonde head were making a sharp difference with the pitch blackness of her long leather coat. It reached her feet, leaving just the tips of her onyx boots to be seen.

People down the streets couldn't see her. To them, she would just blend into the darkness of the sky. And to Irene, they were like ants. A wave of ants, moving in the streets. But she could clearly and neatly see them. She could see the little family buying street foods or the man admiring what was exposed in a store. Her sight was perfect, enhanced. That was one of the advantages of being what she was. A vampire. But the advantages weren't worth the loss. It wasn't compensating one bit.

Irene closed her golden eyes and inhaled the cold breeze of the night. Images flooded her mind as soon at her eyelids closed. She was expecting to meet darkness, but as the usual, she was fooling herself. Each time she closed her eyes, flashbacks, memories would fill her mind. They would be so vivid, so true. It was as if she was brought back in time, reliving all the moment she had lived there. In Forks with them. The Cullens. Her twin brother. And him. Her mate.

It had been nearly a month since she left them. Saturday sixteenth of June of two thousand and ten. She still remembered it so well, so vividly. How she left without a word, leaving just a letter behind her. It was the hardest thing she had to do in her whole human and vampire life. But she had to do it. It was necessary if she wanted to assure their safety. Irene knew it. If they died because of her, because of her selfishness, by the hands of the Volturi, she would never forgive herself. She could never bear it. It had already happened once with the Argence coven. It won't happen twice with the Cullen. The Volturi will never take them away from her. But Irene would never join their coven either. The outcomes would be disastrous. The Volturi were already leaving fear anywhere they go. The simple mention of their names was frightening. With Irene's gift in their hands, it would be far worse than it already was. She couldn't let that happen.

Irene opened her eyes, taking another sight of the very busy Bangkok. She arrived in Thailand around a week ago. Before she spent a week in Chile then two in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The blonde-haired vampire made sure to never stay too long in the same country. She didn't want the Volturi to catch her or the Cullen to find her. Irene was extremely careful to leave no trace of her presence. She kept away from people's eyes, went as less as possible in cities, privileged night walk. And she had tremendously strengthened her mind block so Alice would have no chance to have the slightest hint of where she was. She couldn't risk anything. The slightest link she had with the Cullen was adding another target on their backs. Staying away was the solution. Staying away was the only solution.