Mia Cara

Chapter 9 Eclipse

A few months prior

I watched my sister from the corner of my eye, not bothering to hide how anxious I was. Bella had spiralled again, hard, after Jacob's recent rejection. It was all so odd, because I had no doubt that he loved my sister. Infatuation was probably the better word, but still it had been clear as day on his face each time he looked at my twin. And then suddenly, he was breaking up with her not unlike how Jared had broken up with me. I would have been furious with Quileute boys for apparently all being cowardly, but I was too worried about Bella.

Which was how I now found myself edging slowly into a picturesque clearing in the woods behind her. It had taken the entire morning to find the place given Bella had only ever been to the place before with Edward leading. But finally, it seemed we'd found it. The special place Bella wanted to find, her only remaining positive memory with her ex-boyfriend. Except... now, all that remained was a plain old meadow. It was as though seeing it empty had reopened the rawness of her wounds because Bella had collapsed to her knees just inside the clearing where she started to shake with dry sobs.

I gingerly made my way over to my twin and knelt down carefully beside her. We'd been at odds the last month after she'd become a bit of an adrenaline junkie and she hadn't liked my disapproval while I disliked her recklessness. But that didn't mean I wished pain on my sister. As Bella continued to shake, I hugged her to my side. At first, she stiffened - but then she bent into my embrace, holding me close as she leant her head in the crook of my shoulder.

"Oh, Bells." I murmured. Bella sniffed, swallowing back her sobs and she pushed herself to her feet.

"Let's go." She mumbled.

I followed her up, not saying anything about how quickly she wanted to leave after spending hours searching for this place. I'd already suspected that finding the meadow would only end in crushing disappointment - because really, what was a special place without the person who had made it special? I'd tossed my prom dress deep inside my closet so I would never have to see it again after Jared broke up with me because just seeing the dress reminded me of the wonderful night we'd shared. And my feelings for Jared had been nowhere near as strong as Bella's for Edward.

But as soon as I was on my feet, I realized someone had joined us. A dark-haired figure had appeared from between the trees not thirty feet away... and he was staring right at us. I recognized him instantly: the unusual pallor beneath dark skin, the otherworldly beauty, the slight crouch he stood in that was definitely not human, and the dark red eyes that pierced mine.

"Laurent!"

I jumped a little at the pleased surprise in Bella's voice. What was she so happy about? The guy's coven had tried to kill us the last time we met and Victoria was still after us. Laurent stared at us, and it was then that I realized he was looking at my twin in utter surprise.

"Bella?" Laurent asked, his voice as beautiful as all vampires' although it was coloured with his astonishment.

"You remember."

I glanced at my sister, questioning her sanity. Laurent had clearly not taken to the animal diet and the darkness of his eyes meant he was thirsty. Sure, he'd run away the last time, unwilling to become involved in the fight between the Cullens and James. But only unwilling because he had been scared, according to Jasper. Scared of the size and strength of the Cullen family against James's coven. So what would happen now that there was no Cullen family around?

Laurent grinned back at Bella and I really didn't like the glint I saw in his eyes as he strolled casually toward us. "I didn't expect to see you here... or your sister."

"Isn't it the other way around? We do live here. I thought you'd gone to Alaska." Bella pointed out.

I grasped Bella's hand tightly as the vampire only stopped about ten paces away, an easy distance even for a regular human to cross in an instant and absolute nothing to a vampire. Laurent's gaze flickered down to my hand and then he looked back at me curiously before he looked at Bella once again even as he spoke to her conversationally.