On the way back to my house, despite wearing Rachel's dry clothes, I'm still cold and shivering like mad.
"108 degrees over here," Jake says and Bam looks at him.
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in Bella like that but I'm hotter than you are."
"I hope you're talking about body temperature," Bam says as me and him swap places and I cuddle up to Jake to warm up.
The three of us snigger.
"My hands are freezing."
Bam leans over and starts rubbing my hands which feels nice.
"It must be nice, never getting cold, Jake," I say.
"It's a wolf thing."
"No, it's not. It's a Jacob thing. You have a warm heart. You're like your own sun."
We pull up outside mine.
"Thanks for everything, Jake," I say before kissing him on the cheek.
Bam opens the door but Jake leans over both of us and slams it shut.
"What's wrong?" Bam asks.
"There a vampire."
"How do you know?" I ask.
"I can smell it," he says as he starts the car. "I'm getting you out of here."
I look back and see Carlisle's Mercedes.
"That's Carlisle's car."
There's a brief silence.
"They're here."
I climb over Bam and climb out of the truck.
"Bella, it's a trick," Bam says. "Stop!"
He and Jake come out after me.
"You gotta come with us."
He grabs me and I turn round as we reach the bottom of the steps leading to my front door.
"They won't hurt me."
"If a Cullen is back here," Jake says. "This is their territory. Treaty says we can only defend on our own lands. I can't protect you here."
"Okay. That's okay. You don't have to."
"You're about to cross a line," Bam says.
"Then don't draw one. Please?"
"Fine!" Bam says before he takes my hand and we go into the house. Jake doesn't follow.
I flick on the lights before I see her... Alice.
"Alice," I say as I throw my arms round her. "Oh my goodness! What are you..."
"Bella!"
"I'm sorry, I just... I can't believe you're here. Is..."
"Would you like to explain to me how you're alive?"
"What?"
"I saw a vision of you. You jumped off a cliff. Why in the hell would you try and kill yourself? I mean, what about Charlie?"
"Well if you didn't block her emails, you'd understand," Bam says.
I give him a look before I turn back to Alice.
"I didn't try to kill myself. I was cliff jumping. Recreationally. It was fun."
"You did nearly die though," Bam reminds me.
"You're not helping," I say to him.
Alice sighs.
"Bam, can you make me a coffee please?" I ask so he saunters into the kitchen while I lead Alice to the sofa and tell her everything.
Bam brings me my cuppa and sits on the other side of the living room, reading a book.
"I have never met anyone more prone to life-threatening idiocy," Alice says after a while.
"Does... did you tell him?"
"No! He doesn't call very often. He said he wants to be alone."
I lower my head, trying to hide my hurt and there's a few seconds silence.
"Bella, what is that awful wet dog smell?"
"Um... that's probably me. Or it's Jacob."
"Jacob who?"
"Jacob's a wolf shifter from La Push."
Alice scoffs.
"Oh Bella! Wolf shifters are not good company to keep."
"Speak for yourself," Jake says, walking in behind Alice.
She turns round.
"I had to see you were safe."
"I thought you couldn't protect me here."
"Guess I don't care."
"Well, I'm not gonna hurt her."
"No, you're just a harmless Cullen," Bam says loudly as he throws his book down.
"How many know about us?" Alice asks me.
"That doesn't matter," Bam says. "I'm talking about the other blood sucker who tried to kill Bella because of you."
"Victoria?" Alice asks, making a confused face.
"Yeah, Victoria's been around," I say.
"I didn't see her. I didn't see you get pulled out of the water either."
She turns back to Jake.
"I can't see past you and your pack of mutts."
"Don't get me upset..."
"Hey, stop," I say, getting up.
"Or things are gonna get very ugly," Jake continues.
"Stop, stop."
I turn to Alice.
"I'll give you a minute," she says as she heads for the door.
"Hey. You're not going anywhere. You're gonna come back, right?"
"As soon as you put the dog out."
She goes out the door and I turn Jake.
"I'll be just outside."
"Try not to kill her."
"No promises!"
Jake goes outside as well and I turn to Bam.
"Is he...?"
My expression changes.
"Are there others? How many Cullens are here and how long are they staying?"
"No. It's just Alice."
I move over to the coffee table and pick up my empty mug.
"And she can stay as long as she'd like."
I go into the kitchen and he follows.
"Well, are the rest coming back?"
"No. Not that I know of." I scoff. "Anything else?"
"So that's it? A Cullen shows up and I'm just chucked to one side?"
"If you're going to be like that, Brandon, then you may as well go home."
"Bella, I'm sorry. I promised never to hurt you and I'm breaking that promise."
"I love you Brandon but I think I was kidding myself that I could move on. I need to be fair to you."
"No. You're kidding yourself that he's coming back. We have a good thing going here, why ruin that now? Don't let him tear us apart."
He moves closer to me and puts his hand on my cheek.
"Bella, you are everything to me."
I close my eyes as he edges closer until our lips touch but the telephone rings.
Bam leans over and answers it.
"Swan residence."
He moves back away from me.
"He's not here right now. He's arranging a funeral."
He hangs up and keeps his back to me.
"Who was that?"
Silence!
"What?"
"Always in the way."
Bam starts shaking.
"Who was that?"
"Bella!" Alice says as she coming back in with Jake. "Bella, it's Edward."
I turn to her.
"He thinks you're dead. Rosalie told him why I came here."
I turn back to Bam.
"Why would you...? Why didn't you let me speak to him?" I say angrily.
"He didn't ask for you," Bam shouts.
"Bella," Alice says.
"I don't care!" I spit at Bam.
"Bella," Alice says as she grabs me. "Bella!" He's going to the Volturi. He wants to die, too."
"Good, let him," Jake scoffs.
I give her a hopeless look. I run upstairs and pack a backpack of clothes and grab my passport. I follow Alice out to the car she gets in with her vampire speed. As I walk Bam and Jake try to convince me to stay.
"He left you, Bella," Bam reminds me. "He didn't want you anymore. Remember?"
"No, I'm not gonna let him kill himself out of guilt."
"What about your dad?"
"I left him a note on my bed."
I climb into the car and Bam crouches down next to Alice's window, placing his hand on the keys.
"Please, Bella, just stay here. For Charlie, or for me."
"I have to go."
He removes his hand from the keys and places both his hands on the door.
"I'm begging you. Please."
"Go home, Brandon."
He moves away from the car, obviously upset. I don't want to hurt him but I can't let Edward get himself killed.
"Bella, don't be stupid," Jake says.
"Goodbye, Jake."
"Well don't expect me at your funeral."
He also moves away from the car, and goes over to Bam, who is sitting on the steps, crying.
Alice turns to me and I know what she's going to say so I grab my belt and put it on.
"Okay," she says before she pulls away from the house.
At the airport in Florence, Alice goes to get a car and turns up in a yellow sports Porsche before weaving in and out of traffic toward our destination.
"I'm guessing you didn't rent this car?"
"I figured you wouldn't be opposed to grand theft auto."
"Not today."
I notice her in a trance.
"What? What do you see?"
"They refused him."
"So?"
"He's gonna make a scene. Show himself to the humans."
"No! When?"
"He's gonna wait until noon, when the sun's at its highest."
"Come on Alice, you gotta hurry up."
"There's Volterra."
I look out the window at the large city we're approaching.
As we enter, and drive through, everyone is in red and the further we go, the busier it gets.
"Why are they all in red?" I ask, getting antsy.
"San Marco's Day festival. They're commemorating the expulsion of vampires from the city. It's the perfect setting. The Volturi will never let him get far enough to reveal himself."
"We have five minutes."
"I know, Bella, just breathe."
We reach the top of a hill and are stopped by police.
I open the door and look into the car at her.
"Bella, you're the only one he can't see coming. If I go, he'll read my thoughts. He's think I'm lying. He'll rush into it."
"Where do I go?"
"He'll be under the clock tower. Go!"
I close the car door and run, unsure where to go and there's red people everywhere.
I reach a crossroad and know I have to make a quick decision so I go left, going up and up until I see more people at the end of the path. I race toward them.
I see the clock tower but there are crowds of people and it looks like a parade is passing.
I push and shove past all the people until the only thing separating me and the clock tower is a fountain – where I stop.
The clock hits noon and starts to dong. I see Edward below, unbuttoning his shirt.
I slam into him - it's like hitting a brick wall.
"No, Edward! Don't!" I plead.
He opens his eyes and looks at me as the clock booms its final chime.
"Carlisle was right... heaven..."
"No, I'm here. I'm alive."
"You're... not real," he says with confusion.
"Look at me! Alice was wrong."
He stares at me
"Bella?"
"Please, step back. I'm alive, I'm..."
He suddenly kisses me, stepping back into the shade with me. We soak each other in like starved people suddenly nourished. He pulls away to look at me.
"You're here."
"I'm here."
We share a long look, he's about to kiss me again when suddenly, he stiffens — and abruptly pushes me behind him, taking a protective stance in front of me.
We face the dark alley that runs under the clock tower where two hooded figures emerge.
"I won't be needing your services after all, gentlemen," Edward says.
"Aro wants to speak with you again," the bigger man says and I see from their eyes that they're vampires - ones who feed on humans going by their crimson irises.
"No rules were broken."
The smaller vampire's smile suggests he doesn't agree.
"We should take this conversation to a more appropriate venue," he says.
"Fine. Bella, why don't you stay and enjoy the festival?"
"The girl comes with us," the bigger vampire says
"That's not going to happen," Edward protests.
Alice suddenly appears, lightly tripping through the alley toward us, pulling back the hood of her white coat.
"Come on, guys, it's a festival."
She reaches me and Edward, positioning herself in a protective stance, as well.
"We wouldn't want to make a scene," she continues.
"There won't be any scene. And we'll still win," the bigger vampire says.
"But not easily," Edward says.
"Enough!" a young female voice says, and a girl about my age approaches. Seeing crimson eyes on one so young just gives me more ammunition to get Edward to turn me.
Felix and Demetri back off immediately as she draws nearer. Edward and Alice do the same. I can see they're afraid of this small girl.
"Jane," Edward addresses her.
"Who is she?" I whisper to Alice.
"Just do as she says," she replies in a whisper.
Jane tosses Edward an overcoat and he puts it on.
"Follow me," she orders.
She simply turns and heads up the alley, confident we'll follow. The bigger male vampire, smirking, gestures for us to go ahead of him. Edward takes my hand.