CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:
It was Jasper, this time, who was standing near me, gently touching my shoulder, coaxing me into the waking world. A wave of calm washed over me, calm that shouldn't exist, and I gave him a shaky smile. "Th-thanks." I mumbled, and he nodded, gently.
"Do you want something to eat?" he asked, but I shook my head. I picked up the phone, checking the time on it, to see that it was just past two in the morning.
Jasper walked back into the living room, and I followed him to the kitchen table where Alice was sketching again. I crossed over to look at what she was drawing, and a wave of nausea washed through me, the phone I was holding dropping from my suddenly limp fingers.
The small crash it made as it hit the floor was enough to get me the attention of the two vampires, but I didn't look at them, barely noticed it as their eyes snapped over to me, instead I stared at Alice's drawing, my face pale. "What is it Bella?" Alice asked. She had to repeat the question twice before I could answer.
"That's Renee's house." Alice was already off the couch, scooping up the phone I'd dropped, dialing. I stared at the precise rendering of my mother's family room, barely noticing as Jasper's hand hesitantly brushed against the small of my back, the physical contact strengthening the effect of his gift.
I wasn't close to Renee anymore. Renee hadn't been able to cope with what I was, hadn't even wanted me close to home anymore- instead of enrolling me in Salem Witch's Institute, a magic day school in America, she'd basically shipped me off to Hogwarts so she only had to deal with me over the holidays.
In all honesty, though, I'd stopped going over to her house over the holidays long ago, staying instead with Luna or, on the odd occasion, Charlie (who had accepted the whole his daughter being a witch thing so much better then she had).
Hell, I hadn't seen Renée for over a year now. But I did still love her. I'd always love her, because for better or worse, she was still my mother. And the idea of James killing her... I shuddered, hugging myself.
"Bella, Edward is coming to get you. He and Emmett and Carlisle are going to take you somewhere, to hide you for a while." Alice told me, suddenly appearing in my field of vision. I realized that her small hand was cupping my chin, turning my head so I was looking at her. I latched onto her words.
"Edward is coming?"
"Yes, he's catching the first flight out of Seattle. We'll meet him at the airport, and you'll leave with him."
"But my mother... he came here for my mother, Alice!" My voice was thick with fear.
"Jasper and I will stay till she's safe."
"I can't win, Alice. You can't guard everyone I know forever. Don't you see what he's doing? He's not tracking me at all. He'll find someone, he'll hurt someone I love... sweet Rowena, why can't-" I just be seventeen already?
"We'll catch him, Bella," Alice assures me when my voice trails off.
"And what if you get hurt, Alice?" I demand sharply, turning to her. "Do you think that's okay with me? Do you think it's only my human family he can hurt me with?"
I almost didn't catch Alice's meaningful glance to Jasper, and was startled slightly as a deep, heavy fog of nostalgia washed over me, and my eyes closed without my permission. My mind struggled against the fog, realizing what was happening, and I forced my eyes back open, yanking away from Jasper's hand.
"For Circe's sake, I don't want to go back to sleep!" I snapped, before grabbing the stupid shiny silver phone off the kitchen table, and storming back into the bedroom, shoving the door closed behind me. I let my wand slide out of my sleeve, so I was holding it in my clenched fist, and somehow that made me feel a bit better, like I wasn't entirely helpless.
Phone in one hand, wand in the other, I buried myself in my copy of Wuthering Heights, reading for hours, cover to cover, then starting again. I could only half concentrate on the words, my mind moving in relentless circles.
It wasn't fear for myself that was causing me to break apart. I'd been living with a death sentence for over two and a half months now. But this was different. It wasn't just my life in danger, now. No, it was Charlie's life, and Renée's life, and all of my new vampire family's lives.
At some point Alice knocked hesitantly on the door to tell me that the others were boarding the plane, that they'd be here in a few hours, and Jasper was checking out. I was just about to apologize, again, for my behavior, when the phone rang, distracting me. I answered it, and let out a huge sigh of relief when I heard Renée's voice.
"Bella? Bella?" Her tone was in that familiar tone I had heard a thousand times in my childhood, anytime I walked too close to the edge of the sidewalk, or strayed out of her sight. It was panicked. Despite everything, a small part of me warmed- she hadn't panicked for me anymore for what seemed like a very long time. She'd just wanted me out of sight, out of mind; treated everything like I could just use my magic to fix or erase any possible danger or threat or uncomfortable situation I'd found myself in.
"Calm down, mom," I said to her in my most soothing voice, "one second," I said, dropping the phone to my chest to turn to Alice, "do you mind...?" I asked, hesitantly, and her eyes widened with understanding.
"Oh! Of course!" she said, backing out of the room, shutting the door. I raised the phone back up to my ear.
"Everything is fine, okay? Just give me a minute and I'll explain everything, I promise." I tell her. I then pause, surprised that she hadn't interrupted me yet. "Mom?"
"Be very careful not to say anything until I tell you to." The voice I heard now was as unfamiliar as it was unexpected. It was a man's tenor, a very pleasant voice, the type you heard in the background of a luxury car commercial.
Oh fuck.
"Now, I don't need to hurt your mother, so do exactly as I say and she'll be fine." He paused for a moment, while I listen in mute horror. "That's very good," he congratulated, "now repeat after me, and do try to sound natural. Please say, 'it will only be for a week or two. I promise you'll be safe'."
"It will only be for a week or two. I promise you'll be safe." I say, putting all the practice I've ever had at lying into work.
"Very good," the voice praised, "now are you alone? Just answer yes or no."
"Yes."
"But they can still hear you, I'm sure."
"Yes."
"All right, then," the agreeable voice continued, "say, 'mom, trust me'."
"Mom, trust me. I will kill anyone who dares lay a hand on you." My voice is dark, threatening, a warning, and James tuts as I go off script.
"Ah, ah, ah, Bella." He warns, "another stunt like that, and mommy will get hurt. Do not go off script. This is my final warning. Now say 'it's all going to be fine, mom. You just have to listen to me and do as I say.'"
"It's all going to be fine, mom. You just have to listen to me and do as I say." I repeat, making my words as earnest and realistic as possible, easily catching the double meaning to the words.
"Now, I want you to listen very carefully. I'm going to need you to get away from your friends; do you think you can do that? Answer yes mom or no mom."
"No."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I was hoping you would be a little more creative than that. Do you think you could get away from them if your mother's life depended on it? Answer yes mom or no mom."
Somehow, there had to be a way. In a flash, I remembered we were going to the airport. Sky Harbor International Airport: crowded, confusingly laid out...
"Yes mom." My voice was confident.
"That's better. I'm sure it won't be easy, but if I get the slightest hint that you have any company, well, that would be very bad for your mother." The friendly voice promised. "You must know enough about us by now to realize how quickly I would know if you brought anyone along with you. And how little time I would need to deal with your mother if that was the case. Do you understand? Answer yes mom or no mom." I gritted my teeth, fury bubbling inside me.
"Yes mom." I barely refrained from spitting.
"Very good, Bella. Now this is what you have to do. I want you to go to your mother's house. Next to the phone there will be a number. Call it, and I'll tell you where to go from there." Let me guess, the ballet studio around the corner? I thought, grimly. "Can you do that, Bella? Answer yes mom or no mom."
"Yes mom."
"Before noon, please, Bella. I haven't got all day." He said, politely. "Now, it's important that you don't make your friends suspicious. Tell them that your mother called, and that you talked her into going to a hotel for a week. Now repeat after me, 'thank you mom.' Say it now."
"Thank you mom."
"Say 'I love you, mom, I'll see you soon.' Say it now."
"I love you mom, I'll see you soon."
"Good bye Bella. I look forward to seeing you." He hung up. I was literally trembling, trembling with anger, with fury, with fear, with panic. I was relieved that Jasper wasn't here- there was no way I could have kept them from being suspicious if he was witness to the current turmoil that was my emotions.
Taking a few deep breaths, I forced myself to calm down. To make a plan. I wasn't going to go down without a fight. I'd go to the ballet studio, and I'd go alone, but I wasn't going to be defenseless.