I find out quickly that the only way to keep my mind off of why I'm in a hotel room in Phoenix is to focus all of my attention on my studies. I finish an assignment on the Avifors Spell for Transfiguration and also a review assignment on the Transfiguration Alphabet. I also finish several review assignments for History of Magic on several old wizards and I also reviewed the Gargoyle Strike of 1911. I'm rereading my astronomy book when I decide to rest my eyes for a minute. I end up falling asleep.
When I wake up, it looks like it's almost sunrise. That's not what woke me up though. I realize what woke me up is the extreme heat. I'm sweating through my clothes and when I feel my face, it's really hot. I look around and notice that Bella is now awake. Uncle Jasper notices that I'm awake and notices how much I'm sweating. He puts the thermometer in my ear. "103.1" he says, and if I'm not mistaken, I hear a hint of worry in his voice. I have to work to control my panic. Whenever I get too high of a fever, I'm worried that it means I'm going to turn into a vampire. This is probably the worst time to have the possibility of turning. Bella's looking at me to. "Take a cold shower. When you get out, I'll have ibuprofen and cold water for you" Alice says. I don't need telling twice. I nod and get the lightest outfit I can find. I get a matching shirt and skirt. The shirt is small. It's gray with flowers on it and it has spaghetti straps with a v neckline. The shirt crosses below the bust line and ties at the back. The skirt is the same pattern and it falls to my mid thigh, and it leaves a section of my abdomen showing.
At first, the ice cold shower sucks. After a minute though, it feels really good. I no longer feel like I'm going to overheat and I make sure to get all the sweat off my body and hair. The shampoo and conditioner is decent quality, so I trust it. When I'm done, I put my hair in a braid so it will be curly when it's dry. As I'm promised I have to pills and an ice cold bottle of water waiting for me. Doing homework is a little harder this time around. The only thing that keeps me from overheating again is that Alice turned on the radiator in the room so cold air swirls around me. Also, as the hours pass my nose starts to get more stuffy and I'm having to blow it every five minutes. Last but certainly not least, my throat starts to hurt a lot. The only good thing though is the pills are making my temperature go down. I finish all of the assignments for History of Magic, Transfiguration, and Astronomy. I finish my potions assignment on Infusion of Wormwood and Pompion Potion.
The only breaks I take in doing homework is when I'm forced to eat. I don't eat a whole lot as I'm starting to get nauseous. Alice tells me to nap, but I'm too hot to do that. I end up finishing all of my potions assignments by the end of the afternoon. Just as I finish an assignment for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Jasper opens the door to the bedroom. "What did you see?" Jasper asks. I get up and head into the bedroom. She's focusing on something far away. I have to focus to catch what they're saying. "I see a room. It's long, and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. He's in the room, and he's waiting. There's gold... a gold stripe across the mirrors." "Where is the room?" "I don't know. Something is missing - another decision hasn't been made yet." "How much time?" "It's soon. He'll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He's waiting for something. And he's in the dark now."
Jasper remains calm. "What is he doing?" "He's watching TV... no, he's running a VCR, in the dark, in another place." "Can you see where he is?" "No, it's too dark." "And the mirror room, what else is there?" "Just the mirrors, and the gold. It's a band, around the room. And there's a black table with a big stereo, and a TV. He's touching the VCR there, but he doesn't watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits." Her eyes drift to Jasper's face. "There's nothing else?" She shakes her head. They look at each other. "What does it mean?" Bella asks. Neither of them answer. Then, Jasper looks at Bella. ""It means the tracker's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room." "But we don't know where those rooms are?" "No." "But we do know that he won't be in the mountains north of Washington, being hunted. He'll elude them." Alice's voice is bleak. "Should we call?" Bella asks. Then, the phone rings. Alice is across the room just as I lift my head to look at it. "Carlisle," she breathes. "Yes," she says, glancing at Bella and I. "I just saw him." and then she describes the vision. "Whatever made him get on that plane... it was leading him to those room." she pauses. "Yes," Alice says, and then she speaks to me. "Chloe?" I can see Bella drop her face in disappointment in my peripheral, but I don't care. I rush to the phone.
"Hello?" I say. "Hey CoCo" I hear dad say, using his old nickname for me. "Hey daddy" I say. I go to the bathroom so I have more privacy. He's shocked at my tone. "Are you okay?" he asks worriedly. "No. I'm sick. I feel like I've been tossed into a volcano, I'm nauseous, I have to blow my nose every five minutes, and I'm coughing up my lungs" I tell him. "What's your temperature?" he asks. I quickly take my temperature. "101.2. It was 103.1 this morning" I tell him. He's silent. "Keep a close watch on your temperature. As soon as you can, take medication. You're doing a great job at keeping me worried" he says. I chuckle humorlessly. "Ya, me to" I say. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asks. "My temperature has never been that high before. What if it goes back up and doesn't go back down. That could mean I would turn into a vampire! This is probably the worst time for that to happen. Not to mention, I'm worried about you hunting James and I don't like mom breathing the same air as Victoria" I say very quickly, venting what I've been feeling all day. "Wow there Chloe. Breathe" he says, and he doesn't say another word until I do so. Several times.
"Thank you. Now, quit worrying about your mother and I. The three of us are more than a match for one vampire. You know that. Also, if you haven't noticed already, your mother is really protective of you and if that Victoria chick so much as mentions your name, she'll have her head ripped off and your mother wouldn't have a scratch. Lastly, are you in any pain? Aside from nausea and a possible sore throat? Do you feel like you're being burned alive?" he asks. I know what he's getting at. "No..." I say. "Then there you go. You aren't turning into a vampire yet. Your temperature is going down to. You have to calm down" he says. I do actually feel a little better after talking to him. "Thank you. Where are you guys?" I ask. "Just outside of Vancouver. We lost James. Edward said that he hasn't been able to read James's mind. Thinks he's too far away. We think he's headed back to Forks" he says. "Aunt Alice saw that he got away" I say.
"Don't worry though. He can't find anything that would lead him to you. The only place your scent has been is our place and the airport" he says. "How are you doing?" I ask, changing the subject. "I'm fine. Just worried about you. How's Bella?" he asks. "Fine" I say shortly. "What does that mean?" he asks. "I said she's fine. I don't know what you're talking about" I say. "I know that 'fine'. You're mom says that when she means that something is not fine. Are you mad at Bella or something" he asks. I fidget with the end of my skirt. "Well, you heard what mom said about Bella back at the house. She has a point. My life is at risk because of her" I say. In the background on his end, I can hear growling. Probably Edward. Dad sighs. "This isn't Bella's fault" dad says. "I'm trying to tell myself that but I can't help but be a little upset" I answer. "Do me a favor and try a little harder. Also, I need you to give the phone to Bella. Edward is about to rip the phone from my hand" dad says. "Alright" I say. I leave the bathroom and hand the phone to Bella without another word.
I go back to Jasper and Alice. Maybe Alice will get another vision about the room. Bella is off the phone in a few minutes when Alice begins sketching on hotel stationery. She's drawing a room: long, rectangular, with a thinner, square section at the back. Wooden planks stretch lengthwise across the room. There's also a long, gold band in the room. "It's a ballet studio," Bella says suddenly. We all look at her. "Do you know this room?" Jasper asks. "It looks like a place I used to go for dance lessons - when I was eight or nine. It was shaped just the same. That's where the bathrooms were - the doors were through the other dance floor. But the stereo here, it was older, and there wasn't a tv. There was a window in the waiting room - you would see the room from this perspective if you looked through it."
We all stare at her. "Are you sure it's the same room?" I ask. "No, not at all - I suppose most dance studios would look the same - the mirrors, the bar." She traces her finger on the paper. "It's just the shape that looked familiar." she touches the door. "Would you have any reason to go there now?" Alice asks. "No, I haven't been there in almost ten years. I was a terrible dancer - they always put me in the back for recitals," she says. "So there's no way it could be connected with you?" Alice asks. "No, I don't even think the same person owns it. I'm sure it's just another dance studio, somewhere." "Where was the studio you went to?" Jasper asks. "It was just around the corner from my mom's house. I used to walk there after school..." "Here in Phoenix then?" I ask, wanting to get to the point. "Yes. Fifty-eighth Street and Cactus."
For the rest of the evening, I work on homework. I don't go to sleep until really late because I get to hot again and I want to finish my homework. By midnight, all of my assignments have been finished and all I have to do is study for exams -I idly wonder how Harry and Ron are holding up, because I wouldn't have finished so quickly if it weren't for my memory. Soon after I fall asleep though, I'm being woken up. I open my eyes to see that it's Alice. "What's up?" I ask groggily. "You're leaving with Bella, Carlisle, Edward, and your dad. They're going to hide you two for a while. Jasper is going to check out. We're going to relocate" she says. It takes me a minute to process this. When I do, I nod. I'm notified that James is coming to Bella's mom's house. I'm just excited that I get to be with my dad.