Chapter 12
Carlisle stood up. “Emmett, Rosalie, to Port Angeles, and cut across the forest. After that, either Canada, or go east. Jasper, we’ll be staying here for now. Edward, Alice, follow Highway 101, until you get a message from us. Conceal yourself all the way. We’ll call you and decide from there, but someone’s going to head to Port Angeles and meet with Emmett, Rosalie, and Bella.” They nodded.
Alice stood up, eyes still closed. “We have to go now. They’re nearing the house.” She threw my pair of jeans over her shoulder and she went to the back door. “Cell phones, everyone,” she called. Edward’s body trembled, and with a glance at me (I shuddered), he went after Alice.
“Come on, Bella,” Emmett blinked; then he scowled. “We’ll probably have to carry you.”
“What?” I sputtered.
He sighed. “Hell, I hope Edward’s not thinking about us. Unlikely as it is.”
“I’m not going to be a kid -“
“You’re too slow, Bella. They’ll catch up too easily. If we move as quickly as vampires should, it’ll be indiscernible which one has the human,” Jasper said.
Rosalie’s nose was twitching, as if she was suppressing the urge to laugh. “At least you’re petite, Bella. Emmett won’t have any trouble. Do you have your purse?”
Why was she so concerned over that? I threw my small purse over my shoulder.
“Come on!” Jasper said. “You heard Alice; they’ll be arriving any minute now.”
I didn’t even know how I did it, but Emmett was carrying me like a little kid; everything was a blur, as the back door opened and shut, and Rosalie and Emmett were running through the forest.
If I had thought the Cullens drove like lunatics released from the asylum, I hadn’t understood their speed on foot. I could feel every bump, every branch Emmett dodged, but everything was a dark green blur, except for Rosalie, who was a white blur beside us. I buried my face into Emmett’s cold back: better to endure my face being frigid and the disgust at being so close to a bloodsucker than the nausea.
Emmett snorted at the feeling of my face against his back. “She’s really sick,” he said.
“Apparently she has a delicate stomach. She got sick when I went at ninety miles per hour,” Rosalie said. “It’s crazy.”
Emmett chuckled and I moaned, my arms tensing. “If I had to breathe, I would have suffocated by now,” Emmett said, his voice a bit strained.
A phone rang, a tinny sound in the dark forest, and Rosalie answered. “Yes?” she said. “Laurent is not with them?” she said, her voice rising.
She listened, still running fluidly but slower than before. Emmett slowed down to match her pace; I looked up and saw the frown on her beautiful face, instead of the pale blur I had briefly seen before nausea had taken over. “So he’s too cowardly to take our side,” she said, her voice dripping with contempt. “Well then, that means there’s only Victoria and James. Bella’s feeling sick, but that’s OK.”
I moaned again.
“So you couldn’t convince Victoria?” she said. She made a face. “Of course, that beast. And James didn’t meet with you? Well then, we’ll have to keep going. Right, come over here. Bye.” She pocketed the phone. “Carlisle,” she said. “Alice and Jasper are meeting up and heading east; Carlisle and Edward are coming after us. Edward’s going to catch up really soon; he’s just a couple of miles to the south, since he was following Highway 101. Negotiations didn’t work out too well, except Laurent isn’t with them. And Alice thinks that James wasn't thrown off by the clothing,” Emmett nodded, and then they were running faster again.
“Where we headed?” I whispered into Emmett’s back. He still heard me.
“Port Angeles, and then a ferry to Victoria.” She frowned, probably remembering it was the name of the female vampire. “That’s why you need your driver’s license. Proof of citizenship.”
I whimpered. “But that’s in Canada!”
“Yes, Bella, I’m surprised you know that,” Rosalie said. I rolled my eyes. “It’ll take us a while to run there. Are you hungry? Anything you need?” her voice was supremely bored, but she was still running. It was eerie.
“No,” I said. “I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Victoria is a lovely city.”
James. He had a wonderful voice. Emmett and Rosalie both stopped, turning around. The forest spun around me and it took me a while to focus on James’ face. He was handsome, just like every other vampire; even features, long, blond hair tied back in a ponytail. His clothing was typical hiker’s gear, torn from always traveling on foot.
His red eyes found me easily and he took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Delicious,” he whispered. Rosalie snarled and moved closer to him. His eyes opened and he smiled, as if the sight of Rosalie amused him so much. “But this is Rosalie. Of course. Just as beautiful as everyone says.”
This time, Emmett was the one snarling, and I closed my eyes. The idea that he was the one carrying me and was also capable of that ferocity...Lord, what had I done to deserve this?
“Where’s your mate?” I croaked. James’ eyes flitted back to me.
“Victoria’s trying to find Alice. Oh, Alice,” he grinned again and I felt my heart skitter. Emmett moved uneasily, “I remember her clearly. Pity she’s now a vampire. She smelled even better than you did.”
The trees were closing in around us and I shuddered.
“Just how did you find us?” Emmett asked.
“I know dear Isabella's scent very well now,” James said. He threw something dark blue to the ground. It was my blouse, the one that I had worn while in Port Angeles. The one where Edward had saved me. I gulped. “I can detect the nuances in her scent now. Which one’s recent. Which one isn’t.”
Rosalie raised an eyebrow. “You really think you can take both of us on,” she said, a little smile on her own face now.
“Sure,” he shrugged.
“Oh, hell no, Rose,” Emmett muttered, but they were already fighting, their blond hair indistinguishable, and their motions a blur except for a glimpse of bare fangs. “Hell no.” But all of a sudden, Emmett tensed. “Edward,” he breathed.
'
Edward was beside us suddenly and I was glad to see him. He grinned at me and for some strange reason, I beamed back. He was a friendly face. Something always good to see.
“I think I’ve seen the light again,” Emmett declared. “Get off, Bella.”
Muttering under my breath uncharitable thoughts, I let go and landed on the ground with a thump. “Once we get out of here, Eddiekins,” Emmett said, slapping Edward on the back, “I’ll be a Catholic and nominate you for a saint.”
“You can’t do that,” Edward said, his grin growing wider. “Nominate me as a saint, that is. If you read a bit more, you would know that.”
Emmett sighed. “Either way, I have faith in a higher being. Or at least your legs. Fast as always. I need to help Rose now.”
“Emmett!”
Emmett and Edward whirled around to Rosalie, but nothing was wrong with her. As if I was a vampire, my senses were heightened and I felt him coming at me, an infernal wind from hell. All that was missing was the smell of brimstone.
His hands wrapped around my shoulders and I lifted my own hands, trying to pry them off, but his head was already bent down-I could see Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward lunging towards James. And then he bit.
AN: Yes, dramatic plot differences. This is turning out to be way shorter than Twilight is.
Chapter 13