Spiral Static

The slender vampire in the middle stood out from the rest. He was obviously the leader, though nothing was done or said to indicate as much. His entire demeanor commanded attention and respect. His hair was black, meticulously styled in an array of youthful, uneven spikes. He had eyes of stone cold amber, and he appeared to be around the age of eighteen or nineteen. One look at him ensured me that he was much, much older than that.

He was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

Long, slender fingers encased in leather gloves smoothed the lines of his expensive grey suit into place. His cheekbones were high, cheeks deeply hallow, nose of Aryan influence. He wasn’t very tall, standing around 5’6 or 7, but the way he held himself made him seem much taller. His skin seemed to sparkle even in the dim light of the train, as though he was made of quartz.

“The Volturi send their regards,” he said, smiling pleasantly. His incisors had been filed down into sharp fangs. “Unfortunately for you, Mr. Cullen, we are not the Volturi.”

It was the voice of a perfect gentleman, silky and refined, cased in an accent I couldn’t place. But though he might appear at first to be a gentleman, there was madness ticking behind his eyes.

Edward’s own teeth were bared as he acknowledged the greeting. “Who, then, might we be speaking to?”

The leader chuckled dryly, like the musical tinkling of a wind chime. “We are no one of consequence. Even if I told you, I doubt anyone would believe you. For the present, you can think of us simply as messengers. I must say, Mr. Cullen, you’re not an easy one to follow. I’m afraid you forced our hand tonight with this pathetic attempt at escape. This is hardly the setting we would have chosen.”

Edward’s grip on my arm was cutting off my circulation. I couldn’t feel my forearm down to my fingertips. I tugged on his shirt, silently urging him to let go, but he only clutched me tighter. I couldn’t move. “What do you want?” Edward growled at the leader.

“Why, nothing, Mr. Cullen. As I said, we are only the messengers. The Volturi offer you an invitation.”

“You said you weren’t Volturi.”

The vampire smiled, flashing his sharpened teeth again. “Decidedly not. Let’s just say we’re the ones who are called out when they can’t be bothered to get their hands dirty. We have certain ... talents, you see. I suppose you’ve already noticed that you’re unable to read my thoughts.”

“So you’re the one that’s been blocking me.”

He nodded obligingly, as if accepting a compliment. “And your sister. The elven one. Not an easy task, especially since I’ve had to also block the minds of everyone else here.” He made a gesture to the vampires surrounding him, standing like stone pillars, beautiful and terrifying. “And this is the result. You were alerted to our presence somehow. How very careless of me. We had hoped to corner you in a more peaceful setting after we had ... studied you a bit longer. No matter. Now concerning the aforementioned invitation, if you and the young girl there would be so kind as to accompany us, we have a small matter to attend to. I hardly think this an appropriate setting.”

“How thoughtful,” said Edward evenly. “But I’m afraid we must respectfully decline. We’re on our way to the airport, you see.”

“So it would appear! But Mr. Cullen, you seem to have forgotten your bags. Such a pity. That lovely satin nightgown was so very becoming on your sweet, little human there. I should very much like to see her in it again.”

My blood ran cold. Oh, God...

Edward exhaled. Very, very slowly. His whole body shook like he was putting all his effort into not leaping upon the leader and dismembering him right then and there. Edward would have been torn to shreds, if he had. “Again, I fear we must decline. My family is expecting us,” he bit out, putting considerable emphasis on the word family. His meaning was plain – we had allies; people who would notice if we disappeared.

“Be that as it may, if you value your family’s continued existence, you’ll come with us without further resistance. The gentlemen around me are not as kindhearted as I am when it comes to this sort of thing. I myself detest violence, you see. I consider it below my calling in life and prefer to leave the hunting to others. However, my friends here have no such reservations. Would you care for a demonstration? I’m sure one can be arranged in your honor.”

“Let Bella get off at the next stop,” said Edward, his tone shifting to something more pleading. “Please. I’ll go with you quietly.”

“No!” I protested, but he twisted my arm, urging me to be silent.

The leader smiled as if he’d just told a private joke to himself. “Ah, yes. Your lovely pet. Well, I’m afraid letting her go is quite out of the question. She’s rather the reason we were summoned in the first place.”

***

They took us to an abandoned warehouse near the train stop. There were rats. Broken bottles. Water dripped from the roof, which was in obvious disrepair. I could see very little, the only light visible from the cracks in the roof above. The vampires around me seemed to glow in the moonlight.

“Hold him,” said the leader in an indifferent tone as he adjusted a glove.

Edward snarled, leaping into action as no less than five vampires jumped him. I was pushed to the side, forgotten for the moment, which was probably a good thing. Edward tore one of the vampires apart right before my eyes. But then three more replaced the one that had fallen, and slowly but surely, they brought Edward to his knees.

“Bella, run!” he cried.

But before I could do anything, the leader flickered into focus, materializing right in front of my face. I hadn’t even seen him move. I choked back a scream and fell backwards onto the dirty floor. “That won’t be necessary,” he said, his voice quiet amidst the sounds of Edward struggling in the background. “Fear not, little one. They won’t hurt him as long as you do as I say.”

With infuriating politeness, he reached out a gloved hand to help me up. I didn’t take it. He grit his teeth, snatched my wrist up, and hauled me to my feet, skidding and crying. My arm felt like it was going to be pulled out of the socket. The leather of his gloves felt obscene and perverted against my skin. I heard a loud commotion behind me. Edward was fighting even harder than ever to get free.

“So much trouble over such a little thing,” the leader purred, lifting my chin up so that he could peer down at me with his hauntingly beautiful eyes. “Though I suppose I can see why he fights for you so.”

His hand was like an iron shackle on my wrist. But even if he hadn’t been holding me, I don’t think I would have been able to move. I was frozen with fear, locked in place by his gaze.

He rubbed a thumb across my lower lip, and I cringed away from him. “Tell me, Mr. Cullen,” he laughed. “What is it that you value so much in this little human life? Her beauty is acceptable, I suppose. Simple but pleasing nonetheless. Her scent, I give you. I admit I’ve never smelled anything like her. Clean and sweet. What it must have felt like, taking her ... I should very much like a taste myself.”

Edward roared.

The vampire ignored him and focused on me. “Do you know why the Volturi sent me, Isabella?” He asked me the question as if he were speaking to a child, perhaps asking if I knew why the sky was blue.

I barely recognized the sound of my own voice as I said, “B-because I know what you are.”

“Clever girl!” he praised, beaming at me. “Oh, it’s so lovely to meet someone of intelligence. I do get angry when greeted with inanity. Now why, sweet Isabella, when you know what the Volturi require of you because of that knowledge ... why is it you’re still human? Surely you’re not planning on double-crossing your betters.”

“We were waiting to be wed,” Edward spoke up for me, still straining against his captors. “We have every intention of turning her.”

The leader looked enchanted. “A wedding, of course! How very delightful, the customs of humans. But what is this? A ring on her finger! And one upon your own, Mr. Cullen. It appears you’re already married. Am I wrong?”

“Please,” begged Edward. “We just need a little more time.”

“Time, I’m afraid, is up.” The leader turned to face me once again, still maintaining his grip on my wrist. “Your husband is quite a specimen, Mrs. Cullen. It’s been most educational studying him. Studying you both, actually. We’ve come to the conclusion that threatening you to get him to comply is out of the question. It won’t work, you see.”

“Edward would die for me,” I whispered, then shut my mouth. I didn’t want to give them any ideas.

“Precisely my point,” he agreed. “We’ve been instructed to leave you both alive – for the time being at least – so you can see my dilemma. The Shakespearean star-crossed lover scenario is so very predictable in its ending. You see, he would fight to his death if we harmed you ... but vice versa? Well, you tell me, dearest Isabella – what do you think you could possibly do about it?”

My eyes grew impossibly wider. “Please don’t...”

His grip on my wrist tightened, and he spun me around so that I was facing Edward. “Teach the boy a lesson, but leave him intact. I want Isabella here to watch. If she’s going to become a newborn, she needs to understand what can happen when a vampire draws too much attention to our kind.”

“Shut your eyes, Bella,” murmured Edward.

I did. It would be a long time before I forgave myself for that moment of cowardice. I began to cry, silent tears that streamed down my face and dripped off of my trembling chin.

When it was over, the leader addressed me again, sounding as pleasant as ever. “I trust you get the idea. Now listen to me very carefully, little one. We’re going to leave you here now, but rest assured that we’ll be watching every move you make. I want you to return to your hotel and wait. I realize that you’re quite clever and industrious, such delightful qualities to find in a person, but please know that if you attempt to leave or contact anyone, you will most assuredly come to regret it.”

“What about Edward?” I whispered.

“Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me. We’re not quite finished with him, my dear. We have some instructions concerning your future to, eh ... instill in him. But I’ll tell you what. If you’re a very good little girl and do as I say, I promise that we won’t accidentally tear one of his limbs off. Now did you get all that?”

“Please don’t do this...”

He laughed and brought my hand up to his mouth so that he could bestow a kiss upon it. Then he bowed before me with a flourish. “Mrs. Cullen,” he said as his idea of a polite goodbye. “It was a pleasure to finally meet you, face to face. Until next time.”

His last sentence was enough to make my knees go out from underneath me. I sank to the ground, hand clamped over my mouth to keep from screaming, as they silently filed out with Edward in tow.

***

I walked the streets like a zombie, hugging myself, crying, not really knowing what to do. I was alone, with no money, no passport, no Edward. I ached to call someone. Carlisle, Charlie, Jacob, anyone who would listen to me freak out and make decisions for me that I wasn’t capable of making at myself. But the vampires would kill Edward if I did that. So I obeyed.

Somehow I found the hotel again. They let me back into the room after I told them I had misplaced my key, eyeing my tear-stained face with no small amount of suspicion. I shut the door behind me, bolted it, then sunk down into a dark corner and wailed. I couldn’t do anything. Eat or sleep or even think. Well, that’s not true exactly. I rather think the whole point of taking Edward away from me was so that I could do some long, hard thinking. Mostly, though, I just cried.

The sun rose eventually, and I didn’t pay attention to the bill that was shoved under the door. I didn’t let the maids in. I was afraid to move, knowing without knowing that they were watching me. The phone rang and rang. Probably the Cullens, who had been cut off so suddenly last night and left without information ever since. I stared at the phone with huge eyes like it was a venomous snake, ready to inflict tragedy but tempting all the same.

Edward was gone for almost twenty four hours. I just about went mad. I don’t even know how or when they brought him into the room, but it happened suddenly, without warning.

I had dozed off, huddled in the corner in a little ball, but the small moment of sleep was hardly restful. I jerked awake when I heard the sound of the shower starting. The door closed with an almost inaudible click. Thinking a maid had slipped in to clean, I stumbled to my feet to shoo them away with my broken attempts at French.

Edward had been tossed in the shower like a discarded ragdoll, fully clothed under the water.

For a moment I thought he was dead, and I had to remind myself that that wasn’t possible. He would have to be torn to bits if that were the case.

I flew to him, not caring as the water from the shower soaked me, and picked his head up carefully. He was heavy, a stone dead weight in my arms. I sobbed and pushed his hair back from his face and nearly screamed my relief when his golden eyes blinked back at me. I covered him in tears and kisses, every place I could reach – his face, hair, shoulders – until I felt his hands go around me and gather me close in a crushing embrace.

I have no idea how long we held each other, but we sat there in that shower together and let the water run over our clothed bodies for a long time, not speaking, gently rocking ourselves back and forth. Edward appeared to be in pain, though I couldn’t see a mark on him. That was a first. To see him broken, somehow injured – Edward, who was my rock, the one I viewed as invincible – I think it scared me more than anything ever had in my entire life.

“What did they do to you, Edward?”

His fingers tangled in my hair, and I felt his lips on my brow. He couldn’t seem to touch me enough. I could relate. “Never mind that, love. Better me than you. Just tell me he didn’t hurt you.” His lungs sounded as though they were choked with fluid.

I shook my head, fresh tears stinging my eyes as I said, “Not a scratch.” I did, after all, feel terribly guilty that all of this was caused because of me and my continued humanity. Now Edward had been hurt because of my hesitance. “Will they leave us alone now?”

Edward’s voice had a strange quality to it when he replied. “He should be so lucky.”

“He said he had instructions for you.”

Edward dropped his head into his hands. “You’re not wrong.”

“You’re not going to hide that from me, too, are you?”

“We have until the end of the month to ... comply,” he said, his voice dead. He scoffed as he recalled other details. “He called it a wedding present and wished us the most joyous of honeymoons. I believe there’s also a fruit basket at the door.”

I could only stare at him, unblinking.

“I couldn’t protect you,” Edward lamented, tugging on his hair in anguish. “I didn’t even come close.”

“There had to be a dozen of them. I didn’t really expect you to.”

“It’s like my greatest fear come to fruition. Well. Maybe not the greatest. That part is yet to come now, isn’t it?”

“What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know, Bella.” He turned his face toward me, his eyes light and shaky. “We could always run.”

“Where? He’ll find us.”

“If he finds us, I’ll rip him apart, limb by limb. I plan on doing that anyway. Just give me time.”

“And what then? You could kill every single vampire that was there with him, and the Volturi will still be there after they’re gone. What if they send someone to kill us for real next time? They haven’t given us much choice.”

“There’s always a choice. Go quietly or...” He paused, swallowing with difficulty. “...don’t.”

“They’ll kill us,” I repeated. Someone that little detail didn’t seem to bother him.

His eyes flickered to my face. “That might be the better fate for you.”

In that moment, I felt so strange. Like I was watching myself from outside of my own body. It seemed like someone else’s life. Someone else’s problem. Vampires couldn’t exist. Not outside of Hollywood, anyway. It was absurd. And all this talk of me becoming a vampire was a joke. Just someone’s idea of a prank to torment me with. But no one was waiting in the wings to tell me I had been punk’d. This was my real life – the life I had chosen, believe it or not – and now I had another choice to before me to make. It was a choice I thought I had made a long time ago, but the very idea now terrified me. It was one thing to talk about becoming a vampire, but an entirely different matter when a deadline was put in place. My teeth started to chatter.

Edward noticed the change in my demeanor. “I’ll figure something out, Bella. I promise. No one’s going to force you into anything. And no one is going to touch you ever, ever again.”

“No,” I whispered.

“What?”

“This was settled a long time ago. You’ve already promised me.” I took a deep breath, trying to draw up some courage to say what needed to be said. “You were going to turn me anyway, Edward. There’s nothing left to wait for now. I married you. We’ve been intimate with each other. Those were the conditions, right? These past two weeks have been the best of my life. You’ve given me so much joy. I can end it here and be fine with it.”

Anguish contorted his features. “Fine with it? You better be a little more than just fine with it. Do you have any idea what you’re asking me to do?”

“Not really,” I admitted, tugging at the collar of his wet shirt anxiously. I couldn’t stand the way he was looking at me. Like I’d just betrayed him and broken his heart into a billion pieces. We’d had this conversation before, but never had the matter seemed so imminent and irreversible. “We’ll figure it out somehow, won’t we? This is us we’re talking about. Please, Edward. We’ll never be safe until then. We can start a new life together, and they’ll finally leave us alone.”

His face crumpled, and he began to cry then. Not actual tears, of course, but he went through the motions all the same. Where he couldn’t produce the tears, the water that rained down on us from the shower took pity on him and dripped from his chin. His shoulders shook, but he was so overcome with sorrow that he couldn’t seem to make a sound.

“Will you do it now?” I asked. I should have kept my mouth shut.

He was suddenly furious. Animalistic. “NO!” he shouted right into my face, his voice choked with grief. “I have until the end of the month, Bella! They’re not going to take that away from me, and neither are you!” He punched the wall of the shower, and the tiles exploded into dust. I didn’t even have time to flinch away before he pulled me close, tucking my head under his chin possessively.

Trembling with fear, I allowed him that moment of desperate control. As he held me, I stared blankly at the shattered shower wall. My mind was ablaze ... calculating.

The end of the month, the vampire had decreed.

Two weeks, I realized. In two weeks, I was going to die.