Down to me
Preface
All my choices have led to this. My final battle where I must stand alone. I fear that this may be the true last day of my life. That by tomorrow there will be no trace of Isabella Marie Swan Cullen. One by one my family have turned from me. Saying I am crazy for doing this alone. But the note said that I had to come alone. I know I must surely die here for there is now way out. The air if full of the scent of blood and as I look up my destroyer advances.

The writing
It had been a normal day in the life of a Cullen. School was boring as usual although Edward and I skipped our last lesson. We were playing high up in the trees and lost track of time. We got home an hour later than everyone else and esme was furious. “ where have you two been? Ive been worried sick.”
Esme really acted like our mother. Usually I would just walk off, but today I was in a good mood so I hugged her. “sorry mum,” esme smiled. She like it when I called her mum.
“Bella is that you?” Carlisle called from the kitchen
“ yeah its me.”
“this came for you today.” he said, handing me a brown envelope . I sat down on the sofa and opened it.
Bella,
It is crucial that you follow my instructions or someone you love dies. I want to face you without the others being there. In three days come to the old theatre in Seattle. I will be waiting for you in room number 58. You must come alone. To prove I know who your family are here are they’re names: Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Edward and Renesmee. Not to mention the humans like Charlie and Renée. If you don’t come or you bring anyone with you the someone you love will die horribly.
Riley

I dropped the piece of paper and everyone’s eyes were suddenly on me. I wanted to tell them but I couldn’t find my lips. So I lowered my shield so Edward could read my mind. “ no!” he shouted.
“ Ed what is it?”
I spoke “ read the letter.” one by one each of the Cullen’s read the letter. By the time they’d all finished reading it there faces were as concerned as mine.
“ I have to go.” I whispered
“ but we’ll come with you.” Emmett said.
“ no. I have to go alone.”
“ don’t be ridiculous mum. You’ll get killed.” said Renesmee. I tried not to show anyone how worried and scared I was and I think I fooled most of them, but with my shield down Jasper could feel how I felt. I put it back up suddenly.
“oowww!” jasper complained “headache. Keep you shield up or down. I cant believe you can still case me pain when you’re not even human or touching me.” he whined.
For the first time I noticed that Alice looked frightened. “ I cant see our future. Its not wolves though. Its just blurry but I can hear what’s happening. Someone giving you a final choice. But you shout at them and you sound angry. Jasper and Carlisle are in the room and I think there are some humans as well.” jasper looked annoyed.
“what’s up?” I asked.
“im not sure. Something doesn’t feel right. You’re all scared and I cant change it.”
“ Bella, Edward, Renesmee try and use your gifts.” Carlisle said.
Edward couldn’t read anyone’s mind. Renesmee couldn’t share her thoughts. Alice couldn’t see the future anymore. Jasper couldn’t change the emotions in the room and it was like my shield was stuck down.
“what’s going on?” Emmett questioned.
“Riley. He’s found a way to cut off our powers so you cant help me and it will be a fair fight.”
“but Riley doesn’t fight fair.”
“I know.”
“ Bella as I can no longer even attempt to keep you calm I want to show you something.” jasper said getting up and leading the way outside. “I have been trained to fight while you haven’t, so it will be more like this during the fight with Riley.”
Without a warning Jasper lunged at me. He was helping me get better a fighting. Jasper twisted me round and instantly had his hand round my neck and his mouth at my throat.
“try again Bella.”
I kicked him and he flew through the air and he ran back and threw me. I jumped over him and tripped him over using my leg. I held him to the ground by his throat.
“ I do pay attention. You just never watch me.” I said letting him go.
“ next is multiple attackers.” first it was Emmett and Jasper then Edward joined in. slowly more of the Cullen’s joined in the fight. They were all fighting me except Esme. When she joined in I was finally defeated.
Emmett laughed “ never lose control on a hunting trip Bella. We’d have to call everyone out here just to stop you.”

But then things turned bad. Everyone stopped talking to me except for Jasper and Carlisle.
“ we will make you a deal.” Carlisle said. “let us drive you to the theatre and we will wait outside, while you go in.” I was fed up with arguing so I agreed.
Early the next morning we set off. As we pulled up to the theatre the atmosphere in the car was tense. This was one of the times I would of let Jasper use his gift on me. I got out of the car and headed into the theatre. It took me ages to find room 58. But I did. I didn’t like what I saw. Carlisle and Jasper were tied up in the centre of the room.
Riley stepped forward “ I said that if you brought someone then they’d die.” he laughed. “Now which one first? youngest I think.” he pointed at jasper and he was untied and brought forward. I ran at Riley and pushed him back. He flew through the back wall. I then quickly untied Carlisle.
“fine.” riley boomed. “I was only going to keep you prisoner but now I’ll take all of you.”

Restrain
We were locked up. This time it was for 8 weeks. This was mine and Jaspers second time of going thirsty but not for quite this long.
“ it doesn’t get any easier does it.” I mumbled
“nope,”
We all had short tempers now but Jasper had the shortest. He put his head in his hands. We all looked different. Our eyes were black with our raging thirst and our faces held none of they’re former light. Even Carlisle was starting to struggle. Every day Riley would bring a different human into the room. Sometimes Jasper would get so angry that he would start kicking the wall, in an attempt to calm himself he sunk quietly to the floor leaning against the wall. When riley next came in I growled at him in annoyance and frustration. By now the monster inside of me was starting to come out. I got angry like Jasper but I would use my anger to do something useful. I would bend the bars of the door just a little bit each time so that riley didn’t realise that the gap was getting bigger. Carlisle hardly ever talked now, he would just sit there. In order to stop himself from giving up Jasper had started mumbling things about home, but it was mainly about Alice. I liked listening to jasper and I think Carlisle did as well. It gave me some faint hope that they would rescue us. I felt lost without love, lost without him; my beacon in the dark, my moral compass in confusion, my remarkably pure and vibrant Edward.
Save me before its too late…

Two days later a vampire came up to the cell. “they’re here he said. I don’t think its right that they are locked up. So here.” he said throwing the keys behind him.
The large metal gate swung open and Alice walked in. I couldn’t be Alice though, I was my imagination. I didn’t believe it was her until she spoke. “come on lets go.”
We all got up and ran. There wasn’t time to hunt so we ran straight home. Edward was waiting for me there. I hugged him as soon as I was in the door.
“your eyes. They’re so dark,” he murmured. “did any of you kill a human?”
I shook my head.
“im so proud of you.”
A cloud bang echoed from the kitchen. Me and Edward went to see what it was. Carlisle and Jasper were arguing. Id never seen Carlisle intimate calm shaken up so badly. Jasper was throwing things at the wall in his rage.
“you take Carlisle ill take care of Jasper.” Edward whispered. I ran over to Carlisle.
“what happened?”
“I have no idea,” Carlisle mumbled, calming himself down.
“this really isn’t good.”
“no. its not,”
Esme came into the kitchen and ran into Carlisle’s waiting arms.

Face to face
“come on, I think you need to hunt now.” Edward said to us. All of the Cullen’s came. We were running and I found myself alone with Jasper.
“oh dear.” jasper muttered suddenly stopping.
“what is it.” but then I smelled it. Human blood. A girl no older than 7 walked out from the trees and collapsed on the grass.
“we should help her.” I said
“ no if we try then we will kill her.”
“ I wont just leave her here. I walked over and knelt beside her.
“what happened?” I asked.
“ a bear,” she whispered
Her heart beat sped up and made my thirst worse.
“Jasper, go and get Carlisle!” I shouted. A few seconds later Jasper reappeared with Carlisle. It was clear that Carlisle hadn’t began hunting yet because his eyes were still black.”
“Bella, do you have your phone?”
“yeah,” I said handing it over to Carlisle.
He dialled 999.
“ hello, ambulance needed in the forest. Just off red rough lane. Young girl about 7 years old. She said she was attacked by a bear.”
He clicked my phone shut and handed it back to me.

Fighting back
It took us ages to banish our thirst. It was still there and that would only go with time.
Our gifts were back but there was something wrong with them. Edward could only read bad thoughts. My shield would go up and down at its own accord, Alice’s vision was blurred and Jasper had trouble sending out certain feelings. Only Renesmee’s gift was fine. My shield was constantly giving Edward and Jasper headaches.
Every one of us was fed up with Riley. Esme had received a letter from him saying that every Cullen would die. Jasper tried calming us but sent the emotion guilt out instead. My human memories came flooding back. Each time id hurt Jacob, every wound id given Edward. All the things that id done wrong.
“jasper, that’s the wrong one,” I mumbled
“ oh sorry.” he said. Then the memories were gone. Carlisle spoke “from now on no one goes anywhere outside the house alone. You must always have someone with you.”

For the next two weeks we were never alone. Rosalie always went with Renesmee and everyone else just went with anyone.
“jasper do you want to go out? I wouldn’t ask but all the others are busy.”
“why not. Its getting boring around here.”
We ran out into the forest.
“ you know you’re shield is really hurting my head.”
I am sorry Jasper. Its giving me a headache to though. Up down, up down.”
“ I bet im not helping either.”
I suddenly realised what Riley had been doing. He knew that we’d escape and later he returned our gift but deliberately returned them wrong.
Jasper was watching me “are you ok?”
“ I know what he’s doing. He made Maria catch me, he knew that her sisters would attack us. Riley’s been learning each of our weaknesses and he’s going to use them against us. He’s going to split us up which will make killing us easier.”
Jaspers face was full of worry and concern “if that’s true then none of us should of left the house.” Alice and esme had gone out. Rosalie had taken Renesmee shopping. Emmett and Edward were off hunting. The only one safe was Carlisle.

We ran back home.
“call Edward and tell him to get back here now and then call the others.” Jasper instructed. I dialled Edwards number but it wasn’t him that answered. It was Riley.
“ hello Bella.”
“where’s Edward?”
“ he’s here and so are the others. I want the rest of you to come to the dance studio now or I will destroy them.”
The line went dead. I stood frozen with the phone in my hand. Carlisle walked over and prised the phone out of my fingers. “what is it?”

Back to the dance studio
“ riley has everyone.” I said “he wants us to give ourselves in our they die. We have to go to the dance studio now.” I wanted Jasper to at least try to calm me down by my shield was stuck up. We knew we had no choice. “ riley had the ones we loved and even though we knew it was a trap, we went anyway. “this is the studio where James attacked you. But its been rebuilt.” Jasper said outstounded.
“Bella, is your shield up or down?” Carlisle asked.
“ im not sure hang on.”
“its up.” jasper said, wincing.

As we walked in we were greeted by laughter. Riley had us trapped and he knew it.
“where are they!” I shouted losing my temper with Riley. He’d caused so much damage and he was just making it worse.
“ bring the prisoners out.”
Slowly the rest of the Cullen’s emerged. They looked unwell.
“ they’ve been tortured. I can feel it.” Jasper whispered. I knew it was true. They’re eyes were black and they’re face were torn with pain. As she looked up Alice saw us. Rosalie, although weak, was stood in front of Renesmee, protecting her.

Riley was still staring at us. At me mainly. A low growl came from his chest and he ran at us. We quickly had Riley trapped.
“go and help the others.” Carlisle said.
I ran over to them. Hey were each sitting on the floor, they’re faces dazed. Renesmee and Emmett were the only ones standing up.
“ we have to get them out of here.” I told Emmett, “There’s two cars outside.”

When we were in the car Carlisle started driving. I was in the car with Carlisle, Renesmee, Edward and Esme. Jasper was driving the other car behind us with Emmett, Rosalie and Alice inside.
It wasn’t the thirst that had made them like this. It was the torture. I put my hand on Edwards cheek. “ its okay Edward, you’re safe. Riley’s been destroyed.” I mumbled. Our gifts had been fixed now and I lowered my shield to let Edward read my thoughts.
Inside the house we were trying to get the others to respond. In an attempt to help I asked Renesmee and Emmett about what happened.
“they would torture us. I can’t explain how. I survived because they were protecting me and Emmett did because the guards were scared of him. I went back into the living room and sat down next to Edward.

I put my head in my hands and put my shield back up. If I could cry then I would have been. Unexpectedly Edward pulled me onto his lap.
“its okay.” he whispered. I rested my head on his chest. Alice, Rosalie and Esme were doing the same to there husbands. Renesmee had disappeared upstairs, probably to play on her computer.

What else could happen? Thing could better from now on. But as I found out later, I couldn’t of been more wrong.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 24.08.2010

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Widmung:
to stephenie meyer for the great twilight books