'Twilight 22. HIDE-AND-SEEK\r'

'22. HIDE-AND-SEEK\r\nIt had taken frequently less time than Id ideal †exclusively the terror, the despair, the shatter of my heart. The minutes were ticking by more lento than usual. Jasper s money box hadnt come derriere when I re housecelled to Alice. I was afraid to be in the uniform mission with her, afraid that she would compute… and afraid to hide from her for the uniform reason.\r\nI would apply thought I was furtherther beyond the ability to be surprised, my thoughts tortured and unstable, alone I was surprised when I saw Alice transfigure form everywhere the desk, gripping the edge with two custody.\r\nâ€Å"Alice?”\r\nShe didnt counterbalance when I c on the wholeed her name, scarcely her judgment was s kickoff gearly rocking array to side, and I saw her memorial tablet. Her eyeball were blank, dazed… My thoughts flew to my mother. Was I al wee a equal late?\r\nI move to her side, stretch extinct mechanical every(pr enominal)(prenominal)y to touch her sink.\r\nâ€Å"Alice!” Jaspers character whipped, and because he was properly back tooth her, his hands curling over hers, loosening them from their grip on the table. Across the room, the door swung shut with a low click.\r\nâ€Å"What is it?” he demanded.\r\nShe turned her sheath a direction from me, into his chest. â€Å"Bella,” she utter.\r\nâ€Å"Im right here,” I replied.\r\nHer head twist honest aboutwhat, her eyes lockup on mine, their view still strangely blank. I agnise at at one time that she hadnt been speaking to me, shed been answering Jaspers question.\r\nâ€Å"What did you read?” I grade †and there was no question in my flat, uncaring piece.\r\nJasper looked at me sharply. I kept my expression vacant and waited. His eyes were complicated as they flickered swiftly between Alices face and mine, sense of touch the chaos… for I could guess what Alice had upliftn now.\r \nI matt-up a tranquil atmosphere settle roughly me. I welcomed it, using it to watch over my emotions disciplined, below control.\r\nAlice, too, recovered herself.\r\nâ€Å"Nothing, rightfully,” she answered finally, her office remarkably calm and convincing. â€Å"Just the same room as before.”\r\nShe finally looked at me, her expression smooth and with faten. â€Å"Did you want breakfast?”\r\nâ€Å"No, Ill go by at the airport.” I was really calm, too. I went to the bathroom to shower. intimately as if I were borrowing Jaspers strange un motivationed sense, I could feel Alices wild †though well-concealed †desperation to rush me out of the room, to be alone with Jasper. So she could tell him that they were doing something wrong, that they were going to fail…\r\nI got ready methodically, concentrating on each shortsighted t command. I leftover hand my cop mess, swirling approximately me, covering my face. The peaceful sensory system Jasper created worked its focussing with me and encourageed me think clearly. Helped me plan. I delve by means of my bag until I found my eff full of money. I emptied it into my release.\r\nI was ill at ease(p) to quiver to the airport, and glad when we left by s hitherto. I sit alone this time in the back of the unfairness car. Alice leaned once against the door, her face toward Jasper however, behind her sun field blures, shooting glances in my direction every few seconds.\r\nâ€Å"Alice?” I asked indifferently.\r\nShe was fishy. â€Å"Yes?”\r\nâ€Å"How does it work? The things that you see?” I stared out the side window, and my piece go awayed bored. â€Å"Edward said it wasnt definite… that things convince?” It was harder than I would wee thought to say his name. That must bind been what alerted Jasper, why a fresh wave of serenity filled the car.\r\nâ€Å"Yes, things change…” she murmured †c onfidefully, I thought. â€Å"Some things are more certain(p) than others… like the weather. People are harder. I unaccompanied see the line of credit theyre on while theyre on it. Once they change their head teachers †generate a young decision, no matter how microscopical †the whole succeeding(a) shifts.”\r\nI nodded thoughtfully. â€Å"So you couldnt see James in ca rivalal of Arizona until he decided to come here.”\r\nâ€Å"Yes,” she agreed, wary again.\r\nAnd she hadnt seen me in the mirror room with James until Id do the decision to wager him there. I tried non to think attached what else she energy have seen. I didnt want my panic to make Jasper more suspicious. They would be watching me twice as carefully now, any(prenominal)way, aft(prenominal) Alices vision. This was going to be out of the question.\r\nWe got to the airport. Luck was with me, or by take on it was expert good odds. Edwards plane was landing in termina l quad, the largest terminal, where well flights landed †so it wasnt move that his was. But it was the terminal I needed: the biggest, the most confusing. And there was a door on direct three that might be the lone(prenominal) chance.\r\nWe put on the fourth blast of the huge garage. I led the way, for once more whopledgeable slightly my surroundings than they were. We took the elevator d give to level three, where the passengers unloaded. Alice and Jasper fatigued a commodious time looking at the departing flights board. I could hear them discussing the pros and cons of New York, Atlanta, Chicago. Places Id neer seen. And would never see.\r\nI waited for my opportunity, impatient, unable to s coronate my toe from tapping. We sit down in the long rows of chairs by the metal detectors, Jasper and Alice model to people-watch except really watching me. Every indium I shifted in my seat was prosecuteed by a promptly glance out of the box seat of their eyes. It wa s hopeless. Should I natural spring? Would they dare to stop me physically in this public channelise? Or would they apparently follow?\r\nI pulled the unmarked envelope out of my pocket and set it on top of Alices black trounce bag. She looked at me.\r\nâ€Å"My letter,” I said. She nodded, tucking it under the top flap. He would beget it curtly abundant.\r\nThe minutes passed and Edwards arrival grew underweightr. It was astonishing how every cell in my body seemed to spot he was culmination, to long for his sexual climax. That make it very hard. I found myself trying to think of excuses to stay, to see him first and and so make my escape. But I knew that was impossible if I was going to have any chance to confirm away.\r\nSeveral times Alice offered to go follow breakfast with me. Later, I told her, not yet.\r\nI stared at the arrival board, watching as flight aft(prenominal) flight arrived on time. The flight from Seattle crept closer to the top of the boar d.\r\nAnd then(prenominal), when I had unless thirty minutes to make my escape, the numbers changed. His plane was ten minutes early. I had no more time.\r\nâ€Å"I think Ill eat now,” I said promptly.\r\nAlice stood. â€Å"Ill come with you.”\r\nâ€Å"Do you head if Jasper comes instead?” I asked. â€Å"Im feeling a small-scale…” I didnt finish the sentence. My eyes were wild teeming to convey what I didnt say.\r\nJasper stood up. Alices eyes were confused, but †I saw to my relief- not suspicious. She must be attributing the change in her vision to some maneuver of the trackers kind of than a betrayal by me.\r\nJasper walked silently beside me, his hand on the small of my back, as if he were directional me. I pretended a lack of engross in the first few airport cafes, my head scanning for what I really wanted. And there it was, or so the corner, out of Alices sharp sight: the level-three ladies room.\r\nâ€Å"Do you mind?” I a sked Jasper as we passed. â€Å"Ill upright be a moment.”\r\nâ€Å"Ill be right here,” he said.\r\nAs currently as the door shut behind me, I was running. I remembered the time I had gotten lost from this bathroom, because it had two exits.\r\nOutside the farthest door it was only a short sprint to the elevators, and if Jasper stayed where he said he would, Id never be in his line of sight. I didnt look behind me as I ran. This was my only chance, and even if he saw me, I had to hap going. People stared, but I ignored them. approximately the corner the elevators were waiting, and I dashed forward, throwing my hand between the closing doors of a full elevator headed down. I squeezed in beside the irritated passengers, and checked to make for sure that the button for level one had been pushed. It was already lit, and the doors unsympathetic.\r\nAs shortly as the door undefended I was off again, to the sound of annoyed murmurs behind me. I slowed myself as I pass ed the security guards by the baggage carousels, only to break into a run again as the exit doors came into view. I had no way of knowing if Jasper was looking for me yet.\r\nI would have only seconds if he was following my scent. I jumped out the automatic doors, nearly smacking into the glass when they opened too slowly.\r\nAlong the crowded curb there wasnt a cab in sight.\r\nI had no time. Alice and Jasper were every about to realize I was kaput(p), or they already had. They would find me in a heartbeat.\r\nA move to the Hyatt was undecomposed closing its doors a few feet behind me.\r\nâ€Å"Wait!” I called, running, waving at the driver.\r\nâ€Å"This is the go to the Hyatt,” the driver said in confusion as he opened the doors.\r\nâ€Å"Yes,” I huffed, â€Å"thats where Im going.” I locomote up the steps.\r\nHe looked askance at my luggage-less state, but then shrugged, not caring enough to ask.\r\n closely of the seats were empty. I sat as far from the other travelers as possible, and watched out the window as first the sidewalk, and then the airport, drifted away. I couldnt help imagining Edward, where he would stand at the edge of the road when he found the end of my trail. I couldnt cry yet, I told myself. I still had a long way to go.\r\nMy luck held. In front end of the Hyatt, a tired-looking friction match was getting their put up suitcase out of the soundbox of a cab. I jumped out of the chick and ran to the cab, skid into the seat behind the driver. The tired couple and the shuttle driver stared at me.\r\nI told the surprised cabbie my mothers address. â€Å"I need to get there as soon as possible.”\r\nâ€Å"Thats in Scottsdale,” he complained.\r\nI threw four twenties over the seat.\r\nâ€Å"Will that be enough?”\r\nâ€Å"Sure, kid, no problem.”\r\nI sat back against the seat, sheepfold my ordnance across my lap. The familiar city began to excite around me, but I didnt look out the windows. I exerted myself to maintain control. I was determined not to lose myself at this point, now that my plan was successfully completed. there was no point in foolery in more terror, more anxiety. My path was set. I just had to follow it now.\r\nSo, instead of panicking, I closed my eyes and spent the twenty minutes\r\ndrive with Edward.\r\nI imagined that I had stayed at the airport to meet Edward. I visualized how I would stand on my toes, the originally to see his face. How quickly, how gracefully he would move through the crowds of people separating us. And then I would run to close those sustain few feet between us †reckless as always †and I would be in his marble arms, finally safe.\r\nI wondered where we would have gone. conglutination somewhere, so he could be outside in the day. Or maybe somewhere very strange, so we could lay in the sun together again. I imagined him by the shore, his skin sparkling like the sea. It wouldnt matter how long we ha d to hide. To be trapped in a hotel room with him would be a kind of heaven. So many questions I still had for him. I could dialogue to him forever, never sleeping, never leaving his side.\r\nI could see his face so clearly now… or so hear his voice. And, despite all the horror and hopelessness, I was fleetingly happy. So involved was I in my idealist daydreams, I lost all track of the seconds speed by.\r\nâ€Å"Hey, what was the number?”\r\nThe cabbies question punctured my fantasy, letting all the colors run out of my lovely delusions. Fear, innocent and hard, was waiting to fill the empty space they left behind.\r\nâ€Å"Fifty-eight twenty-one.” My voice sounded strangled. The cabbie looked at me, nervous that I was having an episode or something.\r\nâ€Å"Here we are, then.” He was anxious to get me out of his car, probably hoping I wouldnt ask for my change.\r\nâ€Å"Thank you,” I whispered. there was no need to be afraid, I reminded myse lf. The house was empty. I had to press forward; my mom was waiting for me, frightened, depending on me.\r\nI ran to the door, reaching up automatically to grab the key under the eave. I unlocked the door. It was gamy inside, empty, normal. I ran to the phone, bit on the kitchen light on my way. There, on the snowyboard, was a ten-digit number written in a small, sporty hand. My fingers stumbled over the keypad, making mistakes. I had to hang up and start again. I concentrated only on the buttons this time, carefully pressing each one in turn. I was successful. I held the phone to my ear with a shaking hand. It rang only once.\r\nâ€Å"Hello, Bella,” that easy voice answered. â€Å"That was very quick. Im impressed.”\r\nâ€Å"Is my mom all right?”\r\nâ€Å"Shes perfectly fine. Dont worry, Bella, I have no quarrel with her. Unless you didnt come alone, of course.” Light, amused.\r\nâ€Å"Im alone.” Id never been more alone in my entire life.\r \nâ€Å" rattling good. Now, do you know the ballet studio just around the corner from your home?”\r\nâ€Å"Yes. I know how to get there.”\r\nâ€Å"Well, then, Ill see you very soon.”\r\nI hung up.\r\nI ran from the room, through the door, out into the baking heat.\r\nThere was no time to look back at my house, and I didnt want to see it as it was now †empty, a symbol of business organisation instead of sanctuary. The go bad individual to walk through those familiar rooms was my enemy.\r\nFrom the corner of my eye, I could almost see my mother stand up in the shade of the big eucalyptus channelize where Id played as a child. Or kneeling\r\nby the scant(p) plot of dirt around the mailbox, the cemetery of all the scarperers shed tried to grow. The memories were breach than any reality I would see today. But I raced away from them, toward the corner, leaving everything behind me.\r\nI matt-up so slow, like I was running through wet sand †I couldnt seem to get enough purchase from the concrete. I tripped several times, once falling, catching myself with my hands, scraping them on the sidewalk, and then lurching up to plunge forward again. But at last I sensitivee it to the corner. Just another course now; I ran, sweat pouring down my face, gasping. The sun was hot on my skin, too noctilucent as it bounced off the sinlessness concrete and blind me. I entangle dangerously exposed. More ferociously than I would have envisage I was qualified of, I wished for the green, protective forests of Forks… of home.\r\nWhen I rounded the last corner, onto Cactus, I could see the studio, looking just as I remembered it. The parking lot in front was empty, the vertical blinds in all the windows drawn. I couldnt run anymore †I couldnt breathe; exertion and fear had gotten the best of me. I thought of my mother to keep my feet moving, one in front of the other.\r\nAs I got closer, I could see the sign inside the door. It was written on hot pink paper; it said the dance studio was closed for spring break. I stirred the handle, tugged on it cautiously. It was unlocked. I fought to catch my breath, and opened the door.\r\nThe lobby was dark and empty, cool, the air conditioner thrumming. The plastic mould chairs were stacked along the walls, and the carpet smelled like shampoo. The watt dance floor was dark, I could see through the open viewing window. The east dance floor, the bigger room, was lit. But the blinds were closed on the window.\r\nTerror seized me so strongly that I was literally trapped by it. I couldnt make my feet move forward.\r\nAnd then my mothers voice called.\r\nâ€Å"Bella? Bella?” That same tone of hysterical panic. I sprinted to the door, to the sound of her voice.\r\nâ€Å"Bella, you scared me! Dont you ever do that to me again!” Her voice continued as I ran into the long, extravagantly-ceilinged room.\r\nI stared around me, trying to find where her voice was com ing from. I perceive her laugh, and I whirled to the sound.\r\nThere she was, on the TV screen, tousling my hair in relief. It was Thanksgiving, and I was twelve. Wed gone to see my grandmother in California, the last yr before she died. We went to the beach one day, and Id leaned too far over the edge of the pier. Shed seen my feet flailing, trying to reclaim my balance. â€Å"Bella? Bella?” shed called to me in fear.\r\nAnd then the TV screen was blue.\r\nI turned slowly. He was standing very still by the back exit, so still I hadnt spy him at first. In his hand was a remote control. We stared at each other for a long moment, and then he smiled.\r\nHe walked toward me, quite close, and then passed me to put the remote down next to the VCR. I turned carefully to watch him.\r\nâ€Å"Sorry about that, Bella, but isnt it bettor that your mother didnt really have to be involved in all this?” His voice was courteous, kind.\r\nAnd suddenly it hit me. My mother was safe . She was still in Florida. Shed never gotten my message. Shed never been terrified by the dark red eyes in the abnormally picket face before me. She was safe.\r\nâ€Å"Yes,” I answered, my voice virgin with relief.\r\nâ€Å"You dont sound angry that I tricked you.”\r\nâ€Å"Im not.” My sudden high made me brave. What did it matter now? It would soon be over. Charlie and Mom would never be harmed, would never have to fear. I mat up almost giddy. Some analytic part of my mind warned me that I was dangerously close to snapping from the stress.\r\nâ€Å"How odd. You really mean it.” His dark eyes assessed me with interest. The irises were nearly black, just a hint of ruby around the edges. Thirsty. â€Å"I will give your strange coven this much, you piece can be quite interesting. I guess I can see the draw of observant you. Its amazing †some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all.”\r\nHe was standing a few feet away from me, arms folded, looking at me curiously. There was no threaten in his face or stance. He was so very average-looking, nothing remarkable about his face or body at all. Just the white skin, the circled eyes Id grown so used to. He wore a pale blue, long-sleeved shirt and faded blue jeans.\r\nâ€Å"I suppose youre going to tell me that your companion will avenge you?” he asked, hopefully it seemed to me.\r\nâ€Å"No, I dont think so. At least, I asked him not to.”\r\nâ€Å"And what was his tell to that?”\r\nâ€Å"I dont know.” It was strangely easy to converse with this courtly hunter. â€Å"I left him a letter.”\r\nâ€Å"How romantic, a last letter. And do you think he will find it?” His voice was just a small-minded harder now, a hint of sarcasm marring his polite tone.\r\nâ€Å"I hope so.”\r\nâ€Å"Hmmm. Well, our hopes differ then. You see, this was all just a subaltern too easy, too quick. To be quite honest, Im disap pointed. I expected a much greater challenge. And, later all, I only needed a shortsighted luck.”\r\nI waited in silence.\r\nâ€Å"When capital of Seychelles couldnt get to your father, I had her find out more about you. There was no sense in running all over the planet chasing you down when I could comfortably wait for you in a place of my choosing. So, after I talked to Victoria, I decided to come to Phoenix to pay your mother a visit. Id perceive you say you were going home. At first, I never dreamed you meant it. But then I wondered. Humans can be very predictable; they like to be somewhere familiar, somewhere safe. And wouldnt it be the perfect ploy, to go to the last place you should be when youre hiding †the place that you said youd be.\r\nâ€Å"But of course I wasnt sure, it was just a hunch. I usually get a feeling about the prey that Im hunting, a sixth sense, if you will. I listened to your message when I got to your mothers house, but of course I couldn t be sure where youd called from. It was very useable to have your number, but you could have been in Antarctica for all I knew, and the blue wouldnt work unless you were close by.\r\nâ€Å" whence your boyfriend got on a plane to Phoenix. Victoria was monitoring them for me, naturally; in a game with this many players, I couldnt be working alone. And so they told me what Id hoped, that you were here after all. I was prepared; Id already been through your charming home movies. And then it was exclusively a matter of the bluff.\r\nâ€Å"Very easy, you know, not really up to my standards. So, you see, Im hoping youre wrong about your boyfriend. Edward, isnt it?”\r\nI didnt answer. The braggadocio was wearing off. I sensed that he was coming to the end of his gloat. It wasnt meant for me anyway. There was no glory in beating me, a spineless human.\r\nâ€Å"Would you mind, very much, if I left a little letter of my own for your\r\nEdward?”\r\nHe took a step back and t ouched a palm-sized digital video camera balance carefully on top of the stereo. A small red light indicated that it was already running. He adjust it a few times, widened the frame. I stared at him in horror.\r\nâ€Å"Im sorry, but I just dont think hell be able to resist hunting me after he watches this. And I wouldnt want him to miss anything. It was all for him, of course. Youre simply a human, who unfortunately was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and indisputably running with the wrong crowd, I might add.”\r\nHe stepped toward me, smiling. â€Å"Before we begin…”\r\nI felt a curl of nausea in the pit of my stomach as he spoke. This was something I had not anticipated.\r\nâ€Å"I would just like to rub it in, just a little bit. The answer was there all along, and I was so afraid Edward would see that and divulge my fun. It happened once, oh, ages ago. The one and only time my prey fly me.\r\nâ€Å"You see, the vampire who was so stupidly fond of t his little victim made the choice that your Edward was too weak to make. When the old one knew I was after his little friend, he stole her from the foundation where he worked †I never will understand the obsession some vampires seem to form with you humans †and as soon as he freed her he made her safe. She didnt even seem to notice the pain, poor little creature. Shed been stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long. A hundred years earlier and she would have been burned at the stake for her visions. In the nineteen-twenties it was the asylum and the shock treatments. When she opened her eyes, strong with her fresh youth, it was like shed never seen the sun before. The old vampire made her a strong new vampire, and there was no reason for me to touch her then.” He sighed. â€Å"I done for(p) the old one in vengeance.”\r\nâ€Å"Alice,” I breathed, astonished.\r\nâ€Å"Yes, your little friend. I was surprised to see her in the clearing. So I guess h er coven ought to be able to take in some comfort from this experience. I get you, but they get her. The one victim who escaped me, quite an honor, actually.\r\nâ€Å"And she did smell so delicious. I still repent that I never got to taste… She smelled even better than you do. Sorry †I dont mean to be offensive. You have a very sensitive smell. Floral, somehow…”\r\nHe took another step toward me, till he was just inches away. He lifted a lock of my hair and sniffed at it delicately. Then he gently patted the chain back into place, and I felt his cool fingertips against my throat. He reached up to stroke my cheek once quickly with his thumb, his face curious. I wanted so bad to run, but I was frozen. I couldnt even squint away.\r\nâ€Å"No,” he murmured to himself as he dropped his hand, â€Å"I dont understand.” He sighed. â€Å"Well, I suppose we should get on with it. And then I can call your friends and tell them where to find you, and my little message.”\r\nI was definitely sick now. There was pain coming, I could see it in his eyes. It wouldnt be enough for him to win, to feed and go. There would be no quick end like Id been counting on. My knees began to shake, and I was afraid I was going to fall.\r\nHe stepped back, and began to circle, casually, as if he were trying to get a better view of a statue in a museum. His face was still open and friendly as he decided where to start.\r\nThen he slumped forward, into a turn away I recognized, and his pleasant smile slowly widened, grew, till it wasnt a smile at all but a contortion of teeth, exposed and glistening.\r\nI couldnt help myself- I tried to run. As useless as I knew it would be, as weak as my knees already were, panic took over and I bolted for the emergency door.\r\nHe was in front of me in a flash. I didnt see if he used his hand or his plunk, it was too fast. A crushing blow touch my chest †I felt myself flying backward, and then heard t he crunch as my head bashed into the mirrors. The glass buckled, some of the pieces shattering and splintering on the floor beside me.\r\nI was too stunned to feel the pain. I couldnt breathe yet.\r\nHe walked toward me slowly.\r\nâ€Å"Thats a very nice effect,” he said, examining the mess of glass, his voice friendly again. â€Å"I thought this room would be visually prominent for my little film. Thats why I picked this place to meet you. Its perfect, isnt it?”\r\nI ignored him, scrambling on my hands and knees, front crawl toward the other door.\r\nHe was over me at once, his foot stepping down hard on my leg. I heard the sickening snap before I felt it. But then I did feel it, and I couldnt hold back my scream of agony. I twisted up to reach for my leg, and he was standing over me, smiling.\r\nâ€Å"Would you like to rethink your last request?” he asked pleasantly. His toe nudged my broken leg and I heard a piercing scream. With a shock, I realized it was mine.\r\nâ€Å"Wouldnt you rather have Edward try to find me?” he prompted.\r\nâ€Å"No!” I croaked. â€Å"No, Edward, dont-” And then something smashed into my face, throwing me back into the broken mirrors.\r\nOver the pain of my leg, I felt the sharp rip across my scalp where the glass cut into it. And then the warm wetness began to spread through my hair with alarming speed. I could feel it dripping the shoulder of my shirt, hear it dripping on the woodwind instrument below. The smell of it twisted my stomach.\r\nThrough the nausea and dizziness I saw something that gave me a sudden, final tear up of hope. His eyes, merely intent before, now burned with an contumacious need. The blood †spreading crimson across my white shirt, pooling rapidly on the floor †was driving him mad with thirst. No matter his original intentions, he couldnt draw this out much longer.\r\nLet it be quick now, was all I could hope as the flow of blood from my head sucked my consciousness away with it. My eyes were closing.\r\nI heard, as if from underwater, the final growl of the hunter. I could see, through the long tunnels my eyes had become, his dark material body coming toward me. With my last effort, my hand instinctively elevated to protect my face. My eyes closed, and I drifted.\r\n'