Long awaited!!! I hope you like this - it got a bit weird, so I apologise in advance.
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* * *
I regained consciousness below ground. I knew where I was instantly, even with my eyes closed and no control over my body. I could feel the venom burning through my body, excruciatingly painful, yet wonderfully revitalizing. Somewhere above me, I could hear Carlisle and Esme sobbing. Through his eyes, I read my own tombstone.
“AMELIA “AIMEE” ELIZABETH CULLEN
MOTHER, DAUGHTER, SISTER, FRIEND
21ST JUNE 1905 – 7TH OCTOBER 2009
WE LOVED YOU”
I could sense rather than hear the running footsteps above me. The ground shook a little with each step, and I judged that it was someone heavy, like Edward, or Emmett. Next to the heavy steps I could sense lighter ones – Alice, definitely. The heavy person stopped beside Esme and Carlisle, and explained – definitely Edward – what Alice had seen in short sentences: “Alice saw something. Aimee’s alive. Need to dig her out. Fast!”
“Son… calm down. Are you quite sure about what you saw, Alice?” Carlisle asked.
“Carlisle, you know the visions change depending on the decisions of the person. I think Aimee has decided very much that she wants to be alive.” She told him. He missed the note of sarcasm in her voice, and fell to the ground, clawing at it with his hands, whilst calling for Jasper and Emmett to come and help.
I wanted to call out with my mind, and I tried, I really did, shouting the words over and over, but I couldn’t get through. I tried to think his name, so that Edward would hear me, but he didn’t seem to respond.
It took all of five minutes before I felt the wind on my face.
I could see myself through Carlisle’s eyes, could feel his disappointment when I did not stir. Turning to Alice, she told him to place me inside, in his study, and to stay with me, and so I felt myself in his arms once more.
I could hear the confusion of my siblings as Carlisle carried me through the lounge, a barrage of silent questions: Why is she here? Why did they dig her up? Couldn’t they let her be? IS SHE ALIVE?
I wanted to tell them I was alive, but still I couldn’t seem to be able to say anything mentally. As Carlisle carried me up the stairs, their questions faded to a humming, and then I felt soft leather under my skin, and a blanket over me. I felt Esme slip her hand into mine, and I wanted to squeeze it, I really did. I wanted to sit up, and hug her, tell her it was OK, but I couldn’t make my body work. I could hear her hope, hear Carlisle’s and Edward’s and Alice’s, and then the venom really took hold, and I slipped into the fiery darkness once more.
When I woke up, it was dark. I surmised that I had regained a kind of consciousness, but that not all of my body was quite ready to respond yet. I felt Esme squeeze my hand, and amazingly, I managed to squeeze back.
She nearly screamed. “Carlisle!” She called, and I felt him next to me. I heard a rustle, and looking through his thoughts, I realized he had put his arm around Esme.
“What is it, sweetheart?” he asked her tenderly.
“She squeezed my hand! I know she did, and I know what you’re going to say, but she did, really!” she gushed excitedly.
He sighed. “Esme, it’s been four days. There’s been no change. I think it might be the muscles beginning to tense. I’m sorry.”
But Esme was adamant. She was going to stick to her guns. “Carlisle, put your hand in hers, and squeeze it.” She instructed firmly. You didn’t argue with Esme, not when she had that tone of voice.
I felt Carlisle’s fingers in mine, and I knew what to do to convince him. Before he could squeeze my fingers, I squeezed his. I could tell he was unconvinced, and so I reached out with my thoughts: I’m here – I’m alive. My body’s waking up still. I love you both. I knew they heard me. I could tell from their twins gasps of shock, and then by Esme’s hot tears of joy spilling onto my hand. Standing slightly, never letting go of my hand, she gently kissed my forehead. I suddenly needed to see her for myself, and so I forced my eyes to open. She gasped again, and then looked directly into my eyes and smiled. I smiled back. It was good to be back.
Once more, Carlisle took me into his arms and carried me downstairs. The bombardment of thoughts was too much, and I closed my eyes again. Gently he laid me onto the couch, and I felt someone sit by my head, and someone else by my legs. The voice by my legs spoke. It was Rose. “Carlisle, you keep carrying her around. Is she alive or is she dead? I don’t know whether to mourn or be happy, cry or laugh. What is she?”
I knew Carlisle would be smiling.
“See for yourself,” he told her, and as she bet over me, her long hair tickling my face, I snapped my eyes open and simply said one word:
“Boo!”
She screamed her head off, first shock, then happiness, and swept me into a bone-crushing hug. Shocked, I hugged her back, and then, as she recovered herself, she lowered me carefully back onto the couch.
The next few minutes were overwhelming, a mass of hugs, and smiles, and tears, and then Esme was sat next to me and everyone was gone. She had a cup of something in her hand. It smelt good. I licked my lips in anticipation. “I thought you could do with this. You need to keep your strength up.” She said, whilst gently helping me sit up, and handing me the cup.
I could tell it was blood – mountain lion, my favorite. I smiled – and then a thought occurred to me. “Mia,” I gasped, struggling to stand up. “Where’s Mia?”
“Shush,” Esme pushed me effortlessly back down. “Mia’s staying with Nessie at Charlie’s for a bit. Until things have settled down a little.”
I sighed, relieved. Then another thought came to me.
“Seth,” I blurted, before I could stop myself. “How’s Seth?”
Esme’s smile disappeared in an instant, and she half frowned. “Aimee, Seth isn’t your number one priority now. You did what you did because of him. Maybe you and Seth could… give it a break for a bit?”
I couldn’t help it. I knew it was wrong, but I felt myself getting mad. “Esme. Is. Seth. Alive?” I hissed between my teeth. “Give it to me straight.”
“He’s alive, but only just. He was quite badly hurt.” She told me, and I could see her eyes were swimming with unshed tears.
“NO!” I tried desperately to stand, and succeeding in struggling to my feet, but there, gravity won, and I toppled to the floor. As Esme helped me back onto the couch, I began to cry, hot, angry tears of resentment. “Oh, Esme,” I whispered. “I know it’s wrong, but I love him. I need to know he’s OK. I’ve got to go to England. Will you take me?” I could see she was struggling to decide, so I looked at her with eyes full of love and hope, and smiled the smile that no-one could ever resist. “Please?” I whispered. “Please?”
Looking deep into my eyes, she sighed half-heartedly. “OK. OK, sweetheart.”
Inwardly, I punched the air in triumph.
We left then and there. Carlisle was at work, so we left a note:
Gone away, be back soon, love Esme and Aimee x
Maybe we should have been more specific. Maybe we should have said where we were going. But we didn’t think. We just got in the car and drove as fast as we could to the airport. There, the only flights we could get at such short notice were to Florence, where we would have to purchase tickets to London. It took all of a second to decide.
We were going to Italy.
* * *
As we were crossing the Atlantic, Carlisle came home from work. He found our note, and tried to call Esme’s cell. It was switched off. He knew she never switched her cell off, unless she was flying, and so he booted up his laptop and set about hacking the websites of every major airline, searching for me or Esme. He finally found us, on Air Italia, on a plane headed straight for Florence. Florence – a city just forty minutes away from Volterra, home of the Volturi. Staggering to his feet, he shouted for Edward and Alice, ran through the plan mentally, and told them to meet him in the Mercedes.
* * *
Arriving in Florence, we noted with relief that is was a cloudy day. Good. We managed to book tickets with BA to London, Heathrow, leaving in five hours, and so whilst we waited we decided to leave the airport for a bit and take a tour of the local area with a tour company.
Looking back, I know it was a mistake. We shouldn’t have put our names down for the next tour, leaving in thirty minutes. But we did, and we went. And we saw Volterra. As soon as we realized we were going to actually go inside and look around the city, we knew we had to get off the bus. If the Volturi knew we were in their city, we would almost certainly have to go with them and answer some questions. And I wasn’t going to put Esme through that. As soon as the bus stopped, we were away, running faster than the eye can see, back the way we came. That, too, was a mistake. We should have excused ourselves, should have said we were sick, anything. But instead we simply ran. And minutes after our flight to London took off, Carlisle, Edward and Alice landed, already fearing the worst.
* * *
Carlisle was frantic with worry. He searched the airport with Alice and Edward, splitting up so as not to miss us, and when they couldn’t find us they searched it again. Conversing in fluent Italian, he began to ask the local tour operators if they had seen a woman of Esme’s description, a girl of mine, and when finally, one tour operator told us he had seen us, it confirmed Carlisle’s worst fears. He told Edward what he had found silently, for fear he would break down in sobs:
Aimee and Esme took a tour bus to Volterra. When it reached the city… they disappeared.
* * *
Meanwhile, Esme and I had arrived in London. I could hear Esme worrying – she had lost her cell in Italy, and she needed to phone Carlisle – but I was a little preoccupied. We found the right bus, prepared the right change, paid our way on, and then we were off, en route to Bristol, where Seth was in hospital.
It took us four and a half hours. It probably would have been faster to hire a car, but we finally arrived, after long hours of boredom on the bus. From the bus station, we flagged a cab, and arrived at Bristol Hospital after what seemed an infuriatingly long time. We lied our way easily through Reception, and were finally taken to the correct ward.
Seth was in a small room to one side, tubes running in and out of him, and bandages everywhere. He was sleeping – he looked so peaceful when he was asleep.
As I ran to stand beside him, his nose wrinkled and he opened his eyes. I watched them light up as he saw me, saw Esme, and I swept him into a tight hug. “Oh Seth! I missed you so much! Why aren’t you getting better? Carlisle told me that wolves heal faster…” I gushed, and he didn’t wait for me to finish before answering.
“Aimee, I hadn’t phased for a long time before the accident, so I guess that’s why. I’m sorry I left so abruptly – I was staying with you, and then suddenly my mom announces she’s had enough of me hanging around with the Cullens – sorry Esme – and that I’m going to England for three months, leaving tomorrow, and I wasn’t to call and tell you before I left. And then I arrived here and Uncle Kris picked me up, and we were heading along the M25 fine until we hit a truck…”
Here he broke off, as I began to cry, tears of anger, and relief, and sadness. Esme was by my side immediately, and I leaned into her shoulder and cried for a little while.
“Oh, Seth. You wouldn’t believe the crazy things I’ve done,” I whispered, and showed him a little of the wolves, and the near-death experience. He simply smiled slightly, and reaching out with one hand, he gently stroked my cheek, before letting his hand fall back to the bed with a sigh, and drifting back to sleep slowly.
* * *
Back in Italy, Carlisle, Edward and Alice ran into Volterra just a little before midnight. Carlisle led the way through the narrow cobbled streets, towards the headquarters of the Volturi. Once there, he simply banged on the doors with one fist, and as soon as they opened he demanded to see Aro, immediately.
The receptionist, scared by Carlisle’s cold, detached manner, led them through to the chamber immediately. As the doors opened, Carlisle was greeted warmly by Aro, but ignoring this he got straight to the point. “Aro, my wife, Esme, and my youngest daughter, have you seen them? Have they come here?” he asked urgently.
“Why, Carlisle, my friend, surely your youngest daughter is young Alice, and she is stood right beside you?” Aro inquired scathingly.
Fumbling in his wallet, Carlisle brought out a photo of his family, and tapped Aimee’s face. “This girl? Have you seen her? Or Esme?” he begged.
“Well, well, well, Carlisle. She would be Edward’s sister then?” he didn’t wait for a response, but ploughed straight on regardless. “Yes, I think she is. We may have seen them. It depends, of course, why you seek them.” Aro told Carlisle, in a voice that made his answer all the more infuriating.
“Aro. Aimee and Esme went missing yesterday night. I have reason to believe they came here. Now have you or have you not seen them?” Carlisle asked once more.
“No, Carlisle, we have not. We…” Aro was cut off by a shriek from Alice.
She pointed at a vampire whose name eluded Carlisle.
“Esme’s cell! He has Esme’s cell!” she cried, and Aro beckoned the bewildered vampire over. Carlisle seized the phone and demanded to know where they had found it.
“In a parking lot, just inside the city walls. We found it this morning.” Aro informed Carlisle smoothly.
“Esme never goes anywhere without her cell. Never. Please can we see Aimee and Esme?” Carlisle was trying desperately to stay calm.
“Carlisle, we have not seen either Esme or the girl. I would ask you to leave, my friend.” Aro informed him icily. Carlisle slumped against Edward’s side in defeat. He managed to nod, and Edward and Alice helped him outside, to a bench in a dark back street.
Carlisle switched on the cell shakily. The familiar wallpaper – a close-up photograph of his face – came up, and frantically he scrolled through Esme’s calls, her messages, looking for a clue of some kind. He was about to give up, when he found what he was looking for. In her “Sent messages” folder was a message that had clearly been written on the plane, but had failed to send for some reason.
Opening it, he read it silently. My dearest Carlisle, it read, Aimee is making me write this so that you won’t worry. We’re headed for Florence, Italy. I know it’s hard to be apart, my darling, but stay strong. I love you with all my heart and soul, Esme.
His howl of anguish cut through the still night air. It took all of Edward and Alice’s strength to get him back to the airport, to get him onto a plane to Seattle. As he sat perfectly still in his seat, Edward whispered into Alice’s ear what Carlisle was thinking. It was the same sentence, over and over:
I have nothing left to live for.
* * *
We stayed with Seth for another three days. Esme decided she wanted to fly back to Italy and spend some time in and around Milan, whilst I would fly to New York, and then connect to Seattle, and so we parted at the airport, and she promised me she would see me in two days.
If I had known then how traumatic those two days would be, I would never have left her.
* * *
Carlisle sat numbly on the couch. Sat around him were Edward, Bella, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rose, Mia and Nessie, and they were all waiting for him to explain himself.
Why was he acting so strangely? They all thought, and eventually, after what seemed like forever, he spoke.
“When Edward, Alice and I left here two days ago, we went to Italy. We discovered that that was where Esme and Aimee had gone, and that they had flown to Florence. When we arrived there, we discovered that they had taken a tour bus to Volterra… and disappeared. So we went and spoke with the Volturi, and although they denied seeing them both, one of them had Esme’s cell.”
Here, everyone gasped. Ignoring them, Carlisle continued.
“They claimed to have found it in a parking lot, although when we later switched it on there was an unsent message to me in the Outbox folder.”
Here, he read the text.
“It is most likely that Aimee, after hearing about Seth’s condition, forced Esme to take her to Italy, as she was in no condition to drive. She then forced Esme to take her to Volterra, and there it is almost certain that Aimee did as you planned to, Edward. She stepped into the sunlight. Esme, dear, sweet, Esme, would not want to see her daughter as good as committing suicide in front of her, not again, anyway, so she most likely tried to restrain Aimee. You have all witnessed Aimee’s strength, and so we can only deduce that Aimee pulled Esme out into the light with her, and they were killed by the Volturi as punishment for their crimes. I’m sorry, but I think Esme is dead, and that it is Aimee’s fault.”
Here, everyone looked shell-shocked. Could it be true? Could she really be dead? As they all pondered, a small voice piped up.
“If Esme is dead, what about my mom? Where’s my mom?” Mia asked, her voice breaking on the last few syllables.
Carlisle’s hand shot out and fixed itself around her windpipe. “If you ever, ever, call that girl “Mom” again, then there will be serious consequences. Do you understand?” he hissed. Mia nodded, shocked, and he released her. There was a pattern of livid bruises already blooming on her neck, and he was horrified. Had he really done that?
Before he could apologize, however, Alice’s voice cut into his thoughts.
“Carlisle, she’s coming home. Aimee’s coming home. Esme isn’t with her, but we’ve got four hours…” her voice seemed to fade away to nothingness as Carlisle sat there, disgusted. That girl – that murderer – was coming home? She would dare show her face after what she had done? A plan began to shape itself in his head.
“Rosalie, get your tool box. Emmett, fetch a drum of cable from the garage. Be quick. We haven’t got long before the murderer arrives.” He hissed, and smiled a secret smile.
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