Chapter One

Bella

The nightmares never seemed to end, they ran like an endless loop in my head, the heartache when Edward and his family left me, the cold empty feeling in my chest which just seemed to grow daily more cold, more painful, and then Alice's arrival and the feeling of relief it gave me only to find out that Rose had told Edward that I was dead. If we'd moved more quickly, if I hadn't fallen, maybe I could have saved Edward's life, saved her, but everything that could go wrong did. Alice's vision could have come sooner, the flight to Italy we were forced to take wouldn't have been delayed. The car Alice stole wouldn't have needed gas and worst of all I wouldn't have got lost, confused by all the tiny alley ways and then tripped and fallen hurting my ankle. I actually saw him, that was the worst of all, I saw him start to step from the shadows and then he was gone, just like that and the curl of purple smoke that wafted from the dark alley to the side of the clock tower told me it was all over, I was too late and he was gone for ever

I collapsed on the ground screaming his name until a hand across my mouth stopped me and strong arms lifted me up carrying me from the sunlit square into the cool shade of one of the bars.

"If you don't keep quiet they'll take you too."

I shook my head

"I don't care, it's too late, I was too late."

"Yes you were but it's not worth losing your own life too so be quiet and drink this"

A hand appeared with a glass containing something amber and strong. It made me choke as I swallowed and when I looked up I was alone. I had no idea who had stopped me or why, only that Edward was dead and I wasn't. I looked around but the bar was empty, everyone was in the square for the celebrations. I moved slowly to the back where the rest rooms were and fumbling with the tap splashed cold water on my face. When I looked at myself in the mirror all I could see was that purple smoke and I retched but nothing came up. Wiping my face with some paper towels I made my way back outside. I had to find Alice and tell her what had happened. Looking around the crowded square I got a sense I was being watched. Were the Volturi out there? Surely their skin would give them away in the sunlight but if not them then who?

Something caught my eye and I turned to see Alice looking around wildly, her blue jacket marking her out from the crowds in red cloaks. I was about to call to her when I saw two large figures approach both in red hooded cloaks although I didn't think they were humans here for the feast of St Marcus. As I watched they grabbed her by the arms and manoeuvred her towards the same dark alley where Edward had died. Surely they wouldn't kill her too? Didn't she have a gift they wanted? I found myself praying they would drag her into the clock tower, that they would leave her alive but the three of them disappeared into the alley and I waited sickened for the purple smoke to rise again but I lost it as a group of festival goers obscured my view across the square. I was stuck here in Volterra with no idea how to find the car or which way to go. What should I do? Alice had said she would park up outside the town and find me. All I could do was get out of the town and see if I could locate the car and go from there. Just as I was about to step out into the sunlight a hand caught my arm.

"Don't be stupid girl, they're looking for you. The only way to stay safe is to get out now, the quickest way"

I turned to see a figure standing there, dressed in the same red hooded cloak with another over his arm.

"Put this on quickly and follow me"

He turned before I could ask him anything and I shrugged into the cloak pulling the hood up over my head and followed him into the back of the bar. A small door stood ajar and I slipped through just catching sight of the other cloaked figure as it disappeared around a corner. I speeded up afraid I might lose him but he stayed just within sight as we twisted and turned through narrow alley ways until at last we were outside the town walls. I looked around for the yellow Porsche Alice had stolen but when I moved away still looking I heard a call,

"Here"

Turning I saw the cloaked figure standing by a nondescript brown Fiat.

"They know about the car, if it moves they'll follow you. Go now, down the hill and straight to Pisa. There's a hotel key on the front seat in an envelope, do as you are instructed and you'll make it safely back to Forks. If not you wont last a day."

"Who are you and how did you know we'd be here? What happened to Alice?"

"You don't have time for questions or answers girl but you saw what happened, the smoke, you know they're dead. Leave now while you still can."

He threw me a key and as I bent down to pick it up from the ground I felt a draught. When I looked up he was gone and all I could do was to follow his instructions so I fumbled with the key praying the engine would start and when it did I drove away from Volterra, all I could think about was Edward and Alice. I cried so hard I could barely see the road ahead of me. What was I going to tell Carlisle and Jasper? How was I going to explain my own escape and what would I tell Charlie?

I tore open the envelope as I drove and shook the contents free, an electronic hotel key, a wad of Euro's, and a folded note. I picked up the key noting it only had a room number on it and pulled over just short of the city to read the note, it had on it the name of the hotel Hotel Galilei and flight details. Looking at my watch I understood I had twelve hours before the flight boarded so the hotel room was merely somewhere to stay out of sight. There was no explanation, nothing more. Just what I needed to get out of the country. I remembered Alice had our return flight tickets so if not for my saviour I would have been trapped in Italy with no way home and no money. We had left in too much of a hurry to get any money out or even grab my cell phone which still lay on my dresser upstairs in my bedroom in Forks.

The hotel was a glass building and inside it was busy so I just got the elevator to my floor and walked along until I found the room number which corresponded with the key. To my relief the door opened and I slipped inside shutting it and sliding down the inside tears spilling down my cheeks as my body shook with shock and grief. It was an hour before I could force myself to get up and go through to the bathroom. My bag which had been on the back seat of the car enabled me to shower and change and taking a soda from the mini bar I sat down to think. I had a flight hopefully back to Seattle but what did I do then? Charlie would be on the warpath and if I saw him first I might not get a chance to speak to the Cullens at all but I had another problem. I had no idea where they were, Alice hadn't said as far as I could remember so how was I to get in contact with them?