Prologue
I felt my breath coming in short gasps now. The searing hurt in my legs was subsiding, but my head was now throbbing in a dangerous way, the pain threatening to take over my consciousness and force me to sleep. I was going to die. I was going to die, and never see Edward again.
How had I gotten myself into this situation again? It wasn't as though I hadn't seen the warning signs glaring at me in the distance, and even up close. It wasn't as though I hadn't been told what exactly would happen. It wasn't as though Edward hadn't tried to stop this from happening. It wasn't as though we hadn't tried.
Well, now what, genius?, my mind asked me sarcastically. You've gotten us into this mess, now get us out. I watched her step closer, her eyes brilliant, red, hungry, and felt my smallest survival instinct slowly kicking in.
I wouldn't die. I couldn't. We had been so close. There was no way I was letting my stupid mistakes ruin all of our hard work…all of Alice's plans…all of the time that Edward and I were going to have together…
I felt myself slip off the edge of awareness and into the abyss of wounded sleep and delirious blood-loss. It's all over now, I thought hopelessly as I passed out. No one can save me now.