Rewrite: Kind but Scary

Chapter 14: Revelations in the Grand Hall

Chapter 14: Revelations in the Grand Hall

As the transatlantic flight hummed quietly through the clouds, the cabin's dim lighting offered a brief moment of calm before the storm. Jasmine sat beside Bella, holding her pale, cool hand.

"So, wait... what happened?" Jasmine asked softly, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the other passengers. "Why did the entire coven leave so suddenly?"

Bella stared ahead, her eyes hollow. "On my birthday, Alice threw a party at her house. I was opening a present and accidentally got a paper cut. Jasper... he's an empath, and he felt the bloodlust in the room. He tried to leave, but Edward pushed me back to protect me, and I ended up cutting myself worse on some glass. A day later, Edward broke up with me in the woods. He told me I didn't mean anything to him, that they had to leave, and... he just left me there. Alone."

Jasmine squeezed her hand tightly, her magical aura flaring with a protective, silent anger. "He had no right to treat you like that. But we're going to fix this."

The Streets of Volterra

The heavy, blistering Italian sun beat down on the red-draped streets of Volterra during the festival. Bella ran as fast as her failing physical strength would allow, her breath raspy and shallow. Jasmine ran right alongside her, navigating the thick crowds. Whenever Bella accidentally jostled a tourist in her desperate rush, Jasmine quickly called out polite apologies in rapid Italian, explaining that they were rushing to stop a long-distance relationship emergency. The understanding locals quickly parted, allowing them a clear path to the clock tower.

They burst through the heavy stone archway just as Edward was stepping out into the bright sunlight, ready to reveal his glittering skin to the mortal crowd. Bella threw herself forward, slamming her small body against his chest and pushing him back into the cool, dark shadows of the stone alleyway.

Jasmine caught up a second later, panting. Edward looked down at Bella in complete shock, his arms wrapping around her before his eyes drifted to Jasmine. He looked at them both, his expression instantly melting into deep, painful shame. Rather than hugging him back, Bella and Jasmine stopped him, crossing their arms and giving him identical, fiercely angry glares.

"Fae? Metri?" Jasmine's voice suddenly brightened as she looked past Edward's shoulder.

Emerging from the shadows of the stone corridor were the two towering guards. Their eyes locked onto Jasmine, and genuine, brilliant smiles broke across their pale faces.

"Jasmine!" they cheered in unison, stepping forward and pulling her into a tight, lifting hug.

The sheer, childlike excitement from the two terrifying Volturi executioners made both Jasmine and Bella laugh. But when Felix and Demetri turned their gaze to Bella, their expressions softened with immediate, deep-seated worry. With their enhanced senses, they could easily hear how shallow and raspy her breathing was. They could smell the subtle change in her scent—she was slowly wasting away.

"We will keep you safe, Jasmine," Demetri murmured, his amber eyes shifting coldly to Edward. "But I am not so sure about your boyfriend, Miss Swan."

"It's fine," Bella whispered, her voice dry and dehydrated. "I know the rules. I only came here to save his family... and because Jas and I knew we had to."

Felix and Demetri exchanged a somber, pained look at her raspy words. Just then, a sudden rustle of wind announced the arrival of Alice and Jasper.

Alice didn't hesitate. With a blur of movement, she slapped Edward sharply across the face. Before Edward could even react, Jasper stepped forward and landed a heavy, solid punch right to his jaw, sending him stumbling back against the stone wall.