Solstice

DEADLINE

With the excitement of Ben and Angela's wedding – Angela looking exquisite in a pearl-white dress that draped beautifully over her slender frame, Ben so happy he could have burst – and Christmas, I'd quite forgotten Renée and her mad plan by the end of December. Edward had written to Renée in response to her attempt at a businesslike letter, and I was glad to leave him to it: the less contact I had with her, the better. I'd washed my hands of her. Instead, I was planning my excursion to Italy. I wanted to see Rome for a day or two, and Edward and the family were planning to join me and show me the sights. We were looking through guidebooks; there was so much that Edward wanted to show me. Alice suddenly froze and hissed, laying down the vase full of flowers she was carrying across the room to decorate our dining table.

'What is it, Alice?' Jasper was by her side immediately. He took her by the shoulders. 'What? What do you see?'

'I see Renée,' she said in a dazed voice. 'With a woman I don't know. She's standing in front of the Volturi. Aro is laughing...' Jasper took her hands and sat her down in an armchair, crouching down to look into her face. 'The woman calls herself 'Laura'. Laura Tibbett. Does that name mean anything to you, Bella?'

'I know a Laura.' My voice cracked. 'She was the one who lied about what happened with James – she said he was one of our coven, and went hunting with him. She left Persephone's coven and went off to set up her own.'

'Laura is telling Aro that you've been Changing witches into vampires,' Alice whispered. 'Aro isn't laughing now – I've never seen his face look like this before... Renée is agreeing with her. She says it's her duty to let him know.'

'When does this happen, Alice? When?' Edward demanded, turning her to look at him.

'I can see snow through the windows, snow on the ground,' she murmured. 'Renée is shivering. Laura is happy. She tells Aro that you've been practising the Dark Arts, that you have to be stopped. She says she's worried about the safety of the humans and immortals around you...'

Jasper was already looking at weather forecasts. I pulled out my cell and messaged Gregorius, telling him about Alice's vision, telling him about Laura and her hatred for me. 'Next week,' Jasper said, pulling Alice up from the armchair and arranging her on his lap. 'She's going next week.'

'But she hates Aro,' I whispered. 'He killed her sister. She'd never go to him – why would she go to him?' My phone rang, and I jumped: Gregorius never called. 'Bella,' the deep voice said, and I managed to greet him. 'We can place both women on the no-fly list, of course. But that may not prevent what is to come. How close are you to your mother?'

'Not at all.' My voice was strangled, and I cleared my throat. 'I saw her once in seven years. I got a letter from her before Christmas. She said she was in communication with Persephone, and she was thinking about being Changed into an immortal. I didn't answer the letter – Edward did. He said that we weren't available for a visit. I haven't heard anything else.'

'Perhaps it would be wise for some of my men to be in Rome, to head the women off at the pass,' Gregorius told me. I clutched the phone, desperately trying to stop myself from crushing it to pieces. 'We will not harm your mother, of course. But we can prevent her from going to Aro, as well as this troublesome witch called Laura. We cannot allow the convocation to be delayed or cancelled, and since your gift is at the heart of it...'

'What are you going to do to her?' I asked fearfully, as he paused.

'We will remove both of them to a place of safety, until the convocation has passed.' I heard the power in Gregorius's voice and, yet again, shivered – I was frightened of him. 'Have faith, Bella. Families are troubling at times; enemies, even more so.' He disconnected, and I looked around at my family.