𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 ➻ 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧

𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲

The seemingly perpetual rain had slowed by the time Anastasia found herself standing at the window again, her fingers gripping the cold, damp sill. The city outside was a mess of puddles and flickering streetlights, its usual hum of activity muted by the persistent downpour that had overshadowed the city since she had moved. She had managed to push Riley's presence to the back of her mind for a few hours, but the strange encounter still loomed over her like an oppressive fog. She didn't want to think about him, didn't want to remember what he had been—what he had become.

But she couldn't ignore the truth any longer.

The rainwater streaking down the glass mirrored the confusion and turmoil swirling inside her.

Her loyalty to him, to the life she thought she had been building for herself, was beginning to feel like a fragile thread, one that could snap at any moment. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see the image of Riley standing there, a phantom from her past, colder than she remembered, more dangerous than she had ever imagined.

The door to her apartment creaked open, and Anastasia turned, her breath catching in her throat.

Bella stood there, drenched from head to toe, her hair clinging to her face in wet tendrils. The last time she'd seen Bella, they hadn't been on the best terms. It wasn't easy for either of them, navigating the complicated web of their lives during that time. But tonight, there was a heaviness to Bella's expression, a silent urgency in her eyes.

"I knew you were here, " Bella said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. "I tried calling, but... it's not safe. I had to convince Edward to drive me here to get you to leave, he's waiting outside."

Anastasia's heart skipped a beat. "What's going on?" she asked, suddenly feeling the weight of the night crashing back in on her. She had sensed it, that gnawing unease. Something was coming, something that wasn't just about her or Riley. It was bigger than that.

"Victoria's planning something," Bella said, her voice tight. "Something big. And it involves you. It involves someone we knew."

"Who?" Anastasia's stomach twisted. She couldn't bring herself to say his name.

"Do you remember Riley?" Bella's voice was barely above a whisper, but the name sent a cold shiver down Anastasia's spine. She nodded hastily. "He's with her now. Leading the newborn army. It's what they've been preparing for all this time. They're coming for all of us who were involved with killing James." She continued. "For revenge."

A lump formed in Anastasia's throat, and for a moment, she couldn't breathe. The world seemed to tilt on its axis, the gravity of Bella's words settling into her bones like a weight too heavy to bear. She should've known. She should've seen it coming. But hearing it, hearing the cold certainty in Bella's voice, made it real. It was happening.

The army was coming.

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. What could she even say? How could she explain that she was stuck between a past that had never truly let her go and a present that was quickly becoming a nightmare?

"You need to leave the city," Bella continued, her face tight with worry. "This is their base of growth, this is where they're harvesting their crop to transform them."

Anastasia could feel her mind racing. She hadn't signed up for this. She had tried so hard to leave this life behind, to forget everything she had gone through with Carlisle. But the past had a way of catching up with her, of swallowing her whole, no matter how far she ran.

She shook her head, trying to clear the fog that had settled over her thoughts. "I can't. I can't just leave."

"You have to," Bella insisted, stepping closer to her. "This isn't just about you anymore. You're in the middle of it. And if you stay, they'll come for you, too. As leverage for me, or to kill you in general. They won't stop until they get what they want."

Anastasia took a step back, her mind reeling. Bella's words weren't just warnings—they were the truth. She could feel it in her gut.

What did she even owe to herself anymore? After everything that had happened, after all the pain he had caused her, she couldn't help but feel a loyalty that still ran deep. She had never fully let go of him, never fully let go of the life they had shared, even though it had been torn apart by heartbreak and betrayal.

But now, there was something else she had to protect—something she couldn't ignore.

"What's going to happen to him and everyone else?" Anastasia asked, her voice shaking.

Bella's expression darkened, and she didn't answer immediately. It was as if the weight of that question was too heavy for either of them to bear.

"I don't know," Bella finally said, her voice brittle. "They're talking about fighting." She frowned. "But if you don't get out of here—if you don't leave now—you might not get the chance to find out."

Anastasia felt like the ground was slipping beneath her. She could hear the faint hum of the city outside, the endless drone of the rain. But it all felt so distant now, like she was on the edge of something much larger, something that was moving too fast for her to catch up with.

"I can't run," she whispered, the words heavy in her throat. "I can't leave another place again because of vampires."

"You have to," Bella said, stepping back toward the door. "I can't make you, Anastasia. But I'm not letting you face this alone. The only way you'll survive this is if you get out of here and stay out of it."

"But it seems that wherever I go, it always follows me. I tried to come here, to Seattle, to try and start again, but look at where that has led me!"

The silence between them stretched long, heavy, as Anastasia tried to steady her racing heart. She had once never been one to run before him. Never. But now, she felt she had to again, with the storm outside and the threat closing in, she didn't know how much longer she could stay in the middle of all this.

Bella frowned, nodding in understanding. "Just... Be careful, please. For all of us, for him."

The door shut softly behind her, and Anastasia was left alone in the apartment. The weight of everything still pressed down on her chest, suffocating her. She didn't know what to do, didn't know how to find her way out of this.

She couldn't outrun the truth.

And the truth was that Riley, Victoria, the newborn army—they were coming. And there was nowhere to hide.