Darkness Will Come to Light [1]

XLIII. Journey

"...Take a shortcut, take a back road, take the shoulder to the exit, skip the parking, screw the ticket, hit the curb and leave it sitting... Whatever it takes, you gotta get to that gate..."

Mel crinkled her nose as lyrics filtered into her dream. Her alarm clock was not set for country.

Realizing that music was out of place in her bedroom, in addition to rhythmic movement under her, Melaina awoke with a start. She launched herself up too fast and slammed her head off the ceiling of the car. "Ow!" Mel yelped, clutching her head.

"Hey, hey." Jasper grasped her arm with the hand not on the steering wheel. "You're okay, Mel," he soothed. "Don't choke yourself on the seatbelt; sit back."

Disoriented and freaking out, Mel's breathing sped up. What the hell was she doing in Carlisle's car when she fell asleep in bed?

"What happened? Why are we in the car? Where are we going?" Mel between gasps of breath. Jasper tried to calm her with his empathic powers while Alice explained what happened with James and Bella:

"We were out on the field when three nomad vampires heard us playing. They changed their course to meet us because they were curious. There was no time for Edward to flee with Bella, so the tracker caught her scent and now he's hunting her."

"Why is he a tracker and why Bella?" Mel frowned while she rubbed the bump that had formed on her temple.

"Tracking is his gift. Going after Bella is merely a game for him. When Edward defended her, James--the tracker--made his decision."

Mel tried to wrap her head around what Alice was telling her. She gazed out the window at the trees and cars flying by. She repeated her earlier question: "Where are we going?"

"Phoenix."

Melaina turned and stared at Jasper then Alice with questions in her eyes.

"The Mercedes has tinted windows, so we'll be shaded from the sun," Alice answered knowingly. "We'll stay in a hotel until it's safe to return home."

"Why am I here? I wasn't even on the field. James doesn't want me."

"We decided that you would be safest with Alice and me in Arizona," Jasper said. "Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, and Carlisle are currently leading James away while Esme looks after Charlie. Bella needs protection, and so do you."

"So we're hiding?"

"Yes. James won't suspect Bella going to the place she said she'd go. We're counting on that."

Melaina rubbed the sore spot on her head and sighed. She was anxious about her family.

Jasper felt the worry in the car like a heavy fog. "They will be okay, Bella, Melaina."

His intense burst of serenity put both human girls to sleep.

~*~

Jasper, Alice, Bella, and Melaina arrived in Phoenix, Arizona the following morning.

Mel was dead asleep in the passenger seat, but Bella was in and out of sleep as the sun began to rise in the Valley of the Sun.

Jasper broke the silence. "Which way to the airport, Bella?" His soft voice was the first noise, besides the purr of the engine, to fill the car since Melaina was awake and asking panicked questions.

"Stay on the I-10. We'll pass right by it," Bella answered automatically. "Are we flying somewhere?"

"No," Alice answered. "But it's better to be close, just in case."

~*~

Pulling up to the hotel in Phoenix, Melaina was now awake while Bella slept fitfully. Jasper parked the car in the shade and Mel was the first to hop out. She stretched in relief.

Alice skipped inside to get the keys to their room. Jasper cut off his breathing and leaned into the backseat to pick up Bella's sleeping frame.

"You could just wake her, you know."

Alice appeared behind Mel, scaring her. "No, let her sleep."

"Holy macaroni, that was fast." Mel held a hand over her racing heart. "I should be used to this by now, but geez."

The pixie dangled the room key in front of Mel's face. "Grab your bags. We're in room 311."

"My bags?" Mel said stupidly.

"Of course. You have several bags in the trunk."

Jasper carried Bella into the elevator and down the hall to their suite on the third floor. Alice and Mel carried a handful of bags on each arm. Alice opened the door and Jasper dumped Bella onto a bed in the connected bedroom. Melaina dropped the pile of bags on the floor in the living room and started to walk around. She had never stayed in a hotel before, much less a fancy suite.

Alice left to finish emptying the Mercedes. Jasper stopped her from entering the kitchen. "Wait a moment, Mel." She watched him, confused at first. Her confusion turned to exasperation within seconds.

Melaina had to wait in the living room of the suite while Jasper did a quick sweep of the rooms to remove any possible harmful objects. He didn't have to say it; she knew what he was doing.

Mel thought that he was being overly-protective and stupid. "You treat me like a child," Mel grumbled.

"No." Jasper appeared before her, as if by magic. "We treat you like a sister." He paused. "And a recoverin' addict."

"I am not an addict," Mel insisted stubbornly. "It's such a stupid way to look at it."

Alice appeared in the doorway with more bags. "We just want you to be safe," she said gently.

"You always say that, but I live with a family of vampires. You could hurt me worse than I can hurt me."

"Don't think like that." A frown found its way onto Alice's usually happy face.

"Isn't it true?" Mel pressed.

"We're protecting you from yourself. We're not your enemy--you are."

Mel knew it was true that she lived with an internal battle within herself but didn't verbally agree with Alice.

Damn all-knowing pixie.