Darkness Will Come to Light [1]

XLVI. Appetizer

Too easy and too fast.

There were no better words to describe how James caught both human girls at the ballet studio.

"Bella? Bella?"

Charging through the front doors of her old studio, Bella frantically followed the hysterical voice of her mother. Mel chased behind her, her classic black and white Converse pounding against the wooden floor.

Renee's voice continued. "Bella, you scared me! Don't you ever do that to me again!" Then she laughed.

Bella wrenched open a set of closet doors along the wall. Melaina peered around her and gasped in realization.

A TV played a tape of a Thanksgiving home video with young Bella and her mother. The screen went blue in silence.

Slowly, both girls spun around. James leaned casually under the door with a glowing red exit sign above it. There was a minute of scrutiny and staring between the three. James smiled. His eyes gleamed dangerously in the sign's glow.

Naïve Bella fell for the trap set up by James, which simultaneously led Mel into danger.

All Mel had wanted was a walk in fresh air and a cookie. Now she was a vampire's appetizer.

~*~

James didn't end the life of Bella's "sister" right away. He knew that he had limited time to accomplish his murder mission before Edward found them, and his priority was finishing his game of cat and mouse with Bella.

Then he would feast.

Quick as a snake, James shot forward. Before she could blink or flinch away, Mel was tightly roped to a dancer's bar with her mouth duct-taped shut. She tugged at the ropes while glaring at the blond vampire.

"I'll be back for you, sweetheart." James whipped out a kitchen knife and stabbed Mel in the stomach. She howled in agony through the thick silver tape. James smirked and turned away. Tears of pain slipped down her cheek.

Anytime Mel squirmed, the jagged metal pierced further into her insides. It hurt her to even breathe. She took in deep, sharp breaths, but that resulted in amplified anxiety.

Her hands became sweaty as her heart raced. She was going to die. Today.

"Now, Bella..."

Melaina watched with terrified eyes. Bella tried to run across the wooden dance floor, but James caught hold of her leg and whipped her body through the air like a Frisbee. Mel tried to scream Bella's name. It came out more like, "Beruuhh!"

The poor human girl collided with the corner of the wall. Her blood only made James more excited with his games.

Mel screamed again and again through the tape, but it harmed her throat more than it did any good. Tears filled her eyes once again before dripping down her taped cheeks. She was useless.

A bleeding human had no chance of surviving against a hungry vampire. Both Bella and Mel were bleeding. James's eyes were jet black and lit with the thrill of the hunt.

Mel was surprised Bella had lasted so long, but James was playing with her. Not only did he want Bella to suffer, he was especially going for ruining the unbeating heart of Edward.

Mel began to think all hope was lost. Black dots threatened to overtake her vision.

With the force of an army tank, Edward burst into the studio room before the others; he was notably the fastest vampire in the Cullen clan. He made a run towards Bella, who was writhing on the floor, but James caught Edward with a hard grip. The hunter slammed Edward against the wall of mirrors. Bella screamed in pain and Melaina whimpered in the back of her throat.

Shattering windows above announced the arrival of the other Olympic vampires.

Rosalie was the first to find Melaina and gasped in horror at the sight before her. Mel was bound and broken with tears streaming down her face. "Carlisle!" Rose called to the vampire doctor. Mel sagged in relief. The knife bit into her skin as she moved, and she whimpered again. Rosalie said with more urgency, "Carlisle, she's been stabbed!"

Using her speed and nimble fingers, Rosalie had Mel untied in seconds. She apologetically pulled the duct tape from across Mel's mouth like ripping off a band-aid. The paler-than-usual human's lips bled from the tape and her throat was too sore to speak. Rosalie held her breath and gently laid Mel down on her leather jacket on the wooden floor.

"She's hemorrhaging," Carlisle was saying to Alice and Edward. "We need to stop the bleeding with a tourniquet. Alice, your belt. Tie it tightly around Bella's leg, above the knee."

"Carlisle! She's your daughter," Rosalie urged from the floor across the studio. "Edward has a PhD. Help me over here with Melaina!"

Carlisle rushed over to them and took in Mel's injuries. "She'll bleed faster if we remove the knife now. We need to get her out of here, so I can stitch her up safely." Mel blinked, and he was gone.

Rosalie brushed back a strand of Mel's hair from her wet face. "You're going to be okay," Rose cooed. "You're going to be okay, beautiful."

Melaina watched through the smoky air as Edward drank Bella's blood. Carlisle only watched, which made Mel believe that she was only dreaming.

Fire burned from the middle of the studio. "Alice!" she heard. Blond hair caught on fire.

Mel's eyes couldn't keep up with the speed at which events were playing out around her, and her brain was becoming more and more dizzy. She closed her eyes and tried to force her mind to switch into a better dream.

She dreamed of melted chocolate and burnt cookies.