Crescent Moon

Chapter 13: Revealing All

EPOV

My world was spun upside down as I watched Bella fight two vampires, methodically tearing them to bits. When she set them on fire with her bare hands, I lost all coherent thoughts – something that was quite a feat for a vampire. I was unsure if this was Bella or not; she seemed so different.

She looked different – more powerful, more terrifying, more deadly.

She sounded different; her voice, once filled with kindness with a soft undertone, was now dead and held an undercurrent of anger.

She smelled different; it took a while, but the winds blew her ashen scent to me and I realized that it was the scent of the vampire we had been tracking for so long... Which of course, made no sense whatsoever.

She was definitely acting different; my Bella never would've harmed a fly, let alone another sentient being.

Then again, this girl was still my Bella. I was unsure of the details, hard to discern over the piercing winds and snow, the shocking scene in front of us also making it hard to concentrate on the noise, but I knew that Victoria and her mate, James, had done something atrocious to anger Bella.

Her family was equally strong and different. They had crashed through the wilderness fighting James and the sight changed all our perceptions of the once docile looking family.

Bella ripped Victoria apart, slowly and methodically. After a second of pause, she burned everything in her hand. The sight of flames instinctively caused us all to cringe, and the first time I saw it, I cried out her name in shock. But I was sure that she did not hear us at all, as she did not seem to respond to us in any way.

The thoughts running through the minds of my family were so messed up; it was nearly impossible to discern anything.

...Holy mother of God! What just happened?...

...Oh Bella, what has taken over her? My visions said nothing of this! Why?...

...Alice, Alice, must protect Alice. Nothing is more vital than that...

...Sweet Lord, flames from her hands? I have no idea whether to be amazed or scared...

...I am totally lost, but this is Bella, she wouldn't hurt us, would she?...

...There must be reason. There must be an explanation!...

Fear, worry, shock, horror, amazement and a wide array of other emotions were all rolled up into one inconvenient bundle in my mind. As I watched alongside my family, the remains of Victoria floating away, I saw Bella suddenly stagger, once again looking like a tired human. Now she seemed normal, but I knew things were different. That was for certain.

Corrin ran to catch Bella as she collapsed. In another time, I probably would've been the one supporting her weight and I would've been the one to carry her into the living room, somewhere safe from the raging snowstorm outside. But all I felt at the moment was shock.

What the hell just happened?

It was obvious that Bella wasn't human, and neither was her family. That little showdown confirmed all our suspicions.