She Will Be Loved

14

I woke gradually, feeling murky and dizzy. Immediately a man's face was inches from my own, grinning hungrily at me with handsome, glittering red eyes. He held a phone in his hand and, when he saw I was awake, he dialed a number and waited patiently as the rings buzzed through my skull like lightning through fog. After two rings, someone picked up.

I stared at the phone as he shoved it in my face. He grinned at me, seeing the dizzy pain in my face.

"It's your sister, pretty girl." He seethed.

"Isabella." I mumbled, not really understanding.

Bella's voice rang out from the phone, frantic. "Gen? Are you ok? Did something happen? Is Charlie ok?"

He brought the phone back toward him, speaking quietly into it.

"Gen?"

"Be careful not to say anything until I tell you to." The man hissed cheerfully into the phone. He was watching me with a hideous glee. "Now, Genny. I don't need to hurt you any more, do I?"

I stared at him blankly.

"No." he said. "So you will both do exactly as I say and Gen here will be fine." He patted me on the head and I winced away, my head swirling so that I had to fight to keep my stomach still. The man stood and moved away, leaving the phone on speaker so that I could hear. "Now repeat after me, and do try to sound natural. 'No, Gen. I am not coming back.'"

I couldn't hear what Isabella replied and the vampire seemed to agree that she wasn't speaking loud enough.

"I can see that this is going to be difficult." He said with a smile. "Why don't you walk into another room now so that your face doesn't ruin everything. There's no reason for your sister to suffer. As you're walking, please say, 'Gen, just listen to me.' Say it now."

"Gen, just listen to me." Isabella begged.

I stared at the man, starting to remember a little but still at a loss for what was happening, for where I was.

"There now, are you alone?" He turned back to me and grinned again, proud of himself and still hungry. "Just answer yes or no."

"Yes."

"But they can still hear you, I'm sure"

"Yes."

"Alright then. Say, 'Genevieve, you can't.'"

"Genevieve, you can't."

"I can and I will." I interrupted, words slurring.

The man was instantly before me, too fast for eye to follow. His eyes narrowed and then he casually slapped me across the face so that I felt something crack and had to whimper with the pain. I heard a laugh and turned to find the red haired woman from the day before.

"This worked out better then I'd thought." He crowed softly. "Your sister was quite easy to lure away. I was prepared to wait but... It's easier this way, isn't it? Less anxiety for you. Now I'm going to need you to get away from your friends."

I rubbed at my cheek, fighting back pain and wishing I could understand a piece of what was happening.

"Can you do that? Answer yes or no."

"No."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I was hoping that you would be a little more creative than that. Do you think you could get away from them if your sister's life depended on it? Answer yes or no."

There was a long pause. I started to stand but fell back.

"Isabella?" I asked again, focus coming with the word. "Isabella?"