ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇɴᴅ ʟᴏᴠᴇ | Twilight

𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢𝐢.

Hazel couldn't remember much on the drive to her house. She remembered that Edward had explained James wouldn't stop hunting them until he died. She could remember her having to wait in the car as Bella got some clothes from her house. And she could remember that while she was waiting she had to calm herself down because a panic attack had suddenly sprung up.

"Hazel!" Her young brother, Anthony, cried to his sibling from her bedroom door. "What do you have to go to Phoenix?"

"I need to help a friend, Anthony. Just listen to Mum, okay?" Hazel hugged the boy and shouldered her black backpack filled with clothes.

She dared to take a look at her mother, who stood silently beside Anthony. With a puff, Hazel pushed out of her room and ruffled Anthony's hair before heading down the stairs.

"When will you be back?" Anthony asked with a sniffle that broke Hazel's heart.

"Soon, buddy. I'll be back soon. I promise." Hazel lied. She turned and walked out the door and to the waiting red truck before her family could see her cry.

Edward sped them all back to the Cullen household. The entire situation felt like it became so much more real. Hazel realized that she couldn't handle the amount of fear that her body was spreading. The amount of guilt, too, for leaving Anthony alone with her mum.

"You'll come back to them. Everything will be okay." Edward's attempt at comforting didn't come across as warm as he'd hoped. Hazel just glared at him through the blinding tears in her eyes.

Bella wrapped an arm around the girl, knowing how she felt. Hazel hugged the other human tightly, hoping that it was better than nothing.

A loud bang on the roof of the truck startled both Hazel and Bella. They gasped and Hazel looked out the window to see a familiar muscly build on the roof.

"Oh, God," Bella breathed.

"It's just Emmett," Edward informed them. Emmett jumped into the back. "Alice is in the car behind us." Hazel's heart did a flip at the mention of the girl's name.

She looked back and saw a familiar silhouette in the driver's seat of the car. She pulled herself back in and sighed, feeling relief for the first time in a while.

They passed the diner on the way to the Cullens'. Hazel saw Bella look out the window at it, so she did, too, out of curiosity. Coming from inside were people that Hazel knew to be Bella's friends. She felt a wave of sadness wash over her as she thought of her own friends.

They pulled up in front of the large, modern house not soon enough. Hazel immediately rushed out of the car. She watched as Alice pulled the Jeep in behind them and ran up to it.

"Alice!" She cried, colliding with the vampire and wrapping her arms around her. "Oh, my God." She wanted to cry.

"Come on, Hazel," Alice muttered into her hair, gently stroking it. "Let's go inside."

Alice took Hazel's hand and led her inside. Bella and Edward were already there, standing in front of Laurent and Carlisle.

"This isn't my fight, and I've grown tired of his games," Laurent glanced at Alice and Hazel, "but he's got unparalleled senses, absolutely lethal. I've never seen anything like him in my 300 years. And the woman, Victoria, don't underestimate her." He waited for a moment, looking at the four in front of him before heading out the door.

"Come on," Carlisle spoke softly, gesturing for them to follow him.

He led them into a garage. Emmett sped into the house, so Alice sped in front of them to 'get the car ready'. Hazel didn't want her to leave, but Emmett took her place by swinging his arm over the girl's shoulder. Jasper was waiting for them by the door.

"Jasper," Hazel breathed. He let her embrace him before he led the rest into the garage.

"I've had to fight our kind before," Jasper spoke. "We're not easy to kill." He kept his hand in Hazel's.

"But not impossible," Emmett said, walking past him. "We'll tear them apart and burn the pieces." He and Jasper opened a compartment, and Carlisle opened the one next to it.

"I don't relish the thought of killing another creature," Carlisle commented, "even a sadistic one like James." He grabbed something and moved away from the compartment.

Hazel watched as the vampires hurried around. She still couldn't control her racing heart, but it had calmed down a little since she'd seen Jasper and Alice. Jasper, seeming to sense her anxiety, rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.

"What if he kills one of us first?" Rosalie inquired, taking a seat on the bench in front of Bella and Edward.

"I'm gonna run Bella south. Can you lead the tracker away from here?" Edward asked, completely disregarding Hazel and Rosalie's question.

"No, Edward. James knows you will never leave Bella. He'll follow you," Carlisle told his son with a shake of his head. "And what about Hazel, huh? She's in danger, too."

"I'll go with Bella and Hazel," Alice butted in. Her face was deadly serious. "James doesn't know I'm Hazel's mate, either. Jasper and I will drive them south." Edward gave Alice a look. "I'll keep her safe, Edward." She stepped forward.

"Can you keep your thoughts to yourself?" Edward asked in disgust.

"Yes," Alice breathed. She took Bella's arm and grabbed Hazel, too, guiding her to the black car.

"Rosalie, Esme," Edward grabbed Hazel's and Bella's clothing bags, "could you put these on so the tracker will pick up their scent?" He threw some items of clothing at Esme and Rosalie.

"Why?" Rosalie asked in annoyance. "What are they to me?" Hazel looked down, feeling depressed.

"Rosalie," Carlisle breathed, "Bella is with Edward. Hazel's with Alice and Jasper. They're part of this family now, and we protect our family." He grabbed Bella's jacket and Hazel's scarf, holding them out to the blonde female.

Rosalie stared intensely at Edward before begrudgingly taking the clothes. Carlisle headed to Edward while Emmett followed Rosalie to his Jeep. Rosalie and Emmett put some bags into the Jeep, and Edward closed the trunk of the black car. He went over to Bella's window, and Hazel turned to give them as much privacy as she could.

"Oh, God, if anything... what if..." Hazel could tell from Bella's messed up sentences that the girl was worrying too much. "If anything happens, I swear to God..."

"Nothing's gonna happen," Edward reassured. "There's seven of us, and there's two of them, ad when everything's done, I'm gonna come back and get you."

"Yeah," Bella breathed.

"Bella, you are my life now." Hazel cringed at his words.

Jasper started the car, which frightened Hazel. Edward and Bella didn't speak to each other anymore but from the corner of her eye, Hazel could see them sharing a tender moment. The tires loudly squealed as the cars sped from the garage.