Bella's Little Sister

Chapter 37

With my father and sister both sound asleep an hour later, I did not need to worry about either of them finding out about my sudden disappearance to Edward's. I stood straight near the back of the living room, my hands pressed firmly to the wall as I leaned back against it, my expression blank as I stared at the floor.

"Who was it?" Carlisle was questioning Edward after having heard the explanation of what had happened. "Someone we know?"

But Edward only shook his head. "This stranger... I didn't recognize his scent." His eyes were dark in color, and he appeared almost angry as he looked back at Carlisle.

"A nomad passing through?" Esme suggested. She was standing near the seat Rosalie was currently situated on, her own expression curious.

Rosalie's gaze was downcast to the floor, and her eyes were also dark as she spoke. "A passerby wouldn't have left Jess' father or Bella alive."

Jasper's voice carried throughout the room as he and Emmett returned; they had left immediately to track the scent of the stranger as soon as Edward had filled them in on what had transpired. "The scent disappeared about five miles south of Jess' house." There was really no need for me to lift my gaze in order to know that he would be closely watching me as he tried to gauge my emotions.

Carlisle sighed in response. "Someone's orchestrating this."

"Victoria?" Emmett wondered.

Alice, however, declined his question. "No, I would have seen her decide."

"Unless you didn't." I could feel everyone's eyes on me, though I kept my gaze carefully lowered to the hardwood floor we stood on. A tense thickness of silence surrounded us, and after a few seconds more, I turned my attention to Alice. "Maybe you've been so busy watching my future, you missed it." I immediately felt horrible for what I said as I took in her shocked expression. "Sorry," I muttered as I quickly averted my eyes again. "Just in a bad mood."

After another brief silence, Edward moved to my side, though he did not make contact with me. "It has to be the Volturi."

"I don't think it's the Volturi, either," Alice's gaze turned to my face, waiting to see if I would make a comment on that. But when I did not say anything, much less even react to her words, she continued on. "I've been watching Aro's decisions, too."

Emmett's voice was tense now as he spoke again. "So we keep looking."

As Carlisle spoke his next words, he looked over at me. "We'll also take shifts guarding Jess at her house."

Rosalie glanced up at him, and her expression was disbelieving as well as highly annoyed. "Another protection detail?"

I jumped in before Carlisle could say anything further. "No, she's right. You can't protect me from everything. You can't protect me, watch my dad and Bella, and search for the intruder. You'll have enough on your hands already." My expression was still blank as I turned my gaze to Edward's face and then Carlisle's. "And you also need to hunt."

"I am not leaving you here defenseless," Edward insisted as he took a step closer to me. I, however, took a step away from him.

"I'll be fine." There was a tinge of bitterness in my voice as I spoke the last word.

I didn't respond to Carlisle's question of whether or not I was okay, so Jasper stepped in and answered for me. "Her anger is spiked."

Edward took my hand in his own, wrapping his arms around mine when I tried to refuse contact from him. "Did Jacob say something to you?"

There was an audible click of my jaw as my teeth snapped together, my teeth grinding slowly and painfully together. I knew that Edward would certainly not take the news of this well, and I was also half-worried that he would say something to my sister about it. And despite knowing that I should, I couldn't quite bring myself to care enough about what could happen to Jacob.