Chapter 23-Bella's POV

      Bella’s POV

 

Dearest Cullens,

Thank you much for keeping over Volterra in our absence. There has been a false alarm and everything is well. We will be back early tomorrow morning. Again, much gratitude for our home’s safekeeping. If you are in need of anything, feel free to ask.

Sincerely,

Aro, Caius, Marcus and the Volturi Guard

 

“A false alarm?”, I asked.

“Stefan and Vladimir had gathered a small crowd, and one of their members found out about the hideout.”, Edward explained.

“As of right now their plans have been put aside. They want to attack when nobody’s suspecting anything”, he said.

I smiled, leaning over and touching my lips gently to Edward’s. A spark charged inside of me.

The last week or so spent in Volterra wasn’t nearly as comfortable as Forks. I missed our little cottage hidden in the overgrown forest near the larger Cullen house. The tall, leafy green trees that shone with moisture, the rainy wet, light gray atmosphere I relied on to be there every morning.

Jacob and Renesmee were out sightseeing. The rest of us were all condemned inside, on the first sun filled day since we’d gotten here.

Alice danced over to us, a new sketch in her hands. I groaned. All morning Alice had spent planning the wedding. She’d already gone through three sketchbooks, adding more and more detail each time.

“Bella, you’ll just love this one! I can see it”, she predicted, her voice tinkling with enthusiasm.

“It’s beautiful Alice, just like the last three hundred and seventy five designs you’ve shown me today”, I said dully, hardly taking a glance.

In less than a month, my daughter would be married. Only five years ago had been her birth. It didn’t seem right, even being a vampire, it was hard to get used to.

But Jacob was very manipulative. I had known from the very second Edward had read his mind that it would lead to marriage. That, or Jake would’ve tried to make progress his own way, before Nessie was a full vampire and couldn’t change. Jacob was about to become my son-in-law. That made things even stranger.

Even Rosalie was helping out with the arrangements.

“Obviously Renesmee can do much better than that dog”, she sniffed, “but who am I to judge?”

I smiled.

I wouldn’t put it past Rosalie to slip a dog collar onto Jake’s neck a minute before the ceremony started.

“Oh, Bella I almost forgot-”, Alice started, but as she spoke her eyes slowly became blank, a mid-glassy stare taking over her tiny frame.

I watched patiently as she contemplated over the vision now before her.

Edward stiffened by my side, reading everything she was viewing.

“Sunrise tide”, she whispered, her eyes fading back to normal.

“What?”, I asked.

“Carlisle!”, Edward called.

He rushed over, Edward speaking swiftly and quietly.

“Approximately how long would it take us to travel to Florida if we left today?”, he asked.

“I’d say two days, from Volterra. What is it, son?”, Carlisle asked.

Edward looked over to me, a startled look upon his face.

“What’s going on?”, Esme asked.

“Bella, it’s your mother. She’s going to drown”, Edward choked.

I gaped, horrified.

“When?”, I managed, the words barely stumbling out of my frozen mouth.

 “I’m not exactly sure when. At sunrise tide. She’s going to go swimming at a beach not far from her home. The unexpected tide will grab her in”, he answered, wrapping an arm around my waist comfortingly.

My tearless eyes stung. I had hardly been able to gather enough courage to talk to Renee over the phone. So instead, I’d written her a letter, some pictures enclosed, explaining how I had gotten over the sickness, and then the false Renesmee story. When I finally did speak to her, she acted as if my voice was the same; the pictures of me weren’t too changed. My mother definitely knew something was going on, but allowed it, since it gave me the happiness I had waited so long for. Even harder was making up an excuse, year after year, of why we couldn’t get together. I’d used the flu, business trip, and redecorating amongst the rest to persuade her.

And now, I might never see her again.

“We’ve got to get to Jacksonville. Now”, I mumbled half-alive through my tearless sobs.