章 30: Misunderstanding and Reappearance
Chapter 29: misunderstanding and reappearance
Jacob was driving Bella's truck in silence as the rain poured heavily on the windshield. The atmosphere between them was tense, but Bella finally broke the silence.
"Thanks for bringing me," she said, looking out the window, struggling to find the words to express how she felt.
"No problem," Jacob responded, his eyes fixed on the road, though his tone hinted at something else bothering him.
The conversation continued awkwardly, both trying to ignore the growing tension between them. The truck came to a stop in front of Bella's house. Jacob leaned slightly toward her, and for a moment, it seemed like they were about to kiss. However, just as their lips were about to touch, Jacob pulled away abruptly.
"I'm sorry... I can't," he said, his voice hoarse.
Both remained silent, uncomfortable with the moment they had just shared. Bella opened the truck door, about to step out, when Jacob sniffed the air, frowning.
"Wait," he said suddenly. "There's a vampire nearby. I need to get you out of here."
Before Bella could react, she saw Carlisle's car parked in front of her house.
"That's Carlisle's car!" she exclaimed, ignoring Jacob's words and quickly getting out of the truck.
"Bella, no!" Jacob followed her, trying to stop her. "I can't protect you here."
Bella rushed toward the house, with Jacob right on her heels. When they arrived, they found Alice in the living room, her expression one of surprise.
"Bella... you're alive?" Alice asked, clearly astonished.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Bella replied, confused.
"I had a vision..." Alice looked at her reproachfully. "I saw you jump off a cliff. I thought you were dead."
"I didn't. I was... I was fine. I just jumped to... feel something. I'm sorry, Alice. I didn't mean to worry anyone."
Alice grimaced, her nose wrinkling in disgust.
"What is that awful smell?" she asked.
"It's Jacob," Bella responded. "He's... a wolf."
Alice's eyes widened.
"Wolves?" she murmured. "So, you've already met them..." she said, surprised.
"You knew about them?" Bella asked, unable to hide her astonishment.
"Yes." Alice nodded. "We met Ethan when we returned to Forks, before you arrived. You should be careful, Bella. You're human, which means fragile. Wolves can be dangerous." With these words, Bella remembered the conversation she had with Jacob in the truck about Sam's incident with Emily.
"Watch your words, vampire," Jacob interrupted, stepping into the house with a frown. He looked at Bella and softened his expression. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I thought you couldn't protect me here," Bella said.
"I didn't care," Jacob replied, not taking his eyes off Alice.
Alice, offended, crossed her arms.
"I would never harm Bella."
"You wouldn't, but the redhead would." Jacob glared at her.
Alice frowned, worried.
"Victoria?" she asked, alarmed. "I haven't seen her in my visions... I also didn't see you being pulled out of the ocean."
Alice shot a furious look at Jacob.
"This is your fault," she accused him. "You and your dogs... You've blocked my visions of the future."
Jacob clenched his fists, trying to contain his anger.
"Don't provoke me," he snapped.
Bella, sensing the tension in the air, stepped between them.
"Don't fight!" she pleaded, trying to calm the situation.
Alice took a breath and, a bit calmer, headed for the door.
"I'm going outside. Try to calm your dog," she said, not hiding her disdain.
Bella turned to Jacob to continue their conversation, but at that moment, the house phone rang. Jacob answered it, seeing the Cullen's number on the caller ID.
"Hello?" Jacob answered disdainfully.
"Is Charlie there?" asked the voice on the other end of the line.
"No, he's at a funeral," Jacob replied curtly and hung up the phone without saying more.
"Who was it?" Bella asked, irritated.
"It doesn't matter, Bella," Jacob sighed. "You should forget about them. He doesn't love you. If he did, he wouldn't have left you."
"That's none of your business, Jacob!" Bella snapped, irritated.
Suddenly, they heard a loud crash outside the house. They quickly ran out and were shocked by what they saw: Ethan was standing over Alice, who had visible cracks in her face that were slowly healing.
Ethan's POV
Fifteen minutes earlier, Ethan was at the Clearwater house, helping the family however he could after Harry's recent death. His mind was clouded with grief, but then he felt a bad premonition. Doing a quick mental check, he heard Jacob's thoughts when he detected the presence of a vampire near Bella. Without hesitation, he bolted into the forest and shifted into his wolf form, running at full speed toward Bella's house. If he hadn't been so affected by Harry's death, he would have realized that the vampire Jacob referred to was Alice. But his mind wasn't at its best.
When he arrived, he lunged straight toward the vampire scent, crashing into Alice with such force that it sent her flying several meters across the road. In his frenzy, he leaped on his target, ready to finish her off. It was only in the last second, when he was about to deliver the final blow, that he realized it was Alice. He abruptly stopped and shifted back to his human form, watching as Alice's face slowly healed.
Present
Bella and Jacob ran out of the house, stunned by the scene. Bella was speechless as she saw Ethan standing over Alice, with visible cracks in her face.
"What happened here?" Bella asked, alarmed.
Ethan quickly stood up, stepping away from Alice.
"I thought it was another vampire... I'm sorry," he said, his voice heavy with remorse.
Alice slowly got up, casting a hard look at Ethan.
"Next time, be sure before you attack," she said, her tone sarcastic, as the cracks in her face completely disappeared.
Suddenly, Alice froze, her eyes losing focus as she had a vision. Bella looked at her, worried.
"What did you see?" she asked, fearing the answer.
Alice looked at her urgently.
"Edward... He thinks you're dead. He called, and Jacob told him Charlie was at a funeral... He misunderstood. He's planning to go to the Volturi to have them kill him."
Panic flooded Bella as she heard those words.
"No!" she screamed, desperate. "He can't do that! We have to stop him!"
Jacob tried to stop her, but Ethan grabbed him by the shoulder, preventing him from advancing.
"Let her go, Jacob," Ethan said firmly. "She doesn't love you," Ethan finished.
Jacob glared at him, furious.
"How can you say that!" he shouted, trying to break free from Ethan's grip.
Ethan's eyes glowed golden, a sign of his imminent transformation.
"She's an adult and knows what she's doing. She's chosen to side with the vampires, nothing more, nothing less, Jacob." Ethan kept his gaze fixed on his younger brother. "It's not your decision. Now, let's head back to the reservation."
Jacob, still seething, looked away, knowing he couldn't win this argument. Meanwhile, Bella and Alice were already on their way to the car, ready to face what seemed like a race against time to save Edward.
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