3rd POV
Bella and Emi walk through the lobby, scanning for Jasper and Alice.
They spot them outside under the porte cacher, loading the Mercedes, deep in a heated discussion. Jasper subtly glances their way and pretends not to see them slip out the opposite door, rush toward a Taxi and jump in, closing the door behind them.
The driver is an elderly woman with a hacking cough "8th and Palo Verde" Bella says and the taxi pulls out. Emi watches the hotel disappear. Swallowing her anxiety and giving herself a pep talk.
She's prepared to finish this.
~~~timeskip~~~
Bella and Emi climb out of the taxi. It pulls away, leaving them on the curb facing the deserted building.
Emi watches as Bella slips the pepper spray into her jeans pocket, and wraps her purse strap around her wrist. She takes a breath, and grabs Emi's hand. Emi squeezes hers in comfort. Before they both approach the school. Bella peers in the windows. The blinds are drawn. But from inside, they can hear a faint sound;
"Bella? Bella?" A staticky and muffled voice sounding similar to Renee's calls out. Bella and Emi go to the front door. It's unlocked. They enter.
Emi and Bella cautiously enter this grand, empty room of mirrors. A ballet bar wraps around the walls. Once more the staticky voice calls out "Bella, where are you?" Bella releases Emi's hand and starts whirling around, trying to find its source. Emi does the same with the same amount of success.
They follow the sound to a cleaning supply closet. Bella throws open the door to find a T.V. on screen a video plays of Bella, at age 7, hiding in the very closet the T.V. is in now. Little Bella looks up at the camera as Renee says "Don't you want to dance, baby?" Making little Bella shakes her head stubbornly. The frame jiggles as Renee hands someone the camera. Renee, ten years younger, appears on screen and kneels next to Bella. "Everyone makes fun of me" little Bella whines making Renee argue "But you're a wonderful dancer" Bella rolls her eyes and bluntly says "Mom, I suck."
Laughter is heard from behind Emi and Bella. Both girls spin, trying to locate James in the mirrors "That's my favorite part. Stubborn child, weren't you?" Bella's face flushes with rage... and relief as she realizes "She's not here" James shrugged "Sorry. But you really made it too easy."
Visible in the mirror, he sighs, disappointed. Then he steps up next to her and points a video camera at Bella and Emi "So to make things more entertaining, I'm going to make a little film of our time together. Borrowed this from your house. Hope you don't mind" James says to Bella before turning to Emi and saying "As for you, you just be a good girl and stand in the corner until I'm done. Then we're going to go on a little vacation."
Emi cringes at the thought of going anywhere alone with the sadistic vampire. James ignored this and turns on the camera "And... action!" Bella flings her purse at him, and runs for the door. Leaving Emi behind.
"Excellent! An escape attempt!" James says but before he can go after her he feels a tap on his shoulder. Confused, he turns around only to get a face full of pepper spray. He drops the camera and cries out in pain. He hunches over and stats rubbing his eyes, unconsciously leaving his neck open for the taking.
Emi takes advantage and flips her keys around to the mini taser. Then without warning she shoves it into James's neck making him cry out and fall to his knees.
Unfortunately that doesn't last as long as Emi hopes because her taser suddenly dies. Panicked, Emi fumbles with the key chain trying to figure out her next move. This gives James the opportunity to get back on his feet and grab Emi by the neck and throw her into one of the mirrors.
Emi hits her head and wrist with crunches effectively knocking her out as glass rains down on her.
James, now pissed off says "It's your own fault bitch" he then scoops up the camera and takes off after Bella, who has been trying to open the now locked front door, he grabs her by the back of the neck and flings her across the room. She smashes hard into a mirrored column. James captures it on film.
"Beautiful! Very visually dynamic. I chose my stage well" James says before he advances toward her "Still stubborn, aren't you? Is that what makes you special? Because frankly, I don't see it. Between you and Emi, there's no competition about who's of higher value" he inhales as if he can taste her already "Too bad he didn't have the strength to drain you like he was supposed to. Instead, he kept you this fragile little human for himself to play with. It's cruel, really."
James flips on the camera, but the lens is coated with pepper spray. He wipes it off but Bella goes to pull out her own pepper spray and upon seeing it James says "Well done! You've succeeded in annoying me. He stomps on her shin allowing them both to hear her tibia snap making Bella scream in agony.
"Emi you stupid bitch! Wake the fuck up and help me!" Bella yells at the bloody and still unconscious Emi. James laughs but then he's cut off by suddenly being shoved out of the way. He rises to find himself face to face with Edward. James charges Edward, forcing him up against a column.
"You're alone... because you're faster than the others. But not stronger" James mocks as he smashes Edward's face into the mirror until it cracks "I'm strong enough to kill you!" Edward snarls back then he flings James backwards smashing through a freestanding mirror and into the doorway.
Edward runs back over and scoops Bella up. Ignoring Emi as he leaps toward the balcony exit door and towards safety.
But suddenly he and Bella are jerked downward. James yanks Edward violently onto the floor knocking Bella out of his arms as James flings Edward up into the top window embedding him in the cement and bricks. James crouches beside Bella. He grabs her hand and looks directly at Edward with a sinister grin as he sinks his teeth into Bella's hand. She screams in agony making Edward's rage erupt.
He climbs out of the window and suicide dives towards James, savagely plowing him through the floorboards. They start to exchange blows as Bella fades in and out of consciousness. The venom painfully begins to burn through her veins.
Suddenly Edward's hand shoots up and grabs James' ankle. Edward roars up to his feet and swings James around like a baseball bat, smashing him into mirror after mirror. James is battered, beaten. Bella moans and the sound of
her pain slices through Edward. In an animalistic fury, Edward bites off a piece of James' frozen flesh.
Dr. Cullen appears next to Edward and places a hand on his son's shoulder. Edward turns to see his father and Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice, dropping down from the balcony. Edward's expression changes as he realizes he's gone too far. He backs off as his brothers crouch into attack mode and lunge at James like a pack of animals.
Dr. Cullen rushes to the injured Bella and Alice, who tries to comfort her, as she who screams again in pain. Edward dashes toward her as well.
Meanwhile Rose runs towards Emi and kneels down beside her "Em? Em, sweetie it's time to wake up now" Rose tries, but Emi doesn't move or make any noise. Rose lifts her up and sees her bloody head and twisted wrist. Her eyes go wide as a nauseating look cover her features.
She whips her head in a desperate attempt to call her father to help the small girl that she loves, but the words die on her tongue when she sees that he's busy with his golden child and his blood whore. Rose scowls at them before lifting Emi up off the floor and speeding out to her car.
She carefully sets Emi inside before taking off towards the closest hospital.
"Hold on, Emi, just hold on, please. I still want you. We still need you" Rose mutters more to herself than anyone as venom tears fill her eyes.
YOU ARE READING
The Stepsister's s tale
Romance"I don't have a step sister. I just so happen to have a sister that is not related by blood" That's what Bella and Emi always referred to their relationship as, until Bella meets Edward Cullen and changes for the worst.
