Chapter 57: Close Relations

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When the early morning winter sunlight pierced over the Olympic Mountains and flooded into my bedroom, it was time to unwind myself from Jacob's arms because the day had to begin. I wasn't sure if our task was going to be more difficult than the rest of our family's. Convincing these strangers even of my existence seemed like a strained task let alone bringing Renesmee into the equation.

Jake and I left my father's home with a quick goodbye, and then Jacob phased and we were off to meet Seth at the border of our lands. It was cold this morning. The frosted air forced its way into my lungs as I ran, my breath coming back out into billowing swirls of white mist in front of me. The ground was hard under our feet, and with each loping gallop, the ground shook as Jacob and Seth's paw prints impacted with it.

We caught Bella, Edward and Renesmee's scents just a few hundred metres ahead of us after we leapt across the river and it didn't take long for us to catch up with them as they weren't in a hurry, so we slowed our pace to match theirs. When we approached I could see that Ness was fast asleep in Bella's arms and the couple were in mid-conversation concerning our guests that would be arriving soon.

"I wish there was a way to get the information we need from Eleazar before we tell them about Nessie," Edward muttered, the emotionless expression was back on his face, the dead one, the same one that he used when Bella was dying. "Just in case."

"But he wouldn't understand the question to answer it," Bella pointed out. "Do you think they'll let us explain?"

"I don't know." Edward mused, his voice firm.

We walked in silence, the thrumming of the boys' large hearts beating in sync set a rhythm for us.

"Edward, Aria, will you teach me how to fight?" Bella asked us, her face hopeful. I was more than willing to train her but Edward's face proved otherwise. He spoke before I could answer her.

His eyes scanned over Bella's curious expression but then they flickered down to Renesmee and he sighed. "If it comes to a fight, there won't be much any of us can do," he concluded miserably.

Bella kept her voice even. "Would you leave me unable to defend myself? I bet Aria agrees and thinks I should learn."

Suddenly I felt like this was a private conversation and I shouldn't even be present. I didn't want to get sucked into their argument. Jake side eyed me feeling the exact same way.

Edward swallowed harshly and his gaze turned to me, angrily, but it quickly subsided. "I didn't mean to—" I began but he cut me off.

"When you put it that way... I suppose we should get to work as soon as we can." The emotion was out of his voice again.

Bella looked thoughtful and then she spoke up again. "What would you say their biggest advantage is? Do they even have a weakness?"

"Alec and Jane are their greatest offence," he said emotionlessly, like we were talking of a football team instead of the Volturi. "Their defensive players rarely see any real action."

"Because Jane can burn you where you stand - mentally at least. What does Alec do? Didn't you once say he was even more dangerous than Jane?" Bella began to ramble but she had peaked Jake and Seth's interest, and mine too.

"Yes. In a way, he is the antidote to Jane. She makes you feel the worst pain imaginable. Alec, on the other hand, makes you feel nothing. Absolutely nothing. Sometimes, when the Volturi are feeling kind, they have Alec anaesthetise someone before he is executed. If he has surrendered or pleased them in some other way." Edward explained in a lifeless tone.

"Anaesthetic? But how is that more dangerous than Jane?" Bella asked curiously but the knowledge inside Edward's head made me shudder.

"Because he cuts off your senses altogether. No pain, but also no sight or sound or smell. Total sensory deprivation. You are utterly alone in the blackness. You don't even feel it when they burn you. That would make him only equally as dangerous as Jane," Edward went on in the same detached voice, "in that they both can incapacitate you, make you into a helpless target. The difference between them is like the difference between Aro and myself and Aria. Aro hears the mind of only one person at a time. Jane can only hurt the one object of her focus. We can hear everyone at the same time."

Defective - Jacob Black {1}Where stories live. Discover now