𝐍𝐎𝐒𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔━︎━︎ C. Cullen ✓︎

𝐒𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
THE WOODS

LOVE. ECHO HATED THE word. She hates the definition of it, the symbol of it, she hates everything about it. So when Bella asked her what had happened to her, she ran away. It was something that was starting to become a habit of hers. When someone got close, or things started to become too complicated, she ran. She mentally scolded herself for it every time. She was trained better than this. She knew better than to run away, she was supposed to face her problems head on. But, when it came to love and what happened to her in Russia, she ran as far as she could.

She ignored her sisters calls for her when she made her way out of the household. She had never gotten onto her bike so quickly than she had in that moment. She sped off, she didn't know where she was going. She just needed to go. Maybe it was a mistake, allowing her to go back to her home when she was damaged goods. Echo didn't know where she was, all she knew was that she was in the woods. She got off her bike, taking the keys out of the ignition before she started to walk. It was a good thing she could go days without sleeping, otherwise she would be asleep at that moment.

It was midnight. Her phone was cut off so that she could avoid any contact. She was upset and wanted to be alone. She knew that she was overreacting, and that she should me more mature about the situation. But she had been through so much, that the memory of reliving it physically hurt her and made her want fry her brain until she couldn't remember anything anymore except the good parts. And the good parts only consisted of being a child.

Echo ran a hand through her hair as she let out a sigh. Why was she so scared? What was she scared of? The answer; being hurt. Getting too close. Letting someone die because of her attachments. She never thought that she would become so damaged at the mere age of twenty-five. The sound of leaves rustling and a branch breaking caught her attention, forcing her to leave her thoughts at the back of her mind. She mentally scolded herself. She was unarmed and had no way to protect herself besides using her fists.

Echo looked up at the trees, looking around for the sight of noise. The only light available to her were the stars in the night sky that were mostly covered by clouds. Echo let out an exhausted sigh as she closed her eyes. "Please, if someone's out there, come out."

"What? Not going to put up a fight?" Echo tensed at the female voice. She knew it real well. Echo slowly turned around only to be faced with a redheaded vampire that held a wicked grin on her face.

"Victoria." Echo mumbled through clenched teeth.

"Ah, so you remember me. Good. Saves us the introducing each other before you die part." Victoria smirked. Echo looked at her red eyes that seemed to be glowing in the dark before closing her eyes and sighing again.

"Victoria, I really don't want to fight you right now. Can we take a rain check?" Echo tried, already knowing what the vampire was going to say. Victoria laughed before coming closer to the woman, her hand quickly wrapping around Echo's throat, forcing Echo to look into her blood red eyes.

"Well, apparently we took a rain check the last time we saw one another. This is the rain check I've been waiting oh so many months for." Victoria looked into Echo's eyes, watching as the life slowly started to leave her tired eyes. Her hold on Echo's throat only became tighter as she smirked in satisfaction.

"Just kill me already." Echo choked out.

"And not bring you back? What fun would that be?" Victoria asked. And before Echo knew it, a loud and painful scream escaped her lips. The last thing she saw was Victoria's fleeting figure as her body lay limp on the cold harsh ground.

꧁꧂

Bella had never drove so fast in her life. Quite frankly, she had never went over the speed limit due to the fact that her father was cop. But as soon as she felt it, she went a hundred miles-per-hour, making her way to the Cullen's residence. She had even forgotten to put a seat belt on, meaning if she wrecked she was probably going to go through the windshield and die a tragic death.

Bella quickly got out of the car after frantically tearing the keys out of the ignition and as soon as her feat hit the ground the door to the Cullen residence flew open. Jasper had felt her frantic emotions from miles away and Alice saw her coming. Edward looked at Bella with worry, desperately wishing that he could hear her thoughts. Edward came down the steps, meeting Bella halfway.

"Bella, what's wrong."

"Echo. There's something wrong. I can feel it. She won't answer any of my calls and I don't even know where she went. I already called Sam but he hasn't seen her. Edward, something bad has happened to her." Bella was on the verge of tears, and seeing as she didn't show her emotions that often it made him nervous. The family allowed the Swan sibling into the house and she frantically paced the living room.

"Bella, what happened?" Carlisle's calm voice asked her. He was nervous. If something happened to Echo, he didn't know what he was going to do. But, to keep Bella calm, he had to keep calm himself.

"We got into a fight. And I told her because I thought you had already told her, so when she found out she got mad at me for not telling her. I tried to tell her that it wasn't supposed to be my secret to tell, and that either way it was a good thing because she deserves someone who actually gives two shits about her. But she, I don't know, got angry and scared and ran out of the house. I don't know where she went. All I know is that it's my fault and-"

"Bella, it's not your fault." Edward frowned. Bella looked over at Carlisle who looked deep in thought as he processed her words. With the feeling of Bella's eyes on him he looked up at her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. Bella was cut off by her phone ringing. Thinking it was Echo, she quickly took it out but her frown deepened when she saw the caller ID. "Sam?"

"Bella, we found her."

1,121 words
Authors note: Shit just got real serious.

I hope you all enjoyed! Stay safe! Until next time, bye my loves!♥️

@HAHA_LIFEISTOUGH