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CHAPTER TWENTY TWO ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍ
"There!"
The tyres screeched as Alice threw the car around a tight corner, cutting across the street and toward a sharp stop in front of a short building. Jasper had located the dance studio quickly, pointing us in the right direction from the minute we'd left the airport. Everything was quiet- an eerie stillness- the kind in horror films when death was near. In fact, it hung in the air, a sharp stench that we could all recognise easily. Blood.
"She's hurt," Jasper growled, his blonde hair brushing across his brow as he sprinted toward the door way.
We slowed only to track Bella's exact location, cringing at the metallic scent that coated the gusts of wind that sped through the open windows of the dim corridor. Almost in sync, we stiffened... a haunting screech shattered through the rooms, breaking toward us.
"Let's not rush into things, we can't let Bella get hurt," Alice whispered, taking the lead as we neared the door to the mirrored room.
The perspective was just as Bella had described. From the tinted glass of the double doors, we could see the full space: the distorted warping of the wall of mirrors, the stereo that stood limply on top a corner table, and the dark wood panelling of the floor ways that were now stained a crimson red.
The pain in my throat grew heavier. I couldn't tell if it was hunger or fear, but either way, it was the sight of the wine-red blood spilled across the floor that evoked the feeling. Such a familiar sight. Such a long time ago...
"Bella," I hissed, my eyes drawing to her slumped figure in the corner, hunched against the cracked mirror of the left wall. And toward her, James was now prowling, looking more like a sloped snake than the inhuman creature he was.
Something snapped. Bella let out a whimper as she dripped from consciousness. Then, without another thought, I was bounding forward, arms flying past my sides, feet kissing the floorboards with grace. James was in my line of sight, and I knew I had the benefit of surprise as I'd prepared to jump on him with immense speed.
"No, Elide!"
But I didn't have the advantage. With a flash of blinding rage, James turned on me, casting his attention to Bella aside. I didn't stop, my legs blurred as I ran. Only, a second later, I wasn't. The hard sensation of my body meeting the floor shook through my back, as I kept sliding, the weight of another on top of me, until my shoulder connected with the wall.
Alice's hands wrestled with my own, somehow managing to pin my wrists against the floor despite my desperate struggling. But no matter how hard she pushed, I could concentrate on nothing other than the scene that'd almost unfolded moments before.
