Liar

Chapter 30

I could hear the worried whispers coming from outside of my room, hissing at each other as they tried to come up with something to do. I tried not to listen.

One of the voices was louder than the others, and harder to block out. So I just listened, not feeling, not seeing…anything.

“KJ, I’m really worried. She was catatonic when she was human. She’s acting like that again now. You’re the one with the medical degree—help her!”

“I know Jasmine. I’m just trying to think of a way too without making her retreat further into herself!” He exclaimed in whisper.

I closed my eyes tightly against the memories washing through me. Cold golden eyes staring at me with contempt, pain greater than any I had ever known…

And I was about to do the same to him.

That was the reason I was numb right now. I was going to do to him what he had done to me, and I would have to leave him. To protect him.

I just wished I could do it without hurting him. But there was no way other than telling him and bringing him along, which I would never do. I loved him too much.

I groaned softly and fell to my side, looking out the window at the sun just beginning to set over the woods. The light hit the lake as well, making it sparkle like my skin.

I was at the cottage. After reading the letter, I had gone into a mild state of shock, making Becka freak out and take me here for KJ and Jasmine to help me. I wasn’t catatonic, just freaked out more than I had ever been before.

They both heard me groan, and rushed in. They found me curled up in a ball, staring at the sunset.

“Oh Bella, I’m so sorry about what you’re going through. They shouldn’t have done this to you,” Jasmine cried, pulling me up into a hug. She was like my big sister, while KJ was like a close uncle.

“I think…I’ll leave after graduation, this summer,” I mumbled to no one in particular.

KJ’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure? We could try and settle this out, make it so none of you have to go.”

I laughed bitterly. “They would never let us go KJ. You know that. We’re the super vampires.”

Jasmine stroked my hair. “Well, maybe they’ll let you go early if you do horribly,” she offered.

I cracked a smile. “That or kill me,” I joked, and then frowned for a moment. A smile broke out on my face. “Actually, they wouldn’t be able to kill me. I would just disappear and put a shield around myself.”

They both appraised me, checking to see if I was going crazy, or just kidding. But when I grinned mischievously at them, they saw I was joking.

“You really think you could fight the Volturi?” Jasmine asked in disbelief, shaking her head.

My smile faded. “No, I don’t think I could beat them. I could fight though, and just not loose.”

KJ looked horrified. “Are you actually going to fight them though?”

I shook my head. “No, didn’t you read the letter? They’d kill Edward and his family if any of us tried to do anything. I couldn’t risk that.”

As I spoke, Becka walked in, followed by Alex. “She’s right. We’ll have to just do whatever they tell us to. I won’t have people die from me not cooperating.”

I looked at her gratefully. Aaron spoke next, however. “The only question is how will we do this? We have to do something that will make it so no one will ever look for us. I mean, our parents think we’re alive and well at some college overseas, and Bella has a whole group of supernatural people looking out for her.”

I took a deep breath before I spoke and betrayed my heart. “Fake our deaths. Lie to everyone so they believe we’re dead.”

They all looked at me in shock. “Are you sure you want to do that?” Jasmine asked.

“It’s the best closure we can give any of them. Anyway, that’s the only way we can really disappear. If we die.”

Becka nodded, agreeing with my logic. “We would have to do it sooner or later. I mean, how could we explain not aging? We might as well do it now.”

Aaron nodded. “I’ll go set something up. We’ll do it right after you graduate,” he informed me. I nodded sullenly.

With a pitying smile, he left. Becka grabbed me, said goodbye to Jasmine and KJ, and took me home.

Now I just needed to close my heart and hope for the best.