Chapter 1 - Run

Alix ran, she didn't know where, she just ran. Jumping over logs before she even knew they were there and dodging trees with ease. There was nowhere she could go, she just had to keep running, never stopping.

The merciless rain sheeted against her bare skin, sending a stinging sensation through her body, despite the icy solidness of her skin, it still hurt like nothing else. Lightning struck a tree near to her and thunder echoed through the trees.

Suddenly she skidded to a halt just before she ran off the edge of the cliff. She span round. The red haired vampire that she'd had on her tail was stood only a few meters from her. She knew this vampire as Victoria, she was completely ruthless. Victoria took a step towards her and automatically she tried to step back, but her heals were almost hanging off the cliff edge as it was.

Pebbles slid away from under her feet, falling towards the raging sea below. Lightning struck again, sounding simultainiously with the defening thunder. She glanced over the cliff edge, quite far down, the sea would tear her apart against the sharp rocks below. Victoria raised her eyebrow, curious as to what she was going to do.

Victoria could hardly believe her eyes as her prey dived backwards off the cliff, plummeting head first to her death.

She could hardly feel it, the icy water clawing at her, crushing her against the rocks. Calmly she waited for death, not wanting to think about everything that had happened in the last few days. As blackness clouded her head, she saw him. Her beautiful angel, reaching out and cupping her face in his hands, gently pressing his lips to hers...

***

Alice froze halfway through her run, stopping between third and fourth base. Everyone rushed up to her without hesitation.

"What do you see Alice?" asked Carlisle calmly

"A beach, there's a cliff not too far off the coast and there's a storm, the sea..."

"What about the sea?" pushed Esme

"There... there's someone in the water... they're alive but... Alix" she whispered the last word, almost a gasp.

Bella only blinked and Edward was gone. She was about to panic, thinking her worst nightmare had come true, but Esme turned to her and smiled sympathetically.

"He'll be back soon." she assured her

***

Alix felt happiness bubbling up inside her chest, the last thing she's see before she died would be the face of her angel, but someone broke the image. Swimming down towards her, reaching through the apparition of her angel, causing it to dispel. Iron arms curled round her body, clutching her to their equally solid chest.

As her head broke the surface, she unwillingly gasped for air, yet not opening her eyes. Then she was aware that whoever was carrying her was traveling at speed, faster than she'd been running before she'd had to jump off the cliff.

"Alix" whispered a melodic voice, it was familiar, but not the one she wanted to hear

Suddenly everything rushed back to her, all the horrible memories, what she'd seen. Her eyes snapped open. "No!" she cried, forgeting where she was. Golden-brown eyes looked down at her in confusion, they'd stopped moving. It took all her will power to push the memories to the back of her head, locking them away.

"E-Edward?" she asked, her head crowded with confusion and pain.

"What was that?" he asked, refering to the memory he must of caught a glimpse of before she'd shut it away, consern glistening in his eyes

"Nothing... put me down."

Obediently he let he out of his vice-like grip. She stumbled on her feet for a moment, trying to get her balance. He watched as she closed her eyes and stayed like that for a moment, and waited. After a while she shook her head, biting her lip. They stood in scilence, not moving, or even speaking. Eventually Alix spoke.

"I guess you're taking me home weather I like it or not." she said, not taking her eyes off the floor. Edward just nodded. "Thought so..."

He couldn't put his finger on it but there was something different about her, she looked older (although vampires didn't age in appearence) and her face looked as if a smile hadn't graced her lips in an eternity. Her long, now dry, dark aubern hair hung down her back in limp curls and the usual glow in her golden-brown eyes wasn't there any more.

By listening to her thoughts he could tell she wasn't going to move on her own, so he picked her up bridal style in his arms again and started running.

***

To say that Bella didn't understand what was going on would be an under statement, she didn't have a clue. As soon as Alice had mentioned this 'Alix' person, Edward had rushed off. Then the rest off the cullen family had started to pack up, although they were only halfway throuhg their game. She'd felt out of place on Carlisle's back instead of Edward's on the way back to the house. Now she was sat on the sofa in the sitting room of the cullen's house, waiting for Edward. Alice, Jasper and Esme waited with her, Carlisle was outside waiting for Edward to get back and Rosalie had disappeared as soon as they got back, in a bad mood for some reaon, and Emmett had gone to try and calm her down.

Suddenly Alice, Jasper and Esme all looked up at once, like they'd heard something. Moments later Carlisle came in through the font door, he held it open for Edward. Edward was carrying a girl in his arms, she clung to the front of his shirt. Bella wouldn't of cared about that, but it was the way he looked at her that made jelousy tear a gaping hole in her chest.