𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

It took us nearly two days to get to Phoenix, Arizona. By the time we got there, I was relieved to just be out of the car. Alice had only allowed us to stop when it was necessary, and basically demanded we take minimal bathroom breaks. So Bella and I had to quickly figure out how to sync up our bathroom schedules.

We quickly made our way up to the room Alice and Jasper procured, it was a suit with two queen sized beds and a living area. Way nicer than any hotel I'd ever stayed in growing up. I so badly wanted to call Emmett, to check in on him and see what progress they were making at catching James and Victoria, but I knew I couldn't. I wouldn't want to risk distracting him when his life is already in danger.

I was lying on one of the queen beds, scrolling through the many texts Paul had left me. He'd called a few times already since we'd been gone, but I'd let them all go to voicemail. I had little desire to listen to him lecture me, again. But, he'd now filled my phone up with worried texts so I suppose now was as good a time as any.

Dialing his number, I put the phone up to my ear and waited for him to answer. It only took him two and a half rings to pick up. "Liv," He breathed through the line and I didn't need to see him to know he was feeling immense relief. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

I let out a breath and let my eyes fall closed, I hated lying. And doing so to Paul was no exception. So, I avoided the outright ones. "I'm in Phoenix with Bella."

"Phoenix? Why the hell would you go to Phoenix?"

"Bella and Edward broke up and she fled Forks, I had to help talk some sense into her. Poor Charlie was heartbroken when she left," I explained, cringing at the lies spewing out of my mouth.

Paul let out a breath, "okay. Just, be careful? And come home soon."

I couldn't help but smile a little at his worrying. Paul had always been one of my best friends, and it was nice to know that even now he worried about me. "I will, promise." And with that I hung up, letting the phone plop down on my chest.

Talking to Paul did nothing to dampen my urge to call Emmett. In fact, after talking to Paul I wanted to call Emmett even more. I missed him so much it was crazy. If I didn't know he was my literal soulmate, I'd feel crazy for how much I miss him.

My heart skipped as I let that thought sink in. I hadn't fully processed it since he told me two days ago in the car but, now I could. Emmett Cullen was my freaking soulmate. It was insane, but it made so much sense too. I wanted to talk to him about it, ask him what it meant for us, our future. I so badly wished my mom were here to talk to about it, to ask her advice.

Would I have to become a vampire now? It's not something I ever thought I'd want, even now the idea seems off-putting. I don't want to be stuck a sixteen, almost seventeen, year-old girl forever. Maybe I'd wait awhile and see how I felt? It wasn't like we were in a rush, Emmett quite literally had eternity and I still wanted to experience so many things--so many human things.

My thoughts were broken by Alice gasping quite loudly. I sat up and quickly made my way into the living area where Alice and Jasper were sitting on the couch and Bella was leaning against the wall. 

"What is it? What do you see?" Jasper asked, immediately moving to hold onto Alice's arm in comfort. She must be having a vision? Emmett had briefly mentioned that Alice could do that, that and the fact that Edward could read minds, but that's a topic for another day.

Alice's eyes were zoned out as she spoke, "The tracker, he just changed course." My heart dropped to my stomach.

"Where will it take him, Alice?" Jasper asked again.

"Mirrors." She muttered, holding out her hand, Jasper immediately handed her some charcoal and laid a paper down on the coffee table. She instantly started sketching, "A room full of mirrors."

Bella pushed off the wall and started walking toward the coffee table, "Edward said the visions weren't always certain." I glanced toward her wondering how she was so calm. As soon as Alice said the tracker changed course I was freaking out. I don't care how accurate the visions are, I'm trusting Alice.

"She sees the course people are on while they're on it," Jasper explained, "if they change their minds, the vision changes."

I glanced down at the drawing and noticed it looked to be a room full of mirrors. Just like what Alice had said. Still, I didn't recognize it or know what it meant. I was just glad I wasn't currently in a room full of mirrors.

Bella leaned over my shoulder, peering at the drawing with furrowed brows, "Okay, so the course that the tracker's on now is gonna lead him to . . . a ballet studio?" She asked, clearly confused.

I glanced at Bella and then back at the drawing, I couldn't mask the panic in the voice, "you've been there? You know where James is headed?"

Bella nodded at me, "I took lessons as a kid," She gestured to the arch in the drawing, "The school I went to had an arch just like that. "

"Was your school here, in phoenix?" Jasper asked the important question.

Bella, seemingly unaffected by any of this, just shrugged and said, "yeah." Before turning and answering her phone, "Edward, are you okay?" She walked off as she spoke on the phone with her boyfriend.

I glanced back to Jasper and Alice, "so, we need to leave, right? We're not staying here and waiting for the vampire hunter to come and get us."

Jasper nodded in agreement, turning to Alice, "we need to get checked out and on the road. Edward and Emmett can meet up with us at some point, but there's no way we're waiting for them here." 

Alice nodded, "The sun will be setting soon, so we should be on the road before then."

I let out a breath of relief and at the same time I felt a wave of calm encase me. I shot a look at Jasper who just shrugged, "your stress is stressing me out." I couldn't help but laugh a little at that.

We were going to be fine. Nothing bad was going to happen. Alice said so herself.

Alice and Jasper went downstairs to check out of the hotel while Bella and I quickly began packing our bags. I didn't have much to do since I hadn't unpacked yet, I'd only quickly showered and put everything back in my bag when we got here. But Bella had made herself at home the moment we pulled up.

I was sitting on the couch, my knee bouncing in an anxious shake. I wanted to get on the road now. I hated waiting here like sitting ducks. James could already be here by now. We have no idea how fast he is.

Emmett had called shortly after Edward called Bella, telling me to stay with Alice and Jasper and that he was on his way. He also said we'd be leaving while the family hunted James, but I quickly shut down the idea. 

I may be freaked out of my mind, but there was no way I wasn't going back home as soon as possible. Besides, I was pretty sure I'd be safe of the reservation worse case scenario. I mean Paul is literally a shifter designed to kill the very thing hunting me.

Bella's phone started vibrating on the table next to her bag. She sighed before picking it up. "It's my mom." She hit the answer button, putting the device to her ear, "Hey mom, I'm glad you got my message. What are you doing home?"

"Calm down, everything's fine." She said after a moment, "I'll explain everything later. I- uh, mom are you there?" I furrowed my brows as Bella suddenly got very still, her eyes finding mine.

"Put it on speaker," I whispered, confused as to why she looked so freaked out. 

She quickly obeyed, falling down on the couch next to me and putting the phone on speaker. James' voice came through the line, my spine suddenly going still. "I was prepared to wait for you, but then mom came home after she received a very worried call from your dad, and it all worked out quite well."

Renee's voice came through next, "Wait, wait--"

"Don't touch her!" Bella yelled,  "Don't-"

"You can still save her," James interrupted. Bella and I shared a worried look, "But you and blondie are gonna have to get away from your friends. Can you handle that?"

"Where should I meet you?" My eyes widened at Bella and I shook my head, mouthing 'are you crazy?' There was no way in hell I'd be meeting James alone and without our vampire body guards.

"How bout your old ballet studio?" James suggested, I was still shaking my head at Bella. "And I'll know if you bring anyone along. Poor mommy would pay the price for that mistake."

As the line went dead and I met Bella's stare, I knew there was no getting out of this one. My best friend was going to meet up with a vampire and I'd have to go with her because there was no way in hell I'd let her face this alone. Still, I could try and talk some sense into her.

"No," I said, my voice as firm as I could make it, "there's no way we're going to sacrifice ourselves to James!"

Bella let out a shaky breath, "I-I know it's crazy Liv, but he has my mom." She was pleading with me and I felt guilt in the pit of my stomach. "I can't ask you to sacrifice yourself, that'd be crazy of me, but I'm going. You can't stop me."

She didn't wait for my reply before she turned and started walking out of the hotel room. I let out a groan as I turned and made my way to follow her. Like I said, there was no way I'd let her face this alone.

Surprisingly evading our two vampire bodyguards was easier than it should've been, especially since one of them is supposed to see the future. Bella and I took a cab to the ballet studio and the entire time I was shaking with anxiety.

"This is a bad idea, Is," I tried to tell her again, my voice low so the driver didn't hear. "We can call Alice and let her know-"

"No, Liv, we can't," She cut me off shaking her head, "he has my mom. He said he'd hurt her."

She was pleading with me to understand, to not risk her mom's life by calling one of the Cullen's. Some soft spot inside me was screaming that I knew the pain of losing a parent, that I couldn't let Bella face that pain.

I knew it was stupid, hell this whole plan of hers was stupid, but I also knew I had to stick with it. I lived with the guilt every day of causing my mom to die, there was no way I would live with the guilt of Bella's death as well.

Still, there was something I could do. As soon as the taxi came to a stop in front of the ballet studio, Bella was jumping out. But I stayed for a moment. I quickly typed out a text and sent it to Emmett.

Me: at the ballet studio

I closed my eyes for a moment before typing another message and sending it.

Me: I'm sorry

Before getting out of the taxi I made sure to drop my phone of the floor board so James would have no way of knowing we 'brought' help.

Getting out of the taxi, my heart was hammering a mile a minute. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach about how all of this would play out. I came to a stop next to Bella and noticed she was shaking a can of bear spray, the same one Charlie had given her as a gift awhile back when the attacks started.

"Bear spray won't help us, Is," I voiced, turning from her to look up at the dark building. Nothing will, I kept those words to myself. I just hope the Cullen's get here soon enough to save us all. And please don't let Renee die because of me.

Bella sighed, putting the bear spray in her jacket pocket, "it's better than nothing." I guess she's right. I took a shaky breath before following Bella into the ballet studio.