( outfit in
previous chapter )

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chapter twelve
snap decision.

Bella watched in horror as Riley cut Christina's throat wide open at the same time Seth tackled him onto the ground and into the trees. A trail of blood following their departure.

Tears sprung to Bella's eyes as she crawled over to her older sister, sobbing as she met eye contact with the same forest eyes she grew up with.

"Christina!" Bella sobbed loudly, not knowing what to do as the young mother continued to choke on blood. The brunette slipped off her coat and then her sweat shirt to hold it on to Christina's wound, tears falling down continuously as blood immediately soaked the sweatshirt and Bella's hands. The young Swan wasn't sure if she was shaking from the frigid air around them, or if she was shaking from seeing her eye dying in front of her.

"Edward! Seth!" Bella cried out, looking over her shoulder for help. "Somebody!"

With whatever energy Christina had, she placed her left hand onto Bella's blood stained ones. Fresh tears fell down Bella's pale skin as she stared at the engagement ring resting on her finger, getting redder as the moments go on.

"Christina, please, hold on," Bella sobbed as she looked over her shoulder again, hoping to see Edward pop out of the trees. "You can't die on me. We all need you. You can't go, please!"

Christina's bloody mouth twitched up into a smile towards Bella before she coughed out more blood. She continued to choke as the blood filled her esophagus.

"Don— don't," Bella stuttered, trying to apply more pressure to slow the blooding. "Edward!"

The russet haired vampire finally snapped off Victoria's head before throwing it towards Seth— wordlessly telling him to start a fire. The mind reader followed the strong scent of blood until he became frozen in his tracks. The pool of blood underneath Christina and Bella was nightmare fuel.

"Edward, please," Bella sobbed again, leaning her head down helplessly.

"Wha—" The mind reader was for once, speechless as he kneeled down besides Christina.

"Edward, please, help her," Bella sobbed as she stared up at the love of her life. "You have to turn her—"

Edward looked down at Christina as she choked on her own blood again, making it splatter around her head.

"Christina, I can change you," Edward started. His slender fingers pushed back her bangs as they both made eye contact. "But I need your consent."

"What?" Bella gasped. "Edward—"

"I'm not going to make her turn if she doesn't wish to become a vampire, Bella," Edward muttered, not glancing up from Christina's forest eyes.

"She— she can't die!" Bella cried, grasping onto her sister's left hand. "She's supposed to get married! And—and watch Annie grow up! Who's going to teach her about her first love? Or help her get ready on her first dance? Who's going to tuck her in at night, and make sure no boys try anything with her? You can't leave us. Annie needs you. Carlisle needs you." She sobbed again, "I need you, please. I need you to be my maid of honor, and help me plan a wedding. I don't know what I'm doing, I can't do this alone!"

Tears leaked out of the corners of Christina's eyes as she listened to Bella's speech. She felt her heart break, even as it continued to grow weaker from blood loss. She coughed violently as more blood slipped into the back of her throat.

As Christina's heart began to get weaker, so was the thoughts in her mind. Edward lowered his head in sorrow as his fiancée continued to cried out in pain next to him. As Seth howled painfully behind them— alerting the rest of the pack of the true heart break that was transpiring. Multiple other howls happened across the sky as they received the painful message.

Edward was paying such close attention to the several howls happening around him, he almost missed it. His eyes snapped open as he heard it once again.

'Do it.'

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"How long?" Edward asked he walked into the field. Everyone turned to look at him with silent questions, but he ignored them all as he locked eyes with Alice, who just came out of a vision.

Her mouth popped open in shock as she stared openly towards Edward.

"How long?" Edward asked again.

Alice blinked away her shock, getting the silent message Edward was giving her before she answered, "a few minutes. Maybe ten."

Rosalie scoffed. "They timed their arrival well."

"Probably hoping the newborns took a few of us out," Emmett state, crossing his arms against his chest. Edward met eyes with Alice shortly, too quick for anyone to notice.

"Where's Christina and Bella?" Carlisle asked, noticing the two missing girls.

"I sent a message to Edward letting him know it would be a blood bath if the girls were in the field with the Volturi," Alice lies, pointing to her temple, implying she had a vision.

"Seth ran them home," Edward finished, ignoring the pointed look he received from Sam's wolf.

Carlisle nodded before turning to the wolf pack. "The pack needs to leave. The Volturi won't honor a truce with the werewolves."

The wolves nodded their heads as they all ran into the trees— Sam giving Edward one last thought and a glance before taking off towards La Push.

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"Okay," Bella breathed as she and Seth got to the Cullen's household. She carefully slipped a transitioning Christina on to the ground, trying not to hurt her more than she was probably feeling already. "Go phase, I'll wait here with her."

Seth's big head nodded before taking off into the woods; the remaining blood from Christina glistening in the sun, making Bella flinched. She shook her head roughly, reminding herself that her sister would be okay in three days time.

It didn't take long for Seth to change into his shorts and join Bella back on the front porch. He carefully scooped Christina's limp body into his arms, and carried her bridal style through the house; following Bella as she led him into Carlisle's office.

The back of the office towards the left had a hospital bed. The Cullens set it up for when Bella wanted to go through her transition— and the younger Swan was glad that they thought so far ahead.

Seth slowly placed Christina's body down on the hospital bed, getting goosebumps on his arms as he stared at her lifeless body. Bella paid no mind to a frozen Seth next to her as she ran to the sink and grabbed a bucket with warm water and a sponge.

Bella paused with the damp sponge in her hand, not knowing where to start with cleaning Christina's mangled body. She started with cleaning her face and around her mouth, trying to be gentle with cleaning the blood stains. She gently wiped around the fresh bit mark in her neck and slit in her throat, since never one of them were healed from the venom spreading through her body yet.

She stepped back as she felt more tears spring into her eyes as she got another clean bucket of water. Seth rested his hand on Bella's shoulder trying to comfort the younger sister— but even he was having a hard time in seeing Christina's lifeless body just laying on the operation bed.

"What am I going to tell Annie?" Bella cried as she kneeled down in the floor and gripped on to her older sister's hand. "What am I going to tell dad?"

Seth didn't have any answers to her questions, he just continued to rub her back as she sobbed for her sister.

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"The Volturi don't give second chances," Jane sneered as the rest of the guard turned to leave. "Keep that in mind."

With those final words, the guard was gone— and the Cullens were able to relax their tense posture. All except Edward and Alice, who looked guiltily towards Carlisle.

They both walked up to Carlisle as he got ready ready to start running home. "Carlisle, wait," Alice called out before the blond doctor could make it to the trees.

He stopped just twenty feet from his family with confusion written in his eyes. Even Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper stared at the two with confusion.

"There's something you need to know before you leave..." Edward muttered softly, immediately gaining everyone's full attention.

"It's about Christina."

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Ya'll know I couldn't kill off my favorite character, right?! I also promised the new update soon to you guys, and I'm a woman of my word. ❤️