i. calm before the storm

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CHAPTER ONE:
CALM BEFORE THE STORM

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VERONA HALE HAD NEVER understood the meaning of love. She'd read about it in books and watched it flourish in movies. She'd witnessed her brothers and sisters find those they were destined to spend forever with, but she'd never been fortunate enough to find her own mate. Verona had waited for almost a hundred years with no one but her adopted brother (the only person who truly understood what it was like to be alone) by her side, and even then, fate hadn't been kind to her. Her brother had found his partner in a shy but lovable mortal girl while Verona was still on her own, an immortal vessel walking the earth without a purpose.

Oh, how she yearned to be in love with someone. It was something she'd witnessed as a child when her mother and father looked at each other. It was what she clung to when her parents were murdered and the state declared her insane, shipping her to the nearest mental asylum alongside her best friend, the girl who claimed to see the future. But no matter how hard she searched, Verona never found her true love, and the thought was both heartbreaking and terrifying for her. What if she was never meant to find the person of her dreams? Would she be able to tolerate an eternity of loneliness? She didn't think so.

And when her brother - who'd only just found the reason for his existence - decided that he wanted the family to leave town without her, Verona fought with everything in her for them to stay. It was in vain, but nonetheless, she tried her best. Edward was being too hasty and it annoyed Verona to no end, seeing him destroy his only chance at happiness. Why couldn't he see what he was letting go? Verona would do anything to have what he had, and he couldn't care less. 

But now, several months later, they were back again. Well, two of them were, at least. And to say it was under bad circumstances would be an understatement.

"Alice, are you sure about this?" Verona's voice echoed around the otherwise silent living room, lost in shadows and flares of moonlight that streamed in through the window. "Maybe you made a mistake."

"I didn't," she insisted, her voice bleak. "I saw it happening, okay? I watched her die."

Verona fell silent again, biting down on her lower lip anxiously. Bella was someone that Verona had never gone out of her way to be friends with. Sure, Bella was Edward's mate, but that didn't matter when her status as a human was putting everyone's lives in danger. But that wasn't important anymore. Alice had gotten a vision just an hour ago, witnessing the human that changed their brother's life for the better jump from a cliff in an attempt to end everything. Verona was the only one with Alice at the time, and they immediately rushed back to their old home to comfort Bella's father as he heard the news of his daughter's suicide. Charlie was a good man, and both of them knew he wouldn't take her death well.

The front door opened before either of them knew it, and in stepped the last person either of them expected to see. Bella's hair was wet as it hung around her face in a knotted sheet, her weak frame shivering from the cold air that followed her inside. But other than those small imperfections, she looked alive and well, like she wasn't meant to be dead. Alice's vision had been wrong for once, something that was both relieving and disturbing in Verona's opinion.

"Alice? Verona?" Bella's eyes went wide as she noticed them, and in an instant, she was rushing forward and throwing her arms around them, pressing her fragile human body close to them.

"Bella," Alice exclaimed as she forced her away, their pitch black eyes locking with her relieved brown ones.

"Sorry," she mumbled, staring at them in shock. "I just can't believe you're here."

"We could say the same about you," Verona muttered, folding her arms over her chest. "Would you like to explain to us how you're alive?"

Bella's eyebrows drew into a confused frown, "Wait, what?" 

"I had a vision of you jumping from a cliff," Alice hissed, stricken with horror just thinking about it. "Why the hell would you try and kill yourself?"

"I didn't," Bella insisted, her frown never wavering. "I was cliff-jumping."

Neither of them said anything for a moment. Verona could see the lie shining bright in Bella's eyes, and her heart sunk deep into her chest in sickening realisation. Part of Bella Swan may have jumped from that cliff for fun, but the rest of her wanted everything to be over. Their departure had hurt Bella far more than they realised, and how Verona wished they could take it back. But they couldn't, and they'd have to live with her pain for the rest of their lives.

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BEFORE THEY KNEW IT, the three girls were seated on the lounge. Bella was clutching a warm mug of hot chocolate in her hands, her eyes never once wavering from Alice and Verona in fear of them disappearing again. Verona watched her sip her hot chocolate with a scrunched-up nose, a distant memory morphed by a bittersweet instant of disgust. It had been so long since she was around something so human, it was quite jarring for her.

Alice sighed, deciding to break the silence between them. "I've never met anyone more prone to life-threatening idiocy."

Bella looked up at them nervously, her fingers splaying around her coffee mug. "Did you tell him?" Edward's name caught in Bella's throat, and she went quiet then, lost in memories that brought tears to her eyes.

"No," Alice shook her head, catching the pain on the human's face and sighing. "He only calls every few months. He said he wants to be alone."

The thought of her brother made Verona's heart twinge in agony. Edward hadn't spoken to her since their family skipped town all those months ago. She'd disagreed with his decisions, and he'd known it. She stubbornly refused to speak with him during the first few weeks of their departure, and eventually, he decided to go his own way. If only she'd known of his impending absence, maybe she wouldn't have pushed away the only person who understood her.

"Bella," Alice coughed, shoulders shaking as her nose scrunched up in sudden disgust. "What is that awful wet-dog smell?"

Verona frowned, looking up in time to catch the sheepish glint in Bella's eyes as she started to shrug out of her jacket. The smell hit Verona then, and she reeled back in shock. "It's probably me," Bella said. "Jacob, maybe."

"Jacob who?" Verona asked, her back pressed to the edge of the lounge as she leaned away from her.

Bella winced, sensing their suspicion. "Jacob's kind of a werewolf."

Verona's eyes went wide, though not out of surprise. Only Bella would go out of her way to befriend another supernatural creature in the absence of her vampire boyfriend and his immortal family. Be that as it may, the thought of her arch-enemy still sickened Verona to the core.

"Bella," she groaned in frustration, running a hand over her face. "Are you kidding me?"

"Werewolves are not good company to keep," Alice added, her voice twisted into a stern scold as she rose to her feet.

"Speak for yourselves."

Verona was by her sister's side in an instant, the unknown voice setting them on edge. A russet-skinned boy was standing in the living room doorway, eyes narrowed into slits as he glowered at them, fists clenched by his sides.

"Jacob?" Bella frowned, moving to join them. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you were safe," he murmured, flashing his gritted teeth at the two hissing sisters.

"Well," Alice scowled in displeasure. "We're not going to hurt her."

"Of course not," Jacob growled, dark eyes flaring in annoyance. "You're just harmless Cullens."

"I'm a Hale, actually," Verona corrected on instinct, unable to resist the witty remark that only seemed to antagonise him further. Noticing his unimpressed glower, she rolled her eyes and turned away. "But continue, I guess."

"I'm talking about the other bloodsucker who tried to kill her because of you."

Victoria. Verona hissed in realisation, her eyes unconsciously scanning the room for the redhead in question. Alice pressed a calming hand to her sister's shoulder, turning to Bella with a hesitant frown. "Victoria?" 

"Victoria's been around," Bella nodded, face going pale at the thought of her.

"I didn't see her," Alice hummed in confusion, beginning to join the dots. "I didn't see you get pulled out of the water either."

Realisation seemed to hit Verona and Alice at once, and they turned to glower at Jacob, who's own glare was stuck in place.

"I can't see past you and your pack of mutts," Alice hissed.

"Don't get me upset," Jacob snarled, his body trembling. "Or things are gonna get very ugly."

"I'd like to see you try something." Verona stepped towards him, her dark eyes glimmering with an afterthought, "Dog."

Bella rushed to stand between them, her fragile human frame being the only stopper in their bloodshed. "Guys, stop." She was silent for a moment, before she sighed out a hesitant, "Can you give us a minute?"

It took Verona and Alice a second to realise she was talking to them, and with a reluctant sigh, Alice latched onto her sister's arm, guiding her towards the front door despite her indignant protests. 

Bella watched them disappear, quick to ask one last question. "You're not going anywhere, right?" She was worried, worried they were going to leave her again. She didn't know what she'd do if that happened. "You're gonna come back?"

"Once the dog's been put out," Verona smirked, sending one last glare in Jacob's direction.

Then, they stepped outside, slivering into the freezing night's shadows. Verona shuddered at the endless plain of darkness around her, distant screams echoing in the depths of her mind, threatening to consume her and drag her down with them. Fortunately, Alice's hand in her own, snapped her out of her thoughts, golden eyes a beacon of light in the darkness she so desperately feared.

"What's going to happen now?" Verona asked, her voice wary.

For the first time in their immortal lives, Alice was at a loss for what to do. "I don't know."

"I don't want to go back," Verona admitted, refusing to meet her sister's gaze. "Not when Edward's gone, not when..."

"Not when you're alone?" Neither of them spoke for a moment, before Alice reached out to embrace her sister, pity in her eyes that made Verona feel sick to her stomach. "Verona, you're going to find your mate one day."

"It's been a hundred years," Verona mumbled, stepping away from her. "I might just be alone for the rest of my life."

Alice was ready to protest when she was struck by a vision, her golden eyes fading into a pale yellow as she slumped against her sister. Verona grabbed onto her before she could collapse to the ground, watching her with caution as she waited for her to snap back into the present.

"Oh, my god."

Alice was gone in the blink of an eye, racing back inside without a glance back. Verona followed her with a frown, tracking her best sister's frantic voice to the kitchen with two racing heartbeats echoed in her ears. 

"Edward," Alice exclaimed, gripping onto Bella's shoulders. "He thinks you're dead."

"What?" Verona gasped, appearing beside them in a flash. "How did he find out?"

"Rosalie told him why we came here."

Bella stared at them with wide eyes, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks as she wheeled around to glare at Jacob, who was leaning against the kitchen counter, body shaking as he tried to smother his anger, Bella's broken house phone clutched in his hands.

"Why didn't you let me speak to him?" she screamed in outrage.

"He didn't ask for you," he snarled, throwing the phone to the ground.

"I don't care," Bella shouted, too blindsided by her annoyance to notice his own anger growing by the second. "You should've given me the damn phone."

Alice stepped between them then, Bella's gaze flickering towards her as she grabbed onto her shoulders. "Bella, he's going to the Volturi, he wants to die too."

That was all it took for Verona's heart to shatter. She hadn't met the renowned rulers of the vampire world yet, but she'd heard many stories from Carlisle, who spent several decades serving by their side. They were ruthless, heartless in their endeavours. Monsters with crimson eyes, flourishing from a diet of human blood. Edward; if he went to them and they accepted his request; Verona never see her brother again.

Immediately, she knew what she had to do, no matter the consequences. Save Edward before he could make the biggest mistake of his life. She couldn't lose her brother, not after everything they'd been through.

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