“Oh, silly Esme. You know perfectly well how capable I am of fabricating the evidence and placing false leads. I would have no problem concealing Charlie’s death.” She gestured behind her to my father. Charlie was sitting upright on the ground, looking more frightened than any human being ever should. He was practicing slow breathing techniques to calm his already weak heart.

A strong pang of guilt ripped through me and I snarled viciously. “Jane, why are you doing this!?”

“What, Bella… my job?” She sneered heartlessly. “The way I see it….. You have two choices. Choice A, I take Charlie now and your husband and…. Say we throw the boyfriends life in too…. Jacob and Edward can live, or Charlie can live. Your choice dear.” Her eyes flicked to Edward again – sending him into another spasm of pain on the ground beside me.

A dry sob escaped me. How did this come to be? I went from being happily married with everything I ever wanted in front of me to standing in a house full of vampires being forced to decide between my husbands life and my fathers.

“Bella, just let me die.”

The tortured voice came from behind Jane’s small body. Charlie’s eyes were full of compassion and fear. “Just let me die, Bella. You have eternity ahead of you, you have all you need with Edward. Don’t waste it on me.” He choked weakly.

“No.” I closed my eyes. “This is not a decision I will make.”

“Really?” Jane smirked. “Well, I guess that gives me full rights to make the decision for you.”

“That gives you rights to nothing!” I screamed. “You’re a sick evil bitch and you will not dictate me like this!”

Her melodic laugh echoed through the kitchen. “What are you going to do, Bella? Kill me?”

“You are outnumbered.” I said pointedly.

Another evil smile played across her lips. “We’ll see.” She whispered.

I was mildly confused at her confidence for a moment. The area was clear. All vampires in a 40 mile radius were in this house, she had come alone.

She answered my confusion by closing her eyes and wrinkling her brow in concentration. All around me my family collapsed. Writhing on the ground, paralyzed with pain, they were rendered immediately useless to me.