Chapter Text
The flight from Arizona to Seattle was spent mostly napping. Bella hadn't gotten much sleep the night before her flight. Renee was too busy trying to give her a memorable last night together, and she spent the night drinking while her daughter made sure she didn't find a reason to reach for her keys. Phil had returned in the morning to find Renee sleeping on the couch and Bella washing the dishes.
As much as she loved her mother, Bella was glad for the distance. The older she got, the more she wished Renee were her fun aunt instead of her flighty and forgetful mother.
The airport wasn't very crowded, making it easy for her to get to baggage claim, where her lone suitcase waited for her. The payphone wasn't far from the main lobby. She told Charlie she would call him when she landed so he could pick her up. A woman with bright red hair was already using the phone, so Bella took a seat nearby.
She didn't feel the eyes on her until a few minutes later. Looking around for the source, she found a tall blonde man staring directly at her. He wasn't particularly attractive, but his nearly black eyes and undivided attention still made her shift uncomfortably in her seat. She looked to see if the phone was available, only to find the red-haired lady looking at her, too. Feeling her skin begin to crawl, Bella decided she'd wait for a cab instead. She was at an airport; surely there would be taxis nearby.
Standing up, she noticed the main entrance was closed for maintenance, and some repairmen were tinkering with the wires for the automatic opening. Some nearby signs pointed her toward the side entrance. She spared one last glance at the two strangers still staring at her, wondering if she was being dramatic. The woman was still staring at her with the same dark eyes as the blonde man. Meanwhile, the man was slowly walking toward her, eyes glued to her face.
Bella felt her heart begin to race as she fumbled around for the side entrance. There were only a handful of other people in the lobby, all of whom were busy with their families, none of whom noticed the panicking teenage girl. The woman noticed her gaze and shook her head. Her eyes found the man again. He tilted his head predatorily and began to smirk.
Fuck it.
Her suitcase clattered to the floor as she ran to the nearest doors. They clanged against the wall as she barrelled through them, and instant regret filled her body as she tumbled down a flight of stairs. Pain erupted all over her body as she hit every step on the way down, trying to grab the railing or wall to stop her descent.
When she finally rolled to a stop, Bella took stock of her injuries. Her attempts to grab onto something resulted in a broken right wrist and a throbbing left one. Her head was pounding, and she could see blood on her shirt and the steps. She tried to stand, whimpering in pain when her left leg crumbled beneath her weight.
The door upstairs banged open, and Bella hoisted herself up, leaning on the wall for support as she limped down the hallway. Her breath came in pants as she tried to ignore the pain in her body. She could see another door further down the hallway and limped as fast as she could, the stranger's footsteps echoing in her ears like a countdown. Pushing the door open, she felt her heart drop.
The room she entered was nothing but an empty conference room. Windows leading to the tarmac lined the far wall, but there were no noticeable latches to open them. She almost collapsed to the floor in disappointment.
The door behind her opened, and Bella stilled completely.
The blonde man from upstairs stood a few inches taller than her. His eyes, which looked black from afar, were a dark red color that made her heart skip a beat in fear. The red-haired woman by the phone walked in behind him and closed the door. Her breath came out in quick pants as the man took a step closer. The pain in her body and the overwhelming fear knocked her to the ground, trying to drag herself backwards away from the dangerous strangers.
The man only smiled in response and moved closer, stomping on her left leg. A scream tore itself from her throat as she felt the bone snap beneath his bare foot. Whoever this man was, he wasn't human. No human was that strong, and he wasn't particularly well built. She felt tears running down her cheeks as the man brought his face in close to hers.
"I'm going to enjoy this." Her breath caught in her throat, making his smile widen. "You, not so much."
Suddenly, he was on her. His teeth sank into her neck, and his hands pinned her to the floor. She screamed as loud as she could, but that only seemed to make him giddier. She felt another mouth on her neck, teeth piercing her skin and sucking. Her hands came up as she tried to claw at her attackers, but she only felt smooth stone. The blood drained from her body slowly, filling the two monsters with glee. Bella's gaze started to blacken.
Before she could lose consciousness, the door banged open. Both of her attackers let out a feral hiss as they turned towards the door.
Bella slumped to the floor, pain emanating from every inch of her. She could barely hear what was going on around her over the roar of blood in her ears, and her eyes felt glued shut. A burning sensation started at her neck, spreading until her entire body felt like it was on fire.
Her body seemed to burn forever. She tried to scream, but her body couldn't move, her mouth couldn't, wouldn't open. The smell of smoke nearby startled her. Was she really burning? Was she on fire?
She was going to die. She was going to die, and she never got to call her dad. She would never share a house with him or her mother ever again. She would never have a first day at her new school. She would never see Forks. She would never graduate, or go to college, or fall in love, or get married.
Isabella Swan was dead.