Chapter 22: Mistaken Identity
Victoria’s POV
I liked Bella, the new girl at the diner. She was kind of flighty and always on edge at first, but gradually she became more comfortable. How could she not be comfortable, though? Bonnie was an incredible boss: very understanding. We had worked together for several weeks now and it has been good. Bella and I work well together. A few times Bella had even taken a shift for me when I was, uh… under the weather. It was sweet how she continuously reminded me to eat, almost maternal in a way. My own mother had run off ages ago. My father wasn’t much more present than her so at fifteen I emancipated myself, got an apartment, and a job at the diner.
I met James at Forks High School during my senior year. To me, it didn’t matter that he was a year younger and two years behind me in school. He took care of me anyways. It amazed me that he could afford his own house so young, but I didn’t question it. Later, when I found out what he really did, I didn’t mind so much because to me he was still an outstanding guy. I didn’t have many other friends in high school; mostly I hung around James and his crew. On our first date was the first time I tried blow. I was nervous to say the least but he had assured me that I would be fine. Prior to that, I had never even had so much as a drop of alcohol. My father was a drunk so I never saw the point in following in his footsteps, after all he had driven my mother off and even myself with that shit.
My first high was… un-fucking-believable. I literally felt like nothing could hurt me. Everything just felt so good. Every little touch of James’ sent chills down my spine, leaving my hips bucking at him in desire. I had no idea I was such a sexual person. That first night, I believe James counted three orgasms, but everything felt so good that it was hard to decipher what was C and what was James’ doing. The sex with James was amazing, truly. Sometimes we had sober sex, but he liked high-sex best. I liked them both, so it didn’t matter to me. James was such a sexual being that we had sex often. I knew that it meant that we were very intimate because he wanted it so frequently. I felt loved.
Ever since James was arrested, my life felt as though it was crumbling at the edges, in small bits at first. It wasn’t just that my blow was taken, but my life. That’s who James had become to me. Yeah, he and I liked to take a bump of C every once and a while together, but that’s what people do when they’re dating: they share interests and do the same things. He was very protective of me and made sure that we always had the purest, best quality of cocaine. I trusted him with my life. He was so sweet: I never had to pay for any of it. He’d call me his pretty little strawberry—presumably because of my red hair—and say that I had earned it already. James was such a sweetheart.
It was hard on me, having James gone. Aro, James’ boss, helped a little by dropping off some C every once in a while. He asked me how much James charged me and I told him the truth: nothing. He smiled and nodded and hadn’t brought up payment since. He knew that I was having a tough time just as he knew it wasn’t me that turned James in. The thought of one of James’ buyers turning him in sickened me. I was determined to find out who that little prick was. Perhaps that’s why Aro kept me so informed with his searching efforts. So far all of those that had purchased from James still showed interest in purchasing directly from Aro now, so the mystery had not yet abated.
On Halloween, Aro showed up at my apartment with another gift of coke. Usually he came alone, but this time he had two of his “enforcers” with him: Demetri and Felix. I had assumed that they had another stop to make after my place, so I graciously invited them in. It was understandable that Aro would need scarier looking muscle-men than him. He was a semi-nerdy looking twenty-five year old, like he could be Adrian Brody’s younger brother or something. How he got in the business of dealing, I had never known, but it must have been a fascinating tale.
“Knock Knock, precious,” Aro called from outside my door as per usual. I answered as usual too.
“Hey Aro—oh, Demetri, Felix, hi guys. Come in,” I greeted as I opened the door. “More already Aro? You’re too kind.” Truthfully though, I was running low on my supply already.
“Actually, my little strawberry, it’s time to pay up. Where’s your bedroom?” He questioned.
“Hey, James told you his nickname for me? … uh, it’s through there,” I said pointing to a hallway in my apartment. I thought that he must have wanted to deposit the coke in there, but wasn’t quite sure. “Why do you ask?” Once directed, he immediately headed to my room, Felix and Demetri staying behind in my living room. Curious, I followed Aro. Once I passed the threshold of my room I couldn’t see Aro. I walked clear into the center of it by my bed and didn’t see him until he closed the door behind me. Whirling around to face him, my heart leapt in my chest.
“Jesus, Aro! You scared me!... Hey can I have a bump now?” I exclaimed. I was starting to feel tired and badly in need of a little pick-me-up. In truth, Aro had arrived just in time for me to need another hit of C.
“Of course, precious. You have to pay, though. I am here to collect,” He spoke, slowly and ominously.
“Oh. Uhm… well, James never made me pay…”
“Of course he did. Just not with money. Here’s your bump, precious.” I snorted the bit of white powder he had on his thumb, inhaling the powdery goodness. Within seconds, it seemed, my nose became numb. He had given me just a very little bit, enough to leave me wanting more.
“Another?”
“You’re gonna have to earn that, my little strawberry…” As he said that, I could feel the coke affecting me more and it was… delicious. My vision became clearer, if that was possible, my heart-rate picked up. I felt alive again.
“Mmm… and how do you propose I do that?”
“I’ll give you a line, and then I’ll make you feel good. Ok, precious?” It all sounded well and good, so I nodded my approval. Aro traced a line for me on my dresser and I snorted it… letting myself feel the gooey numbing effects again, and this time more than the last. The next thing I knew, my shirt was lifted up over my head as my skirt was pushed up against my abdomen. Aro’s pants were down around his ankles after he removed his own shirt. And then he was inside me, grunting and shoving himself rudely so. Contrary to reality, he moved in fast-motion. Before I really knew, it was over. It was short, but not sweet. I was so high, that it even felt a little enjoyable. After he re-dressed us, Aro lobbed a big bag full of the good white powder onto my dresser.
“You’re good, precious. I can see why James has kept you around so long as his little strawberry.” My mouth was too numb to respond, so I merely stared at him. “Oh, and before I go, I have a little… assignment for you.” I willed myself to concentrate and respond.
“Like what?”
“I have recently discovered who was behind James’ arrest. I am under the impression that you work with the girl.”
“WHO!?”
“That Bella Swan girl. She’s the Chief of Forks’ Police’s daughter… perhaps we can make a trade with him of some sort…” Aro looked pensive for a moment before he remembered my presence. “Anyhow, I thought you might like to know that justice will soon be served.”
No. Not Bella. Surely not. She was such a sweet, albeit feisty, girl. I liked Bella… and besides, she was new. How could she have even had the time to meet James yet? It can’t be…
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Vicky, you know I am always sure of my actions,” Aro forcibly remarked.
“Of course,” I shuddered. His tone was chilling and truthfully scared me a bit. “So, what are your plans?... what do you want me to do?” I tried to convey simple curiosity; at least I hoped that’s all I did.
“I want you to figure out where she’ll be tonight and convey that to me. That’s all… I’ll have the others abduct her. Interrogate her. Perhaps concoct a ransom note for her… That little shit head boyfriend of hers could use a smack-down as well,” he mused aloud. “Ah, but not to worry precious Victoria; James will be avenged and my business will remain strong. Enjoy your night of debauchery,” he called as he exited the room.
I was in awe of what just happened. So many things were whirling in my mind. The first thought was that Aro just had sex with me… which made me feel sick. It was hard to remember the details. The more time that passed since he walked out of my bedroom door, the fuzzier it got. The second was that James would be pissed because of that action and I was terrified of him finding out. The third was the contemplation of the impossible facts Aro had just laid before me: Bella was to blame for James’ arrest. He gave no details, but then again it was Aro. I was lucky enough to just know at all. To say that I was confused would have been a gross understatement of my current state. I was in shock, disbelief, and utter horror. Everything that had just occurred had served to mystify, torment, and sicken me. There was no sorting through it easily.
Where it came to Bella, there must have been a mistake. Even further, he wanted me to have some part in harming her? The girl practically took care of me at work—work! Shit! I had forgotten that my shift was starting soon and I looked like a bum off the street with the degree of sex-hair I was sporting. Quickly I showered; thankful I had my energizer running through my veins. I was still high enough that it hadn’t really mattered to me—the sex with Aro. I was ok. It wasn’t awful per say. My mind was a flutter as I walked the short distance to the diner. The thought that comforted was that at least I had gotten some free coke because of it.
Throughout my shift, teenagers had slowly filtered in and out, babbling about their Saturday-night Halloween plans. I tried hard not to listen, to not find out the thing that I was supposed to, what I didn’t want to know. If I found out what I was supposed to, I wasn’t sure if that would make me more or less inclined to tell Aro what he required of me. That was when I heard the very information Aro had wanted me to uncover.
“Oh of course I’m going to the Cullen’s place tonight! That’s where simply everyone is going to be!” A girl with mousy-brown hair that I recognized by the name of Jessica had spoken. Sitting across from her was a darker-haired one whose name escaped me. Damn drug-related memory loss.
“I don’t know… Last time at her birthday party, Bella Swan had gotten so shit-faced that Edward had to carry her away from the guests. I mean, pretty lame, right?”
“Or pretty awesome! I want to get so drunk that Edward has to carry me to his bed too!” Jessica gushed again. Girls like her made me thankful I had graduated high school early.
“He’s with Bella… as if,” the other one retorted. “She’ll definitely be there tonight.”
Shit! Well, now I know. I was still unsure of whether or not I should disclose that knowledge to Aro.
“I don’t know…” Jessica interjected, “she looked pretty chummy with James earlier that night.”
Oh that little SLUT! I mentally cursed. Suddenly, I saw red. How could that little bitch steal my boyfriend! My body went cold. I nearly dropped the dishes I was carrying. Swallowing my anger for a brief moment, I relinquished the plates to their patrons, and made a mad dash to my purse.
I know it was a little cliché and so Cruel Intentions, but I needed some of the coke I kept in a miniature perfume-holder necklace. I needed it, and I needed it now. After one long inhale, I held my breath and just let the effects trickle over my skin. The tingling sensations mixed with my increasing pulse and created wonderful vibrations throughout my body. Much better, I thought.
The next step in feeling better was to call Aro and inform him of Swan’s whereabouts. That little bitch deserved to be punished for unjustly locking-up my James. I picked up my phone and dialed his number. It rang only twice before he answered.
“Strawberry, I must say that I am impressed with your speedy timing. I assume you’ve discovered her location this evening?” He greeted.
“Yes. Do you know where the Cullen Mansion is?” I muttered through gritted-teeth. I was angry still as I imagined images of Bella and James together.
“Not really… not to worry. I can find out. So is that where they’ll be?”
“Yes. There’ll be a party there… When will you get her?”
“Hmm… not until much later, I suppose. A drunk Bella will be a more compliant and abductable Bella,” he mused aloud. His nonchalance about it sent eerie chills through me. His tone, even more so.
“Oh… I see.”
“Thank you Strawberry… you’ve earned a little more of the good stuff for that tip—” He whispered as he hung up. I had gotten my revenge but my strong negative emotions towards Bella hadn’t subsided… why don’t I feel better? I thought. Luckily my shift was about to end in ten minutes… I could live with this for the next short while before I formulated a plan that truly made me feel better.
Fifteen minutes later I was in my car, driving to the county jail. They would let me visit James, at least I hoped so. Twenty minutes after that, I was sitting across a sterile metal table that was bolted to the floor across from my beloved James. As soon as we were alone, James broke the silence.
“Vicky, what the fuck are you doing here?” He spat, clearly upset with his situation.
“I’m here to visit you… don’t you want me here baby?” I pleaded.
“I would rather be out of here.”
“I know, baby, and we’re working on that. Actually, that might be sooner than you think. But before I tell you how,” I stopped him as I saw his mouth part aggressively, “you need to tell me something. Were you sleeping with Bella Swan?”
“Oh hell no!” He shouted immediately. He was so committed to his statement; he almost looked scared for me—or anyone else for that matter—to think otherwise. “Is that why you came to see me? Jealousy issues?”
“No! It was just a stupid rumor… and well, now I feel I’ve behaved irrationally…”
“Strawberry… baby, what are you talking about?” He questioned. He was trying to smooth me over with his loving tone. So much was on my mind that I wasn’t even affected by it. Usually I was.
“Uh… nothing. It’s not important.” My mind was fuzzy as I stared at the palms of my hands. There was nothing particularly fascinating about them. They were ordinary, pale, lined palms. Perhaps they were bony and slightly shaking, but nothing remarkable.
“Victoria. Victoria!” James’ yelling snapped me out of my zoning-out, as I returned his stare. “What is wrong with you? You’ve been staring at your hands for the past five minutes, not saying a word. They’re going to make you leave soon.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s been an awful day. I really miss you, baby! I miss us. We’re so good together…” I responded.
“Yea. I miss sex. Is this why you came to see me? You’re cutting my visiting privileges short because you wanted to talk. Go away Victoria.”
“You can’t say that, James,” I pleaded with a tear slipping down my cheek. His face was so cold. It wasn’t full of love for me like I had expected. He’s in jail, I had to remind myself. Of course he couldn’t produce loving emotions right now when he was so miserable. He was right, of course he was right. “You’re right. I’m sorry baby, I’ll go now. I just love you so much. I hope I’ll be able to see you soon,” and because it was forbidden, I left without giving him a kiss or even a hug. Instead I blew one to him, which he did not catch. Jail was messing with our relationship and it wasn’t fair.
I left the county lock-up feeling exhausted, while purposely trying to not think about anything. I wasn’t there long, but the minute amount of cocaine I had been able to snort at work, which was miniscule in comparison to what I was used to, had long-left my bloodstream. When I got home, my body cold as usual, I decided that a warm bath was the best way to relax. I spent a long time in the tub, draining the luke-warm water and refilling it with the hotter stuff, and trying like hell to still not think about anything. Although newly-relaxed, I was even more tired than before due to the extreme lack of C in my system. Lying on my bed in a clean, fluffy hoodie that swallowed me whole and a pair of shorts, I fell into an uneasy slumber.
* * *
Groggily, I awoke not really remembering deciding to sleep in the first place. Leaning over, I looked at my alarm clock.
11:15
Shit! I had been asleep for about five hours! …With that realization also came the memories of the day. Bella. After talking to James, although briefly, I had decided that those girls were just discussing a false rumor. I knew both James and Bella better than that. Besides, Bella was with Edward. Every time she was working, he would come in and eat with her on her break. It was sweet to see… it made me wish James would do that from time to time… but that was another matter.
I had given Bella up to the wolves when I told Aro where she was going to be… but I was upset then, so I couldn’t totally fault myself. I needed to do something, though, anything to save her. The very least I could do was warn her or something. If I did warn her, however, Aro would surely tan my hide. I would receive the beating of a lifetime, he would be so angry. James would understand, though, because he was a good guy. He would protect me in the end…
After wrestling with my conscious for several moments, I got out of bed and dressed myself in public-appropriate clothes. A knot had formed in my stomach, eating away at my calm. After I warn her, I can come back and take a big hit of coke, I told myself. It’s what kept me going in the face of my growing anxiety.
Because it was in the middle-of-freaking-nowhere, it took me a half an hour to get to the Cullen Mansion. My nerves were at an all-time peak. I worried that I was too late, having slept the early evening away. I just prayed to a God I didn’t believe in that Aro hadn’t yet descended upon the party, that Bella was still safe, and that I hadn’t been the one to cause her harm. When I parked, the party seemed to be at full-swing, a good sign for me. I was almost to the point of breaking down, so I knew that what I did next was a little selfish, but I rationalized it for the good of the situation in the end if I remained calm. Needing it badly, I did a line of coke off of my dashboard. Mmm, much better, I rationalized.
With each step I took, the calming effects intensified. My high was back. Entering the party, I saw Bella at a make-shift beer-pong table, really enjoying herself with her friends and boyfriend: laughing the night away with a good, solid drunk-buzz about her. It was then that I saw red again. All I could think about was her and James… again. It was irrational and completely untrue but I just lost it and started screaming.
“It’s your entire fault, YOU LITTLE BITCH! I thought I could trust you and it turns out that it’s your fault that he’s in there!” I don’t know what came over me! I couldn’t help but scream like a crazy person. I had come there to warn her, to help her, but at the moment it was almost like I wanted her to pay… Edward, seemingly quite sober, stepped in between us trying to calm the escalating situation. He held me back from Bella, as I flew at her.
“Not now Victoria, let’s take this inside,” he said calmly. It only made me more upset.
“Fuck—” Just as I was about to tell him to fuck off, a warm goo trickled from my nose. I wiped it on my finger and was shocked by its crimson color. It scared the shit out of me! Again, it only exacerbated my seemingly angry state. “What did you do to me Cullen?” I had asked incredulously. It was unreal. It was then that things got weirder. A feeling of utter fear came over me as sound left the world. Everything went silent, save for a slight high-pitched tone. Blackness shrouded my vision as my last memory of that moment became a crimson red color.
* * *
I came-to sometime during the ambulance ride, slowly at first. Sound came back to my ears as the harried voices of the paramedics discussing things of an important nature around me.
“Did she take anything?” One man asked someone else.
“I don’t know…she just showed up screaming,” Bella’s voice answered. Hmm, Bella was there? I then became aware of her small hand holding mine. How sweet.
“Ok, well we’re two minutes out. I’m sure the hospital will do a tox-screen. Healthy young women don’t just seize for no reason,” he replied. “Looks like her nose was just bleeding… she’s thin and gray-looking… if I had to venture a guess I’d say she’s strung-out on cocaine and that little habit of her caused the seizure.”
I opened my eyes when the ambulance parked. I needed to tell Bella.
“Oh! She opened her eyes! That’s good, right?” Bella asked the paramedic, with hope in her voice.
“Uh... yea.” He said, distracted with other matters. I moved my hand to take the oxygen mask off of my mouth so I could speak clearly just as the doors were opened.
“Can you give us a moment?” I rasped to the paramedics that were preparing to push my gurney into the waiting doctors in the Emergency Room. “It’s important.”
“You have ten seconds, OK?” One of them responded and gave us some space.
“Victoria, are you alright? You don’t have to speak, rest!” Bella’s face was washed in concern. “Edward followed the ambulance, he’ll be here soon too,” she offered, as if that made everything alright. I was thankful, though, that at least she would have his protection in case Aro came looking for her.
“Did you tell them my name?” I whispered.
“Uhm, no they didn’t ask that yet… I can tell them that right now if you want!” She offered.
“No! No, don’t. Don’t tell them anything about me: I can handle it. Bella, I’m sorry. I came to the party to warn you—”
“No need to explain, it’s fine, you just rest,” she cut me off.
“No, you listen! You’re not safe. Aro, James’ boss, thinks you’re the reason that James was arrested. He’s coming after you. He’s dangerous Bella… like guns and murder and illicit activity, dangerous. Get the hell out of here… Bella, you’re in danger—” I was then cut off by one of the paramedics, a very cute one, might I add. Bella’s face visibly paled as she struggled to swallow.
“Alright time’s up, ladies. Let’s get the red head over here into the ER.” They unloaded me from the back of the ambulance after Bella exited. I didn’t see her follow me inside, presumably because she had gotten the full extent of my message and was too shocked to come in. Finally, I had accomplished my task.
“What’s your name, Red?” One of them asked.
“Jane Doe, I’m a Jane Doe.”
* * *
