Chapter One
"Sweethearts, would you two mind engaging yourselves in something less…gory?"
Edward and Emmett both looked up from the game console toward their adoptive mother, who stood in the doorway of their seldom-used kitchen. She was cleaning a dusty, hand-made red vase that she had picked up from a neighbor's garage sale over the weekend. It still had crayon marks riddled all over it. Mrs. Cullen often liked to shop this way, which she considered giving back to whatever community the Family was enjoying at the time.
Esme suddenly winced, and Edward regretted not pausing the game for her as he saw the red blood splash on the screen through her thoughts. Knowing also that his character had been done in compounded that feeling. Stopping the game before his cherished mother could witness the mutilated Zombie's chomping sounds, Edward sheepishly apologized before handing his controller to Emmett. He decided that, for tonight, any desire for blood and dominance could be satisfied through the Hunt.
"Frustrated you can't read the minds of the Digital Undead, little brother?" teased Emmett, turning off the game. The bigger vampire plopped himself down onto the cream white floor of the living room and spread his huge arms against the sofa seats. Nothing much fazed the Gentle Giant—an often-important reminder to relax when Edward fell into one of his angry or self-torturous moods.
"Weren't you standing right beside me when Esme chastised us? Didn't know Vampires could lose their hearing. You might be turning back into a human." Edward smirked, taking off his shoes. All the best predators of the Wild chased down their prey with the bare soles of their feet, so why shouldn't he?
Emmett didn't miss the beat. "You could have just turned off the sound. I think it was your character's legs getting ripped off and slurped down that was the problem for Mom…probably also his Hell-raising screams of agony and his…"
"Emmett, I'm sure your brother gets the point, dear." interrupted their mother from the kitchen.
Laughing, Edward removed his dark green polo and tossed it at his sibling. Emmett caught it and promptly threw it up to settle on a ceiling fan blade lying motionless above them. "C'mon, Em. Let's burn off some energy. I'll even wrestle a grizzly bear with you. We'll bring some teeth back for Rose."
Rosalie, their blonde sister, had a hobby of collecting animal teeth and drilling fascinating designs into them with her tools. The additions of copper wire and semi-precious stones made them hot selling items online. It certainly kept Rose from harassing Edward about pretty much everything related to him.
Emmett jumped up and yanked off his own shirt with one strong hand, leaving it next to his brother's on the fan. Too bad he wouldn't get to see his mother's expression when she happened to look up. She would probably ask Carlisle to get them down for her. That'd be funny!
The two Cullen boys took one last amused look at the ceiling fan and raced out the patio door, their laughter and hollers breaking the sleepy stillness of the summer night.
Mrs. Cullen listened with joy to the sounds of her happy children fading into the forest around her. Forks would be a good place for them to start over, and the cloudy weather would enable them to get out more often—to forget that they were supernatural beings for a time.
She hoped Edward would spend more quality time with his siblings, especially since living in the wettest state in the country might allow for more baseball time. Inviting Emmett to hunt with him was certainly a promising start.
Draining the kitchen sink of dirty water and wiping the vase with a hand towel, Esme pondered the flowers that would grace the bedroom she shared with her husband as she checked on the condition of the living room. Her boys were nearly a century old, but the Vampire Change had granted some teenage habits permanency.
It didn't take Esme very long to spot the location of her children's clothing, hanging like lazy cats from the fan blades. Shaking her head in laughter and seizing the opportunity for her own quality time, Esme called to her husband all the way up on the third floor in his Study.
"Carlisle! Honey, could you come here for a moment, please? I need you to get something down for me…"
Chapter Two
Edward ran through the forest of Forks, pacing his brother's smaller speed. Barefoot, they could both feel the texture of the forest floor and hear the stirrings of animals and smell the aroma of life all around them -the slanting angles of small rocks and uneven ground, the sound of different heartbeats in their own rhythms of time, and the scent of wet wood becoming the earth. It was a sensual experience to be caught up in the Hunt!
Edward heard his brother growl in excitement as the other leapt high over a fallen tree in his path, landing solidly on the ground without breaking a stride. The sound of the pounding of their feet as they ran added to the thrill and intoxication of the moment.
"Emmett! To the trees!" shouted Edward, running for a Sitka spruce tree and climbing straight up into its branches forty feet from the ground. The challenge of agility through the dense canopy intensified the normally orgasmic experience of pursuing the living blood.
Propelling himself between the trees in his ascent towards the star-filled sky, Emmett grabbed a low branch and launched himself through the branches, swinging and twisting himself over and over as he went. Every now and again, nesting birds would shriek and scatter into the night as the Vampire vaulted through their territory. Their alarm increased whenever Emmett shouted "OLYMPICS" at them.
Edward, his curiosity roused by his brother's thoughts, came back around through the trees and stretched himself out on a high branch to watch his brother casually somersault. He smiled in contentment. If there were more nights of this kind of spontaneity, more chances for Edward to forget his unnatural nature and his past, then he could make a bit of peace with the rest of the world.
"These hunts might be the cure for your long-living blues, Eddie. You lose those, and Rosalie might finally stop saying that you're always on the Rag!" said Emmett, crudely referring to the menstruation condition that young human females had to endure. Edward was well acquainted with the PMS symptoms due to his mind-reading ability, and admitted that credibility was due to his sister. He WAS moody.
The bronze-haired boy watched his bigger brother swing swiftly over the middle branch of one tree to get to a higher one in another, when suddenly the branch that he had aimed for broke beneath his weight! Edward watched in alarm as Emmett crashed through the trees to the ground below, although he knew that his immortal brother could not be hurt by such a fall. He quickly jumped down into the thick undergrowth to check on him, and found him staring at something hidden halfway in the soil near a fallen log.
It was a human corpse, with some of its clothing still attached…
The advanced state of rot suggested that whoever this was had been resting there for quite some time. The skull and left leg were twisted unnaturally backwards, and Edward could see clearly the jagged lines where the person's lower jaw had broken. The bits of clothing still left offered no clues as to the person's gender.
Like his vampire father, Edward felt immense sorrow for this individual, who had died all alone in the Wilderness. Any family still living probably never knew what had become of them. The form still clutched a working compass, with the cord of the instrument wound around its bony wrist for safekeeping. Both boys stared for several minutes at the body, weighed down with strong emotions for someone they did not know.
It was Emmett who broke the silence of the night first: "Bro. We gotta tell Carlisle and Esme. This person….we can't hide the evidence like we usually do."
Edward nodded silently in agreement. Although they had not been responsible for the death, he knew they now carried the burden to see the body laid to rest properly. It hurt Edward to see his brother so upset. Carlisle had created them both, and the other boy carried some of his Maker's compassionate heart inside himself as well.
"I can run more swiftly than you, Em. I'll carry the body back to the house." said Edward. He gently picked up the dead hiker in his arms, aware that the shreds of clothing still left barely kept the pieces together. The skull of the poor human rested against Edward's left arm like a sleeping child.
It was when he removed the body from its tragic hole that he noticed a large canvas bag underneath it, with the shoulder straps long disintegrated. Emmett retrieved this new clue immediately, and cradled it as Edward did the broken body.
They stared at each other in sorrow for a minute, and then ran at vampire speed towards home.
Chapter Three
Edward quickly flew through the forest at high speed, arriving in the Cullen's backyard in record time. He used his leg to push open the patio door, briefly imagining what Esme would think at the dirt they were tracking in, but that could be handled later. She would understand, as she always did.
"Carlisle! Esme! You're needed!" called Edward. He hurried to the kitchen to lay the body on the cherry wood dining table.
Esme flew into the kitchen and gasped, her delicate hand covering her mouth in shock. Edward hated himself for having to subject his vampire mother to this horror, and he knew Emmett felt the same way. Carlisle arrived seconds behind her, and stared dumbfounded at the scene before him. The intense stress had turned them into two, ivory-white statues.
This time, it was Edward who broke the silence. "We found this person in the woods while we were hunting. We couldn't just leave. We thought we might find out who they were, and…and…" Carlisle's first son couldn't bear it, and left his speech to get control over his emotions.
A sudden calmness enveloping him announced his brother Jasper's arrival to the event. No shock followed Jasper's witness of the corpse. Unfortunately, he had seen too much death to be greatly affected. Edward was thankful for this, as any projection of his brother's shock or sadness would have brought him to his knees.
Too bad he couldn't block out the stricken thoughts of his other siblings. Both Alice and Rosalie clung to their mates in stunned silence, and Edward was glad that Rosalie felt no need to use her battle claws against him for using the beautiful kitchen table as a makeshift morgue. His sister was thinking of the time she'd found Emmett all alone in the woods, dying from a bear attack. Edward smiled fondly as she thought a silent prayer of thanks that her handsome husband had not ended up as this unfortunate one.
"We need to find their family, Pops. We will use discretion." whispered Emmett. The Giant's face bore an expression of anger, imagining that someone might have committed murder against this innocent adventurer. Emmett hated bullies and was a valued protector of his family.
Carlisle put his arm around his dear wife's shoulders and held her closer. She whimpered, her hand still covering her mouth in distress and her eyes closed to the horror. Edward went to his lovely mother and kissed her caramel hair. We will solve this as soon as possible, he thought, frowning.
Carlisle cleared his throat gently and ran a hand through his golden hair. Centuries of perfecting his skills as a medical doctor had sharpened his intellect and authority. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves and keeping his arm around Esme, the Good Doctor spoke to his family with confidence: "Let us examine the evidence that was found. Serious hikers prepare themselves well, so I'm sure we'll find some identification. Emmett, son? Would you mind laying out any contents in the knapsack you found? I'll examine the body for cause of death."
Emmett nodded and unzipped the entrance flap of the knapsack lying on the table. It had once been a light beige color, but time and the elements had reduced it to ugly shades of green and black. Mud and leaves had laid claim to much of its surface. The contents of the bag had fared better, having been protected by its good craftsmanship and a secure zipper. Emmett neatly spread out everything that he could find.
On the inside of the flap was written a name in black marker: Ishida.
Edward came forward to stand by his brother and pick through the contents: "Five granola bars, a metal water canteen, a few broken bottles of Coors, a Calvin & Hobbes comic book, pink baby blanket, flashlight, a rather large bag of marijuana, and…a wallet!" He handed the wallet to his father, who proceeded to read aloud its secrets. Besides $30 and a few faded receipts, the wallet contained a perfectly preserved Driver's License. The body had belonged to an Asian man named Syuta Ishida, who had been born in 1953 and lived in California. There were also three small photographs. One photograph featured two little twin girls—one of whom held a pink blanket.
Carlisle grimly considered the blanket lying on the table. I wonder if these poor girls grew up without their parent? He thought. He remembered dim moments of his own childhood, his compassionate nature having been shaped by the loneliness of losing his mother before ever knowing her. A gentle hand on his cheek interrupted Carlisle's unhappy memories. "Love…?" spoke Esme. The sweetness of concern in her eyes made him feel whole. He would try to extend that security by reaching out to this family as much as the vampire secret allowed.
"Since we know who this is, we can return him to his family. Judging from his injuries and the break along his lower left jaw, it seems his death was caused by a hard fall. It broke his neck and his right leg—the death was most likely instant. Drugs and alcohol might have affected his powers of safe reasoning. Rosalie, research on the computer any Missing Persons information you can find. Edward and Emmett, put everything back into the knapsack that was found. Jasper, will you help them prepare the body for transport? I'll set about finding a proper box." Carlisle glanced at the kitchen clock; it read 8:35 PM. "Perhaps we can reunite them tonight." he said. The Doctor gave his children their duties and left to fulfill his own.
Meanwhile, Esme and Alice scoured through the fine linens for an appropriate burial shroud. Neither of them would submit to allowing the man to be presented to his family in a poor way. Alice settled on a thin, snow-white bedspread embroidered with white flowers at the corners, while Esme retrieved a long golden ribbon from her sewing basket. Gold-to honor our part, she said. Mother and Daughter hugged each other in peace and friendship, and went together downstairs to gather purple irises and lily of the valley from Esme's garden to be placed inside the box with the bones.
With their father's help, the three Cullen boys prepared Ishida for his Homecoming. The ligaments holding the bones together were mostly gone-so the body was taken apart, cleaned, and reverently bundled together on the linen sheet. The embroidered edges were folded over the bones, and the golden ribbon wrapped all around to secure it. The man's useless clothing was placed into a plastic bag.
Through Google, Rosalie was able to obtain a 1987 Missing Person's poster, while California's Public Records listed the name and address of the human's ex-wife. The Records also listed the deceased as a former native of Japan, having immigrated to the US in 1975. She printed off the vital information and then returned to the kitchen.
With their duties completed, the Cullen Family stood together in their kitchen as Carlisle Cullen led them in prayer. Among the Doctor's favorites had always been the Prayer of St. Francis. It was appropriate indeed, for they were sowing the seeds of consolation this very night. He wrote this prayer and a letter of obscure explanation in excellent calligraphy, and placed them among the fresh flowers.
The box, with its precious cargo, was delivered by Emmett to the doorstep of Ayaka Kimura, Syuta's ex-wife. With his incredibly sharp eyes, the boy made certain that no neighbors were watching as he employed his vampire speed to and from the house. He kept watch from some backyard bushes as a raven-haired young woman answered the door and found the box. With a smile and a nod, Emmett departed for Forks.
After 26 long years, Syuta Ishida had returned home.
Chapter Four
The Cullen Family kept watch over the television and papers in the coming weeks for any news about Syuta, with all the important stations covering the disappearance and sudden discovery of him. Carlisle noted with sadness that the outside world left absolutely no privacy for the dead man's relatives in their satisfaction for answers.
The biggest disappointment came with nosy TV pundit Nancy Grace attempting to spread the rumor that whoever had left his remains on his family's doorstep might actually be the repulsive ones who had murdered him. That bit pissed off Emmett. He had received a firm reprimand from his adoptive father when he made a comment about "accidently" slipping from the vegetarian diet where it concerned the God-awful woman.
As it turned out, Ishida had been fighting with his wife days before he vanished. A looming divorce and custody battle over his two beautiful twins had apparently been too much to endure, and he had taken off in despair. Although complete strangers tried to write him off as another Dead-Beat Dad, the man's closest friends had spoken of his devotion to his family and Buddhist Temple.
He had simply been lost at sea in knowing what to do about his unhappy situation.
It was the gratitude from Ishida's family and temple that brought peace to the Cullen Household. It was a burden uplifted, to know that the Immortals could bring some relief to their Mortal Kindred. After several months, the human world blessedly forgot Syuta Ishida. His family can properly mourn now, thought Carlisle.
Of course, Alice declared a shopping trip to celebrate everything returning to normal.
She and her mate, along with Rosalie, had browsed through dozens and dozens of stores in the state. It was in a Macy's department store that Alice had found an unusual lacy cotton chemise on display. It had white flowers embroidered on it…
Jasper had come upon her staring at it while he was trying on leather shoes, and had sensed sadness in his sweet wife. For a while, they both stood there in the store aisle.
Shoulder to shoulder.
In silence.
"It reminds me of the shroud we wrapped that man in, Jasper." whispered Alice. She radiated unhappiness. As Carlisle did with Esme, the blonde warrior gently wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder. With his ability, he sent an essence of calmness to her-his gift of love.
Alice closed her eyes in relief and let the tranquility soak into her spirit. Her thoughtful husband's reward was a happy smile from the petite girl's red lips.
Alice laid her head on his chest, continuing her quiet regard of the white garment in front of her. Jasper, sensing her curiosity, wondered if her thoughts had drifted to fashion, as Alice held degrees in the subject and possessed an awesome understanding of it. Fashion was a bright jewel in the crown of his Alice!
"What's on your mind, Turtle Dove?" whispered Jasper, stroking her back and neck. He could have happily existed in this immobile form with his Lover for centuries, but they had already kept still too long in this human place.
"Jasper, where do people go when they die?"
The old Confederate Major was unsurprised by the question, given what their family had been through in recent months. He was keen toward mysticism and philosophy, and had enjoyed many nights discussing seemingly strange and ridiculous beliefs and practices with his Mate. She was just as curious about the supernatural, given her gift.
He had often posed that same question to himself, given that humankind pronounced him as "Damned". Yet, how often was humankind wrong about many important things, time and time again.
"I don't know with absolute certainty where the departed spirit goes, or even if such an element exists", Jasper whispered. "Although I believe there's a time and a place for everything after this life. I have no clear evidence, babe." He turned to his wife, and gently held her beautiful porcelain face. "I do know that even if you and I pass away, I never want our deep love to."
Alice grinned, and kissed her doting husband. She nestled her small form into his wiry body, closing her eyes and sighing with pleasure when he wrapped his arms around her. He was her Perfection, even if he could not give her all the answers of the Universe. She buried her face into his chest and purred in contentment, making him chuckle.
"I'm asking because I wonder if Syuta Ishida has found peace. His later life was so much turmoil. I mean, he never got to see his children grow up". Spoke Alice. "That much unhappiness….could it keep him here, I wonder….as a Hungry Ghost or something."
Jasper held her closer, keeping silent. His chin rested lightly on her spiky curls and he stroked her side.
Alice suddenly realized that there was a way to answer her question! Her kind was always on the lookout for new and exciting things to make the long stretch of eternity interesting. Lately, she and her siblings had been watching television shows concerning ghosts and haunted places. The humans had invented technology that seemed to "allow" them to contact the spirits of the deceased. In fact, one could rig up a simple radio for filtering voices out of the static. There were other items at home that Alice knew would help provide answers.
"I know what to do!" she crowed.
Removing herself from her husband's arms, Alice took his hand and went to find Rosalie, marching down the aisle in this rather endearingly-dominating way. Jasper smirked. With her energy on super high, it would be an exciting night!
Chapter Five
Jasper leaned against the wall of the living room with his arms crossed, and uneasily watched his wife. She was rushing around the house, gathering supplies for the night's main event and dumping them on the floor. Rosalie stood beside him, radiating the same displeasure. He appreciated that she felt the same way he did, so he did nothing to soften her feelings.
He didn't approve of talking to spirits, but he knew that when Alice got ahold of an idea, there'd be no stopping her, even when he had pointed out that both Carlisle and Esme had not yet given their permission for all this. She had at least acknowledged the indecision she "saw" from their Leader and his wife.
Stupid Overtime, Jasper thought. Meanwhile, Esme was away at the Printing Shop, finalizing blue prints for a greenhouse.
Of course, Carlisle trusted Alice, and she was fine handling any consequences with this latest stunt. But still….
Why tempt anything?
"DONE!" Alice sang. Jasper sighed, and glanced down at the items now cluttering their living room floor: Lilac-scented candles and matches in the center, a digital recorder and a radio placed next to them on the left, talcum powder mess strewn on the steps and all around the intended circle. Alice had strung up two small wind chimes in the doorway leading down to the room, fastened there with black tape.
The front door opened and in walked Jasper's two brothers. Emmett's curiosity and Edward's disapproval told the Major that they both knew what was coming. Three out of five objecting to a séance still wouldn't budge his wife from her purpose.
Emmett crossed his big biceps over his broad chest and smirked at Jasper: "The Little Weirdo dragging you along into something bizarre again, Jazz?" The other vampire just sighed again and waited. That's all Jasper could do when Alice became focused like this.
"C'mon, guys! It'll be fun! Besides, don't we have a duty to see things through to the end?" chirped Alice.
"Things have ended, Alice." said Edward. "It's not our business where souls go."
The Pixie Girl folded both her hands under her chin in a saint's posture and promised only this single time. It drew Jasper to agreement, like a fly to a web. With another sigh, he jumped over the talcum powder into the clean circle to stand by Alice's side.
Rose and Emmett glanced at each other, smirking.
"What'cha think, babe?" said Emmett, wryly. "Should we jump in, or leave Jasper to his fate?"
Alice, Jasper, and Edward all scowled at him. Trust Emmett to find the humor in a mess.
Rosalie sighed. "We've got nothing better to do tonight. Just this once, I guess. Besides, I don't believe in ghosts. Neither does Edward. No souls, right?"
Edward scoffed, and turned away. His golden-haired sister knew very well what he believed—she just liked to twist things to make him mad, which was easy to do. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?" he said, sullenly.
"GREAT!" squealed Alice. She looked like she could shoot to the moon on her delight alone. Turning off the lights, the Pixie had her family sit in the circle that was outlined by the powder. She lit the candles, turned on the radio to clear static, and sat down next to her husband. Alice instructed them to hold hands and calm their thoughts, with a little help from Jasper's gift. Reluctantly, and still scowling, Edward took ahold of Rosalie's hand, who simply rolled her eyes.
After five minutes of pure silence—but not before Alice and Jasper gave Emmett the Evil Eye for his scary sound effects—Alice called out a name:
"Syuta Ishida?"
Nothing…
She tried again.
…Only the sounds of the radio static.
…Only the sounds of the forest.
…Only the quiet breathing of five expectant vampires, sitting silently in the near-dark of their living room.
Alice waited two more minutes, and tried a third time.
"Syuta Ishida? Can you hear us? Can you tell us something?"
Another silent minute went by, and then…
"…per…"
Everyone froze. They held their breaths.
The voice had come from the radio.
Chapter Six
"…per…"
Everyone froze. They held their breaths.
Slowly, they all turned their heads to stare at the radio, dumbfounded. They each tensed, ready to protect their mates.
Seconds ticked by.
Just static…
"…sper…"
Who?
The voice sounded far away.
"…Jasper…"
Suddenly, the whole group felt horror and panic and shame, deep in their cores! It felt as if some dark Abyss was waiting to rush at each of them and swallow them up! Edward could see them all wanting to run screaming, away into the forest, and never stopping for thousands and thousands of miles! Perhaps, they would all run for eternity, just to escape that goddamn voice!
"You're…projecting…" shuddered Alice, her angelic voice small and poisoned by her own mate's fear.
Jasper…he couldn't stop.
No! NO! It wasn't possible! It was a trick!
Maria's trick! Or Lucy's…or…or…
Suddenly, he wasn't with the Cullen's. He wasn't in the pretty little house in Washington. He was far away, far down South, in some old barn that reeked of old hay and animal piss and vampire lust.
Lust for blood and power and vengeance.
It was night.
There should have been lights, but the Newborns broke them.
There should have been people, but the Newborns ate them.
It's when they stopped the constant breaking and eating that Maria sent Jasper to do…THAT.
There was no one else who endured the emotional blows—the fear and anger, the regret. Acceptance of their fate.
Some of them even fucked with him by feeling forgiveness.
The voice—it led him far back into that dreaded place, where the only lights came from the stars in the sky. There, a boy waited for him, sitting on a milking stool, content to watch those stars in their beautiful distance.
A young boy, only fifteen when Maria turned him. She never allowed Jasper to turn anyone. Loyalty belonged to her.
He was only a child, but not young enough for the Volturi to come and end Jasper's sentence in Maria's Hell.
Her fucking army!
Jasper saw himself stroll forward to stand beside the boy, pat his back. Job well done today! The boy didn't understand the trap. He glanced at Jasper—a boy's stupid admiration for a man's prowess. He went back to cherishing the stars. Jasper couldn't look at their beauty. They would make him soft. He stared forward, pretended he was a machine with no conscience—a mindless hand ripping the full-grown wheat from the fields, so that new seeds could take its place.
He turned to the boy, tried to keep his emotions from giving the game away.
He couldn't….couldn't turn himself into that mindless machine.
So, he quickly grabbed the boy from behind, pinning his arms. His year was up, his strength had faded, and Jasper was more skillful in fighting.
Even so, the boy struggled, gasping against what was coming. His panic was like a sledgehammer!
Jasper's hand moved to the boy's forehead, adorned with dark curls and country dust. He pressed harder, dug his fingers in…
"Jasper! Please..!"
The boy spoke, but it was Alice's voice.
The vision vanished. There was no boy, no barn—it was all past.
Jasper was back in the house, his new family surrounding him. His mate was curled up in his lap, cradling his face in desperation. The bad feelings had stopped.
"Thank fucking God…"choked Rose. Emmett just stared at her, too shocked at what they'd been through to whip out anything remotely witty.
They all breathed in the air, as if they'd just survived a near-fatal drowning.
Jasper held his mate, anchoring himself with her golden eyes.
"It's…ok..ay."
Jasper looked up, sharply. He wanted to smash the radio with all his vampire strength. He wanted his new family to never know what he'd done, how many times he'd done it. His breathing came out raggedly.
Alice knew. He'd held nothing back from her. She knew everything—the events, the names, the individual personalities.
"Listen to him, Jasper." she said, softly. He looked back down into her eyes, afraid. This was his trial, and he was guilty. Her eyes held no condemnation, no chopping block for the head of his sin-stinking soul.
Jasper turned back to the radio, its static steady in the glow of the candles.
"Samuel."
"Jas...per."
It was the boy's voice, unchanged in its youth. He remembered it.
"It's…ok...ay. Be…free.
Be….free? Samuel…was offering him forgiveness. Jasper had taken his life and burned his body, and the boy was offering him forgiveness.
Forgiveness—an oasis of paradise in his long-stretching desert of despair and shame.
Jasper looked down into his wife's eyes, saw the joy and peace shining there. He looked into the hopeful faces of his siblings—Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward.
He turned back to the radio.
"Thank you, Samuel. Be at peace."
"Good…bye". The voice faded into a childlike whisper, and the soft static returned.
Outside, two car doors slammed shut, and the voices of Carlisle and Esme could be heard from the garage. Startled, the five vampires jumped up and set about hiding the evidence of their ghost hunting. Jasper watched the love of his entire existence put the still-lit lilac candles on the glass top table, and he smiled.
He had gained two things that healed him—
Hope.
And Forgiveness.