December 15, 2008~

I am waking up, as if for the first time, on a smooth paved road. The air smells of the ocean. Crickets are chirping, but I don not see any. The road winds and swerves towards the horizon. Right where you cannot see any further, the road meets the scalding white sun, setting on the firm line that marks the edge of this unknown realm. Behind me the road continues to sway in turns and corners, but there is no end. The sky over there is a dark periwinkle, the color of the sky before a storm at home. In front of me, by the sun, golden ringlets are released into the light blue atmosphere, the warm rays touching my cheeks gently. Thin white clouds are smeared like marshmallow sauce on blue construction paper in the baby blue sky. It is warm, almost hot outside. The road is not a bridge, but runs over water; a giant lake so smooth and slick on the surface, a sparkling black shade due to the sun's reflection off of it, like refined oil. You cannot see what lies beneath it, but giant blades of slim, paper-thin grass grow out of it and cattails, standing oh so stiffly, as if afraid to curl in the wind. And then I realize that there is no wind.

I also discover that I am not alone. Someone else is with me. We are hitchhikers, perhaps, on an abandoned highway riding to peace. The other person with me is Kerry, my dear friend from basketball and family relationships. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a ponytail, as usual, and she is wearing black basketball shorts and a white t-shirt that is so big and reaches her thighs. I approach her and say, "Where are we right now?" Kerry shrugs and replies, "I dunno. But let's follow this road and see where it takes us." I do not argue, and simply follow her, walking beside her, as the road curves about wildly across the "frozen" water. I do not know what time of day it is, and it is not dusk because the sun has neither sunken nor risen under or above the road. I do not know how long this will take. Every step we move, the end of the road seems the same distance away as our starting point. We do not know where it will end, but the whole time, that serene and nautical atmosphere never leaves.

I do not know how we got here, but Kerry and I have entered a building built of wooden logs. Its lobby has the appearance of a ski lodge, with Native American rugs and tapestries. On the left side is a fireplace the size of the one at Great Wolf, and on the right there is a front desk, possibly to check in. Ahead of us are stairs leading to a higher level, and Kerry does not wait. "C'mon, Charlotte!" she exclaims. "Let's go check out upstairs." Even though I am close behind her, she dashes up faster than I do. I lose sight of the girl.

After two short flights of stairs divided by a landing, I am in a room decorated with Christmas knick-knacks and an ornate and colorful pine tree. There is a king size bed in the middle, and a girl who is probably ten years old sits in it. She has straight brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and wears a lacey cream-colored nightgown. In her tiny hands is a porcelain cup with what smells like homemade chicken soup in it. Her smile is warm and welcoming, but I do not see Kerry. I was about to ask her where she was, but her high squeaky voice immediately interrupted my thoughts. "Why hello there!" she chirps. "Come sit with me!" Hesitantly, I sit on the bed next to her, but the bed is so comfy and our trip was so long. Suddenly I am dying to see Kerry again. She is so confident and knows what she is doing. I wanted to yelp out her name but the dryness of my throat hushed me. "What brings you here today?" the girl asks a little more quietly. "My friend and I are travelers," I respond, but literally, I am not exactly positive what you would call us. "Interesting," she answers. "Why are you up here in bed?" I ask. "It is not nighttime yet." Well, I was not sure of that either, but the sunlight streaming in from the large westward windows proved it was late afternoon. "I am sick with the flu," she answers sadly, and although I have pity for her, I still scoot a little further away. She laughs. "I'm not contagious, do not worry." I let out a sigh of relief and ask, "If you are sick, then why are you not home with your parents?" The girl shrugs, the soup wavering in the mug. "I cannot find my home. I do not know where I am. You could say I am lost." Suddenly a feeling of desperate sorrow washes over me. I do not know where I am, or where my co-hiker Kerry is. She is either hiding away in the giant cabin, or ditched me here and headed back to where we started. I felt nervous, but then we heard someone coming up the stairs. They were all of the kids in my class, the ones in the front being Nikki, Tina, Lauren, Korinna, Chris, Ralph, Carrie, and even Kerry is there. All of them greet me with hugs of joy, but through the approaching commotion, Kerry seems dazed. I walk up to her, inspecting her far-off stare into space, then see an unexpected guest trudging up the stairs.

Robert Pattinson?! I knew I was dreaming, but there was something about him that didn't make him Robert. Maybe he was only a look-alike, or—

A thirsty vampire.

A sudden feeling of panic warned me to stay as far away as possible from him. I began to pull Kerry away with trembling hands. But she turns to me, pointing to him, repeating, "Edward, Charlotte. He's looking for you." I abruptly feel nauseous. A vampire was looking for me, which meant he thirsted for my blood, which meant that I was screwed.

Edward's eyes were not black, but a smoldering amber color, and his skin is so pale. He reaches out for me, but I dodge him and begin to run. To my horror, he chases right after me. I do not hear anyone's voices anymore, only the voice inside my head to run faster. I sprint down what seems like fifty flights of empty stairs, each time hearing Edward's pleading voice behind me, "Renesmee!" What is he calling me? Immediately I think of Haley and Christina, my two friends who knew everything about Twilight; they would know what that meant.

Suddenly, I am at a bigger, wider landing with a decorated Christmas tree in the corner. The plastic fake snow sits on the mint-colored branches. Lori, another familiar classmate, is standing next to it. She has the same dazed look on her face as Kerry did. "Lori, help me!" I cry desperately, but she does not answer me. "Lori, please!" I beg, waving my hand frantically in front of her face, snapping my fingers at her deep brown eyes. But her friendly smile does not show, and she does not greet me. I can imagine Edward sucking the blood out of everyone upstairs in rage at me. I was done. Certainly finished for sure. There was nowhere else for me to run. Suddenly, I hear it again: "Renesmee!" I panic and race down the stairs, through a door on the landing below, and look over the railing with the dim light from the corridor. There is a bench against the stairs that have some kind of cushion on it. Then Edward appears at the door. I have no time to jump over the rail, so I stay on the rugged stairs, praying that he won't see me in the darkness of this mysterious basement. I study his face. It is full of concern; concern for finding me and killing me, it thought. His eyes are shut tightly with agony. His fists are clenched with frustration. Oh crap, oh crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, I repeat in my head. I was surely done.

Edward opens his amber eyes and looks down the stairwell, but this time, spots me. Beads of sweat form on my forehead. "There you are, Renesmee. I've been searching for you," he coos. He steps down, but without thinking, I heave myself over the railing and release my grip of it. I am falling. I hear his velvet voice bellow, "Renesmee!!!" At least I escaped from being dead.

Part II:

My head is resting on something cold and damp. And hard. God, the surface is hard. I hear the wind howling, and I smell wetness; as if it has just rained. It is a chilly temperature, unlike the sweet, warm air on the road to the lodge. Then I remember: the lodge. Where Edward was trying to kill me. A shiver ripples down my spine. But I am not at the lodge anymore, and I could've sworn I am not dead, more so instead of Heaven in a parking lot. Someone's voice echoes in my throbbing head; a feminine but deep voice: Kerry's voice.

And someone else. "Is she okay?"

Kerry's voice this time: "I dunno. Lemme check."

Something fairly sharp cuts into my rib cage and I yelp loudly, my eyes fluttering open. I cripple to the side that Kerry kicked me. "She's alive."

Kerry is looking down at me, with Chris Grimbo standing next to her. "What the heck happened to you?" he asks stupidly, pointing at my face with a bony finger. I want to bite it for giving me a remark like that.

"I don't know," I say, peering around. My neck is stiff, too. I can hardly move it. "Are we in the school parking lot?"

"Yup." Kerry puts her hands on her hips.

"How did we get here?" I question, a little bewildered as to how we went from the middle of nowhere to Randale, New Jersey again.

"Huh?" Grimbo says.

"I know what you mean," Kerry replies, but she does not give me any further detailed answers.

"Help me up," I demand, holding my arms up weakly for Kerry and Grimbo to tug on. They help me to my feet, but I waver a little. Eventually, I hold onto Grimbo's shoulder with my pale hand.

"Why aren't we in school?" I ask, again puzzled on everything.

"'Cause we don't have to be." Kerry is chewing gum, blowing bubbles with her tongue.

"Than why are there people in there?" I say, gesturing toward the school.

Grimbo responds this time. "Because they want to be. Don't ask, but Kerry and I are just hanging outside."

I stare at them both suspiciously. "I need answers, guys," I tell them. "I'm really confused here and you guys are giving me two year old answers."

Grimbo cocks his head in a perplexed manner.

"You moron," I say, then flick his forehead. "I need more descriptive answers. You are giving me indefinite replies."

Kerry shakes her head. "We don't know much either. We were, like, brainwashed at the lodge or something." Okay, so I wasn't imagining the lodge.

"Vampires?" I suggest, hoping that they will abruptly recall the lodge incident.

"Vampires." Grimbo snarls the word, and a shudder rides down his back. He begins shaking all over, Kerry yanks me away, and before I can comprehend what is happening, Grimbo becomes this hairy dog-like/wolf-like animal and bounds away. Kerry bites her lip. "Might wanna keep a heads up for that," she warns.

"Grimbo's a werewolf?!" I nearly shout.

"Yeah…," Kerry says slowly, then kicks a pebble around the pavement. "Like Jacob."

"Did you just say, Jacob?" I ask in disbelief. Kerry quickly changes the topic. "There's some guy looking for you in the school. Claims you're his daughter or something. Edward, I think the name was."

My stomach feels hollow right away, then I hear him again: "Renesmee?"

"Kerry, quick!" I whisper, snatching her wrist. "We have to get out of here. Edward wants to kill me, not attend the inauguration ceremony to become my stinkin' father."

"What?" she asks, a hint of incredulity in her voice. "He doesn't wanna kill you…"

"Renesmee?!"

"No, Kerry, listen to me," I threaten. "You are not taking my death seriously. If you want to see me tomorrow than you'd help me get the hell out of here."

"Okay, no need to be pushy," Kerry says jokingly.

"Kerry Beth, I mean it." Suddenly her face turns serious. "Charlotte Marie," she manages to hiss before her next response, "Okay I'll help you get outta here." She turns around to head towards the avenue, but pauses first. "Can we stop at Wendy's first?"

"Are you serious, Kerry?! My life is in jeopardy and you're hungry?!"

"Fine, I was kidding. Let's get to the train station…next to Wendy's." She rolls her eyes and faces me again. "It's next to the restaurant, you know."

"I don't care!" I suddenly spaz, whacking her hands. I step forward then. "Alright, we're gonna make a run for it as soon as we hit the library window over there, got it Kerr?" I spin around to face her. There is a hamburger with lettuce, tomato, and cheese on it, ketchup oozing out of the sides. "Wanna bite?" she asks, her mouth full.

"No, you idiot!"

"Okay. Sorry."

"Renesmee?!"

"Ready…set…go!" And then we are off.

Part III:

The train station is not crowded at all. There are no tickets, conductors, or rules. I feel relief wash over me. "C'mon, Kerry," I say, pulling her arm so that she is yanked into the vehicle with me.

"I hate trains."

"Well, I hate dying."

"To shay."

All of a sudden, Kerry sands on her tippy toes and points to the back of the passenger car. "Oh my, God, Orlando Bloom!" She tugs on my arm exasperatedly. "Let's just get his autograph."

"No," I insist, then wrench her into the booth with me, three seats down from the front.

"Party pooper," she mutters, then folds her arms and cringes in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chin.

I sigh with respite. "No more Edward, no more death." I lean my head against the seat cushion.

Well, I hear that velvet voice before I see him. "Renesmee?!" Edward appears at the front of the train. His eyes are full of sudden reprieve. "I've finally found you."

I let out a bloodcurdling scream that lasts for about a second until Kerry clamped her hand over my mouth. "Hey, that's the guy who was looking for y—"

"No!" I practically scream again. "He wants to kill me! Drink my blood! Don't you get it?!" I shake her shoulders hysterically. Edward inches closer. "Move!" I holler at Kerry. "I'm jumping!"

"What? Out the window? But we're moving!"

"I don't care!" I yelp scrambling over Kerry's lap for the open window. Then, I feel Edward's cold hands on my bare waist. I scream again. "Kerry, you're comin' with me!" I rip myself out of Edward's icy hold and dangle myself out the window. The strong wind bangs my head against the side. I grab onto the neighboring window ledge and wedge my body completely out of the train. I jerk Kerry out with me, watching with caution as her legs fall out first. She is still gripping onto the sill. "No, please," she whines. "We gonna di-ie."

"So am I if we don't evacuate this train!" I shout over the deafening roar of the locomotive. Snow covered pine trees ride alongside us. I carefully glance downward. Below us are the snow banks at the edge of an endless forest.

Then Edward opens the window I am grasping onto. His eyes are full of betrayal. I could've sworn I saw tears in them. As soon as I was sure Kerry was fully out, I take a breath, shut my eyes, and release my clutch. But something catches me: Edward.

"Please, Renesmee, I can't lose you again," he pleads.

"I'm not Renesmee, whatever that is!" I yell, then push myself off the sill by kicking the side and flipping backward and into the snow. I cannot hear Kerry's ear-splitting screech because at that exact moment that I leap off the train and look into Edward's golden eyes, I see a hint of depression in them.

Then, I woke up.