"The hospital dismissed Carlisle today without explanation," Edward told me as I walked into my bedroom. "None of us, including Alice, were given any forewarning." Edward, his voice haunting, tensed his shoulders against my bed's headboard.

"I feel like I'm not being given the whole story here. You promised to quit that," I raised my voice, catching Edward by surprise. Charlie was pulling a late night at the station so there was no need to hold back tonight.

He nodded, "And I do intend on keeping that promise. Truthfully that is the whole story, or at least, the part that I was made aware of. Carlisle and the others are out searching for answers as we speak." I tilted my head, urging him to continue. He exhaled, "And in the morning, I'll update you on their finds."

"Good," I shot back and joined him on the bed. He pulled the comforter up to shield me from his icy body temperature, and I nuzzled my head into his chest. He tucked one arm under my back and stroked my side. We fell into a comfortable silence. If Edward was still bothered by Carlisle's situation, he hid it well.

Carlisle losing his job would not be much of a hindrance to the Cullens. No living doctor could compare to his level of expertise. Any hospital would be lucky to have him. Besides, his medicine practice always seemed more like a hobby than a source of income. Edward told me about his family's plan on relocating to the Northeast while we're in Dartmouth. The poor Cullens would have to endure their last few months in Forks using their bottomless pit of cash.

I rested against my fiance's chest until the sound of Charlie's cruiser teared through my open window. Edward shuttered, withdrawing his hand from my side and sat up with a low growl escaping from his mouth.

"Edward," I soothed, rubbing his back. He pulled himself to the edge of my bed, distant and preoccupied with something far out of my reach.

With Edward giving me the silent treatment and me doing the same in return, the only sound in the house was Charlie stomping up the stairs to his bed. There was a moment of careful deliberation before Edward leaned down to my face, "You said that you wanted to be 'in the know' and more involved?" Yes, that was what I had spent months begging for. He swallowed, "We have to leave." In one swift motion, I was out the window and propped behind his back as he ran through the woods.

The Cullens were all waiting outside their house with Alice standing at the front line, arms crossed. She and Edward shared a knowing glance. "You go on and explain," she pleaded. "My visions are still fuzzy."

"The hospital's administration reported Carlisle to local police for fraudulent documents," Edward gulped, and his eyes eerily drifted towards me. "Charlie is currently leading the investigation. He is waiting to get a proper assessment of the situation before pursuing a warrant for Carlisle's arrest—and hearing how much he knows now—it shouldn't be long."

"But they weren't any changes. Those were the same legal documents he originally submitted," Esme blurted out.

"Possible sabotage?" Jasper presumed.

"That couldn't be," Esme brushed him off and shifted the attention to her husband. "Your colleagues been noticeably appreciative of your work.. What could drive them to do this?"

Carlisle stared off blankly and opened his mouth, but Edward cut him off.

"They were appreciative of Carlisle's work. So much so that they were going to honor him at this year's gala. A man on the committee was preparing a detailed speech on his education and accomplishments and noticed inconsistencies. Other members of the administration got involved, and it spurred conversation of possible identity theft."

Alice faltered, "That would explain it. I kept seeing Charlie standing at our doorstep but the vision always faded before anything escalated. Charlie is indecisive."

"Alice, when does that take place?" Carlisle pressed.

"Tomorrow afternoon."

I heard Carlisle swear under his breath. "We're not taking chances. That's not enough time to make an efficient escape," Carlisle stressed, "but it's a start. I'll contact Eleazar. And Bella..." My family stared at me, aghast.

"I'll stay behind with Bella," Edward offered. "Charlie would not have to know. We can lead him to believe that Carlisle, along with the rest of the family, left for a new job opportunity outside of the country."

Carlisle brought his clenched fist up to his chin as he assessed Edward's proposal. "Yes, I suppose that could work."

Jasper and Alice retreated into the house, minds apparently operating at the same speed. "They're packing bags," Edward explained, keen on keeping his promise.

"As we should too," Carlisle admitted, guiding Edward towards the front door with an amicable pat on the shoulder. Edward stretched his arm around my waist and pulled me tight into his chest.

The events that transpired shortly after that went far over my head, quite literally in some instances as valuables were thrown left and right. I took a nap in Edward's bed with him at my side, but the wave of calm crashed by the time I woke up.

"There is someone here. One of our kind," he sneered. "In the woods. Nobody downstairs recognizes the scent. Jasper and Emmett are leaving now to take care of it."

Their hunt was short-lived, and we regrouped with the others downstairs. My family solemnly surrounded Carlisle, who was holding an opened letter with remnants of red ink blotted on the outside. He handed it Edward.


Carlisle Cullen,

The presence of your coven is needed in Volterra. We so look forward to greeting your family in its entirety, however, it is most unfortunate that the tide turned as it did. Failure to comply will not end in your favor.


The events that followed are mostly a blur to me now. Plane tickets were purchased before the break of dawn and Edward made several attempts to leave me behind, hoping I'd be safer. He begged Carlisle to send me on a different flight. He was desperate to keep me alive. As much as he did not want to admit it, he knew that the Volturi would find me no matter how hard he tried to hide me. After four hours spent packing, driving, and arguing, we were in the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. I did not have a chance to speak to Charlie, Renee or Jacob.

Emmett stole a large van to contain the eight of us. For the first time since I first met him, he drove under the speed limit.