Lost in Translation
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
Prologue-The Letter
Bella sat in the truck and stared at the ruined mansion in front of her. The smoking embers of the fire spiralled in the air. The wind blew ash across the windscreen of the truck blocking her view. Bella turned on the wipers instinctively and once again the nightmarish scene appeared before her. There was no hiding it, the Cullen's once palatial home was nothing but dust. The intense heat from the flames had dissolved everything, nothing had survived. There was now just a huge hole in the ground where the imposing building had once stood. It had been wiped out as quickly as the family themselves. A lone tear rolled down her face as she continued to stare out at the scene before her. She tried to picture it as it had once been but failed to conjure up an image in her head that did the place justice. Edward was part of the ash that was whirling about in dust eddies, blown every which way by the wind. Her vampire lover was gone for good, no longer would she be able to look upon his handsome Adonis like features, or see him flash his crooked smile. No longer would she hear his soft voice whispering that he loved her and that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She couldn't capture his face, it drifted away from her as she tried to picture it in her mind's eye.
"Oh, Edward." She whispered disconsolately. "Oh, my Edward." Another tear trickled down her pale face. She tasted the salt on her tongue as it reached the corner of her mouth. It tasted as bitter as she felt inside. There was nothing left here now. The Cullen's had been wiped out as if they had never existed. The whole family; the family she had hoped one day to become a part of had gone leaving no trace behind. Her eyes fell onto the letter which was lying abandoned on the dashboard of the truck. Its arrival that morning had prompted her drive here today. She had been shocked at the contents. They must have known what was going to happen to them. Alice must have seen. Otherwise how could the letter have been sent so quickly? It made everything so much worse for Bella. The thought that the family knew their end was coming. Why hadn't they run? Why had they stayed? If they had known then why...why...why? That one word echoed around her head over and over, making it ache. "Oh, Edward, you stupid fool." Bella rested her head on the steering wheel and let her grief consume her. Her hand brushed the letter and it fell onto the seat beside her. She glanced at the contents through blurred eyes, certain words jumped out at her like darts...
SMYTHE, PEARSON AND ASSOCIATES...
MISS, ISABELLA MARIE SWAN...
INHERITOR OF MASTER, EDWARD ANTONY MASON, CULLEN'S ESTATE...
SUM TOTAL OF FIVE MILLION DOLLARS TO BE DIRECTLY DEPOSITED IN A PRIVATE ACCOUNT FOR MISS ISABELLA MARIE SWAN...
CONTACT MR, REGINALD, PEARSON AT ABOVE NUMBER AS A MATTER OF URGENCY...
Bella scooped up the letter in her trembling hand and scrunched it up in her fist as she began to cry again. "Damn you Edward Cullen." She raged as she felt an irrational anger take hold of her senses. "You were out of my life and now you do this." Her brown eyes flashed with fire as she opened her mouth wide and screamed her frustration out at the ruined house in front of her. "Damn you for dragging me back into your mess. Damn...damn...damn." Tears pooled in her eyes as she switched on the engine. The loud noise startled her and she trembled a little as she wiped angrily at her eyes. "Damn you." She whispered one last time as she spun the truck around quickly and headed for home.
A/N-thank you for reading!