A/N: I continued it anyway, because my conscience told me to. :) Hope you guys like it. And... for the first time ever... Review, please? I just want to know what people think of it.
"Edward, calm down-" Carlisle winced mid-sentence as the thirtieth porcelain plate smashed into pieces against the hard wall. Esme cleaned up quietly; a golden blurr as she placed the tiny shards into an already overloaded plastic bag. "Just think about what you two have been through together, just think-"
"Of how she's always thinking of Jacob!" roared Edward, his eyes a dull burning black. Rage flared from his entire body, causing him to shake. He couldn't remember when was the last time he'd lost control this way. He looked around for something else to break; his breath had stopped unconsciously, and the thirst in his throat was over-powering eventhough he'd just returned from a hunt. Who cared about those stupid humans anyway, he thought bitterly, as a new idea came to him on how to vent his anger. He'd hunt the way their kind was supposed to hunt, and not fight against nature anymore; he'd join the Volturi and become one of their greatest assets...
"No." Alice whispered suddenly, seeing Edward's unspoken decision. "Edward, you can't." Her eyes shut with her brother's pain, and she willed her thoughts to be as encouraging as could be- she knew he would be inside her head, to see what she'd seen. Dozens of their former schoolmates' bodies lying in the woods, soaked in blood... And then she stopped, as another vision pushed its way through.
Alice screamed once, a piercing, heartbreaking noise that slowly dwindled down into a continuous moan. Jasper was there in a second, his normally unfazed expression melted into one of horror and fear as his main point of existence began sobbing, rocking back and forth, finally falling onto the floor with her cheek pressed against the carpet. Her body kept writhing as she let out more screams, and in the agony and confusion of the moment Edward's temper forgot itself and he too was at Alice's side. Jasper's voice was low and ominous. "Edward, what is she seeing?"
Edward probed into his sister's mind, but there was nothing to see- her thoughts were a complete void now, almost as if his talent had suddenly been switched off, and everything was shrouded in darkness. "I don't know," he whispered, tense... and afraid now.
The whole room was filled with disturbed reactions. Emmett was the first to speak, fear hidden underneath his incredulous tone.
"What do you mean you don't know?! Just look inside her head and-"
Edward shook his head. "I can't see anything. It was just... Just like how Bella was immune to me." God, how it hurt to say her name.
Everything was suddenly silent; Alice had stopped writhing now, though her tearless sobs were still barely audible. "What?" hissed Carlisle, his eyes turning a shade of beige. "Edward, tune into my thoughts," he commanded.
Edward tried again, this time successfully. Carlisle's mind was complex and filled with deep thoughts, but one stood out above the rest: What does this mean? "I don't know what it means," he answered, showing that the attempt had worked. He stopped himself from sighing in relief just in time, though was still thankful his talent had not fizzled out. Not when everything else has left me, he thought darkly, his rage slowly raising its head again. He took a deep breath, trying to hold it back, and focused on his sister. Jasper held Alice in his arms now, stroking her hair, murmuring into her ear. She looked better, though her face was still crumpled in pain and sadness.
"I've never seen her visions take her like that before," Rosalie spoke suddenly, her exquisite face showing lack of her usual confidence. "That couldn't be just another bad day- it was like she was seeing the end of the world, something completely devastating..."
"The only other time I've seen it hit her this hard..," Jasper hesitated, throwing a nervous glance at Edward, who rolled his eyes and merely found the answer for himself. It was when she had the vision of Bella jumping. When she thought that Bella had killed herself.
Bella. The name echoed through Edward's own mind now, and his fury quickly transformed into a gripping fear. Dear Lord, how could he have let her go off alone? Undoubtedly Victoria and Laurent was dead, and Jacob hadn't come back- but the Volturi was still reigning free. What if they had visited her while she was still alone and was displeased to find her still human? Or what if there was a newborn vampire who'd escaped, somehow, and had been planning on revenge?
Everyone, absorbed in their own thoughts and theories as Alice quieted down, jumped as they felt the vibrations coming from Carlisle's pocket. His phone was ringing.
At a human speed, he flipped it open and viewed the number, frowning slightly. "It's Charlie," he said. "I wonder why he's not asleep yet." Edward's body froze.
Carlisle answered. "Yes?" He feigned a tone of sleepiness. "Bella? She's... not with us right now, she left early." There was a silence as the family listened in on Charlie's words, choked with sobs and sniffs.
"She's... gone... window... left open... Need you guys... come over... now..."
"We'll be there," promised Carlisle firmly, and promptly hung up. Alice whimpered, her eyes wide open now, staring at the dazed expression on Edward's face. His Bella, gone. Emmett and Rosalie growled simultaneously, a dangerous sound that showed their equal anger to this sudden disappearance. Alice stood up immediately and sped towards the door with a panicked face, hand in hand with Jasper. "We have to wait," said Esme softly, suddenly beside Alice, gently restraining her. "It's three o'clock in the morning. Any normal human family would take at least ten minutes to get ready. And everyone has to go together." There was a pause before Jasper nodded reluctantly, and tugged a stricken Alice back into his arms.
"I'm so sorry," whispered Edward to nobody but himself. How had he allowed this to happen? The night had started off so perfectly- they'd been double-checking the preparations for tomorrow, her kisses so full of passion and impatience for the morning to arrive... It had taken him all his years' experience and discipline to not take her right there and then at the dining table. Then the full moon had arrived...
"My love," he whispered, his perfect eyesight catching the glisten of a tear on his wife-to-be's cheek. "What's wrong?"
"Jacob." Already his heart was boiling; that was the second time in three hours today that he'd felt like killing the mongrel along with his genetically mutated family- but he composed his face into a reassuring expression. "What about him, sweetheart?"
"He still hasn't come back, and the pack's been told to not tell me anything..." Her voice sounded so frustrated. The dog caused her pain even in his absence . "And Billy's not being such a big help to me either..."
"Why do you care so much about him?" The question sounded too harsh for beautiful Bella's ears, but he needed to know. He needed to know that Bella's choice had been sincere, and not out of any sympathy for his part. It would kill him if that were the case. Metaphorically, of course.
"Why are you so angry?" she turned her face away from him. So that he wouldn't see her tears. Her question was the tipping point- his temper unleashed itself.
"WHY?" his voice was so furious, so loud. But it came, unstoppable- the rage he had been bottling up eversince he knew what that dog had done for Bella, how she thought herself indebted to him; how it could all have been avoided if he had never left her in the first place. "Because nobody likes to know the person that they choose to be with for eternity is having second thoughts right after they repeatedly refuse the alternative route, Bella! Not even someone without a heart like me!"
"I'm not having second thoughts!" She raised her voice in an attempt to match his, a struggling fight against the tears. "And you do have a heart..."
"Maybe." So cold. That hurt; his words had shattered her, the same way she had shattered him when he saw those images in Jacob's mind- the two of them kissing, Bella responding with more passion than he'd believed she was capable of... He stayed silent, still as a statue, refusing to meet her eyes.
She stood up, shoving back the chair hard. "I'm going home," she muttered. He winced- it had been a long time since she referred to Charlie's house as her home.
He made no move to follow her.
"Edward?" He felt a cool hand rest on his shoulder. "It's time to go." Carlisle's voice, so warm and wise... Would it still be so soothed if he knew that his son had brought about his own miserable end? Edward shook his head.
"There's no point, Carlisle. She wouldn't come back to me, even if we found her. I've lost her either way. Leave me be..."
There was a crashing sound, granite against granite, as he suddenly received a hard slap that knocked him sheer into the glass window on the southern wall. It didn't break- of course, Esme never used normal glass in any of their windows- but his head was sore now. He cussed as he leapt to his feet. Rosalie stood before him, her glorious face livid.
"Don't you dare!" she screamed, her volume almost rivalling Emmett's. "In case you don't recall, she flew half-way across the world because she didn't want you to die, even when she thought you didn't love her anymore! She went to face a bloodthirsty tracker ALONE because she didn't want you to get hurt! She was willing to sacrifice the pleasures of being HUMAN, sacrifice the chance of getting into Heaven, just to spend a little time with you! And now, two years after you tell her that you'll love her forever, no matter what, when everyone has finally accepted her as a part of the family and we've spent around four thousand dollars planning your damn wedding because you've been a hermit for God knows how long, you're just going to leave her in the clutches of some serial killer?! I DON'T THINK SO!" She stopped, breathless. Emmett's jaw dropped; Esme and Carlisle looked stunned; Jasper looked like he was going to faint from all the tension he was absorbing. Alice merely rolled her eyes and clucked her tongue (for of course she'd already foreseen his decision).
Then, a long moment of quiet passed as everyone (except Alice) observed Edward's face, changing from one emotion to the next.
He sighed heavily, and rubbed his cheek. "Fine. Let's go, then. But I'm driving."
Alice POV
There were several cars, three cruisers among them, parked in Charlie's driveway when we arrived, and almost all the lights on the ground floor were on- lots of people; I could smell the blood all the way from inside the car. I glanced anxiously at Jasper, wondering if he could handle it, and with a weary look he gave a tiny nod. I squeezed his hand- he'd come a long way since I first met him decades ago. He laughed a lot more now, and it pleased me whenever I saw him playing around with Emmett and Edward, though of course I had to pretend to be annoyed when it got too much.
"How many?" asked Emmett, growling under his breath. I peeked into the future; cracked images that looked like old Sepia-toned films. Charlie, crying on the sofa, Sue Clearwater patting his shoulder comfortingly. I recognized some local shop-keepers, teachers at our old high school, a few parents of our old classmates, and even a few of the classmates themselves. Angela Weber was there, leaning against the kitchen counter and looking devastated, and her boyfriend Ben was wandering around helplessly, trying to see what he could do. Everyone was sitting around and discussing their theories. They were waiting for our arrival.
"Fifty, give or take." Though how they all managed to fit into that tiny hut of a house I'll never know. And the werewolves weren't here too, I noticed, as we hurriedly got out of the car, playing up the speed just slightly. I felt bothered. Even with the knowledge that the treaty would be broken if they entered our land while we were still there, I would've thought that Bella's safety would be put at first priority. Or maybe those dogs just had too big an ego. Edward didn't bother to lock- car thefts just didn't happen in Forks unless our family was behind it.
Rosalie growled at my answer, and I could feel Jasper's hand stiffening in mine. I looked at him again briefly; he was already holding his breath, his eyes emotionless and grim. "I'll be fine," he murmured.
Carlisle turned around to check that all of us were ready, and knocked on the door. The muted voices coming from inside fell silent; and I could hear a familiar voice muttering, "Must be the Cullens- I'll get it." The door opened a short moment later- revealing a tanned, muscular, Jasper-height Mike Newton. I stared openly. He looked... decent for a human, almost, all traces of geekiness subtly removed. I wondered what he had been doing with his time after graduation. "Hey guys," he said, still trying to be friendly though there was still that usual pain in his eyes. Oh. The announcement about the wedding couldn't have sat well with this dude- he still had a crush on Bella, big time. This probably hurt him almost as much as it hurt us too. Edward turned to look at me. "I can hear you," he reminded me softly as we made our way into the living room, where all eyes fell on us- landing on Rosalie especially, who -to my annoyance- still found the time to smile smugly. I crinkled my nose- the house smelt funny.
"From the beginning... Can you tell us what happened?" Carlisle asked solemnly, occupying the space on the sofa that Sue had hurriedly made for him. I went to stand with Angela, Jasper right behind me, and Edward -ignoring all the seats that were suddenly made available beside Jessica and Lauren- sat on the floor at Charlie's feet, easily pushing the coffee table away. Ben's eyes widened; I bet he remembered a time when that coffee table wasn't so easy to move around. The rest of my family settled in corners of the room that basically had a lesser amount of temptation.
"I heard her truck coming back and I heard her come in- she sounded really mad, screaming and kicking stuff over, so I waited in my room until she was safely in hers before I went to ask her what was wrong. I swear to you, I heard her going up the stairs and locking her door!" Charlie's voice broke down, and it was a whole minute before he became coherent again. "When I knocked and there was no answer, I went in... and the room was empty."
"No signs of struggle?" Jasper spoke first, quietly, yet somehow causing all attention to turn to him. Charlie shook his head. "None that I could see... but would you guys like to look at the room? Maybe you'll find something that we overlooked."
"We?" Edward's voice was alarmed- people could have tampered with the scene now, which would make it much harder for us to trace Bella's scent.
"Not everyone, just Billy and I. He left just before you guys came, actually- no idea how he got here so fast, then left at the same speed too." Edward and I exchanged glances, while Carlisle let out a sigh.
"Our ki- family, does not have much in common with the La Push people, as I'm sure you already know."
"That's an understatement- and I bet it's because Bella chose the Cullens in the end," I heard Jessica mutter to Lauren. I frowned. Some people never change.
Charlie was speaking to the others. "I'll be right back. In the meantime, any suggestions on where to search first would be nice."
We were walking up the stairs when the awful realization hit me, and I almost slapped myelf for not noticing the obvious difference earlier.
"Jasper," I hissed, stopping in my tracks. He looked at me in apprehension- he could probably sense my stress already. "Don't you notice that something... smells different?" He nodded. "Yeah. The whole house just smells a little bit... off. It's nothing I've ever come across before, so it can't be the were-" He stopped suddenly as Edward's hand was on his mouth. "Watch it," Edward growled. Then he stared at me for a moment before saying, in a dreading tone, "You're right. It's not here."
The scent that I had been trying to identify since the minute we arrived wasn't actually a scent in itself, but the absence of one- Bella's fragrance; one that we had all managed to absorb as a part of our air for the past two years... and one that was now completely wiped clean from the house. As if she had never been here before.
"Is everything okay down there?" Charlie's voice called from the second floor. All three of us turned to run -at a human pace- up the stairs, after I whispered into Jasper's ear, "I'll explain at home."
Esme's eyes were anxious as we burst into Bella's room- or, at least, we thought it was Bella's room. It didn't smell anything like her, and through a sweeping glance I could tell that most of the usual items in her closet were gone, replaced with brand new designer pieces imported directly from Europe. And, the biggest difference of all, her CD player was gone- a newer flashier model had taken its place. Minor things, things that Charlie wouldn't notice. Esme whispered softly as Charlie started rambling about how Bella couldn't have possibly ran away.
"What's going on? Alice?"
"Bella's scent- we don't have it..." My voice was flat, drained of all emotion, as I comprehended the true horror of the situation.
How were we going to find her now?
