I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out. I've been ridiculously uninspired. But I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner. And I'm sorry if it seems incredibly redundant of the first chapter of Midnight Sun. The next chapter should be more of my own writing.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
I know it was silly and really probably unnecessary but I spent my next two class periods focusing so intently on Jasper's future that I probably couldn't even tell you what happened in those classes. Of course he was completely fine, no slip ups whatsoever.
That didn't stop me from watching though. Every small choice he made, I watched with as much scrutiny as a mother over her new born baby; because just as a mother's life revolves around her child, my life revolved around Jasper. He was my life, my everything. His pain was my pain, his mistakes, mine.
If he were to slip up, the pain and anguish he would feel would be just as much mine as it was his. We had dealt with it before and it was a situation I would avoid repeating at all costs.
His little 'incidents,' if that's what you could call them, during lunch had worried me much more than I was willing to let on. The way his gaze had lingered on that child's throat brought on a fierce moment of déjà vu. That had been exactly how it had started before, every other time something had happened; it had always started with a look.
It was because of this that I was able to completely forget about Edward and Bella and the visions I had had concerning them months ago. If it had been any other day, if Jasper had been any less thirsty I probably would have been monitoring their futures almost as minutely as I was my husband's.
But that was not the case, and I was watching Jazz's future with such absorption that the slight tingling of another oncoming vision did not even faze me and I was able to ignore it all together.
When the final bell rang I jumped up out of my seat and made my way swiftly to the door. Passing periods, especially at the end of the day when the halls were particularly crowded, were the hardest. Too many warm bodies packed tightly together. I made my way through the halls and skipped to Jasper's side as quickly as humanly possible and slid my hand into his.
Our eyes locked and he gave me a reassuring smile. He knew me well enough to know what I had spent the last two hours doing. Instead of being annoyed by my obsessiveness , and hurt that I felt the need to watch over him so closely, he seemed grateful. I felt a wave of calm wash over me, calming my nerves. He knew me too well.
We walked outside hand in hand and met Emmett and Rosalie at Edward's Volvo. He wasn't there yet so we all got in and waited for him. It was uncharacteristic of him to be the last one. He's always so fast, always the first one anywhere.
"So Jasper," Emmett started, "rematch?" He began flexing his muscles in anticipation.
"Maybe later," Jasper replied, clearly not in the mood for a tussle with his burly brother.
Emmett opened his mouth to object when Edward slid into the driver's seat. He was breathing heavily. Gulping in the unneeded air as if his life really did depend on it; and his eyes were coal black.
"Edward?" I asked, alarmed. What had happened to him? He just shook his head at me, refusing to answer.
"What the hell happened to you?" Emmett demanded. Edward didn't answer. He simply threw the car in reverse and sped out of the parking lot like something was after him. He always drove fast but this was ridiculous, bordering on reckless, even for us. The car screeched around the corner as I looked back at Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper wide eyed. They were staring at me expectantly and I shrugged. I didn't know what had happened, but I would certainly know what was coming.
I closed my eyes and focused on Edward's future for a moment. I saw him driving, just as reckless as he was now, through snowy mountains and green forests. I opened my eyes in surprise and looked at him.
"You're leaving?" I asked. That caught the other's attention and they all turned to stare at him.
"Am I?" He hissed in response. His dissolve must have wavered because I saw another option appear before my eyes.
"Oh,' I murmured as I once again saw Bella Swan, dead and Edward's eyes gleaming a blood red. I saw Chief Swan, searching for his daughter's killer, and then my family, leaving, again.
"Oh," I said again as the picture grew more specific. Bella Swan, in her father's kitchen as Edward stalked towards her, her intoxicating scent pulling him forward.
"Stop," he groaned.
"Sorry," I whispered again, realizing he had seen everything I had as well. Suddenly I saw an empty highway at night, snow coated trees flying by as Edward was fleeing, once again, at a breakneck pace.
"I'll miss you, no matter how short a time you're gone," I said. I couldn't believe he was leaving. He couldn't leave me here alone. We had always stuck together, the freaks among freaks.
I saw Emmett and Rosalie exchange apprehensive looks, and Jasper glance at me, trying to comfort me. I suddenly wondered how we would tell Esme, how we would tell Carlisle that Edward, his first son, his first companion, was gone; and we didn't know when he would be back. But we wouldn't tell Carlisle I decided. He needed to tell him himself. Perhaps Carlisle would be able to talk some sense into him. After all, they were closer than any of us, and if anyone understood Edward, it was Carlisle.
We were almost to the turn off to our long driveway when I decided it would be better not to delay. Edward needed to go now.
"Drop us here," I instructed, "You should tell Carlisle yourself."
He nodded, and the car squealed to a stop. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper silently stepped out, I knew they would be waiting for me to explain, but they could wait a few moments more. I lightly touched Edward's shoulder.
"You will do the right thing, " I told him, "She's Charlie Swan's only family. It would kill him too." I did know he would do the right thing too. I didn't need a vision to know this. He has always been strong and incredibly moral. Bella is an innocent; he would not intentionally harm her.
"Yes," he agreed, although I'm not sure if he was agreeing with my entire statement or only the fact that it would kill Charlie. I slid out to join my siblings and we slipped silently into the woods. I listened as Edward turned the Volvo around and he accelerated back into town.
The others looked at me expectantly, but it was difficult to concentrate while Edward's future was flashing so uncertainly in my head. He was obviously less sure of himself than I was. I saw Bella dead more times in that half an hour than I would ever care to recall, but I also watched as Edward's resolve strengthened and he made his way to Carlisle to explain his situation and that he would be leaving for a time.
Once I was more certain that we wouldn't be needing to sprint to the Police Chief's house on a rescue mission I turned to my siblings. They were all still staring at me and I took a deep breath.
"Bella swan, the new girl. Her blood calls to him," I stated simply, "more so than anyone's ever has before." They looked shocked. Edward had been doing this forever, and for him to be this unsettled over a small little human girl seemed unthinkable.
But Emmett had been there, he had experienced how potent the call of a person's blood could be.
"And he resisted?" He asked, amazed.
"He's working on it," I responded. I winced as I saw another flash of Bella laying cold and dead in her bedroom.
"But it's hard for him."
"What can we do?" Jasper asked, "is there anything we can do?"
"But he's leaving?" Rosalie threw in.
"I don't think there is anything we can do, and yes, it looks like he is leaving," I answered. "He keeps changing his mind, we couldn't make it there in time though if he did decide to go after Bella, but he seems to be fighting it. I think he'll go to Denali."
I sounded more certain than I felt as different scenes flashed through my head like a strobe light.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched Edward's Volvo park at the hospital and saw him march into Carlisle's office. He seemed more resolute; he was going to win this fight.
"He's with Carlisle now," I told the others as the house came into view.
"Shit," muttered Emmett, "What are we going to say to Esme. This is gonna kill her." I had been wondering that myself. Edward was like a son to Esme. She considered all of us her children, but Edward was the first of her children in this life. From what I understand, it had broken her heart when he left before to try a new way of life. She would not handle this absence well either.
Thanks for reading!
Flames (and love) welcome. Really though, any feedback or criticism is appreciated.
I want to make this as correct as possible so if you see something wrong, let me know.
