Here's an update! Switching up the PoV a bit here... reintroducing the Cullens!

Chapter 4

Carlisle PoV

"This Mary Alice Brandon in Kill Devil Hills is a writer for their local paper," Emmett announced after doing some investigative work into the girl that had our Alice's name. "Looks like she started at the paper a few months ago. I mean, there aren't any entries by her before then, so either she got promoted from the mailroom or something, or she'd just gotten hired at that time. Her articles are more like chapters in a book. Each week a new chapter is published and over the course of a few months, she's nearly completed this novel."

"What's it about?" Esme asked.

Emmett scanned a few of the online version of the articles. "They've only got excerpts posted here, I suppose since they want you to actually buy the paper, not just read it for free on line. But from what I can gather, it's a murder mystery. The beginning actually sounds pretty damn good."

Then he began reading aloud. "This is a brand new diary, so I'll re-introduce myself like I do in every diary. By day, I'm a chronic day-dreamer. I like to be alone most of the time so I can simply pretend I'm somewhere else that's more interesting than my own life, or with people that I find more interesting than my own friends and family. By night, my dreams are vivid and realistic most of the time. On the occasion that I do realize I'm dreaming, I'm usually so disappointed it's not real that it wakes me up, which of course fuels my ire.

"Occasionally, my dreams are so vivid that I have tactile memory of various sensations or events that occurred during the dream. One of these such dreams happened last night. I woke up from it remembering exactly what it felt like, and feeling relieved that I didn't like the sensation.

"This surprised me considering I wasn't aware that I was worried about liking what it felt like to kill someone. In the dream - and I can't remember why, or what the circumstances were, or even who the victim was - I killed someone. I remember breaking his neck then stabbing him in the chest only to hit the sternum, then stabbing again slightly to the side and watching as blood filled the cavity that I'd cut open on him. Afterwards, I felt what may be described as a 'killer's high' only I very strongly dislike being high so it was a very unpleasant sensation for me, and not one I'd like to feel again.

"From what I can remember about the dream, It was set on a college campus, though not one that I recognized. I was a student, I think, going through med school. I know that I had to kill this person, but I can't remember why or who he was. All I can remember is that he was graying and balding. The act of killing him is burned into my memory though. The feeling of his neck breaking and the pressure of the knife in my hand are both things that I cannot get out of my head. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm now writing this down, either.

"And while some may just brush the dream off as watching too many crime dramas on television or having read a murder mystery recently, I can't help shake the feeling that I truly wanted to know what it would feel like to kill someone and my dream answered that question. During my endless daydreams, I never killed anyone. And yes, I know they're not real events, dreams and daydream. No matter how vivid they are, I do know they're not real, I'm not that delusional. However, my social anxiety mixed with my lack of empathy and now this dream have me wondering if I just might be a psychopath."

"Well, that certainly has me wanting to read more," I commented. Everyone looked at me strangely. Everyone but Edward, that is. "What? I like novels like that."

"Me, too," Emmett added. "I wanna go find this chick just so I can get my hands on what she's written so far. Excerpts are for the birds."

A change of scenery was just what this family needed. We'd moved around more often since abandoning Bella Swan, and never could quite find a home anywhere we went. It didn't seem to matter if the kids were in high school, college, or found jobs. Nothing could make us stay in any one place for more than a few months. Jasper had it the worst of us all. He'd feel all of our depression and then magnify it with his own guilt over what happened. Alice assured him that Bella never blamed him, and neither did anyone else in the family, but he blamed himself. No amount of reassurance would change that. But I felt that if he could somehow hear the words right from Bella's mouth, that he'd be somewhat assuaged.

Eventually, it was decided that just Alice and Jasper would venture to the Outer Banks to investigate this Mary Alice Brandon impersonator and see if she was really connected to us or if it was just a very strange coincidence. After Emmett's discovery, Alice and Jasper had made themselves scarce. Once upon a time it would have been so they could have some privacy while getting intimate, but lately it was so Alice could have a vision of Bella without letting Edward see it. He'd forbidden her to look for Bella's future, and she abided by that, but that didn't always stop the visions from coming to her unbidden.

She never shared what she saw with us, either because it was of no consequence, or she didn't want us to mourn our loss even more. I kept telling her she didn't need to bear that burden alone, but she'd just brush off my words, flash her enthusiastic grin and tell me not to worry about it.

"Carlisle, can I speak with you?" she asked, upon returning. "Um, privately?" she added, chancing a glance at Edward who was staring at his piano's keys, as if waiting for them to start playing themselves. That's about all he did anymore, was stare at the piano and never speak to anyone. I nodded at my daughter and followed her out the door. We ran through the forest just far enough to be out of range of Edward's ability. As it was, he paid us no mind as we left the house, not even acknowledging our presence, as was the norm.

"What is it Alice? Is it about Bella?" I asked.

"No… yes… I don't know. Carlisle, I really haven't had a vision of Bella since shortly after we left her. As you know, my visions are based on decisions, and I figured she simply wasn't making any. I think, like Edward is doing now, she was simply going through the motions of existence, but not really existing." She'd summed up Edward's behavior to a T.

I furrowed my brows. "How do you mean?"

"Well, I've had visions that felt like Bella, but I never actually saw her in them, or anything that would convince me that they were her. And they're always really blurry and brief. I leave the house so Edward doesn't see them, but not so he gets a glimpse of Bella, but so I can try and pull more out of them. I know I promised I wouldn't look for her, but I have been. And I can't find her. Like I said, every now and then, I have a vision that's tinged with her… essence… but there's never anything in it to prove to me that it's about her.

"But Carlisle, I can't help this feeling that something's wrong. That she's hurt or something. I don't know… I remember seeing her really upset once or twice not long after we left, but for the most part she was blank to me. As I said before, I don't think she was really making any conscious decisions. And now, I can't see anything at all, except for these confusing little flashes."

"And you think going to Kill Devil Hills will answer these questions?" I pressed.

She nodded. "Bella was the only one outside of our family that learned my real name and knew my birthday. Who else could it possibly be? I can't fathom why she'd change her name like that, but there has to be a really good reason, right? I mean, maybe she figured we'd find out that my name was being used and that we'd find her. Maybe she wants us to find her!"

"That's a lot of maybes, dear," I told her. "But they could very well be valid. Go with Jasper and keep your distance until you know for sure that it's Bella and that she actually wants to see us. And be damn sure you know if she even wants to see Edward. Something tells me that what he told her to convince her that he wanted to break up with him was not entirely true or kind." She nodded, looking away towards the house.

"We'll leave tonight. We can get there by tomorrow evening, then," she stated. "We'll keep a low profile and only approach her if absolutely necessary."

Once we got home, Jasper was on the phone with his old friend Peter. Alice ran over to him, bellowing about how she hadn't seen him decide to call. They left the house again, leaving Edward in the dark about the content of their conversation.

Ever since he broke up with Bella, he'd been a shell of a man. Going through the motions, as Alice said. My opinion was that once he'd found Bella, there was no being without her. I'd tried to tell him as much, but he wouldn't hear of it. He was convinced that his absence from her life was what was best for her. But what about what was best for him? I'd pressed that query as well only to be told that he wouldn't be selfish and keep her around just because he wanted her. I don't think he saw the depth of her love for him. Another point I'd tried to make with him, but was met with the rebuttal of that her mind was like a sieve and she'd soon forget all about him. I doubted that very strongly.

We'd long gotten used to seeing the statue that looked like my son sitting at the piano, but never playing it. As a result, we'd also become well-versed in our ability to coax him out of the house every couple of weeks to feed. I've no doubt that he would literally become a statue, devoid of blood, if not for our insistence that he stay "hydrated." Shortly after Alice and Jasper left on their adventure, I did just that, having to practically drag him out of the house. He never resisted of course, but he never helped much, either. As became routine, I found a couple deer for him, broke their necks, cut the vein with my fingernail and held the animal up to his mouth. He'd stay still for a long time until the scent of the blood got to him and he'd eventually sink his teeth in. He never drank more than two animals, and rarely anything other than deer.

I kept my thoughts to myself, but I couldn't help but hope that Alice and Jasper did find Bella, and that she'd by some miracle want us all back in her life. It was the only way to save my son, I feared. "Alright, Edward. Let's head back to the house and get you cleaned up." He followed behind me obediently, but never acknowledged my words in any other way, nor even made eye contact with me. I got him into his bathroom and helped him into the shower. From there, I had to do little other than make sure he remembered to dry off and put clothes back on when he was done.

I hoped Alice did find Bella and could bring her back to us here, or something. North Carolina was rather sunny most of the time, so it wouldn't be good for us to relocate there. Gatlinburg was bad enough, but Esme assured us that our house in the mountains was completely covered over by trees, and that I would work nights at the hospital there and the kids would take night classes at the local college. We'd never have to be seen during the day. In fact, Edward wasn't even going to enroll in school, considering he had no will to even get up take a shower, let alone hunt, or think, or do anything.

Esme was beside herself about Edward. I'd see her stand behind him at the piano and run a brush through his ever unruly hair. An act that he used to enjoy, now he didn't even move or make a sound when she did it. Sighing audibly, she set the brush down and stepped out of the house and to the garden to prune the already pristine plants and flowers there. We'd never had more perfect gardens than in the last two years. I'd join her sometimes, to simply keep her company, but even that seemed forced. Everything used to be so easy, as easy as breathing. But ever since Bella was out of our lives, nothing was easy or simple.

A couple days had passed and we hadn't heard hide nor hair from Alice and Jasper. Impatient, I called Alice's phone. "Can't talk Carlisle," she whispered. "We're on to something here." She hung up without letting me get a word in and then turned her phone off, denying my ability to call her back. I tried Jasper's phone as well, but it too went to voicemail. I left them both messages, asking them to please get back to me as we were all worried.

Bella PoV

I hadn't seen Garrett or Peter since the other night at the bar. I thought for sure they were going to follow me home and drain me dry before I even made it to my door, but they never did. Jacob called one night, to make sure I was okay after he left the box that shall never be named on my bed. I told him that I was upset at first but that I got over it. He asked if I threw the pictures away, and I lied and said yes, but that I'd burned them first. Truthfully, they were still in the wooden box buried under my shoes in the back of my closet. I thought that it'd be an out of sight out of mind type thing, but that was not to be.

All I had been able to think about was the unwritten content of that blasted letter. It screamed that Edward still loved me, if you read between the lines. If you took the words at face value, they meant little, but I had gotten to know Edward rather well in the months that I was with him. Hell, I had a scar on my wrist from his teeth for god's sake. But I couldn't let myself hope or believe that the message between the lines was true. And even if they were, would it change anything? Even if I did ever see him again, could I take him back? I was twenty years old already, while he was still seventeen. A few more years and we'd look so out of place together.

Was my issue with age really a good enough reason to deny him my love, though? He had not only broken my heart but stolen it right out of my chest, and absconded with it to parts unknown. I'd probably smack him if I saw him again, given my recent tendency towards violence first, ask questions later. Or have Alice or Esme smack him for me. Hell, maybe even Rosalie would. I knew she never liked me, but perhaps the fact that my introduction to their family was entirely Edward's fault, she might just hit him for me.

Trying to put my thoughts of Edward aside, I pulled out my laptop and began writing my next chapter for the paper. Checking my email quickly, first, I read a few reviews that my editor in chief had forwarded to me.

"Wonderful new chapter. Can't wait for the next one," read the first one. I always had a review or few like that every week. Not really a constructive review, never really addressed the content, but it did add to my review count, which now numbered in the thousands. I was more interested in the content of the reviews, but my editor and the owner of the paper were interested in the quantity. More reviews meant more readers, which meant more money coming into the paper.

"Your writing seemed a bit distracted this week," Another reviewer wrote. "Still love the story and will continue to read, but this week it seemed a bit like your personal life bled into your writing time. Perhaps it's just me." Well, she or he had me there. My personal life had bled into my writing time last week. Not that I'd spent more time with Jacob than I should have, but that my thoughts were distracted when I should have been writing. Even more-so this week with my mind being taken over by all thoughts on Edward. I really needed to distract myself.

Deciding to go to my sanctuary, I packed my laptop into the hard case, grabbed a duffel and stuffed two days worth of clothes into it, hopped on my bike and left Kill Devil Hills in the dust. I drove south to Manteo and pulled up outside my favorite house. It was my dream house, truly. A three story victorian mansion that had turrets and wrap around porches, pristine flora and an even more incredible dècor on the inside. "Well if it isn't Malice!" the owner of the bed and breakfast greeted as I stepped in. I'd signed my name M. Alice Brandon once when I'd been there, and ever since, she'd taken to calling me Malice.

"Hiya, Bernadette, whaddya know?" I greeted, placing my bag on the floor next to the front desk.

"Oh you know, busy season and all, but during the week it's fairly dull in here. Which I imagine is why you're here, right? Oh, is that a new tattoo?" I had just finished taking off my helmet and scarf as she'd finished talking.

I lifted my chin so she could see all of it, turning left and right to give the full effect. "Yep, just got it done a couple days ago. It's still pretty sore, but it'll start scabbing and flaking in a few days. But once it's fully healed, it'll be a masterpiece." She admired the work and asked me a few questions about it.

She opened up her registry and asked me how many nights. "Let's for for two right now," I answered. "I may extend that, depending on how much work I get done. Also, if your reservations allow for it, of course." SHe nodded, giving me her winning smile and booked me in the tea suite for two nights.

"If you need to stay longer, we may have to switch your room, but we'll know as the day arrives, okay?"

"Sounds perfect, Bernadette; thank you." Her nephew grabbed my bags and followed us up the two flights of stairs to my favorite room. It was the room that housed the top of the turret, and therefore the priciest. It had a window seat that wrapped around the turret and conveniently had an outlet right under the seat so I could plug in my laptop and get to work while I looked out at the pretty town below.

Bernadette and her husband Avery took a liking to me right away, the first time I visited. I had been just riding through the various towns on the Outer Banks, getting to know the area, and this house stood out to me right away. When I learned it was a B&B, I knew I had to stay at least one night. I fell in love with it as soon as I stepped through the door. Evidently, the very first baby born on American soil to English parents, Virginia Dare, lived in this very house. Hence why this county in North Carolina was called Dare County, and of course where the state of Virginia got its name.

At first the couple was off-put by my riding leathers and all my tattoos, but as soon as they got me talking, they said I was like the daughter they never had. That alone had me wanting to run for the hills, but I liked the house so much, I let them feel that way about me. They had an empty house that night, so they let me have my pick of the rooms and charged me the off-season rate since it was during the week and it was the rainy season. They also let me park my bike in their carport so it wouldn't get rained on, as I'd neglected to bring my cover with me that trip.

Ever since then, they'd given me a room of my choice for the cheapest price and even threw in extra goodies here and there. This time, Bernadette brought a cheese and fruit platter to me, compliments of the chef. I always made sure to leave a generous tip when I left, and a note, thanking them for their generosity and above-and-beyond hospitality. The town of Manteo was a dream in itself. Full of quaint little shops and cafés, it's a writer's dream. Unfortunately, the price to live in Manteo was a bit beyond my means when I moved out here. Now, I was much better off, but I had already fallen in love with my apartment and the area in Kill Devil Hills.

Once I was settled in, my mind was clear of all things Jacob, Peter, Garrett, Edward, and any other supernatural beings, and I was able to focus on the task at hand. Before I even realized, it, I had three chapters done. I quickly read through the work and was satisfied with what I'd done. My boss would be ecstatic to have three chapters done and ready for printing. That is if he approved them of course, though he rarely had any edits for me. Usually just minor grammatical things here and there that I'd missed, which were rare, thankfully.

I closed my laptop and decided to head out to one of the local restaurants for some fresh seafood. I felt a brief pang in my chest when I thought of how delicious fresh fish was that Charlie used to catch all the time. I hadn't eaten any seafood for a long time after his death, and still couldn't stand fish, but crab, crawfish and other shellfish were growing on me. Especially blue crab, the ocean and sound were filled with them around the Outer Banks, and they were every bit as good as King crab, for less than half the price.

The sun was setting beautifully on the sound, so I chose a restaurant that had a view. This particular establishment was owned by the people who also owned the marina. Two sisters who up and decided to buy a restaurant one day and then, with their success, bought out the whole pier and the marina. They had quite a story.

After ordering a house margarita and blackened shrimp tacos for an appetizer, I decided on seared mahi mahi for an entree. Yes it was fish, but it was the least fishy of all the fish I'd had, and it was more like sushi, since it was mostly raw apart from the seared outside. Charlie would have gagged just looking at it, which also helped my psyche. If it was something I knew he'd love, I always had a hard time doing it, or eating it, or drinking it, etc. I hadn't touched beer at all since he died, let alone vitamin R. And forget coming anywhere close to a baseball game. No thanks. Wasn't there yet. Although, for that one, I had two reasons.

"Hi there," a semi-familiar voice greeted me. I looked up from my tacos and saw Garrett standing there.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. I stared at the setting sun and noticed that it had gone beyond the horizon, making it safe for vampires to come out, though it was still plenty bright out.

"Can't I go to a bar?" he replied, looking affronted.

"Um, yes of course you can," I answered, shaking my head. "Sorry, I was just surprised is all. I mean, I saw you in Kill Devil Hills. We're way down in Manteo now. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?" I knew full well he could have followed me easily. Hell, he probably was swimming along side the ferry on my way here. It wouldn't have surprised me in the least. I was still very much viable prey to him.

"May I join you?" he asked, pointing to the seat next to mine. I shrugged my fake indifference and saw him smirk, as if reading me like a book. Damn vampires. I was sure my pulse was going crazy, and that gave away my true emotions on the matter. "So, what brings you down to Manteo, M.A?"

I looked around at the beauty around me. "Do I need a reason other than that?" I asked, pointing at the beautiful bay filled with boats and fisherman, and families on holiday.

"I suppose not. It is rather breathtaking, I'll admit. But you've got similar views up in KDH, why not just stay up there?"

I opted for the truth. "When I first moved out here, I rode through all the towns in the area to get my bearings and learn about the area. I fell in love with this town as soon as I saw it. Especially the bed and breakfast around the corner."

"Oh, the Virginia Dare house?" he asked, pointing in the general direction of the house. "Did you know that

"Virginia Dare was the first English American born on this soil? Yes, I did know that. I knew who Virginia Dare was before I moved here, but I learned that she was born in and lived in that house when I first visited."

"You should have been there when it was first built. It was truly glorious. They've done a good job of keeping it up, but it'll never be like it first was. No amount of 'antiquing' or bringing in vintage furniture and dècor will ever make it as amazing as it was."

"You say that as if you were there," I teased.

He looked right at me, staring into my soul. "M.A., I think we both know that you know there is a very strong likelihood that I was."

I blinked. "I… I don't know what you mean." Great, good job, Bella, way to totally lose your ability to lie, I thought.

"And I know that your name isn't really M.A. Or Mary Alice for that matter. That name belongs to a dear friend of mine."

"It belongs to a dear friend of mine, too," I retorted. "I took it to honor her. I haven't seen her in a long time and I wanted to feel connected," I admitted. "Plus, I had a good reason to hide from my past. Can you really blame me for that?"

He chuckled. "No, I suppose I can't," he agreed. "I'm staying at the Dare house tonight, too," he continued. I couldn't help my gasp. That had him looking right at me again. "You're in no danger from me, M.A," he assured me. "I'll admit, when you first walked into that bar the other night, I nearly couldn't resist you, but once I learned more about you and now that I know we have some mutual friends, I couldn't lay a finger on you. I think our mutual pixie-sized friend would rip me apart for even considering it."

I shook my head. "I wouldn't be so sure. I haven't heard from Alice since the day they left, well, the day before they left to be exact. I doubt she cares anymore. Look, Garrett, it's been nice chatting with you, but I don't want to associate with anymore people like you if I can help it. I left that part of my life a long time ago." I threw a few bills on the table and left the restaurant and Garrett in my tracks. Thankfully, he didn't follow.

I tried to sleep at the B&B that night, but knowing that Garrett was lurking about in another room in the house had me tossing and turning. I thought vampires were completely out of my life when Edward left me in the woods. Granted they would always be in my heart, but he made it clear that they would never cross paths with me again. I suppose he couldn't have known that I would be a vampire magnet regardless of whether or not he was in my life, but still. Plus, I moved to a sunny state, what the hell were they doing here in the first place?

In the morning, I gave my apologies to Bernadette and Avery, saying something came up at work and I had to leave a day early. They refunded my fee for the second night, even though I tried to refuse it. They would have mailed it to me or stuffed it in my bag on my way out anyway. At least I got one good day of writing done while I was there. But I was worried that Manteo had been ruined for me, too. Thanks to another fucking vampire.

I got home in the late morning and pulled out my laptop again, some new inspiration hitting me for the next chapter. It's all fun and games until your past catches up to you. Strange how I had just written that sentence down for my next chapter only to hear my doorbell ring, look up through the window and see Alice and Jasper standing on the other side. Well hell, here we go.