Immortal Tears

Chapter 3

Carlisle Cullen:

We'd been running for hours. His scent was becoming impossible to track. It was like we were running in an endless cycle because we couldn't find the exact direction Edward had been going. I looked to my right and saw Esme softly comforting Bella, telling her we would find Edward even though I knew all of us have had at least a twinge of doubt by this time. Eventually Esme looked over at me; her beautiful face was fatigued and frustrated, unable to find her son, "Maybe we should split up. Maybe then one of us will be able to find a clue we've missed somewhere," she said.

At this point I was ready to try about anything. "Alright, Bella, why don't you go to the right. Esme, you to the left and I'll continue on going straight." The two women nodded and split off. The forest seemed quiet, the birds weren't chirping and the animals weren't out. But, that may have simply been the fact that three vampires were running around the forest.

I had been walking for about an hour alone before I heard a twig snap behind me. I quickly turned hoping to see Edward, but was not upset to see my loving wife approaching until I was able to see her eyes. Her eyes were...different, not the loving eyes I knew. These eyes were malicious, evil, and cruel. "Esme?" I questioned, but I got no further into any questions before she suddenly pounced onto me and within a second everything went dark. After three hundred years I was gone, within a moment.

Rosalie Hale:

"No! That's not possible! You know that! There's no way she would bring harm to him! You can see how she looks at him! How she looked at him five hours ago! No, I won't stand for it!" I exclaimed! There was nothing on this Earth that would make me believe that this image was true!

Alice seemed just as horrified as I felt. "But, I saw it Rose! I saw it!" I could feel my own body start to crumble into sobs as Alice turned into Jasper crying without tears into his shoulder. There was no way this vision was accurate! No way! Not our Esme, she wouldn't have hurt a fly, let alone killed one! Well, I suppose that was a lie, Esme couldn't stand flies in her house, but she would not harm Carlisle! That was as clear as polished glass!

Jasper and Emmett simply stared at one another, both of them unsure of what to do. Eventually Emmett spoke up. "Something isn't right. Edward disappearing, Esme killing Carlisle. This just isn't adding up." Jasper nodded in agreement.

"When Esme and Bella return...if Esme and Bella return, we will have to discuss this as a family. That is for certain," Jasper said softly. Due to his tone of voice, I had a feeling he was leaning toward the fact that Esme was a murderer. I couldn't believe him. Of all people to accuse of murder, Esme was not one I would accuse without seeing it done in person.

Esme Cullen:

It felt as if I had been searching for hours! The sky was getting darker and I knew we had to get back home soon. I had a feeling Edward wasn't in Forks anymore. "Carlisle?" I inquired. He shouldn't be too far away, I'd tried to stay generally close and I imagine he tried to do the same. I waited a couple seconds but he didn't answer. "Carlisle?" I called a little louder. I quickly ran towards the right in hopes of catching his scent on the path he went down. He still hadn't responded. This worried me. "Carlisle!" I almost yelled. I couldn't bring myself to yell at him, he probably didn't hear me.

I quickly came across his path and started down it. But as I ran farther I could smell something, something I shouldn't smell, smoke. I instantly panicked, "Edward! Carlisle! Bella!" I yelled my voice gaining volume with each name. My speed increased and I almost ran right over the burning pile, but a small object on the ground stopped me in my tracks about a yard before the pile. It was a ring...a ring I would have recognized anywhere. I froze, and then slowly looked up at the burning pile. My jaw dropped and I could feel my body trying to rip itself apart as if to bring him back through me. CARLISLE! My entire being screamed for him. I could almost hear it! That heart wrenching sound erupting from my heart and soul and I desperately tried to reach into the flames to retrieve him, but was held back. I fought the arms that held me trying to get to my only reason for living but I was not strong enough to fight the arms that held me, so instead I began to plead for mercy, that they would take me too, I couldn't live without my Carlisle...I just couldn't...

Bella Cullen:

I'd heard Esme call our names and ran as fast as I could! Something was wrong by the tone of her voice, something was terribly wrong. I got to Esme just in time to walk into her worst nightmare. She had fallen in front of a pile of burning body parts, which I knew was Carlisle, it had to be.

The scene was so horrific I almost turned away as Esme clutched at her body as if trying to hold it together, or tear it apart, I couldn't tell. Then the most horrific sound I had ever heard erupted from her throat, full of anguish, desperation, and of the deepest love for what she had just lost.

I quickly jumped and grabbed her as she reached for the fire. She howled and fought me as I held her back, but she had very little control and was easy to hold back. It wasn't until she began to plead that I kill her that I almost had the strength to let my mother-in-law go. But, I knew I couldn't and I held on in hopes that I would somehow be able to ease Esme's pain enough to get her safely home, where Carlisle would want her.

Jacob Black:

I was outside playing with Nessie when I saw Bella coming up the drive carrying Esme. I jumped up, "Bella, what happened?"

Bella looked over at me and I stopped. Bella looked as if she were torn apart, no tears were on her cheeks but I could tell there would be if she were able to produce them. Then I looked down at Esme, she looked so small and delicate as Bella carefully set her down just so she could fall to the ground clutching at her chest moaning at a horrific low note. "Grandma!" Renesmee exclaimed and ran over, but froze as Esme hissed at her and curled in on herself, full of pain. I quickly picked up Renesmee and looked to Bella for an explanation. "Bella..."

Bella looked down at Esme and sternly grabbed her arms so that she wouldn't bring harm to anything. "Carlisle's dead."

The statement sounded so final, and in a way it was. Carlisle was the rock of this family, without him Esme clearly couldn't function. Esme was the heart of this family and without the heart of this family...well...there was no family.