Chapter Seven

Surprisingly I actually slept. Granted it was only about four hours but it was still something. The soft morning light was coming in the glass wall and I pulled myself out of bed, stretching before I pulled on the fuzzy dressing gown. The air felt cooler today. I stood beside the glass wall, leaning against it as I watched the mist cling to the top of the trees. How anyone ever got over the view was beyond me. It was amazing. The view from my window at home was of tall buildings and busy roads. Not exactly the same thing. Here it felt…peaceful, I felt peaceful.

And then ten minutes later I felt hungry. Tightening the dressing gown around my body I left Edward's room and entered the panelled hallway. The door to Esme and Carlisle's bedroom was open but it was empty. I padded barefoot down the two flights of wide stairs still not hearing anything or anyone.

"Hello?" I called out my voice sounding strangely hollow and yet tiny in the large house.

"In here." Came Carlisle's friendly voice from the direction of the kitchen and I sighed in relief. For a minute there I thought I'd slept through years instead of hours.

Carlisle was already dressed obviously. I guess the fact that you don't need to sleep cuts down on the amount of nightclothes you buy. He was sitting at the counter reading the local paper, his briefcase on the stool beside him but he looked up when I came in.

"Morning," he said cheerfully his blonde hair swept back from his face, "Did you sleep well?"

I nodded going to the nearest cupboard to find a glass,

"Yes thank you," I said as I took the tumbler to the sink and filled it up from the tap before hastily draining the whole thing in five gulps, I hadn't realised how thirsty I was, "Umm, where is everyone?"

Carlisle smiled as he folded up the paper and dropped it on the counter top as I heard the sound of tires on gravel.

"Esme, Alice and Rosalie went to Seattle to find shops that were open at this hour. Emmett and Jasper are outside."

"Are you off to work?" I enquired as he stood up and smoothed out his blue shirt before straightening his tie.

"In a little bit," He said as I heard the front door open and the bubbling voices of Esme, Rosalie and Alice reached my ears, they sounded in good spirits, "I wanted to talk with you first if I may."

"Of course." I said as the three women entered the kitchen, all clutching many bags. They seemed to have shopped for one thousand instead of just one.

"Oh you're up," Alice said her lips pouting disappointedly; "We were hoping to surprise you."

"Please tell me you didn't get all that stuff for me." I said my eyes widening as Emmett and Jasper came in behind the girls carrying even more bags.

"I think Alice bought a scarf for herself." Rosalie commented, a wry but still beautiful smile playing on her lips.

"Very funny Rosalie." I muttered not smiling. It was ridiculous the amount they had brought especially since they had no idea how long I'd be staying. The saying about a fool and his money came to mind.

"I thought you'd like some new things." Alice looked downcast but I knew it was just an act; nothing could make Alice sad for long.

"Don't get me wrong I appreciate it more than I can say but," I looked around at all the Cullens gathered in the kitchen, "You don't know me. I'm a stranger. You don't spend this much on a stranger."

There was silence to this statement broken when Emmett emerged from the group, wrapped his arm around my shoulder and practically crushed me to his chest.

"Stranger?" He laughed a big booming laugh and I could feel it vibrating through me as well as him, "You're family now Sades, or if it makes you feel more comfortable extended family. And Alice shops for extended family members."

"It's my specialty." Alice piped up, her smile bringing out my own.

I rolled my eyes and made a face,

"Fine," I said begrudgingly as Alice's grin grew bigger, "I don't think I could stop you anyway."

"I doubt there's a force in nature strong enough to stop Alice when she wants something." Carlisle murmured and Alice threw a smile that was all teeth at him.

"Come on." She said grabbing Jasper's wrist and dragging him out of the kitchen. Rosalie and Esme followed as did Emmett after leaving three of the paper bags on the kitchen counter and giving my shoulder an almost bone breaking squeeze. I was definitely going to be bruised there.

"Do you think there's cereal in that?" I asked Carlisle gesturing to the mini mountain of bags.

Carlisle chuckled and came around the counter to help me unpack. There was cereal, three kinds actually and after Carlisle had found me a bowl, a spoon and some milk I was able to finally eat breakfast, Carlisle's eyes watching me as I shovelled spoonful after spoonful of frosted flakes into my mouth. The look of his face was split between fascination and disgust which quite frankly I found annoying, I mean he drinks warm animal blood for Christ sakes; he's hardly the model spokesperson for normal food habits.

Hypocrite.

Carlisle poured me a glass of fruit juice and I drank it down gratefully, not that the water wasn't lovely but I like flavour and water happens to lack that.

"Can I apologize for this morning?" Carlisle said and I looked up from the nearly empty bowl.

"For Alice?" I asked my forehead crinkling as I tried to understand why he was sorry. Alice was Alice. You couldn't apologize for that, it was like apologizing for the fact the sky was blue or that rain was wet. It was stupid.

Carlisle however was apparently trying to apologize for something else since he shook his head,

"No, I was actually referring to early this morning."

I raised my eyebrows,

"Oh you mean when you yelled at me and made me cry?"

Carlisle blinked rapidly,

"I made you cry? I'm sorry Sadie I just-" He stopped talking and looked up as he saw me laughing.

"Relax Dr C; Esme filled me in on the whole parenting thing. I'm sorry if I worried you." I tried to stem the giggles.

"Emmett was right," Carlisle's face was deadly serious but there was still the light twinkle in his eyes, "We all think of you as, to borrow Emmett's phrase, extended family. There is something about you Sadie and everyone feels it. It's like we know you, or we knew you before we met. I know it sounds crazy…" Carlisle trailed off looking up from the table.

"Believe me Carlisle," I said swallowing down another spoonful of sugar flakes, "Out of everything it's the least craziest thing and actually it felt kinda nice, you yelling at me." I admitted watching Carlisle's light eyebrows rise in surprise.

"It did?"

I nodded laying down my spoon and drinking the last part of the red juice in the glass tumbler beside me,

"It felt familiar, like a dad worried about his kid. Not that I mean I think you're my dad or anything," I added hurriedly in case he thought I was becoming obsessed with his family, ha-ha if only he knew, "But it reminded me of my own father that's all."

Carlisle was silent as I picked back up the shiny silver spoon even though my appetitive was now zero. Talking about my family made my stomach felt like it was full of lead and not imitation frosted flakes and milk.

"Do you miss your family? Did you ever go and visit them after…you know?" Carlisle's voice was questioning and concerned at the same time. Very few would be able to pull it off.

I pushed the now soggy cereal around the bowl unable to stomach eating anything more,

"I doubt they'd recognise me if I went to their house." I admitted truthfully.

"They must miss you." Carlisle said reaching out across the counter to lay his white hand over mine, like before the shades were almost identical. I didn't even notice if it was cold or not.

"They didn't really bother with me much," I stated keeping my eyes on my cereal though it had gone sorta wobbly and blurry, "My brother was their favourite. They'd always ask me why I couldn't be more like him, 'Why don't you have as many friends as Adam does?' 'Why aren't you happy like Adam?'" My voice was bitter; I could hear it coating my words. It sickened me.

"I used books to escape too. My dad worked long hours and was hardly ever around except to "parent" and my mum, well all she cared about was her precious son. Sometimes it was like I wasn't even there, not invisible just that I didn't exist, like they'd look at me and just see right through," I blinked pulling myself out of the daze I'd fallen into where I was looking but not seeing the view in front of my eyes, I half smiled at Carlisle whose face was unreadable, "Wow, how self pitying did that sound huh?" I chuckled but the laugh was uneven.

Carlisle didn't return my smile and his eyes were sad. Someone so beautiful shouldn't feel so sad, it was wrong.

"Doesn't matter," I told him giving him another half smile, it was the best I seemed to be able to manage at the moment, "It's in the past."

I pushed back on the counter, wincing as the chair leg caught on the floor and made a horrible shuddering sound that seemed to make my spine tingle. I dumped the bowl in the sink, washing out the soggy flakes before I stacked the washed spoon and bowl on the draining board.

As I turned back Carlisle was watching me and he looked as if he were about to say something more when I shook my head,

"It's fine. You don't have to say anything about it." I assured him.

"No," Carlisle stood up as we both heard a thundering of feet on steps as knew our time would soon be disturbed, "I was just going to say that you always have a home here, if you need it."

Great so I was actually going to cry in front of Carlisle FREAKING Cullen. Fan-bloody-tastic.

But I forced the tears in, refusing to let them fall and turned to my old failsafe of what to do when things get a little too emotional for me. I punched him in the arm…but you know lovingly if you can have loving physical violence.

"Thanks Doc but I don't want to be a burden. I just have to do what I came here to do and then I'll be out of your hair."

Carlisle raised his eyebrows again,

"You're leaving soon?"

"Possibly," I said trying to keep it as vague as I could which was difficult, "I'm not sure. I just know I'm here for a purpose…now I just have to figure out that purpose."

Carlisle opened his mouth to speak but Alice came into the kitchen pulling Jasper by the hand. The second he entered the kitchen he stiffened, picking up on my emotions.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, tossing his head to get the honey blonde tresses out of his face.

"Just fine," I said with a smile that felt forced, "I'm just going to take a shower." And I left the kitchen and raced up the stairs trying not to think of what it all meant.

*

"Just drop me off around the corner." I instructed Emmett who signalled and pulled up to the curb.

"I think this is a first," Rosalie commented as I shouldered my rucksack and climbed over Jasper to get to the door, "Someone not wanting to be seen with the Cullens."

I jumped out feeling Jasper's hand steady me as my feet hit the pavement in the new boots Alice, Esme and Rosalie had bought. They were heeled and I was still having a bit of trouble walking in them.

"What can I say," I said as I straightened up, "I'm an oddity." And smiling I shut the car door watching as the Volvo pulled away.

It had only just rounded the corner when I heard someone yell my name and I turned seeing Sam running up.

"Hey, where do you take off to yesterday in such a hurry? Is everything okay?" She asked her blonde hair pulled back in a high ponytail.

Was it yesterday? It seemed like such a long time ago to me. More like weeks than just twelve or so hours.

"Just hospital stuff," I shook one leg out in front of me and smiled, "I'm off the crutches now so…" I trailed off when I realised Sam wasn't listening to me. She was looking at my clothes.

"Wow, where did you get the threads? I saw a dress like this went I went to New York last summer and I couldn't even afford a sleeve of it." She tugged gently on the edge of the dress.

"It's a cheap knock-off," I said my hand cupping my neck to hide the label, "Shall we?"

Sam talked a lot as we walked through the parking lot while I tried to act as if I didn't notice the silver Volvo parked in amongst the old timey cars.

We were just about to enter the building for registration when I saw Alice frantically waving at me trying not to see by anyone as she hid around a corner.

"Save me a seat?" I asked Sam, "I have to go to the office again."

She nodded and I waited until she'd disappeared inside before I legged it over to Alice which was difficult in the stupid boots. I'd have worn the flats again but the growl Alice had given me when I'd reached for them made me change my mind sharpish.

"What's up?" I asked looking around. She was standing on her own almost pressing herself into the brick wall.

"Did you see it?" She asked in a way that sent a shiver up my spine and reassured me that she didn't mean see as in the normal see.

I quickly racked my brains. I couldn't think what was freaking Alice out so much because she was…freaking out I mean. She seemed scared, nervous and confused all at the same time. I couldn't think of anything from Twilight so I thought about the part of Midnight Sun I'd read but I couldn't find anything which lead me to only one conclusion however unpleasant it was; something had changed.

"What is it Alice?" I asked holding her arms to try and calm her down.

"Edward," Alice said her eyes on my face but seeing beyond it, "He's not coming back. He's never coming back here."

No! I didn't want to believe what Alice said but she was the real psychic here not me. Thinking fast I let go of Alice's arms and held my hand out instead,

"Phone. Give me your phone."

Alice handed it over and I immediately scrolled through her phonebook locating the number I wanted and pressed the phone to my ear as it started to ring.

"Hello?" A beautiful voice answered. I wasn't sure which one it was so I had to tread carefully.

"Is this Tanya?" I asked taking a shot in the dark.

"No, this is Irina. This isn't Alice is it?" Her voice was instantly suspicious.

"No, I'm a friend of Alice, friend of the whole family really. I need to get a message to Tanya. Can you tell her to tell Edward that he isn't a coward and he will come back home."

There was silence before Irina answered,

"Of course. I will make sure the message is relayed."

Thanking Irina I hung up handing the phone back to Alice who was watching me apparently speechless which was probably a first.

"It's taken care of," I told her shouldering my bag that had slipped down to my elbow, "Edward will be back before you know it."

"I hope you're right." Alice said her voice distant and I could tell she was searching for his future; a future I hoped was on the right path.

*

I was apparently since Edward returned home later that week, right on schedule so that when I walked to lunch on Monday afternoon (having been dropped around the corner by Edward in the morning) I saw them entering the cafeteria, all of them swarmed around Edward. To whose not in the know it looked just like they were walking as a group but I knew it was more for everyone else's protection than theirs. Jasper was guiding Alice whose eyes were unfocused as she rapidly searched through the possibilities.

Edward had explained all about Bella when he'd arrived home and I could hear in his voice how much shame he felt when he admitted to almost killing her. He hadn't been able to look any of them in the eye.

"Hello? Earth to Sadie." Sam called shaking me and I blinked looking away from the Cullens. I'd thought it best to pretend I didn't know them at school claiming it would draw unwanted attention if I acted like I did. My true reason that I preferred to be on the outside looking in. This way I could observe better.

"Sorry," I said blinking again as I saw Alice's eyes meet mine and she gave me a smile, too quick for anyone else to notice, she didn't agree with me pretending not to know them at all, "What did you say?"

"Actually I asked if you were still on for the La Push trip we're having in two weeks." Mike was sitting the other side of me and had already eaten his lunch.

"Of course," I said smiling at him as Jessica and Bella sat down at our table with their meals, well Jessica had a meal but Bella had just a bottle of lemonade, "Is Bella alright?" I asked Mike trying to steer the conversation away from me.

Mike looked up surprised to see that Bella and Jessica were seated already. He noted the paleness of her skin and his face went concerned.

"Bella are you alright?" He asked leaning around me to see Bella.

Bella looked up towards the Cullens and I copied her seeing exactly what she saw. Them enjoying the snow day.

"What are you staring at Bella?" Jessica asked already knowing the answer and I watched as Edward looked up straight into Bella's face. I hid my smile behind my dark hair.

The rest of lunch passed quickly and soon Bella, Angela and Mike left for biology. I didn't go to trig with Sam. I stayed at the table. Sam raised her eyebrows but said nothing more as she left.

"Skipping class?" A pleasant voice and I looked up for see Jasper standing in front of the table. It was just the Cullens and myself in the cafeteria, even the staff had gone.

Edward passed my table giving me a curious look before he disappeared into the hallway.

"Can I ask you something Jasper?" I kicked out the chair opposite me and he sat down in it. Behind him the Cullens were gathering up their things. I could feel Rosalie's annoyance all the way across the room.

"Do you believe that everyone has a purpose, a reason for being here?" I asked. His eyebrows rose at my question but he seemed to think it over seriously before he answered.

"I'm not sure. There is so much in this world that has yet to be discovered but I suppose it's plausible. Why do you ask?"

I looked down at the plate on untouched food in front of me and shook my head,

"Never mind. It's not important. I just wondered is all," I stood up shouldering my bag, "I'd better go. I don't want to be late." And without another word I left.

I didn't go to class but I didn't spy on Bella and Edward either. Instead I sat outside in the rain. All the talk about families and purpose had left me feeling lonely and if truth be told I was feeling sorry for myself.

I had always loved Edward ever since I'd first read about him and now being in his world had made me confused. I couldn't take him from Bella but then if I wasn't supposed to be with him what was my reason for being here? What was I doing in a fictional world?

Without me the story would keep on going but with me here I was just making things worse.

I don't know how long I sat there on that bench but it was long enough for me to realise that I wanted out. I didn't belong in this world. As much as I loved it I couldn't deny the truth. Maybe I'd already fulfilled my purpose by getting Tanya to talk Edward into returning. Maybe my job was done; I'd got him home, back to her. Now it was turn. But for that I needed help, and for help I needed…

"Alice," I said catching her in the corridor at the end of the school day, "I need you. There's something you have to help me with."

Author's Notes:

Okay sorry this chapter was a bit boring but from here on out it'll be better. Next chapter features the accident and from there things are going to get a little bit insane.

And sorry for the pity party in the last author's notes. I was having a Sadie moment and feeling sorry for myself. I only submitted the prologue which granted wasn't my best writing ever and got rejected because my punctuation was wrong (though I honestly didn't notice it) and because of my writing style. Apparently I have too long sentences. I don't mind being critiqued on my grammar and the like but I don't like it when people critique my style. I've always written like that when I write stories, it's just the way I write and I don't think it's far of them to judge the style. Surely that's up to the readers. Anyho not going to dwell on that anymore.

So here's the chapter. Hope you like it and there's more to come since Sadie seems to have a knack for getting in the way.

Oh and I just have to say thank you to Briony97. She is very supportive and I felt like I simply had to give her a shoutout.