Departure
Edward ran straight into the woods and kept running until he was far enough away that their senses couldn't catch him. He didn't noticed how brilliantly the sun shined in the sky until he slowed down. The air was dry and he could feel the warmth of the sun on the light breeze.
"It's one of those days," he thought to himself and smiled.
It was the kind of day that Bella loved. For Edward, it was the kind of day where he had to stay out of sight from human eyes. On days like this Edward would go to the meadow. And that's precisely where he would go on this day. Edward didn't need a watch to know the time. He had been on the earth long enough that he could sense it without even looking at the sky. He knew he had about 2 hours left before they would come...if they were on time.
Edward started running again at his extraordinary pace. The air was in opposition to Edward's speed, as he ran through the forest the air pressed hard against him, blowing his clothes tight against his body and smoothing his hair backwards. Edward liked to feel the force of the air. It was one force he could always conquer, no matter what. This reminded Edward of forces he wasn't able to conquer. Forces like the one always trying to destroy Bella. Forces that did destroy Bella...
Edward reached the meadow and stopped. The space was exploding with light. Edward pulled his t-shirt off over his head and threw it to the ground. He stepped into the sun and the light reflected off his skin in a million tiny rainbows just like it would a diamond. Edward wanted to feel the warmth of the sun on his cold skin one last time. The warm sun caressed his pale white skin and it reminded him of Bella's touch. Of course, it was no comparison to her gentle touch, but it felt wonderful all the same. Edward closed his eyes and remembered the last time he had touched her. It wasn't the happiest of moments, but at least he was able to hold her one last time. He remembered her death and he wondered what it was like for her. His own human death wasn't like 'real' death. Her soul had left her body and traveled somewhere far from here. Edward's soul... Edward didn't know whether his soul was still intact, or if it was waiting to meet him in Hell. Either way, he figured he'd be going to the same place...
"If I would have only gotten there a moment sooner I could have saved her," Edward thought.
He felt guilty. He felt that Charlie and Jacob and anyone else who had ever loved Bella should hate him. He felt they would be justified in hating him because Bella wouldn't have been so reckless if he had stayed with her and protected her. He did come back for her, however, but he was a moment too late...
"She jumped of a cliff...for fun," Edward remembered grimly.
There had been some type of metal debris floating in the water the day Bella had decided to go cliff-diving. He searched everywhere for her and even broke 'the treaty' to find her. When he had found her, she was in La Push standing dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. He yelled and he ran to her, but it was too late... She had hit the water too close to shore and a piece of the metal had pierced through her heart. Edward had gotten her out of the water first. Jacob was quick to follow. Edward was afraid to touch her when he saw the long metal shard protruding from her chest. He was afraid that by touching her it would cause further damage, but when he heard the sound of her fading heartbeat he knew it wouldn't matter. The air was heavily saturated with the scent of her blood, but it didn't faze him. Edward was so overcome by vulnerability as he held her carefully but tightly in his arms that nothing else mattered. He was amazed that she was so alert. She wanted him to 'turn' her. Even as Jacob was standing there she wanted him to do it. Jacob didn't protest. Though he hated Edward so much in that moment, for being a 'bloodsucker' and for being the one to hold Bella in her last moment, he would have agreed to anything that would save her. In that moment, Jacob felt like he was to blame. Never-the-less, sometime between that moment…and yesterday, Jacob had convinced himself that Edward was the one to blame…
Edward caught a familiar stench in the air and it distracted him from the memory. He chose not to open his eyes. He chose not to see them. He could hear their thoughts and sense their excitement as they approached. Strangely enough, Edward himself felt a bit of excitement. Or perhaps it was just the adrenalin caused by the anticipation. Edward could sense that there were 6 of them, more than enough to do the job. The werewolf's came to a stop as the stepped into the meadow, as if they were waiting for his permission to attack. Edward smiled at their thoughts. It was painful for them to look at him. The light reflecting off his skin hurt their eyes. Edward found it amusing. Suddenly, the thoughts of a familiar voice stood out above the rest. The voice purposefully aimed it's thoughts at Edward.
"If by some unjust fate you do see Bella again, " Jacob continued, his voice bitter, "Tell her I'm sorry and that…I love her…"
"I promise," Edward replied aloud still not opening his eyes.
More of Jacob's thoughts stirred in his mind. Jacob didn't plan to stay. After much contemplation, he had decided that he couldn't bring himself to kill…'something'…or anything that Bella had loved. Edward could feel Jacob's presence fading, and then, he was gone. Only the five remained.
"Are you ready," a voice that was strange to him asked.
Edward tilted his face towards the sky and his eyes were still closed as he took in a deep breath. Edward nodded and raised his arms slightly at his sides as an open invitation. He thought of Bella as a loud rumble of growls and snarls erupted around him. He felt the impact come at him from multiple directions. It happened so fast that the powerful force of their bodies slamming into his was all he could truly feel. He heard the terrible snapping and cracking sounds, but even as he did, he barely noticed the absence of his missing appendages. Soon he felt the warmth of the sun flick across his face, but it wasn't the sun, even the flames didn't feel too hot against his icy skin. Edward only hoped that the flames of Hell would be as ineffective. Edward saw Bella's smile in his mind and he smiled in turn. The image of her lovely face slowly faded as his mind was consumed by the emptiest blackness. There was nothing but blackness and silence as Edward took his departure from the earth.
