I was angry, and petrified, to realise that I felt just a little bit happier than I had been for the past few months, when I went to bed that night.
California
"Carlisle?"
"Esme."
"We should talk."
Carlisle turned to look at her, smiling, his eyes somehow masking the torture within him. "Talk? Don't we talk?"
"We haven't," Esme persisted gently.
"We've spoken everyday, Esme."
"Not truly." Her gaze was serious. "I feel like we're not...I don't know, Carlisle. Like we're not connected anymore."
He looked suddenly agonized; his hand closed into a fist, his upper body tensing. "Don't say that, Esme."
"We used to be, in a certain way." She sat down beside him, and her eyes were dark with pain but a certain resolve that she would follow through with this conversation. "We haven't been for quite a while - months, even."
He was trapped in her gaze, unable to look away, his expression taut with a terrible fear and self-hatred.
"Carlisle," she said, so softly it was a whisper even for a vampire. "What is it?"
Forks
It became a habit. One I knew I would probably be better off without, but an addicting one, like a drug habit. Everyday was school, dinner, homework, and David.
Charlie didn't know. It sickened me sometimes knowing that David could very well just kill him.
After all, David was a vampire.
And I didn't know him very well at all. He could still be evil.
David was a vampire.
So how could I tell him to leave?
But if I was truly honest with myself, I did not want him to leave. He brought back a little piece of familiarity for me. We spoke of different things everyday, but always the Cullens.
Not an hour passed that I did not think of Carlisle or refer vaguely to his memory in any form. If he could not - would not - be here, then I could talk about him. It was a poor comfort but the only one I had.
California
"What are you doing, Alice?"
"Nothing, Edward. Leave me alone." She glared at her threatening brother. When he was not listlessly moping around the house, he was broodingly checking their thoughts to see if anyone was trying to contact Bella.
Alice went into the backyard, ducked through the hedge and walked along the shade behind the blocks of houses until she was out of Edward's range. She passed her neighbour, wearing a shirt that announced Tuesday! to her, and he smiled at her uncomfortably.
She waited till he went, sat down and closed her eyes carefully.
Forks
It happened Wednesday afternoon.
They snagged me quickly, right off the street as I was walking home from Angela's place after working on an English project. An ice hand over my mouth, a strangely terribly good scent, and we were moving at superhuman speeds.
I was dropped unceremoniously onto the damp leaf floor of the sparse woods. It was dim, and I had no idea where in the forest we were. Despite my resignation fear still clutched to my heart.
It was a female whose brown hair hung straight either side of her face, a face heart-shaped and so white. Her head was cocked as she regarded me happily.
"Hello, dinner," she said, and took one step toward me.
I caught a flash of David in my peripheral vision before he had seized me up and dragged me back against him, snarling at the female in that nightmarish feral way.
California
"Carlisle. We have to go to Forks. Now." Alice's voice was low, and she spoke in short quick bursts, reaching to grip his arm.
"Ali-"
"It's Bella," she hissed.
The calm curiosity dropped from his countenance. "Okay."
He read something unfathomable in her eyes before she turned away.
A/N: Thank you, those who are still reading this. Sorry for the prolonged delays.
