Chapter 25: Wilderness Man

Sorry about the hiatus everyone! I'm back officially and will try to update twice a week from now on until I finish the story! I ADDED A PROLOGUE! it's on the first chapter page! ENJOY!

CHAPTER 25: Wilderness Man

BPOV

Soon Esme's speech was over and teachers began to give out little pamphlets. When I received one I opened it and realized it was a map. Perfect.

I could see Rosalie's blond head sticking out nest to Cota from where they were sitting in the two black seats in front of Alice and me. We were riding on one of the large charter busses the school owned on our way to the Watch and Clock Museum. We had snagged four seats near the back of the bus; I was sitting with Alice and Rose was sitting in front of us with Cota. We were talking with each other, occasionally looking towards the TV, not really interested in the movie that was playing on the small bus television.

We were anxious; I couldn't deny that. They had filled me in on the little promise they made when Alice and Rose first met the boys. I had agreed to it a little while after and we were forcing Cota to come with us today. We were going to break out of the museum.

It´s official, I decided, looking at Alice's lips move not really hearing what she was saying- I've begun to lose my mind. I only have one disciplinary warning left for this school year and I had a feeling that after this afternoon I would have no more.

Our bus had arrived before St. James'. We sat down on some of the wooden benches surrounding the Museum entrance and were told that's as long as we didn't wander too far away we had free time until the other school arrived.

I took this time to properly observe the place we would be leaving from. It was a large two story building, with light umber colored walls and large windows with hunter green shutters which were few and far in between.
All in all, it was a pretty building that subtly reminded me of my mother and of Alice and the time we spent in Phoenix together.

Soon, the Boys arrived and walked over to us.

"Hey" Edward greeted, kissing the top of my head. I smiled up at him and waved at the rest of the boys. "So… do you remember that promise you girls made?" He asked while Emmett raised both eyebrows suggestively.

Alice smiled at Rose, Cota and me and all four of us nodded. "Of course we do." I grinned.

"We are in and willing, now what about you?" Rose asked, smiling slightly at Emmett.

"Don't you doubt that!" Emmett boomed, laughing.

"Okay, time to plan" Jasper said, "We have maps and spent the hour drive up here brainstorming." Edward unwound his arm from my waist and reached into his beat-up gray quicksilver backpack to grab a folded up piece of paper that apparently used to be a Museum pamphlet.

"We're here." Jasper pointed to an entrance near the gift shop. "But once we go inside and they start explaining the exhibits, we're going to be here." He pointed to the largest space on the map. The tag read: THEATRE "We can only leave after we visit the theater, that's where they're passing attendance." His voice resounded authority and I wondered if he had some sort of connection to the Army.

We nodded in understanding.

"So, what we have to do is go inside at the same time as everyone else and listen to the boring conference like good little students. Then, they'll separate us into four different groups; each one assigned a different tour guide. What we have to do is each go to a different group and ask to go to the bathroom; it's less suspicious if only two people go to the bathroom not 7." Emmett added.

"We'll meet up exactly ten minutes after the conference is done." We all nodded. By the awed look on the other girl's faces I can assure you they were just as impressed as me.

"Mater and St. James this way! Students form an orderly line behind Mr. Banner!" We looked at each other and headed towards Mr. Banner.

"…thank you for your time." The elderly volunteer finished. A polite round of applause surrounded her petite form and she blushed. A slightly younger, much more assertive looking woman came up and lightly tapped the microphone with her long nails. I cringed at the fuzzy sound that resulted.

"Okay children, we will be dividing you into four groups to make your museum experience as pleasant and invigorating as possible. So if you will each go to one corner of the room we'll divide you right up."

"Wait!" Mr. Banner interrupted, "let me pass attendance before you continue". She nodded. "Acknowledge me somehow when I say your last name. Abercrombie?" grunt. "Ackerman?" "Here!" "Ash?... Cullen?"

"What's up Doc?" Emmett boomed.

Edward started chuckling, leaning in to whisper near me ear he said: "Emmett has this on-going joke with Mr. Banner ever since he saw his carrot red hair and heard about his medical title."

Mr. Banner just rolled his eyes good naturedly and continued roll call. There were about 200 of us so it took around six minutes, breaking Mr. Banner's previous speedy-attendance record.

When he was done he made a gesture to signal us going into different corners and the students followed suit. Emmett and Rose headed to the north corner, Jazz and Alice to the south (ironic); Cota to the West after assuring me that she would be okay by herself and Edward and I headed towards the East. When done we left the theater with our group and walked towards the European clock exhibit, our guide energetically talking all the way there. She stopped in front of the first glass display. Thirty or so beautiful, antique-looking watches were snuggled into the plush, blue velvet cushions that lay behind the glass. I was entranced with their beauty and complicated patterns until Edward lightly pulled on my hand and asked if we could be excused to use the restroom, ever as polite and charismatic as always. Our fellow classmates laughed, and some boys made suggestive sounds imagining we were getting away to make out, but the guide just smiled and gestured us away.

We made it to the bathroom where Emmett and Rose were already waiting for us. A few minutes later Alice arrived, riding piggyback on Jasper. They were laughing and radiated happiness. In fact I think we all did.

"Only Cota left" Em said, grinning.

"Yep." I answered popping my P. We didn't have to wait long for she soon came walking around the corner. She stopped when she saw us and a nervous smile took over her face.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. It's just…" she hesitated and looked up at us. "I'm not going with you guys. It's not that I don't want to. Well partially, but it's just that I sometimes feel like a third wheel around you guys if Jake isn't here. Well, 7th wheel but it's the same thing."

"Co-" I started trying to tell her that she shouldn't feel that way but she didn't let me start.

"Yes, I know I shouldn't feel this way but I just do. And I don't really want to feel uncomfortable and… well, I think I'm staying." She shuffled her feet rather awkwardly "anyway, someone has to cover for you when they realize you've gone missing, don't they?"

I looked at Alice, Alice looked at Rose, Rose looked at me. We understood. Silently we came to an agreement and all hurried to wrap Cota in a hug.

"Don't worry about it Cota. If you'd feel uncomfortable coming just stay here."

"Give us a call if you hear anything."

"Or if you suspect anything." Emmett put his two cents in. "Remember our spy training…" He said, referring to all the lengths they had gone through to get Edward and me back together. Cota laughed.

"Don't worry big Bearer."

Sand. Building. Parkinglot. YES!

We all looked at each other and the corners of our mouths twitched upwards. Suddenly, all of us were smiling. We had made it!

I looked at Emmett. "Now what?"

"Now, ladies," he said putting one arm around Alice and another around me, "We explore"

"I saw a beach not too far from here when we were coming over. I think we can hike over there." Jasper said. I looked at the sky: it was light blue, a clear sign of a good day.

"I'm up for that." I said. We all agreed and started walking through the California vegetation in the direction Jasper had pointed out.

"Why can't we just walk along the road until where the beach is?" Rosalie whined.

The three boys looked at her with a glint in their eyes. "Because we don't want to get caught."

I saw Emmett reach behind his back and noticed that he was carrying a rather large backpack, almost three times the size of Edwards. He pulled out what a long mechanical looking divice which I assume is a voice recorder by the way he was talking into it… "This is Emmett…"

Wilderness Man Recordings.

This is Emmett. We just escaped from the group. I wonder how many teens brains are going to survive the museum. It isn't looking good, we already had to abandon one of our own: Cota, rest in peace.

HOUR ONE: this is Emmett again. We've officially been on the run for an hour. Our resources are already scare… I wonder how long it will take before we run out of food and I am forced to try to eat one of our own… We still haven't seen the beach but we are walking through dense forests. Well through sand, palm trees, grass and the occasional cactus. Rosalie is getting irritated. She says her shoes are getting ruined. I'd carry her but I don't know if I'll have the strength to do so after so much time in the wild. (Rosalie: Emmett! Stop talking to that damn thing and come back to earth!) The fauna is getting restless. They want to take my research device away. I better go find different company. (Bella: Emmett. Emmett! EMMETT! What are you doing? Edward: Don't worry Bella, let him be. He saw that Australian show? The one about the explorer, and says that he wants to document our adventures as well.)

HOUR ONE and 23 MIN:the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round! The wheels on the bus go round and round, all day looongg. I´ve always been told that when distracted one is not bored. I'm on my way to distraction… i´ll let you know when I get there…

HOUR ONE and 29 MIN: Kissed you goodbye at the airplane, held you so close to me and said… (…) Tonight, tonight, tonight, toniiiight, I wanna be wiiith you tonight, tonight tonight….

HOUR ONE and 55 MIN: the sun is moving. Time is going by, each moment we get closer to sun fall, closer to having to look for shelter to spend the night. But we're men so I hope we can handle it.

HOUR TWO: People get really angry when tired. They get angry at reporters, for giving them headaches (or so they say) and they get angry at Jasper too. It's his fault we're lost, if it (Jasper: SHUT UP!) see, irritable, as I was saying, if it weren't for his inexperience at reading star directions we wouldn't (Jasper: Emmett, I recommend you shut the fuck up or I will through that recorder into the water when we get to the beach)

HOUR TWO and 32 MIN: BEACH, BEACH! I see beach, I see a source for water! Finally! The only problem is, we're at the top of the cliff and the beach is at the bottom. Bella says she sees a way down! YES! Thank god for twenty-twenty vision! I hope we can fish down there because I am getting hungry and if given the choice I'd have to eat myself. I mean, come ooooon, no one looks nearly as tantalizing (Rosalie, Jasper, Bella, Alice and Edward: haaa ha ha ha, haaaa ha ha ha…)

Hey, sorry about the hiatus! But I'm back! I'll try to update twice a week from now on, until the story is complete! Maybe… 30 -31 chapters in total? I'll try to make them longer but for now, I hope this works! :)

Oh!, do you like the wilderness men recordings or should I delete them?