Chapter 9: Gone

The next day at school I could immediately tell something bad had happened. Bella kept throwing nervous looks at Edward, while Edward's face remained completely neutral. It was as if he was trying too hard to remain aloof. At lunch I noticed Alice's absence. Where was she? I could see Edward and Bella sitting together clearly, and normally she would either sit with them or me, or we would all sit together. Today, however, it was just Edward and Bella, and something in my gut had told me not to sit with them. When Bella put her head down on the lunch table, it just confirmed my suspicions.

In the hallway, I saw Bella walking to class–alone. Alarm bells rang in my head and I made a beeline for her.

"Hey Bella," I said as brightly as I could.

She smiled a small smile at me that didn't touch her eyes. "Hey."

"How was your birthday?" I asked, feigning nonchalance. "Sorry I didn't get to say anything yesterday, I couldn't really find you. Happy belated birthday." I plastered a big smile on my face, while on the inside I felt super nervous and anxious.

"Oh, don't worry about it, and thanks," she said, then bit her lip. "I…I don't really want to talk about my birthday."

"Oh, okay," I said. "But if you want to talk, just come find me."

She nodded and smiled at me, but I could tell her mind was elsewhere. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I walked right into Edward as I made my way to English.

I could tell he didn't know it was me, because from the expression on his face it looked like he was ready to rip a new hole in me, but then his expression cleared and he muttered an apology and tried to walk away.

I grabbed his arm. "Wait."

"What?" he practically growled.

"What the hell happened last night?" I asked. "You look pissed, Bella looks nervous, and Alice isn't here.

"Nothing," he said immediately.

"I know you're lying," I said, crossing my arms tightly over my chest.

"Bella got hurt," he muttered. "And we're leaving."

"You're kidnapping her?!" I demanded, and then lowered my voice. "Those wolves–and not to mention Chief Swan–will be on your ass in a second if you take her." He didn't say anything, just stared me down with his hypnotic golden gaze. I wasn't getting it, but then the realization slammed into me. "Oh my god…no, Edward." He looked away from me. "You can't leave her! It will break her!"

"It's what's best for her," he said softly. "She's been hurt too many times because of what my family and I are."

"No it's not what's best for her," I said. "It will kill her."

"How would you know?" he snapped.

"Because I have it with Paul!" I yelled, and then lowered my voice again. "I know how I would feel if he left me.

"It isn't the same," Edward growled.

"I hope you know what you're doing," I snapped as he pushed past me. I was absolutely furious in English. My mind was whirling with what Edward had told me. How could he do this to her? And what angered me even more was what how he had said that if this were happening to me and Paul that the situation wouldn't be the same. Hadn't he and I just had this conversation a couple nights ago?

But then, as Edward's words swirled in my head again, it hit me. The Cullens were leaving. I would never see them again. No more Rosalie, no more Emmett, no more Jasper.

No more Alice.

They were all just going to disappear as if they hadn't existed at all in the first place.

I had to fight the urge to melt into a weeping mess in my seat. I would not break down here in English class. I would wait until the bell rang, then leave the school, skipping last period. I needed to see them before they left.

I watched the clock, waiting for the minutes to pass. The time seemed to go excruciatingly slow. My teacher gave us in-class work to do, and even though it should have been a welcome distraction, I couldn't even bring myself to pick up my pen. When the bell finally rang, I literally jumped out of my seat and ran to my car. With shaking hands I drove to the Cullens' massive house. They were all piling into Carlisle's Mercedes, Rosalie's BMW, and Emmett's jeep.

"Wait!" I cried as I got out of my car. Alice got out of Rosalie's BMW and came over to me looking glum.

"Hey Mel."

"You can't leave!" I felt close to tears, but I fought against letting them spill over.

"We have to," she said, looking out into the forest.

"Why?" I asked desperately.

"Because it's Edward's choice. Bella got hurt last night, and he thinks it will protect her to leave her. He thinks she'll be safer that way.

Didn't I just have that exact conversation with Paul last night? "We have to stop him!"

"We can't," she said. "Mel, I'm so sorry."

"You can't just leave," I said desperately. "This isn't better for her, it's worse."

"We tried to convince him," she said. "He won't budge. He said he needs her to be safe, and the only way for him to be sure she's safe is if he's out of her life."

Tears stung at my eyes again and I could only whisper, "Please." I couldn't form any other words. Alice looked as if she was about to start crying herself if that were possible. She hugged me tightly and I felt her slip something in the back pocket of my jeans.

"Be safe," she whispered. "There's some food leftover from last night–I snuck it across the border to your apartment today. If you ever need a place to stay, the house is here for you–we aren't putting it up for sale…just in case." She let go of me, and when I reached for my pocket, she gave me a look that said, not yet.

Rosalie got out of her BMW and came right to me. She hugged me tightly, and whispered, "Be safe, Mel. And…good luck."

"You too," I managed to choke out. Jasper was leaning against the Jeep, looking at the floor of the garage. He wouldn't meet my eyes. Idly, I wondered why, but Alice pulled into another tight hug before I could think about it any further.

"Bye Mel," she said quietly. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," I said, and then louder, "All of you. Will you ever come back?" It felt like I already knew the answer, but I needed to ask.

"Probably not," Rosalie said. "But we'll write to you."

"Okay," I whispered. With one last, final hug from Rosalie and Alice, they got back into their cars and I leaned against my car, fighting the tears that threatened to spill. They drove past me and I saw that Rosalie was alone with Emmett in the BMW. She was clutching the steering wheel tightly and taking deep breaths while Emmett looked upset. It was so different from his usual happy self that it scared me. Jasper was driving the Jeep with Alice beside him, clutching his hand tightly. The windows of Carlisle's Mercedes were too dark–I couldn't get a final glimpse of Esme and Carlisle. I stepped out of the garage and looked back at the now empty house. It had already lost some of its beauty, as if it was the Cullens who actually brought the house to life. It looked darker somehow, less open–less inviting. I really don't know how long I stood out there, but it had gotten dark and had started to rain.

I took a deep breath, and went to get into my car, but then I saw Edward.

"Hey!" I yelled angrily through the rain.

He was getting into his car, but he stopped. "What?"

I had wanted to yell at him to get angry with him, but the look on his face made me stop. He looked utterly defeated. He looked like he was physically in pain. His hair was disheveled from the rain, and he looked as though the life had been knocked right out of him. I knew that technically he wasn't alive but he looked rough.

"I…I hope you enjoy the rest of your life," I said quietly.

"Can you…" he hesitated. "I have no right to ask you this, but can you look out for her? Please, Mel."

"It won't be for you," I said.

"I know that," he said, he grasped my hand and shook it. "Goodbye Melanie."

"Goodbye Edward."

He got into his car, started it, and drove off. I stood alone in the Cullens' garage. I felt empty and numb and sad and angry all at once. I didn't know exactly how to feel.

They were gone.