Chapter 36

Alice sent Jasper a text message and he tried to check his phone subtly. Emmett glanced down and read it at the same time. I can't see you! What is happening?

The two of them made eye contact before Jasper wrote back letting her know they were fine and trying to convince Christopher to join them on the trip back to Forks.

"If you can help us," Jasper said to him, "Please let come back. Time's running out."

Micah and Helen stood closely together and stared at Christopher as if her was a stranger. He continued to eye the ground and played with a small rock beneath his boot.

A minute or two went by before Jasper's phone went off again. He glanced down at the screen. Nicole can see you! You must be on some type of reservation. It's not Christopher, it's his mate. She's the one with the ability!

Jasper's eyes looked up and he tried to remain emotionless. Emmett sensed right away that he knew something.

"I'm going to find Carlisle," Jasper said, "Stay here." He looked to Emmett for an extra long second, who was trying to pick up on what his brother knew. William remained next to Emmett and Christopher, looking prepared to do whatever was necessary.

"He's probably down at the lake in the woods down there," Helen said.

Jasper nodded and glanced at Christopher, who looked suddenly edgy. As Jasper went to go, Christopher approached him rapidly and grabbed his arm, stepping in the way.

Emmett and William both reacted and moved toward them.

"Stop!" Christopher said.

"We know it's her," Jasper said.

"You're not going down there."

Micah and Helen looked confused, "What's her?" Micah asked.

"Jacqueline," Jasper said, "She has the ability to turn people human, not Christopher."

Emmett suddenly took off toward the path, pushing easily past Christopher's outstretched arm. Everyone began heading down the path in pursuit of Carlisle and Jacqueline.

...

Carlisle had found Jacqueline and let her know of what was happening with Esme, and told her the truth regarding their situation.

"Could you speak with Christopher?" he asked, "It could help save the child."

She stared at him from the edge of frozen lake, "I suppose we could talk." Her feet crossed over the ground toward the ice as she turned her back to Carlisle and moved swiftly toward the middle of the pond. He followed, glancing down as the ice cracked just slightly under one of his feet.

"I don't mean to pressure you, but there's not much time," Carlisle went on, "And I know it was us who asked you to find a new residence, but we would be very grateful if your family could help."

Jacqueline finally turned to face him as they both stood in the center of the frozen lake. "Do you know why we relocated here?"

He looked around the landscape, "I don't know. Is there something significant about this area?"

"Well, as you know first hand, the Quileute tribe has special powers."

Carlisle nodded and let her continue.

"They aren't the only tribe out there who has those abilities to turn into wolves. There others, and we're on their land."

"Are you friendly or familiar with them?"

She shook her head, "No. But we've seen them. We've crossed through here, Christopher and I anyway."

Carlisle wasn't sure where she was going with what she was telling him, but at that instant, a strong gust of wind blew across the lake and he shivered, then looked up toward the dark gray sky that threatened to snow on them at any minute.

"Alice cannot see past the wolves, and we heard your conversation about your wife's condition," Jacqueline explained, "Christopher and I planned to come here because we knew that she most likely wouldn't be able to see us here. We also had a feeling you, or some of you, would follow us to try solving the issue at hand."

The cold rushed through Carlisle's body and he stared across the way at the woman whom he originally hoped would be able to help Esme. At that moment, he realized that the hope he had inside was lost, and that he was now as vulnerable as a human being would be in her presence.

"You have the gift?" he asked, "The human gift?"

"You're as smart as the stories say you are," Jacqueline said with a smile.

Carlisle looked at her, feeling how slick the ice now felt beneath his feet. She continued to smile and stomped hard on the ice, sending a long crack through the middle, before it began to look like a spider web, cracking in every direction.

"Hold you breath," she said quietly, approaching Carlisle at a rapid speed. He didn't move, knowing there was no way he would be able to get away. She grabbed him by his collar and smiled before he felt the ice slowly breaking beneath his shoes.

There was nothing he could say, as everything happened too fast. He felt the ice cold water creep up his legs first, followed by the rest of his body before his face and head submerged. The feeling was almost unbearable. He had long since forgotten what 'cold' truly felt like, but he knew instantly that he didn't miss it. The feeling was a thousand icicles sticking into his body at once. At the same time, he felt a tightness and a pressure in his chest and realized he would need to breath to survive. Under the water, that was impossible.

Carlisle opened his eyes, but couldn't see anything from beneath the icy surface. He reached his hands upward and felt nothing but the freezing water as it passed through his fingertips. His unusually slow movements were new and overwhelming and he had to convince himself not to panic. His arms pushed upward again several times until he felt something cold and solid. Immediately, he realized it was the ice that loomed across the top of the water.

The images of his children and Esme popped into his head, and he suddenly realized that this could be his unlikely departure from the world. Carlisle quickly regained his ability to focus on the situation at hand and he continued to work his hands along the ice, trying several times to punch through it but feeling nothing but pain travel through his arm from the contact.

The tightness in his chest began to take over and he tried punching several more times before his mind began to get cloudy. All at once he stopped and let the icy water consume him, grasping his right hand with his left from the painful jabs into the thickness of the ice. Carlisle opened his eyes a final time, seeing the blurry collage of grays fading above him. He asked for forgiveness for his sins in his mind, before thinking his last conscious thought of asking God to protect his family and then everything turned black.