Ricochet

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Chapter Fifteen

After a long cold night, the daybreak brought glimmers of warmth. CJ loved the sunrise, it drifted in through the window, igniting the colours in his room to sparkling gold. He slipped out of bed and padded toward the window. Gazing out toward the illuminated clouds, still beneath the ethereal glow, CJ felt at home in a way he never had before. He was happy here. His mommy was happy here. He didn't want to leave his grandfather or his new friend Jacob Black. Once upon a time his mommy had told him to wish upon a star and whatever he wanted would come true. The sun was a star, wasn't it?

CJ closed his eyes tight and did just that. "I wish I could stay here forever and ever and ever." He whispered.

Upon making his wish, he opened his eyes again, to find the golden light dribbling over the land like syrup on oatmeal. The leaves shimmered like a mirror flecked mosaic and the morning dew sparkled on the bejewelled cobwebs and grass. CJ could feel his eyes smile and a rising cosiness in his core. He was sure it was going to be a magical day and that his wish would be granted.

Turning away from the window, CJ ran out of the bedroom on silent feet, excited to see Jacob and see his mommy smile again. He bounced down the stairs one at a time, the imprint of each step making no sound at all. His sharp hearing detected the sound of subdued voices coming from the kitchen. He paused on the bottom step, listening intently.

"So today is the big day."

That was grandpa Charlie.

"Yes, it is. Jake's gone to check in with his pack. He'll be back later this afternoon. We'll tell CJ then."

That was his mommy. CJ crouched down, his happy mood vanishing when he caught the worried tone in her voice. Something was wrong. She always sounded like that when she had something upsetting to tell him.

Feeling anxious had become a kind of background noise in CJ's life, as if it were traffic on some unseen road. It was something he always carried with him when living with the Cullens. Their isolated and secretive way of life meant they were always on the move. Wary of strangers, CJ had never had the opportunity to mix with other children or form friendships. He was lonely a lot, even though he was never alone. He never let his mommy see that this made him sad. She was already sad enough. So, he hid his feelings behind a happy smile and joyful laughter. She would never have guessed the turmoil he felt inside.

This had all changed when they came to Forks. For the first time CJ was able to stop living as if anxiety was his natural state of being. The heaviness in his stomach was gone and he could breathe easier. His smiles and laughter were genuine, instead of the faked emotions he had been surviving on his whole life.

Now something was wrong.

Very wrong.

CJ was so attuned to his mother's emotions, that he knew there was another monumental change coming. He felt like his deepest fear was coming true, that they would be leaving Forks and returning to their old way of life again. CJ couldn't bear the thought of leaving Grandpa Charlie and his new friend Jacob behind.

Wishing on a star hadn't worked. Maybe he was wrong and the sun wasn't a real star after all….

CJ pulled himself up into a standing position, his gravity-drawn shoulders painting a picture of the sadness weighing down his heart. It was all over. His happiness was gone, just like a leaf blowing in the wind. He couldn't cry. He wouldn't. He didn't want to upset his mommy with his tears. He knew that she must be feeling sad, too. He had to fake being happy. For her sake, he could do it. Hadn't he been doing it all his life?

Jacob was obviously coming over later to say goodbye. He would lose the only friend he had ever managed to make. The thought was almost too much to bear. CJ's lower lip wobbled, his head went down and he shuffled toward the front door. He just needed a minute. A minute alone. His mommy would be calling him down for breakfast soon, and he didn't want her to see the sadness in his eyes. He loved his mommy so much. He didn't want his hurt to hurt her.

CJ stepped outside and carefully closed the front door behind him without anyone being aware that he had left the house. He stood on the front porch all by himself, his little heart breaking into a thousand pieces. The tears he had been determined not to shed, came anyway. They fell like glass shards down the swell of his cheeks, leaking into the corners of his mouth as he took deep, shuddering breaths.

Light grew steadily outside, the road in front of the house was slick with water, though the puddles remained quite still, no hint of rain still falling from the night before. Above, the clouds were still grey, but without the denseness of the day before, allowing patches of blue to form.

Like a bad omen the sound of tires crunching on gravel caught CJ's attention. He raised his head and immediately recognised the generic grey hire car that belonged to Edward Cullen parked on the other side of the road. He watched with a heavy heart as his stepfather wound down the tinted driver's side window and beckon him to come forward. It was almost like Edward had been in hiding waiting for him to appear.

Masking fear was a survival essential when it came to being around vampires every day. CJ's tears dried up as he slowly moved off the front porch and headed toward Edward's car. His stepfather's face appeared whiter than ever against the grey, his complexion ghostly, his expression indifferent.

"Hello, CJ." Edward said coolly. "Why don't you get in?" He pushed open the passenger door, knowing that CJ would not disobey him.

CJ reluctantly climbed inside, pulling the door closed with both hands. Edward made no acknowledgement, just stared down at him, his face unreadable.

"Have I been bad?" CJ asked in a small voice. "I'm so -."

"CJ, your mother and I are leaving." Edward said, cutting him off.

CJ's eyes blurred with tears as his world came crashing down around him. "But – "

"CJ, its time. You are old enough now to understand that some things are out of our control. How much longer do you expect that Bella and I could stay in Forks, after all? We have to start over and you need to adjust to your new situation. You've done it before. You're young. You will adapt."

A roll of nausea washed over CJ as realisation sank in. "Mommy's leaving me all alone?" He gazed up at Edward bleakly. "I'm not going?"

Edward stared back coldly. "No."

CJ shook his head back and forth, his top teeth sinking into his lower lip to stop himself from releasing the sob building in his throat.

Edward waited without any sign of impatience for the young boy to compose himself. "I understand this is hard for you to accept. But I believe you always knew it was coming."

"But I wan' Mommy. I wan'….."

"You can't come, CJ. Being with us is not the right place for you. Our world is not for you." Edward continued grimly. His mouth twisted a tiny bit when he saw the absolute desolation in the little boy's eyes, but he made his eyes hard-like liquid gold frozen solid. "You need to be a good boy and accept the separation without any fuss. I know you love your mother very much. You don't want to cause your her any distress, do you?"

"Mommy…. don'….wan' me no more?" CJ whispered in despair.

"No."

CJ stared, uncomprehending, up at Edward.

Edward stared back without apology. His eyes remained hard, unfeeling. "You understand what I'm saying, CJ. Your mother has explained about Jacob Black?"

CJ remembered the conversation he'd overheard between his mommy and grandpa a few minutes earlier. Now he understood why she sounded so strange. She was worried about telling him goodbye.

"I want you to promise me that you won't tell your mother that we had this little chat. I am only trying to help you, to prepare you for what is coming, CJ. And we agreed we don't want you upsetting your mother, right?" Edward waited for CJ's answer, his face wiped clean of all emotion.

"K.'" CJ mumbled in defeat. His whole body went numb. He couldn't feel anything. "I promise."

"Good." Edward relaxed. "And I will make you a promise in return. I promise that this will be the last time you'll see me or your mother. We won't come back. You won't be put through anything like this again. You can go on with your life without any interference from us at all. In time it will be like we never existed."

CJ could hear the blood pounding in his ears. Never see his mommy again? He couldn't bear it.

"Don't worry." Edward's voice was gentler now. "You're human-your memory is like a sieve. Time will heal your wounds. Now you better go back inside like a good boy. And remember your promise, CJ."

CJ didn't remember climbing out of the car. He didn't remember Edward driving away. He didn't remember crossing the road. But suddenly he was in front of the house. He stared miserably up at it for a long minute, Edward's poisonous words going around his head like a merry-go-round. Then he was running, running so fast, he was blind to where he was going. He fled into the forest surrounding the house, his tears stinging his eyes like bullets.

A/N-thanks for reading!