Chapter 44: Far From Home

The winter sun was glinting off the windows as she approached from below, so she couldn't tell if anyone was home. Rather than take the shorter route through the trees, she paced toward them through an empty field, blanketed in snow, where—even bundled up against the sun's glare—she would be easy to spot. Edythe moved slowly. She didn't want to run. It might alarm them.

It was Earnest who saw her first.

"Edythe!" She heard him cry, though she was still a mile out.

In less than a second she saw his figure dart through a side door, racing through the rocks surrounding the mountain ledge and stirring up a thick cloud of snow crystals behind him.

Edythe! She's come home!

It was not the mindset Edythe'd been expecting. But then, Earnest hadn't seen her eyes clearly.

Edythe? Can it be?

Her mother was following close behind him now, catching up quickly.

There was nothing but a desperate hope in her thoughts; there was no judgement, at least not yet.

"Edythe!" Earnest shouted with an unmistakable ring of joy in his voice.

And then he was upon Edythe, his arms wrapped around her tightly, tucking her head underneath his chin. His lips pressed to her hair over and over. Please don't go away again.

Only a second later, Carine's arms replaced her mate's, and Earnest moved to encircle them both.

Thank you, her mother thought, her mind fervent with sincerity. Thank you for coming back to us.

"Carine… Earnest… I'm so sorry. I'm so—"

"Hush, now," Earnest whispered, pulling Edythe closer and breathing in her scent. My daughter, my little girl.

Edythe looked up into Carine's face, leaving her eyes open wide, hiding nothing.

You're here. Carine stared back at her face with only happiness in her mind. Though she had to know what the color of her eyes meant, there was no off note to her delight. There's nothing to apologize for.

Edythe's body jerked awake, her eyes flipping open then squinting as she adjusted to the pitch blackness of her and Beau's bedroom. It was a stark juxtaposition to the dream she had just left, the snowy bright day when she had returned to Carine and Earnest. After a moment, she exhaled as she gathered her thoughts, sighing as she turned onto her back. Beau lay besides her, contentedly asleep, and she looked to her left, through the small sliver of a crack between the curtains that covered their balcony doors.

She could just barely make out the beginning of dawn cresting the horizon, casting dark shadows over the saguaros and bracken vegetation Arizonians called trees. It was the start of another day, and Edythe fought another sigh, this one tinged with sadness. It had been over six weeks since they had moved here, but it felt like six years.

The heat of the desert sun was not something Edythe was used to, and she worked to avoid it as much as possible, which was often difficult while working on the farm. The intense sun rays beating down on her back and neck made her feel like she was being burned alive, and the subsequent heat exhaustion knocked her out more often than not. The lack of humidity was also strange; though she liked not sweating as easily, she got dehydrated fairly quickly and always had to carry water with her wherever she went.

Classes were in full swing, and Edythe found herself mostly occupied with studying and work. It was definitely a shift from working in a clinical setting and relearning or unlearning what she recalled from her stint in human medical school, but felt she was on track as she wished to be. Her classmates did not seem to know what to make of her, at first skeptical and judgmental of the youngest—physically speaking—student of the class, while still adopting and upholding a more mature and intelligent disposition and tongue that at the very least rivaled—if not, bested—their own. Edythe was friendly enough to them, but did not go out of her way to change their opinion of her or plant her own roots to her personality. In all honesty, she didn't really care what they thought of her.

And, in all honesty, Edythe would have to admit this may have been the worst decision she could have made.

Every day, it was a battle and simultaneously a comatose state; though she seemed to wear herself out physically and mentally, emotionally she felt stagnant, as if she had not been able to feel anything since she had stepped away from her parents' embraces at the airport in Ithaca. Time seemed to be passing by agonizingly slowly, but passively, and Edythe found herself already beginning to count down the days for her return home.

To make matters worse, Beau was far too perceptive to not clue into her feelings and reservations. He had tried to engage her, distract her, comfort her, but she was not receptive to any of it. She partook for him, but he could tell she was only doing so for his sake. It made him worry, seeing Edythe turn inward like this, an old habit he thought had been mostly broken once she had become human and after the scare eighteen months ago when she had disappeared. Since that fateful night, Edythe was more likely to spill her emotions than contain them, which helped her and him work through it. But now, she refused to even acknowledge anything to him, and Beau was not sure if it was because she knew and did not want to admit it, or because she was still trying to figure it out herself.

But Beau had a feeling he knew where everything was stemming from.

"She's homesick," he told the family one night via video chat. "She's closing herself off." He glanced beyond the camera for a second, hearing Edythe retreat to the bathroom to shower; she would probably immediately go to bed afterward, as she had every night so far. His eyes flickered back to the screen. All the Cullens were there, as well as the Thompsons, who had visited on the premise on the same topic as what they were discussing. Both women were worried, as Edythe had been either sending impersonal, short texts, or ignoring them completely.

Carine frowned at her son-in-law's words, the concern in her face apparent.

"There's nothing wrong in her classes? She's not struggling?" she asked, to which Beau confirmed.

"Her grades are perfect; she's not close to anyone in class, as far as I know," he said, "I think she's depressed because she misses all of you, and misses familiarity. Here is not like anywhere she's ever lived."

"That is true," Carine mused.

"But if that's really the reason, wouldn't she be talking to us more, not less?" Eleanor asked. Edythe had barely responded to her texts either, and the eldest daughter's protective instinct had already kicked into high gear hearing about Edythe's distress.

"Because she doesn't want to admit that to you, because she doesn't want you to feel guilty," Sky answered for Beau, glancing over at Eleanor. "She knows this was her choice, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's regretting it. But she believes that none of you—or us, for that matter—can do anything about it. So she reasons that there's no point in everyone suffering."
"But she's suffering," Earnest said sadly; his arm was wrapped around Carine's waist and she glanced at her husband, breathing out a forlorn sigh as she brushed a piece of blonde hair out of her face. She looked up at the large TV in the middle of their living room, eyes on Beau's face on the digital screen.

"Tell us more, Beau," she requested. The human grimaced slightly, not wanting to reveal the information, but knowing they had the right to know.

"She's quiet, far quieter than I remember seeing her, except maybe when she was ignoring me after the van accident in Forks. She'll let me touch her, hold her, but there's no reciprocation, no indication that she even knows what I'm doing. She'll say she has a lot of work to do, so I'll leave her alone. Then goes to shower and immediately to sleep. And she's up early the next day, before sunrise, which isn't like her. And it seems to be getting worse. She's spoken three words to me all week."

The Cullens' brows furrowed as Beau spoke, the worry for their daughter and sister growing as Beau gave more details into Edythe's routine the past few weeks.

"If she's getting up before dawn, something is up; is she sick?" Jessamine asked. Beau shook his head.

"There is definitely something wrong," Carine agreed, her mind wandering back to Edythe's previous and only mental breakdown. She had stressed herself out to the point of a comatose state, performing actions without thinking or making decisions, just drawing her where her body took her. This seemed to be much the same, but more drawn out. And Carine was averse to letting it play out much longer, concerned for Edythe's physical and mental state. Immediately, she began calculating, making plans.

But she found the decisions were already made.

"There's a flight out of Ithaca in ninety minutes," Archie said, glancing up from his phone as he swiped across the screen. But he wasn't looking at Carine, his eyes on Eleanor. Eleanor hopped up from where she was sitting on the back of the couch, nodding as she made toward the stairs.

"Come on, Jess, let's go," she said over her shoulder.

"Go?" Jessamine asked, slightly confused.

"Arizona," Eleanor replied, "You said you wanted to scout the area for the Southern covens anyway; we need to check on her. Two birds, one stone."

Jessamine thought about it for a fraction of a second before nodding, moving to follow the brunette upstairs to pack quickly. Carine looked over to Archie, who answered her question before she could ask it.

"I don't see anyone going other than Jess and El," he said, "You wouldn't be able to get off work. And the fewer of us, the easier to hide in the sun. No matter what, she'll be happy to see them." Carine nodded as Archie looked now to Beau.

"Drop her off for class tomorrow; don't let her take the Volvo. Tell her you want to take her out for lunch, whatever you need to do. El and Jess should be there by eight A.M and you can get them from the airport," he instructed. Beau confirmed immediately, the relief on his face evident. He was thankful Edythe's sisters were coming; he knew it would mean the world to his wife and, he hoped, would help her out of the rut she was in.

Edythe sighed and leaned back in her seat; class was finishing up and she was thankful, so she could stop pretending to be fine. But at the same time, she knew she would have to do so for her too-observant husband during their lunch date. Normally, she would have loved to spend her lunch break with Beau, but it was exhausting having to keep up the charade; she couldn't deny him, though, knowing it would only worry him more.

She glanced at the clock again before her eyes flickered back to the professor; the discussion on differentiating clinical anemias not enthusing her adequately to hold her attention. Finally, the class was freed to leave. She gathered her laptop, dropping it into her bag as she made her way with the mass of students making their way out, happy to be free for the weekend.

Edythe made her way slowly toward the parking garage where Beau said he would meet her, taking a longer route to stay under the shade of the palm trees and bushes dotting the sidewalks. When they had first moved here, Edythe had thought wryly how she'd never had to do such a thing as a vampire, though the precaution was far more warranted before her change. But then again, she now added with a glum tone, she had never stayed in an area quite like this before.

She was thankful to be under the shadow of the parking garage structure and moved toward the set of spots designated for the veterinary students. She wondered idly where Beau was going to take her for lunch as she turned the corner, then abruptly skidded to a stop.

Two familiar pale figures stood besides the Volvo, surprising her so completely she had to shake her head as if to clear to ensure what she was looking at was real. Jessamine and Eleanor grinned at her, the former leaning against the passenger door and the latter perched on top of the hood. Eleanor leapt off gracefully as Edythe cautiously moved toward them, her eyebrows furrowed together as she tried to make sense of this. But she found after a moment she really didn't care, and her pace quickened, turning into a run a few strides before slamming into their rock hard bodies with more force than she probably should have.

Jessamine and Eleanor caught her, angling their bodies so Edythe did not injure herself, then pulling her close as she wrapped her arms around them. A few students stared at the vampires in the typical awe and curiosity, but had the wherewithal to leave the sisters to their reunion. Edythe didn't say anything at first, her muscles tense as she held onto Jessamine and Eleanor with as much strength as she had, which only concerned the vampires more. Jessamine was troubled by Edythe's emotions, or lack thereof; as she had approached she could feel the haziness surrounded the human, as all her feelings had been turned down like volume on a radio. The empath prodded them gently, trying to get a reaction.

Then, all at once, a dam seemed to give away, one not dissimilar to the one Edythe had put up nearly two years ago, after a particularly painful day at the hospital. Just like then, all her emotions came tumbling out, and Edythe buckled under the weight.

Unlike then, though, she was not alone to take the burden.

Eleanor and Jessamine moved to steady her immediately, Eleanor moving to pull Edythe down into the backseat of the Volvo. Edythe sat in front of her sister on the light gray seat, feeling Eleanor's long, muscled arms wrap around her, promising security and protection. At the same time, Jessamine took both of Edythe's hands, pushing calm and peace into her, but not forcefully. It gave Edythe the stability to mentally right herself and then, to speak.

"Am I dreaming? Or are you really here?" she asked quietly. Eleanor chuckled and Jessamine tried to smile, but the inflection in Edythe's voice kept the expressions small, with little actual humor.

"You're not dreaming, Edythe. We're really here," Jessamine told her.

"We thought a visit to see our baby sister was long overdue," Eleanor said, squeezing her slightly, not missing as Edythe clung to her and Jess desperately, hardly believing her own senses. The stark coolness of the vampires' bodies, unlike anything that Edythe had felt in Arizona, the strong, granite-hard body, the familiar scent, all these things washed over her. Eleanor's frigid body combatted the intense Arizona heat, and, for once, Edythe was perfectly comfortable, the first time since arriving in the state.

Edythe leaned into Eleanor's side, her hand clamped around her wrist tightly as her eyes pricked with tears, a physical manifestation of the emotions she was feeling. Though it was literally impossible for Edythe to be any closer than she already was, Eleanor pulled her securely against her, knowing Edythe needed the contact.

"We know, Edy," she told her simply, leaning her head against the top of her little sister's. "We know."

Edythe looked up at Jessamine, seeing the same expression in her honey eyes that was undoubtedly on Eleanor's, and she fought a mix of guilt and gratitude. The former was a result that she had not done a good job of hiding her pain from Beau, who must have contacted their family for help; it also stemmed from the fact of making her sisters make the trip out here just to make her feel better. But the gratitude came from the fact they had come.

"Hey, enough with the guilt," Jessamine stopped her, removing the emotion in its entirety. Edythe glanced at her again, and the blonde added, "We were—we are—worried about you. We wanted to come; that's why we're here."

"Archie had to practically bind Carine and Earnest, or they would be here too," Eleanor said with another chuckle. "We're all worried, Edy. And we all miss you."

"I miss you all…so much," Edythe murmured, the last part coming out broken. Eleanor sighed, too quiet for her to hear, as she registered the pain in her sister's voice. She slung her arm over Edythe's shoulder.

"We know," Jessamine said, "We know it's hard for you, Edythe. Even with Beau here, you feel alone. This place is certainly different than home. But it's not for long." Edythe nodded silently, her face still pouting.

"Edy," El began, "Did you really think we couldn't get to you if we needed to?"

Edythe didn't answer for a moment, but her silence was answer enough. Jess and El laughed a little.

"You know us well enough to know better," her sister teased. "Sunlight isn't going to stop us."

Edythe smiled slightly, the first time her face had donned the expression in weeks. She glanced up at Jessamine and Eleanor.

"How long are you staying?"

Edythe's sisters stayed for four days, and they made good of that time. They had spent that first morning perusing the perimeter of the Phoenix border, finding themselves—more so Jessamine—satisfied that there were minimal vampire scents throughout the city, proof that the Southern clans did not call the valley of the sun their territory. It made everyone feel better, both the Cullens and Edythe and Beau.

In their presence, Edythe was reminded how much she missed Jessamine and Eleanor and—by extension—the rest of her family. But, in their visit, her mind seemed to have registered that they truly were not as imprisoned from Arizona as she was made to believe. They could get to her, if they needed or wanted to; and that fact seemed to calm the human down.

That's not to say she didn't miss them; if anything, she missed them more. But Jess and El, as well as the others via video chat, were quick to reassure her.

"We miss you so much, sweetheart. It hasn't been the same since you and Beau left," Earnest had told her on that first night. She'd sat between her sisters as Beau had cooked dinner for them. Edythe had glanced up at her father through the digital screen, before casting down once more. Though the screen was hardly a comparison to their natural vision, the Cullens could see the glistening in her eyes.

"Oh sweetheart," Carine said sadly; Edythe glanced at her, unable to hide the tears filling in her tear ducts. Jessamine had tightened her hold around Edythe's waist, pushing a wave of calm and affection to her, which she smiled in appreciation.

"If you want to come home, you need only ask," Archie told her, "We'll come and get you."

Edythe didn't respond immediately, her hands playing with Eleanor's fingers absently.

"But you don't want to come home," Eleanor accused gently, "At least not so much you want to leave school. You've wanted to do this, and you still want to."

"Yes…" Edythe admitted, "But not if it's going to hurt this much all the time."

"It won't," Jess assured her, "Some of your bigger worries have been assuaged. The rest of them we can keep at bay."

"How?" Edythe asked, and Jessamine laughed.

"By annoying you all the time," she said, as if the answer were obvious, "To make it as if you never really left. We'll call you over and over again at 5:30 if you want, to really get the authentic package."

"Please, I beg you, don't," Beau called from the kitchen, invoking a laugh from all three sisters.

"It's not the same," Edythe said with a sigh, after the laughter had died down.

"No, it's not," Eleanor agreed, "But it's not for very long. And we can try to come out here when we can, if the weather will cooperate. I'd love to see the game they have here."

"No, you wouldn't," her human sister contradicted, "The biggest thing out here is javelina, and a some mountain lions. No bears." Eleanor made a gruntled sound, causing her to giggle. She leaned into her sister automatically as she and Jess continued to talk, debating the merits of potentially hunting south for the evening—not for need, just for fun. Edythe was indeed comforted by their presence, as well as how quickly they were able to get to her, in only a few short hours. It gave Edythe a bit more confidence that she was not as isolated as it seemed.

It would never be the same as home, but it would have to do, for now.

A/N: Hello, I cannot apologize enough for how long this took me to get out to you. The reason was a conglomeration of stress, no time, and a lack of decision making on how this chapter should go. I know where I want to go, but I am working on the best way to get there, so these next few chapters may be a bit sloppy and short. I hope you can bear with me and appreciate my attempt to get the story out to you, though perhaps not in my best form.

I appreciate you all sticking with my lackluster schedule (and I use that term very loosely); please let me know what you think, if you feel so inclined :)

Disclaimer: the beginning is a modified excerpt from Midnight Sun; I always wanted to write that seen from an L&D perspective :)

Disclaimer Part 2: I changed my username, for the sake of my privacy. It should not change anything else about this story or my account.