Sunday 3rd October
Carlisle shut the door after watching Edward and Sarah drive away, into the distance. They would be living together at one of their homes, in Anchorage, in Alaska. He wasn't sad to see either of them go.
"Sarah," Edward said, "The plane tickets are for Wednesday. On Tuesday, I have to stop by Bella's house, to sign the divorce papers. Until then, we'll be sleeping in the car. Here. I took a bit of food before we left."
Sarah took the sandwich from Edward and began eating, hungrily.
"You aren't having any?" She asked.
Edward shook his head. "Not hungry."
When Sarah looked at his eyes, she saw that they were pitch black. Only the previous day, they'd been an amber colour.
"Edward," Sarah asked, tentatively. "What are you?"
Shifting in his seat, Edward fixed Sarah with a cold glare.
"What do you mean?"
Sarah looked at the road, alarmed. "Will you please keep your eyes on the road! I don't want to die!"
Rolling his eyes, Edward turned back to the road. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Sarah said, taking a deep breath. "What are you? You obviously aren't human. You never eat or sleep. Your skin is pale white and ice cold. You don't go out into the sunlight. Your eyes are pitch black one day and amber the next. What are you?"
Suddenly, Edward was hit with a feeling of déjà vu. Hadn't Bella said almost the exact same words, that day in the forest when she'd confronted him and he had revealed to her his true nature? The only difference was she already knew what he was.
No, that wasn't true.
The difference was that she was his mate.
And Edward knew, deep down, even though he wouldn't admit it, that he was wrong. He still loved her. He still wanted her. No, he needed her.
But he couldn't have her, and somehow, that intense desire for Bella had led to him going to live in Alaska with Sarah.
It was all quite messed up, really. In the matter of a few days, his entire world had been turned upside down, and he couldn't understand how it had happened.
"Edward, I deserve to know! If you're going to take me half way across the world, from England to Alaska, I think I have a right to know exactly what you are!"
Edward sighed, running a hand through his hair. Sarah was right, he knew. So, pushing the endless consequences to the back of his mind, he answered her question truthfully.
"Vampire."
There was silence. Sarah blinked a few times, trying to process this information. Finally, she'd found out what the Cullens were. It just wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting.
"V-vampire?" she stuttered, weakly.
"Yes."
"You burn in the sunlight?"
Edward laughed. "Myth. I can show you what I really look like in the sun. We can't let anyone see us because they'd know instantly we aren't human."
Sarah resisted the urge to point out they were pretty suspicious at it was. Instead, she said, "I assume you don't sleep in coffins."
"That is correct."
"So, your eyes? Your skin?"
"Our eyes change colour depending on when we last fed."
Sarah gulped, her heart pounding wildly. How had she not put two and two together? He was a vampire! Of course he drank blood! And she was probably going to be his next meal.
"Don't worry, my family don't drink from humans," he reassured her. "We drink from animals. That's why our eyes are amber, not red. We also have enhanced senses, and incredible speed and strength. And sharp reflexes," he added, swerving out of the way of an animal on the road at last second.
"So, you- your whole family are…"
"Yes," Edward confirmed. "We're all vampires. Except for Renesmee. She's half human. And Jacob is a werewolf. A shapeshifter, really. But he shifts into a wolf."
Sarah was beginning to feel lightheaded. Vampires were one thing, but werewolves? That was another entirely.
"W-werewolves?"
"Yes. Don't worry. The rest of Jacob's pack live in Washington. They protect humans from vampires, since only they and other vampires can kill us. Rip the body apart and burn the pieces. Only way to kill us. Humans can't do it since our skin is so hard." Edward glanced at Sarah to see how she was taking the news. "It is quite a lot to take in," he said. "And you can't tell anyone our secret."
Although Sarah nodded, she was formulating a plan to tell Dunstan and Blakewell what she had discovered. A letter, she decided, to Blakewell's home address. She'd have to send it as soon as possible. Dunstan was going to check on her again the next day, and he would no doubt be furious when she didn't go to meet him.
Monday 4th October
"Before you pack away," Bella said, "The homework is to annotate the text I've handed out to you. As an extension, choose one quotation and write it up as a paragraph in an essay. That will be all for today."
Bella didn't sound like herself. The teachers noticed and the students noticed. Her voice was hollow and empty, bereft of any emotion. Alice and Rosalie had attempted to persuade her to call in sick and take the day off. After all, it had only been the previous day that Bella had caught Edward cheating on her. But Bella was stubborn and insisted on going in, saying she'd already missed too many days.
Once the class left, Bella began putting all her things in her bag, eager to head home.
"Bella?"
Looking up, Bella saw Ashley standing at the door, looking worried.
"Oh. Hey Ashley," Bella said, emotionlessly.
"Bella, how are you?"
Sighing, Bella dropped her bag by the chair and flopped into the seat. "I've been better," she answered, honestly.
"What happened?" Ashley asked, softly.
"He- Edward- he cheated on me."
Ashley's eyes widened and she gasped. "He cheated on you? I had no idea he would go so far! And you're still married, aren't you?"
Bella nodded. "I thought- I thought the separation would give us time to each work through our issues but… first he kept harassing me, coming to my home in Littleworth and insisting I return to Wytham; I'm issuing a restraining order against him for that. But now he's sleeping with another woman while we're still married!"
"Oh Bella! I'm so sorry. You don't deserve this. You deserve so much better," Ashley said, pulling Bella into a hug, ignoring the fact that her friend was ice cold.
"Rose told me Carlisle kicked Edward out. Esme split up with Carlisle today, too. Alice and Jasper have moved out, and Emmett and Rosalie are preparing too. The whole family's been ruined! I just don't know what to do anymore!"
"Bella, shh. Don't give up. Everything will work itself out. It always does in the end."
"But what if it doesn't?"
"It will," Ashley said, confidently. "Your family will fix itself, I promise. You just need time. These sort of problems don't fix overnight."
"But what if we're all to broken to fix? What if these events have created wounds we can't ever heal?"
Ashley stared at her, wordlessly, because as much as she hated to admit it, Bella had a point. There was a chance they could never come back from this.
When Bella returned home, she found Esme in the kitchen, cooking for Renesmee and Jacob. Upon hearing the front door open, Esme spun around and explained.
"Oh, Bella! I hope you don't mind! I knew you wouldn't be feeling yourself and Renesmee let me in so I took the liberty of making dinner for her and Jacob."
Bella smiled, gratefully. "Thank you, Esme. You're right. I'm not feeling myself."
"That's only to be expected, dear. You've been through a lot, and that shock you received yesterday would push anyone to breaking point."
Placing her bag on the stairs, Bella asked, "Where's Renesmee?"
"She's in her room doing homework I think. Alice and Rosalie told me they'd be over later with Jasper and Emmett. If it's going to be too much, I'm sure they'll understand."
"No, no. It's fine. I'd like to see them again."
Grabbing her bag, Bella made her way upstairs and to her room. As the passed by the study, she dropped her bag by the door. Once in her room, Bella lay on the bed, picking up the photo she'd placed on the bedside. It was another of her and Edward.
Suddenly, the devastation she'd been feeling turned to anger. Boiling hot anger. How dare he cheat on her? How dare he throw away fifteen years of their marriage? And he hadn't even waited until after the divorce! Shaking, Bella threw the photo against the wall. As she stared at the shattered remains of the frame, her anger dissolved and all that was left was pure anguish. She was just like that photo frame. Shattered. All that remained of her was pieces, and she wondered if she could ever be put back together.
A few hours later, Bella heard the front door opening and closing, and the voices of her family members. Determined not to taint the evening with her misery, she forced a smile and went downstairs. Jacob and Renesmee were sat beside each other, big bowls of noodles in front of them, while the others stood around the room.
"Hello," Bella said. "It's good to see you all."
Emmett grinned. "Great to see ya too, Bells! This is a great little place you've got."
Bella couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, and the way he could always make her feel better.
"Yes, it is very cosy," Rosalie said. "Emmett and I are planning on moving into our place in Kennington in a few days. The sooner we're out of the house with Carlisle, the better."
"I'll be moving in with Alice and Jasper very soon too," Esme stated. "For all Carlisle's threats, he is unable to take all our assets. It certainly won't be divided equally; he would do everything in his power to make sure that doesn't happen. The best I can get is twenty-five percent, which is more than enough."
"Well, Carlisle will soon be living alone," Rosalie said. "Edward left yesterday and he took the little whore with him."
Bella froze. "He took her with him?"
Rosalie nodded, disgusted. "I'm sorry, Bella. I know this must be hard but I think you should know, don't you agree?" When Bella nodded, albeit hesitantly, Rosalie continued. "Carlisle didn't put up a fight. I think he's rather glad to be rid of her. After all, she played a part in the adultery."
"I don't know what's up with him," Esme said. "Edward was always very firm in his views about premarital sex and adultery. What changed, I do not know."
"It's her. Sarah," Bella said, hesitantly. "It has to be. You all know I've been getting a feeling for weeks now, that something bad is going to happen. Well, it was especially bad the day we found Sarah, and that's when Edward changed."
"But she's just human," Jasper said. "What could she do that's so terrible for us?"
"I think that's the point," Renesmee said, slowly. "Never underestimate humans. They're incredibly intelligent, and have growing technology. They could easily find out our secret. And Edward is making it all too easy for them."
"You think Sarah is trying to find out what we are?" Esme enquired.
"It's a possibility," Bella said. "Besides, Edward has proved he's drawn to humans. Especially those who's minds he can't read. He's an easy target," Bella finished, bitterly.
"But how would any human be suspicious of us?" Esme asked.
Bella chuckled. "Well, you were all very intriguing to me," she began. "The mysteriousness is bound to draw people in, and those who are more observant will notice things. Things like how, when you were repeating high school, you would never eat your lunch. You would skip blood-typing. You all went hiking on sunny days. And now, people are going to notice things like our eye colour. Our cold, hard skin."
Jasper frowned. "There's bound to be records of us somewhere," he said. "As diligent as we are with clearing them, we can't get rid of every piece of evidence. It's quite possible humans have dug up those records and realised how we all have stayed in the same age range for a hundred years."
There was a heavy silence, broken only by the sounds of Renesmee and Jacob eating, as the magnitude of their troubles sank in.
"Well, let's not worry about that now! Let's keep tonight problem free. Alice! How are the designs coming along?" Bella asked, steering the conversation away from Edward, and successfully too.
"Oh, they're coming along just fine. Actually, there's one or two that I want your opinion on."
"Wow!" Bella exclaimed, theatrically. "Alice Cullen asking for my opinion on clothes designs. I never thought I'd see the day!"
Alice grinned. "It's not going to be Cullen much longer. Since Jasper and I left Carlisle, the next time we move, we're going to forge our new documents as Whitlocks."
"That's great Alice! And I suppose you and Emmett will do the same, Rose."
"Yes. We're both going to be McCartys."
Bella nodded in approval. "Oh, and Alice, what is this I hear of Renesmee making clothes? This wouldn't have anything to do with your influences, would it?"
"Oh, I don't know," Alice replied, innocently. "Nessie asked me to teach her a few things so I did. If the end result was a hideous, orange woollen jumper, I am in no way at fault."
Rosalie frowned. "You mean the one Nessie got Edward to try on?"
"I should think that's the one."
Emmett snorted with laughter. "Oh Alice, teaching Nessie a few things about making clothes was one of the best things you've ever done!"
"Why, thank you, Emmett. But I can't take all the credit. It was Nessie's marvellous idea to create such an ugly thing."
"It was my pleasure," Renesmee piped up, grinning proudly. "But enough about Edward. Jake, Rose, how are things are the repair shop?"
"Jacob insists on taking in yet another old, unsalvageable car that's falling to pieces," Rosalie said, rolling her eyes.
"It isn't unsalvageable," Jacob argued. "And it's a good car. A classic one. It just needs a bit of work-"
"A lot of work."
"And a new engine. Repaint it and it'll be as good as new!"
Rosalie shook her head. "You have no taste when it comes to cars, mutt."
Jacob grinned. "Could say the same about you, Blondie."
Tuesday 5th October
Bella unlocked the door to her house and stepped inside. She instantly noticed a very unwelcome scent. Dropped her bag on the stairs, she slammed the door shut and ran round the house, following the scent to where it was strongest. She was glad Renesmee was out with some of her friends; Bella didn't want her daughter coming home to Edward's scent in the house. God knows what he did there, breaking into their house.
The scent was strongest at Bella's study. Cautiously, she pushed the door open, knowing Edward wasn't there, but scared to see what he'd done. The rest of the house seemed untouched, but Edward had begun doing some rather unexpected things, and Bella dreaded to think what he could have done with her study.
Much to her surprise, her study was in the exact same condition as it had been when she left for school that morning. Except one minor, yet major detail. Her eyes zoned in on a piece of paper, lying on her desk, with a pen beside it.
It was the divorce papers.
Signed.
Bella grasped the papers, disbelievingly. She was convinced her eyes were playing tricks on her. But sure enough, on the dotted line, was Edward's signature, in his writing.
Part of her was elated. That was the sensible, logical part. This was making everything much easier. She'd been prepared to wait the twelve more days till she could request a default divorce on the seventeenth of October. Now she wouldn't have to go through the hassle of getting a hearing. Altogether, Edward's co-operation was making life much easier for her.
But the small, insecure part of her was devastated. He really wanted this divorce. He wouldn't have given up, not when he'd fought so hard against this divorce. No, it wasn't because he knew there was no point fighting it. It was because he'd found someone new who wanted to be with him. Someone better than her.
Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, Bella scribbled a note to Renesmee saying she was going to be late home. Then, keeping hold of the papers, she ran out the house, jumped in the car, and made her way to Headington. She finally reached Jasper and Alice's house, and, knocking on the door, she prayed Jasper would be home. He was.
"Bella," he said, opening the door. "Not that this isn't a pleasant surprise, but why are you here?"
"The papers! There papers, Jasper!" Bella said, almost breathlessly, the words tumbling out of her mouth. "He signed them! I got home and smelled Edward's scent in the house. It was strongest in my study to I went there and saw the signed papers lying on my desk. It's definitely his writing. Jasper, he signed them!"
A smile lit up Jasper's face. "Bella, this is amazing! Come on, we have to go to Jenks."
"Now? Aren't you busy?"
"Of course now! And the fact that I'm at home instead of in a building site should tell you I'm not busy."
When Bella returned home that evening, Renesmee and Jacob were waiting impatiently for her.
"Bella!" Jacob cried. "Where were you?"
"It's over!" Bella announced. "Our marriage. Edward signed the papers! We're officially divorced!"
The two other inhabitants of the house stared at her in shock for a few moments, before Renesmee ran to hug her mother.
"Oh Mum! That's amazing! We're free! You're free!"
Bella nodded, smiling happily, but that night, she sat in her study, sobbing once again.
"Bella?" Jacob asking, pushing the door open slightly.
"Oh. Hey Jake," Bella murmured.
"What's wrong, Bella? You are happy about this, aren't you? You seemed to relieved earlier…"
"I am! I am happy, Jake! This makes things so much easier. Oh, I'm being so stupid."
Closing the door behind him and going to stand beside Bella, Jacob said, "No Bella. You aren't being stupid. You've been through a lot, and it's only natural to be feeling doubtful or regretful."
"But that's not it!" Bella cried. "It's that- that even though I hated that he was making everything so difficult by refusing to sign the papers, part of me was glad to know he still wanted to be with me! But now he's signed them and gone off with someone else who wants to be with him! He didn't sign the papers because there was no choice in fighting it; he found someone else who's better than me, and that's why I came home this afternoon to find them signed!"
Jacob took Bella's hand in his own and squeezed it. "Bella, that's not stupid. You're mates. You love him still." At Bella's doubtful look, he continued. "Fifteen years ago, I tried to get you to choose me over him. But you didn't. You resisted me and married Edward! That has to count for something- for the love you two shared and still share, even now!"
Bella let out a hysterical laugh. "Jacob, resisting you is not that big a feat. You imprinted on my daughter. We were never meant to be together- it would never have worked out."
"That's true," Jacob admitted. "But you two fought so hard to be together. You're mates! Your souls are joined! Maybe they've split now, but one day, they'll be joined together again!"
"But what if we aren't mates? I just- I don't understand how one could sleep with someone other than their mate. I don't think it's possible for mates. I know I said we're just like a normal, human couple, but while they have their disagreements and struggles, they don't cheat! Not if they both love each other so much that they'd die without the other!"
Jacob swivelled Bella's chair so she was facing him. He put one hand on her shoulder and with the other, tilted her chin up so she was forced to look at him.
"Listen to me Bella. I am positive that one day, you and Edward will have moved on from this, and your souls will be joined again, forever. But even if that does not happen, you will never be alone. You will have me and Nessie, Esme, Jasper and Alice, Emmett and Rosalie. For as long as we live, you shall never be alone. No matter what happens. And Bella, if your soul never reconnects with Edward's, I assure you, somewhere out there is someone who's soul will connect with yours. But the most important thing is that we are all here for you. No matter what you do, what you choose, we'll support you till the very end- or, considering we're all immortal, for all eternity."
"Thanks Jake. Thank you for always being here when I need you. However," Bella smiled, grimly. "We may be immortal but we're not indestructible."
Jacob frowned. "I feel like there's an underlying message to that."
"You're right, Jacob. It's important to remember that we can be destroyed."
"You're talking literally, right? Not metaphorically."
"Literally," Bella confirmed. "We all remember that hearts can be broken, souls can be torn apart. We're reminded of that every single day. What's harder to remember, is that we can be killed. Yet sometimes, that's what more important to remember than anything else."
Watching Bella nervously, Jacob said, "Bella, I'm not good with philosophical. What exactly do you mean?"
"I mean, Jacob, that it's important we don't underestimate humans. There'll come a day they surprise us with their intelligence, and we won't be ready. We'll fall because we were arrogant fools who forgot that we're not unbreakable."
