I lost track of time, but I would guess that we sat there for at least an hour or more. It was quiet, and peaceful. I would've been able to sit there forever, but the thought of the others made me stand up.
"They might be waiting." I said, looking back in the direction we came.
"I doubt it. They're probably already gone. Don't worry, though. We'll continue our hike, and then head back once it gets dark." I nodded.
"Lead the way." He smiled and grasped my hand. He was like a guide dog for me. It was so much easier to get around when he was helping me. I didn't fall so much.
The walk back passed in dead silence, and it seemed to take much longer than I remembered. Finally, I spoke up. Unable to hold in my questions any longer.
"Edward, are we lost?" I asked quietly.
"It's a cave, Bella. There's only one way in, and one way out. No, we're not lost." Even though I couldn't see him, I swore he rolled his eyes at me.
"See that light up ahead?" He asked suddenly. I squinted.
"No."
"Well, it's there. Which means that we're almost out." I nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. Why I ever doubted him, I wasn't sure.
He was right, they were gone. We exited the cave and Edward seemed to hesitate before taking me through the woods. Thankfully, we were on a path, and to my benefit, it was rather clear as well. Though I still found things to trip on, all in all it was pretty decent.
He finally let go of my hand in order to pass around the other side of a large oak tree.
We walked on for another hour or so until he finally stopped, looking up between the canopy of branches above us.
"Twilight." He said softly.
"Time to go?" I asked. I was reluctant to leave now. I was actually beginning to enjoy the scenery.
"Time to go." Edward said. He looked at me and chuckled. "Don't worry. We'll be back." I nodded and swallowed hard.
"I don't want to walk." I mumbled, looking away from him.
"Bella…" He looked at me skeptically.
"I said, I don't want to walk." I repeated, louder this time. More forceful. He sighed and swung me onto his back.
"Close your eyes."
"Eyes closed." I fastened my legs around his waist and secured my arms around his neck, while closing my eyes tightly at the same time.
"Hold on." I buried my head beneath me arm. Once again I felt like I was flying. I loved it, but I just didn't love thinking about how fast we were actually going. This time, he didn't have to tell me when we stopped, because I knew. I opened my eyes slowly and looked around. We were back. It still amazed me how much time that saved.
"Thank you." I said, as I released him. I fell flat on my bottom, but I recovered quickly this time, hoping that he hadn't noticed. He just merely nodded.
"So you're beginning to like that?" He looked at me curiously.
"Nope. Not at all." I smiled at him, and he returned it. My breath caught in my throat as I watched his hand move to pick a leaf out of my hair. I blushed.
"Thanks." I muttered.
"Welcome." He said, smiling at me crookedly. We just stared at each other for a moment before his eyes flickered to something to our right.
"What is it?" I asked curiously, turning my head. I couldn't see nor hear anything. I rolled my eyes. I forgot that my senses weren't as keen as his.
"They're on their way back." He replied simply. Wordlessly I strolled over to the porch stairs and sat down. I deserved to sit. After all, my body wasn't used to all this activity. Edward stayed where he was until they arrived. Only then did he come to sit with me.
"Sorry we left you." Esme apologized. I shook my head.
"I had wanted to stay there for a while." I admitted.
"That's fine. The purpose is to enjoy nature." Carlisle said, smiling at me brightly. I was sure they got to enjoy it much more than I did.
"Are you hungry, Bella?" Alice asked, perching on my other side. I was about to say that I wasn't, but my stomach answered for me.
"A little." I admitted sheepishly.
"Come on, I'll go with you." Before I could say another word, Alice was dragging me into the kitchen. She hopped up onto the counter and stared at me.
"Help yourself." I nodded and opened the cupboards. Of course, no cold foods. No electricity.
"Alice." I said, pausing to look at her. "How am I supposed to get a shower?" I asked slowly.
"There is a bathroom. But there's only cold water." I nodded and resumed my search for food. I didn't care about the water, as long as I would be able to get clean.
The best I could find was a box of crackers. The rest was pretty much cereal, and I needed something semi decent for my "dinner". I guess that it was better than nothing, and I should at least be thankful for having them think of me and my human necessities. I opened the box and held it out to Alice.
"Want some?" She shook her head.
"Not hungry." I nodded.
"Right. It's just a habit, sorry." I said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"It's all right. Are they good?" She cocked her head to one side and studied me.
"They're all right." I shrugged and devoured another cracker. I closed the box up and put it back. I wasn't too full, but I was satisfied. Alice slid off of the counter and I followed her back outside.
"Did we miss anything?" She asked. Edward shook his head.
"We're just trying to decide on something else to do." His eyes flickered to me. "Feeling better?"
"Much better, thank you." I sunk back down onto the stairs.
"We can play ball. There's no one around." Alice suggested. Carlisle seemed to debate for a moment before nodding.
"There was a large clearing not too far away from here. Get what you want, and we'll all meet there in an hour or so." He turned to me. "Ready to cheer us on again?" I smiled. It had been a while since I'd seen them play, so I was eager to witness it again.
"Yes." I said. He and Esme disappeared into the house, along with Emmett and Rosalie.
"It'll be safe this time, Bella." Alice said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shuddered at the thought. I wish she hadn't brought it up. I was just fine not remembering.
"Maybe I should still sit out, just in case." She shook her head at Edward.
"There's no need to. She'll be fine. Esme will be with her." He opened his mouth to argue back, but after a moment of hesitation he just closed it and sat down next to me.
"She's right. I'll be fine. That was a once and a lifetime event." Edward just gave a defeated sigh and nodded. "You guys are going to go out there, and have fun. Don't worry about me." I paused. "Go team." He just looked at me and laughed.
"You're too much, Bella." He chuckled.