Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight, I just like to hang out in her world.
I was just pulling the fish out of the fry oil and setting the felets on a bed of paper towels. Next to it, a basket of potato wedges and steamed green beans, when Charlie's baseball game was interrupted by a shrill beeping.
"...a massive asteroid will enter earth's atmosphereThursday morning, if the team is unable to blast it off course. It is unclear where the asteroid will hit, but what is clear, is that it will be devastating to the population of the planet."
I walked around the corner from the kitchen, eyes glued to the TV. Charlie was standing in front of his recliner, emotionless. He looked like the chief of police. He turned to me and his face softened, the news story being read a second time caught both of our attention.
"If you're just joining us, an emergency of epic proportions has just been made public by both NASA and the Countries that comprise the International Spacestation. A large space rock is on a collision course with our planet with dire consequences."
Charlie had come close and pulled me into his side. "Dad, wha-"
"Unless Nuclear Intervention is utilized, life on earth will perish, in three days time. At this moment, a team of the finest geologists the earth has to offer, are preparing to leave our atmosphere, to dispatch this threat to our home."
"Is this a joke dad? What are.. Wh…"
"We will now cut to the launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida."
We watched in silence as they counted down, and as two shuttles full of people blasted off. As we watched the shuttles shoot into the sky, the announcer began to speak.
"The hope of our planet, composed of the best and brightest minds in existence at this hour, have left gravity behind, for the salvation of mankind. Should we survive, we will be forever indebted to them. Good luck, and Godspeed."
I looked at my father for a moment before the phone rang. He walked to the kitchen to grab the receiver only to hand it to me. Renee was hysterical, of course, but our conversation was cut short when someone from the station called on the other line. Before I yielded the phone to Charlie, I clicked back to trade I love you's with my mother, the only person who truly understood me. I may never see her again.
Dinner forgotten, I sat in while Charlie answered the phone, handed him paper and a pen. Mark and Tom from the station ended up in the kitchen with him on conference calls with the other local precincts and fire companies. The fish and potatoes were picked at, along with pots of coffee I made for them. There needed to be a plan in place to provide shelter to the people of the town, should they want or need it. Volunteers needed to be organized. First Aid stations would have to be set up where they were easily accessible. I didn't contribute but I helped by assisting in what they needed while they planned. The people in the town were covered, thanks to my dad. After Mark and Tom had left I cleaned up the plates and mugs, stacked the papers lists and maps neatly and swept the sugar on the floor.
I found my way to my room after 2am. Shock settled in along with the stillness of my room as I realized life would soon be over. I would have nothing, I would be nothing. I was terrified. I was stuck. Nothing mattered anymore. It didn't matter if I admitted to myself how much I loved Edward, because it would all be over soon. Our only hope was a group of humans that the world believes were the best in existence, but I knew better. They weren't the best Earth had. I knew the best on the planet and there was nowhere else I'd rather be than spending my last moments on this planet with them. With him. I once dreamed of being part of their family, of loving Edward for eternity. And now with nothing left to lose I realized there was zero harm in dreaming of what might have been. If I couldn't be with him physically, I would have to settle for being with him in my heart, and in my imagination. Even if I could never be what he wanted, I could imagine that I was. The feeling of being perfect for Edward. In those moments the soul-deep ache in my chest wasn't as bad. I would pay for this in the morning, when I was alone and remembered I would never look in his caramel eyes, never see him smile that crooked smile again.
I lay on my bed and tried to imagine a scenario where he would allow me this last request. My last request, and then eternity in the heavens. How could I get near him to ask? I wasn't worth the time it would take for him to come here, I knew that. He'd want to be with his own family, with his kind. I would never see any of them again. I tried to imagine a way to get to him. I imagined a scenario where I knew where he was. Somewhere in the north, somewhere green, not too much sun, but enough that he could enjoy it alone if he wished, like in the meadow. Planes might be grounded, or over crowded with everyone trying to get home for one last goodbye. Driving would be my only option. I could get in my truck and drive. I wondered if I could beat the asteroid to Edward. In my dreams I would. I would find him somehow, I would convince him to let me stay by his side until the world ended. I could pretend I really was a part of their family, that I could spend eternity with the most perfect person I'd ever known. As long as I was with him, I could die in contentment.
In my car, driving , the sky is clear, I'm passing through fields on either side on a stretch of highway. Yellow and green fields broken up by groves of trees every few miles. I wish I knew how much time had passed. I wonder if there is any news to be heard, but there was no more radio in my cavernous dash. I grabbed my bag on the seat next to me and pulled it in my lap. One hand on the wheel, one hand in my purse, eyes on the road. As soon as my hand was on my phone it began to ring. I answered without looking.
"You were right, Bella."
My heart was pounding as I sat up in bed, breathing heavily. My daydreams crossed over into my subconscious. Looking at the clock, it was 6:30am. "I wish you could call me, Alice." I said to the air, as I twisted and put my feet on the floor. I squeezed my arms around myself to try to hold myself together. This was the end of everything, and I would be alone. I scrubbed the tears off my face and made the effort to stand.
I'd slept in my clothes and felt sticky, so I took a quick shower and went downstairs in fresh jeans and my hair in a bun. I went to the kitchen to find a note from Charlie, he was organizing the town for an emergency and would be gone most of the day. I made a pot of coffee and started some toast, but thought better of it. There was a raspberry muffin mix in the pantry. "Carpe diem, Alice." I said to the pantry as I hoisted it in mock salute. I grabbed the muffin pan off the top shelf and turned my back when a loud BANG sounded behind me. I backed away from the sheet pan that had crashed to the floor and almost fell into my chair, sliding Charlie's note off the table.
"I was driving to Connecticut when I dumped my truck again, and slid on the grass." I said to myself. The crash of the pan had pulled the memory out of me. "The noise was so loud, even in my dream. It wasn't Alice that woke me, it was the crashing truck." I sat shocked for a few moments. The dream was so real. I wanted it to be real. I didn't want to die alone while my dad cared for the town. I didn't want to spend my last days with people who treated me like a pariah. The weird and antisocial police chief's daughter. I set the mix on the table and put my head in my hands. I didn't want to die alone. I wanted Edward. My chest felt like it was going to collapse.
That's when I saw the back of Charlie's note, lying on the floor. It was a call trace. I'd seen them in the station before. It was dated Saturday. The day I jumped. The same number called the house, nine times. The user was untraceable. It was a number out of Connecticut. I snatched it off the floor and looked closer. The calling stopped after I answered the phone. The last call came in at 5:02, the same time I start dinner. I shot to my feet and began hyperventilating. "This is impossible. THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" I was pacing. I had to think. "OK. Alright. Breathe. Let's assume for a second. Psychic friend network saw me jump," I whispered to myself and swallowed, "I start having dreams about driving my truck in the middle of nowhere, then smashing it like it's the best plan ever, and all of a sudden I can't get Connecticut out of my brain. Only to find out that you called nine times from an untraceable number in Connecticut!" I stopped then, because I knew what I had to do. Was I brave enough? Leave my home with no guarantee of finding anyone. I could end up spending my last days on Earth alone in the middle of nowhere. Ditching Charlie, who's clothed me, housed me, fed me, took care of me when the world thought I was a lunatic. But the world was over. There was nothing left for me here. I was sick of trying to be something I wasn't. I wasn't normal, and I just didn't care anymore. I had a chance to spend my last moments with the most important person in my life. Could I do this?
Wait.
"Alice," I spoke to the nothingness, "if i decide to go to Connecticut, you'll see my decision, and find me, won't you." It wasn't a question. I bit my lip as I calculated how much cash was in the house, and how much I had in my account. I made my decision. I ran through the house and grabbed it all. I dumped my cross-body bag and threw in the cash, my ID, my bank card, my pay-as-you-go phone, and my passport. I ran back to the kitchen for a few handfuls of granola bars and some apples. I'd buy some Cola on the road to keep me awake. I had a long way to drive in a short amount of time. I wrote a note to Charlie. I explained that I had to go, that I knew it was crazy, but I had to do this. I couldn't leave this planet without one last goodbye. I had to stop pretending to be everything that everyone expected me to be. If the world made it through this, I'd call him from Connecticut. I wrote that I loved him for being the best dad, but if I was going to die, I was going to spend my last moments living.
Somehow my author note got deleted, so let's try this again.
Bella goes through a lot in this chapter. She's unable to process the asteroid because she's taking care of her parents. When she's finally alone, the panic and despair settle in and her only safe place is with the only one(s) who's spent time caring for her. Her instincts lead her to where she needs to go, which causes her to abandon what she knows, and step off the edge again, into the unknown.
Music for this chapter includes the inspiration for the story, If The World Was Ending, JP Saxe, Julia Michaels for the first half, then The Hand That Feeds, NIN for the second, because Bella follows her heart instead of her head. She wants to change her fate.
One more teensy Armageddon reference, but not enough to call this puppy a crossover. I don't own that either.