I moved to lay on my stomach as to not draw their attention, though it seemed they were more preoccupied with something at the other side of the clearing. My eyes studied the great animal who stood with the people like he was a giant pet dog, like he belonged with them. I took out my camera and zoomed in on the strange grouping. I was shocked to see my friend Bella! In the middle of nowhere, with her husband, Edward, a giant wolf and she could see now a young girl clutching the wolf like it was her teddy. The other people slowly separated into groups of two or three and spread themselves into a great line across the field. When I looked up again from my camera I was shocked again to see maybe a dozen more giant wolves now flanking the groups of people, and they were still all starting intently into the trees across from them. What was going on here? What were the Cullens involved in? I could practically feel the tension radiating off the field and fear began to creep through me as I tried to flatten myself further into the rock.
The next twenty minutes were unbelievable. I watched the "people" below me move faster than my eye could follow without drawing notice from any of the others. I watched as an army, or at least that's what they looked like, of people with superhuman speed dressed in dark cloaks came face to face with Bella, Edward, and the young girl. I recognized Edward's sister, Alice, confront the army as well and then without even a whisper of a sound reaching my ears the army left. Though I couldn't hear a thing, a palpable wave of relief and love seemed to wash through the clearing and up where I lay numb and now getting quiet cold upon the rock. As fast as they came, the people below left in smaller groups until the field was empty, and still I lay frozen and shocked. What were the Cullens? Supermen? Had Bella somehow become one too? Maybe she had always been, that would explain her and Edward's bond. There has always been something otherworldly about their relationship. Something more, something I couldn't define in the way they looked at each other.
"Is that a camera?" my sore body seized up at the sound of a voice just over my shoulder. I had heard nothing, not the sound of a footstep or a kicked rock, not even the sound of an intake of breath before the deep, accented words brushed against my cheek. I felt a desire to run conflicting with a need to be closer to this wild woman I now saw inches from my face. My eyes flicked up to another woman with a riot of curly hair and a painted face a few steps behind her.
"Yes," I exhaled the word in barest whisper but she understood me fine and nodded. She had hair as sleek and her companions was curly, an intimidating painted face, and was wearing what I would consider traditional Native American attire, though her accent sounded closer to Brazilian. She appeared to be wearing red contacts.
"This is a nice view you have here," she spoke conversationally, but I could feel my skin on edge. "Did you see a nice little show down there just now?"
"I saw...something. But I didn't take any pictures!" I spoke in a rush, her question now making sense. Of course, she did not want any pictures circulating of whatever mysterious meeting had just taken place.
"I'm sure you didn't," she drawled and then calmly removed the camera from my stiff hand, and crushed in into her palm. "You have, however, definitely seen things. Things that you should not have seen. Unfortunately, it is my duty to ensure that what you saw remains private."
She leaned toward me, her eyes still locked with mine. Her mouth opened to reveal perfectly white teeth as a growl rolled through her lips.
"Wait!" I began to plead. I straightened up quickly as I realized how they intended to make sure their story would never be told. "I didn't see anything I understood, Bella is my friend! And Edward! Please they know me! They know I'd never do anything to put them in danger."
This gave the woman pause. I heard her mumble, "a friend of the Cullens" and the woman behind her opened her eyes in surprise.
Sensing a way out of this I opened my mouth to explain. What a good friend Bella was, how I was sure if we could all speak they would vouch for me. Before I started to speak the world around me fell away and was replaced by silent, all encompassing, darkness.
I felt as if I'd suddenly been thrown into deep space. A different dimension void of all sound, touch and sight. I began to panic, I wasn't sure if I could breath and began to thrash violently, desperate to feel pain, to feel anything. And then suddenly I was surrounded by a brilliant light. After blinking my eyes several times, I realized I was in was in a small boat, lying on my back, snuggled into a comfortable blanket, gently swaying as I looked into a bright blue, sun filled sky. I took a few deep breaths, slightly reassured by the ability to feel a solid surface underneath me, and to be able to see again. I sat up and took in nothing but endless water in all directions. I could see the sun glinting off the water in a trail of glitter, smell the spray of the gentle waves rolling around me and feel the breeze blowing across water and through my hair. One minute I had been on a mountain, then thrown into the dark and now I appeared to be in an ocean, all alone, in a different place and time. I thought that I must be going crazy, or perhaps they had killed me after all. I lay down into the nest of blankets. I let the swaying of the boat and sun's caress lull me into a stupor while tears trailed down my face. I thought of my family, Eric, and all the things I hadn't yet achieved in life. I had wanted to travel the world. I had wanted to meet new people. Study animals in foreign countries and perhaps discover a new one if I was lucky. Now I felt utterly torn from my real life. So far separated that it could never be whole, never been the same again.