Chapter Twenty Six - Departure
Juliet POV
When Lewis woke up and had a drink of water, he was pretty mad at me for not telling him sooner, and madder at Nessie for not making me tell him.
We spent the rest of the day together, talking about our plans for South America and watching movies. Tentatively, Lewis and Spencer held hands during one of the movies. Nessie grinned at me, casually resting her palm on my cheek and showing me the time Seth and I used to awkwardly cuddle during movie times. It was jarring to see my human self laid up against Seth. I missed him so bad.
Lewis went home sometime after dinner. Spencer was giddy with excitement - a complete change from the closed-off, grouchy boy I used to know. As June barreled closer and more photos arrived of the quickly-forming compound, Spencer and Lewis went on cute little dates. They went for ice cream, watched movies, and then came the day that Spencer had to go back to Forks. I didn't know what happened as they were saying goodbye, but they both blushed furiously afterwards.
They continued going on video-chat dates all through May, until one day, Lewis showed up to the house panting like a dog.
"Lewis, did you run here?" I pulled the sweaty teenager inside. He nodded and fell onto the floor.
"Listen, Juliet, do you believe in the gods that we made up when we were kids?" He asked me, laying on his back in the white carpet. Nessie left to get him a glass of water.
"Yeah, of course," I sat cross-legged next to his head. "Why?"
"They've blessed me," Lewis said. "My mom's job is transferring her this summer, and they're letting her choose which branch to transfer to out of a list of options."
"What are the options?"
"The options are Portland, Seattle, or…" he pushed his damp curls away from his eyes. "Forks!"
"No way!" I jumped up.
"Yes way! They're paying for our travel and helping us buy a house!" He yelled from the floor. I danced around as Nessie shot back into the room with his water.
"That's so awesome, Lewis!" She laughed, handing him the glass. He took a long drink of water.
"The gods really exist," I stopped dancing and flopped back onto the couch.
Over the course of May and June, we studied for our exams. The house was too quiet without our siblings, without Jake and Seth. I could hardly fall asleep without Seth by my side. The only one walking on air was Lewis.
We all got ready for the move. The compound was just about finished. After exams were done, Nessie and I would catch a plane with Carlisle and Esme to Brazil. A helicopter, piloted by Alice, would take us to the forest and land at the helipad, and then we'd run to the compound. It was situated in a very remote part of the Amazon rainforest, which would be almost inaccessible to humans. In other words, perfect for us.
Carlisle and Esme were having trouble. Because of the summery weather, leaving the house was nearly impossible. It was rare for this part of Oregon, but the sun constantly beat down without cloud cover. To help, Nessie and I took over the grocery shopping.
Once the moving day came, nobody was ready. Nessie and I spent the day taking a million photographs of the house, the forest and the waterfall.
That evening, I packed my last bag. All my most important stuff went into this suitcase.
My three diaries, which I'd kept since I was thirteen. Two were full, I got a new one every year on my birthday. The first one was given to me by Erica, the last two I bought myself. A small photo album with pictures of my parents, Erica, and Lewis. I took the ones of Harper out. Erica's necklace, which she gave me a week before she ran away. My parents' wedding rings. Gifts from the Cullens.
A tear slipped down my cheek as I zipped up the suitcase. Not because I was leaving Oregon, or leaving North America. I was crying because I'd just put a summary of my existence into a suitcase. My life had been so bare until now. Lewis had been the only good thing. My heart ached, thinking of how we'd said goodbye yesterday. He was on his way to Forks by now.
The tears were also happy tears. I would move to South America with my family by my side. I'd eventually stop wondering about Erica, eventually forgive her for leaving me behind. I'd marry Seth, eventually. We had all the time in the world.
The sun sank as I wheeled my suitcase out of the dark, empty house. One more sunset tucked away into my mind. We got in the car and I watched the house as it disappeared behind me. The sun's light faded away, leaving us in a comfortable darkness.
The End.