"Momma, Daddy!" I yelled, waddling up to my parents through the snow. It was Christmas and I was 2. "Look! I made a snowman!"
"Aww, that's my girl," my dad exclaimed, scooping me up. "How are you holding up there, Emmett?"
Uncle Emmett was covered head to toe in snow. "The kid's got nerve, I'll give her that much."
I giggled. "Uncle Emmett's silly!"
"Very silly!" my mom laughed.
"Rawr!" Uncle Emmett scooped me up and out of my dad's arms and swung me around.
"Uncle Emmett!" I wrapped my arms around his neck. "You look funny!"
"You do, too, kid! You do too!" he teased.
I giggled and kissed his nose. Then, a giant russet wolf caught my eye. "Jakey!" I yelled.
I raced across the snow in my purple snowsuit. Jacob lowered his neck and I climbed on top of him.
"Puppy ride!" I yelled. "Puppy ride!"
We plummeted through the snow, dipping up and down gracefully, until my mother scooped me off his back.
"Come on, sweetie," she said. "Time for cake!"
"Cake!" I yelled. "I love you. Momma!"
"I love you too, sweetie," she murmured, playing with the small locket hung around my neck.
Tears were streaming down my face when I woke up. Why did I have to have that dream? Was my leaving a huge mistake? I played with the small locket which held a tiny picture of my parents and me when I was a little girl. I dabbed the moisture away from my eyes.
We were still driving, but to where I wasn't sure. The clock on the dashboard claimed it was one in the morning.
"Hey Jake," I said.
"Yeah," he asked.
"Maybe we should pull into a motel or something," I suggested. "You must be tired, and I can't guarantee I won't fall asleep behind the wheel."
"Okay," he agreed.
Last night, on our way to Jake's house so we could pick up some of his things, we had run into Leah. Once she found out about what had happened, she insisted upon coming with us.
"For protection," she'd said.
Protection? Whatever. This was turning to be more of a road trip. So now, the three of us and our luggage were packed into my tiny BMW.
We pulled into a small hotel about twenty minutes later. The room was small with only two beds, but we managed. Leah crashed on one leaving Jacob and me to share the other.
"So, where are we now?" I asked while Jake was working on his laptop.
"Pendleton, Oregon," he responded.
"Wow," I was genuinely shocked. We'd gotten to Oregon? "Where are we going?"
"I was thinking maybe we could drive through California, then maybe start heading for Chicago. I figured we should get out and see the country while we can."
Chicago. I've always wanted to go there. It sounded like a beautiful city, though most of the time it was freezing cold. We could get an apartment overlooking Lake Michigan, and we could walk to pretty much anywhere. Finally, I was getting out to see the world.
"Good idea," I smiled. "I've always wanted to see L.A.."
"Me too," he said. "Get some rest. We have a long day of driving tomorrow."
I rolled over and prayed for a dreamless sleep. No hell would be worse than my own personal memories. Memories that used to make me smile, but now make tears pour from my aching eyes like a rain shower. My own personal hell.
"Nessie, you have to leave! You have to get out!" A character that hadn't starred in my dreams in a while reappeared. Ethan Mendora.
"What? Why?" I asked, puzzled.
"It's not safe! There's not enough time to explain! Just leave!" He yanked me down a dark hallway of a fancy estate towards a door.
"Going somewhere?" The man from my dream about Jacob reappeared. He was cloaked in black, but was clearly not a part of the Volturi. His crimson eyes burned with anger and hatred.
"Get out!" Ethan shoved me towards the door and crouched into a protective stance.
The man lunged at Ethan, leaving me frozen, tears streaming down my face.
"Please, NO!" I screamed.
"Nessie, Nessie! Are you alright?" Jake shook me awake.
I rubbed my eyes and simply nodded.
He pulled me off the bed and into a hug. "You kept saying 'no, no.' What was it about?" he whispered into my hair.
"Nothing," I murmured.
He let it go and nodded.
"Where's Leah?" I asked, scanning the room.
"She went to go get breakfast."
"Mmm."
As if on cue, Leah burst right through the door, her hands filled with two McDonald's bags.
"Miss me?" she asked.
"No," Jacob mocked.
"Wasn't asking you."
"I missed you," I laughed.
She giggled and handed me a bag.
We ate in silence, anticipating a long day of driving. I hated being cramped inside a car for any given period of time. Especially since we were Oregon. Mountains were always one of my biggest fears. They were tall and steep, and tons of people fell off the sides. My cell phone started singing while we were leaving the hotel. I pulled it out and opened it. A text message.
From: Aunt Rosalie
Message: Nessie! Where are you? We're worried sick. I understand that you feel this is necessary, but please, rethink it. I'm begging you. If you really feel you need to do this... I understand. But please, don't do anything impulsive. I miss you... we all do.
I pressed compose and started typing.
Aunt Rose, I'm not sure where we're going. But I have something to prove and I'm not going to stop until I do. I understand you're all worried, but last night I felt challenged, and I really want to show Mom I'm not just a stupid teenager. I'm a strong, intelligent woman, just like you and Aunt Alice and Grandma Esme... just like her. I miss you too. But I can't come back. Not yet. Sorry. --Nessie
I pressed send and snapped it shut. Leah, who was sitting next to me, noticed I was on the verge of tears.
"Aww, sweetie," she said, dabbing at my tears. "It'll be okay."
"No it won't!" I sobbed. "My family hates me, and I may have just made the biggest mistake of my life! But I can't turn back--not now. We can't."
"Shh, shh," she murmured. "We won't. It'll all work out. We'll be okay."
I nodded and buried my face into her shoulder. Once my eyes were dry of tears and burning from the pain of it, I drifted off to sleep.
In my dream, I was watching through the windows of my house. Silent, tearless sobs escaped from my mother.
"I made a mistake," she cried. "A huge mistake! Now my Nessie is out there, scared, alone!"
I'm not alone, I wanted to tell her. I'm okay!
"Shh," my dad tried to soothe her. "It's okay. We raised a strong girl. She'll know what to do."
All of my family sat scattered in the living room. They stared blankly at the ground.
"She's gone," my mother's voice was barely a whisper. "And it's all my fault."
"Don't say that," Uncle Emmett said. "It's not your fault. You did what you felt was necessary. She's okay, Bella. She's just... trying to live her life."
"Her life?" My mother asked, turning her neck towards Emmett. "Emmett, she's a teenager! She doesn't know--"
"Bella, listen to me!" Aunt Rosalie spoke up. "She may be a teenager, but she's as mature as any grown adult! She knows what she's doing. We just have to trust her."
Grandpa Carlisle shot a glance at Uncle Jasper. Uncle Jasper immediately understood the hint and filled the room with a serene atmosphere.
"Bella," Aunt Alice's voice was quiet. "Give her time. She'll come around."
"I lost my baby," my mother sobbed. "I... I made her leave. This is my fault..."
Mommy! I wanted to scream. I wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be okay. But I couldn't. I was stuck behind the thick thick glass that I created.
My hair was pressed against my face, wet with tears. We were driving up the side of a mountain, and I felt like I was going to be sick.
"Leah!" I groaned as I was leaning out the car window. She stretched across the seat and pulled my hair back while I was leaving the mountains a present they wouldn't soon forget.
"Here," she said, pulling my hair back in a rubber band. "That's better."
"Mountains," I complained. My ears were popping from the altitude.
Jake chuckled. "Well, if we don't get to California by 9 tonight, guess where you'll be sleeping?!"
"NO!" I screamed. "DRIVE GOD DAMN IT! DRIVE!"
He bust out into laughter. "I-- Didn't-- Hear-- A-- Please!" He made out between laughs.
I threw a spare hairbrush at him. "PLEASE!!!"
He laughed and pressed down on the gas pedal. "Since you asked so nicely!"
I sighed and lay back against my seat. This was going to be a long drive.
Author's Note: So, what'd you think? It isn't as good as the last one, but oh well. It'll get better. I have a few tricks up my sleeve!!! And I'm not sure where the hairbrush came from, but use your imagination.
It's a new dawn. It's a new day. It's a new life. For me... And I'm feeling good! Don't you just love Michael Buble? I'm so buying that song off iTunes! Click that review button!