Chapter 1
Mystery POV
With the boys in collared shirts and jeans and the girls in casual dresses we sat together at a large ocean side table. It was our last day in San Diego, so instead of going out to dinner, we all decided upon a brunch.
Tristan's parents were returning home tonight, so we needed to clean the house and get packed for our early morning departure, or in Edward's case- late night departure.
We had already ordered and now were waiting for our food, laughing and recalling the all of the memories we have gained on this special Christmas vacation. I looked around the table; everybody was laughing and smiling- completely content with their current place in life.
'Enjoy this while you can,' I told myself mentally, 'It is inevitable that tonight will change everything.'
Bella's POV
After coming back from brunch we all changed into regular clothes and got to work. We were each assigned an area, and I got the backyard. Tristan was upstairs, in the game room. We hadn't gone into too many rooms in the house so cleaning wouldn't be too bad, but bad enough.
I pulled my long brown hair into a ponytail and began working. To start out I went all around the backyard, picking up towels. Once I collected all of them, I threw them in the wash.
Next, I got a black trash bag from the box of them Tristan brought up from the garage and picked up the empty bottles of water or soda we had drank; after sorting and throwing them in the recycle bin I took a look at the work I had accomplished.
After catching a small glimpse I immediately got back to work… let's just say that the view wasn't exactly encouraging. I went to move all of the patio chairs into their original positions and swiped them down with a wet towel. It may sound like an easy task… but Tristan's family had a lot of furniture.
After sweeping up and putting all of the pool toys back into the shed, I found myself finished. I went back inside and washed my hands in the kitchen sink.
"Bella are you finished?" Alice asked me, going into the refrigerator and picking out a bottle of water.
"Yup," I smiled- I think I was first! Alice took a large gulp of water,
"Great," her face brightened, "Could you do me a favor and just vacuum up the family room? I already did everything else and Jasper needs my help," Alice looked at me hopefully and I nodded.
"Sure."
She let out a large breath and thanked me graciously before running off to help Jasper down stairs. I took a second look around and realized that Alice really did clean everything up here- the counters were clear and sparkling and the family room in the same condition as when we arrived.
So I got out the vacuum from the hall closet and swiftly finished up Alice's chore for her.
We worked all through the afternoon, cleaning and packing. I was currently sitting on the floor of Tristan's closet, trying to stuff all of my new clothes Alice bought for me into my luggage.
"Bella, all of that is not going to fit," Tristan stated, shaking his head with disapproval.
"Yes it is," I argued, refolding a couple pairs of jeans.
"Bella, just take one of mine. I have plenty extra."
"Tristan, you need those for when you leave for Dartmouth," I reminded him, getting frustrated with my overflowing suitcases.
"I don't need all of them. I don't own as much things as you," he chuckled teasingly. I huffed and leaned over so my head was resting on the pile of clothes in front of me. After a second I lifted my head, wisps of hair in my face.
"This is going to fit," I said before taking my things out of the suitcases to try once more.
But I knew it was impossible. There was just too much stuff to that suitcase, but I would try again. I always tried again, never giving up on the first try.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Edward's POV
The car service had been arranged for my trip home tonight. My bags were packed. And I was more than ready to be return home.
Bella's POV
Since we all had brunch earlier in the day, we just hung out at the house. The boys were grilling burgers- while the girls making some side dishes and drinks. After we piled the food onto our paper plates we headed out to the beach, laying down some towels for a picnic.
"The sun is just setting," Alice said dreamily, leaning into Jasper's side.
"It's beautiful," Rosalie stated, just staring off into the watercolor sky of pinks, purples, oranges, reds, and yellows.
"I don't want to go home!" Alice whined, pouting in between bites. I took a bite of my burger and smiled.
"It's time to go home, though, Alice. It's been so long," I thought about my father and how much I had missed him, being away at school. Alice turned downcast.
"Yeah. I miss everybody," she agreed quietly. It was soundless for a moment, it was thoughtful for a moment.
"Come on, girls! What is this? An Emo party?" Emmet boomed, grinning.
"Hell no!" Tristan answered, going along with whatever Emmet was trying to say.
"That's right," Emmet acknowledged, "This is a celebration! We should all be excited and happy!"
Emmet had a weak vocabulary. I just noticed.
"Come on; let's go swimming in the pool! It'll be fun!" Emmet suggested, trying to get us energized.
"No way!" I answered, "Do you know how long it took me to pack this afternoon?"
Tristan laughed boisterously from beside me. Alice and Rosalie nodded, agreeing with me.
"Yeah, I can't," Edward added, "My car is coming at 8 and I need to be ready."
Emmet lay back on the towel, looking up at the sky, concentrating.
"What do we do then?" he mumbled- whether to us or himself, I didn't know.
"We should all say what our favorite thing to do was," Rosalie stated. I nodded, taking another bite out of my hamburger. Everybody agreed.
"I'll go first," Rosalie volunteered, "I liked… shopping at Fashion Valley." The boys and I snickered. What a shocker! As if I didn't see that once coming. (Sense my sarcasm?)
Emmet was sitting beside Rosalie so he sat up, thinking hard for a minute. We stayed quiet and still, with the exception of eating, wanting to hear what he had to say.
"I liked surfing," Emmet finally announced.
"That was fun," I agreed. Everybody looked at me seriously for one second before looking away. Awkward. Alice was next, and she already had her answered prepared.
"My favorite thing was shopping in the little shops in La Jolla!" She squealed; her lips pursed into a controlled smile.
"You owe me five dollars, Emmet," Edward shouted from his seat next to Jasper. Emmet reluctantly pulled out his wallet from his back pocked and threw Edward the five dollar bill.
"I thought she would say brunch," he muttered the excuse almost inaudibly.
HA! Alice choosing brunch over shopping? Not even a possibility. Emmet was an oaf. Jasper was next, I didn't really know what to expect from him… maybe just swimming and hanging out?
"Sea World," the words were short and to the point. I laughed escaped my lips and Alice smacked him in the shoulder.
"What?!" Jasper asked Alice, "It was my favorite part."
Everybody was in hysterics… well just Edward, Tristan, Jasper and I. Alice shot Jasper a fierce glare and in response, he just shrugged and smiled sheepishly. This was a new Jasper.
"My favorite part…" Edward began, trailing off in deep thought, "… laser tag." Edward finished with a smirk on his face. He was looking right to the side of my face so I turned around to see who he was staring at… it was Tristan.
"Bella what was your favorite part?" Alice interrupted quickly, glancing at Edward and Tristan from the side of her blue eyes.
"I don't know… the food?" I answered. Everybody just started at me.
"Seriously, Bella?" Rosalie asked with her mouth open, "Your favorite part of the entire trip was the food?" I shrugged and then nodded.
"Right on, Bella!" Emmet encouraged. I blushed pink and redirected my eyes to the green and blue patterned towel beneath me.
"Your turn, Tristan," Alice said breathlessly, lying down on her stomach. Tristan gazed out to the retreating sun over the water,
"Bella," he said quietly. I looked up at him, waiting for more. Slowly, he turned away from the fading sunset. It was getting very dark, quickly. His light blue eyes were dancing- something I hadn't seen for a while- and seemed to be pouring his soul out.
"Being with you for such a long time… was the best. Never having to be separated due to classes or football practice was… incredible. Just being together was what I wanted in the first place and… I guess what I'm trying to say is that… I'm going to miss this the most when move."
My eyes were watering and I wiped a tear out of the corner of my eye before it could spill down my cheek. I heard Alice and Rosalie say an 'Awwww!'
I flew from my seat to him, wrapping my arms around his neck, knocking him over in the process. He hugged me back and calmed my sobs.
"I love you, Bella," he whispered into my ear so quietly that at first, I thought I had imagined. I nodded, being as brave as I could and sucking up all of my tears. He sat us up, me still on his lap, my head buried into the space between his neck and shoulder. He rubbed my back.
"I love you too," I breathed. It was true, I loved Tristan, and I meant it. Nothing else at this point mattered at that point. It was all I felt. All I paid attention to.
We all finished up our dinner, Emmet wolfing down two hamburgers and three hotdogs before I even finished my single hamburger. Reluctantly, we made our way back up the beach behind the safety of the backyard fence.
Sitting around a cackling fire in silence, we drank in some of the last happy moments of vacation that we had together. Abruptly, Rosalie stood up, importantly. She shook her long blonde hair out of her eyes, her head high.
"A toast," she raised her bottle of water. Emmet stood up next to her, wrapping an arm around her small waist.
"To the best winter vacation of my life," he finished. Alice stood,
"To making great memories… and a promising future," she added; her pixie like voice high and musical.
"To fighting for each other through everything," Jasper took his place next to Alice, Alice leaning into his side.
"To making friends I never want to forget," Edward said quietly, he glanced in my direction very discreetly. I allowed him a small smile, just enough for the two of us to notice.
"To having everything we ever wanted," Tristan stated. His tone was shaky, not completely happy like the previous ones.
"To finding everything we ever wanted," I put in. I made sure that I didn't look specifically at anyone; rather I focused my gaze upon the beach that was within my eyesight.
Now all of us standing in a circle, it was dead silent.
"To this, to us," Rose stated confidently, raising her bottle of water. Everybody else followed suit, raising their drinks high into the air before taking a drink. Afterwards, we sat down, relaxing in a thoughtful stillness.
Edward looked at the clock on his cell phone and got up from his chair before stuffing the cell phone back into his jean pocket.
"It's nearly 7:30, I better go get my things together," he announced and left the circle and retreated to the house.
"My parents will be home soon. They said that they'd be home around 7:30," Tristan said and we all began to clean up a little before going to watch TV in the family room.
There was an awkward, nervous static in the surrounding air; even when Emmet stated yelling at the refs on the TV for the football game. Edward put his things by the door and came to watch with us. It was now 7:45; we were all just sitting, waiting.
The halftime break came for the football game and Emmet got up to get a refill on drinks, heading down the garage to get some more Mountain Dew. We sat on the sofas and in chairs, watching the annoying- yet amusing- Budweiser commercials. We heard the slam of a door and Emmet shout to us,
"Hey look what I found?!"
We all sat up, looking around at each other. Emmet appeared from the hallway, a suitcase in each hand, beaming wildly.
"You know, I was ready for you to introduce them to me, Tristan," he laughed. After a second a tall handsome man appeared next to Emmet. I noticed him as Tristan's father immediately; he had the same light blue-grey eyes. He was dressed in khaki slacks and a navy sweater- very country club fatherly like.
The next I wasn't so ready for. An average height, slender brunette walked through the door. Her brown eyes glanced at me, but didn't linger, unlike hers, my face drastically over the years.
"Everybody, these are my parents," Tristan motioned with a hand to them and I stayed in shock, just staring at this woman. I could feel everybody's eyes on me, everybody's curiosity electrocuting the static in the air- setting it on fire.
"Dad, Mom- this is Bella," I heard a distant Tristan introduce me. The brunette's eyes immediately flashed to my face, assessing and realizing.
Tristan's father took Tristan's step-mother's hand and walked over to me, taking my hand in his, shaking it warmly.
"Hello Bella," he greeted me. I remained focused on the woman just as much as she was focused on me. Tristan shook my shoulder,
"Bella, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. For the first time, I looked away from her; I looked down at the thick carpet beneath my feet. With uncontrollable tears in my eyes, I looked up. They splashed down onto my cheeks, one after another, one after another. I took in a huge breath before speaking. It came out much softer and more broken than I had planned.
"Mom."
I breathed desperately, raggedly. I couldn't take it anymore and ran up the never ending stairs to Tristan's room, locking the door behind me. I heard his foot steps behind me, his knock and pleading voice at the door.
But I kept moving. I went to the bathroom and threw all of my stuff I didn't pack before into my bag.
"Bella, let me in!" Tristan begged, pounding on the door over and over again.
My eyes stung, my tears falling relentlessly.
"Bella… please," he said more quietly, it sounded like he was crying. Once I was ready, I opened the door, throwing it open with more force than I expected. Tristan stood there, his face seemed wet but it might have just been the water that was flooding my eyes like a broken dam.
"Tell me what's going on," he pleaded, his voice breaking at the end. I looked away down the hall, my bags in my hands.
"That's my mom," I breathed quietly. I heard his intake of breath and I looked back at him, his eyes were wide and his mouth looked like it was searching for words- but it couldn't find any.
"I didn't know, Bella. I swear, I had no idea," his words came out so fast and urgent they seemed to spill out onto the carpet. Staining the perfect cream colored rug.
"I know," I said. I know and it doesn't make a difference that you didn't know, I wanted to say that, but I couldn't. It wasn't his fault. Everything was ruined and it wasn't any of our faults.
It just wasn't meant to be.
"I gotta go," I used the back of my hand to wipe my cheek. Tristan immediately stepped in front of me, blocking the doorway.
"You can't, Bella," he begged, his blue eyes were crying- not with tears, but with agony. It hurt to look into them, so I looked away.
"Please, Tristan. Just let me go. I need to go calm down and I can't do it here," I explained so quietly that only he could hear. He took a step back from me, clearing the way. He nodded once at me understandingly and took a bag from me.
"Let me help you, then."
"Thanks," I mumbled. He helped me down the stairs and everybody except Tristan's parents was by the front door- waiting. Edward was the first to say anything.
"Bella, you can come to my house with me if you want," he offered kindly. I looked up to Tristan and his eyes were confused; hard from Edward, but soft and vulnerable from the… the previous events.
"Thank you," I replied to Edward and he nodded and opened the front door, leading the way. Alice and Rose took this opportunity to approach me, I noticed how they moved slowly- like I was some sort of animal and if they made any sudden movement I might just attack.
The assumption was mostly correct- except I wouldn't attack but rather break into a thousand pieces.
They both held one of my hands, rubbing my arm and back.
"Call us when you can," Alice tried to give me a small smile- but her heart seemed to be breaking like mine.
"Stay strong, Bella," Rosalie whispered in my ear and I pursed my lips together in order to sob and nodded obediently.
Emmet and Jasper gave me pats on the back as I walked out the front door, following Edward to a large black limo BMW. Tristan trailed behind me with my bags. Once I got to the door the driver took the bags from Tristan and began loading them. I saw through the open door that Edward was already in the car. I turned around and met Tristan's heartbroken blue eyes.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered. Tristan's arms wrapped around me in a tight hug, I buried my heard into his shoulder- my body shaking in sobs.
"It's okay," he comforted me, "We can get through this… we have to."
I wasn't so sure this time, the situation we were in was bigger than us. It was bigger than I had ever expected and I wasn't prepared for this.
"I'll call you when I can, okay?" I cried. Tristan nodded and kissed the top of my head softly.
"Do what you have to, Bella." I nodded and kissed his cheek before getting into the car, sliding onto the smooth, cold leather. The driver closed the door behind me.
I didn't look back at the house as we drove away- I just couldn't.