Chapter 2
Next morning, I woke up and looked around my room. My bed was at an angle. Wow, I must have tossed and turned in the night! Glancing at the clock, I saw that the digits read 7:30.
"Crap!" I shouted, jumping up and running to the shower. When I was clean I brushed my teeth and looked at my hair - it was a mess! I pulled a brush through it to get the tangles out, and then slid an Alice band in to keep it out of my face. I put a couple of extras on my wrist too, for emergencies.
I ran to my closet and put on my sweatpants and Converses. I didn't have time for anything else. Alice is gonna have a fit, I thought to myself. I hurried downstairs, grabbed my bag and a granola bar and sped to my truck. I drove quickly through the leafy streets, quiet except for the whisper of the rain and, of course, my truck. No sunlight had managed to filter through the permanent cloud-cover today, so I knew the Cullen's would be at school. It wasn't cold, just wet, and I hummed tunelessly to myself. Today was just like any other day.
I arrived at school just as the first bell rang. Edward was waiting; he had a hard look on his face. Then, taking my arm, he led me inside.
"Where's Alice?" I asked - I had thought she would be here to nag me about my outfit choices.
"She's sick," Edward replied.
I stared at him in disbelief, but I was distracted by the sound of giggling from behind me. Was that who I thought it must be? I glanced over my shoulder and sure enough, there was Jessica, standing behind us, staring at Edward.
I turned and quickly pulled Edward into English. When we were sat down, I passed Edward a note.
Edward, what's going on? I know she's not sick.
I don't know what you mean.
I snorted. Yeah right.
Come on, where is she? Stop insulting my intelligence like this.
Fine. If you must know, she went hunting.
Rolling my eyes, I scribbled a reply.
Oh, please. I know you're lying to me. You both went hunting last week, and her eyes were pale yesterday, so I know she wasn't thirsty!
I had to wait longer for this one - though "longer" for Edward wasn't really the same as "longer" for anyone else.
Calm down, Bella. She went shopping with Rose. We must be to down to five years' worth of outfits by now.
I smiled as I read this - I could practically hear the sarcasm dripping from his every word.
Okay... but -
Suddenly, the paper had gone from beneath my fingers. I looked up just as the teacher passed. I was about to write another note when I saw Edward shaking his head. I sighed and got on with my work.
I sighed again when we arrived outside my house, six hours later. Edward hadn't said a word on the way home and all day he had only answered questions that were directly aimed at him. Otherwise he just sat and stared. I was worried that he was brooding over what happened yesterday. Was it only yesterday? It seemed as though Edward had been this stone man for weeks...
I was about to start a conversation, trying to get him to say anything, anything at all, when he said, "We need to talk."
I got out of the car and we sat on the porch. Edward took a deep, unnecessary breath and began.
"My family and I have been here for three years now and we all feel that it is time to move on."
I sat there, gazing at him. This was... I couldn't understand what he was trying to say. None of it made sense. But... surely he must mean that they were taking me with them? All of the Cullen's (excluding, perhaps, Rosalie) regarded me as family, I knew that. That must be it. It must be.
I think Edward noticed the change in my eyes, the hope that was kindled, because he continued.
"By my family I mean... my parents, myself and my siblings."
"What?" I managed to gasp. "You're not taking me with you?"
"No," he said after a long pause. "I'm afraid that... being with you, especially what happened yesterday, has shown me that I should not pretend to be something that I am not - it isn't good for me and someone - most probably you - will get hurt."
"But... But... But..." I stammered, trying to come up with something - anything - that would stop him leaving me, which would end this nightmare and save me from the growing horror that I felt.
"Goodbye," he said, and then he was gone.
I got up in a daze, stumbled over to my truck, and just drove. I don't know how long I drove for but at last I ended up at First Beach. So I got out and sat just above the waterline. The waves lapped at my sneakers, their rhythm somewhat comforting. It helped me forget. I put my arms over my knees and just stared out to sea. Eventually - after I don't know how many hours - or was it minutes? Seconds? Days, weeks, months, years? - It got so dark that I got up and drove home.
As I walked through the door Charlie jumped up and ran to me.
"Where have you been?" he shouted at me, whilst hugging me fiercely.
"I was at La Push beach," I muttered, a little breathlessly.
"You should've called. You think just because your boyfriend left a few days ago you can just disappear?"
He's gone...
He was about to carry on when I stopped him to ask, "What do you mean a few days ago? Edward left today..."
I couldn't believe the words myself. Edward left today...
"Well, Carlisle moved a few days ago." He shrugged. Now it all made sense. Alice hadn't been shopping today. She had gone, without so much as saying goodbye. How could she do that to me? How could any of them have done that to me? I couldn't think about it, and so I didn't. There was just a blankness in my mind where once there had been something, anything. Where once there had been Edward, now there was - nothing.
Edward's gone...
"I'm going to bed," I murmured and headed upstairs, letting Charlie's ranting about whatever it was - grounding probably, and he hadn't finished with me yet - fade into the white noise of grief in my mind. When I got to my room I found a parcel on my bed. There was a note on top. It read:
Edward wouldn't let me
say goodbye. So here's
something to remember us by.
With love, your sister forever
– Alice
I started to feel guilty about blaming Alice for not saying goodbye when it wasn't her fault, so I turned to the parcel that was still on my bed to distract myself from the growing lump in my throat. But I couldn't face it, and I just chucked it under my bed. As I turned away, through the corner of my eye I saw something flutter to the ground. It was a photograph. I picked it up from where it lay face-down on the carpet, and flipped it over. In the photo, the Cullen's and I stood outside their house, Edward's arm draped over my shoulder casually. We all looked so happy, smiling and waving at the camera - I guessed Charlie had taken it - and it made me wonder what had been in the parcel.
Could I open it? I couldn't touch it. I couldn't bear to.
I couldn't do anything anymore.
October
November
It was November now. Exactly two months since he left.
I was sitting in the cafeteria at their old table one lunch-time when all of a sudden Mike Newton sat down opposite me. I looked up, startled. Angela, Jess, Tyler, and even Lauren were seating themselves opposite me, chatting about a party. What was going on?
I was about to get up and leave when Angela whispered in my ear.
"Don't leave, please, Bella. I've missed you."
I was so surprised - and that in itself was surprising - that I looked up, meeting her eye.
"I've... well, I've missed you," she admitted.
"You have?" I asked, curious despite myself. My voice sounded hoarse, a little unused, as though I hadn't spoken for months. In truth, I don't suppose I really had.
"Yeah," Angela replied, her voice taking on a joking tone, "and if you go now I may have to resort to drastic measures!"
I grinned then, much as I wished not to. I was wondering what drastic measures Angela would go to probably go to. Maybe it would involve tickling. Whatever she had meant, it showed that somewhat - somehow - someone actually cared, and that was a feeling I had nearly forgotten. So I gave up and sat down. Angela smiled at me and I smiled back.
A/N
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