Twilight and New Moon belong to Stephenie Meyer.
Here's another chapter for your enjoyment. I hope this is enough to forgive me for not updating in so long. Again, thank you to Google Maps! Enjoy!
I got gas in Whitehorse without a problem. I did it quickly in the beginning of the night. No one spoke to me, I don't think I could have handled the situation very well if they had. I was too disgusted with myself at the moment.
I pulled out of Whitehorse onto the Alaskan Highway. Driving too fast, I read the map again. I realized that I had no idea where Tanya's family lived. Way to go Bella. There were only a few towns near the Denali National Park, and one named Healy seemed to be the largest. I decided that was the best place to start. It wasn't like I was in any rush; I had eternity to search, right?
But at the same time, I knew that if I didn't find Edward soon, I was going to have a major breakdown. I needed answers, I needed comfort, and I needed someone to tell me everything was going to be okay. I wasn't sure if Edward would do all that. I wasn't even sure if he still cared about me. But I knew that he had come to Jacksonville to talk to me, so there had to be something he wanted to say. We could both say what was needed, explain our sides, then depending on the outcome I would either stay with Edward for eternity, or go have a mental breakdown in the middle of the woods with some squirrels. I was really hoping for the first outcome.
For now I kept my emotions in check. I tried to figure out how I was going to find Tanya's home. When I finally reached Healy, it was larger than I had thought. I drove around until I found a school. This seemed to be a good place to start. I parked the car in the lot and realized that it stood out like a sore thumb. Brendon had rented some sort of expensive sports car that only an avid Car and Driver reader would recognize. It was as ostentatious as Rosalie's convertible. I sighed and walked into the front office of the tiny school. The attendant sat at the front desk, chewing on gum and scribbling something on a notepad. I walked up and waited for her to notice me. She just continued to scribble. Finally I cleared my throat. The attendant jumped.
"Oh my gosh, you scared the daylights out of me!" she got out once her breathing returned to normal. I held my breath. Her heart had almost skipped a beat, and I heard as her heart rate increased dramatically. Though the smell still repulsed me, it was no less alluring.
"Are you here to pick up Lillian and Evander?" She asked. I gave her a puzzled look. Who were Lillian and Evander? Was I supposed to know someone? Had Alice seen me coming? I managed to speak without taking a breath.
"I'm not quite sure who they are." I told her and her face sank.
"Oh, I'm very sorry. You just look so much like them, I was sure you were related." She shook her head. People who look like me? I nearly smacked myself in the head because of my stupidity. I was gorgeous now, too. I would look like other vampires.
"Are they related to Tanya?" I asked nicely. I probably sounded like dolt. She seemed confused for a moment before asking,
"Yes, those two are Tanya's children. Do you know her?" I thought fast.
"Umm…yeah. Tanya's my…dad's cousin. I never really met her, but my dad got a job overseas and she's the only relative I could come stay with at the time." The lie slid out easily. I worked to make my voice sound convincing. "My dad was in a rush to leave, and he never gave me an address. Could you tell me where she lives?"
The lady smiled and answered, "Of course. Get on route 3 and then make a left turn onto Lester Road. The last driveway on the street is hers, right after the bed and breakfast. It's a long driveway, so you won't be able to see the house."
"Thanks." I said, turning to go out the door. She said something in a ways of goodbye, but I wasn't really listening. I had hit the bull's-eye; Tanya's family was in this town. I got back in the car and followed the directions.
The house was the last one on the street, and its driveway curved in a direction away from town. It was probably one of the most outlying houses in the community. Of course, the attendant had only been partially right. I could see the house from the road, even though the driveway was around 600 feet long. I pulled in and stared at the house.
Of course it was large. That had pretty much become expected by now. It was one of those homes that is meant to look like a log cabin, but much to eccentric and expertly designed to be one. A porch with a swing wrapped around the first floor, and made the entire home seem inviting and warm. I was pretty sure that they didn't get many visitors though.
I got out of the car slowly and walked up to the front door. Carefully, I raised my hand and knocked. I didn't want their first impression of me to be the clumsy vampire who breaks things.
Almost instantly the door was opened by a beautiful, tall, strawberry blonde wonder. She eyed me curiously, not saying a word. I stared at her with equal curiosity. This was the first time I had seen another vampire, besides Brendon. I had been so preoccupied with being angry at him at the time that I didn't notice any differences. But now, looking at this vampire, I started to see the variation. It wasn't that she was any less beautiful. In fact, I thought she was very pretty. But it didn't seem to matter.
I had always been so taken aback by the looks of the Cullens. They were all faultless, all picture perfect models. It was part of what they were, another useless gift that was used to attract prey. But now that I was another hunter, it didn't matter to me. I was no longer just another human, I was no longer prey. I was a perfect as they were, so seeing another perfect person didn't matter too much to me. I smiled at the thought.
"Can I help you?" She finally asked, breaking the silence.
"Um, yeah, I think so. Is this Tanya's residence?" I asked hesitantly. It hit me that I had just asked the stupidest question ever. Of course this was Tanya's place, how many vampire covens could live in one town? She answered nicely though.
"I sure hope this is my house, or else all those payments to the bank were for nothing." She smiled at me. "I'm Tanya."
I let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding. "My name is…Sarah," I lied, "I'm a friend of the Cullens."
I don't now why I lied to her. I supposed it was for fear of rejection. What if Edward heard I was coming, and refused to see me? Would he turn me away because he didn't ever want to see me again? I needed to see him, I couldn't take the chance of him saying no.
Tanya's face fell slightly, "The Cullens? How do you know them?"
"I lived with them shortly about a year ago." I was getting good at this lying thing. "When I checked their home in Forks, they weren't there. I thought they maybe came here. Carlisle mentioned this place a lot, and I decided it was a good idea that it was time to visit and finally meet you."
"Odd, they never mentioned a Sarah…" she said puzzled, but then shrugged and her smile returned. "Well, a friend of Carlisle is a friend of ours. Please come in." And she turned and walked into the house. I stood in the doorway dumbfounded, then quickly walked into the house, shutting the door behind me.
The entrance was open and inviting, a large stairway winding to the second floor. I followed Tanya into a large den where a fire place was actively burning. She motioned to a couch, then sat down herself. I followed and took a seat. Looking around, I asked,
"Are the Cullens here?"
"No," she answered, "They left for Jacksonville a few days ago. Haven't heard from them yet."
I felt like my chest was being tightened. I had driven all the way to Alaska, and Edward wasn't here. I could have cried, but I didn't for two reasons. One was because I didn't want Tanya to see me that way, and the second was because I couldn't cry anymore. Instead, I composed myself and asked,
"Why did they go to Jacksonville? That sounds a little difficult." I had to make it seem like I didn't know everything that had happened, that I wasn't Bella Swan who had just been captured by another vampire and changed a few days ago. I was Sarah, whoever she may be, and that's what Tanya believed. If I was able to get some answers this way, then so be it.
"Well, it's a bit complicated. You said you lived with them a year ago?" I nodded, and she continued, "Than you must know Bella Swan. Edward is in love with her."
I nearly fell over at my name. I had never considered the fact that by lying about who I was, I would have to have met myself. That didn't even make any sense. But I just nodded, then shook my head.
"No…no, that's not right. You said Edward is in love with her. Edward left her, he doesn't love her anymore." Tanya laughed a little.
"That's only partially right. Edward did leave her, but not because he doesn't love her. He wanted to protect her from himself. He had this ridiculous idea that he was constantly putting her in danger, so it was better for Bella to have a normal human life than a precarious one with a vampire. He's still very much in love with her though." Her face fell suddenly, and when she spoke, it was almost in a whisper.
"He's changed since he left her. He used to be so full of life…not literally of course, but in his way he was alive. But now, it's like…" she stared out the window, where it had begun to rain. I was frozen in shock. "It's hard to explain, unless you've ever been in love before. He was whole before, but now that she's gone, he's become only half of what he is. Not only that, but now that half of him is gone, he's found that he can't survive without being whole. You can see in his eyes that he's empty."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Edward still loved me? That wasn't possible, was it? I mean, he had told me that-
"But recently Alice got a vision." Tanya continued, oblivious to my internal battles, "She saw Bella in Jacksonville with another vampire. He had a panic attack and went down there to go get her. He said that he would beg for her to take her back if he had to. The whole family went with him. I hope that those two are back together. She doesn't know what she's missing if she says no to him." She added mysteriously, and I wondered if she was jealous. But that was a fleeting thought.
Edward loved me. He had gone to Jacksonville to ask for forgiveness. That didn't seem possible. He had told me that he didn't love me. But Tanya said he lied to protect me. That seemed exactly like him, sacrificing himself for others. I barely managed to get out,
"Do you know when he's coming back?"
"Like I said, I haven't heard from them so I don't know if-"
She was cut off as someone knocked on the door. We both looked toward the entrance. We had been so wrapped up in conversation that we hadn't heard anyone approach the house. She got up with an 'excuse me' and went to answer the door. I heard voices talking, but I didn't listen because I didn't want to be rude. I could have easily eavesdropped, with my hearing they could have been speaking right next to me, but it was impolite.
I lay down on the couch and closed my eyes. I tried to remember how to breathe correctly. This was getting to be too much.
"Sarah," I heard Tanya say, and I sat up and opened my eyes, "There's a man at the door named Brendon. He wants to talk to you. Do you know him?"
But Brendon didn't even wait for an answer. He just burst into the room and glared at me. My eyes grew wide, and with anger in his voice he spat out at me,
"Bella, we need to talk."
Boy, was that an understatement.
You can actually find Tanya's house on Google Maps. On satellite mode, it's the one on the very end of Lester Road with the long driveway. If you live there, thanks for letting me use your house! And also, that is really creepy that you're reading this story! Please review, I didn't get many last chapter and I nearly cried! (Not really, but I might! Is that a risk you're willing to take?!)