Brassington.
16 miles north-north-west of Derby.
Population, around 500.
Rain, common.
The rain was as common as the rain in Forks, but the British being British were used to it and every single one of them were armed with an umbrella if the worst came to the worst. In turn, the umbrella helped in self-defence if anything came up to you and tried to attack you. However, if a vampire came up behind you it would just snap in half, enough to shock Mrs. Goldman who ran the post office to death.
I sat on the Harborough Rocks getting splattered with rain. It had been exactly a week since I left the note. I landed in Manchester Airport in early hours of Monday morning, few people were on the flight than normal. A large, over-weight woman who called for the flight stewardess at least seven times, eight businessmen, two of which were bumped down into economy class, families, a few distracted loners and a loving couple that ended up in each others laps by the end of the flight. I didn't look at them again after I saw the glaze of love over their eyes. When I tried to rest my eyes and at least look like I was sleeping, the stewardesses just kept bugging me. Okay, yes, I was attractive to them but didn't they know that non-humans need to sleep or at least try?!
Sleep. Something I wished for more than ever now. Just to dream of what could have been would be a relief. Just to close my eyes and think of nothing for at least an hour would be perfect. To dream of my angel being with me…
I sighed. The pain from before was still there, as strong as ever and it felt physical. The sobs would resound in my chest and would break out with a stabbing force. I tugged my eyes open and made my way back over the hills and towards the wood where the house was.
It was one of the nicest houses we'd ever had. Esme loved it but we knew that when one of the young girls got slightly too attached to Jasper we had to move on. Esme promised that we'd all be back soon. It was like that one in Forks but it looked a lot cosier and inviting but very hard to find because it was deep in the wood. We could still get cars in and out thankfully. A car… I would need one of them… I was sure I'd get spotted soon, and I knew someone would see if Alice or Carlisle came. I needed to hunt too. So much to do when I was quite happy sitting being alone, thinking of her.
My mind, as it tended to do when left alone, drifted back to the box I left under her floorboards. The box with the CD I'd made for her, with the plane tickets, the photo I'd left and the one thing I'd slipped back into it when she was out.
It broke my heart just to come back to her room. Her scent lingered on everything, but it wasn't as strong as the real thing, it never could be. I swiftly undid the floorboard, near her desk and took out the photo of me. I wrote swiftly onto the back and replaced it with the letter under it but, not without slyly taking a jumper from her wardrobe. It was wrong. I knew it. I promised no memories and she already had that, thanks to my doing. I wanted her to be out of danger. Very well done, you made her jump off a cliff Edward. You put her in more danger than when you'd be there to protect her. And what I wrote on the back? I wasn't even sure if I should of. If she did remember me and still want to speak to me after this mess, I would gladly say yes and if she didn't want to speak with me I would respect her wishes. But what if she didn't and she found this picture of me and had no idea how it got there or who I was?
I pushed the front door open, leaving Esme's garden behind me and brining a gust of wind with me. The main hall was spacious, inviting and warm all at the same time. Esme wanted different feelings for each house. One, for example, on the outskirts of New York had been specifically designed to make you feel awe and wonder at the house, no matter how hard it was to find. There, again, was another theme; they all had to be hard to find. Not that it was a problem for us, we could memorise the way in a few seconds but I didn't like hiding all the time. It just didn't feel right.
The kitchen was small, seeing as we didn't need it but the lounge was big. It had the left-over game consoles we'd had over the years. Only the recent ones had been taken to Forks. There was a wide-screen TV that sat on an expensive table with an even more expensive coffee table sitting opposite it. There was a red sofa and matching loveseats next to it, complementing the room nicely. We had a dinning room in the house, but again, that was quite small because we hardly ever needed it, only for family meetings.
Upstairs were the rooms. Each had an ensuite bathroom, undersized libraries – mine was anyway, I had too many books in this house – and a closet each. Esme gave me a double closet too, in the vain hope I would find someone to share it with. I did, and I threw it all away just for her to be happy. The anguish tore away at my long dead heart.
I ran up to the very top of the house, into my room to find her jumper. I clutched it, inhaling before the dry sobs broke out again. I sunk to the floor. Why? Why? Why did I ever leave her?
"COULD YOU, ROSALIE LILLIAN HALE CULLEN!?!"
I cringed as Alice screamed at me. Jasper was sending out waves of urgent calm and Emmett held her back from attacking me. Esme and Carlisle were standing side by side with thoughtful looks on their faces but I could see hurt there too.
Edward's letter sat where he'd left it. We'd all read it in turn, Alice first, screaming at me when she'd finished. I had to rush over and read the words myself before I could believe her. My talk with Edward had caused all this and I could no longer keep up the strong façade that I normally did. I shut my eyes and took in all her words, for I knew them to be true. I deserved all of this. It was my fault he had run from us.
Alice continued screaming profanity at me until Carlisle called out. "Stop!" Alice fell silent but I could almost hear her fuming from the other end of the room. "Edward-" Alice started struggling to get at me again. Carlisle rose his voice again "Alice, stop! This isn't helping anyone, least of all Edward." She fell still, scowling at me.
"What did you have in mind, dear?" Esme's words were soothing compared to the hissing I'd just heard.
"Well, as it was indeed his choice to go to England, we can not stop him. It was his choice and his choice alone. We can not be sure if Rosalie's talk influenced him without asking him, and as we have read, he wants to be left alone to think what he will do next. I can not be certain if he ever will get over Bella completely, I highly doubt he will but time should help mend his ways a little. I suggest that Rosalie-" Alice squeaked in complaint. "- goes to see him first. She can get the time to explain and find out if he did leave because of her. I'm sure she'd like to know herself."
I nodded. "When do I leave?"
"Not now, Edward will not want visitors. It think this time next month will be just fine." And with that we dispersed into our respected parts of the house.
I walked to the centre of our room and Emmett's arms snaked around my waist. I mumbled "It's all my fault."
"You can't know that, and even if it was we wouldn't blame you."
"Sure." The sarcasm was practically dripping off my words.
"You know I wouldn't." His voice was scolding and I regretted saying it.
"And Alice?" I whispered.
"She'll come round."
I sighed and Emmett just held me there, supporting my whole world.
A/N: Okay, this one took a lot longer than planned just because it did. Brassington is a real place and no I haven't been to it. The Harborough Rocks are real, there's a picture on Google Earth if you'd be willing enough to search for it... You probably won't find it but if you do just imagine that without all the sun, and add lots of rain... And a amazingly handsome vampire sitting somewhere on them looking very depressed. Follow the instructions at the top or if you're too lazy, north-north west of Derby, darlings.
Emma
