4.
It's taken a day and 10 hours to get back to Gatlinburg. Back to where I was born, grew up, died and where I was reborn.
I could hear Edward still a mile behind me; he didn't try and stop me. Even though I didn't need to be physic to know what he was feeling. He wasn't pleased with my decision, but he won't stop me because maybe this is what I need. But what happens if this isn't what I need, that they have all fallen apart at the seams? What then?
A panic bubble started to grow in the pit of my stomach. My breathing increased, as if I was actually having a panic attack. My brain started racing with scenes I could see when I go home.
I could hear Edward racing to help me, but at the thought of home my mind calmed and my breathing slowed. It's my home and no matter what happens, it will still be my home no matter where I go or how long I live and they will always be my family. I felt a grin stretch across my face as Edward broke through the nearby trees. He stared at the grin on my face and a crooked smile etched across his face.
We both took a quick glance around us, it was then did I realise where I was.
"A grizzly attacked you?" Edward's face looked terrified as one eyebrow raced up his forehead. I mirrored his expression, except I looked annoyed instead of terrified.
"Picking my mind again?" He grinned and chuckled.
"You noticed where you were and it popped to the front of your mind, I couldn't help but see it." He paused. "I'm sorry." His voice turned sincere. I brushed it off with a casual wave of my hand.
Actually, this was the first time since I became a vampire have I thought of that day. The sun warmed grass warming me gently, the annoyance with myself; the realization. The pain, flying into blackness and Simon.
"Simon saved you?" Edward asked. Tensing my jaw I shot Edward evils. He held his hands up. "Sorry, can't help it.
"Yeah he saved me. He had eyes like you too." Edward's face pondered at this thought.
"We'll have to find him. It's always nice to meet another vegetarian." Even my endless mind couldn't get a grip on that. Edward chuckled again. "It's a joke. It's what we, well my family, call ourselves." I nodded slowly. That's just too weird. He chuckled again.
Then he froze. He held his hand up to shush me; I was going to ask him what was wrong. His face was tense and worried.
"Emmett you need to control yourself, there are human all over the woods." That panic bubble rose again, I was about to reply to him when a sweet voice called to us and the panic was replaced with a wave of calm.
"Don't worry Edward, Emmett won't hurt anyone." I jumped up in shock, but Edward didn't. Walking towards us was a short girl, with short black hair and a tall blonde guy, both of them had golden eyes. Edward pointed to the girl then the boy.
"Alice? Jasper?" The girl giggled.
"Yes. My vision of you was right, you can read minds."
"And you can see the future."
"Yes. Where are the rest of the Cullen's?" She did a quick spin, her face disappointed.
"I'm travelling with Emmett for a while." Alice turned her attention to me.
"How is Rosalie?" I just blinked at her, while Edward's jaw dropped.
"You saw that?" His voice full of happiness and confusion, she turned back to Edward.
"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?" She seemed offended by his remark.
"He was rescued by someone else." A little gasp escaped from her.
"What? How? How did I not see that?" I roared at Edward and as quick as the anger flared in her face, it had passed. She gave Jasper a little smile.
"You can sense and control emotions. How useful." Jasper smiled proudly.
"I have to meet this man who saved Emmett. I have to know why he saved him instead of Rosalie."
"Rosalie was supposed to save me?" I just blinked at Alice.
"Oops." She giggled. "I've said too much." Edward and Jasper smiled, I was so confused. Edward chuckled, he's read my mind.
"Emmett's confused. I'm confused slightly also. How can you see Rosalie, but not Simon?"
"Do you know Simon? Have you met him?" Edward shook his head, Alice face saddened, that a thought occurred to her. "Do you remember where Simon lives?" She asked me. I raked through my memories and recognised Simon's house and the surrounding area.
"Yeah, but I don't know how to get there." I answered, but her eyes seemed distant. She was looking at me, but she was somewhere else. Then, she blinked and smiled at me.
"Don't worry. You just showed me the way. It's also on the way past your mother's house." I beamed at her. "Guess we're joining you on your travels." She giggled and danced slightly.
As we ran through the woods, avoiding humans, to my mother's house Alice explained how she was turned into a vampire and how she doesn't remember her human life. She then went on to tell us the story of how she met Jasper and her visions of myself and the Cullen's. She also told Jasper tale of his human and vampire life.
Does she ever shut up? I thought to Edward who burst into hysterics. She glared at me and punched me in the arm.
"What?" I tried to sound innocent.
"Edward was going to tell you, 'no I don't think she does'." All the lads laughed, my laughed louder than the rest, as Alice glared at us all then giggled herself.
Ten minutes later, I saw it. The house I had grown up in. I stared in awe at the house. It hasn't changed one bit, the flowers that run alongside the path to the front door had bloomed and were full of colour, and they smelled sweet. The window, which I knew, was for the kitchen was open and the scent, which I knew so very well, of chicken and sweet potatoes wafted towards me. But I didn't feel the urge to drool.
"My favourite." This worried and saddened me.
"They're celebrating your birthday with your favourite meal." I gasped; I counted the days from the attack and was shocked. It really is my birthday, I'm twenty one.
"He's twenty one." Edward smiled. Alice danced and giggled.
"We have to celebrate. I won't take no for an answer." She paused and smiled. "Thanks Emmett." I tried to smile back at her, but couldn't find the effort.
"They're happy but they miss you, that is all they can think about. You're mother knows you'll be happy wherever you are." He chuckled. "Your mother's got quite a belief."
"What do you mean?" I tried to push the urge to run in and join my family celebrate they're 'not so' dead son's birthday. All three of them didn't look impressed.
"I mean, she believes you're not dead. She doesn't believe in vampires, which is good, but she can feel in her heart you're not dead." The familiar lump in my throat appeared and I slumped to the ground.
"Oh mother. How I miss you." There was no point sobbing, when the thing I wanted most was one of the things I couldn't do. I couldn't cry.
"You see why I said this was a bad idea?" A sudden spark of fury at Edward sparked in my mind and I noticed he took a couple steps away from me. But, the fury didn't last long.
"He needs this, it does him good Edward." Staring at him blatantly. He raised his eyebrow at, I presume, Alice's vision. She just nodded, and then smiled at me. "Go on Emmett, go just a little bit over there and you can see them perfectly." She beamed at me and a wave of calm and happiness washed over me. I chuckled.
"That's still strange." Jasper chuckled too and for the first time Jasper spoke, I was amazed at the strong Texan accent.
"You'll get used to it. Apparently, you've got no choice." Playfully elbowing Alice in the ribs, who flicked her hand to where she'd told me to go.
Cautiously, I walked to the spot where she'd told me to stand and sure enough I could see them. It was strange looking at my family from the outside, it felt unnatural. I saw my mother alone in the kitchen, but I could hear the girls upstairs and the boys in the garden out back. I was the oldest of the boys and I had to look after all the boys and being the oldest male I also had to look after all the women. I saw the empty chair, my chair, decorated the way we always used to when it was someone's birthday.
My heart ached as my mother came to the window, her black curly hair tied up in the usual bun with wisps of curls cascading down her soft face. She lifted her head and looked directly at me, her heart shaped face looked at peace, though I knew she couldn't see me but it felt like she had sensed me. She smiled her gently smile, that reached to her calm grey eyes, that always calmed me not matter how I was feeling. Everything about my mother was calm, soothing and gentle. I remember telling her once what she reminded me off. She was like sitting in a gentle breeze overlooking the ocean as the waves washed up on the beach, enjoying the sun envelope you in a warm hug.
"Girls, come help me with these please." Her soft melodic voice smashed into my like a battering ram, my poor still heart clenched.
My twenty four year old twin sisters, Joan and Nancy, came into view as they walked downstairs. They were exact copies of my mother except they had my grandmother's leaf green eyes. The one thing I had in common with them was the two dimples that showed when we smiled.
"Joan, go bring the boys in." My mother demanded once the pans where on the table. Joan disappeared and I watched my mother bustled around the kitchen, waiting for the boys. One by one they came in.
George was the first one in; he's the youngest of us all. He doesn't remember Dad much because he was two when he died, but looking at him is like looking at a ghost. Even though my Dad is gone, he's left an imprint of the Earth in the shape of a thirteen year old boy full of early teenage energy. His brown eyes scoured the kitchen greedily, he brushed his ash blonde hair from his face and my mother frowned at him. I chuckled quietly, I knew that look; she wants to cut his hair but he won't let her.
James and John followed sullenly, at sixteen the twins were in the typical teenage mood. They were a mixture of both parents, they had Dad's brown eyes and mother's black hair but it wasn't curly like mine or the girls.
Joseph walked in proudly, his back straight and head held high. He was now the oldest male and at nineteen had a lot of responsibility, which one was to never show fear or sadness. Joseph's grey eyes were sad but his smile tried to show he wasn't. His ash blonde curls cut like mine.
"Wash your hands before dinner, please." Everyone did as they were told and queued for the sink and one by one they washed their hands and took their places around the table.
Four brothers, two sisters and one mother. Two empty places, two gaps in their lives. I wanted to run in and take my place, to pretend nothing had happened to me, to pretend I wasn't a vampire.
"Let's say a prayer." My mother announced. Everyone put their hands together and closed their eyes. "Happy birthday Emmett, wherever you may be. We know you're happy and are probably having the time of your life." A small smile appeared on her lips. "We miss you dearly, my son. But, we learnt so much from you these twenty years. How to love each other, to cherish each moment with those you love as it is the last. You will never be forgotten, we promise that. We love you son." A single tear rolled down my mother's face, but she wiped it away quickly.
"We miss you big brother, we have no one to play football with anymore. We lost our star quarterback." James said smiling.
"Yeah, the school will get rolled over next week by the hawks." John laughed, and a small giggled rippled around the table.
"I need my mentor, to help me with homework and to understand sports." George's voice was sad. But I smiled slightly, George was growing to be as big as me, even though he only started you see where he would end. But, he didn't understand or like sports one bit, he liked literature and poetry.
"I miss you little brother, I miss your support and protectiveness." Joan said with tears flowing freely down her face. Nancy was a mirrored image.
"Who'd have thought I'd miss you beating up the guys we liked." A giggled rippled again.
"Say hi to Dad for us please." George told the ceiling and everyone nodded. A moment's silence, then they all spoke simultaneously.
"Happy birthday Emmett."