Edwards POV:

I had been running for an hour, and surprisingly, I was already tired. This never happened to me before. The grief must be fatiguing me.

Abruptly, on the horizon, I saw a house. It was rather peculiar. It was almost hidden by brambles and tropical flowers. If I weren't a monster, I never would have noticed it. I got closer, my breath coming in and out in struggled gasps. The closer I got, the more odd looking the house became. The house was colored a gorgeous red orange, with sunshine yellow shutters. Pieces of broken glass glittered in the moonlight from the porch instead of flowers. And the steel coiled path up to the stained glass door was suspended over a tiny yet sparklingly brilliant waterfall. The more I looked at it, the more familiar it looked. I knew I recognized it from somewhere.

Then it hit me. This was where my old friend Lewis. We had a lot in common, so we connected fairly well. The years when I rebelled against Carlisle I went to Scotland and spent them with Lewis. We were never very tight friends, but I got friendly enough with him. When I finally returned to Carlisle, I lost all contact with him. I vaguely remembered him telling me that he moved. I didn't know he could move his house too.

I approached the door. I quickly noticed though, that there was an inch of dust on the porch. I lightly and swiftly pushed open the creaky front door. I took a brief tour of the house, looking for likely signs of living. I found none. There was just furniture and photos covered by ebony sheets. My heart twisted. Lewis hated black. There was no way he had left here willingly. But I couldn't find any more evidence that he had left her against his will. Lewis must have left this house a few years ago, two, at the very least.

As I was about to leave what used to be the kitchen, I spotted a tattered, yellowed letter taped to the dusty cupboard. I ripped it off and in my marble hands I began to read.

Mister Lewisson McKlewer

624 Southwest Midnight Avenue

Australia

November 18, 1998

To Mister Lewisson McKlewer,

We are displeased of your recent actions against the noble vampire community. This offends up to the highest extent, to us, the Volturi. Your actions were rash and childish, and must be stopped. Therefore, on the 20th of November in the year 1998, the Volturi shall have arrived at your house, 624 Southwest Avenue to execute you. We thoroughly regret this, but all the whole, it is necessary. Please be fully fed before we arrive. It is rather uncomfortable to deal with cranky and uncooperative vampires. You may decide to run, but remember Demetri. He will be able to sense you. He has your tenor, if you remember the instance from 1852. We assume you have not. We never give second chances anymore. Your previous debacle was your first chance. Now, you have no way out. We wish you a pleasant day. Thank you very much.

Regrets,

The Volturi:

Caius

Marcus

Aro

I leaned against the doorframe for a quiet moment before letting out a gusty breath. So he was killed. I pondered that thought. I determined that was probably the case. Why? Why was he killed? What did he do exactly to deserve death, eternal damnation? (That reminded me. Carlisle had this ludicrous idea that even vampires had an afterlife. I thought vampires did not have souls, so we were never going to have an afterlife. When we truly left our bodies, nothing ever would come from it.)

Maybe, just maybe, both Lewis and I were in the same situation. We both had someone we loved, they had been killed, or in my case, committed suicide. We had decided, since we could not live without them, that we should cease to exist. It is possible that Lewis exposed us, as I am planning to do. Maybe I wasn't the only crazy in love with a human vampire after all. That was slightly reassuring.

I put down the note. Reading it brought back the feelings for Bella and her death I had been desperately smothering and giving into. I crumbled, my being struck with remorse and undeniable suffering. I couldn't bear this pain.

I abruptly had this thought: what would killing myself actually do? How would this help me? I slowly came to the resolution that all I would be doing is ending my suffering and beginning my family's own. My family. Carlisle. Esme. Emmett. Rosalie. Alice. Jasper. Bella.

I argued with myself. Maybe I shouldn't go to the Volturi. It would hurt more than help. I could go on with my life, ahem, my existence, and pretend this never happened. But Bella was like the only reason for remaining on this Earth. Without her, I have no purpose, no right to be here. So, I must die. Wait, I could move to…to...China or Colorado or Texas or someplace else and start anew. Leave all my memories and feelings in Forks. I could do anything I wanted to. I could be an accountant, and interpreter, a teacher. Anything. I could find another person, a vampire this time, to fall in love with and live with forever.

No. I couldn't do that; the only person who ever made me fall in love was dead. I sighed sadly. I couldn't handle the suffering. Even watching my friends and enemies die during the influenza wasn't as bad as how I felt now. I had no choice, and to go to the Volturi. No matter what, I am a selfish, self-serving monster. No matter what Bella says. Said.

Bella. My sweet Bella. But wait, she's dead. If she is dead then I could be with her if I continue down this road. No. That's wrong. I'm eternally damned. I truly will never see her again. No matter how many times I tell myself that, I never feel better. We were too different for our own good.

I thought of what Alice was thinking. She was still thinking that Bella was alive, combined with several choice swear words. Then she shouted something about not making this scenario into a Romeo and Juliet ending. In Shakespeare's play, Juliet fakes her death, and Romeo, thinking she was dead, commits suicide. When Juliet realizes that her lover has killed himself, she kills himself too. Apparently, from what Alice was snarling at me, I was Romeo, and Bella, Juliet. Bu that was wrong. Bella was already dead. There was no hop left for her or me to live, as we were both dead. Well, me, soon to be stuck in the underworld for eternity.

Suddenly, my iPhone beeped. I checked the screen. It said that an earlier flight had come in, and it would be leaving in about an hour. I could get to the Volturi faster. I chuckled darkly. At least my pain would end soon enough.

I headed to the garage, expecting to find it empty. But, I found a dusty black Porsche that was probably Lewis'. It was funny how fate was aligning itself for me. It was as if the whole world was cheering for me to leave the Earth faster. Well, not counting the other Cullens. No one else actually ever seemed to care about me.

I opened the decrepit, rusty, garage door. I put the car reverse. Alice's thought randomly became more aggressive. She was more aggressively thinking than she ever thought. Ever. She was telling me I was making the stupidest mistake in my life. Well, she was wrong about that. The stupidest thing I have ever done was leave Bella in the first place. So, with Bella's face imprinted into my mind, I drove at full speed to the plane that would fly me to my death.