All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer
Dawn came all too soon and before I knew it we were back on the road. Edward was driving this time with Alice in the passenger seat. He seemed to drive much faster than Alice. I didn't like it. I learned the hard way to keep my eyes focused on the seat in front of me and to avoid looking out the windows. The first time I tried I became dizzy and nauseated. Not a good mix for a road trip.
I was lost in thought, truth be told, to be any kind of company. It seemed that's all I did lately. I always seemed to have more questions than answers. The answers I received always seemed to spur more questions. It was a frustrating cycle.
"Have you heard from the others?" I finally asked from the backseat.
"Yes." Edward replied simply.
When it was clear he was not going to elaborate I pressed on. "When? What did they say?"
"They called while you were sleeping. They had no new news."
"What do you mean, they had no news? They had to have said something. What about Charlie?" I insisted.
"Charlie is fine, Bella. They are keeping an eye on him."
"What about the tracker?" I demanded.
"Calm down Bella. They are still hunting him. They had nothing to report."
I was no longer tired. I felt anxious not knowing what was happening back home. I couldn't shake the feeling that Edward was editing again, that there was something he wasn't telling me. I was thankful when Edward finally pulled over at a rest stop for gas. I needed some fresh air and the opportunity to stretch my legs.
I clasped my hands together and stretched them high over my head as soon as I got out. I could hear the bones in my shoulders crack as I leaned from side to side.
"It feels good to be out of the car." Alice smiled.
I wasn't surprised to find her directly at my side. After the mall I expected it.
"Yeah. It does." I confirmed.
"Do you need anything inside?" She asked politely.
"Um…sure." I still wasn't completely comfortable around Alice, but I was beginning to learn to trust her.
We walked inside the rest stop and looked around the small store filled with the usual tacky trinkets one would find at any other rest stop. I was simply enjoying being able to walk again. I really didn't need anything much at all. I was still bothered by the conversation I had in the car with Edward about the phone call. I bit my lip as I glanced at Alice. She was a few feet away from me admiring silver plated state spoons. I couldn't imagine her buying any; they were simply something to look at.
"Um…Alice can I ask you something?" I asked tentatively.
"Sure Bella." She dropped the spoon in her hand back to the shelf and turned her attention to me.
I hesitated. "Would you tell me the truth, no matter what?" I had a feeling Edward's editing was due to his obsession to protect me. I was hoping Alice wouldn't be governed by the same drive.
"Yes, I will always tell you the truth."
I contemplated what she said for a few minutes. She looked sincere; it was worth a try.
"What did they really tell you on the phone last night?"
She pursed her lips. "Edward told you gist of it." She hedged.
"Please Alice? I know he was editing. I want to know the truth—everything."
She sighed. "He just doesn't want to worry you. You're stressed enough as it is."
"I'm not a child. I deserve to know." I insisted crossing my arms across my chest. I was starting to get angry.
"Fine. But he's not going to be happy I told you." I smiled as I waited for her to explain. "What Edward told you was true, there really was nothing new to report, and Charlie is being looked after. But…" She trailed off studying my face.
"Yes." I encouraged growing impatient.
She sighed. "But they lost the tracker somewhere outside of Portland. They are doubling back looking for his trail."
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing really. They just need to find him again. Nothing to worry about." She insisted as she took in my expression.
Though I tried to hide it I knew she could see the concern on my face. "What about the other two?"
She shook her head. "The female has been looking around town. The other male is missing too."
"Looking for what?"
"We don't know. But they're trailing her. She won't find anything that will lead her to you. You're safe here with us."
I nodded blankly, and I could feel my face drain. Safe. Yes, I was safe. I had run like a coward leaving everyone I love in danger. The female was out there looking for clues putting everyone around her in danger. What if she got hungry? What if she decided on a snack? What if she decided on Charlie, or Jessica, or Angela? How could I live with myself knowing that I had caused someone to get hurt because of me? If I had just stayed this wouldn't be happening. No one would be in danger. They would be safe.
"Did you find everything you needed?"
I jumped at the hand I felt on my shoulder and looked up to find Edward behind me. His smile faltered as he took in my face. He shared a loaded glance with Alice and I could swear I heard a small growl escape his lips.
Edward put his hand on the small of my back and led me back to the car. I got in robotically and the others followed shortly after.
"Everything will be fine Bella. You're safe, there's no reason to worry." He soothed as he pulled out of the rest area.
I nodded, but could not agree. I was suddenly very tired, and rolled up into a ball in the backseat with my back to them.
I couldn't stop thinking of my friends and the danger I had put them in, and so sleep escaped me. I sat up in my seat after only a few minutes bringing my legs to my chest. I wrapped my arms around me legs and laid the side of my head on my knees.
No one spoke for a long time. I was actually thankful for the silence. I was not in the mood to talk about anything.
Lunchtime came and they tried to get me to eat, but I just wasn't hungry. My stomach was twisted into knots. By evening Edward insisted on stopping so I could rest.
"Really Edward I'm fine. Keep driving. I couldn't sleep now even if I wanted. It'll just be a waste of time and money."
"You haven't eaten all day. You need a break. We've made good time today."
"I'm fine." I insisted one last time.
"We're stopping," was all he said. He was even more stubborn than me sometimes. I sighed giving up.
As we exited I was finally able to look around. Edward couldn't drive nearly as fast as before and it gave me the opportunity to take in my surroundings. It was very green, a lot like Forks, but there was brown too. Everything was just in bloom and it was very pretty.
"Where are we?" I asked as I looked around for a sign.
"New Hampshire."
"Wow." I couldn't think of anything else to say. In a little over two days I had traveled from one coast to the other.
"Will we be staying here a while?" I couldn't imagine needing to travel farther away. There wasn't much farther we could go.
"I'm not sure yet."
I didn't say anything else as I turned my attention back to looking out my window. We were in a city, but I could tell it wasn't very large. It didn't take long before I found myself in another hotel room. This one was not as nice as the one before but it was still far from any Best Western.
Immediately upon entering the room I went to the bedroom closing the door behind me. I curled up into a ball on the bed focusing on a painting on the wall. It was one of those generic watercolors one might find in any other hotel across the nation. I focused on trying to find different shapes within the many colors to distract myself from the present situation.
It could have been minutes or hours before I heard a soft knock at my door. I sat up slowly. "Come in."
"How are you doing?" Edward asked as he came into the room shutting the door behind him. He walked over to the bed and sat down beside me.
"I'm fine." My voice sounded flat.
"Would you like something to eat?"
I shook my head. "I'm not really hungry right now. Maybe later."
He nodded.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course." He cocked his head to the side.
"Can I talk to the others the next time they call?"
"Sure, if you like. I can't see where that would be a problem."
"Even if I'm sleeping, you'll wake me?"
The corners of his mouth turned down slightly, and I could tell he was not pleased with my request.
"Please. It's important to me. It will make me feel better. Please?" And it would make me feel better. Hearing for myself that everyone I loved was safe.
He looked torn; his eyes searched mine for a moment before he answered. "If it will make you feel better." He finally conceded.
"Thanks." A small smile crossed my lips.
"Is there anything else?"
I considered his question before answering. There still were many things about him I didn't know, and wanted to know.
"Well I am still curious about some things."
He grinned. "Always curious." He sighed sitting further back on the bed to better see me. "What are you curious about?"
"Well…don't laugh…but what about the sun, does it hurt you?"
Un-expectantly he threw his head back in laughter, startling me. I tried to frown at him but his laughter was too contagious and I found myself smiling.
"The sun does not hurt us, nor can garlic or wooden objects of any kind. But we still cannot go out in the sunlight, at least not where people can see us."
"Why not?"
He smirked. "I'll show you some time."
I ignored his evasiveness as another more pressing question came to me. "What does hurt…" I paused naturally shying away from saying what he was, "…someone like you?"
He sighed. "Not much. We are very hard like granite, virtually indestructible."
My brow creased. "Then how do you plan to stop the tracker if you can't hurt him?" Was I to run forever?
"I said we were virtually indestructible. There are ways to destroy my kind."
"How?"
I could tell he was not pleased with the way my questions were heading. His lips were set in a hard line and I could tell he was deciding if he wanted to answer me or not. I sat patiently at his side determined to get my answer. If he didn't tell me I would just ask Alice later.
"The only way to make sure is to rip them apart and burn the pieces." He answered quickly and I knew he would speak no more on the subject. I decided to leave it alone and change my line of questioning. I didn't want to push him too much.
"Well when you sleep…do you…I mean…in all the movies…" I trailed off hoping he would get where I was heading. I was pretty sure there were no coffins stored away in the trunk of the car.
He chuckled. "No, we do not need to sleep in coffins if that's what you're getting at." He looked away wistfully. "We can't sleep at all."
My eyes widened and I could feel my jaw drop slightly. "Never?"
"Never." He confirmed.
That explained why they always got hotel rooms with just one bedroom. I was the only one in need of a bed.
"What do you do at night then?"
His eyes flashed back to my face and I saw something there I couldn't quite identify—embarrassment—chagrin maybe? I wasn't sure. The look was gone before I could see it clearly.
"Nothing much." He answered almost too quickly. His eyes were wide and innocent, almost too innocent. I was about to call him on it when he abruptly got up.
"You must be getting hungry. Why don't you shower? I'll order you something to eat while you clean up. We can talk more later if you still want to."
He was hiding something that was clear, but I had no idea what it could be. I decided to take his advice and shower. There would be time later to get more answers.