Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any of its affiliates; they are the sole property of Stephanie Myer and always will be.

This story is set in an Alternate Universe.

ECHOES OF THE SOUL

Chapter Five

We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan; and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence.
 – Joseph Roux

The sands of time seemed to speed along more rapidly all of the sudden, and before she even knew it, Bella was saying goodbye to yet another three years, and goodbye to the young boy called Edward. For the handsome, little tyke she had befriended at ten had grown dramatically in the six short years that they had known one another. Oh but how he had changed.

From a messy corner of the room, next to the dusty, unused collection of classical music and sweet lullabies, a young girl of ten watched the goings-on of the teenager that inhabited the room with solemn eyes. Her eyes remained strangely dry though profoundly sad, as she watched the young man of sixteen years sleep peacefully in his bed, hair in wild disarray and limbs sprawled across the sheets comically.

Was it only a few months ago that Bella would have looked on with an amused smile, ready to tease Edward the minute he awoke. She could still imagine the sheepish, bleary look he would always send her way, before he rubbed the burgeoning stubble on his lip and got up. Bella had learned to cherish these moments, because they had slowly grown less and less; so much so that the doe-eyed girl had tried to prepare herself for this moment as best she could, but there was nothing she could do to ward off the devastation that his actions would ultimately cause her because she loved him, and she had promised.

She had promised to love him forever.

Somewhere in the midst of her dismal thoughts, Edward had gotten out of his bed and showered, shrugging into a shirt and pants; pulling both from a pile on the floor that Elizabeth Masen had long ago asked him to remove. In typical teenage fashion though, Edward ignored her, for it seemed that even he was not immune to the disease that took hold of young children through puberty and made them become self-absorbed, disrespectful brats.

A shrill ring echoed throughout the silent room, one not unlike that of Rosalie Hale's of six years ago, and Edward flicked open his cell phone with a grin at the caller's name, one hand ruffling his already perfectly dishevelled mess of auburn locks. Bella listened to his voice as Edward chatted with his friend, Alec; the little brunette's heart both racing and aching simultaneously at the sound of his voice. Edward's once childishly soft voice had broken near his fourteenth birthday, deepening until it was deep and husky.

A slam awoke Bella from her ever wandering thoughts just in time to see Edward making an overly dramatic exit; the door he had meant to close crashing against the hinges and swinging back open, giving Bella one last glance had the fast moving teen. His low voice running about a mile a minute as Edward spoke excitedly into the buttoned electronic that was clenched tightly in his fist, Bella's view of the young man disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. In a flash of bronzed, mussed hair and tanned, tawny skin; a flicker of jade green and a wide, enthused smile, and then he was gone.

In the background Bella could hear Elizabeth shouting something out to her wayward son, and the shuddering of the front door on its hinges as Edward undoubtedly slammed it as well, but it was not until she heard the unmistakeable sound of a car revving violently and a horn beeping that she ever returned to reality. Standing by the window, the petite girl in a yellow sundress watched quietly as Edward leapt into the large jeep and greeted his gang of friends with raucous laughter and bumped fists. The unreadable expression on the girl's face did not change.

Untouched utterly by the hand of the time, the eternal ten year old watched on as the shiny black jeep's engine revved and its tires screeched against the tarmac as it disappeared in a kick of dust, the arms of its occupants dangling from various windows and their loud whoops and calls carrying on the morning wind.

It was only when the jeep became but a black smear in her vision that Bella finally released the iron clad hold that she had on her emotions. In a second, despair and emptiness filling the small brunette until she was overwhelmed and nearly distraught; but no matter how much her feelings burned and roiled inside of her, bone dry eyes remained on her pale face. Her tear ducts seemed to protest, as if they could not bear to shed anymore tears over such a boy.

Edward Masen.

Once a wiry, somewhat awkward ten year old and her childhood friend had become a toned, and exceedingly tall teenager of sixteen years with glowing jade eyes, a sex-ridden smile and hard, wiry muscles. Not to mention that his perpetually messy locks were now in fashion as 'sex hair.' Edward towered over Bella's tiny four foot three as he was now easily six feet tall, and as time had gone by, Bella had known that he often had overlooked her presence in his room. She had felt his dwindling interest in his childhood friend; she had cried over the ease he had as he moved into the world, uncaring that he would start to leave her behind. And then today it had happened.

Edward Masen had finally forgotten all about her.

Bella had always known, right from the moment that she had first spoken to the boy and he had answered, that the world with its allure would slowly, but ever so surely, pull him from her; and over the last two years, she had seen it beginning. He started growing progressively distant, immersing himself in the real world of teenage life with all his perks and pitfalls. It had started with a casual dater here and there, until Edward quickly grew a reputation of being the it-guy at school; taking out various girls every weekend and often on school nights as well. Soon that chats she and Edward had once shared were replaced with dates and phone calls other girls his age.

There was that incident a year ago that Edward closed his piano lid shut for the last time and never opened it again; an action that had resulted in more than a few screaming matched with his parents about giving up such a talent and the values of commitment, all of which the auburn-haired teen had promptly ignored. Now a sheet covered the sleek baby grand that Edward had once cherished and prized above all else; the same black piano that had drawn that music-adoring brunette to him in the first place.

Instead of finetuning his obvious talent as a pianist, Edward sadly caved to conformity and instead chose to join the school's basketball team, slowly clawing his way through the ranks until he was named team captain. Instead of becoming the world famous pianist and attending Julliard like he had once dreamed, Edward Masen's sole ambition at sixteen was to play ball and hopefully win a scholarship to play college basketball.

And yet, even with all that, Edward had never forgotten about her. It was true that they were not as close had they had once been, not by far, but he had always remembered her. Though she was of course saddened that the long talks and comfortable time that they had once spent in each other's presence had ended; and she definitely despaired when akin to his tossed aside piano, the winsome little brunette was often pushed aside in favour of a date, or for a game or just an afternoon hanging out with friends... but Edward always acknowledged her and found some time for her, even if it was just a minute or two after he awoke.

And then Bree had entered the picture.

Though she had yet to actually meet, or see the girl in person, Bella was well aware of who Bree was and exactly what Bree looked like; the numerous pictures that had migrated to Edward's bedroom and now littered most every surface of his room ensuring that. She had spent hours while Edward was away, off doing something with someone that was not Bella, just staring at the photos. If only to pass the boring, empty hours, the ten year old had analysed the pictures; memorizing every detail the photos contained.

Bree Cornet was quite a pretty girl, not beautiful in a typical way, but there was something about her that stood out in a way that could not quite be explained. Something that was intriguing about her, a quality that caught the eye effortlessly. Her hair was dark, not quite red not quite black, but a shade between the two, and her almond shaped eyes were by far the darkest green that Bella had ever seen in her lifetime. Her skin was creamy shade of white despite the near constant sunshine and a small beauty spot adorned the corner of her left cheek. Her features were defined, yet delicate; almost as like porcelain and she had the tiniest frame, making her appear much more delicate than she actually was, if Edward's tales were anything to go by.

The pair had been tentative at first, Bree was new to the school and not really outgoing by nature, and Edward was still struggling under the weight of his friend's expectations; someone so in demand like the auburn-haired jock, should not be tied down to a single girl. Through many weeks of casual dates and incessant flirting, it seemed both Edward and Bree had gained the courage to make a real go of the relationship, much to the disappointment of many girls in the school.

From what Bella understood though, the tension had eased and if the increasingly long and often nauseatingly sweet phone calls were any indication, the relationship had soon been accepted by most. Bella, however, was incredibly torn.

The serious talks over the futures and dreams and adulthood lingered far longer in her head than she wished, her brain mulling over the facts until they had been drummed in; Edward would leave for college in a few short years, he would get a job and most likely get married, possibly to Bree and settle down somewhere. Somewhere that was not here.

The mere thought of it tore at the young brunette tender heart, and yet she had told herself from day one that this would happen; it had always been inevitable. Yet, she had been caught completely unaware by how much it would hurt her to lose him; Edward had wormed his way into her heart and taken hold.

With every little step that her once friend took towards that exciting future; to the big, new world... Edward was forced to take one step away from her. It should have been obvious days ago that the end had come, but she had stubbornly clung to the last vestiges of her hope; a hope that was rabidly dwindling with every passing second. He had not bothered or even stopped to acknowledge her before he ran off to face the day, though she had dearly wished he would just remember.

Alas, it was not to be, and the small brunette with wide brown eyes sat on the abandoned, sheet-covered piano without a tear; there was such emptiness inside of her. The desk-top calendar sat mockingly by Edward's bed, heralding the fact that it had been a week since Edward has last noticed her; had spared more than a fleeting glance in her direction, though she had made it her mission never to leave his side whilst he was inside the house. No, the day had come like she had expected it would.

Edward had utterly forgotten she existed.

A few days passed since the time that a young girl with brown hair and a yellow dress had learnt that her only friend in the world had forgotten and discarded her, but despite all that, she stayed in that room of so many memories. To keep a promise she had made long ago to a boy she had loved ever so dearly.

Down the stairs, the front door opened noisily as Edward bounded into the house, a goofy smile all but splitting his face in two. Elizabeth took in the lovesick look on her son's face and her smile also widened, especially after he hugged her tightly and greeted her warmly. Edward had been in high spirits for a while lately, but this was something else entirely; he was positively blooming.

Long legs making short work of the spiralling staircase, Edward reflected on his top of the world life at the present. He felt as light as a cloud, everything was perfect. He had a beautiful and stunning girlfriend that was the envy of all the other boys, he was captain of the basketball team who had just been scouted and would most likely get a scholarship offer, and he still managed to maintain an A average in school.

And his girlfriend has said she loved him today.

Warmth fill the jade-eyed teenager's chest at the mere memory of the fact; it had been a perfectly normal day until Bree had accidently whispered that she loved him in his ear, immediately blushing red at her actions. Yet after some talk and many reassurances that he too returned the feeling, both of the sixteen year olds were content in the knowledge that they cared for one another equally, and suddenly there was a closeness there that had not been there before.

Overwhelmed with everything, Edward slammed open his door, wanting to inform his childhood friend of the occasion, secure in the knowledge that Bella would be as happy as he was. Hair ruffled and eye alight with delight, Edward called for his little brunette friend, "Bella!"

Instead of the softly spoken reply that Edward had grown accustomed to, only silence and emptiness were his reply; the petite little girl nowhere to be found inside the messy, cluttered room. Edward's jaw closed with an audible 'clack' as he stared confusedly about the seemingly unoccupied room, and after a few minutes, he was left with the startling conclusion that his bedroom was indeed as empty as it appeared.

Hand raking through his hair, Edward's expression grew pensive and he moved to sit on the end of his bed, head slightly cocked to one side, in a pose not unlike that of his missing companion. No matter how hard he looked back or how far, Edward could not remember a single time when this had happened before. His Bella was always here in his bedroom and he had found immeasurable comfort in the fact that she chose not to leave. Something within him warmed when he knew that she would be here, reading on his bed or listening in pleasure to the sounds of Chopin and Mozart; sometimes she would just rest there peacefully, and other times she would play around with his piano, incapable of true talent but determined nonetheless.

And yet Bella was nowhere to be seen.

Huffing slightly, Edward stretched out on his comforter and stared up at the bare ceiling, lost in his thoughts; Bella had been his constant companion these last six years, and if he could admit it to even himself, Edward was a little more than worried about what could have possibly happened to the girl to make her leave after such a long time.

A soft chiming ring captured the youth's attention though and as he reached for his cell phone and recognized who was calling him; the concern and worry of only moments before, dissipated. Bella was most likely just entertaining herself in another part of the house, Edward mused, for his room must have gotten the tiniest bit boring after six years. Shrugging, the auburn-haired young man nodded in satisfaction; yes, she was just in another part of the house and would be back soon. He would talk to her ton-

The sweet sound of his Bree's soft voice deftly eliminated any other thoughts from Edward's mind, including that of his missing Bella, as he was swept away with a mix of trivial and deep discussions with his steady girlfriend. Effortlessly, Edward Masen was lost to the world of pretty girls, and adult lives, leaving a forlorn little girl watching on the sidelines.

There across the room, from her precarious perch on Edward's covered and abandoned piano, Bella gazed upon the scene with shadowed eyes. Her heart had lifted a little when her friend had searched for her with a bewildered look in his eyes, but it shattered when the mere thought of talking with Bree emptied his mind of anything else. Resigned, Bella was forced to accept what had happened; for even if Edward had not been distracted, he had not seen her in the first place.

His gaze had run right through her, unseeing.

This was not her Edward anymore; her Edward was a small eleven year old that would spend more than a few painstaking hours to look for her when she had disappeared one winter night, only to find her resting by the fireplace, curled up tightly as she watched the dancing red flames. The look of utter relief on his face that winter night had warmed her far better than any fire ever could have, but now Bella felt as if she had been carved from a block of ice. She was barely a memory to her Edward now, a mere echo in his mind; nothing else in the world could have made her heart clench as utterly as it did at that notion.

The little brunette had pledged herself to his side, and had stayed there for faithfully for six years now, attending to his every worry, hurt or confusion. And just when she needed him the most; needed him to comfort her broken heart and dispel her fear, Edward had forgotten her completely, too wrapped up in his own self-obsessed world to even notice her pain, her suffering.

"I love you, Bree."

The soft velvety promise was as sweet and tender as Bella had imagined it would be, but it was not meant for her ears, or for her heart. It was meant for another, one who could grow and change and live in the world by his side. But, oh how she could remember what it was like for him to say her name like that; like she was the most important thing in his entire universe.

Forlornly, Bella had only the memories of that day three years ago; that awkward day when Edward had confessed his crush and Bella had to let him down. That day when his childish feelings had grown and become something all the more tangible; the day that Edward has declared with stutter or fear, that he would always love her.

And yet, not even his sincerity that day had survived the test of time; those words easily lost in the maelstrom of his adolescence, those promised words worn down and soon forgotten. He changed, and with it, so did Edward's emotions. He would not always love her... as of now, he did not even remember or know her. Soon she would be nothing more than a vague recollection that he would barely be able to recall; and elusive memory of something that had touched him, and of something he had let go. All this, and to her, Edward Masen would be nearly everything to her for as long as she continued to exist.

Unable to hold back any longer, hot salty tears spilt over her cheeks without restraint as the little girl of ten hugged her knees even closer to her heaving chest, hoping in vain that the effort would in some stop her from breaking like a dropped glass into a million, broken shards. Falling apart without abandon, Bella sobbed loudly, her agonized cried going unheard by the youth across the room; the one chatting enthusiastically to his girlfriend and after that, to his guy friends.

Edward was utterly oblivious to the fact that his once closest companion had fallen to pieces on his now abandoned baby grand piano, her tear littering the floor in a pattern of little teardrops. Arms wrapping even tighter around her knees, Bella was unaware that her efforts to hold herself together had let her buttery yellow sundress rise slightly, and for her stockings to sag just enough to reveal a disturbing, and forever unobserved sight.

Against soft tanned skin, dark purpling bruises marred the supple limbs of the petite brunette; her legs and lower thighs covered in a myriad of ugly blue-black marks that if one only looked closely enough, could easily tell resembled the shape of human hands; of large palms and harsh fingers.

On that abandoned piano, her infinite tears went unseen.