Chapter 16: The Hike

"I don't want to talk about it," I grumbled in a diminished tone to Ary, whom I had found sitting in my rocking chair when I got home. After making a fool out of myself during dinner with Eric, the last thing I needed was Ary poking fun at my misery. So, when she pleaded for details, I gave her a definitive "no."

The last thing I wanted was to live through the past few hours of my life. My biggest fear was that I would have a meltdown and embarrass myself. Not only did I do that, but I managed to damage the evening, without any chance of salvaging it, by calling Eric 'Edward'. An angry groan slipped through my lips as I thought about it even more.

"Oh, come on," Ary pleaded as I shook off my jacket and hung it in the closet, wincing as I caught Eric's elegant scent still clinging to the fabric. When I turned around, she was a few feet from me, smiling in a beseeching manner. "Please?"

I stalked over to my bed and, before shoving a pillow over my head, hissed, "No."

I just wanted to crawl into a hole and never appear again. The way Eric had looked, when he dropped me off, was enough to shatter me; he was dejected and completely disappointed.

"Why not?" Ary lifted the pillow away from my face and gave me a sideways grin.

"Because you'll make fun of me," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest and turned my head sideways, so I couldn't look at her. I remembered how she had poked fun at us going on a date to begin with, I somehow knew she'd find humor in my suffering.

With a heavy sigh, Ary laid her body beside me, so my brown eyes met her bright blue ones. "As your friend, Bella, I'll be as understanding as you need me to be."

I chewed softly on my bottom lip, debating on whether I should break my resolute attitude and divulge the embarrassing events of the night. Ary had always appeared to make light of my issues, however she was also my best friend. She and I had already confided in each other so much, it would be pointless to stop now. So, with a hesitant sigh, I opened up.

"Eric and I kissed tonight," I said slowly and Ary nodded, indicating that I continue. "I accidently called him Edward." I immediately lowered my eyes, ashamed by my own actions and felt a hot flush run across my cheeks.

When my gaze rose, I rolled my eyes and propped myself up in an angry huff.

Ary was trying her hardest to suppress the obvious laughter building up inside of her. Her eyes were closed tight, her lips were buckled, and her body was heaving due to the silent chuckles. My irritation inflamed as I watched her roll from side to side. After a solid minute of her silent revelry, I finally cracked.

"Oh, will you just let it out already?" I demanded and crossed my arms tightly at my chest.

Ary, taking my advice willingly, rolled off the bed and hit the ground with a surprisingly thump. She appeared unfazed by the fall though, then began laughing hysterically and kicking the ground softly. Her golden chuckles were infectious and I found it impossible to stay upset while she writhed on the floor.

Ary sat up after a few additional moments, and inhaled deeply, before looking up at me. "Oh, that's awkward."

"You think?" I asked with arched eyebrows and let my head fall into my hands. "I'm so embarrassed; I can't believe I did that to him."

With a fluid grace, Ary pressed her hands on the ground and was instantly standing upright. She sighed and shook her head at me. "Bella, believe me, Eric's not mad at you."

"How do you know?" I asked, insinuating that she had yet to see her brother. If she's been waiting for me to get home, how does she know he's not mad?

"Because I know my brother." She gave me a pointed stare before continuing. "Look, I'm positive his pride's hurting right now, and, to be honest, he deserves it."

"But I don't want his pride to be hurt," I griped and rubbed my temples, feeling a headache beginning to form. Eric had been so wonderful since he'd come back from his hunting trip with Argos; he'd started treating me like a person instead of a piece of meat, and he went out of his way to arrange the perfect date. I heaved a sigh and let myself sink back into my depression, knowing that he had every right to be mad at me.

"Bella." Ary's voice surprised me by taking a sharp turn, and when I glanced up, she was looking at me sternly. "You have no idea how much irony Eric's feeling right now. I feel no shame in admitting he's probably done the same thing to other humans in the past. He's getting a taste of his own medicine, and he doesn't like it."

I said nothing in response, only nodded my head in acknowledgement. Nothing Ary was saying was having any positive effect on my mood, and I think it was apparent on my face, because she exhaled heavily before resting her hands on my shoulders.

"You did nothing wrong." Her blue eyes looked sad and pleading as she stared at me. "If Eric thinks that all the demons of your past can be assuaged with one date—then he's a bigger idiot than I thought he was."

Edward's face inadvertently floated into my mind, and a sharp stabbing pain followed soon after, as the hole ripped open wider than in a long time. I sucked in a mouthful of breath, and gripped my stomach tightly, just before my vision went blurry. Despite the agonizing torture, Edward's smiling visage stayed permanently pressed in the front of my mind, glowing more brilliant with each passing second.

With a sigh of resignation, I let myself be overcome with the pain, loneliness, and longing—just so I could spend a little time with what was left of Edward.

It'll be like I never existed.

A dark chuckle slipped through my lips while I reveled in the absurdity of his statement. Edward was foolish if he thought I would succumb and forget him with the passage of time. I could see my future without needing Alice; I would spend my life loving Edward until the day I died. That was quickly becoming a certainty.

My image of Edward became muddled, like someone running their hand through calm water, and, before I could make an attempt to find him again, another image replaced it.

An equally handsome, smiling face took Edward's place, and I was only aware of the absence of pain. The ache in my chest was dull. All that

remained of the pain was a few twinges, which were dissipating quickly. As I stared at Eric in my thoughts, a smile spread across my face.

"Are you all right?" I jumped and yelped a little, having forgotten that Ary was still there, and was immediately embarrassed for zoning out in front of my friend. She had come clean that she basically did the same thing, about her estranged husband Lazarus, but I wasn't sure if that entitled me to go off whenever I felt like it.

"Yeah," I muttered and lowered my head. "Sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for." Ary shook her head but then glanced outside with a distant look. "I really should be going though. I wanted to talk with you before I left, but I've idled for far too long."

"Before you…what?"

She hung her head sheepishly and nodded, looking at me through her eyelashes. The light from the window caught her eyes, and they began to glow a dim blue. A shiver ran through me and I diverted my eyes, not wanting anymore memories to surface.

"I have to leave earlier than expected, Bella." Her entire face cringed as she said this, and I couldn't help suspect she didn't want to leave at all, but was forced to. "Certain events have forced me to."

"What events?" I quirked an eyebrow at her.

"It's not important," she said and rose from the bed, no emotion betraying her voice.

I rolled my eyes and huffed a little bit, agitated by the continuous vague answers she gave me. "Typical Ary answer."

She paused and turned over her shoulder, giving me a soft smile, before heading to the open window. After crouching on the ground, she propelled forward through the open window and into the dead of night. I was immediately on my feet, running to the window to get a last glimpse of her. However, as I looked into the darkness, all I could make out were the eerie shadows of the forest around me. I sighed with disappointment, feeling the loneliness began to crash around me, and shut the window.

My alarm chirped loudly, rousing me from a deep slumber, and I rubbed my eyes angrily. The sun was barely on the horizon, slipping a casual amount of light in on my bedroom. The chill of the night was still clinging to the inside of the room, and I shuddered while moving to the closet.

I groaned internally, while slipping on my clothes, thinking about the awkward torture I was being subjected to. Why on Earth had Ary agreed to hang out with my human friends? Moreover, why had she bailed on me last minute? With her around, I would at least have someone who I actually had something in common with to talk to.

Jessica and I, though we got along, never really had much in common. We had been semi-close when I had first started school in Forks, but I had a sneaking suspicion that it was only because she wanted a popularity boost. Jessica had recently been spending vast amounts of time with Lauren, or so I suspected, because I had seen them walking and giggling more and more. It didn't bother me; despite her hating me, Lauren filled a place that I never could.

After I changed and moved to the bathroom, I couldn't help but wonder if I would be subjected to this trip alone. After all, some of the other McRaes would be subjected to this trip alone. After all, some of the other McRaes had appeared to agree with Ary. Maybe, I wouldn't be in this thing alone. Even if Ira and Dante, the two I talked to the least, were there then I'd feel better.

After an hour or so, I headed out into cloudy, surprisingly rainless weather. There was an icy touch to the wind, and as it blew harder, I quickened my step to get to my truck. I briefly appraised the empty space beside my truck in the driveway. Charlie had still been gone by the time Eric dropped me off last night, and I couldn't help but wonder where he was.

I knew he'd worry if he came home and found me missing, so I pulled a piece of paper from my glove box and scribbled a note for him. Five minutes later, with the message on the door and my truck properly warmed up, I headed over to Newton's shop, trying not to imagine the looks I would get from all of my old friends.

I pulled into the parking lot of the sports store, and immediately saw the group, shivering beside Tyler's van. My eyes panned through the sparse parking lot and I cringed, not seeing any of the McRaes vehicles. Looks like I'm on my own.

I climbed out of my truck and the whispers started immediately. Lauren and Jessica's mouths almost hit the floor, but they quickly recovered andmelted into gazes of disgust. Angela smiled and waved at me from Ben Cheney's side, and I made a small decision to stick with them for the trip.

"Hey, Bella!" Tyler ran up to me and I gave him my best smile. His face faltered a bit, probably after seeing Ary wasn't with me, and he tried to hide his disappointment. He didn't do a very good job. "Oh, so I guess the McRaes opted out?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't talked to them today."

He nodded and smiled ruefully, but before he could say anything his eyes narrowed. "Is that them?"

I didn't mean to turn around so quickly, but I did, and almost found myself on the pavement. The ground was covered sporadically with patches of ice, which didn't work in my uncoordinated favor. As soon as I shifted, my feet fell out from under me, and I tumbled towards the earth. Tyler reached out and caught my flailing body, which almost knocked him over as well, and we both stared at what was coming.

A huge black pickup truck, much newer than my monster, was driving towards us. The paint shined brightly in the dark hues of the morning light, and the license plate was blank. As it pulled to a stop in front of Tyler and I, the window rolled down revealing a pair of familiar green eyes.

"Argos." I breathed a sigh of relief, no longer feeling alone.

He grinned and, before he could speak, Melena's head popped over his shoulder and beamed at me.

"Good morning, Bella," she mused and whispered in her husband's ear, which earned her a soft smile from the massive Argos. He parked the truck where it stood, and opened the door, letting Melena spill from the inside of the vehicle.

My arms wrapped around her cold hard frame, squeezing her as hard as I could. She giggled and embraced me in return.

"Are you all right?" She whispered in my ear.

"I'm just so glad you're both here." My voice was quivering and I pulled away, feeling the embarrassment flush through me.

"We're not the only ones," she said with a mischievous look in her eyes and turned back to the truck. I shifted in time to see Dante and Ira exit on the other side, smiling from ear to ear.

My entire body, tense up until now, relaxed fully and I couldn't help the toothy grin that exploded across my face. True, I missed Ary and wished with all my heart that she was here, but having Melena and the others here was just as good.

"Hey, it's great to see you guys." Tyler materialized beside me and immediately cringed as his eyes fell on Argos. "Hi, I don't think I've met you before."

"Tyler, this is Argos," Melena beamed and rested her hand on Argos's massive chest. "Argos, this is Tyler, he goes to school with me."

"It's nice to meet you," Argos said and seized Tyler's hand in his massive grip.

I tilted my head in confusion; Argos's accent seemed diminished as he greeted Tyler. He sounded like a normal American. Remembering that Carlisle had lost his English accent over time, told me that he probably had control over it so he could blend in.

"Awesome. So, is everyone here?" Tyler shoved his hands in his pockets and I knew immediately what he was trying to say. Is Aryana coming?

Apparently, so did Melena. "Aryana extends her apology," Melena said sweetly and rested her hand on Tyler's shoulder. "She had to run to Port Angeles for a few necessities."

It was a plausible enough excuse, so Tyler took it without questioning what Ary could need in Port Angeles that she couldn't find here in Forks.

So, without much delay, everyone began piling into Mike's mom's minivan. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that everyone wasn't going to fit—especially not Argos. So the McRaes offered to take their truck to La Push, which everyone immediately agreed to. Knowing my friends, they wanted to start gossiping as soon as possible.

"Hey Bella," Mike called to me as I was moving beside Melena to the truck. "We got room for one more."

I smiled to cover my disappointment and, after throwing a look of sadness at Melena, jogged back to my human friends. As soon as they shut the van door, they were all over me.

"Are Melena and that big guy dating?" Jessica asked with a look of haughty disbelief on her face.

"As far as I know," I said and shrugged, trying to feign some level of ignorance. I somehow knew it wouldn't work though, I had openly spent so much time with the McRaes, they would know I'd knew a lot more.

"Wait." Eric Yorkie held his hands up beside me, lips arched in what looked like revulsion. "Don't they live together? That's gross, and he has to be like ten years older than her."

I snickered, knowing that the real age difference would shock and disturb them.

"So where did they come from?" Eric asked.

"Sudbury," I said without looking at any of them. "Up in Ontario."

"Are they all really dating?" Jessica just couldn't get off that subject.

"Look guys," I said with an apologetic grimace. "I really don't feel comfortable talking about them behind their backs."

"It's not like they'll know," Jessica said and laughed a little. "They're in another car."

I turned over my shoulder to stare at the truck behind us, and I thought I could see the McRaes laughing, but it was hard to tell with the tinted windows. I simply shrugged and went silent, not wanting to spill anything they didn't want the humans to know.

"Does anyone else notice the creepy similarities between the McRaes and the Cullens?" Lauren asked from the front seat, not looking back to the group.

Everyone's eyes turned to me, a mixture of wariness and curiosity, and I simply shrugged. It wouldn't surprise me if the entire school knew about my being lost in the woods after Edward left. They more than likely expected me to have a breakdown, and to be honest, I was astounded that I didn't.

"I don't know guys," Tyler said, surprising me as he covered up for the McRaes unknowingly. "Did the Cullens ever hang out with us?"

They all agreed begrudgingly, and the van quickly fell silent. The trip to La Push seemed to take a lot less time than I remembered; then again, I was deep in thought. Part of me wondered if I'd see Jacob Black again. It had been about six months since I'd last seen him. I secretly owed him a great deal; without his unknowing assistance I would never have figured out what Edward and the Cullens were.

"We're here!" Mike announced and broke me from my internal revelry. My neck snapped back and I sighed with relief as I saw Argos's truck stop and park behind them. As soon as the doors of the van swung open, I was out and at Melena's side immediately.

Jessica and Lauren gave her a snide look before retreating beside Mike and Tyler, who were too busy fighting over the map to really acknowledge them. I took the opportune moment to question Melena about something that was bothering her still.

"Hey, where's Eric?" A deep sinking feeling had formed in my stomach since she noticed he was not in the truck with them.

"He's working with Avarice today." Melena's answer was stiff and a bit robotic, which put me on alert. Whenever one of the Cullens had acted like this, it normally meant trouble. But before I could ask any more questions, Mike cheerfully began leading everyone into the cluster of woods surrounding them.

An hour later found our group sitting in a tight circle, while Tyler and Mike both fought over the compass and which way they should take. The girls were all complaining about their feet hurting and fearing that they were lost, never to be found. Melena and I were leaning beside a fallen tree, chuckling softly at their complaining.

I rolled my eyes, as Jessica started talking about starting up a wilderness village, and turned to Melena. "We're not lost, are we?"

"Of course not," she whispered with a chipper laugh. "We're a mile and a half away from where we started, I can smell the cars and…"

All of a sudden Melena stopped speaking and her mouth tightened into a fine line. Her neck shot up as the wind changed, and her eyes narrowed while she inhaled deeply.

"What is it?" I asked curiously, noticing the distinct change in her demeanor. My eyes wandered around the surrounding forest, but I couldn't see anything.

"We need to break away from the group," she whispered and stood up, motioning to Argos, Ira, and Dante before speaking louder. "If you don't mind, we're going to go see if we can find a familiar trail."

"That's a good idea," Eric Yorkie agreed and nodded. "We should spread out and take a look around."

The girls groaned, not wanting to move from their spot, but as soon as the guys started moving, they jumped right up. My head whipped around as Melena's hand formed a vice on my upper arm, pulling me in the opposite direction.

"We'll go this way," Melena pointed in one direction and started moving, dragging me behind her, while the other McRaes joined our side. "Yell if you find something."

"You got it!" Mike called to us, but I could hardly recognize his voice.

"Pree quay notre mas?" Argos spoke the strangest language, with no discernable words that I could understand. However, given the urgency behind his voice, I didn't press them.

"Cam layza," Melena responded and gripped my arm even tighter, almost forming a tourniquet. "Bella, I want you to listen to me and follow every instruction I give. Do not leave my side, and try to keep up."

"What's going on?" I asked, a shiver running through me as we moved into a darker part of the forest.

"We'll tell you later," she insisted and moved a little faster, making me stumble on a big rock. "Right now, I need you to keep quiet."

My body trembled and my heart thudded heavily as we moved through the trees effortlessly. I looked to the side and noticed that Argos, Dante, and Ira were no longer with us. Melena and I were traveling alone through the La Push forest, and I had the sneaking suspicion that we were being watched. There were soft crunches, the sound of crushing leaves, filling the silence, which sounded too far away to belong to us.

My eyes scoured around, wanting to see if we were anywhere near the truck, and if I could see what had become of the rest of the McRaes, but I was only met with the dense forest. Melena pulled me quicker and, as my eyes tried to focus on where I was going, I slipped and tumbled to the ground.

I rubbed my ankle and lifted myself up, however, as I tried to stand up, my gaze turned to the left and I saw a black blur moving through the forest. My mouth fell slack as my eyes narrowed at the suspicious object moving through the trees. It was massive and furry, with a figure that almost looked like a bear.

"'Melena, what was—"

Before I could finish, Melena hoisted me on her back and rushed, at vampire speed, through the forest. Her feet barely touched the floor as she sprinted through the foliage. My hands clasped tightly around her neck and my heart beat furiously within my chest. Without really thinking, I turned my head and glanced behind us, and what I saw made me gasp.

There were three large creatures, about the size of horses, trailing a few yards behind us, snarling viciously and growling. The sight of them made me squeeze tighter and hide my face in Melena's hair. Despite her sweet scent flowing over me, my anxiety couldn't be assuaged. Images flashed through my mind of the time Edward had carried me on his back. The pain flared in my chest, but one glance behind me and my fear overrode the agony within me.

We broke through a line of trees and found ourselves in a clearing, open from any overhanging trees. I was reminded of the fateful night on the baseball field with the Cullens, however this field was covered with dead grass and a few dead sticks.

Once we reached the opposite side, Melena tossed her shoulders, sending me tumbling to the ground. The seat of my pants hit the ground with a soft thud, and I looked up at Melena. A deafening howl cut through the air and I tried to stand up.

"Stay there," Melena ordered and I started to demand what was going on, but a guttural snarl cut through my question. I shifted and peered beyond Melena and shuddered in horror at the sight before me.