Whew, it's been too long since I updated. *dodges pitchforks, knives and other sharp objects being hurled at me* I tried to upload this before, but it didn't seem to work. I'M SO SORRY, but this one was kinda hard to write, though I'm not entirly sure why...
Okay, THANK YOU so much for the phenomenal response to my A/N. I have pretty much decided what to do about Jacob now... but I'm not gonna tell you. You'll have to wait and see *evil laugh*. The school thing was really helpful, as I don't have a clue, so thank you all.
ALSO, if you like my writing, and want to read some of my original work, head on over to my FictionPress account. The link is on my profile, and I DO accept anonymous reviews.
The last song was, of course, Material Girl by Madonna, and well done to those who got it. Kenzie, tiggerlover1971, bananahzz, Lizabeff, edwardmasenlover, Caroline S and Jessluvsharry (show off) got it right. If I missed someone out, or spelt your name wrong, let me know and I'll fix it ASAP. This one is very difficullt, but I assure you, it is there!
Disclaimer: Me: Huh.
Jasper: Emma, why do you feel so down?
Me: I was on the internet...
Jasper: You're always on the internet. Please, tell me something that isn't obvious.
Me: And I discovered that you guys are property of someone called 'Stephenie Meyer'.
Jasper: Huh. That's funny. I'm sure I've never heard of her. You'd think I'd have heard of my own creator.
Rabidfangirls: YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF SM?? OMC!
Me&Jasper: AHHHH FANGIRLS! RUN AWAY!
While we are being chased by the rabid fangirls, you guys can read the next chapter!
Leaving behind
Jasper
Alice was hiding something from me. I knew that much, but she refused to tell me the nature of it, much less what it was. I didn't know if it was a vision, if another human had taken it into their heads to try and seduce her, or if her favourite shop had closed. But whatever it was, it was distracting her thoroughly and constantly. She was even attempting to keep her emotions in check, which was unusual for Alice.
Edward and I had spoken about it; he had noticed that there was something off in her thoughts – she was constantly shielding herself. His emotions were mildly disgusted at that point, and I thought that it was probably better if I didn't know what she was thinking about. He probably wouldn't tell me if I asked.
It was ridiculous. She had been like this for almost a year now, and I had grown sick of it very quickly. And, Rosalie seemed to know something that we didn't. She kept her emotions carefully normal, but once in a while, I would catch something underneath her trademark vanity; not enough to tip the others off, just enough to make me suspicious. Edward agreed with me, and we decided to keep an eye on them both.
Emmett was not completely oblivious to his wife's peculiarity, but he just brushed it off with an ease that screamed 'Emmett'. As far as he was concerned, Rosalie would tell us if it was anything that we needed to worry about, and so he wouldn't push her until she was ready to talk. Which she hadn't been for almost a year.
It was time to move again; Bella was old enough to know what was happening this time, though.
And damn, was she upset.
She didn't throw a tantrum. She didn't cry, she didn't scream, she didn't wail. She just sat in the middle of her room, arms folded and legs crossed, letting sadness roll off of her in waves. Her bottom lip stuck out in an adorable three-year-old pout, and her chocolate eyes were even wider than we were used to.
When we had explained to her that we were moving, she had gone quiet and thoughtful for a moment. At first, we thought that she wouldn't object, and everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief. Then...
"Danni can come too, right?" She asked, bright eyes shining with hope.
"Bella... Danni isn't coming with us. It's just us." For a minute she hadn't reacted. Then the tears began. She didn't throw a tantrum, just cried. Told us how Danni was her best friend, and how she didn't want to leave, and couldn't we please take Danni's family with us? It was so difficult to tell her no. None of us liked seeing Bella upset.
"Bella, seeing you cry, makes me feel like saying sorry. I know you don't want to leave Danni. Saying goodbye's the hardest part. But we have to move. You understand that, don't you?" Edward asked, his voice and emotions laced with desperation. He wanted Bella to forgive him, even though this wasn't his fault, and he would do anything to make sure that she did. Bella had nodded silently, her mouth pressed into a little line like I had seen Rose do when she was irritated; I guess Bella was starting to pick up some habits. Next thing, she would be pinching the bridge of her nose like Edward.
We left her alone for a little while, thinking that it was best if we let her adjust to the news without us hovering over her. To keep ourselves busy, we began loading the cars. Everyone was standing in the garage, laughing when one of Alice's over-sized, over-stuffed suitcases split open down the seams while Alice threw a hissy fit – not that I would ever let her know I thought that, and neither would Edward if he knew what was good for him – over the 'stupid piece of junk that couldn't even hold ten dresses, four handbags, six pairs of shoes, three pairs of jeans and four tops without breaking'.
Then everything went silent.
Alice stopped screaming profanities. Edward stopped laughing, and I felt their horror and stopped laughing too, which apparently affected everyone else, because they all stopped laughing. Edward's face was an almost comical mixture of horror, fear, self-loathing, and outright panic. He took off running before the rest of us could process what was happening.
"ALICE! What is going on?" I asked, the emotions in the room making me frantic.
"It'sBellaletsgonotimetoexplaincomeON!" The words tumbled out of her mouth at a speed even we as vampires found bewildering. She was gone as soon as she finished speaking, the words hovering n the air behind her like a lingering fog. Without another word on the matter, the rest of us took off after her, not bother to open the garage door, instead running straight through it.
"Alice!" I called over the wind created by our passage. "What's going on?" I don't think I was quite prepared to hear her answer, as I momentarily lost my balance for the first time in over a century; not an easy accomplishment for a vampire.
"It's Bella. She's run off!"
Edward
No, no, no, no, NO! How could I have let this happen? Bella had run away, right under our noses! How was it possible that none of us noticed what was happening? We were vampires for crying out loud! And now Bella was in the woods alone and no doubt lost, a very dangerous situation for any human, but Bella was only three! She was accident-prone, as the many trips to the hospital prove, and the woods were a very dangerous place when you were alone.
I needed to calm down and think rationally, but I was too scared to waste time with things l like that After picking up her scent, I pushed myself into a flat-out sprint, a speed that would have been incomprehensible to humans, but to me was as natural as... well, as natural as breathing, even if it wasn't necessary. I knew it wouldn't take me long to find her; Bella was three years old, incredibly clumsy and had been gone for less than an hour – she couldn't have gotten far. Her scent was easy enough to follow, and soon enough I heard her fluttering heartbeat and her gentle sobs, so I could follow her sound as well as her smell.
When I found her, she was sitting under a tree, sopping wet and probably catching hypothermia. Knowing that it wouldn't warm her up in the least, I sat down in front of her and pulled her into my lap, letting her cry and scream and hit my chest with her fists until she was spent. I was dimly aware of my family watching, but I didn't pay them any mind.
"Why can't Danni come?" Bella mumbled into my chest. I sighed, not wanting to explain this to a three year old.
"Bella, we're a family of vampires. You know that. We need to move so that nobody finds out. Danni can't come with us because her family loves her very much and would miss her a lot if she came with us."
"But she's my bestest friend. I'm gonna miss her!" Bella wailed.
"Bella, you'll make lots of new friends! You're a lovely person, and you'll really like where we're going."
Bella sniffed and looked up at me. "Really?"
I nodded. "Yes Bella, really." I leaned in close like I was telling her a big secret. "Alice told me so!" Bella gasped. She knew better than to contradict Alice.
"So, are you ready to come back to the house with us?" I asked her. Bella thought for a moment and nodded. I scooped her up in my arms, not noticing the burgundy eyes that watched us from the shadows.
? POV
I watched them together, the little girl who was as familiar as my own reflection and her family, and I felt my dead heart squeeze slightly. I had first heard her crying, and had followed her, thinking only of easy prey. But when I saw who it was, I couldn't kill her. She was so young and innocent. Her adorable brown eyes were clouded with sadness, and I wanted nothing more than to walk up to her and wipe her tears away. But I couldn't – that much I knew. My red eyes would no doubt frighten her. I would have to do something about that. I wasn't entirely certain of my control, and so I held my breath, as the wind was blowing her scent towards me.
When her family arrived and I saw how protective of her they were, I was glad I had remained out of sight. They would have no doubt torn me to pieces if they had seen me near her. Their eyes were gold, unlike mine; they must be one of the famous vegetarian clans. Perhaps I would try vegetarianism; it would be different, if nothing else. My instincts will not change; they change the way I see them.
The bronze-haired boy comforted her, and when they all left, I felt my eyes prickle with the ghost of tears that would never form.
SO? Can you guess who the mystery person is? My friend Ellen did *Grrrrgrowlgrumblesnarl*.
