Chapter 16
A/N: Somebody seems to have borrowed my muse and didn't bring him back! He's been missing for such a long time now! He showed back up this morning with tattered clothes and kiss-prints all over! Grrr. Anyway, sorry about this being such a short chapter, but I promise you it's for a good reason. As you know, finals season is approaching, so I can't promise anything, but I'll do the best I can to squeeze out at least one more chapter before I leave on break (to a place that hasn't got much in the way of Internet--I don't know for sure if it does or not...). Anyway....Carlisle looks in need of a hunt.
Carlisle: (stares at authoress with dark eyes) Say another word....I dare you.
Me: (grins cheesily and opens the window) I'll be here when you get back. Watch out for the rabid fangirls!
(Excited squees fill the air followed by dead silence.)
Me: Don't worry. He didn't kill them. They've just gone unconscious.
Everyone went back to the mansion in England. Dawn, who hadn't slept well in a long time, lay on Carlisle's shoulder the entire time. He smiled and shifted her around so that she'd be more comfortable. Everyone else took turns playing with Victoria.
The mansion had a decidedly calmer, more refreshed air to it as everyone piled back in. It was good to be home. Everyone was busy fussing over Pumpkin and Victoria. They all went upstairs.
Dawn stood alone in the foyer with the suitcases piled high around her. She watched the happy family go up the stairs and she suddenly felt strange and out of place. The portrait of Esme on the wall smiled at her and her stomach turned.
She had no right to invade on this. If she stayed....?
Dawn had never been in a serious relationship before. Now faced with the prospect of FOREVER, she felt small, cold, and scared. As quietly as she could move, she walked out and closed the door with only a slight click.
"It's going to be nice to redecorate for someone new," Alice was saying, "I was thinking...wait a minute! We have to do Dawn's room, too! Unless, of course, the two of you want to share one..."
Carlisle just grinned.
"I'll ask her. Wait...where is she?"
The grin melted.
"She was right behind me just a minute ago," Bella commented, "maybe she's still downstairs."
The Cullens all split up to find the missing Siren. For the first time since the Alex incident, Pumpkin morphed back to her original form. She could smell Dawn's scent easier this way.
"Back to the castle," she said after flying for a few minutes.
"I'll get her," Carlisle told the others, "she seemed a little down earlier. Maybe she just wanted some time alone."
One by one, they all went back inside. Pumpkin flew overhead as Carlisle walked towards the castle. Moving past the illusion, he went inside. Calling her name, he listened for the slightest hint of movement, but he could hear nothing.
The last room he searched was her art room. A painting, still wet, lay on the table. She had probably been working on it for a while, but some gleaming wet spots told him that she'd just added a few small details. Carlisle and Dawn stood side by side, their arms around each other. Behind them was the rest of the family, including Pumpkin and Victoria. Laying near the bottom of the painting was a small folded paper. An ominous feeling settled into his mind as he unfolded it.
Carlisle,
I hope you like this painting. It is yours to keep if you want it. I appreciate all that you've done for me and my cousin: no man has ever been this good to either of us no matter what race he is. Thank you for taking care of my cousin. I'm sure Victoria will grow up very happy and healthy and be capable of great things (as well as you, of course). Tell everyone that I said they're the best and I'll never forget them.
Now comes the hard part. I'm sorry I had to take off this way without even so much as a goodbye, but I felt like this was the best way. I've been injected with vampire venom and I'm beginning to change. I don't know what exactly will happen. One of the guys bit me when we were fighting, but it took longer to do anything since I'm a Siren. Needless to say, I'm a little scared. I also feel like I'd be intruding if I stayed here. You deserve someone more like Esme instead of selfish, like me. Just remember that you'll be in my hearts no matter what.
Dawn a.k.a. Aurora.
Stunned, Carlisle let the note flutter to the tiled floor. Outside, the rumbling of thunder signaled a storm.
How ironic, he thought bitterly, that this was how it all started.
The others did not take the news well. Many of them were angry with Dawn for leaving the leader of their family. Others tried to console him by saying she'd return eventually. Carlisle simply went numb. As with Esme's death, he took on extra work shifts and was determined not to think about it. Of course, every time he tried not to, it got worse. Everything he did had some sort of memory attached to it.
One night, Emmett came upstairs to get him. Carlisle was bent over his books, trying to absorb what was written in them.
"Come downstairs," was all Emmett said. Carlisle waved at him dismissively, but Emmett hauled the other vampire out of the chair and carried him downstairs as if he weighed no more than a sack of flour.
The others had clustered around the TV. Victoria was sleeping in Pumpkin's lap. Pumpkin appeared a little anxious. The others were watching with a variety of expressions.
Dawn was on TV. She stood on a stage with the rest of her band and was playing guitar.
"I dedicate this one to someone special," she said into the microphone, "and you know who you are."
She looked at the camera, but Carlisle could have sworn that she was looking directly at him. Some soft guitar music started it out. He missed most of the lyrics, but the overall tone of her voice had him entranced as usual.
Dawn, however, looked different. The plump curves of her plus-size body had been eaten away, replaced with hard, bony edges. She looked as if she hadn't fed on energy in a long time. She was pale and drawn-looking. Her eyes looked broken.
"If we don't go get her, she's going to die," Alice said.
Everyone's attention shifted to the small pixie-like vampire sitting in Jasper's lap.
"If she doesn't start feeding, the venom will kill her," Alice told them, a troubled look on her face.
"Was that a vision?"
"What do you think?"
Everyone was up and scrambling for suitcases within the next second.
Finding Dawn proved to be much more difficult than they ever imagined. Alice couldn't see where she was and Dawn had been extremely careful not to leave a paper trail. Carlisle prayed like he'd never prayed before that Dawn would be okay until they found her.
A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know. Shame on me. Short chapter, cliff-hanger, and so forth. But hang in there.
