CHAPTER 8
-:- Pride Comes Before a Fall -:-
2016 -:- Present Day
Will you tell Charlie what happened to Bella?
Rosalie and I started walking in the direction of the house. I was in no rush to get back, so we walked at a human's pace, and for once she was actually patient with me.
"How? I can't exactly tell him that story, now can I? No…" I sighed, letting out a breath of frustration. "There's no point. Telling him the truth isn't going to bring her back. The man is grieving all over again, knowing what really happened will only make it worse. And besides, he'll just hate me even more." I ran my fingers through my hair for the umpteenth time in the last hour or so.
He doesn't hate you. Rosalie reached her hand out, stopping me.
My eyes travelled from her hand on the sleeve of my jacket to her concerned face.
"Maybe not, but he'll hate us all if I tell him."
"We are going to have to tell him what we are eventually. He's bound to have questions."
"Well, this is a big change coming from you, Rosalie," I questioned her. She was the one who was dead set against any contact with humans. She wanted to string me up alive for telling Bella our secrets. I remember having to hide my Aston Martin from Rosalie the day Bella figured out what we were.
"I know, but I can't move again, Edward. I just can't," she finished quietly. "None of us can. We get to be relatively normal here. We can be a family again, can't you feel the difference? I feel the effect this place is having on them. They are starting to be happy, and you will too."
"Rosalie." I warned.
"It might happen. You just have to give it a chance. I want to stay here, Edward. And if that means revealing to Charlie and the other people of Forks a little about ourselves, then so be it. The world has changed. It's a different place and different rules apply. We have to try and make this work, at least for a few years, because I can't go back to how we were living, travelling from district to district every few months and seeing all those people, all those children suffering. Ten years was enough, we did more than our part."
"I know." I placed my hand over hers and squeezed it gently. "Regardless, I still can't tell him about Bella. He's suffered enough without having to know the truth." I turned with my head down, and continued walking back toward the house.
She quickly caught up to me, spinning me around to face her and she spoke with conviction.
"Edward, it wasn't your fault. After all these years, can you not accept that? You did everything you could and more. Even being what we are couldn't let you be in two places at once. It wasn't your fault."
"But if I hadn't made everyone leave in the first place—"
"You don't know what would have happened! You said it yourself, 'we were a danger to her.' You couldn't know that was going to happen, it was an unexpected turn that none of us anticipated. You don't think we all share that guilt? You don't think Charlie does?" She gripped my arm tightly and I didn't have the energy to fight her anymore, so I let her hands dig harder into my arms, hoping to feel an ounce of physical pain.
"I was careless for leaving her unprotected, it's my cross to bear, no one else's. If I had stayed, she would have been with me and that never would have happened."
"And then what? Would you have done it? Would you have changed her? Because you and I both know you weren't ready. She wouldn't have survived what we went through, Edward." At least not as a human.
Looking up to the dull, grey clouded sky, I contemplated what we truly were, our basic needs and what all that entailed, and I thought of Bella and how she was never frightened by that aspect of ourselves. I thought of her recklessness, even back to the time she had asked to watch me hunt. My basic primal instincts and desires frightened me, and I never understood how she was so fearless when it came to me and my family.
I closed my eyes, turning my face into the breeze, trying to listen for any sound in the forest, but there wasn't much to listen to. The forest was empty for the most part, which I found a bit bizarre. There was something not quite right here, as if the animals had been chased away. All across our travels, we saw evidence that the forests were flourishing, and so were the animal populations, especially further in the south. Without human interference, Mother Nature was making a comeback and the large game populace was thriving. We had hoped the same would be evident in the north, but it was proving to be a bit contrary to the south. Carlisle suspected the cold weather might have had something to do with it. The smaller animals were forced to head further south after the nuclear winter and changing landscape, and the larger predatory animals followed.
We knew we were going to have difficult times hunting, but it just meant we would have to venture further from the house when we did need to feed. There was always a dull aching thirst that each of us kept at constant bay. None of us had fed since we arrived at the house, granted, we had abstained for much longer periods since the bombs, even Jasper was a veteran at holding out now. He hadn't had a desire for human blood since Emmett and I had … I shuddered violently thinking about that day and what we had done to him. We stopped denying our true nature and let the soulless, black creature buried deep within us take over, disregarding the human lives Carlisle had taught us to live harmoniously alongside of. That day, desperation won out and Emmett and I had truly become monsters in every sense.
"No," I said, not sure which question I was answering. Would I have changed her? I would have, if I had needed to, if it meant saving her, but I would have hated myself for it.
"I didn't think so. It wasn't your fault." She turned me to face her again, placing her hand on my cheek while repeating, "It wasn't your fault. I want to hear you say it." She gave me a quick smile and I just stared at her, not able to get the words out. She smacked the side of my face, hard. "Say it!"
My eyes shot wide open in shock. She hit me! I stood there dumbfounded that Rosalie had actually slapped me. It had been years since she had done that, decades even. I was about to say as much when she slapped me again, harder.
"It wasn't your fault. Say it," she seethed with a spiteful gleam in her eyes.
She raised her hand again, but this time I grabbed it before it made contact with my cheek. It didn't hurt by any means, it was just rather humiliating.
"Is this how you win your battles with Emmett?"
"Hah! He wishes. He doesn't even try to disagree with me anymore. This is rather enjoyable, I've forgotten what it's like." She grinned wickedly.
"Well, I am not Emmett, and you can forget about slapping me anymore, because it's not going to change the fact that I am responsible for Bella's death in some way. Maybe not directly, but I still played a part."
She exhaled loudly, tilting her head to the side, eyeing me up. Apart from Bella, the two of us were the most stubborn creatures either of us had ever known. She knew she wasn't going to win against me, I could tell from her contemptuous thoughts. According to her, I was being ridiculous, but she conceded despite her objections.
"I can live with that. That's progress I would say, but no more of this 'Woe is me' crap, okay? Because I can't have my husband living an eternity with whatever you've asked him to do. We love you, Edward, and still need you. Yes, even me," she finished. "And don't roll your eyes at me!" She punched me in the shoulder.
"Enough with the hitting, please." I wasn't about to admit anything to her about my arrangement with Emmett. She could suspect all she wanted to, but I couldn't tell her, not yet anyway. The time would come when I would let the rest of the family know of my plans, but right now it was too soon. The last thing I needed was everyone trying to convince me to change my mind. My decision was made, and I knew Emmett would honor it. This was penance for the both of us for the lives we had stolen.
"Fine. Let's head back. I don't want to miss out on anything that Charlie has to say. It sounds as if they fared well and have some great stories. Charlie, and Harry Clearwater, had managed to convince the majority of the town of what was coming. They pretty much saved the whole town, but Harry had a heart attack the day the bombs fell." She turned, heading back to the house, then paused reluctantly, contemplating her next words.
I know you've been avoiding him, but you are going to have to talk to Carlisle, especially about this little tantrum you pulled and what it means for all of us. The Quileute's are alive, but who knows if the treaty still stands after all that has happened.
I took a deep breath realizing the gravity of the situation. Rosalie was absolutely right. I would have to talk to Carlisle, and he would fully understand my motivations behind crossing the treaty boundary. It had only been a matter of time before he figured it out my intentions, and this was not going to be a conversation I was looking forward to. I'd made such a mess of things.
We were almost at the back door to the kitchen, when I stopped, I couldn't make myself go any further.
Are you not coming in?
"Yes, just give me a moment. Please?"
Whatever.
She rushed through the door, slamming it causing me to wince at the noise. I stayed outside for a few minutes trying to decide what I would say to Carlisle, and more importantly to Charlie. He was going to have a lot of questions and I hoped Carlisle had done his best at deflecting most of them. The guilt he must be feeling right now I was sure was insurmountable, something I was quite familiar with myself.
Like me, he must have been holding on to the hope that Bella survived after all these years. Seeing all of us today without her, must have been a terrible blow. He would be grieving all over again, and I knew exactly what that felt like. Just like I had imagined Bella living somewhere with Charlie all these years even though I knew it was impossible, he must have hoped that somehow we had gotten to her in time and that we were surviving together. Charlie and I had a lot more in common than either of us ever thought we would.
I sighed at that thought. I might as well go and get this over with. I walked through the back door when something large and solid slammed me up against the wall, my head cracked back into the dry wall. My eyes focused on Emmett's large forearm pressed up against my neck, lifting me up off the floor. I imagine if I needed to breath, it would have been extremely uncomfortable, but it was just embarrassing that he was that much stronger than me and that he had actually managed to take me by surprise.
"What is your problem, bro? You go and risk the entire family by crossing the treaty line. Rose told me where she found you. What were you thinking?"
He was seething, and I wouldn't put it past him to honor our deal right here and now.
"We made a deal, and unlike you, I'm a man of my word, Edward."
"What is happening here? Emmett? Edward?" Esme said under her breath, completely shocked at the scene that she was witnessing.
Emmett gave me one last shove to my neck with his forearm before releasing me and I slid down the wall. His eyes were still trained on me.
"It's nothing, Esme. Just having a chat."
"I've just about had enough with all these secrets! I'll hear all of what just happened, but right now we have guests, and you're being rude. We will deal with this later. All of it. No more secrets," she said pointedly, glaring a warning at me. "Edward, Charlie wishes to speak with you privately, and, Emmett, Seth wants to have a look at the entertainment system. Go start up the generator." Neither of us moved; our eyes locked in a silent battle.
She's right about one thing, Eddie, this isn't over.
"Now!" Esme's voice commanded.
We went our separate ways, both hanging our heads like two kids getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I followed Esme into the living room where Charlie and Carlisle were curiously absent, but Seth was listening to Alice recant tales from some of the more bizarre Districts we had visited in the south on the east coast.
"So, what you're saying is that they've kind of reverted to, um, the days of conscription? But every able body must fight that's of age? Why, or I guess, who are they fighting?" Seth asked, confused by Alice's account.
"Yes. Pretty much," Jasper answered for her. "They're constantly under attack from these Ravagers. You must have heard of them up here?"
"Ravagers? No." Seth shook his head, not really bothered by the word. In the south, people would cringe and cower at the mere mention of the word, terrified by the stories. Clearly, the people in the north were somewhat lucky. They had to endure the hard winters, which were not easy, but in return for those hardships, they had been left unscathed by the horrors the rest of the country faced from these 'madmen.'
"Our contact is only with some of the Districts close to us. On a clear day, we can get within a hundred mile range, but that's as far as the radios reach. It's not much, we know, and we've been starved for a long time for any news of things beyond our range. We hear 'bits and bobs' from the net, but nothing tangible. I'm sure you know how it is."
The 'net' was about the only way information was passed along in the early days, especially this far north. With no way of communicating long distances, the Districts relied on travelers that would visit from time to time, passing through. It was not reliable by any means, Districts were extremely skeptical of any kind of outsiders, but it was the only way to find out if loved ones had survived. A traveler would take a letter, hoping to pass it on to the right person, or someone who might know that person. As one District leader said to us many years ago, 'Cast that net out far enough and something might just get caught up in it. Even if it takes months or years, you're bound to catch something.' It was a crude, elementary version of the postal service, but it worked for the most part, that is if the traveler managed to survive on the outside in the harsh conditions, which unfortunately, wasn't usually the case.
Seth took a moment, his thoughts flashed to strangers' faces that I didn't recognize, and he was saddened for a brief moment. Jasper looked to me as I lingered in the doorframe, silently asking me if Seth was okay. I nodded discreetly to reassure him. The boy had gone through a lot, but he was strong, I already knew this, and I really was beginning to like the kid. Kid. I silently laughed at the word. Seth looked older than any of us, even Carlisle.
He took a deep breath before continuing. "When it first happened, a few months afterward, some of the people from the town wanted to venture out to see what was left of the world, but," he paused and took a breath, "they never came back. A few years later, a couple other groups mustered up enough supplies and some vehicles and they went off as well. We didn't know what had happened to the rest of the country or the world for that matter but we knew it couldn't be good. People were scared, and when the others never came back, no one really wanted to try again." He took a sip from the glass of scotch that he had been rolling back and forth between his hands.
"You see, we're pretty happy for the most part. We get a little bored sometimes, but back then, before, even life on the reservation was hard, not this hard mind you, but we managed. To you, it may sound like we've been living in our own bubble out here, and I guess we are. But life's been pretty good for us, considering. And that has everything to do with Charlie. He's been a great father since my dad died, and he's been such a constant for everyone else," Seth said quietly, finishing the last of his scotch.
"It sounds like a great bubble to live in, Seth." My family's eyes all turned to Rosalie in shock. She hardly ever talked in front of strangers, and so it just emphasized how much she was hoping this was going to work. Esme's thoughts mirrored Rosalie's. She walked over to the couch, and sat down with her, gently putting her arm around her.
"We've had our moments." Seth chuckled at her comment. "But it'll take a lot more than a nuclear war to get rid of my people from this earth." He continued to laugh and we laughed along with him. We contemplated his words, taking it all in. We knew exactly what they would have gone through, we had witnessed it many times over. It was comforting knowing that Charlie had taken Carlisle seriously, that at least they would have had some comforts that so many others never had.
"So tell me, who are these Ravagers then?" Seth asked curiously.
Jasper immediately looked to me, knowing that this was not the time or place to go into our theories. Luckily, we heard the generator kick in and immediately Emmett brushed passed me in the doorway, giving me an extra shove with his shoulder.
Don't think I haven't forgotten, Edward. We are still going to have that chat.
"So, you ready to get your ass whooped, boy?" Emmett clapped his hands, rubbing them together as he gave Seth a maniacal look. Emmett loved the idea of challenging someone new at 'Call of Duty.' He couldn't beat Jasper at it, and I was rarely in the mood to play.
"No one is going to believe me when I tell them I was playing 'Call of Duty' on a flat screen television. Not to mention the apple juice and the scotch!" Seth's laughter was refreshing, it was infectious almost, we couldn't help but laugh along with him as he made his way over to Emmett's 'corner of indulgence' as Esme liked to call it. "I mean, when we pull out Yahtzee on game night, that's about as crazy as things get!"
Edward, you and I need to talk. I heard Alice's voice over the ruckus of the room and turned to look at her glaring eyes.
"Get in line," I mumbled under my breath, and I knew she heard me, despite the level of my voice.
After a time, Carlisle and Charlie, hearing the raucous laughter of everyone, poked their heads in to see what all the commotion was about, just as Emmett and Seth were screaming obscenities at the screen while they battled it out.
"Oh, no." Charlie placed his head in his hands. "I'll never get him to come back with me now."
"That's right, Charlie! I'm moving in," he teased back, continuing to battle the Luftwaffe on screen.
"Well, I think your mother would skin me alive if I left you here, not to mention what your sister would do to you."
"Are you kidding me? She'd do some kind of a celebration dance if she knew I was gone for good."
"Regardless, don't get too comfortable, son, we got chores still to do tonight."
Seth groaned. "Don't remind me. I know, I know."
"Chores?" Alice asked. "What kind of chores?"
"Well, Pa Ingalls over there, has me milking cows every night."
Emmett howled at Seth's remark and we all joined in. "Charlie. Charles Ingalls. Oh that's rich! Seth, you can stick around as long as you like. We need a little comic relief. It's tough being the only one that doesn't take everything so seriously. I like you, kid." Emmett nudged Seth's shoulder, as they continued to attack a German gun battery. Seth gave Emmett a brief quizzical look before turning back to the screen and shrugging. It was not lost on any of us that Emmett had just called Seth 'kid' despite their physical appearances.
We watched them for a bit, falling into the rhythms of their shouts and jests, and it was such a comforting sound. I'd almost forgotten what it was like. Charlie slowly made his way over to me and from his thoughts, he was a little apprehensive, and it took a few moments for him to get up the courage to ask me if we could speak privately. We went down the hall into Carlisle's study, and he beckoned for me to have a seat on the chair across from him. It was a strange gesture coming from him, but at the same time it felt natural. We sat like that for a few minutes, neither of us knowing what to say to the other. And when we gathered enough nerve, we both managed to speak the same thing at the same time.
"I owe you an apology…"
We both smiled, and I apologized, gesturing for him to continue.
"Edward…" He cleared his throat. "I've never really been fair to you."
I nodded my head, not wanting to interrupt him.
"You have to understand, I was trying to do what I thought was best for…" He cleared his throat again, shaking his head, his thoughts all over the place. How do I say this? He was quiet for a moment, carefully selecting his words before continuing.
"Headstrong and stubborn, the both of you, but more importantly, you were young." He glanced at me, taking in my appearance, and quickly dismissed it.
"As a father, I didn't want to see what happened to Renee and I, happen to her. I was scared. I saw the way you two looked at each other. The way you both moved around one another, I don't know, like two magnets or something. It was very intense, and it was like you were always trying to protect her from something. At the time, I tried talking to Renee about it, but she thought I was just being a typical over-reacting father. And maybe I was. But there was something…
"Well, and then you and your family just left, and I never understood how any of you could do that to her. No contact whatsoever, not even from Alice." I knew my face was filled with regret. I couldn't look at him, so I brought my fingers to the bridge of my nose, trying to concentrate on his words.
"I'd never seen anything like it. It was as if all of you had taken a piece of her with you, ripped something from her. She was no longer my little girl, she was gone, checked out, and so I panicked." This must have been the vision Alice had of Bella, the one that haunted me all these years. Ghostly pale, not herself. I watched the images of Bella play through Charlie's mind again. The same ones I saw on his doorstep over a decade ago. Only this time, it was much more painful, and much more relevant.
"I couldn't help her, no one could. So it was either Renee or a hospital. Of course, Renee hated me for even suggesting it, and came immediately to get her. But she understood as soon as she walked through my door and saw her. She knew that what I had been trying to tell her was not some over-reaction on my part. Bella was taken from us…
"You took my daughter from me. And I hated you for it."
I knew this was coming, his words were no surprise to me, but it didn't make it any easier to hear. I was fully aware that everything he had suffered over the loss of Bella was because of me, even if he didn't know the whole truth behind it.
"I know it wasn't your fault. Carlisle explained to me about his job offer and how he forced all of you to leave. You were just a kid, and he suggested you have a clean break from each other and start fresh in a new city. I can understand that."
Leave it to Carlisle to try and smooth things over and place the blame on himself. I wondered what else he had told Charlie.
"Your father mentioned you had a rough go of it as well, and, still are." He turned his face from mine, as he studied the patterned carpet at his feet. "He told me what you did for all of them." He cleared his throat. "I know the kind of man you are, Edward, and I've treated you unfairly." Raising his head, he locked eyes with me again. "And I'm sorry about that, and that's something I have to deal with every day. But you and Bella , well, it terrified me a little bit. You had this hold over each other and I couldn't quite explain it…
"I'm sorry for interfering, and I'm sorry for doubting you." His voice broke a little, as he struggled to stifle his tears. He turned his face away from me again, looking out the window. "If I hadn't, she'd still be. I'm so sorry." His voice finally gave way to his grief.
Those three words had more meaning to me than anything else he could have said. I knew exactly what he was trying to say, because they were exactly the same words I needed to say to him. His actions contributed to Bella's death just as much as mine had. Each of us blaming ourselves for her death, and carrying the weight of that blame all these years. Charlie Swan and I had come to an understanding. For the first time in ten years, someone shared my pain equally and understood the culpability of the actions each of us had taken. It was a relief and a burden all wrapped up in a neat little package of misery. I let him collect himself before I spoke. I wasn't sure if he wanted me to or not, so I let the silence stand between us for a moment.
"Charlie…" My voice was also filled with grief, and sounded rough to my own ears. "Neither of us could have known that our actions would lead to where they did." How odd that I was on the other side of this conversation for once. "We couldn't have known. We both thought we were doing what was best for Bella. It's me who owes you the apology. You didn't trust me, and you had every reason not to. I kept things from you, and that was unfair. I have so many regrets that you can't possibly understand…" I trailed off. I could see from the corner of my eye, that Charlie was nodding his head. He raised his hand to his mouth, and rubbed his moustache, processing my words.
"I traced Bella to Phoenix."
"You followed them to Phoenix? They were there?" His weathered face looked hopeful.
"I never found them in time," I said quietly, dashing his hopes.
"They could be alive. They could be there. Phoenix didn't get a direct hit, it's pos—"
"No," I cut him off. "They aren't." My voice was clipped and hard, it was extremely difficult for me to say this to him.
"H–how do you know?" His face filled with doubt, and confusion.
"I just do."
2006 -:- Past Memories
AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGMENT, I left my family in New York and raced toward Newark Airport. I wasn't driving this time, I couldn't risk it. We had three days, and I couldn't waste another minute. Driving up to the airport doors, I jumped out of the car for the last time, leaving the keys in the ignition and raced inside as fast as a human possibly could. I heard someone yelling I couldn't park there, but I just ignored the protests and said a silent goodbye to my beloved Volvo.
Everything happened so quickly, but I managed to get on a flight to Phoenix departing within the hour. I had to pull a few strings, and pay a lot of money, but that was never a problem with us, especially with a shiny black credit card. Ideally, I would have liked to have hunted before boarding a plane full of people, but that wasn't an option. I just hoped I would be distracted enough with worry that my inevitable thirst would be kept at bay. Luckily, the first class cabin of the plane wasn't full, and I was on edge, and nervous as all hell during the four and a half hour flight, so I didn't have to worry.
As soon as the doors of the plane were unsealed, I was gone. I managed to slow my pace around the security guards by the luggage carousels, only to break into a human-paced run as soon as I saw the exit doors. Running through the automatic doors, I stopped suddenly, cursing as I noticed the sun was still setting in the west. I was so frantic I wasn't being overly cautious, and I needed to take a step back and think things through for a moment.
Taking a deep breath, I looked at my surroundings, weighing my options. I knew exactly where I was going, having done all this less than a year ago, I just needed a car. Frustrated, I ran my fingers through my hair, yet again, wondering how long it would take to rent a car. Having a driver's license that stated I was seventeen, threw a big wrench in that plan, so it wasn't really an option. I let out a frustrated groan, turning back toward the automatic glass doors, and just then—like fate was stepping in—I noticed in the reflection a car pulling up to the curb. A really nice car. I studied the reflection as the gentleman got out, helping a woman out of the passenger seat, before turning to get her bags. They were busy saying their good-byes, and not really paying attention, and the car, the really nice car, was idling.
It only took a split second to make the decision, and before I knew it, I was speeding down the exit ramp toward Scottsdale in my new, stolen Porsche 911 Turbo. I opened it up and couldn't help but notice the speed and the compactness of the car, definitely something Alice would like, perhaps not in grey like this one though. My thoughts diverted to seeing Alice beaming, sitting behind a yellow version of this car, and I was saddened. Perhaps in another life.
The familiar city began to rush past me and that sense of déjà vu was needling its way into my thoughts. I wasn't near as panicked as the last time I was here in this same predicament. I wasn't racing to save Bella from a psychotic vampire who wanted to kill her, it was just your everyday end of the world apocalypse scenario, and I still had two and half days to get where we needed to be. The feeling of terror wasn't nearly as palpable as last time. In fact, I wasn't sure, but I was kind of excited, a little unsteady at the idea of being this close to Bella. Alice had said she had seen Bella in her room, her eyes alight as she noticed something at the window. Could that be me? Of course, Alice also said there was a trace of alarm in her eyes, but then that would be understandable if she had seen me. I was trying to convince myself, and I was too keyed up not to believe it. I could only hope Alice's vision was correct, that Phil and Renee had decided to stop in Phoenix for a night or two, to tie up their loose ends. If they weren't here, then I could start to panic again, but for now I just let myself be happy, and it was invigorating, just like the speed in which I was driving. I let out an excited shout, as I switched into sixth gear and weaved my way through the thick rush hour traffic, sliding through the tiny space along the shoulder of the road. I was getting close, I could feel it. I could feel Bella, her pull was unmistakable and I smiled internally. I'm coming, my love.
The sun had finally set just as I was pulling up to her house, right in front of the mailbox. "Fifty-eight twenty-one," I said to myself. Turning the car off, I couldn't help but be disappointed to see the house in total darkness. The giant eucalyptus tree out front was such a contrast from the giant fir outside of Charlie's house, but it still gave me some comfort. I knew this house.
Walking up to the door, I reached up to grab the key that I knew was hidden under the eaves trough. I let myself in and was immediately assaulted with Bella's smell, and I smiled. She had been here, recently. I said a silent plea to those powers above that the three of them had just gone out for dinner and would return soon. I took advantage of having the house to myself and ventured upstairs to explore Bella's room. Telling myself I was looking for clues to their whereabouts, and not just rummaging through her things. I followed her trail, taking in all of her.
I walked into her room and stopped, frozen. My eyes went wide, my nostrils flared and my lips were pulled back over my teeth. A low grumbling erupted from my chest as an uncontrollable anger threatened to take hold of me. I stood there shaking. A vampire had been here, a vampire I knew. I hadn't noticed the faint trace from downstairs. I was too overcome by Bella's scent, but here, in her room, it over-powered Bella's. The growl tore through me as I thought of her in the same vicinity as Bella. Victoria. That vile vampire had not crossed my thoughts in the last four days, and she was here. In the same room as my Bella. I couldn't think, I couldn't move, I couldn't believe this was happening. God was punishing me. My hand crushed the doorknob to dust with my fury.
I managed to gather my wits about me, and anxiously dialed Carlisle's number, filling him in on what I had found. He tried to reassure me that perhaps their paths had never even crossed. He told me to look for signs of a struggle, or the smell of blood. I found neither as I frantically searched the house, and breathed a little sigh of relief.
"Carlisle! How can this be happening? What do I do?" I asked desperately.
"Edward, we're coming. We'll be there."
"No! You can't bring Alice here, and I–I can't wait for you. I just can't. I have to find her. I have to find her now. I'll figure it out, I'll track her. I'll find Victoria."
"I managed to find the name of Renee's Real Estate Agent," Carlisle spoke in a soothing rational voice, trying to control my hysterics. "I'll contact her right now and enquire about the house. Tell her I want to make an obscene offer. I'm sure she'll speak to me at this hour. Maybe I can find out when they were there, and if they've left town. We can go on that. Maybe their paths never crossed."
"She wasn't alone, there's another scent I don't recognize, another vampire. I think I can track them."
"Edward, I have faith in you. You will do what needs to be done, but if there are two of them, you will need some help."
"I can handle them," I seethed, my anger returning, overpowering my desperation. I would kill them both, I had no doubt. "Just get the family to safety. I'll be there if I…"
"You're not coming if you don't find her. Are you?" he asked directly.
I wasn't sure how to answer his question. He already knew what my answer would be, but he just wanted to hear me say it. I exhaled loudly, and answered truthfully.
"No."
There was a silence between us, not an uncomfortable one, just one of understanding.
"Find her, Edward," he spoke with conviction and a trace of horror, and then ended the call.