Chapter 5

"Oh my god…" Alice stood staring at the beauty that was in front of her. Never before had she seen something like this, she hadn't even thought that something like that could have existed, especially somewhere so close to her own life. It made everything in her life seem worth living, that something so breathtaking could survive in a world that contained so much hate and violence.

It was the picturesque view of a lake, filled with white crystal water that lapped over onto the edge of the emerald grass, leaving behind it tiny gems and pearls attached to the blades of green that shot hopefully towards the sky; as though they could not bear to leave it till the next day. The ground was covered in a blanket for pink and yellow, blue, and red, all colours of the rainbow gathered together in one place to create the most beautiful of all tapestries across the floor of the wood, each individual peak bigger and brighter than the last. The trees that surrounded it seemed somehow brighter and more lushes than the ones they had just walked through, enveloping the scene in some woven curtain, shielding it from the rest of the world and giving it the feel of a haven.

In the centre of the lake stood a lone tree on a mound of collected sand, just large enough for a small house to sit upon if someone were that way inclined. Each individual branch moved with the wind that sung through the valley casting shadows over the water and making the waves dance under the surface. How it could survive on a mound that seemed so desolate should have been impossible but somehow a lone seed had decided it would defy the laws of reality, bringing with it the flowers and blossoms that grew in hundreds on the curling tendrils stirring above the bowl.

And finally the smell that the flowers and greenery set off was more intoxicating and blissful than anything Alice had ever smelt before. A mixture of vanilla and the sweetest wine filled the crisp air that surrounded them, winding around them in a soft and gentle hug, never letting them go but forever pulling them in.

It was heaven on earth. It had to be.

"How could you find such a place and never show anyone? How could you not scream it to the world or talk to the tabloids or boast about it at school or… or… or put pictures up on Facebook? I don't understand how you could keep this from everyone!" Alice was lost for words since the first time she's met Edward. Her mind was racing with how this place could be, but how she never wanted to change it.

"Don't you see? I could never show this place, not to anyone. Not until I was sure that I could trust them. This is my place. I found it and although I'm sure I am not the first, I have yet to see anyone ever come here besides me. Everyone has to have his or her own space Alice. Somewhere they can retreat to when things in their life get to hard to bare, when they become too much to handle and they need time to think. Some people choose this to be their bedroom or their library. For me it is here." During his speech, Edward had lifted his face to the sky and the light that leaked through the trees changed his features. Alice had never noticed before that although at school his eyes were a deep brown – and on the darkest days they were black – here she could see they were golden, like the stones that shone through from the shore. And his hair was blonde with brown streaks which she could have sworn where not there before. But most of the change was on the features of his face. The lines that surrounded his eyes and his lips were gone, his cheeks had colour and his mouth was a shade lighter than they were before. He looked younger, happier, at peace with his surroundings more so than he ever could have at school or anywhere else. It didn't take a genius to work out that this was his home. And from it he was more beautiful than ever.

Alice sighed at the contentedness she felt just from being near him. Her sound made him bring his eyes back to hers, and their colour did not change.

"What is it?" he virtually whispered, pulling her closer to him and enveloping her with his free hand.

Alice rested her head on his chest and thought for a moment for a way to put her feelings into words.

"I don't really know. It's just, seeing you here, it's like meeting you all over again but better. I've never seen you so happy and I guess I'm just glad that you can show me your world and still be as happy with me here." Her voice trailed off on the last few words as she waited for his reaction. His hands immediately moved to her shoulders and pulled her back just enough so he could look into her face.

"Alice, I have not shown you this to try to make you believe that you are a part of my world. I could have let you meet my parents and that would have the same meaning. I brought you here to show you how the world seems when I am with you. This is how I see everything when you're at my side. Everything is beautiful and bright and fresh.

This is not my world Alice. You are my world."

A tear fell from her eye as Edward watched for her face to change. But instead of talking with words, Alice took his face in her hands and pulled it down to meet her awaiting lips and kissed him with more passion and love than she thought were even possible. And although he was caught by surprise, it didn't take long for Edward to wind his arms around her waist and lift her off the ground, supporting her weight with nothing more than the strength in his biceps. She then slowly rapped her legs around his hips, trapping him to her so that even if he had wanted to break away he would not have been able to. Edward leaned back against the tree he had been standing by and just held her.

They did not know how long they were entwined there.

And to be honest, they did not care.