Chapter 37: Right under the nose


~Sometimes what you're looking for is right under your nose and you don't even know it. - John Hall~


"There is something off with this whole thing. Maybe Rosalie got it wrong." I insisted again.

Edward let out a breath, rubbing his face in a weary way. Carlisle drove past houses swiftly but kept his golden eyes fixed firmly on me through the rear view mirror. The silence in the car since we got the phone call from Rosalie was tensed and overwhelming.

"Let me to tell you what's wrong. Emmett's dead, Bella." Edward stared blankly at his hands.

"Edward, she sounded hysterical. She could be mistaken. I mean, aren't they supposed to be really paranoid by this point?" I folded my arms and leaned back on the leather chair.

Arguing was much better than sitting in a car filled with two tensed silent men.

Carlisle sighed and shifted gears. "We have to get there fast. I wonder if Emmett's body will also..."

Edward stiffened next to me on the backseat and his face got a sour look. I found his hand and squeezed it.

"Will also what?" I found myself whispering, confused.

Just few minutes ago, back at Jane's house, James's and Jacob's body had been mysteriously "taken care of" by Edward and Carlisle. That led me to wonder what they really meant by it.

"Uh," Edward hesitated, his gaze softening. "When I attacked James and he fell down unconscious, I thought he was dead. I was asking Carlisle what to do with his, um, body when suddenly, James just...vanished into thin air. I assume he went back to the Eternal Cemetery."

"Is that...is that what happened with Jacob's body too?" I shivered, my voice barely a whisper.

Edward nodded slowly, assessing me with careful eyes. His lips jutted out into a slight pout and he turned pleading when he saw the look of horror on my face.

"That was why I preferred you didn't know what actually happened. I'm sorry, love. I couldn't do anything about it." He apologized, squeezing my hand tightly.

"No, no, of course. It's just nature...taking its course." I leaned against him and he hugged me to his side.

We reached the Cullen's' house finally and Edward nearly took out of the door as he fled inside. I lingered behind, not sure, if I wanted to see the dreadful sight inside.

"Bella, he needs you now. Rosalie needs you. Now," Carlisle said to me and then went inside.

I took a deep breath and followed him. I dreaded every step that took me upstairs and I paused before the open door. Edward had his back to me and Carlisle was kneeling down next to someone who was sprawled on the coach.

Emmett.

My stomach lurched uncomfortably and bile rose in my throat. Rosalie looked up at me, her blue eyes hollow and lifeless.

"Hey, Rose." I murmured softly and touched her shoulder. I expected an outburst. I expected her to fly into blind rage and scream at me, just because she needed to scream at someone.

But she didn't do any of that. Instead, a broken sob escaped her lips and her head fell onto my shoulder.

"He doesn't have a pulse," I heard Carlisle whisper to Edward. "He's gone."

Rosalie cried silently into my hair and I put my arms around her. I didn't say anything, I just held her. I didn't know what to do or what to say. I couldn't imagine a situation where Edward was the dead one and I was the one crying over him.

"Do you think his body will do the same thing? Should we keep a funeral?"

I stared at the back of Edward's auburn head and sighed. Rosalie didn't have to hear any of that.

"Come on, let's get you something warm. You're freezing." I cooed, lifting her up.

"I can't stand up. I can't...I can't..." Her body started shivering uncontrollably.

"Carlisle!" I cried, holding her swaying body. I deliberately avoided looking at Emmett.

"She's going into shock. Get her downstairs near the fireplace." Carlisle commanded. "Esme has gone to a store nearby. She'll be here in a few minutes."

Edward reluctantly turned around to face me. His green eyes were shining with unshed tears but he managed to nod at me. I wanted to stay there with him but I could see that Rosalie needed me more.

Downstairs, I bundled her up in thick heated blankets and helped her sit on the couch.

"I was...was finally happy. E-E-Emmett gave me happiness that n-no one could give me...ever. And now...he has left me. He has abandoned me and I am going to die alone." Rosalie mumbled, rocking back and forth.

The front door burst open and Esme rushed in. A blast of cold wind followed her path and played with my hair.

"Oh, darling!" She took Rosalie into her arms. Rosalie readily snuggled into Esme's arms and stayed still.

"I better go home and get out of this." I stood up, gesturing to the party dress I had on.

"Of course. I'll take care of her." Esme smiled sadly.

I nodded and turned around, walking out of the house. I almost made it to my house when I heard someone call my name.

"Wait!"

Edward jogged after me with a flushed face and red eyes. I immediately paused and waited for him to catch up.

"Don't...don't leave me," he begged, pulling me to him.

"I didn't want to disturb you." I explained. "I was going to change and come back."

"Then let me come with you. Please, don't leave me." He kissed my eyelids and hugged me tightly.

"Okay." I said simply. "But shouldn't you be with Carlisle?"

"All this made me realize one thing. I cannot afford to lose one precious second with you. You are my other half, when you are not there, I feel as if an important part of me is missing and I get so lonely. You fill me...and you make my heart sing. I want to live only for you, Bella, for the rest of my life. Only for you. So, please. Don't ever leave me."

I stared at him with wide gaping mouth. He was nearly in tears again and he was clutching me so hard that I couldn't breathe.

"Okay then." I repeated softly.

I was extremely touched and in loss for words. Emmett's death had a much greater toll on him than I could have ever imagined.

At my house, mom welcomed Edward in. Her concerned eyes zoomed in on Edward's blood shot eyes and rumpled appearance but she didn't comment. I led him to my room, remembering to leave the door open as per my mom's condition.

Edward sat on my bed and played with one of my pillows while I slithered out of my dress.

"So, what's going to happen now?" I asked, pulling on a fresh purple tank top.

"I don't know," he admitted in a whisper. "This must be so hard for Rosalie. I can't even think about losing you forever."

I pulled on a pair of jeans and paced around the room restlessly.

"What's this?" he asked suddenly.

A chain with an owl pendant dangled from his hand.

"Oh that," I released a breath. "I totally forgot about it. Mom gave me that chain, like, three days before I met you for the first time."

He frowned suspiciously. "Are you sure your mom gave this to you?"

"Eh, why? To think about it, I'm not really sure. I just found it on my dresser and assumed mom had left it there for me." I said absent-mindedly.

"I remember seeing the exact diagram of this pendant in the spell bookthe witch's diary." Edward examined it carefully.

My attention was fully on him now. "Wait a sec."

I went outside and leaned over the railing. "Mom?"

Mom asked me what I wanted and I told her about of the chain. But she frowned and informed that she had never seen that chain before. I staggered back inside with a sinking heart.

"I knew it," Edward exclaimed. "This pendant is special somehow."

"Gimme that." I took it from and shook the owl.

However, nothing impressive happened. The owl continued to stare at me with haunting hollow eyes. It scared me that the eyes looked almost like Rosalie's.

Edward cracked an amused smile. I shook the pendant playfully again and was startled when I felt the presence of something inside it. I ran my fingers over its rugged surface but couldn't find any opening or buttons.

The only opening was the owl's beak.

My cell phone blared suddenly and I dropped the pendant in shock.

"Bella, it's Sasha." Edward said, handing over my cell phone.

My eyes weren't on the cell phone though. They were on the owl, which had fallen on the floor. The owl which had currently released a drop of shimmering liquid out of its beak. I couldn't breathe because I could feel the overwhelmingly powerful presence of the liquid.

The revelation hit me hard and strong.

The elixir of life had been with me all along. Question was, how?


What do you all think? Sometimes, we fail to notice the most important things which are right under our nose. It's actually pathetic :(

-BEJL