One Year Later
Esme stood in one of the many locker rooms of Duke University. She was wrapped in a towel and prepared for a quick swim before calling it a day and heading back to her off-campus apartment. She started one of the showers and wandered away for a moment while the water warmed up.
For the first time Esme's mother had bought her a cell phone and while she didn't find herself on it often it was an easy way for her to maintain contact with Carlisle, who had resumed his work on the boats in Southport. She was finally managing to smile again and had regained control of her life. Visions of Rosalie's lifeless body still often popped into her mind and she had occasional nightmares about Aro but things were progressing; she was getting better. Her grades were no longer suffering, she had taken more extra summer courses and her relationship with Carlisle was stronger than ever.
Esme pressed the phone to her ear as Carlisle asked her questions about her day and checked in to see how she was doing. A smile crossed her face when he asked what she was wearing and Esme let out a light laugh. "A towel," she responded and then grinned wider and shook her head. "Don't start with me, Carlisle." Another laugh filtered through her.
"Hey Esme there's a letter for you on your clothes!" a girl called from down the way.
"Oh, thanks Deb!" She waved and smiled and then refocused on her conversation with Carlisle. "I love you too." Esme sighed and and twisted a piece of her hair. "Okay, I can't wait to see you this weekend." She paused and repeated the phrase, "I love you," before hanging up the phone and making her way down to where her clothes were piled neatly in front of a locker.
Steam began to take over the locker room as Esme prepared to rinse off before heading to the pool. The white envelope that her friend was talking about was placed neatly on top of her folded clothes. For a moment she felt frozen. The white envelope was eerily familiar to the one that started the nightmare for all of them the year before. She swallowed hard and walked over to the piece of mail that had her name printed neatly in boxed lettering across the front. Esme didn't want to open it. She wanted to throw it away or burn it.
Aro is dead, she reminded herself. He's gone.
With that, she tore at the sealing of the envelope and removed the contents. Relief filtered through her limbs and she smiled and sighed. Inside was an invitation to a frat party being held that evening. Esme put one hand over her chest and leaned against the locker before grinning and placing the invitation back down onto the pile of clothes.
The shower she had started waited for her and steam had begun to fill the immediate area. Esme wandered into the room where showers were scattered about, all covered with curtains or doors. For a moment she stopped and the fog left her feeling panicky. It was difficult to see just a few feet in front of her. From somewhere in the room she felt a presence and she wasn't sure if her mind was playing tricks on her again. A part of her wanted to call out hello but she refrained.
Esme's stomach sank and she turned her body around, whipping her head around in all directions to see if she could see anyone. Her eyes then focused on a glass door that led into one of the showers. She squinted through the steam and had to wrap her mind around the message written in neat, block writing on the glass.
It's real, Esme's mind told her. I'm not imagining it this time. She swallowed hard and almost read the words aloud. I STILL KNOW.
Before she could tell her feet to run a figure crash through the glass and everything went black.