(I'm uploading this at an unholy hour after writing all night and I'm cross eyed with exhaustion. Any gigantic typos, etc, will be taken care of when I regain consciousness, I promise.)
A/N
At very, very long last the Great Chapter Fail of '09 has come to an end and I present to you, with great relief and much groveling, Chapter 15 of Evening Falls. Despite the title , it is most definitely NOT the final chapter.
I can't even express how much I appreciate all who are still reading after this long. It's your comments and reviews help keep me committed to this story even when it feels like I can't get another word of it out. And I also wanted to send a slobbery, misty-eyed thank you to smellyia for the wonderful write up this fic received via TLYDF. I was truly honored and it really was the kick in the ass that I needed.
To the Erudites - as always you're an inspiration.
Navi, what would I do without the 2am timed writing and hand holding? Thanks for putting up with me for so very long.
And to Amy, I swear I would have stopped showing up long ago if it wasn't for you.
Evening Falls:
Chapter Fifteen:
Happily Ever After
It would have been laughingly optimistic to think that I could escape the dreams that night. Luckily, I'd been too tired to even think about it, or I might not have gone to sleep. All too soon they had me in their thrall. There were too many different images flickering in and out of my restless sleep. I woke often, trying to shake them off, but was too exhausted to resist the darkness for long.
I woke again somewhere near dawn, a bit more aware this time, at least enough to notice the sky turning light outside my window. Part of me fought to stay awake but my eyelids were too heavy. It was moments before I was lost once more.
The steady, maddening beep beep noise next to my ear was the next thing I became aware of. I was lying on my back, held in place by tubes and and the needle stuck through the back of my too small hand. The antiseptic smell stung my nostrils.
I couldn't see beyond my curtained bed but I could hear footsteps, muted voices, the sound of doors opening and closing. The machine beside my bed kept beeping. In the next room, I heard voices growing slightly louder, then abruptly, the high pitched sobbing of a young child. The voices rose in false reassurance and blended together to become a maddening chorus. I couldn't even raise my ensnared hand to cover my ears.
"Elisa." The voice sounded, weary, with a hint of something else. Anger? Fear?
I tried to turn my head towards the speaker but my body didn't seem able to work with my mind. It took several seconds for my head to actually move.
"Dad?" My voice was high-pitched, younger, the way I heard it sometimes when I was sifting through all my rapidly fading memories.
He smiled when our eyes met, but it was as false as the lying voices in the next room.
"Dad." I whispered again and my voiced cracked. I felt tears well and overflow onto my numb cheeks. "I don't like it here. I want to go home."
"I want to take you home." My father whispered back and I heard the caution now. He didn't want to be overheard. We were partners in this somehow…us and him, together against…what? "But you have to do one thing for me first."
I wanted to ask, but my voice wouldn't cooperate. I just lay there, helpless to do anything but question with my eyes.
He leaned forward, his eyes locked on mine.
"You have to forget."
Abruptly I was awake again, gasping. The sky was lighter now, filling my room with the typical washed out gray of dawn in St. John's . I was shivering, my blankets twisted around my legs and not affording the rest of me any protection against the chill air wafting in from my still open window.
I struggled to untangle myself even as I blinked back the tears I must have been shedding in my sleep. My breathing was too heavy, my heart pounding. The dream danced away, trying to escape even as I struggled to hold onto it. I couldn't let this one go the way so many others had. I wanted to remember it, even the suffocating sense of claustrophobia I'd felt being trapped in that room. It was worth it for what else the dream had brought me…the clearest memory of my father's face that I'd had in months.
There was a quiet knock on the door. "Elisa?" I heard Esme call softly. "Is everything OK in there?"
I quickly swiped at my damp eyes, knowing she wouldn't be fooled but hoping she'd chalk up my tears to Edward and Bella's imminent departure.
"I'm fine." I called back and the door swung open.
Esme stepped inside, her eyes concerned. Immediately, she looked at the window. "Has this been open all night? You must be freezing." In a flash she was across my room, shutting it. "That should make you a little warmer. You know, it's still very early. Why don't you go back to sleep?"
"No, no." I jumped out of bed immediately. "I'm up."
Esme's brow wrinkled but she smiled anyway. "Alright, then. Why don't you get dressed and I'll see you downstairs?"
I got dressed quickly, still shivering. The memory of the dream was already floating away, and as much as I wanted to hold onto to the clear image of my father, the rest of it held a murky sense of horror that I was only too glad to forget.
The sky was lightening quickly now, although the clouds showed no sign of lifting. The brightness entering my room made it easier to for my spirits to rise. I didn't want to be in a bad mood today – it was Bella's birthday. Although I wasn't exactly sure how we were going to celebrate it. Originally Alice and I were going to throw her a party, a plan she'd reluctantly agreed to, but neither Bella nor Edward had been able to hide the panic that flared into their eyes whenever we mentioned it. Birthday parties were clearly still a sore subject for them, so we quickly gave up that idea.
Or maybe Alice had just given in so quickly because it would have been too hard to spend that much time with me, planning everything. I frowned as the thought occurred to me, and then shook it off quickly. Today I would think nothing but happy, cheerful thoughts, especially considering the wreck I was bound to be tomorrow when Edward and Bella said their goodbyes.
I was concentrating so hard on happy go luckiness as I bounded down the stairs that I didn't pay close enough attention to what I was doing. Near the bottom, I skipped a step completely and went hurtling towards the landing. I had one second to think about how I was going to completely ruin the whole day by ending up in the hospital before I hit something hard and stopped moving altogether.
Emmett smiled at me as he carefully set me back on my feet. "Good morning, Elisa." He grinned as I gasped in relief. "Starting your day the Bella way, I see."
"I heard that!" We heard Bella call from somewhere in the vicinity of the kitchen.
Emmett laughed, leading the way towards her voice. I entered the dining room after him to find Esme was not alone. The rest of the family surrounded her, gathered inside, sitting around the table. I raised an eyebrow at this impromptu scenario. It almost looked like I had interrupted some kind of meeting.
Wait – maybe not. There was one person missing… Alice .
I hesitated, then hazarded a glance at Jasper. He looked up at me at the same time. So far, his face was carefully blank with no trace of his usual hostility. I took that as a good sign, or at least a sign he'd decided to humor our agreement of the night before, rather than kill me in my sleep instead.
"Good morning, Jasper." I said, deciding as long as we were being civil I might as well make the most of it.
"Good morning, Elisa," he responded, his voice just as deliberately polite as mine.
I noticed several curious glances being tossed our way before Esme spoke up. "I have breakfast for you here." She nodded behind her at the kitchen counter and I noted the full plate with amusement. Clearly Esme had decided if she cooked before I got downstairs not only would I not have a chance to object, but I'd eat it out of politeness. Sneaky.
I had to move past Jasper to get to my food. "Excuse me," I murmured as I edged past him.
Jasper immediately moved to the side. "No, pardon me."
I looked up at Jasper suspiciously at the overly solicitous tone and just for a moment, I saw his eyes crinkle like he was going to laugh. Despite myself I couldn't repress a giggle. The circle of faces around us looked even more confused now, and I had to bit the inside of my cheek before I started laughing outright. Then I saw Edward's face and immediately tensed. He was giving first me, then Jasper, a puzzled bordering on suspicious look. Quickly, I looked away. Jasper's face was stone again, and our tiny second of camaraderie was gone as if it had never happened.
As I sat down and began to eat, low conversation began again. I snuck peeks over my shoulder as Emmett joined the others in the dining area just through the doorway. From the gist of what I heard, they were solidifying the final details of Bella and Edward's departure the next day. I listened vaguely as I ate my pancakes without really tasting them. I was still tired enough that it was easy to allow my mind to go blank, to sit there and not think of anything much.
By the time I was done eating, the kitchen and dining room had emptied out. I jumped down from the stool and wandered over to the sliding glass door, looking out at the cloud filled sky beyond. It wasn't any brighter than it had been when I first woke up, taking its sweet time transitioning from night to dawn. For just a moment I was filled with an oddly apprehensive feeling, as if the sun would never rise at all. Everything seemed cast in shadows, like winter had snuck in and overtaken fall, unwelcome and unrelenting.
I shook my head at my own melodramatic meanderings as I left the room. I was clearly still having a hard time adjusting to near constant gloom after living my first fifteen years in the land of eternal sunshine. It was making me morose. I'd have to nip this disturbing tendency in the bud before I found myself sporting a dyed emo fringe haircut and nursing a rabid crush on Gerard Way.
I had barely made it into the hallway before Emmett re-appeared, making me gasp in surprise as he slung a casual arm around my shoulder. I turned, objecting to being startled, but he was already speaking over me.
"What are you up to, early bird?"
I smiled back. Emmett was like a walking ray of sunlight. Just being near him had the ability to lift my spirits. "Nothing. I think everyone's busy. I guess I'm going to kill time and work on my stupid Life Science project."
Emmett made a face. "You're doing homework willingly? You really must be bored. What's the project?"
I scowled, remembering. "I have to identify five species of local wildlife, and describe their habitats. All because I had to open my big mouth in class and tell Mr. B that the Eastern Grey Squirrel is not exclusive to this region. Excuse me for actually paying attention."
Emmett frowned. "Is this teacher picking on you?"
I shrugged. "I think it was just my turn. He's an equal opportunist – he hates us all."
"Huh." Emmett grinned suddenly. "Get your coat."
"Why?" I asked, already turning towards the coat closet at the end of the hallway. "Where are we going?"
His grin widened. "To do your homework, of course."
xXx
"Emmett!"
"Yes?" Emmett's voice floated up to me from the ground, aggravatingly unconcerned as he watched me cling desperately to the tree branch high above him.
"I'm going to fall!" I tried to shriek the words, but a sudden gust of wind blew into my face and carried the sound away. I gasped as a wave of dizziness made me sway dangerously.
Far below my precarious position, Emmett looked up at me. "Elisa, come on. Would I let you fall?" He called back up to me, actually managing to interject a note of offense into his words.
"I could answer that question with a lot more confidence if you'd stayed up here with me!" I yelled back.
Emmett snickered loud enough for me to hear even from this distance. "Neither beast nor bird is going to come out with me around. You're perfectly safe, I swear. Just take the picture, and then I'll come back up and get you," he promised.
"But – " My protest was weak and I gave up quickly. All I was supposed to do was snap a picture of the squirrel's nest that was wedged into the branch a foot away from me, and hopefully the squirrel itself if it deigned to make an appearance. How was I going to explain that the simple act of reaching into my pocket to remove the digital camera required far more defiance of gravity than I felt was wise to engage in from my treacherous post? Even if Emmett wasn't an invulnerable vampire and could relate to my fear at all, he'd still laugh at my cowardice, but I couldn't help it. I distinctly remembered the last time I'd been up in one of these trees and the fall that came thereafter. I wasn't looking to repeat the experience.
I whimpered to myself as I tried to pry the camera out of my suddenly uncooperative jacket pocket, trying not to peek down as I did so. After several trembling seconds my efforts paid off.
"OK, I got the shot! Come and get me now!" I couldn't hide the quaver in my voice.
In a flash, Emmett leapt onto the trunk and zoomed to my side. Too close to peeing my pants terror to be embarrassed, I wrapped my arms around tightly and buried my face in his neck as he began a much slower descent, one of his arms securely around my waist.
"You can look now," Emmett's voice teased after a couple of minutes. I opened my eyes to greet the welcome sight of the ground that was now a reassuring, non-lethal distance away. Emmett tensed, then jumped the remaining distance. We landed lightly on the ground, and he carefully set me back on my feet. I swayed for a moment and relaxed, happy that my rubbery legs were still able to hold me up.
Emmett held out his hand. "Let me see it."
I handed him the camera. He looked carefully at the picture display. "Perfect. If you don't get the extra credit for this, I'm going to eat your teacher."
I giggled as I took the camera back.
Emmett was uncharacteristically quiet as I put the camera away and made a check mark next to Eastern Grey Squirrel on the scribbled list I'd dug out of my other pocket. I gave him a quizzical look as I waited for him to speak.
"Are we going to talk about this, Elisa?"
"Talk about what?" Confused, I stashed my pencil behind my ear and looked up at him.
Emmett gave a pointed look around at the trees. "Homework at seven in the morning? Really? What's up with that?" He shoved his hands in his pocket and leaned back against the tree.
"This field trip was your idea." I feigned obtuseness although I was well aware of what he was getting at.
Emmett sighed, ignoring my inept sidestep. "You told Carlisle that you weren't having nightmares anymore."
I folded my hands across my chest, feeling neatly trapped. "I'm not! I mean -" My tone lost its edge when I looked back up at him. Emmett was so hard to deceive. He was like Rosalie in that way. They both saw things others didn't, and neither one of them had any patience for subterfuge. "OK, maybe I lied. Are you going to tell him?"
Emmett shook his head. "I wouldn't do that, but I'm sure he probably suspects." He straightened up. "Look, I get that you don't want anyone to make a big deal about it, and I'm not going to. Just keep in mind that you can talk to me when you need to. OK?"
I hesitated. The subtle note of hurt in his voice was back, and this time it wasn't feigned. I felt a piercing stab of guilt at that and I wished I could tell him that of anyone, he was the one I'd choose to talk to first if it had been at all possible. The problem was, all of the reasons that I wanted to tell him everything were the same reasons why I couldn't. If Emmett got the slightest inkling that Jasper had done anything to frighten me, he'd beat his brother like a drum first and ask questions later. I couldn't be responsible for any more divisions in the family.
"Emmett…" I tried to think of the right thing to say. "I will remember that, I promise."
Emmett smiled back, looking appeased. "You up for more? We still have four to go."
"Would it involve more tree climbing?" I bit my lip, trying not to experience heart failure at the thought.
Emmett laughed and chucked me under the chin. "Why not? You held your own up there pretty well. I think you're an adventurer at heart, even if you don't know it yet. There is so much I can show you…" His words trailed off and his face became speculative. "You know what you'd love? Skydiving! It's a total kick. How about I take you out for your birthday?"
My eyes widened in panic. "Um…no?" I managed to squeak out, but Emmett's attention was suddenly elsewhere. He turned away from me, his shoulders tense, staring through the trees to our right.
I was instantly quiet, recognizing his wary posture. Silence reigned for another moment then abruptly, Emmett grabbed me around the waist and galloped towards a thick stand of trees. I gasped in surprise but forced myself to not pepper him with the questions I wanted to ask.
He set me down behind the largest tree and stood behind me. The thick tree trunk kept us both hidden from view. I turned to him, questions in my eyes, and he smiled faintly, dispelling my alarm. "A couple of hunters," he breathed into my ear. "Just don't want them asking questions."
I nodded, understanding, as I heard faint men's voices coming closer to where we were hiding. Emmett had taken me a decent, albeit short for him, distance from our home, deep into the forest. A pair of teenagers in the middle of nowhere, with no hiking or camping equipment and clearly not dressed to brave the elements would definitely have been hard to explain.
The hunters, two older men dressed in camoflauge colors, green vests, and brown caps, clearly had no idea anyone else was around as they walked the path mere feet away from where we were hidden. Their rifles were held casually at their sides, and their voices rang out clearly in the early morning stillness. As I peeked, the dog at their side pricked up his floppy ears and turned in our direction. I shrank back. Next to me, Emmett held his ground but his face was wary as we heard the dog begin to whine and growl.
"Ranger! Quiet!" One of the men ordered.
"Something over there?" The other man questioned. I didn't dare look now but I imagined him turning to walk in our direction. Emmett was frozen, perfectly motionless as we waited to see if we'd be discovered.
"Let it go, whatever it is. I want to get deeper in before we let Ranger loose."
I breathed a silent sigh of relief as we heard the men began walking once again. Their dog gave another mournful whine but obediently began to trot after its master.
As the hunters continued down the trail, snippets of conversation floated back to me. "Hey, did you hear there was another bear attack just outside of Buchans? Some idiot with a camcorder followed the bear for nearly a mile before it turned on him."
"Damn. Did the guy make it?"
I peeked through a gap in the leaves as the other hunter shook his head. "Nope. The video he shot was all over the news – I'm surprised you didn't see it. They think it's the same bear that attacked that other camper two weeks ago. They're gonna shoot it – if they ever find it."
The other hunter's face lit up. "Maybe we should head out there."
The first hunter snorted loudly. "You want to get arrested for poaching? Besides, I'll bet it's rabid. Two people in one month – that's not normal. Something's making it crazy. You go and get yourself killed if you want. I'm staying right here."
The second hunter sighed loudly. "Yeah, fine. I'll stick with small game until bear season." The two men continued to talk softly but their words were imperceptible to me now as they moved down the path and out of my range of vision. I waited a few more seconds before I turned around to face Emmett.
"That's cheery news. A mad killer bear is on the loose. Good thing it's so far – Emmett?"
Emmett's near black eyes were gleaming, and a wide, nearly feral grin split his face. "Awesome!"
xXx
"Absolutely not." Edward's voice rang through the dining room where the family was assembled. "It's Bella's birthday and I'm not leaving her alone to go chasing some – "
"It's also your last day here." Emmett deliberately emphasized his words, cutting Edward off. "The last chance we get to have to be together, all of us, for who knows how long. Come on, Edward. This bear is a killer." He lowered his tone and his voice became mock solemn. "Put aside your own needs for once and do it for the people."
"Oh, shut up." Edward snapped.
"Boys…" Esme cautioned from her perch against the wall. Next to her, Carlisle stood with his arm casually slung around her shoulder. He remained silent, though he frowned slightly in Emmet's direction.
Emmett shrugged, his usual grin back on his face. "OK, so do it for me. Oh, come on, you guys! We all need to hunt anyway. We might as well do it together. Look, we can be there in under an hour. With all of us tracking it, it won't take us long to find it. We kill, we feed, score some good karma while we're at it, and we're back home just in time to cut birthday cake and watch Bella blow out the candles."
Standing next to me, Bella shuddered the way she always did whenever her name and birthday was mentioned in the same sentence. "Edward, please, go ahead. Emmett's right; it's your last chance to be with everyone all together. Elisa and I will be fine."
Edward shook his head. "I am not leaving you alone on your birthday, and Alice won't want to either."
Rosalie, who'd been sitting at the table studying her nails and ignoring the argument, looked up. "Where has Alice been all day, anyway?"
I looked around as well, noticing that once again Alice was missing, though Jasper stood next to Carlisle, silent as usual. At the mention of Alice's name, he looked up. "She's at the carriage house, packing for Bella and Edward." His voice was flat.
"I'll get her!" I bounced forward. Hopefully by the time I got back I would have missed the whole Bella/Edward separation angst bit.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jasper open his mouth, but the objection was never voiced. Instead he closed his mouth quickly and stayed silent, though by his expression the restraint was causing him near physical pain.
I heard the arguing start up again as I headed out the front door, Edward and Emmett doing most of the talking while the rest of the family stood around with long-suffering expressions.
I was at the carriage house in a matter of minutes. After a moment's hesitation, I entered without knocking. "Alice?"
The scene that met my eyes was unbelievable, like something out of a Harry Potter movie. Clothing was flying through the air, some still in stacks, some in garment bags, some on hangers, seemingly suspended of their own volition. Each item seemed to have a mind of its own…some fell into packing boxes on one side of the room, others dropped perfectly folded into the one of the giant, open suitcases on the floor, and yet more ended up discarded in the ever growing pile next to the far wall.
It took several more seconds of gaping for me to realize that no one had waved a magic wand…the driving force behind all of this activity was Alice, who was rushing from place to place so fast that she was just a blur to my human eyes.
"Eight pairs of sweatpants? Honestly, Bella, what were you thinking?" I heard her mutter. Another pile of clothing came whizzing past my head so fast I had to duck. They flew past me to lie rejected on top of the now teetering pile.
"Elisa!" Alice came to an abrupt stop in front of me, several pairs of jeans in her hands and a slightly frantic expression in her eyes. "I'm sorry – I didn't realize you were here."
I shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I avoided decapitation by flying garment, so it's all good."
Alice smiled, but she still looked distracted. "I decided to leave Bella out of the packing process. She keeps trying to sneak in more flannel." She looked around at the chaos on the floor. "I want it all to be just right."
I frowned, a little perplexed by her anxious tone. "It will be, I'm sure. Um, you're needed back at the house, though. Emmett wants to go bear hunting."
"Bear hunting? Now?" Alice 's perfect features tightened and her voice was a mix of surprise and irritation. Then her face went blank for a fraction of a second. "Oh. Well, that figures. "They'll just have to go without me. There's so much left to do." With that, she whirled around and clothes began to fly once more.
"Um… Alice ?" I tried again, starting to wish I'd let Jasper come instead of me after all. I didn't know how to talk to this strange, stressed Alice. "It's just that they really wanted you to go. I guess Emmett though it would be nice if the whole family went together, since Bella and Edward are leaving tomorrow."
"Tomorrow! That's exactly my point!" Alice burst out, loudly enough to make me jump. She kept moving as she spoke, even faster now. My eyes couldn't keep up with her rapid movements – I had to keep circling the whole room trying to get a fix on where she'd stop next. "There's so much left to do." She stared around her with agitated eyes.
I didn't speak again and she didn't press me. In fact, I had a sneaking suspicion she'd already forgotten I was there. I watched her quietly for a moment, realizing again how very human she looked these days. The circles under her now ebony eyes were darker, and tiny stress lines seemed permanently imbued in her forehead. She mumbled under her breath as she zoomed around, obsessively checking and re-checking the stacks of clothes, repeatedly upending the suitcase and re-starting the packing process all over again.
"Alice?" I blurted once more.
Alice finally stopped moving, which was a blessed relief because she'd been giving me motion sickness, and looked at me questioningly. The tiny bit of self-restraint I had was pleading with me to keep my mouth shut and mind my own business, but fifteen years of no common sense whatsoever made speaking without thinking automatic.
"A few weeks ago Carlisle told me that I should stop trying to take care of everyone else and let myself be taken care of for a while." I played with my bracelet as I spoke.
"That's good advice, Elisa." Alice said, her voice still disinterested. She looked back at the trunk at her feet.
"Um, yeah, I guess it is. It's just…I kinda think maybe he gave it to the wrong person." I bit my lip but the words were already out.
Alice's head shot up and her obsidian eyes locked on to me. The look on her face was inscrutable.
"Sorry," I mumbled, backing away. "I just meant – I'll go now."
Just as I was about to make an awkward exit, she spoke again. "I have to admit, Elisa, I never see you coming."
I turned back, confused by her words. There was a small half smile on her face, but she didn't clarify her words and I was too nervous to ask. After a few seconds she dropped the load of clothes she was holding onto the sofa abruptly. "It doesn't take a lot of foresight to know there will be weeks of sulking if Emmett doesn't get his family hunt. Will you tell the others I'll be there in five minutes?"
There was no anger in her voice but it was clearly a dismissal. I'd upset her with my unsolicited advice. Mentally I cursed myself as I hurried out of the door. Think first, then speak, Elisa. Other people do it, why can't you?
I was seriously contemplating a vow of silence when I walked face first into a brick wall. Gasping, I jumped back. The wall moved and I realized it was Jasper, who had come out of no where to step directly into my path.
"Gah! Could you please stop doing that? I swear, you're reaching near Edwardian levels of stalkery!" I rubbed my aching chin and nose, wondering if I was going to bruise.
Jasper chuckled, much to my surprise.. "Horrors. We can't have that." Almost immediately his smile faded, and he looked towards the carriage house and back at me with a clear question in his eyes.
I lowered my voice to a whisper, hoping Alice was too busy being obsessive compulsive to overhear us from this distance. "She's not doing well, Jasper. She can't even fake it anymore."
Jasper didn't reply, but his face seemed to darken. Instinctively, I took a step back. His eyes narrowed as I did so. Without another word, he turned and began to walk down the path.
"Jasper!" I called after him before I could stop myself. He turned, his face as unreadable as Alice's had been.
"Is she going to be alright?"
Jasper paused for a moment. When he spoke his voice was flat again. "Just go back to the house, Elisa." The look on his face didn't invite arguments. Without another word, I turned on my heel and ran.
xXx
It was apparent as soon I stepped back inside the main house that Edward had lost the 'to hunt or not to hunt' debate. Everyone was standing, looking expectant, in the foyer. He was in the back of the group, arms around Bella, with the martyred expression of a Christian about to be fed to a lion.
Esme looked at me curiously. "Isn't Alice coming?"
I bit my lip, wondering what to tell her but Edward spoke for me. "She and Jasper will be right over."
Esme's own face darkened unexpectedly into a frown at that. The look she cast at Edward was odd on her normally placid face. It bordered on suspicious, and I wondered then if perhaps Jasper and I weren't the only ones worrying about Alice.
Any further conversation was suspended when Emmett followed Esme into the foyer. "Well, they'd better hurry up. Time's a-wasting." His foot tapped impatiently on the floor and he walked restlessly back and forth. Emmett paced the room twice more, then jerked open the front door.
"ALICE! JASPER! IF SOME REDNECK HUNTER GUNS DOWN THAT BEAR WHILE WE'RE WAITING ON YOU I'M GONNA – "
"Going to what?" Abruptly Emmett was shoved back, and Alice stepped over the doorway, Jasper directly behind her.
"It's about time!" Emmett either hadn't noticed Alice's expression, or he was in the mood to play with fire. She glowered at Emmett as he towered over her.
There was a communal sigh – whether of relief or exasperation I wasn't sure.
"Are we ready?" Carlisle's voice was exaggeratedly patient. There was a general murmur of assent and a wave of movement towards the door. Only Edward and Alice remained standing with me and Bella.
"Let's go already!" Emmett was clearly out of patience. He turned and glared at his recalcitrant siblings.
Alice remained where she was. "I don't think I should go."
Edward looked instantly relieved. "If Alice isn't going then I'm not – "
"Oh, come on!" Emmett fixed the two of them with the biggest puppy dog eyes I'd ever seen. "What part of last family hunt did you two not understand?"
Rosalie disattached herself from the group and walked back to Alice. "Look, let's just go. The sooner we find this stupid bear, the faster we can come home."
Alice surveyed the expectant expressions around her and her face took on a mutinous glower. "NO."
A clamor of voices broke out at once, Emmett loudly protesting that Alice was wrecking their family bonding time, Edward arguing again that it was Bella's birthday and the family should be bonding at home, Esme and Carlisle's voices trying to make peace.
"Alice, come on. Why don't you want to go?" Emmett had abandoned begging and puppy dog eyes now and was settling for straight out pleading.
Alice blinked slowly and I was startled to see the confusion on her face. "I don't know. I just…don't think I should."
"Have you seen something?" Edward's voice was nearing alarm now. He and Alice locked eyes. Immediately their faces went blank in tandem, but cleared almost immediately. Edward looked relieved, but the confusion was still marring Alice's features.
"Everything's OK?" Emmett demanded. "Come on, then!"
Amid the commotion, Jasper made his way back to Alice's side. His words were quiet, but not so quiet that I couldn't hear them. "Alice, you're making this harder on yourself than you have to. You need to hunt."
Alice locked eyes with him for a long moment. Whatever else passed between them was unspoken, but it was enough to make her drop her defensive stance.
"Fine." Without another word, Alice turned and stalked out the front door with Jasper at her side, leaving the others trailing in her wake.
Edward was the last to go, turning to Bella again. "If you want me to stay – "
"Yes, yes. Parting is such sweet sorrow, you'll count the minutes, blah blah blah. Just go already!" I put my hands on my hips. "Goodbye, Edward," I added pointedly. "Bella and I will be fine. Maybe we'll even go out."
Edward frowned even more deeply. "I'd prefer that you didn't."
I sighed in exasperation. "Whatever. Don't get your panties in a bunch. We'll stay home and twiddle our thumbs."
Looking relieved, Edward kissed Bella goodbye and patted my head as he passed. I suppressed the urge to kick him only by remembering I'd break my foot doing so.
The door shut behind Edward, and simultaneously Bella let out a heartfelt sigh, as if the sun had abruptly fallen from the sky. I would have rolled my eyes but I'd been doing it so much lately that I was starting to fear they might get stuck that way.
"So, Elisa…" Bella turned to me, plastering on a smile. "What would you like to do?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. It's your birthday. You get to decide."
Bella looked lost for a moment. "Well, if you want to get your homework, I can help you finish it."
I gave her a disbelieving look. "Homework? Seriously? Geez, Bella, stop bringing the fun. I might explode from excitement."
Bella laughed sheepishly, turning and walking into the living room. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm not that fun to hang out with, but you don't want to leave it all until the last minute, do you?"
"Of course I do." I flopped onto the couch and reached for the television remote. " I'm expected to be irresponsible. It's called being a teenager." I gave her a pointed look. "You might want to try it sometime."
Bella gave me a vague smile, her eyes far away. I waited for more but she just gazed out of the window, moping over Edward and their agonizing hours long separation, I was sure.
I jumped up from the couch. "Let's go into town."
Bella turned away from the window, her eyes startled. "We told Edward we wouldn't."
"And?" I shrugged. "Besides, how's he going to know? He can't read your mind, after all."
"Yes, but he can read yours," Bella said pointedly.
I grinned. "Yes, well, as soon as he gets in the door I'm going to put in my copy of Prince Caspian and fantasize about Ben Barnes for the rest of the night. Believe me when I say Edward is not going to want anywhere near my thoughts."
Bella pursed her lips. "Sorry, Elisa."
I groaned loudly, and sat back down abruptly. Bella seemed to sense a tantrum brewing and hurried to head it off. "Tonight we'll do something, I promise. We can all go out together."
I was fully aware that I was being patronized but allowed myself to be mollified anyway. Truth be told, I wasn't really up to covert hi-jinks anyway. What I really wanted was something to distract me from the constant worrying that had overtaken my life lately. Everything was just so bizarre lately – I was desperate for a moment of normalcy.
"So, no homework then?" Bella asked once more.
I didn't even bother to dignify that asinine suggestion with an answer. Bella didn't offer any other ideas, so we just stood there for a moment, staring blankly, before I brightened. "I know what we can do! But first, I have to start mixing your birthday cake."
"Wait…what'?" Bella followed me as I turned and dashed into the kitchen to begin attacking cupboards and pulling out mixing bowls. "What birthday cake?"
"The one I'm making for you, silly. I'm baking it from scratch. No boxed cake mix allowed. It's going to have layers and filling and everything." I beamed proudly. "Esme took me shopping yesterday and I bought all the ingredients. I'm even going to decorate it."
Bella's nose wrinkled slightly. "Elisa, um, I know you've been all about the homemade cuisine lately but isn't that a little ambitious?" She watched me pull out ingredients from the refrigerator and began stacking them on the counter. "Especially if you've never done it before?"
"Oh, ye of little faith." I made a face at her. "All I have to do is follow the recipe. How hard can it be? Hey, can you get the mixer down for me?" I gestured at the cupboard over her head.
Although she still looked doubtful, Bella helped me compile the rest of the ingredients. I refused to let her help me beyond that, so she sat back and watched me work. Soon the kitchen smelled of vanilla and I had two round pans of cake batter to put in the oven. Even she had to admit it smelled pretty good.
After we set the timer, I dragged Bella upstairs. Judging by her wary expression, she had a pretty good idea of what was coming next, and her suspicions were confirmed when I pulled her into the largest bathroom on the second floor, the one that was better stocked than a beauty supply store thanks to Rosalie and Alice.
"Oh no." Bella groaned. "Not makeover time. Do you know how many times Alice has done this to me already?"
"Stop talking," I informed her, opening a drawer and eyeing the dozens of brand new make up cartridges. "I'm bored and this is what you get for refusing to entertain me." I cocked my head to the side as I studied her. "Are you sure that's the hair you want to be stuck with for eternity? I think we have some dye – "
"Elisa!" Bella clutched her hair protectively and gave me a deeply offended look.
I sighed. "I was kidding. A little trim would do you some good though…"
I reached for the scissors hopefully only to be met by a fierce glare. "No."
"Boy, for someone who doesn't care about how she looks, you sure are touchy about your hair." I frowned at her as I sat down the scissors resignedly. "Let me guess…Edward likes it long so he can run his fingers through it or something sickeningly sweet like that."
I'd only been teasing but Bella blushed scarlet, making me giggle, then shudder. "Ew. Don't tell me stuff like that. It makes me imagine things. Disgusting things."
"I didn't tell you any – " Bella started to object, even redder now, but the tenor of her voice changed as soon as I turned and she saw the eyeliner pencil in my hand. We had a quick stare down until I blinked and allowed my chin to wobble and her face softened into resignation.. "You are a special brand of evil, Elisa. Fine, go ahead." She stared at me like I was a torturer about to put her on the rack.
Fifteen minutes later of cosmetic overhaul later, Bella was clearly running out of patience. "Can I look now?" She demanded, fidgeting.
"I'm not finished yet!" I protested, squeezing a final lock of hair in the straightening iron I was holding.
"How can you not be finished? You put enough gunk on my face to paint a house with." Bella pulled away from me and straightened up. Before I could stop her, she whirled around to face the mirror.
"Oh. My. God."
"What?" I tried to look innocent as Bella's eyebrows nearly shot off her forehead.
"I look like Marilyn Manson!" Bella touched her pale, powdered face and grimaced, then reached down to pick up the tube of blood red lipstick I'd left on the counter. She looked at the label and scoffed. "Vamp?"
I shuffled nervously. "I see you've caught on to my theme, then."
Bella continued to stare at me, blinking eyes that were heavily ringed with black eyeliner. Her hair hung straight to her shoulders and her powdered down skin gleamed, making her crimson lips look even more striking. "What exactly did I do to deserve the Morticia treatment?"
I hopped on the counter next to her and fingered her dark hair. "I wasn't trying to make you look bad. I was just trying to…well…imagine you as a vampire. I mean, I'm not going to get to see you afterwards, at least not for a long time. I wanted something I could picture in my head."
Bella shook her head. "I suggest trying to imagine me as immortal, not imagine me going to a midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show." With that, she grabbed a pack of cleansing wipes and began to scrub at her face before I could stop her.
"Bella! I wanted to take a picture!" I protested as the au naturel Bella I was used to made a quick re-emergence.
Bella gave me another narrow eyed look as she continued washing the make up off. "Like I want any photographic evidence of this."
"I didn't even get to the body giitter yet," I grumbled, more to myself than Bella.
Bella threw away the used cloths and turned back to the mirror, touching her head. "I need to wash out all this product." She murmured, more to herself, then caught sight of my downcast expression. "You're acting like I'm going to disappear off the face of the earth. Believe it or not, modern technology exists even in the remote parts of Alaska. We can take pictures. We might even be able to set up a webcam to chat with you. You'll see me, one way or another. I promise." She patted my head, a gesture I normally found extremely condescending, but it was clear she was trying her hardest to make me feel better.
And it was working. I couldn't help but feel slightly cheered – I hadn't really thought of that before. Bella and Edward weren't hopping a shuttle to Mars; they were just going north. Maybe I wouldn't be able to visit, on account of being a snack sized human and all, but I'd be able to keep in touch. Maybe what I'd been really worried about was that they would forget about me; that they wouldn't want to keep in contact, but looking at Bella's sincere expression made me realize that I may have been a touch overdramatic.
Bella smiled in response to my expression. "You really thought we were abandoning you, didn't you?" She ruffled my hair. "You're not getting rid of us that easily."
"Thanks." It wasn't the most eloquent of responses, but it seemed to be enough. I jumped off the counter. "Sorry I made you sit through the makeover fail."
"It wasn't so bad - " Bella began, then shook her head. "Alright, I hated it. I'm just not the girly type, but you don't need me for that anyway. Alice must love playing dress up with you."
My smile faded and I looked down. "Um…not really."
Bella was checking for signs of stray gothface and didn't seem to notice my tone. "Sure she does."
"No." I shook my head. "She doesn't.. Alice and I don't really do anything together. Not anymore."
Bella looked over at me. "What are you talking about? You used to hang out with her all the time. You guys planned the wedding together, you ganged up on me and took my clothes… Speaking of which, I'd like them back if you don't mind. I know they must be hidden around here somewhere."
"Oh," I bit my lip and tried to look innocent. I really didn't want to be the one to tell her that Alice and I hadn't exactly hidden her clothes. Instead, we'd gleefully burned her Lumberjack Teen ensembles in a giant bonfire and dedicated their sacrifice to the fashion gods. The memory made me smile for a moment, and then I felt even worse about the Alice situation then I had before. What had happened? What had I done to make her dislike me so much since then?
"Everything's different now." I spoke out loud. "Alice is different. You haven't noticed?"
Bella looked confused. "No…she's seemed normal to me, but I guess…" Her words trailed off and she looked suddenly stricken.
I sighed. "I think that maybe it's me."
"You?" Bella looked confounded. "What are you talking about?"
I hesitated, twisting a strand of hair around my finger until it broke off, wondering how to answer her. I was suddenly gripped with a near overwhelming to desire to spill my guts, Jasper and any other consequences be damned. To tell her everything, about how Alice couldn't stand to be near me, Jasper hated me, about every single bizarre thing that had happened since we'd come to St. John's whether it was proof I was losing my mind or not.. Just imagining unburdening myself brought with it such a sensation of relief that the words were spilling from my lips before I had time to even think it through.
"Bella, I have something to tell – "
From the distance there was a far away buzzing and we both jumped a little at the same time.
"The cake!" I flew out of the bathroom and down the stairs into the kitchen, Bella right on my heels. A few frantic seconds passed while I desperately opened drawers looking for an oven mitt until Bella sighed and pulled it off the wall hook next to the stove and handed it to me.
I pulled open the oven door and scooped out each round pan carefully and placed it on the counter. Then I peeled off the oven mitt and noticed Bella's expression as I did so. She was bent over the pans and her nose was wrinkled critically.
"What?" I was ready to defend my culinary masterpiece until I got a clear look at what were supposed to be my cake layers. The edges of what was supposed to be golden fluffy goodness by this point were dark and charred, while in the middle the batter remained so uncooked that it was actually bubbling.
I groaned loudly. "No! What happened? I swear I did everything just like the cookbook said! It can't possibly be me. The oven must be broken."
"It worked fine yesterday," Bella mused and grinned at the look I threw her way. "OK, whatever you say. It's all the oven's fault." The sincerity of her words were offset by the smirk playing around the corners of her mouth.
"Now what I am supposed to do? I don't have enough to make another batch." I sighed heavily, feeling the beginning of an epic Pout-A-Thon coming on.
Bella patted my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Elisa. I didn't need a cake. We're the only two that would eat it anyway."
I glowered at her. "You don't need a cake? Are you kidding me? We didn't have a party, you don't even want presents which is totally insane, and now there won't be a cake? Bella, this is your LAST mortal birthday and you are going to HAVE A CAKE!"
Bella raised an eyebrow as I ranted. "Are you having a tantrum, Elisa?"
"YES!" I was pacing the kitchen floor now. "Can we call Edward or something and ask him to pick up one on the way home? It won't be the same but I can still decorate it…" I stopped when I saw Bella was shaking her head.
"They'll be out of cell phone range by now." There was just a hint of smugness in her tone and I was tempted to throw some half cooked batter at her. It was so irritating to see how gleeful she was about how every attempt to celebrate her birthday had gone completely wrong. Dammit, I was going to get a birthday cake and make her eat it if it was the last thing I ever did.
"Hmmm…" I murmured out loud as I thought. "I wonder…" I began to pace the room. "Can Alice, like, get messages?" I closed my eyes without waiting for an answer and began concentrating as hard as I could. "Ommmmm. Alice…" I intoned. "We need birthday cake. OMMMMMM."
"What are you doing?" Bella's voice broke into my concentration and I opened my eyes.
"Be quiet. You're interrupting my mind meld!" I squeezed my eyes shut again, trying to ignore Bella's chuckles.
"I don't think it works like that, Elisa," Bella was saying now. "And besides, if it's really that important to you we can always leave them a message the normal way…you know, on their phone?" Funny how she'd neglected to mention that before, but I was too involved in my new endeavor to care.
"No, no, this is totally going to work. I can feel it." I waved Bella off and concentrated once more, picturing Alice in my mind as strongly as I could. "Alice…we need…"
Abruptly the red-black darkness behind my closed eyelids disappeared. For a moment there was nothing, just blankness and a jolting sense of loss. That split second was horrifying – as if my sight had been taken from me for good, but then the images rushed in, filling my head, sight that wasn't my own, that I couldn't control. It was just flashes, so abrupt I couldn't see make out more than a detail or two before one flickered off and was replaced with another. A forest…figures moving…a flash of eyes, golden, then red…and then it stopped, as if a spinning carousel had abruptly stopped moving, leaving one last lingering vision in my head. I saw hands. MY hands. Covered, dripping in red, just as I'd seen them before in my dreams months ago.
"Elisa? Elisa!" The shout had my eyes snapping back open. Everything came back to blinding life, the kitchen, Bella's worried voice, the feel of her hands on my arms pulling me upright. I realized belatedly that I must have stumbled or fallen into the counter. The cake pans had fallen to the floor, making a sticky mess of uncooked batter and burnt crumbs on Esme's squeaky clean floor.
"Elisa, what's wrong? What happened?" Bella was shaking me lightly now, and I could hear my own desperate gasps for air and feel the tremors that were still shaking my body. My hands stung and I realized I'd been rubbing them frantically against the denim of my jeans as if to wipe off the non-existent blood.
Bella's eyes were wide, alarmed, as she stared at me. The look on her face gave me the bit of calm that I needed to find my voice and my words and put them together in a coherent sentence. "I - I don't know," I finally managed. "I think maybe I fainted."
I tried to take a step forward but balance had not returned as quickly as my voice had and I stumbled, and nearly fell into Bella. She righted me once more. "Sit down."
I clutched Bella's arm as she tried to lead me to a kitchen stool, certain that if she let go I would not be able to stay on my feet. "No," I gasped, my lungs constricting more with each strangled breath I took. "I need air."
Bella nodded. "Come on." With her supporting me we managed to make our way to the sliding glass door in the room behind and stepped outside. The breeze that greeted us was chilling, but refreshing. I gulped the air greedily, still clinging to her until the shakiness slowly subsided and I was able to breathe normally again.
"Are you alright now?"
I nodded. My head was pounding now, but the rest of me felt okay. As long as I didn't think about what I'd seen, that was, because as soon as my thoughts strayed in that direction my heart tried to pound itself out of my chest all over again.
"You must have been concentrating so hard on your 'mind meld' you stopped breathing for a few seconds." Bella's voice was amused again.
I managed a small smile. "Yeah…I guess."
The breeze picked up, scattering the first of the fall leaves around our feet and we both shivered. Without the chill wind, the day would have almost been warm. The sky was cloudy but bright, and the occasional ray of sunlight broke through to illuminate the lawn.
"Do you want to go back outside?" Bella asked now, looking down at me as I rubbed my arms.
I shuddered at the thought, a wave of claustrophobia enveloping me. I felt restless now, nervous, like a circus cat pacing in their cage, the smell of unattainable freedom in the air.
"No," I shook my head. "I want to stay out here for a little while. Oh! As long as we're out here, I want to show you something."
With that, I led Bella across the lawn. At the entrance to Esme's gardens, two tiny trees had been planted on either side of the path. I walked ahead of Bella and gestured grandly. "Ta da! I mean, I know it's not the most impressive present ever, but we planted these for you and Edward, like a way to mark this year. Imagine how big they could be by the time you come back." My voice wavered at that slightly.
Bella smiled. "They're perfect." Her fingers lightly touched the branches of the one she was standing next to. "These little trees look so fragile when they're young. You'd never guess how much they can withstand; how long they'll be here. How many lives they'll see come and go."
"Kinda like you." I half smiled as I turned and wandered away, towards the center of the garden plots. Directly in the middle stood an old, cracked stone fountain, its shallow pool empty. According to Esme, it had been part of the property for years, since the time the house was built. It no longer worked, but she was determined to repair and restore it, even though she'd been told repeatedly it would be easier just to replace it.
I sat down on the edge, looking at the leaves that were stuck soggily to the bottom of the pool. Bella followed suit, sitting beside me. She was quiet, her head still turned towards the trees that were barely more than seedlings.
"Bella?" My voice was tentative and she turned back towards me. "Are you – " I searched for a way to phrase my question. "I mean…what's it like? To know you're going to be immortal?"
Bella laughed at first, but her face quickly grew solemn. "It's…" Her fingers twisted her shirt absently. "It's exciting. At least it was exciting. Right now I think I'm more terrified than anything. I begged for this for so long and now…I don't know. I didn't want to be afraid." The last few words were a quiet whisper I barely caught.
"You don't know?" My voice was louder than I'd intended and Bella blanched.
"I didn't mean I don't know if this is what I want still. It is. I just – maybe I didn't think about everything I was going to lose. I didn't want to. I thought if I just focused on Edward and what I was gaining it wouldn't hurt so much. Now I can't stop thinking about everyone I'm leaving behind, everything I'm going to face and I don't know if…I don't know if I deserve this." I stared at her. "If you deserve it? I don't understand. What do you mean?"
Bella stood up, moving restlessly around the fountain. "Elisa, I'm going to live forever. I'm going to be powerful, and I'm going to be a predator, and I don't even know if I can handle it. What if I don't turn out the way everyone expects? What if Edward gets tired of me? What am I supposed to do with my forever then? What if I'm just not strong enough? I don't understand why this is happening to me; why I've been given this chance. It feels like too much, like fate made a huge mistake when it put me in Edward's path. It should have been someone else. Someone better. I'm not even a good person."
She came to sit down next to me again, her entire posture defeated. Her questions had tumbled over one another rapidly, reminding me of how I'd felt earlier when I had wanted to spill everything to her. It was as if she'd been waiting for the right opportunity to vent it all, and I was just the one who happened to be here when she did.
I gaped at her. "Not a good person? You? What are you talking about? You're like, practically perfect!"
Bella gave me a long suffering look, as if realizing she was talking to someone who couldn't possibly understand. "Elisa, you idealize me. I don't know why, but you do. I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. I mess everything up. I hurt people. Like my parents…like Jacob. Even Alice. It's like you said upstairs earlier. Something's wrong with her and I didn't even notice because I'm so wrapped up in my own life. The worst thing is, I know I'm doing these things. I know I'm going to do it before it actually happens. I plan to hurt people. All because I want Edward; I want this life, and I'll do whatever it takes to get it."
"Well, that's just…" I sputtered, trying to think of the right words. "You're being totally ridiculous. You're not trying to hurt anyone. All this is what you're supposed to do. It's how your story goes. You're like the princess in the fairy tale. You meet the prince, upstage the evil stepsisters, go to the ball, fall in love, get rescued a few times, then get married, become immortal, and live happily ever after. See?"
Bella looked at me, shaking her head. "As simple as that, Elisa?"
I nodded firmly. "Yes. As simple as that. Bella, to me, this is the fairytale. Maybe it's not exactly how I imagined. Maybe it's a lot harder and scarier than I ever could have guessed, but it's still magic. And you're the one who gets to live out the dream. How many people can say that? You could kiss a frog and you'd still get…well, Edward. The rest of us kiss frogs and just get warts. You've got the closest life to a perfect that I'll ever see, and you have to live your happily ever after and not feel bad about it. Do it for the rest of us."
Bella smiled for a moment before it faded away and her face became melancholy once more. "And what about the people I'm putting in danger? What about the person I kill when I lose control? Where is their happily ever after? How do I justify that? What gives me the right to make this choice, not only for me, but for them?"
I flinched. "I don't know," I finally whispered.
The silence stretched out painfully. Bella's eyes shone with tears, while inwardly my mind churned with new, unpleasant concepts that I'd never considered before. Why did everything have to be so hard? Why couldn't there be just one right answer and one wrong one, and not all these murky pathways in between?
"But there's no other way for you, is there? I mean, maybe you're right. But what about your life? It's not exactly fair either that the Volturi will kill you if you don't change before you ever had a chance to really live. So maybe there really isn't any right or wrong. Maybe there's just…choices. And doing the best you can with what you've been given."
Bella sucked in a deep breath and nodded slowly. Her eyes were still too shiny.
I reached over and touched her hand. "Bella, maybe you're not perfect but you're a better person than you give yourself credit for. That's why you're going away, because you don't want to hurt anyone, remember? Edward will make sure you don't, until you're strong enough to control yourself. It's all going to be OK. It's all going to work out just like it's supposed to before I came here and screwed everything up."
Bella blinked, looking startled. "Screwed everything up? What are you talking about?"
I sighed now, kicking my sneakers against the cracked concrete surrounding the fountain. "I changed so much for you guys. Don't you ever wonder what it would have been like if I'd never come back? Maybe everything would have better for you."
Bella looked bewildered. "Better how?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you would have found a way to tell Charlie everything. Maybe you could have stayed in Forks and you and Jacob would have made up and kept being friends. Maybe you wouldn't have had to lose anything at all."
Bella scoffed, giving me a disbelieving look. "Right. It's definitely all your fault that everything didn't turn out completely perfect like that. Oh, and maybe I would have even gotten knocked up with a half-vampire daughter that Jacob could imprint on so he could have his own happily ever after!"
I started to giggle. "Yeah, he could move in with you and you'd be his mother in law!"
The tears welling in Bella's eyes were ones of mirth now. "And Edward could call him SON!"
I couldn't help but imagine the look on Jacob's face if that were to ever happen and I nearly fell off my perch. "Don't forget the part where the Volturi shows up to massacre you all, only to be cleverly outwitted by your brilliant conversation."
Bella was holding her stomach as we leaned against each other laughing hysterically at the absurdity of it all. After a few moments Bella straightened up, wiping her eyes. "Elisa, honestly, I don't see how it could get much better than this. I'm sorry for the things I have to give up, but I'll never lose sight of what I'm gaining in return." Her eyes looked clearer now, her face resolute.
We allowed quiet to descend once more as we both sat there, lost in contemplation. Eventually I noticed the lengthening shadows around us. The air had gotten considerably colder; the sky darker. I turned my face upwards. "It's going to rain."
Bella nodded. "We should go inside."
Neither of us moved for a couple more minutes until Bella nudged my shoulder. "We've done enough daydreaming for one day, Elisa."
I laughed as I got to my feet. "I'd forgotten I'm not the only one who dreams."
Bella started to chuckle too but abruptly stopped, staring at me. "What did you just say?"
I barely registered what she was asking. I was still transfixed by the sky. It was in constant motion now, the clouds moving rapidly, blocking the last rays of sunlight that had struggled through. The wind blew harder and I felt the first drops of rain strike my face.
Bella followed my gaze upwards. "I'm getting the weirdest sense of déjà vu. As if we've had this conversation before."
I stilled. Goosebumps were breaking out on my skin, and it wasn't because of the cold. Bella was right. This felt really odd, like replaying a scene I'd just watched in a movie. My earlier apprehension was coming back to me in droves.
"Bella," I choked out, my voice cracking. "Someone's coming." I didn't think the words before I spoke them, and they surprised me as much as they did her. But as soon I said it, I knew it was true.
Bella gazed at me, her eyes wide. To my great relief, she didn't waste time asking the questions I couldn't answer. My sudden, inexplicable panic seemed to jump from me to her like a forest fire spreading from tree to tree. She jerked her head towards the garage where her Mustang was parked. "We're getting out of here."
The sense of danger now was almost palpable, a physical presence that hung over us. Like two rabbits sensing a nearby fox, we turned and sprinted for the garage.
It was too late. I think we both knew it even before the air stirred around us, even before the figures emerged from the shadows, blocking our path and driving us back towards the garden.
Three pairs of eyes surveyed us and I saw again the red and gold remnants from my vision earlier. It had been a warning; the last in a long line of them, warnings that I'd been too stupid to heed. I understood it now as we were surrounded.
Three sets of immortal eyes stared at us. The first two pairs were a familiar, if not reassuring, shade of gold.
The third pair gleamed a deep, burgundy red.
To Be Continued....
Sneak Peek from Chapter 16:
"Fascinating." The dark haired vampire was suddenly in front of me. I took an automatic step away but his hand reached out and grabbed me at the same time, pulling me back to him. He kept a firm but not painful grip on my hair as he studied me, forcing me to hold still as he spoke to his companions. "The stories are true. I can't see this one at all. It's quite remarkable."
Abruptly he released me. I hadn't been expecting it and I stumbled, nearly falling. I righted myself just in time to see the blur of motion and then he was in front of Elisa. I went cold as I saw him reach out a long white finger to stroke her cheek, his eyes bright with interest. "You, however, are clear as glass to me." I heard his low murmur as he leaned forward to speak in her ear.