"Go home, Bella... Don't come back here anymore."
I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. I could hear the sadness in her voice, but the finality of her statement made it hard to accept.
I gathered myself and slowly made my way home, leading my mule along the way. As I walked, I felt defeated and helpless, and the tears were streaming down my face. The whole world seemed blurry, and I felt like I was walking in a daze. I couldn't believe that it was over, that everything we had shared was now gone.
Despite the heaviness in my heart, I continued walking, trying to put one foot in front of the other. It didn't bother me anymore that it was dark. The prospect of bandits didn't stir the same fear as it used to. I didn't even bother to jump when the bushes rustled, and wolves howled in the distance. The journey home felt long and arduous, and I couldn't even remember how I got there when I finally arrived.
I collapsed onto my bed, feeling completely drained. The room was silent. I lay there for what seemed like hours, crying myself to sleep, hoping that there would be some measure of relief from the pain.
In the days that followed, I tried my best to act normal on the farm. I didn't want to worry Charlie with my problems, and I knew that the work still had to be done. So, I went about my daily tasks, trying to keep my mind occupied and my emotions in check.
I spent my days tending to the animals, working in the fields, and doing whatever else needed to be done.
It was hard to focus, though, and my mind would often drift back to Jacob's still and disappointed frame and Alice's impossible request. I couldn't help but wonder what I could have done differently to prevent the estrangement of the two closest people in my life.
I tried my best to put on a brave face. I didn't want Charlie to see how much I was hurting.
Days passed, and the deep sense of sadness began to make way for a rising sense of curiosity. Jacob said he and the other wolves were meeting with the coven leaders, and I was burning to know how it went. But the thought of appearing before Jacob after so selfishly ignoring his warning made me apprehensive. Would he turn back into the cold and unfriendly Jacob?
There was only one way to find out.
"Going to see Jake!" I called down the stairs to my father as I threw off my overalls to wear something less dirty.
As I walked down the trail to the Black's house, suddenly, a red wolf popped out from behind a tree, and I jumped in shock, a scream rising in my throat.
But then I realized that it was just... Jacob.
"Jake!" I shouted at him, instinctively reaching out my hand to swat him. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
He lifted his great furry head and made a sound that almost sounded like a laugh. This monstrous beast was huge and intimidating, but his eyes were the familiar brown eyes of my best friend.
"Can you change back so we can talk?" I asked him, my heart still racing from the surprise.
He nodded and shifted back into his human form, revealing his rich brown skin and muscular build, covered in nothing but denim shorts. I tried to ignore the jump in my stomach as I watched him change back.
"Sorry about that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"I don't believe that for a second," I said, trying not to grin. "And as you can see, I'm still alive."
"Yeah." His eyes narrowed at her, and his grin faltered. "I can see that."
"So, how did the meeting go with the coven leader?" I quickly changed the subject.
Jacob's face grew serious as he began to recount the events of the meeting. He told me about the Spell Casters and how they were driving the Vampires from Oregon south. This coven had come to ask for Carlisle's help in defending their territory.
"What on earth is a Spell Caster?" I felt a sense of dread settle in my stomach.
"They are magic users." He explained. "I've never met any of them, but Sam told me they call our kind and vampires' demons. They look down on anyone that isn't one of them."
"That's awful."
He wrinkled his nose in agreement. "Yeah, we are not demons like the vampires are."
"That's not what I meant, Jake." I told him. "I don't think the Cullens are demons either."
He pretended that I hadn't spoken. "Anyways, Sam wasn't interested in the Spell Caster war with the vampires. It doesn't concern us. He wants the new vampires off our land. We don't have a treaty with them, and they can't be trusted."
"So, are they going to leave?"
He frowned, indicating that it wasn't going to be a simple cast. "There is a bit of a debate on their right to be here. But the Cullens leader—"
"Carlisle?"
"Yeah, Carl—whatever," his nose wrinkled again, as if it was weird that the vampire had a name, "Has been fairly reasonable and is trying to get them to leave for us."
"What are they going to do about the Spell Casters?" I asked, feeling helpless.
The thought of another magical race of people, especially one that thought themselves superior, was terrifying, and I couldn't imagine how we could possibly defend ourselves against them.
"No Idea," He said, shrugging. "Like I said, that's their problem. We keep to ourselves. As far as I know, the last time a Caster visited was over a decade ago. And it was just passing through."
"Thanks for telling me, Jake," I said, feeling grateful for his honesty.
"No problem," he said, a small smile on his lips. "But now it's your turn."
"What do you mean?"
He crossed his arms and gave her a knowing look. "How did it go with the—" he coughed, trying to hide an insulting term from being heard. "Your—er—vampire."
The throbbing pain that was hiding behind the thrill of new information surfaced then, and I couldn't help but put my arms around my chest. "She told me not to come back."
"Ah well," he said gently, "It's for the best."
A surge of anger rose in me. I did not feel the same way, and though he meant well, the fact that he was happy Alice didn't want me anymore made the pain worse.
"Maybe for you," I spat.
With that, I turned around and started walking back home.
"Bella?" He called out in alarm as I walked away, but I didn't respond. He didn't follow me either, and that was good. I could feel the weight of the day's events starting to catch up to me, and I just wanted to be alone.