CHAPTER TWELVE - DAY 31, AFTERNOON
Two miles down the trail, we reach the junction between Park Butte and Railroad Grade. With just a bit more walking, we hit Morovitz Meadow, which is painted purple and blue from lupines - my favorite wildflower. They sway in the gentle breeze under the snow capped peak of Mount Baker.
As we climb the stone steps toward the backcountry campsites on the way to the peak, Emmett and I regale each other with stories from our childhood:
He reminds me of the time he got into a losing fist fight with the neighbor boy, Mike - he was ten, Mike fourteen. I was only five, but I sprinted outside when I saw Emmett on the ground, stole our steel trashcan's lid, and beat it over Mike's head, jumping wildly all the time, screaming my head off.
I remind Em of how we used to bike to the elementary school together in rain or shine, my little bike always following his. This reminds us both of the time Em decided to get back at someone who kept bullying me by jumping out of the trees to scare him as he walked to school. The boy was so startled that he pooped himself. The next day in the hallway, Em laughed so hard when he saw the bully's face that he was found out, almost got suspended. But he was so charming that he got away with a few detentions instead.
It's the dimples.
Around one, we stop for lunch and eat mushy, rehydrated mac and cheese out of biodegradable packages; we are together and laughing, so the taste doesn't matter. Emmett downs two in half the time it takes me to finish one.
Afterward, we climb two more miles before we reach the cliff's edge of the glacial moraine. Emmett is unafraid to stand close to the edge to peer over it, regardless of the long drop below. I hold back to survey the view as clouds roll in, blocking the sun from the sky.
When he's done scaring me half to death standing so close to the edge, we head up just a bit more to High Camp. As we emerge from the pines dotting the trail, Emmett stops in his tracks. I nearly run into him, having had my eyes trained on my feet and the trail ahead of me to avoid tripping.
Sitting in the middle of High Camp with her long legs stretched out in front of her is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She has soft features; long, wavy blonde hair; rosey lips; pale skin. Her sharp, honey colored eyes make me freeze, even as Emmett starts toward her.
She's wearing designer jeans that hug her body, paired with a crimson blouse. Without a pack or climbing gear, she surveys me with keen, almost predatory eyes. It's obvious to me that this woman has not hiked up here, is not human.
I'm frozen in the middle of the trail.
Emmett whistles low, thinking she won't hear as he continues up the trail. But I recall what Edward had said about possessing very good hearing.
"Hey there," he starts, his grin big and bright on his tan face. His dimples are on full display; I have yet to meet a straight female who isn't enamored with his dimples.
"Hello," she replies with a voice that sounds like bells chiming.
Ever the Boy Scout, Emmett questions, "What're you doing up here without a pack? Do you need some help?" I watch as his breath fogs, mingling with the frigid air.
"I'm quite alright." She smiles disarmingly at him; he shakes his head slightly, his grin turning doofy.
There is no similar puff of fog at her exhale. I suck in a shaky breath; her eyes dart to me. Despite the chill up here, I start to sweat, feel a bead trail down the back of my neck.
"Em," I squeak. He doesn't hear me, but her eyes shift to me, narrow. Calculating.
"Are you summiting?" He asks, jerking his chin toward the trail.
"Not today," she says as she stands to look at him curiously. She steps forward fluidly, like a dancer in a ballet. Her body is perfectly proportioned, Barbie-like. "I'm Rosalie. And you are?" She doesn't offer him her hand.
Em doesn't answer as his eyes unfocus, turn hazy. He is lost to the world. Great.
I clear my throat and find my voice, exhaling finally. "I'm Bella. This is my brother Emmett." Rosalie focuses on me as if in assessment. I feel like a lab rat.
"Rose!" A familiar voice calls. I whirl to find Edward stepping out of the trees, still in the black tshirt and jeans from earlier today and last night and pretty much every other time I've seen him. Does he shower?
Great, now I'm thinking about him in a shower.
As Edward crosses in front of me, he winks before Emmett turns around to study him, his dark eyebrows knitting together. Em has to notice the way neither of them are dressed to summit a mountain.
When I look back to Rosalie, her beautiful face is pulled into a sneer. She takes a step toward Emmett - that step resembles a jungle cat about to pounce - and my heartbeat thumps wildly in my chest.
"What're you doing here?" Edward presses. He makes a show of noticing Emmett and me. "Hello," he smiles at us warmly, his eyes lingering on me until I blush. "Just looking for my sister."
Rosalie's response is terse. "I'm exploring the area. I wanted to see if it was worth it," she finishes; her eyes slither to mine. I have a feeling the it she is talking about is me.
"Well, no need to, it is." His voice is just as hard as hers. "It's time to go." Edward says, glaring pointedly at her.
Her perfect lips pout as she looks toward Emmett. "But I just made a friend." Then, she scowls at me.
What is this lady's problem?
"Now, Rose." Edward barks, looking up.
My eyes follow his to see the clouds moving fast across the sky. The wind whips my hair around my face.
"Let's go." He orders, waiting in the middle of the trail for her, his fists opening and closing at his side.
Rosalie looks to Emmett one last time and says with sickly sweetness, "Nice to meet you." Then, she stalks up to Edward. They both disappear into the treeline just as the clouds part and the sun streams out of the sky, its rays streaking across the gray clouds. Neither of them look back to us as they pass into the shadows.
"That was weird," Emmett muses after a moment of silence. "That was the guy I saw in the parking lot. Must've been ahead of us on the trail." One of his hands strokes his stubble in thought.
I don't correct him because he knows I would've had to pass him on the trail yesterday. He knows it somewhere deep down, just like I knew something was different about Edward.
Yet, I opt to stay silent. What am I supposed to say? Explain that we just met two vampires on the pathway to the summit of Mount Baker?
"Let's go back." I plead, bouncing on my feet a little, suddenly feeling very small and very human and very thankful for the sunlight. My mind flutters back to the moth in the lookout, trying desperately to escape; my heart feels like it's doing the same thing.
Emmett stands still in the empty campsite, his eyes trained on the trees as they sway back and forth in the wind.