It was odd, but I became very depressed as I watched the green alien forests of Forks go by. The green moss that covered everything, the rain that pored down on the windshield as we drove. It was hard to believe that I used to despise this place. It felt like home now. I was already feeling homesick. But I was excited. Everything was gone. I had told Renee in an E-mail, called Angela and Jessica and even Mike. They were all as suprised as Charlie, seeing as how I hadn't graduated yet. I worried about Charlie again. I remembered back to a few moments ago when I had said goodbye to my father forever.
"Bye, sweetheart. I'll miss you." he'd said, hugging me tightly.
"I'll miss you, too, dad." I said dabbing the tears from my eyes. He pulled back to look at me.
"College." he said. "It seems like just yesterday you were a little girl, falling into the tidepools." he said, making me blush.
"I'll call...or, E-mail as much as I can." I promised. He hugged me again.
"Love you, kid," he said, being more open about his emotions then usual. He seemed embarassed, but I was glad we could have this moment.
"I love you, too, dad," I said, grabbing him tightly, before letting go for the last time.
I felt a tear streak down my face, but I reminded myself that this would all be worth it. I was thinking of Edward, of course. It was easier to think his name now, knowing I would see him soon, one way or another. After all, he did check in with his family every few months. And I would be there. Thinking about him made me think of last night, after Alice had returned from hunting.
We were in my room, and I was finally going to be able to ask all my new questions.
"Alice, what was with you and Jacob? How did he know you're a vampire?" this was the lost pressing of my quesions.
"Because, he's a Quileute. All of the Quileutes on the tribe know." she answered.
"No, but he didn't believe them a week ago. Now, all of a sudden, he's possitive. You don't know why? You were acting like you did." I asked suspiciously. She sighed.
"Because, he's become of age. He has joined the pack." Her words confused me. What did she mean 'pack'?
"Pack?" I asked, more confused than before.
"Yes, pack. You see, Bella. I don't know how many there are, but I know that Jacob is a werewolf. It's resent, sometime in the past year, but there's only one thing that could be that God awful smell..." she was rambling now, but I couldn't hear her past the tinging in my ears. Werewolf. Jacob was a werewolf? No. It couldn't be. But that would explain a lot. And I trusted Alice....How he knew what I had asked Laurant...he was there! Why he suddenly believed in vampires...obvious;y the other legends were true. But why did he hate the vampires so much? There really weren't that differant, were they? The missing hikers, I suddenly realized. The 'bear'. Only it wasn't a bear. It was Jacob. When I had thought that they weren't that differant from vampires, I hadn't thought they were THAT simular.
"Jacob has been killing hikers?!" I yelled, interupting whatever she was saying.
"What?" she said. "No, I don't think so. I crossed a trail where a hiker diasppeared, and Victoria's scent was there. Carlisle told me that the werewolves he and Edward met didn't hunt people. Plus, Laurant said Victoria was in the area. Werewolves only hunt one thing, so I doubt it was them." As she said this, a memory tugged at my mind. On a beach, the first time I met Jacob, him telling me stories...Quileute legends. Before the stories about the 'Cold Ones', he had told me other stories...about werewolves. Acording to hm, hey had only one enemy. Vampires. All the pieces started clicking together.
"But that doesn't matter right now, Bella." Alice whispered urgently, breaking my revery.
"Doesn't matter?" I asked in disbelif.
"Okay, it doesn't matter in comaparison," she allowed.
"In comparison to what?" What could be more important than THAT?
"That wasn't Carlisle on the phone earlier. It was Edward. He called to check in while I was gone, and he found out I came here. He wasn't exactly happy on the phone." she informed me. It was very painful to hear this. His voice, his REAL voice, had been just feet away.
"Why did he call?" I asked in a dead voice.
"Listen, Bella," Alice said, ignoring my question. "I told him I would call him tonight and explain. I know what I'm going to tell him, but he's not going to be happy about it, and I'm not telling him the truth. You don't know what he would do if he knew the truth."
"So...I'm supposed to...what? Pretend like he's not on the phone, two feet away from me?" I asked in pained disbelief.
"No, I'll tell him where I am, but you can't say anything. I'm doing you a really big favor here, so could you return it by keeping quiet?" she asked. I nodded. I would kill me, but I could do it. She nodded in return, flipping open her phone with one of her blindindly fast movements, and before I even saw her dial, the phone was to her ear.
"Put it on speaker." I urged her. I had to hear his voice. She gave me a disapproving look, but pressed a button on her phone. A moment later a heard a ring, followed by, "Alice!" in an angry voice on the other end. I nearly exploded with joy. It was his voice. Not a hallucination, not a memory. It was really him, speaking in the same furious tone I had hullucinated a thousand times.
"Edward," she replied in a calm voice.
"What were you thinking?!" he fumed. Her eyes flashed to me, and then away.
"I had to." she was still calm, not raising her voice at all.
"Why on Earth would you HAVE to?" he asked, still fuming.
"I saw a vision, and I got worried. I needed to make sure she was okay." she said. I heard him intake breath on the other end.
"What sort of vision?" he asked urgently, all anger gone from his voice. He sounded so...worried. He was worried? About ME?
"It was a mistake. The werewolves are back in La Push, and I can't see past them. When I saw her future disappear, I assumed..."
He took in a loud ragged breath.
"But she's okay, obviously." Alice continued.
"Where is she?" he asked in a tired voice. He sounded bad. As bad as he could sound. His voice was still velvet. Alice hesitated, glacing to me.
"Alice?" he asked. Every time he spoke I nearly melted.
"She's downstairs," Alice lied. He took a deep breath.
"Right downstairs..." it wasn't a question, and i sounded more like he was talking to himself then Alice.
"Well, you need to leave," he said, recovering himself.
"You know the whole reason I'm going through all of this is for her, and I don't know what I'll do if that's ruined." he sighed. What did he mean? Who did he mean HER? Was there some other girl? Some other VAMPIRE? I started hyperventalating. I felt like I might callapse.
"Who is that?" he asked in a quiet voice.
"What's that noise?" he asked more loudly. Alice's hand covered my mouth.
"Nothing." she answered, sounding remarkablly honest.
"I heard her." He sounded excited. "Was that her? Did she walk in? Where is she?" he pressed getting louder with every question.
Alice paused. She looked to me, and then back to the phone that was in her hand.
"No, you must have heard wrong. She's downstairs." she lied again. I still hadn't calmed down. I was wallowing.
"Oh. Wishful thinking, I suppose." He sighed.
"Could you...just tell her...no, just..." he was really struggling with himself. "Tell her I said...I wish her well..." he decided.
"I will, Edward. I'll call you when I get back to Denali."
"Goodbye, Alice." he hung up.
Alice held me while a sobbed uncontrollablly.
"Bella, calm down, what's wrong?"
"Who-was-he-talking..." I got out in between gasps.
"Shhh, shhh, what do you mean?" she asked me soothingly.
"Who was he tlaking about?" I wailed. In my mind, I saw him with holding hands with a beautiful blonde vampire. She reminded me of Rosalie, in her beauty and blonde hair anyway. Her expression was very differant. She looked happy. So did he. She pulled herself closer to him and kissed him. He kissed her back, the way he could never kiss me. Passionately, and without restraint.
Eventually she had calmed me down enough to explain that he was talking about me, which just confused me further. She said that he meant he didn't want to hurt me. Which made sense. Not that my vision couldn't ever come ture. It very easily could. But it hadn't yet, which was the only reason I wasn't still curled ujp on the floor. We continued to drive in silence toward Denali.