𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 | carlisle cullen (3)

(𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞) the distractions

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THE TWO WEEKS HAD FLOWN BY FOR EDWARD yet he supposed the same could not be said for his father. All he had hoped was that once the worst period of grief wore off like sand in water he may see things different. He might not be so determined to throw everything away. Edward was naive, this was nothing new but he'd always had faith that Carlisle had more reason than the rest of them.

He supposed that Carlisle had changed the moment that Estella had died. This was all that could be expected. Nevertheless, Edward often felt as though he was grieving two parents instead of one. He would never say this to Carlisle. These days they didn't say much at all. Carlisle only wanted to think about the end of the Volturi and therefore, Edward would do anything in his power to help him.

Two weeks after Edward had walked out of Colorado on the set mission back to Forks, he found himself repeating the journey all the way back. He drove to Aspen with Alice in his passenger seat. She was knitting, or crocheting, whatever she called it. Edward didn't understand the difference. He saw the colours of autumn pour from the needles in hues of bronze and tangerine.

Carlisle was waiting for them when Edward pulled up in his silver Volvo on the driveway. Edward would've liked to say that he looked better, fresher, maybe more positive. Instead he just looked empty. Edward had never looked at Carlisle and saw someone who was so far from life but now he understood what it meant to be a walking ghost in a world full of souls. Carlisle didn't smile but Edward wasn't sure he had either.

They went to an airport in Aspen which had some non direct flights to Italy. Edward didn't care much for the time it took them to travel. In less than a day, his brothers would be travelling to New York to spill their plans to those who could do something about it. They had all the time in the world. Carlisle on the other hand was impatient, agitated.

He sat on the aisle in all the flights, Alice by the window which left Edward awkwardly in between surrounded by too many thoughts. It felt wrong, listening to what was going on inside his fathers head but at times he just couldn't help it, the words slipped into his mind too simply. Often they were just broken shards of memories.

They landed in New York and got a flight to Rome. After that they got a much smaller flight to Pisa and from there it was a coach ride to Volterra that Alice took with a stolen car to save time. Silence was suffocating and Edward could barely remember what it was like to speak as they slunk through the approaching darkness.

He sat in the backseat, staring forwards at how the headlights pooled silver onto the cobbled roads and henceforth reflected onto the faces of his family. Alice looked very calm, her eyes steady but her mind wandering as usual to the future. She was pushing her gift by taking it one step at a time. Trying to get back what she'd once had security in. Now she was only thinking ten minutes ahead, looking for traffic or hazards.

Carlisle wasn't looking anywhere in particular. He'd picked up a habit of messing with his wedding ring and Edward watched carefully as he revolved the golden band around his finger. Everyone else had maintained a routine of hunting, their eyes amber like the setting sun but Carlisle had fallen behind. Edward supposed out of them all, this caused the least amount of trouble. Even with his immense grief there was no possibility of Carlisle snapping yet it still caused Edward to worry about him, the darkness in his eyes stretched further than ever in bleak clouds of ebony.

Alice pulled into a back alley when the full moon was high in the starlit sky. It was good that they'd been greeted by darkness for the purpose that they didn't need to wait for sanctuary before they made their journey up to the large halls.

Edward waited for one of them to say something when Alice switched off the engine and rested the silver keys in her cupped hands. Carlisle remained stoic, staring forwards and never anywhere else. This was his idea but Edward supposed it was his plan. He'd taken initiative under the hope that it would save them. He thought of his family and took a deep breath.