THE WRAITH / J. HALE

8 / Time

CHAPTER EIGHT
TIME

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OCTOBER

                        IT WAS A LONG TIME BEFORE ANY OF THEM SAW EDWARD. He spent most of his time in his room, locked in the quiet and the dark. Carlisle tried to coax him out a few times, to no avail. The only sign they had that he was still there was the fact that they could see him through his window whenever they went outside.

Sabine's newest book had been completed — a box full of copies being sent to their old house in Forks that she went down to collect. She never got tired of seeing hard copies of her works for the first time.

They hit the shelves a week after they had moved. Alice threw her a party, and invited the Denali's round to celebrate with them. It was fun, full of laughter and smiles. But it was missing something. Her person — her first reader.

The morning of the thirty-first, Irina came round to deliver an envelope that they had found on their doorstep — addressed to Stephen King. And when Sabine opened it, the world seemed to stop spinning.

Stephen King,

First and foremost I must say that I am a huge fan. I've been reading your stories since Carrie came out in 1974. And as soon as I cracked open that first copy and read those opening lines, I knew it was you.

Ever since, I've been following you. Keeping up with your latest publishings, stories. I'll admit, you haven't made it easy.

I've been waiting for the perfect moment to make myself known to you. I never felt the time was right. Until now.

See you soon.

Your biggest fan,
Lisa Rhared

NOVEMBER

SABINE SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THE PORCH. Sitting quietly, eyes and ears perked. Scent masked completely. If a vampire were to stumble onto their land, the first thing they'd smell would be Carlisle. Hours, days, weeks. Just waiting. For Lisa Rhared.

She didn't come. Not for the first week, anyway. Long after Sabine had burnt the letter to ash and made Irina swear to keep her mouth shut about it. She had half a mind to tell Edward — the only person who knew the whole story. But she didn't, and soon enough, she couldn't. Because he was gone.

Searching for Victoria, was his excuse. She hadn't been much of a problem for them since they killed James, but he was worried she would come back for revenge. So he left, off to search for her. Thirsty for her blood. (Metaphorically, that is).

It reminded Sabine of the four years he spent killing humans from 1927. His absence was heavy on them — more so since it was just the twins, Carlisle and Esme at that time. This time is was less noticeable for them, since he'd been gone long before he really left. But it was noticeable to her. Everyday she could feel the tie between them stretching, and she dreaded the idea that it would one day snap.