Morning Moon

Chapter 6

EPOV

I couldn't believe that Bella's only been gone for a week now. I hated what I was doing to the rest of my family in the past couple of days. First I insisted that they leave Forks, leave Bella. Rose had no problems with my idea, she just couldn't understand why I waited so long to come to the same conclusion as she did. Emmett wasn't sure, but he'd always go where Rosalie was. Esme and Carlisle agreed that if I thought it was best then we'd leave. Jasper felt guilty, knowing that the reason I was sending everybody away was because he couldn't control himself, so he willingly wanted to leave. Alice was the one who resisted the most. She was more vocal with her objections, than anyone in the past. Understandably so, she saw Bella as a friend and sister.

Then on the day that I was supposed to join them in Denali, the day I was to tell Bella I was leaving, I called them back. Every time I closed my eyes I remembered that day.

It was so hard to let her go. How could she just believe what I was saying to her? She believed me. She reached for me as I tried to walk away, but instead of pulling her to me, I pressed her arms to her side. She closed her eyes as I pressed my lips lightly to her forehead.

"Take care of yourself." The last words that I had ever said to her, before I ran away. Like a coward.

Bella tried chasing me, but I knew it was too late, I was a blur to her. I heard her running after me but it was no use. I needed to think.

I didn't want to go back to the house, it was empty, cold, dead. Like me. Instead of going straight to Denali, I ran to our meadow. Now that I had a chance to share my favorite thinking spot with the person that I loved, it was no longer magical to me without her. And now she was definitely gone forever.

I laid on the meadow floor for what seemed like minutes, but in reality it was a few hours. Looking up at the sky, I saw that it was a new moon tonight, and I finally decided it was time to go.

I started running, and after a few miles I caught a scent of someone I'd never smelled before, and yet there was an underlying tone that I knew right away. Vampire.

I doubled back eager to check on Bella, but I noticed that I was also following the scent back to her house. By the time I arrived at Chief Swan's house, police and ambulances were parked in front of the house, their lights on. I perched myself in a tree as I heard the County Sheriff coordinating the search party for Bella with Chief Swan on the walkies. She never made it back home?

I wanted to get closer to the house but there was no way that would be possible, there were too many people. But the scent went right into the house. There was another scent that was lingering in the air, but it was impossible. It was an old smell, one from my past about eighty years ago. But it couldn't be, the wolves should have died out a long time ago. If it was a wolf from the Quiluete tribe, I knew they would be responsible for Bella's disappearance, so whatever the wolf was doing here, it must have been in on the search.

I ran back to the house immediately, and dialed Carlisle's phone while I ran.

"Edward, we know, Alice told us all about it. We're on our way home now." My father's voice tried comforting me.

"Carlisle, what did Alice see? How did she know to be looking." This was my fault, and now Bella was paying the price.

"She only saw something when you decided to stay in Forks just now. She can't get a read of where Bella is though. Do you have any idea what happened?"

"No. I was on my way to Denali when I caught the scent of an unfamiliar vampire. I followed it only to be lead to her house. That was when I started running home. Carlisle, I smelled her blood."