Everything Has Changed

Till We See The Whites Of Their Eyes

"Bella, we're leaving."

I took a deep breath. This was an acceptable option. I thought I was prepared. But I still had to ask.

"Why now? Another year—"

"Bella, it's time. How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all? Carlisle can barely pass for thirty, and he's claiming thirty-three now. We'd have to start over soon regardless."

His answer confused me. I thought the point of leaving was to let his family live in peace. Why did we have to leave if they were going? I stared at him, trying to understand what he meant.

He stared back coldly.

With a roll of nausea, I realized I'd misunderstood.

"When you say we—," I whispered.

"I mean my family and myself." Each word separate and distinct.

I shook my head back and forth mechanically, trying to clear it. He waited without any sign of impatience. It took a few minutes before I could speak.

"Okay," I said. "I'll come with you."

"You can't, Bella. Where we're going… It's not the right place for you."

"Where you are is the right place for me."

"I'm no good for you, Bella."

"Don't be ridiculous." I wanted to sound angry, but it just sounded like I was begging. "You're the very best part of my life."

"My world is not for you," he said grimly.

"What happened with Jasper—that was nothing, Edward! Nothing!"

"You're right," he agreed. "It was exactly what was to be expected."

"You promised! In Phoenix, you promised that you would stay—"

"As long as that was best for you," he interrupted to correct me.

"No! This is about my soul, isn't it?" I shouted, furious, the words exploding out of me—somehow it still sounded like a plea. "Carlisle told me about that, and I don't care, Edward. I don't care! You can have my soul. I don't want it without you—it's yours already!"

He took a deep breath and stared, unseeingly, at the ground for a long moment. His mouth twisted the tiniest bit. When he finally looked up, his eyes were different, harder—like the liquid gold had frozen solid.

"Bella, I don't want you to come with me." He spoke the words slowly and precisely, his cold eyes on my face, watching as I absorbed what he was really saying.

There was a pause as I repeated the words in my head a few times, sifting through them for their real intent.

"You… don't… want me?" I tried out the words, confused by the way they sounded, placed in that order.

"No."

I stared, not comprehending, into his eyes. He stared back without apology. His eyes were like topaz—hard and clear and very deep. I felt like I could see into them for miles and miles, yet nowhere in their bottomless depths could I see a contradiction to the word he'd spoken.

"Well, that changes things." I was surprised by how calm and reasonable my voice sounded. It must be because I was so numb. I couldn't realize what he was telling me. It still didn't make any sense.

He looked away into the trees as he spoke again. "Bella I'm done pretending to be something I'm not, im not human."

He turned and looked at me again. "What happened at the party only proved my theory correct, I never loved you, Bella, you were just something I could pass the time with. The only reason I ever wanted to be near you was because you were my singer, we never had a future Bella and we never will."

"Edward...please....don't," I gasped. The tears slowly rolled down my cheeks and it felt as if I could barely breathe.

"Good-bye Isabella," with that he disappeared with a slight breeze.

He never loved me.

He never wanted me.

Did I care?

No.

Did it hurt?

Yes.

He had programmed and planted the whole idea of us having a future into my head, and then viciously ripped it out. Only leaving a rugged empty whole where it use to be. All he ever saw me as was a weak human and couldn't save herself, I would not let him think that anymore. Could I catch him in time before they were gone? Probably not, but I would at least try. I started running through the forest not really knowing where I was going just running and hoping to come upon Edward. I could see the sky above getting darker and darker as I continued to run through what seemed to be a never-ending forest. My legs were getting tired but I kept running. After a while, I could see the trees thinning out. I pushed my self to go faster, I was surprised I hadn't tripped over anything yet. I finally burst through the tree line expecting to find the solid black road leading to Forks but instead, I was met with ancient looking stone buildings with torches lighting them and dirt roads. Where was I?

People were running around their talking all mixed in a jumble as they panicked. I saw men in weird clothes on horses trying to escort families out of the huge town. What was going on? "Excuse me-ma'm-sir," no one would even stop to listen to me. All they would do is look at me weirdly and keep running. I made my way through the crowd going the way they had run from hoping to find someone who could give me answers.

In the distance, I could hear someone yelling and ringing a bell. I strained to hear what they were saying over the panicked stampede. "The redcoats are coming, the redcoats are coming!" then the bell was rung again.

Did he just say the redcoats are coming? Did I just stumble into some re-enactment of the American Revolution? I took to the alley in between two buildings and watched as the stampede started to diminish until there were no people left. I carefully stepped out of the alley and into the now empty path, I continued walking trying to find someone who could tell me how to get home. Suddenly somebody ran into me and pushed me into the alley. I tried to fight back and scream but they wrapped their arms around me and covered my mouth with their hand.

"You have to be quiet or they will find us, do you want to die?" the deep voice said quietly.

I stopped screaming and he removed his hand from my mouth. I watched as men in red coats walked by holding guns. Once they were gone the man let me go and turned me around. Both of our breaths caught as we looked at each other. He was absolutely beautiful, shoulder length unruly brown hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a goatee. He also wore a blue revolutionary war suit.

"What is your name ma'am?" he asked still looking into my eyes.

"Isabella, Isabella Swan," I said.

"Such a beautiful name for a beautiful woman, it is nice to make your acquaintance, my name is Garrett, Garrett Richardson," he said kissing my hand. I blushed wildly and smiled shyly.

"Um Garrett could you help me find my way home, I was in the forest and got lost and ended up here in the middle of this American Revolution re-enactment," he stared at me confused. "What is a re-enactment, ma'am are you ok, why were you in the forest you could have been killed?" he said. "I was chasing...something, a look can you just point me in the direction of Forks please its getting and my dad has probably sent a search party out for me anyway," I said.

"Ma'am are you sure you are ok there is no place around here named Forks, where are you from ma'am?" he said looking at me worried.

"Forks, Washinton," I said. "Ma'am im sorry to let you know this but there is no place named Washington or Forks," he said. "Well, where exactly am I then?" I asked. "New England," he said. No, there was no way I could have ran to the other side of the world, unless.

"Garrett, what year is it?" I asked fearfully.

"Its 1780 ma'am," he said.

Holy shit, I was in the middle of the Revolutionary War.