Blood Moon

Phase

Perhaps the most terrifying fear is the fear of loss.
It strikes us to the core, and makes us tremble.

***

Edward and Emmett arrive home well after morning has broken. Edward's eyes dart back and forth, searching, scanning, while Emmett tenses and relaxes his muscles rhythmically. As he does so, his shoulders pop forward and back, as he flexes his back muscles.

I wrap Renesmée in my arms, and stroke her soft brown hair, as Edward makes his way over. He kisses her gently on her head, and then wraps his arm around me, pulling me in for a quick hug.

Carlisle makes his way over, his pale blond hair mussed and falling over his eyes, making his dark irises even darker. Rosalie follows in tandem, her arms folded across her chest and her mouth twisted down into a sour scowl. She makes her way to Emmett and wraps her arms around him, whispering something I can't hear. Edward soon scowls, which tells me she didn't say something nice.

"How did the night go," asks Jasper as he enters, a nervous Alice at his side.

Edward furrows his brow. "Not well. That vampire has a bad habit of attacking kids."

"Don't tell me someone else got hurt," exclaims Rosalie.

"No, we managed to keep him out of the camp, but he was persistent. I guess taking a bite out of Jake only whet his appetite," says Emmett, his eyes darkening. "He'll be back for more."

I shudder.

Carlisle gets up from his spot on the couch, and comes over to me, his hand extended in comfort. Edward loosens his grip, anticipating what Carlisle wants, and pushes me up to my feet, replacing me with Renesmée. Carlisle wraps his arms around me, placing his hand on my back and wrapping his other arm around my neck. He squeezes me tight in his arms, and all the emotions I had willed not to come rush back, my shoulders beginning to shake and shudder as a long moan escapes me, a guttural response, then gasps for air as I try to breathe. Tears burst forth, streaming down my cheeks in cascades of salty water. Carlisle moves his hand to the back of my head and presses it to his chest, letting me use his shirt as a tissue.

"It's going to be alright," he says, his voice barely louder than a whisper. He sounds confident, which makes me calm down a little, but I can't help but feel like he's just deceiving himself.

"We need to find him," Emmett growls.

"How? We have no idea what he looks like," Esmé interjects.

"I, I don't know," Emmett sighs. "But he has to pay for what he's done."

Edward nods. "We'll be watching."

***

When we return to school on Monday, something seems wrong with Dahlia. Her eyes are glossed over, and she stares off into nothing a lot. Her posture is lazy and sluggish, and she seems dazed.

"Are you alright," I ask her, trying to get her attention. When she doesn't answer, I put on a glove and shake her arm. I realize even through the material that she's burning up.

She looks at me, dazed and confused, and rubs her eyes.

"Oh, hey," she says, smiling. "How long have you been there?"