Turmoil [Emmett Cullen] (3)

[7 - Spring Break]

For Cornell's spring break, we headed up North to visit the Denalis in Alaska. March in Alaska was breathtaking. Although the Denali national park wasn't technically closed in March, there were no services for visitors so the park was practically empty. March was Emmett's favourite time of the year because bears were coming out of hibernation.

To say the Denali's house was in the middle of nowhere wouldn't be an exaggeration. It was only accessible by a single lane road that steeply ascended the side of a mountain. Esme had helped them design it a while ago and about every ten years, she went up there to assist in renovations, just to keep the house more current with the times.

Unlike us, they lived primarily in Alaska. We moved around a lot to avoid suspicion, but since their house was so remote, they could live in the same place without drawing attention.

My conversation with Kate picked up where we left off. I saw a lot of Emmett's personality in Kate; the same easy going, laid back demeanour. But when it came to physical contests, she was feisty and determined, making for an interesting and challenging opponent. My 'mental curtain'; the same thing that made it hard for Edward to read my thoughts, gave me a slight advantage when sparring with Kate. The electric jolt she produced that could debilitate anyone felt like rubbing a bruise to me; painful but not incapacitating.

Over the years, I had gotten to know Tanya and Irina well but our relationship never progressed further than cousins. The type of cousins you meet at family reunions and catch up with but that's it. Tanya was very insightful, and whenever our families were together, she would often drift towards Carlisle, Esme, Edward, and Jasper for more deep, intellectual conversations. Irina was similar; quiet and reserved, though I knew she could hold her own.

It was fun to have conversations with the sisters in Slovak, since they were native speakers. I knew the majority of the language from my own research but they helped me fill in the gaps with older style and conversational expressions.

———

It was the second last day of our two week stay with the Denali's. Everyone else went out hunting to prepare for our travel day tomorrow morning. I was going to join them but Alice needed help with the high volume of traffic to her fashion website. Website optimisation wasn't my area of  expertise but she was persuasive.

"Alice, do you mind if I change the-". Her eyes suddenly glazed over and then swiftly focused on my face. I knew that expression well, she had a vision.

"What did you see?"

"Bella. She ... jumped off a cliff." My eyes widened in horror. For the brief time I knew her, this was the last thing I suspected. She seemed like such a kind, compassionate person. Why would she do that to Charlie? But then it dawned on me; this was my fault. If I did something at birthday party, we won't have to leave. And if we didn't have to leave, this never would have happened.

"I need to go to Forks to see for myself," she finally said, her expression more resolved than mine.

"I'm coming." The emotions that I spent months repressing and dealing with materialised into a strong guilt. I needed some semblance of closure.

Without a word, Alice started upstairs to her room. I followed in confusion.

"Pack a bag, I'll book flights on the way over." I hurried down the hall to my guest room and threw whatever clothes my hands touched first into my empty duffel bag.

Just before we left, Alice scribbled on a notepad in the foyer, 'Trouble in Forks. A and E.'

"And what about everyone else?" I asked nervously as I followed Alice outside.

"We don't have time to wait and there's no signal where they're hunting. And it may be a few more hours until they're back. It's best if we don't tell anyone. It could be nothing."

She threw me one of the two BMW fobs we rented from Anchorage airport and threw it in my direction.

"You know the way to the airport right?" Alice asked while putting our bags in the trunk. I nodded and clambered into the driver's seat.

On the drive Alice booked plane tickets and a rental car in Seattle. I drove as fast as the car could physically handle. The annoying thing about 4 wheel drives was that the acceleration and speed was never as good as a normal car.

The four hour flight from Anchorage to Seattle felt like eternity. Alice assured me it was much faster than driving but when you had no control of the speed, it didn't feel like it.

Alice was motionless in the seat beside me, her eyebrows deeply furrowed. Her head was buried in her hands. I'd never saw her like this.

"What's wrong?"

She looked at me in anguish, "I can't see anything! I can't see what happened after she jumped!"

I didn't know what to say. I was too busy overthinking. I had so many questions but hopefully they would be answered when we got to Forks. The most pressing thought was how would we tell Edward. He had a right to know but how would he take it? If it was me, and Emmett had died, I don't think I could live. Or even exist.

Fittingly, the car Alice had rented at Seattle airport was the exact same as our one in New York, a Mercedes AMG GLS 63.

"What are you hoping will happen?" I asked as we sped down the Main Street, only a minute from Bella's house.

Alice shrugged, "Maybe help Charlie somehow but we'll see."

I parked across from Bella's house. It was surreal being back. Despite my best efforts to move on from Bella, it was almost as if we had never left. Everything was exactly like I remembered.

"Her car isn't here," Alice commented.

"Yeah, Charlie's car isn't either. Is that good or bad?"

"I'm not sure. We should go inside." We snuck in through Bella's unlocked bedroom window. Her room was bleak. Everything that gave the room life and character were missing; her stack of CDs, photographs, art. We both stood still, frozen with the cold feeling of the room.

I looked at Alice, "What should we do know?"

Before she had a chance to answer, I heard a loud, familiar engine rumbled outside. After puttering for a minute, it finally rumbled to a stop. I heard two distinct heartbeats. And a distinct voice, a voice I knew too well. It couldn't be Bella. Alice was certain she died, her future was blank.

The door finally opened, and the lights flickered on. Bella wasn't just alive. She was here.