Honeybee

Chapter Thirty-Four~The Hunt

Chapter Thirty-Four
The Hunt
Elizabeth Cullen
May 18-19, 2006

"I can't believe you're done already!" Edythe laughed as Bella returned her journal to her Friday afternoon. "This is two years worth of my life, Bella. And you read it in three days?"

"I couldn't put it down!" Bella laughed in turn.

"Why don't you run upstairs and get her the next one? I'd hate for our dear Bella to not have any good reading material in Florida." I encouraged Edythe. "We have time before we have to leave for the airport."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Edythe nodded, heading upstairs.

"Elizabeth, she's so interesting!" Bella whispered excitedly to me. "It was like reading a fairytale, but better because it was all real!"

"That's wonderful." I smiled happily at her. "I wish she'd let me read it, but I understand the need for privacy."

"I got it!" Edythe announced herself as she came downstairs, towing Edward with her. "And I got my look-a-like too." She giggled.

"Great, right on time. We should get going to the airport." I smiled, thrilled to see the two of them together and getting along so well. "Edythe, are you coming along?"

"Sure. I'd love to get out of the house for a bit." Edythe nodded, following myself, Bella, and Edward out to my car.

Edythe climbed into the passenger seat happily, and I was glad to see that her mood had improved over the last few days.

Once Carlisle and I had calmed her down enough to put in her feeding tube, she retired to bed in order to be alone with her thoughts. She had spent the entire twenty-four hours of her slow-drip feeding curled up in bed.

She spent the next day outside avoiding everyone, her sickness and residual pain too strong to act 'normal'. When Alice had returned home from school, Edythe settled for following her diligently around the house waiting for any possible visions of Victoria.

Yesterday had been a little better, her ill-feeling after her feeding had dissipated for the most part, and so she had spent her time painting with Jasper and I in my art room.

"So Bella," Edythe broke the silence, pulling me from my thoughts, "you really liked my journal?"

"Oh it was wonderful!" Bella smiled widely. "It was like Anne of Green Gabels, but better." She laughed.

"Better? Wow." Edythe laughed too, suddenly looking very thoughtful. "What was your favorite part?"

Bella looked hesitant when I peaked at her in the rear view mirror.

"It's okay, Bella." Edythe assured her. "Go ahead."

"The part when you met Garrett and your whole romance after." Bella confessed quietly. "It was so exciting and wonderful."

"It was." Edythe grinned. "Would you like to tell Edward and Elizabeth the story? If they would like to hear it, that is."

"I'd love to." I smiled happily at my daughter before looking back at Bella. "Go on Bella, do tell."

"Oh! Okay, I'll try to tell it right." Bella nodded. "So, Edythe had wanted to be a nurse since she was a child. The Great War was going on throughout her teenage years, and all she ever wanted was to help the soldiers being wounded in it. Her adoptive parents forbid her to go, but she signed up anyway by claiming she was an orphan. She went into training at sixteen and was helping on battlefields not long after. Well, on the battlefield one day during a pause in fighting, she went out onto the field to aid a severely wounded soldier. Shots started firing suddenly, and a bullet grazed her arm, but she kept helping the soldier. Someone came running towards her, blocking her from the enemy fire, and screamed at the soldiers firing that she was a medic and to cease fire. She knew he had gotten shot in his effort to help her, but he continued on until the firing stopped. The man helped her get the wounded soldier off the field and to the makeshift hospital. Edythe cleaned her graze wound and bandaged herself up before finishing her work on the wounded soldier. After she was done, she found the man that had helped her sitting outside the hospital, perfectly fine and without any gunshot wounds. He introduced himself as Garrett, and commended her for her bravery in her effort to help the soldier. And you know what Edythe asked him?"