✓ | 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐀, j. hale [2]

III. To Shatter a Heart

The soft evening breeze did nothing to ease Evelyn's anxiety as she sat on the Cullen's front steps, eyes intently focused on the dark forest surrounding the house. There was an oddly still silence that surrounded her now, the only light coming from the house behind her. Even the animals seemed to be silent in anticipation of what was to come.

It had been almost two hours since Edward had followed Emmett and Jasper into the trees, and since then there had been no sign of them. She was not entirely sure when they would return, but she knew that she would wait here until they did. Her heart clenched in worry, aching to see Jasper, to hold him and assure him that he had not done anything wrong. Most of all, she wanted to tell him how much she loved him because she was sure that he would be so hard on himself when he calmed down.

The soft click of the front door behind her caught her attention, and she turned to see that it was Esme, now changed out of her purple party dress and into a blouse and dark jeans. She had a large blanket in her hands, and smiled kindly as she walked over to Evelyn.

"I didn't want you to bother you but I thought you might be a little cold," the woman told her, gently draping the folded blanket over her shoulders. Evelyn smiled gratefully, wrapping the fabric tightly around her slightly chilled body as she moved over for Esme to sit.

"Oh no, you're not bothering me. I'm kind of tired of being alone, anyway," she told her, suddenly grateful for the company. "How is Bella?"

Esme smiled, placing a gentle hand on Evelyn's knee. "Carlisle says she'll live," she teased lightly. "She needed a few stitches but I think she's just a little shaken up."

Evelyn nodded, returning her gaze to the trees. "I don't think she's the only one."

"You're probably right," Esme agreed, her voice soft. "But Jasper is strong, as you know. And he loves you very much." At that, Evelyn smiled delicately to herself. "Everything will be okay, my love. You'll see."

The girl sighed, leaning her head onto Esme's shoulder as she wrapped a comforting arm around her. "I really hope so. I just felt so helpless in there. I feel like I should've been able to help him somehow, or just done something..."

"Evelyn, he wasn't in his right mind. There is nothing you could've said or done to help him without putting yourself in danger, and you know he wouldn't have wanted that. You did perfectly fine by giving him space to calm down."

Evelyn closed her eyes, her stomach in knots. "I just didn't realize how hard it was for him, Esme. I hate knowing that he's struggling and now I can't even imagine how he must feel around me."

In truth, seeing Jasper lose control had scared Evelyn more than she had initially realized. If Edward, Emmett, and Carlisle had not been there, then Bella would surely be dead right now. Maybe she would be, too, if he was unable to get control of himself. It was the same kind of fear she had felt when staring into the eyes of James last spring; she had stared death at the hands of vampires in the face not once, but twice now, and she was starting to wonder whether this would become her new reality.

Esme didn't speak, knowing that Evelyn's concerns were valid; she knew nothing she could say would make her feel better, so instead she held her tighter, rubbing her arm in an attempt to comfort her. Even though her worries weren't completely erased, Evelyn did have to admit that it was nice to have someone to vent to and to reassure her.

They sat in silence for a few moments, simply enjoying each other's company as they waited for the others to return. After a few minutes, Evelyn felt Esme shift as she perked up, and immediately she knew that she must have heard them coming. Evelyn scrambled to her feet, gripping Esme's hand and the blanket around her shoulder for dear life as she watched Edward and Emmett emerge from the trees. She waited a brief second for Jasper, but he did not appear.