✓ | 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐀, j. hale [2]

V. Her Last Letter

Snow crunched under Evelyn's boots as she made her way up the path to the Cullen's home. The sky was scattered with clouds, and thin rays of sunshine peaked through the canopy of trees and fell across the fresh snow from the night before. The ground seemed to glitter like a million diamonds, and Evelyn smiled softly to herself as she was reminded of that day in the meadow when she first saw Jasper in the sunlight.

Her palms began to sweat as she gripped the shoebox in her hands tighter. She paused when she reached the top of the front steps, staring at her reflection in the glass of the front wall. Her dark circles were nearly gone, skin less pale, and her smile once again reached her eyes. Still, she knew she was not the same Evelyn from a few months ago. She was different now, stronger, and even though sometimes days were hard, she knew that the worst had passed.

With a deep breath, she placed her hand on the doorknob and gently tried it, momentarily shocked when the massive wooden door swung open in front of her to reveal the massive entry way and living room of the Cullen house.

The tiny sliver of hope that for some reason the Cullens would be here dissipated as soon as her eyes adjusted to the change in light. Pure white sheets were draped over the furniture, including Edward's grand piano and all of Esme's designer couches and tables. Most of the decorations adorning the wall were taken down, save for the graduation cap wall that hung in the stairway as the Cullen's special reminder of their eternal existence. The only sound came from the wind blowing softly outside, most noises muffled from the fresh blanket of snow. She was truly alone.

She took her time wandering through the halls. She hurried past the stairs, not wanting to relive the memories of Bella's birthday party flashing in her mind's eye. Evelyn shuffled into the kitchen, noticing how sad and lonely it felt without Esme to occupy it. How many times had she sat at the island serving as the vampire's personal taste tester? She remembered watching them play board games in the evenings, and listening to Carlisle tell stories of all the things he had seen as they all sat around the large, elaborate dining table. She remembered feeling like she was part of a family, with Jasper, the person she had loved the most in the world by her side. Her heart began to ache uncontrollably, and she quickly got up and left the kitchen before the tears that were now filling her eyes would fall.

The girl found herself once again at the foot of the stairs, unable to stop the memories of that fateful night. She could still see the way Jasper had seemed to flip a switch the moment that the scent of Bella's blood had hit his nostrils. Evelyn could still feel him throw her across the room, and had it not been for Esme, she would have crashed through the glass and the smell of her blood would have made the situation ten times worse. She shivered, shaking her head, and continued up the steps to the second floor.

It did not take long for her to wander through the entire second floor. She passed by the various bedrooms of the Cullens, each one with furniture draped with white sheets, the walls empty and bare. Except for one. Evelyn frowned as she passed by the door to Carlisle's study, stopping to peer inside. It was as if the room had not been touched. Everything was in its place, with nothing covered or taken down. Cautiously, she stepped into the room.

Automatically her eyes went to the paintings adorning each wall. There was a variety of landscapes, cities, portraits, and diagrams, all only of what she could assume were priceless in worth. Edward had told her once that Carlisle was somewhat of a collector, but she had never gotten the chance to ask where all the artwork had come from.

As she scanned the walls, her eyes fell on a large painting, with three distinct figures being the main focus. Evelyn made her way over to the canvas, immediately captivated by the faces she saw. Even though they were painted, they looked eerily alive and inhumanely beautiful. Upon closer inspection, she realized that a fourth figure, who very much resembled Carlisle Cullen, resided in the corner; farther back than the other three, as if intentionally painted that way to show that he was lesser than the three vampires in the front. Under the canvas, a small bronze plaque identified the painting simply as Volterra, and there was no signature or mark from the artist to be found anywhere on the piece.