xxiii. arrival of the witnesses

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:ARRIVAL OF THE WITNESSES

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:
ARRIVAL OF THE WITNESSES

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THE NEXT FEW DAYS passed in a blur. It felt like Verona was always running, pushing her limits further and further until the earth was stumbling under her feet like a treadmill put to its highest speed. She struggled to keep up with her family as they prepared for the oncoming confrontation with the Volturi. It was decided that Verona would travel with Rosalie and Emmett while the others went their own way to cover more ground, hoping to convince as many vampires - red and gold alike - to support their cause.

But just as they were getting everything together, the Cullens were faced with another complication. One that no one had seen coming.

They waited until the dead of night, when everyone around them was too busy packing and planning to notice as they slipped away. They crossed onto La Push territory, seeking permission from Sam to access the ocean that resided by the reservation. And by the time Sam had come to inform the others, a goodbye letter clutched in one hand and a grim look in his eyes, it was too late to stop them. Alice and Jasper had chosen to leave. No warning, no reason, just a crumpled piece of paper ripped from a book, a suggestion to look for witnesses before the snow stuck hastily scribbled on the back.

"Why would they do this?" Verona frowned as she and the others stood opposite Sam on the front porch. The sun had just begun to rise above the treeline, casting a faint glow upon their translucent skin that went unnoticed as the news sunk in.

"She didn't say," Carlisle said with a sigh, staring down at the letter he was holding in disappointment.

Disappointment; something they were all feeling in the wake of Alice and Jasper's departure. Verona was feeling it most of all. Out of everyone in the Cullen family, she had known Alice and Jasper the longest. She and Alice grew up alongside each other; they were turned together, they met Jasper together, they joined the Cullen Coven together. She didn't understand how Alice could just leave her behind, how Jasper could follow her so easily, how neither of them even thought to tell her they were going. No one, not even Verona who hoped she would've noticed something as shocking as this, had realised they were even thinking about leaving them. It hurt. Underneath the confusion and worry, it hurt to know that when they needed them the most, Alice and Jasper could run without hesitance. Verona hoped they at least had a plan of their own, a reason for their absence, but she couldn't be sure. She didn't even see this coming and she was meant to be their friend, their sister.

What did that say about her?

"Well, they've made their choice," she muttered, pulling out of her thoughts. Everyone looked to her curiously, wondering what she was trying to say. "There's nothing we can do now, they're gone. Let's just get on with things."

No one said anything as she disappeared back inside, ready to pack the last of her things and get the hell out of Forks, Washington. Ready to gather as many witnesses as possible.

VERONA ━━ alec volturiWhere stories live. Discover now