A F T E R D A R K | PAUL LAHOTE - 1

51

I placed the bag on the countertop by Carlisle and Esme as they packed up their last minute necessities. Around me everyone was preparing to leave, double checking they had everything they needed to travel.

"Did you get your passport?" Esme asked me.

I laughed under my breath shortly, "Yeah but it was a right ass on." I told her, "I had to get Sue to distract Charlie so I could grab it without him asking questions." Esme smiled, laughing lightly, "So where are we off to?"

"We're going to London again." Esme said, rubbing Carlisle's arm, "We've not been there in a long time."

"Never been to London." I mused, nodding.

"All right." Jacob said, holding on to the strap of his bag pack, "Let's get this show on the road.."

I frowned as he narrowed his brows in confusion, looking out of the window. I followed his eye-line seeing Sam stood outside, looking up to us. I glanced back at Jacob before rushing out to see Sam, the first one out on the patio, "Sam.. what's wrong?" I asked anxiously.

He shook his head as Carlisle and Esme followed me out, everyone except Renesmee gathering, "Paul is fine, don't worry."

I nodded slowly, my tense shoulders relaxing. Sam met Carlisle's gaze and stepped forwards, holding out a folded piece of paper wordlessly. With a perplexed expression Carlisle took the the paper from Sam's hand and unfolded it.

"Alice asked me to give you that." Sam then spoke up, "She and Jasper crossed our lands to the ocean last night."

"Carlisle?" I asked.

He looked briefly up from the note, "They've left us."

My brows furrowed immediately. Alice and Jasper had left us? And for what reason? They wouldn't just leave us because we were all potentially facing a death sentence were they? They weren't running away?

No, surely not. I knew Alice and Jasper and I knew they weren't like that.. but it didn't stop me from questioning why. Why was it when we needed them the most that they would leave us?

"Why?" Edward asked.

"She didn't say." He sighed.

Bella stepped forwards, "Can I see that?"

Carlisle passed the note back to my sister and I peered over her shoulder to read it.

'Gather as many witnesses as you can before the snow sticks to the ground. That's when they'll come.'

The cursive scribble was messy and it looked like it'd been wrote in a rush but it was definitely Alice's hand writing, I recognised it from when she'd tutored me earlier on this year.

God, that felt like five years ago when in reality it was six or so months ago. That's when I spent my nights as a newborn studying with Alice in order for me to graduate. Now I was preparing to leave on a trip to god knows where to gather friends of Carlisle's to bare witness to my niece.

How our lives had changed in a matter of months.

"I don't understand why they just left though." I sighed.

"We can think about it later." Carlisle told me although it was clear he'd been affected by Alice and Jaspers sudden decision, "For now we need to stick to her advice."

I nodded as Rosalie returned with Renesmee. I turned to Sam, "Thank you."

He nodded, his hands in his jacket pockets, "I'm sorry they left you."

"We'll figure it out." I replied, "I'm sure of it."

"How long will you be away?" He questioned curiously.