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EPILOGUE 2
The smell of blood was drowned out by the cloaking scent of leaves and yesterday's rain. The floor was still damp, cushioned with soaked moss, perfect under feet as we ran through the forest, twisting through the layers of heavy branches that stuck out like arms.
Rosalie flung past me, her hands reaching forward as if they were gripping the wind, forcing it to pull her forward as fast as the elements could take her. But she was incredibly fast in her own way- probably the quickest of us all. Emmett was strong, but Rose was swift- they were the perfect hunting pair.
Alice and I were much like them, in that we could work perfectly to take even the largest of prey down. She was small and fast and I was almost undetectable, able to jump out when least expected. It had only taken a few weeks to perfect our routine, to blend perfectly together through the trees, sensing when each of the other would do something.
"Rose! Me and El are going to have a strength match when we get back to the house," Emmett shouted back as we pressed forward through the rough terrain. "Want to join?"
Rosalie's perfect brows rose in surprise. "And did Elide agree to it this time?" she said, taking up my side. Last time the strength match with Emmett had been little more than a tackle to the ground when I'd expected it least.
"No, I didn't," I said, laughing at Emmett's annoyed but playful glare. "But I could give it a go. I don't often back down from a challenge."
Often was the keyword there.
Rosalie joined in with a light laugh. "I know you don't," she said. "I warn you, he's as strong as he looks. Like a bear. It was a bear that almost killed him too. I think it was fated."
She shook her head, as if shaking away the pain that came with the memory, and then Rosalie was smiling again, a sight I'd only just gotten used too, but had easily grown to love. "I won't be joining this time, for one, but I suppose Jasper might," she added. "Where is he, by the way?"
Alice slid up between Rosalie and I. "He went ahead to the house to keep Esme company while Carlisle's at work."
Rosalie nodded and walked off again, placing a hand in Emmett's as we slowed the pace for once, taking our time as we made our way home. It was comforting, the idea that we had an eternity to wander however we pleased. I tried not to think about the things that would keep me from being with Alice that whole time.
"You're slow today," Alice teased, drawing me in with her lilting tone as she stopped, propped up by a tree, letting her siblings meander away in front. "I don't think you can keep up."
My hands leaned against both of hers, and I put all of my weight against her, so she had to keep me up. Alice raised a quirked brow, slipping away so I fell forward, easily catching myself by the twirl of the heel. She placed a kiss on my cheek as I did so.
I smirked. "Is that a challenge?"
"Only if you make it one," Alice said with a shrug.
"Oh, its a challenge then," I said. "I'll give you a head start."
Alice didn't wait to see if I was being honest or not. She sprinted away, so fast it looked as if she was flying, a simple blur against the green backdrop. I paused for a single moment, keeping my word, letting my ears tune into the song of the canopy above. Alice's barely audible footsteps merged amongst the twittering and crunching of leaves until she was far enough in the distance that I knew I would struggle to catch up.
My back went rigid when I first sensed it.
It had been months since I'd even thought about him- about the man who'd once plagued each intrusive thoughts and hidden in the faces of each of my friends. William. It felt as if he was here, watching me again. But I thought I'd rid myself of thoughts of him long ago, but here he was, hiding somewhere amongst the leaves and the crowds of trees.
I shook it off. William would always plague me, but I didn't have to let him follow me at even the happiest times. The sounds of damp leaves rustling against the wind enclosed around me again, a sweet symphony on repeat. I ran.
Alice met me swiftly by the east side of the house, skipping from the steps by the glass wall, hands reaching toward mine. The feeling of her cool fingertips was grounding. The sky would be darkening soon, a dusty black blanketing the distant skyline, welcoming a new moon. And still, Alice glowed, brightening the area around us with her pale, sparkling skin. I lifted a hand to her cheek, brushing a finger against it, smoothing out the fine lines that were made from her worry.
She took my hand, placing a kiss against my fingertips. "Are you alright?" she murmured. "I thought you were right behind me."
I nodded gently. "There were some hikers nearby, is all."
I didn't leave her anytime to acknowledge the lie. I wrapped my arm around her, hair brushing against my face, and breathed her in, that fresh, golden scent I'd recognised and known since my first days in Forks.
I forgot all about William, about the memories that felt so real that it was as if he was often there in front of me. I forgot about him and instead thought of the future, about how if I had to spend the rest of my long, neverending days with someone, it would be her, the beautiful vampire that had welcomed me in so readily, so caringly. It would be Alice who I would stay next to as long as my cold heart wasn't beating. Alice.
