I looked at the compass and the map, made sure the compass was pointing the direction on the spoke I had followed, and started moving again. What a pain it was to hike all this way. It was so much easier the first time I'd come here...
I had to think of something else every fast, if I ever wanted to make it home. Of course it was better when Jacob had come with me. My personal sun, lighting everything in his path. But I was madami grateful for the fact that he had not taken this trip with me. FOr so many reasons I couldn't even count. For one thing, how would I explain my conversation with a vampire? For another, would Laurant even have bothered to wait and talk to us, or just kill us both before we could even turn out heads? The thought of Jacob dead was torturous, and I desided that I wasn't very good at distracting myself from painful topics. But everything in my life was painful, so it didn't really matter what I thought of. I hoped Charlie had gotten some sleep last night...
I was distracted sa pamamagitan ng my train of thoguht, so when I heard a gasp behind me, I screamed at the tuktok of my lungs and dropped the compass. I had been so distracted with my agony over...everything, that I hadn't even thoguht about the fight between the mga lobo and Laurant. And now he was behind me, I was sure, though I was too scared to ilipat for several seconds. Finally, I decided there was nothing else I could do. I had no chance of outrunning him.
So I turned to face my death with shaking legs and opened my eyes.
The pair of black eyes that stared back at me were not the ones I was expecting. And guessing sa pamamagitan ng the shock in them, they weren't expecting me either.
"A...Alice!" I cried, running to her and grabbing her skinny shoulders. I was so happy. I was crying.
"Bella...?" Her voice sounded so stunned, and...unsure, for some reason.
"Oh, Alice! I missed you so much! I-I can't believe you're here!" My sobs distorted the words.
"Bella!" She finally wrapped her arms around me in return. A bit too tightly, but I didn't care if she crushed my Buto as long as she was here.
"Bella...I don't understand...what is going on?"
I pulled back so that I could see her face, but kept my arms around her. I didn't understand her tone. She sounded so shocked. I looked at her face and, just like her tone, her face was mystified. Her eyes looked like they might pop out of the sockets.
"What do you mean?" I asked, sniffing, and pulling one arm from around her to wipe my face, and then putting it back around her waist.
"What happened with Laurant?" She prodded.
Oh. I understood then. That's why she was here. I could only imagine what she had seen...whatever it was was bad enough that she would come back after all these long months.
"Oh. It's...kind of a long story...and we need to get back to my house so I can explain to Charlie."
The raging curiousity did not lave her eyes, but she looked down, as if ashamed. Something accored to me then, and I started breathing much faster.
"You are coming with me aren't you?" I felt me eyes grow wide, and my heavy breathing creeping toward hyperventelation, but I could not make it stop. What if she was leaving? I just got her back, after I had Nawawala everyone-even Jake was too sick or busy or whatever to talk to me-and what if now she was planning on leaving so soon?
She looked back at my face and a crease grew in her brow. I could not exactly tell what her expression was, but she replyed, "Of course, Bella. Let's get you tahanan so that you can explain."
I breathed a sigh of relief and hugged myself to her again. "Thank you, Alice. I missed you so much."
She sighed too, but in a differant kind of way. Exasperated.
"Of course, Bella. I missed you, too."
I finally released her and started walking, but she did not move. I stopped and looked back at her. "What's wrong, Alice?"
"Nothing is wrong. It's just that...are you really planning to walk the whole way there?" She had an odd expression. Kind of...impatient.
"How else would I get there? I have to walk until I get to my truck." I was confused. How else did she expect me to get there? Fly?
Then something accored to me.
She looked at me like I was missing something very obvious.
"Oh."
"Do you mind?" Alice asked, though I doubt she would have cared about my answer. She would have done it anyway.
"No." I said, though I was not quite sure about this. After all, the last time that this had happend...well I couldn't think of that. Which was exactly why I was nervous. How was I supposed to not think of it while it was happening?
But it didn't matter anymore, because she was already leaning down to scoop me up in her arms as if she were a 6'3 muscle builder. A little warning might have been nice. Before I could remember that I should close my eyes, we were already flying through the forest. I did not close my eyes after that. Not because I was too terrified to, like last time, but because it was such a rush. I could feel the adreneline pulsing in my viens. It was exilerating.
And like always, we were to the truck before I would have thought possible. For a moment I wondered hjow she had found it, but then I realized I was being a foolish human again. It was the same way that she had found me hiking back in the first place. She had followed my scent. Of course.
She set me down and headed for the driver's seat. I stood there for a moment, collecting myself. It felt like my entire world had changed in five minutes. But definately for the better.
I started heading towards my truck, not bothering to argue with her about driving, and climbed in. She started the engine, looked at me for a moment with an odd expression, and then began driving. Having a moment of thought was nice. To just be able to recover from all the things that had happened since I first started this hiking trip. As I went through it all in my head, tanong after tanong started popping up. But I would have time to ask her later. Wouldn't I? That was my main quesion. Why was she here? How long was she staying?...Is she alone?
"Well," she said, breaking the silence.
"Well, what?" I asked.
"Well," she repeated "for starters, what on earth happened with Laurant?"
This was going to be embarassing. How much had she seen. I stalled.
"How much did you see? I mean, it will be easier not to have to repeat the things you have already seen."
She looked away from the road and narrowed her eyes at me. She knew I was stalling.
"You were in the forest," she started, looking back at the road. "and Laurant showed up. You were talking, and he made it clear that he was there as a favor to Victoria, and that he was going to kill you." That was a summery and a half. But I did not interupt her, knowing the part she was getting to. She turned to glare at me now.
"You asked him to turn you into a vampire." Her voice accused me. "And then my vision disappeared." She did not seem happy about this fact. It boggled me, though. Alice had not been able to see the future? There must be madami to this story.
"When it finally appeared again, you were lying on the ground, screaming." She winced. "So. Explain."