His body lay motionless and cold in a heavy leather chair in a corner of the library. The dusty rays of early morning light picked out golden details on old broken spines. Tiny sparkling particles floated lazily in the pale beams, trickling out of the open window and down into the deserted street. The uneven brickwork that stretched down to the cobbled road was cracked and laced with unruly vines and wildflowers. These vines crept up to the second floor window, teasing the crumbling wooden frame.

Nessie picked gently at splinters, breaking off small pieces and letting them fall to the floor. She refused to look at the man in the chair. He was not sleeping for his body was too still, his lips too pale and his skin ice under the sunlight. Nessie found the tears no longer ran tracks down her trembling cheeks. She could no longer feel the blunt pain that had, hours before, torn through her chest. Nessie felt nothing now.

For lack of anything else to do, she rose gracefully from her perch by the window and walked down the aisles of tired books, not looking back as she descended the broad carpeted staircase. She still didn't look as she burst into the bright empty street. The small lonely figure faced only forwards as she strode between the low houses. Hours later she disappeared into the crowds of cheerful, careless shoppers flooding the town.

************************************************************************

Bella

I flew over the river in a smooth ark that landed me just ten feet from the glass windows of the Cullen house. I smiled to myself as I paced round the side of the building to the front door, wondering if the rush of joy would ever leave me as I jumped and ran at superhuman velocity. Ten years on and I still couldn’t quite believe that my new life wouldn’t just disappear before my eyes. I remembered the feeling I had had the first night I’d discovered the Cullen’s secret. I hadn’t wanted to sleep in case I woke up in the morning and they were all gone, in case Edward was gone.

I skipped up the porch steps still grinning like a lunatic when I saw Esme. My grin faded rapidly as I took in the scene in front of me. Carlisle was sat on the new French armchair that Esme had acquired on a trip they’d taken last year, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor, his hands knotted into a tight ball. No!  I thought, my eyes searching desperately for Edward’s face, this can’t be happening again! It was a sickening reminder of the moment Alice had foreseen the Volturi episode years ago. All of the Cullen’s were gathered in the bright living room, six sets of golden eyes fixed on the staircase. The light no longer seemed fresh and cheerful as it had done just minutes before. It now appeared clinical and grey as it flooded the scene. Edward was facing away from me as I entered, frozen in the act of leaving the room. He didn’t turn as I approached and I tore my eyes from where they had settled on his back, letting them be drawn now to Alice. My first thought was how vulnerable she looked. Even when I was just a fragile human I had fostered a feeling of protectiveness over Alice. Her tiny frame appeared now even smaller than it normally did, her thin arms clasping her knees to her chest, her eyes screwed shut in concentration.

For the first time in ten years I felt my legs weren’t strong enough to hold my weight. I clutched at the doorframe for support as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. It was a full second after I had breezed in that someone spoke. It was Carlisle. “Bella, we were just going to send Edward to get you.” He seemed unable to go on, and after several seconds of silence it became obvious to me that he wouldn’t.

“Edward?” I cringed as I heard my voice, higher than usual, stress disabling my ability to speak. It took me a moment to compose my self. “Edward, what’s happened?” Edward turned to face me and I felt my spine tighten in reaction to his face. His eyes had darkened to a deep black, his lips twisted in agony. His next word would have stopped my heart had it still been beating. “Nessie.”