11. Denali

     It was fortunate that we hadn’t really had time to unpack completely. It took Edward less than 10 minutes to have all our belongings, the bags and me in the Hummer. He left an envelope in a lockbox outside the cabin containing a thick stack of large bills to pay for the ruined door many times over, along with a note blaming the destruction on a rogue Grizzly.

Minutes later, we were flying across the dirt road that reminded me again of the night James set his sights on me. Edward must have been reminded of it too. He looked at me and said sadly “you were right Bella, it does seem like old times.” I smiled at him and said nothing.

     Once on Highway 3, we began the long trip to Denali. It would take the average person driving a grueling twelve hours to get there. At the speed Edward was driving, I estimated we would get there in just over three. By now, I was used to the inhumanly fast speeds at which all the Cullens drove. It was hard to hold a conversation with danger hanging over our heads…again. As much as Edward and I were destined to be together, it seemed danger was always pursuing us. I wondered if there would ever be a time when we would be at peace. I had a very real feeling that the answer might be no. I hoped I was wrong. The emotional roller coaster I had been on that day and the long drive took their toll on me, and as I watched my husband drive, I slipped into unconsciousness. 

      I was walking alone on the tundra near the cabin. It was daytime, but the northern lights were still dancing bright in the sky. In the distance, I saw Edward waving to me to join him. It was strange I could have sworn we had left the cabin. Shrugging off the feeling that something wasn’t right, I started walking towards Edward, who continued waving to me. At my feet, blue Lupine was everywhere, thick and beautiful. I stopped to pick one of the little wildflowers. When I stood up, halfway between Edward and myself I saw a figure that filled me with terror! I recognized the familiar red hair burning like fire. Her features were just as beautiful as before. She moved lithely like a cat. It was Victoria, I had no doubt. Intense confusion overtook me. Victoria was dead; Edward had killed her weeks ago. I had seen the white remains of her body burning. What was she doing here?