Disclaimer

 Twilight and all affiliated characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any of the aforementioned characters except Beth and the plot of this story (that is, should it stray from the original Twilight). This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not in any way, shape, or form benefiting financially from the publishing of this story on this site and am very grateful for Mrs. Meyer's creation. Besides, if I did own Twilight, I wouldn't have to be confined to my bed for weeks on end.

In the driver's seat, Mike sat with weary eyes, his hands gripping the steering wheel with a tentative resolve. His friends were piled into the backseat, their movements sluggish and their speech slurred as remnants of the night's festivities clung to them like a cloak.

As the engine roared to life, the city lights faded into obscurity, replaced by the sprawling expanse of the open road. The highway stretched out before them like an endless ribbon, winding its way through the darkness towards their destination—the sleepy town of Forks.

Outside, the world was cloaked in shadows, the landscape bathed in a silvery luminescence that cast an ethereal glow over the surroundings. Tall pines stood sentinel along the roadside, their branches swaying gently in the whispering breeze, while the occasional flash of wildlife darted through the growth, a fleeting glimpse of the nocturnal world that lay hidden in the depths of the forest.

Inside the car, a heavy silence hung in the air, broken only by the rhythmic hum of the tires against the asphalt. Each of them lost in their own thoughts, their words drowned out by the quietude of the night. As they journeyed onward, the weariness of the night began to weigh heavily upon them, the adrenaline of the party giving way to a bone-deep exhaustion. Eric sat in the passenger's seat, head slumped on the half opened window and his stringy hair fluttering with the cool breeze that circulated in the cabin. Beth, sat in the back with Isabel and Jessica, who had taken it upon herself to rest her head on the brunette's shoulder- just barely beginning to drool as the haze of sleep long crested her tired eyes. Mike's own eyelids grew heavy with each passing mile, but stubbornly, he stayed awake, gently refuting Beth's own hesitant offer to take over for a mile or two.

Through the frosted glass, she watched as wisps of fog slithered like serpents between the towering pines, their branches reaching skyward as if to grasp at the shrouded heavens above. The wet roads glistened in the early morning light, slick with dew and rain, while in the distance, the hills rose and fell like sleeping giants, their contours softened by the veil of mist that enveloped them. There was a certain tranquility in the stillness of the scene, a quiet beauty that spoke of secrets hidden beneath the surface. 

In that moment, time seemed to slow to a crawl, the night fading into insignificance as Beth allowed herself to be consumed by the majesty of the world around her. She felt a sense of connection to the land, to the pulse of life that thrummed beneath the tires of the car, and she knew that she was part of something greater than herself—a fleeting moment in the grand tapestry of existence. And for the first time- as she closed her eyes, breathing in the crisp morning air, she felt a sense of peace settle over her since the Cullen family's departure.

In the pre-dawn hours, as they neared their destination, the first tendrils of light began to creep over the horizon, painting the sky in hues of pink and gold. The four hour drive passed in a blur, and thankfully, Mike hadn't fallen asleep once. Eric was the first to be dropped off among them, Mike helping him stumble up the path to his home - a two story blue house with white shutters and a porch- and open the door for him. Beth hoped he'd manage to walk up the flight of stairs without disturbing his parents, who no doubt would be a bit peeved that their son came home in the state he was in. Afterall, they were all still very much underage.

Isabel was next, and surprisingly, her brother- a tall, and very slender boy with messy bedhead and a rugged beard- was sat waiting for her on the steps of her parent's house. They embraced each other warmly, before Isabel turned around to wave the remainder of her friends goodbye, the car easing away from the curb as Mike began to drive in the direction of Beth's house.

"Hey, Mike?" Beth called, tapping the blonde boy's shoulder. The boy startled a bit, bloodshot eyes blinking blearily at her through the rearview. He hummed, acknowledging her call, as he focused more precisely on the destination in mind.

"I think it'd be best if Jess came home with me. I think her mom would freak if she saw her like this," she reasoned. It was no lie, Jess had barely convinced her mother that she'd be spending the weekend at her place anyhow, and it'd do no good sending her off to be dropped home in this state, as hungover as she would be and in the company of a boy.

When Charlie's house finally came into view, Beth nudged Jess awake, and together and with little fuss, they exited the car. Beth's beanie, rumpled from the night spent out and on the four hour drive back into town, still sat on her head, the barest hint of her brown buzz peeking from the brim.

She quietly wished Mike a goodnight as he waved almost relieved, as Jessica leaned the majority of her body weight onto Beth, one hand clutching at her forehead in a desperate attempt to stop the dizziness that seemed to wash over her like a wave. Together, they stumbled up the steps when the front door was shut quietly and Beth prayed that she wouldn't bump into Charlie, not wanting this to be a sore point of their relationship when he realized that she stunk of beer.

After depositing Jessica on her bed, Beth wasted no time in stripping in her closet and rushing into the bathroom as quietly as she could. She caught sight of herself in the mirror then. The bags under her eyes were more pronounced in the white light of the bathroom, steam building in the air from the water she turned on to get the temperature just right. Her body seemed slimmer, a more defined shape at her waist than the usual softness that lay there. Her breasts seemed a bit larger somehow, despite the weight loss, and the almost shallowness in her cheeks disappointed her. She needed to take better care of herself. Running a hand over her hair, the soft texture met her fingertips. It had grown maybe a few centimeters, almost resembling her memories of Alice's own hair just before they'd left. The waves curled slightly and the deep brown of the strands showed just how healthy it was growing back. She looked as depressed as she felt, and here she was assuming that she'd managed to hide it better.

When she got out of the shower, short hair still damp, in a moment of weakness, knocked lightly on Bella's door. The quiet and tired voice of her twin beaconed her inside the room, the dim morning light entering the space between a crack in the yellow lace curtains hung over Bella's window.

The girl in question, hair strewn this way and that, peered up at her sibling tiredly, a silent question.

"Can I sleep in here for a while?" Beth asked in a quiet voice, betraying the vulnerability that crawled up her throat like a lump. She can't be bothered with the stalemate they'd found themselves in at that present moment, searching for comfort within a place that hopefully wouldn't turn her away. In response, Bella nodded, head falling back onto her pillow, too sleepy to question Beth's sudden change in heart and unwilling to let go of the sleep that still hung on the crevice of her long eyelashes. Bella's bed was warm, a contrast to the air that Beth had experienced just minutes prior and she fell asleep fairly quickly, dreams drifting to a boy with penny coloured hair just that once.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

In the dimly lit living room of the Denali residence, the air hung heavy with unspoken tension. Five figures stood scattered across the space, each consumed by their own thoughts, their emotions, a volatile mix of despair and determination and the usual brood that hung around, in different areas of the large house to give the family the illusion of privacy.

Alice, her golden eyes alight with urgency, faced off against Carlisle, the patriarch of the Cullen family. Her words were a plea, a desperate attempt to sway the course of their fate.

"No," Carlisle's voice was gentle but firm, his expression one of unwavering resolve. "We promised Edward."

But Alice was undeterred, her resolve unyielding. "But she won't do well without us. I get flashes of her, but they're unclear—"

Rosalie, her tone edged with frustration, interjected sharply. "Forget her, let's drag Edward home."

Esme, her usually warm demeanor tinged with sadness, spoke softly. "He'll come back when he's ready. After Beth moves on."

Carlisle nodded in agreement, his eyes reflecting the weight of their collective burden. "Yes. When she's living her life, safe from danger—"

Jasper, his voice tinged with self-contempt, spoke up from his isolated corner. "You mean safe from us."

In a silent gesture of understanding, Alice wrapped an arm around Jasper, offering him solace amidst the storm of emotions that engulfed them.

"And when will that be?" Rosalie's question hung in the air, a poignant reminder of the uncertainty that clouded their future.

Emmett, ever direct, sought answers. "Has he decided anything yet?"

All eyes turned to Alice, the anticipation palpable as she closed her eyes, delving deep into the recesses of her mind in search of Edward.

"The only decision he's made..." Her voice trailed off as the room faded away, replaced by a vivid panorama of the South American Andes.

Edward stood alone upon a windswept peak, his silhouette a stark contrast against the barren landscape. With a sense of urgency, he began to run, his movements fueled by desperation, his destination unknown. He ran, his movements fueled by a desperate need to escape, to outrun the memories that haunted him. And ahead, looming like a specter of death, was the cliff—the edge of reason. But Edward did not slow. He did not hesitate. He leaped into the void, his body suspended in the air as if trying defying gravity itself. For a moment, time stood still. The world held its breath as Edward floated, suspended between earth and sky before he landed on the opposite side of the ravine, unscathed and yet not- the pain remaining like a sore wound scored on the dead muscle of his heart.

"...is to be alone..."