Second Chance at Forever | C. Cullen

001

CHAPTER ONE
Here Comes the Bride

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-Minneapolis, MN 1955-

"No!"

It was Edward's voice that rang out over the silence that filled the house. It wasn't until that moment that anybody had realized Alice was in the middle of a vision, but one look between the two of them told them that whatever Alice saw, it was bad. Very bad. A look of horror was spread over both of their faces, and Jasper was by Alice's side in an instant to protect and comfort his obviously agitated mate, but she shook him off. She looked at Edward desperately, who almost seemed like he would be ill, if such a thing were possible for them. For a total of thirty seconds, neither of them could speak, no matter how much the other three tried to get them to, to explain what she saw. Neither of them could say the words, though, at least not out loud, but it was clear there was a silent conversation going on between them.

"Stay here," Edward said, reaching out to grip Alice's wrist. "We need to go. We'll be back." They didn't wait for any arguments or demands of an explanation; time was of the ultimate essence.

It was such a small decision that had been made to have such horrific consequences. Just a change of mind, turning down a street earlier than they intended and take a shortcut through an alley. They were racing against the clock, against time, against fate. But they had to get there before it came true, before they lost one of the most important people in their lives...the most important person in all of creation to Carlisle, their mother.

"Two more streets down!" Alice called over the rush of wind past their bodies. Luckily it was night and so they could run through the city without much of anyone noticing other than an odd gust of wind.

"No change?" Edward demanded and Alice's silence, the same vision running through her mind over and over, gave him all the answer that he needed. And so he pushed on, so close and yet it felt so far. "We need to find them, tell Carlisle what's happening, and get them out of there. We'll take care of the nomad." Alice gave an answering nod to his snarled out words and they pushed on.

Most of the time, confidence was key, but this time it did nothing but work against them. They were confident they saw the vision in time, confident they would get to Carlisle and their mother before tragedy struck. But confidence is what wound up failing them. They didn't run as fast as they should've, they didn't call out in warning like they should've—Carlisle and their mother would've surely heard them. And they would forever blame themselves for what happened.

First, the screeching sound of ripping metal filled their ears and made both of them freeze because they knew exactly what that sound was. Second, the furious, anguished, tortured roar of their father greeted their ears and they knew they would never forget that sound or anything about this night for the rest of their eternity.

"We're too late..." Edward murmured, skidding into the alley just as their mother's head was tossed into a burning barrel and Carlisle dropped to his knees. The nomad laughed, his deep crimson eyes sparkling with mirth and sick enjoyment as he watched the pain unfold over the group before him.

"You lose," he said in a sweet, sing-song of a voice. But that was the last thing he said as Edward finally snapped out of it, and allowed the nomad the honor of joining their beloved mother in the burning barrel.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

-Forks, WA 2006-

-Abigail-