Réminiscences

Chapter Five

Chapter Five
Coupe de foudre
Marlowe Castille
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
1935

~

Love is not love which alters it when alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! It is an ever fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken;
it is the star to every wandering bark whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out, even to the edge of doom."
-William Shakespeare

~

It had been a little over a year since Rosalie's change when Emmett suddenly entered our family.

I was in the den, sitting next to Edward on the piano bench, talking happily with he and Esme about our recent move when Rosalie announced she was ready to start hunting by herself.

"Are you sure, Rosalie?" Esme worried. "It's not an issue to send Carlisle with you if you feel you aren't ready."

"I'll be fine!" Rosalie huffed. "It's been so long and I'm tired of being babysat."

"I trust you." I smiled at her. "Go on, et's bear season, 'ave fun." I encouraged her and she kissed my cheek in excitement before rushing out of the house.

"I hope that was the right decision." Esme sighed.

"If we keep her on a leash for much longer she's bound to snap eventually." I explained. "She's just beginning to come around to all of us and I would hate to ruin zat. Besides, she got through her night of revenge without drinking any of zeir blood."

"True." Edward nodded. "And that was a lot of blood." He grimaced.

"As much as I shouldn't condone violence-" Carlisle sighed as he came into the room to join us "they got what was coming to them. Such an act as they committed should not go unpunished."

"Agreed." Edward and I spoke in unison.

"Unforgivable." Esme nodded.

A bird chirped loudly outside, tearing my attention away from the discussion as I tuned into a strange sound coming from deep in the woods. It sounded like fast footfall, but it was far too heavy to be Rosalie.

I shot up out of my seat and went to the door to look out of the glass.

"Marlowe, what's wrong?" Edward asked worriedly.

"Listen to those steps." I told the room. "Zey're too heavy to be Rosalie. I hope she's okay." I worried, my eyes watching the tree line carefully.

"I'm sure she's fine-"

"Oh la vache!" I cried out, cutting Edward off as I threw open the door.

Rosalie came in with a man thrown over her shoulder. They were both drenched in blood and at first I was terrified she had killed him, until I realized he had been attacked by a bear.

"Rosalie!" Esme cried.

"You have to help him!" Rosalie screamed at Carlisle.