Alissa Swan

Part 42

SIX MONTHS LATER

I was in a forest. It was surrounded by the dark, lush, greenery of the forest floor. My foot slammed down next to the tulip, nearly crushing it. As my foot immediately lifted off again, it
grazed the tulip, knocking its petals off.

I desperately searched the woods. "Edward!" Ahead, through the darkness of the thick forest,I saw sunlight; a clearing. I hurtled toward it.

I bursted into the sunlight. I was in the meadow where Edward revealed his skin in the sun. But he wasn't here now. Instead, I saw an old woman, white hair framing her withered face. My eyes widened with surprise as I recognized-

"Gran?"

Gran looked as surprised as me. I smiled and waved, as did Gran. I started toward her but I heard a voice behind me.

"Bella..."

I spun to look behind me.

Edward emerged from the forest, his alabaster skin in sharp contrast to the shadows. I beamed at him, relieved, in love... until he moved to edge of the shade, inches from sun's rays.

"Stop," I told him. "She'll see."

Edward just smiled and stepped into the sunlight. Sunbeams shattered off his skin like a thousand rainbow shards, as if he were made of diamonds. It was an awesome sight.

Edward was now inches from me, still glistening, entrancing me. I wrapped an arm around his waist, then arranged her face into a calm expression. We turned to Gran, whose expression was calm, too. Gran's arm was extended, as if she also held someone.

Me and Edward were only feet from Gran now. I was about to present Edward, but then saw that Gran mimicked my movement exactly. With growing horror, I reached out to Gran... and touched glass!

I pulled back to find that Gran was now surrounded by a gilded frame. It was a mirror, mounted on a wall with wallpaper reflecting a surreal dreamlike version of the forest behind me.

"Oh my God," I said. I realized that it wasn't Gran I was looking at. It was me, but sixty-five years older.

I spun to my perfect, eternally 17-year-old Edward. He took her now wrinkled, age-spotted hand. He kissed it. He leaned in very close to my 83-year-old face and whispered into my ear: "Happy birthday."

My eyes snapped open. I lied atop my bed. A book, "ROMEO AND JULIET," laid open on my chest. I sat up, the dream still weighing on me. My room was cluttered with pictures of Edward, of the Cullens; memorabilia of all things Edward. There was a knock on the door. Charlie entered carrying two gifts, one wrapped, one not.

"Happy birthday, Bells," Charlie said.

"Dad, we agreed, no gifts."

"At least mine's not wrapped." He handed the non-wrapped gift to me. It was a digital camera.

I was pleased, despite myself. "Okay, this is actually kind of great. Thanks, Dad." I smiled.

Charlie gave me the wrapped gift. "Goes with this one from your mom. We coordinated - well, she coordinated me."

I opened the gift to reveal a scrapbook.

"To put your pictures in, record your senior year. Man, senior year. How'd you get so old so fast?"

"Not that old," I replied.

"I don't know," Charlie said. "Is that a wrinkle?" He pointed to my face.

I got up and raced to the mirror, searching my face.

"I was kidding," Charlie said.

"So not funny," I replied.