Perpetual Existence

Destroy Her

Before my foot hits the stair for the eighteenth time, I whirl around and run to face her. Alice gasps from the living room and Jasper utters an oath from his room, no doubt sensing my mood. Before either of them have the time to stop me, I enter the hallway leading to Rosalie and Emmett's room.

"Edward?" Jasper says aloud, in the hopes to slow me down. He knows nothing, only that I'm feeling murderous.

"Call Carlisle now, Esme." Alice runs up the stairs just as the door swings open to a partially clothed Emmett, the smile on his face quickly morphs to confusion when his golden eyes settle on me.

From his mind, I can see myself; a snarl on my lips, my eyes so dark my irises nearly dominate my face. It matters little to me as I look beyond him, pushing past him with ease. His confusion never giving way to suspicion, the fool.

"You," I snarl, as I approach Rosalie while she finishes buttoning her top.

"Whatever has your panties in a twist, can't it wait?" She looks annoyed and bored with the conversation already. "What did I do wrong now?"

I wrap my hands around her throat, surprising her and the others. "You killed her!" Our bodies fall to the floor, my knee on her chest. In her face I scream, venom dripping from my teeth. "You broke her neck as though she didn't matter!"

Emmett tries to pry me off her, but she comes up with me, her neck still caught in the vice of my grip. The cracks under my hand echo in the room, the others working hard to reach through my anger, but I counter every one of their moves.

The only thing I see repeatedly in my head is Rosalie's pale hands around Bella's throat, the sickening sound of bones breaking under her vile touch.

"How. Dare. You. Kill. Her." I'm shaking, the power of my revenge falling away to a different kind of lust as Bella's blood calls to me. It angers me more. "She was innocent in all of this and you killed her!" I scream in her face again; her words rasping and caught in her throat. "All she ever did was try to save me from more pain, and you killed her!"

"Edward!" Carlisle's voice broke through momentarily, allowing me to see Emmett on his knees, once again trying to attach his arm to his shoulder. "What are you doing? This isn't you. Please, son, let her go." Nothing he can say will loosen the grip I have on her throat. "Whoever this 'her' is, would she want this?"

Until that.

The brief flash of Bella's smiling face causes my hand to fall away, landing on my chest as I try to breathe past the pain.

"Why?" Rosalie gasps, shaking with her own anger. "Why!"

I step toward her again, but Carlisle calls my name to stop me. "You killed her," I say nothing more as I walk out of the room, ready to run to Bella to see if she's all right with my own two eyes.

The day started over; it has to mean she's alive. Right? Other than her and me, no one's ever killed her in the godforsaken loops.

Did Rosalie killing her in the last loop mean Bella's truly gone?

I fear to go to her house and finding out for myself. The terror of what I may find causes me my knees to buckle, landing on the last stair.

The rest of the family, besides Emmett and Rosalie, join me, remaining silent, awaiting something from me. Carlisle has somehow convinced them not to kill me and to stay until they know what's happening. I know it's futile to explain; they won't remember in the next loop. If there will be one.

I have to explain my actions, though; maybe this time they can help me. Even as I think it, I don't believe it. Yet...

"Please do not interrupt me as I explain." They listen for what seems like hours but are mere minutes in my hurried speech. Rosalie and Emmett soon join us, quiet in their approach, reasonably cautious. I tell them how the last loop ended, the twist in my lips return as I glare at Rosalie.