"Let's get away, just the two of us," Emmett announced on Friday afternoon.
"Where do you have in mind?"
"Yosemite."
"Uhmmm, ok. Why?"
"April is when bears come out of hibernation and Yosemite's got a lot of them." I knew I needed to hunt. It wasn't getting to a dangerous place yet, but my eyes were definitely starting to shift from gold to black
"What about school?" Not that I minded ditching school, but it would complicate things, especially since we were seniors.
"It's all been taking care of. We leave today, come back Tuesday night. And it's not like we could even go to school; Alice says it's going to be sunny." I smiled. It still amazed me that Carlisle managed to convince the principal to take us out of school when it was sunny to go 'hiking'. But Carlisle was Carlisle, everyone automatically trusted him.
"So what do you think?" Emmett prompted. I nodded. Actually, going to Yosemite would be perfect. The last couple weeks had been crazy with everything going on with Edward, and I selfishly wanted time alone with Emmett.
After packing a small suitcase and wishing the family goodbye, Emmett and I drove off in my Audi. It would have been much faster to run but since we were going for a while, we needed to bring changes of clothes so taking the car made more sense.
It was a rare treat to be able to use the Audi. It was too ostentatious to drive it to and from school but outside the town limits, were people didn't know us, it was fine.
"You need a faster car," Emmett whinged as we hit highway 101. I rolled my eyes and punched the gas harder. The car lurched forward but not as fast as it use to. He laughed.
"I guess you have a point," I grumbled.
The almost 1000 mile drive took about five hours but I enjoyed every minute of it. It was fascinating to watch the landscape transform from the lush, green environment the Pacific Northwest was famous for, to the ancient giant sequoias in California.
Emmett and I didn't bother booking a hotel room. We were only here for several days and Alice assured us that it would be overcast for almost the entire time.
The first thing on our agenda was hunting. This trip was as much a quick getaway as a hunting excursion. By staying longer when we go on distant hunting trips, we gave the blood time to be taken up by our tissues before we drink again. This way we can become fully saturated with blood, maximizing the amount of time before the thirst becomes intolerable again.
It didn't take us long to find prey, a bear each. After I drained mine, I found Emmett wrestling his food. I sighed and sat down on a convenient boulder. This might take a while.
But Emmett was almost done. He let the bear try to take his head off with another swipe of the paw, laughing as the blow bounced off and sent it staggering back. The bear roared and Emmett roared again through his laughter. Then he launched himself at the animal, who stood a head taller than him on its hind legs, and their bodies fell to the ground tangled up together, taking a mature pine tree down with them. The bear's growls cut off with a gurgle.
Emmett jogged over to where I was waiting for him. His shirt was destroyed, torn and bloodied, sticky with sap and covered in fur. His dark curly hair wasn't in much better shape. I couldn't help but smile when I saw the huge grin on his face.
"That was a strong one. I could almost feel it when it clawed me."
"Maybe we should have gotten a hotel room," I sighed, my eyes trailing over the tears in his button down.
He eyed my clean, white t shirt. "Weren't you able to track down that bear, then?"
"Of course I was. I'm just a much better fighter than you are," I said with a grin.
Emmett laughed his booming laugh. "I wish they were stronger. It would be more fun."
Apart from hunting everyday, for the rest of our trip, we did all the touristy things you're suppose to do when you come to Yosemite; see the waterfalls and hike.
At night, we went swimming in Yosemite Falls, a waterfall with a drop of over 700 feet. It took me back to when we went to Victoria Falls in Africa with the tranquil surroundings.
We saved the best activity for our last day, a hike to the Half Dome, perhaps the most iconic site in Yosemite. The sky was overcast and dreary, just like Alice predicted.
Since we were early, I managed to secure a car spot right in front of the visitors center. Emmett hopped out and went to pay for a ticket. Being out in public did get marginally easier after a while. At first, I was paranoid that someone I knew would see me but after a while, the likelihood of that happening decreased.
I could feel the stares on me as I rested against the side of my car.
I smelt the guy's cologne before I saw him.
"Excuse me. I saw you from across the parking lot and had to say something. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I'm Morgan by the way," he said, his voice confident. He had short, blond hair, blue eyes, and tan skin. Definitely from California and most likely a surfer by his build.
"Umm—." And with impeccable timing, Emmett came over. The guy suddenly looked very small, I could almost see his confidence vanish as Emmett wrapped his arm around my waist.
"Hey, I'm the husband. Get lost," Emmett ordered, his eyes blazing intensely and the guy scampered off.
He turned his gaze to me and shook his head, "I leave you for two minutes and the admirers descend."
"That one was better looking than most," he added with a sigh.
"Well I'm only into 6'5" guys with dark brown, curly hair," I said as I stood on my tiptoes and ran my hand through his curls. He groaned.
"As much as I want this, right now, I'd rather show you the Half Dome," he wistfully replied.
I gave an over exaggerated huff and started walking towards the trail start. Emmett chuckled and quickly caught up.
The uninterrupted view was incredible. It was almost incomprehensible that spectacular wonder like this even existed. I made a mental note to give a sizeable, anonymous donation to the park conservation when we got home.
We hiked to the top at human pace but on the way back, I lost my patience so we sprinted at vampire speed well off the path. When we neared the end of the trail, we slowed down and inconspicuously rejoined the path of hikers.
Suddenly, a familiar scent drifted through the air. In an instant, my eyes scanned the car park to determine its origin, widening disbelief when I located it. They were here. And I was confident I wasn't hallucinating. I grabbed Emmett's shoulder and yanked him behind a tree.
"What is it?" Emmett asked, his expression bemused.
"My parents. They're ... here, sitting the bench near my car," I stuttered. He poked his head out.
At that moment, my phone rang and I quickly fished it out of my pocket.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see it. They made a last minute decision to go to the Half Dome. They weren't even planning on stopping at Yosemite," Alice spoke so quickly, her words slurred together.
I was so shocked, I didn't reply. Emmett carefully took my phone and replied.
"What should we do?" He asked.
"It should be fine as long as they don't see you or El. Remember, they think she's been dead for over ten years. If they saw either one of you-"
"Yeah, I understand," Emmett said hastily, "Thanks Alice." And he ended the call.
"What do you want to do?" He asked.
"Wait," I managed to say. He nodded.
It had only been about ten years but they had changed so much. Both of them had deeper creases around their eyes and forehead. Their hair was beyond salt and pepper but not quite white. They were sitting on the bench applying sunscreen. My dad was a stickler for sun protection, even on a cloudy day like today.
"The UV index is still high," I remembered him insisting.
I suppose this trip for them was one filled with milestones; both were turning 65 and celebrating their 35th anniversary. And human years, I was almost 30. Holy crap!
"Are you ok, El?"
"I'm going to miss them. I wish we could have spent more time together. I wish I could have told them one more time that I love them." Seeing them aged put things into perspective. Time was only for humans. The expression was true; time really does fly, as cliché as it was.
"They know that." I sighed and Emmett wrapped his arms around me protectively. "You know I'm always here for you." I smiled up at him.
And eventually they finished putting on their sunscreen and walked towards the start of the hike.
"Do you want to follow them?" He asked. It was one of the most conflicting decisions I've ever experienced. As much as I wanted to watch them all day, it wasn't healthy. I couldn't be in limbo between my two families; the one I was related to by blood and my new family. I'll always remember my parents and the guilt of leaving them would always be a part of me but I needed to move on.
I shook my head, "I'm ready to go."