(Bella's POV)

"Y-you don't want me?" I whimpered, then he sighed, and uttered the word I had always expected him to say, but had hoped he never would…

"No."

I sniffled,

"That changes things…"

"Of course I'll always love you… In a way...but what happened the other night made me realize it's time for a change. Because I'm tired of pretending to be something I'm not, Bella. I am not human. I've let this go on for too long, and I'm sorry

for that." He said calmly. I couldn't believe this: he acted like he had never loved me at all.

"Don't… Don't do this." I said, tears threatening to fall.

"You're not good for me Bella." He said, and I realized that he was right…

I was never good enough for him. And now he realized that.

"I-if that's what you want." I whispered. And he nodded once, and it was like my whole body shut down, as my heart crumbled into a thousand pieces…

I was dying.

Not literally, but in a symbolic state. My faith in love was dying…

I'd never love anyone else…

Ever.

My train of depressed thoughts was interrupted by the most beautiful voice in the world.

"I would like to ask you one favor though, if it's not too much to ask…"

"Anything." I said, my heart swelling with hope. Hoping that he'd change his mind.

"Don't do anything reckless or stupid. Do you understand?!" My heart crumbled even more, but I nodded, helplessly.

"I'm thinking of Charlie, he needs you… Take care of yourself…

For him."

"I will…" I promised.

"And I'll make you a promise in return...I promise that this will be the last time you'll see me. I won't come back. I won't put you through anything like this ever can go on with your life without interference from me. It will be as if I never

existed."

I felt like I was going to collapse right there, but I held strong. I would not let him see me cry. I did NOT deserve him. And I was NOT going to pity him into staying.

He deserved better.

Some beautiful vampire girl would be lucky to have him.

My heart ached at the thought of it.

No. Stay strong Bella.

"Don't worry… Human memories are no more than a sieve… Time heals all wounds for your kind."

"And your memories…?" I said, out of curiosity.

He hesitated,

"Well… I won't forget. But my kind is easily distracted."

I nodded.

"Goodbye Bella… We won't bother you again…"

It was then that everything sunk in, not only was I losing my one and only love, but also one of my best friends too.

"WAIT!" I pleaded, racing to him. Throwing my arms out.

At first I thought he was reaching for me too, but then his cold hands grabbed my wrists and pressed them to my sides. He leaned down, hesitantly, took a deep breath, and pressed his lips very lightly to my forehead for the briefest instant.

And then he was gone.

Love. Life. Meaning…

Over.

I collapsed to the ground, curled up under an ancient redwood tree, between two roots, and the floodgates opened, I sobbed and sobbed until my throat was raw and scratchy.

It wasn't until dark that I heard something.

Two familiar voices.

"Bella!"

"Bella!"

"Where are you?!"

Charlie and Jake.

"I'm here dad, Jake! "

I heard another sound then, a rustling in the bushes. At first I thought it was a startled animal, like a bird or a deer. But then it emerged, just as Jacob and Charlie found me.

It was almost cute, the tiny thing. But I could tell it wasn't from this world.

It was made entirely of shadows, darkness.

"What in the name of Black is THAT?!" Jake said, alarmed, Charlie stiffened, and grabbed his gun from his holster.

"Bella get up, and back away, really slowly… Get behind me." He muttered.

I begrudgingly pushed myself up. Honestly I just wanted to die. A life without Edward was not worth living.

He was the only man who actually understood me, respected me, loved me for me.

Besides my dad anyway.

Then as I turned to get a good look at the creature, I felt a warm tingly sensation in my wrist, where James had bitten me a little less than a year before,and a giant key-looking thing appeared in my hand.

"What the hell?!"said Charlie,

I didn't know where this thing came from, or where the creature came from, but I was going to save my dad and my best friend,

I swung the key-sword thingy, and the creature jumped back, dodging the sword entirely.

I was so busy fighting this thing that it took me a moment before I realized the air grew colder.

And storm clouds filled the already dark sky.

"I don't like the looks of this Bella, let's just ditch!" Said Jacob, but for some reason I kept trying to kill the creature, maybe it was from my anger and frustration from what just happened, maybe it was just a death wish.

Then I heard a loud whooshing sound overhead, and I looked up and saw that the new moon had been blacked out entirely by a swirling black vortex of terror.

And my dad and best friend were being sucked right into it!

"Jake! Dad! NO!" I screeched, and grabbed their ankles, trying to pull them back down to earth, only to get yanked up into the sky with them.

The last thing I remembered was my scream of terror, and someone I loved screaming my name down below.

It was impossible, I thought, it couldn't be him, he ditched me, he's probably in Alaska by now.

Then everything went black.

(Edward's POV, ten minutes earlier)

As we sat in the car outside the Olympic national park,storm clouds hovered ominously overhead.

"Looks like rain." Said Esme.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Emmett called to my sisters, who had just finished hunting, we had gone an hour before. Then Alice froze, her face blank, then a look of horror came across her face.

"GUYS! WAIT! BELLA IS-!"

"Bella is not our concern now Alice… Let's go." I said in a montotone.

"But-but-!" Alice stammered.

But then I heard screams from deep in the woods,

"BELLA?!" I gasped in horror. I should never have left her in the woods alone at night.

Then we all saw the pitch black cyclone hovering over the trees.

"What in the holy hell is THAT?!"said Emmett,

"Ohh no." Said Rosalie irritably,

"Edward,don't you dare!"

And I darted into the forest after her.

There was no way I was going to lose her like this. Not to some damn freak tornado.

Edward wait! Came Alice's thoughts, as she and the rest of the family caught up to me.

"If you're going, we're going… She's our family too!" Esme said, Rosalie let out a hmph, and muttered, "I was forced into this."

I nodded and we raced to the place I had left Bella, and saw her being carried away into the clouds into the big black twister.

"BELLA NO!" I screamed, but there was nothing I could do, then to our alarm, it started picking us up too, one by one.

"WAIT! NO NO NO NO NO NO!" Rosalie screeched, grabbing at anything she could to stay anchored, but the tree branch she grabbed broke off and crumbled in her hand.

"ROSE!" Emmett bellowed, and one by one they disappeared into the vortex.

I closed my eyes and sighed in defeat.

What does it matter…

If she's dead, I have no reason to exist anymore.

So I let go of the rock I was holding onto, a bit crumbling off in my hand as I rocketed up into the vortex.

And there was only darkness.

And it was then I knew that I was dead…