New Moon

only Alice would come back. Soon. Before this got any more out of hand.

But I couldn't count on that. I decided that, if I couldn't talk to him today, really talk, then I was going to see Carlisle tomorrow. I had to do something.

After school, Edward and I were going to talk it out, I promised myself. I wasn't accepting any excuses.

He walked me to my truck, and I steeled myself to make my demands.

'Do you mind if I come over today?' he asked before we got to the truck, beating me to the punch.

'Of course not.'

'Now?' he asked again, opening my door for me.

'Sure,' I kept my voice even, though I didn't like the urgency in his tone. 'I was just going to drop a letter for Renee in the mailbox on the way. I'll meet you there.'

He looked at the fat envelope on the passenger seat. Suddenly, he reached over me and snagged it.

'I'll do it,' he said quietly. 'And I'll still beat you there.' He smiled my favorite crooked smile, but it was wrong. It didn't reach his eyes.

'Okay,' I agreed, unable to smile back. He shut the door, and headed toward his car.

He did beat me home. He was parked in Charlie's spot when I pulled up in front of the house. That was a bad sign. He didn't plan to stay, then. I shook my head and took a deep breath, trying to locate some courage.

He got out of his car when I stepped out of the truck, and came to meet me. He reached to take my book bag from me. That was normal. But he shoved it back onto the seat. That was not normal.

'Come for a walk with me,' he suggested in an unemotional voice, taking my hand.

I didn't answer. I couldn't think of a way to protest, but I instantly knew that I wanted to. I didn't like this. This is bad, this is very bad, the voice in my head repeated again and again.

But he didn't wait for an answer. He pulled me along toward the east side of the yard, where the forest encroached. I followed unwillingly, trying to think through the panic. It was what I wanted, I reminded myself. The chance to talk it all through. So why was the panic choking me?

We'd gone only a few steps into the trees when he stopped. We were barely on the trail—I could still see the house.

Some walk.

Edward leaned against a tree and stared at me, his expression unreadable.

'Okay, let's talk,' I said. It sounded braver than it felt.

He took a deep breath.

'Bella, we're leaving.'

I took a deep breath, too. This was an acceptable option. I thought I was prepared. But I still had to ask.

'Why now? Another year—'

'Bella, it's time. How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all? Carlisle can barely pass for thirty, and he's claiming thirty-three now. We'd have to start over soon regardless.'

His answer confused me. I thought the point of leaving was to let his family live in peace. Why did we have to leave if they were going? I stared at him, trying to understand what he meant.

He stared back coldly.

With a roll of nausea, I realized I'd misunderstood.

'When you say we—,' I whispered.

'I mean my family and myself.' Each word separate and distinct.

I shook my head back and forth mechanically, trying to clear it. He waited without any sign of impatience. It took a few minutes before I could speak.

'Okay,' I said. 'I'll come with you.'

'You can't, Bella. Where we're going… It's not the right place for you.'

'Where you are is the right place for me.'

'I'm no good for you, Bella.'

'Don't be ridiculous.' I wanted to sound angry, but it just sounded like I was begging. 'You're the very best part of my life.'

'My world is not for you,' he said grimly.

'What happened with Jasper—that was nothing, Edward! Nothing!'

'You're right,' he agreed. 'It was exactly what was to be expected.'

'You promised! In Phoenix, you promised that you would stay—'

'As long as that was best for you,' he interrupted to correct me.

'No! This is about my soul, isn't it?' I shouted, furious, the words exploding out of me—somehow it still sounded like a plea. 'Carlisle told me about that, and I don't care, Edward. I don't care! You can have my soul. I don't want it without you—it's yours already!'

He took a deep breath and stared, unseeingly, at the ground for a long moment. His mouth twisted the tiniest bit. When he finally looked up, his eyes were different, harder—like the liquid gold had frozen solid.

'Bella, I don't want you to come with me.' He spoke the words slowly and precisely, his cold eyes on my face, watching as I absorbed what he was really saying.

There was a pause as I repeated the words in my head a few times, sifting through them for their real intent.

'You… don't… want me?' I tried out the words, confused by the way they sounded, placed in that order.

'No.'

I stared, uncomprehending, into his eyes. He stared back without apology. His eyes were like topaz—hard and clear and very deep. I felt like I could see into them for miles and miles, yet nowhere in rheir bottomless depths could I see a contradiction to the word he'd spoken.

'Well, that changes things.' I was surprised by how calm and reasonable my voice sounded. It must be because I was so numb. I couldn't realize what he was telling me. It still didn't make any sense.

He looked away into the trees as he spoke again. 'Of course, I'll always love you… in a way. But what happened the other night made me realize that it's time for a change. Because I'm… tired of pretending to be something I'm not, Bella. I am not human.' He looked back, and the icy planes of his perfect face were not human. 'I've let this go on much too long, and I'm sorry for that.'

'Don't.' My voice was just a whisper now; awareness was beginning to seep through me, trickling like acid through my veins. 'Don't do this.'

He just stared at me, and I could see from his eyes that my words were far too late. He already had.

'You're not good for me, Bella.' He turned his earlier words around, and so I had no argument. How well I knew that I wasn't good enough for him.

I opened my mouth to say something, and then closed it again. He waited patiently, his face wiped clean of all emotion. I tried again.

'If… that's what you want.'

He nodded once.

My whole body went numb. I couldn't feel anything below the neck.

'I would like to ask one favor, though, if that's not too much,' he said.

I wonder what he saw on my face, because something flickered across his own face in response. But, before I could identify it, he'd composed his features into the same serene mask.

'Anything,' I vowed, my voice faintly stronger.

As I watched, his frozen eyes melted. The gold became liquid again, molten, burning down into mine with an intensity that was overwhelming.

'Don't do anything reckless or stupid,' he ordered, no longer detached. 'Do you understand what I'm saying?'

I nodded helplessly.

His eyes cooled, the distance returned. 'I'm thinking of Charlie, of course. He needs you. Take care of yourself—for him.'

I nodded again. 'I will,' I whispered.

He seemed to relax just a little.

'And I'll make you a promise in return,' he said. 'I promise that this will be the last time you'll see me. I won't