The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 2 STITCHES

CARLISLE WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO STAYED calm. Centuries of experience in the emergency establish on were evident in his quiet, authoritative vox.Emmett, Rose, chance Jasper disc all over slope.Unsmiling for once, Emmett nodded. Come on, Jasper.Jasper struggled against Emmetts unbreakable grasp, twisting slightly, arriver toward his brother with his publicized teeth, his eyeb either unflurried yesteryear reason.Edwards saying was whiter than bvirtuoso as he rotate to crouch all(prenominal) over me, taking a all the way defensive position. A low warning growl slid from between his clutch teeth. I could tell that he wasnt miteing.Rosalie, her betoken face strangely smug, stepped in front of Jasper save uping a careful length from his teethand helped Emmett wrestle him d matchless the chalk door that Esme held grant, one hand trace over her m discloseh and nose.Esmes exposet-shaped face was ashamed. Im so sorry, Bella, she cried as she followed the others in to the yard. permit me by, Edward, Carlisle murmured.A second passed, and therefore Edward nodded slowly and relaxed his stance.Carlisle knelt beside me, leaning close to testify my ramp up. I could nonion the scandalise frozen on my face, and I try to compose it.Here, Carlisle, Alice said, handing him a towel.He shook his draw. Too overmuch folderol in the wound. He reached over and ripped a unyielding, thin scrap from the low brio of the white tablec chain reactorh. He twisted it around my streng whence above the cubitus to form a tourniquet. The smell of the blood was beget me dizzy. My ears rang.Bella, Carlisle said softly. Do you fatality me to drive you to the hospital, or would you ilk me to work care of it hither?Here, please, I whispered. If he took me to the hospital, there would be no way to dungeon this from Charlie.Ill get your pocket edition, Alice said.Lets frivol away her to the kitchen table, Carlisle said to Edward.Edward lifted me effortlessl y, while Carlisle unploughed the printing press steady on my arm.How are you doing, Bella? Carlisle asked.Im fine. My voice was reasonably steady, which pleased me.Edwards face was deal stone.Alice was there. Carlisles black bag was already on the table, a runty neertheless brilliant desk light plugged into the wall. Edward sat me gently into a chair, and Carlisle pulled up another. He went to grow at once.Edward stood over me, still protective, still not breathing.Just go, Edward, I suspireed.I brush mangle handle it, he insisted. alone his jaw was rigid his eyes burned with the intensity of the crave he fought, so much worse for him than it was for the others.You dont bring to be a hero, I said. Carlisle can fix me up with come on your help. Get some sassy air.I winced as Carlisle did something to my arm that stung.Ill stay, he said.Why are you so masochistic? I mumbled.Carlisle decided to intercede. Edward, you may as well go find Jasper before he gets too far. Im for accepted hes upset with himself, and I doubt hell listen to e very(prenominal)one moreover you in force(p) instantly.Yes, I eagerly agreed. Go find Jasper.You might as well do something affairful, Alice added.Edwards eyes narrow as we ganged up on him, but, finally, he nodded once and sprinted smoothly through the kitchens buttocks door. I was undis rankable he hadnt taken a breath since Id sliced my finger.A numb, dead sentiment was spreading through my arm.though it erased the sting, it reminded me of the gash, and I watched Carlisles face carefully to distract me from what his hands were doing. His hair gleamed gilt in the bright light as he bent over my arm. I could feel the faint stirrings of uneasiness in the pit of my stomach, but I was determined not to allow my usual squeamishness get the shell of me. There was no pain instantera twenty-four hourss, moreover a pleasing tugging sensation that I tried to abbreviate. No reason to get imbalanced like a ba by.If she hadnt been in my line of sight, I wouldnt curb observe Alice give up and steal out of the room. With a tiny, apologetic grinning on her lips, she disappeared through the kitchen doorway. intumesce, thats everyone, I sighed. I can clear a room, at least.Its not your fault, Carlisle comforted me with a chuckle. It could happen to anyone.Could I repeated. except it usually just happens to me.He laughed again.His relaxed calm was and more painful set in direct contrast with everyone elses reaction. I couldnt find any trace of anxiety in his face. He worked with quick, sure movements. The save gruelling besides our quiet breathing was the soft plink, plink as the tiny fragments of glass dropped one by one to the table.How can you do this? I demanded. stock-still Alice and Esme I trailed get through, shaking my head in wonder. Though the rest of them had attached up the traditional diet of vampires just as absolutely as Carlisle had, he was the only one who could bear the smell of my blood without pitiable from the intense lure. Clearly, this was much more difficult than he do it carry outm. eld and years of practice, he told me. I barely notice the scent anymore.Do you infer it would be harder if you took a vacation from the hospital for a capacious time. And werent around any blood?Maybe. He shrugged his shoulders, but his hands remained steady. Ive never felt the need for an extended holiday. He flashed a brilliant draw and quarter a face in my direction. I enjoy my work too much.Plink, plink, plink. I was move at how much glass there opinemed to be in my arm. I was tempted to glance at the growing pile, just to check the size, but I knew that idea would not be helpful to my no-vomiting strategy.What is it that you enjoy? I wondered. It didnt make sense to methe years of struggle and self-denial he mustiness donation washed-out to get to the point where he could endure this so easily. Besides, I necessityed to keep him talking the talk kept my mind glum the queasy feeling in my stomach.His dark eyes were calm and attentive as he answered. Hmm. What I enjoy the very most is when my compound abilities let me save someone who would otherwise have been lost. Its pleasant well-educated that, thanks to what I can do, some peoples lives are better because I exist. Even the sense of smell is a useful diagnostic pawn at times. One side of his mouth pulled up in half(prenominal) a smile.I mulled that over while he poked around, making sure all the glass splinters were gone. Then he rummaged in his bag for new tools, and I tried not to picture a molest and thread.You try very hard to make up for something that was never your fault, I suggested while a new mixture of tugging started at the edges of my cutis. What I fuddled is, its not like you asked for this. You didnt choose this kind of disembodied spirit, and yet you have to work so hard to be good.I dont know that Im making up for anything, he disagre ed lightly. Like everything in life, I just had to decide what to do with what I was condition.That makes it sound too easy.He examined my arm again. There, he said, snippet a thread. All done. He wiped an oversized Q-tip, dripping with some sirup- ruseed liquid, well across the operation site. The smell was strange it made my head spin. The syrup stained my skin.In the beginning, though, I pressed while he attach another foresightful piece of veiling securely in place, sealing it to my skin. Why did you yet think to try a different way than the obvious one?His lips turned up in a cliquish smile. Hasnt Edward told you this story?Yes. But Im laborious to understand what you were thinkingHis face was perfectly serious again, and I wondered if his thoughts had gone to the self kindred(prenominal) place that mine had. scruple what I would be thinking whenI refused to think ifit was me.You know my father was a clergyman, he mused as he cleaned the table carefully, rubbing e verything wad with implike gauze, and then doing it again. The smell of alcohol burned in my nose. He had a rather harsh view of the world, which I was already beginning to question before the time that I changed. Carlisle fructify all the dirty gauze and the glass slivers into an empty crystal bowl. I didnt understand what he was doing, crimson when he lit the match. Then he threw it onto the alcohol-soaked fibers, and the sudden blaze made me jump.Sorry, he apologized. That ought to do it So I didnt agree with my fathers particular trademark of faith. But never, in the nearly four hundred years now since I was born, have I ever seen anything to make me doubt whether divinity exists in some form or the other. Not even the thoughtfulness in the mirror.I pretended to examine the dressing on my arm to hide my surprise at the direction our chat had taken. Religion was the drop dead thing I evaluate, all things considered. My own life was fairly destitute of belief. Charlie c onsidered himself a Lutheran, because thats what his parents had been, but Sundays he worshipped by the river with a seek pole in his hand. Renee tried out a church now and then, but, much like her brief affairs with tennis, pottery, yoga, and French classes, she moved on by the time I was aware of her newest fad.Im sure all this sounds a little bizarre, approach from a vampire. He grinned, knowing how their casual use of that word never failed to shock me. But Im hoping that there is still a point to this life, even for us. Its a long shot, Ill admit, he continued in an offhand voice. By all accounts, were damned regardless. But I hope, peradventure foolishly, that well get some measure of credit for trying.I dont think thats foolish, I mumbled. I couldnt imagine anyone, deity included, who wouldnt be impressed by Carlisle. Besides, the only kind of heaven I could appreciate would have to include Edward. And I dont think anyone else would, either.Actually, youre the very first o ne to agree with me.The rest of them dont feel the same? I asked, surprised, thinking of only one person in particular.Carlisle guessed the direction of my thoughts again. Edwards with me up to a point. God and heaven exist and so does hell. But he doesnt believe there is an after(prenominal)life for our kind. Carlisles voice was very soft he stared out the spacious window over the sink, into the darkness. You see, he thinks weve lost our senses.I immediately thought of Edwards words this afternoon unless you loss to dieor whatever it is that we do. The lightbulb flicked on over my head.Thats the real problem, isnt it? I guessed. Thats why hes be so difficult just nigh me.Carlisle spoke slowly. I tint at my son. His strength, his goodness, the brightness that shines out of himand it only fuels that hope, that faith, more than ever. How could there not be more for one such as Edward?I nodded in fervent agreement.But if I believed as he does He looked down at me with unfathoma ble eyes. If you believed as he did. Could you take away his head?The way he phrased the question thwarted my answer.If hed asked me whether I would risk my soul for Edward, the reply would be obvious. But would I risk Edwards soul? I pursed my lips unhappily. That wasnt a fair exchange.You see the problem.I shook my head, aware of the headstrong set of my chin.Carlisle sighed.Its my choice, I insisted.Its his, too. He held up his hand when he could see that I was about to argue. Whether he is responsible for doing that to you.Hes not the only one able to do it. I eyed Carlisle speculatively.He laughed, abruptly lighten up the mood. Oh, no Youre going to have to work this out with him.But then he sighed. Thats the one part I can never be sure of. I think, in most other ways, that Ive done the best I could with what I had to work with. But was it right to doom the others to this life? I cant decide.I didnt answer. I imagined what my life would be like if Carlisle had resisted the temptation to change his lonely existence and shuddered.It was Edwards mother who made up my mind. Carlisles voice was almost a whisper. He stared unseeingly out the black windows.His mother? Whenever Id asked Edward about his parents, he would merely say that they had died long ago, and his memories were vague. I realized Carlisles memory board of them, despite the brevity of their contact, would be perfectly clear.Yes. Her name was Elizabeth. Elizabeth Masen. His father, Edward Senior, never regained reason in the hospital. He died in the first wave of the influenza. But Elizabeth was nipping until almost the very end. Edward looks a great deal like hershe had that same strange bronze shade to her hair, and her eyes were exactly the same color green.His eyes were green? I murmured, trying to picture it.Yes Carlisles ocher eyes were a hundred years away now. Elizabeth worried obsessively over her son. She hurt her own chances of survival trying to nurse him from her sickbed. I e xpected that he would go first, he was so much worse off than she was. When the end came for her, it was very quick. It was just after sunset, and Id arrived to relieve the doctors whod been working all day. That was a hard time to pretendthere was so much work to be done, and I had no need of rest. How I hated to go endorse to my house, to hide in the dark and pretend to sleep while so many were dying.I went to check Elizabeth and her son first. Id grown attachedalways a solemn thing to do considering the fragile nature of humans. I could see at once that shed taken a bad turn. The fever was raging out of control, and her torso was too weak to fight anymore.She didnt look weak, though, when she glared up at me from her cot.Save him she commanded me in the hoarse voice that was all her throat could manage.Ill do everything in my power, I promised her, taking her hand. The fever was so high, she probably couldnt even tell how unnaturally cold mine felt. Everything felt cold to her skin.You must, she insisted, clutching at my hand with enough strength that I wondered if she wouldnt pull through the crisis after all. Her eyes were hard, like stones, like emeralds. You must do everything in your power. What others cannot do, that is what you must do for my Edward.It frightened me. She looked it me with those piercing eyes, and, for one instant, I felt certain that she knew my secret. Then the fever overwhelmed her, and she never regained consciousness. She died within an hour of making her demand.Id spent decades considering the idea of creating a companion for myself. Just one other wolf who could rattling know me, rather than what I pretended to be. But I could never justify it to myselfdoing what had been done to me.There Edward lay, dying. It was clear that he had only hours left. Beside him, his mother, her face somehow not yet peaceful, not even in death.Carlisle saw it all again, his memory unblurred by the intervening century. I could see it clearly, too, as he spokethe despair of the hospital, the overwhelming atmosphere of death. Edward burning with fever, his life slipping away with each tick of the clock I shuddered again, and forced the picture from my mind.Elizabeths words echoed in my head. How could she guess what I could do? Could anyone really exigency that for her son?I looked at Edward. Sick as he was, he was still beautiful. There was something pure and good about his face. The kind of face I would have cute my son to have.After all those years of indecision, I simply acted on a whim. I wheeled his mother to the morgue first, and then I came back for him. No one noticed that he was still breathing. There werent enough hands, enough eyes, to keep track of half of what the patients needed. The morgue was emptyof the living, at least. I stole him out the back door, and carried him across the rooftops back to my home.I wasnt sure what had to be done. I settled for recreating the wounds Id received myself, so many cen turies earlier in London. I felt bad about that later. It was more painful and lingering than necessary.I wasnt sorry, though. Ive never been sorry that I saved Edward. He shook his head, approach back to the present. He smiled at me. I suppose I should take you home now.Ill do that, Edward said. He came through the shadowy dining room, base on balls slowly for him. His face was smooth, unreadable, but there was something wrong with his eyessomething he was trying very hard to hide. I felt a spasm of unease in my stomach.Carlisle can take me, I said. I looked down at my shirt the light blue cotton fiber was soaked and spotted with my blood. My right shoulder was covered in dense pink frosting.Im fine. Edwards voice was unemotional. Youll need to change anyway. Youd give Charlie a heart attack the way you look. Ill have Alice get you something. He strode out the kitchen door again.I looked at Carlisle anxiously. Hes very upset.Yes, Carlisle agreed. Tonight is exactly the kind of t hing that he fears the most. You being put in danger, because of what we are.Its not his fault.Its not yours, either.I looked away from his wise, beautiful eyes. I couldnt agree with that.Carlisle offered me his hand and helped me up from the table. I followed him out into the main room. Esme had throw in back she was mopping the floor where Id fallenwith straight bleach from the smell of it.Esme, let me do that. I could feel that my face was bright red again.Im already done. She smiled up at me. How do you feel?Im fine, I assured her. Carlisle sews rapid than any other doctor Ive had.They both chuckled.Alice and Edward came in the back doors. Alice hurry to my side, but Edward hung back, his face indecipherable.Cmon, Alice said. Ill get you something less macabre to eating away.She found me a shirt of Esmes that was close to the same color mine had been. Charlie wouldnt notice, I was sure. The long white bandage on my arm didnt look nearly as serious when I was no longer spatte red in gore. Charlie was never surprised to see me bandaged.Alice, I whispered as she headed back to the door.Yes? She kept her voice low, too, and looked at me curiously, her head cocked to the side.How bad is it? I couldnt be sure if my whispering was a wasted effort. Even though we were upstairs, with the door closed, peradventure he could hear me.Her face tensed. Im not sure yet.Hows Jasper?She sighed. Hes very suffering with himself. Its all so much more of challenge for him, and he hates feeling weak.Its not his fault. Youll tell him that Im not mad at him, not at all, wont you?Of course.Edward was waiting for me by the front door. As I got to the bottom of the staircase, he held it open without a word.Take your things Alice cried as I walked warily toward Edward. She scooped up the two packages, one half- subject, and my camera from under the piano, and pressed them into my good arm. You can thank me later, when youve opened them.Esme and Carlisle both said a quiet goodnigh t. I could see them stealing quick glances at their impassive son, much like I was.It was a relief to be outside I travel raplazily past the lanterns and the roses, now unwelcome reminders. Edward kept pace with me taciturnly. He opened the passenget side for me, and I climbed in withoutcomplaint.On the dashboard was a big red typewriter ribbon, stuck to the new biaural. I pulled it off, throwing it to the floor. As Edward slid into the other side, I kicked the ribbon under my seat.He didnt look at me or the stereo. Neither of us switched it on, and the silence was somehow intensified by the sudden thunder of the engine. He drove too fast down the dark, serpentine lane.The silence was making me insane.Say something, I finally begged as he turned onto the freeway.What do you want me to say? he asked in a detached voice.I cringed at his remoteness. Tell me you forgive me.That brought a commotion of life to his facea flicker of anger. Forgive you? For what?If Id been more careful, n othing would have happened.Bella, you gave yourself a paper fellthat barely deserves the death penalty.Its still my fault.My words opened up the floodgate.Your fault? If youd cut yourself at mike Newtons house, with Jessica there and Angela and your other normal friends, the worst that could mayhap have happened would be what? Maybe they couldnt find you a bandage? If youd tripped and knocked over a pile of glass plates on your ownwithout someone throwing you into themeven then, whats the worst? Youd get blood on the seats when they drove you to the emergency room? mike Newton could have held your hand while they stitched you upand he wouldnt be righting the urge to kill you the whole time he was there. Dont try to take any of this on yourself, Bella. It will only make me more stir with myself.How the hell did Mike Newton end up in this conversation? I demanded.Mike Newton ended up in this conversation because Mike Newton would be a hell of a lot healthier for you to be with, h e growled.Id rather die than be with Mike Newton, I protested. Id rather die than be with anyone but you.Dont be melodramatic, please.Well then, dont you be ridiculous.He didnt answer. He glared through the windshield, his expression black.I racked my maven for some way to salvage the evening. When we pulled up in front of my house, I still hadnt come up with anything.He killed the engine, but his hands stayed clenched around the steering wheel.Will you stay tonight? I asked.I should go home.The last thing I wanted was for him to go heave in remorse.For my birthday, I pressed.You cant have it both wayseither you want people to ignore your birthday or you dont. One or the other.His voice was stern, but not .is serious as before. I breathed a silent sigh of relief.Okay. Ive decided that I dont want you to ignore my birthday. Ill see you upstairs.I hopped out, reaching back in for my packages. He frowned.You dont have to take those.I want them, I responded automatically, and then won dered if he was using reverse psychology.No, you dont. Carlisle and Esme spent gold on you.Ill live. I tucked the presents awkwardly under my good arm and slammed the door behind me. He was out of the truck and by my side in less than a second.Let me carry them, at least. he said as he took them away. Ill be in your room.I smiled. Thanks. smart birthday, he sighed, and leaned down to touch his lips to mine.I reached up on my toes to make the candy kiss last longer when he pulled away. He smiled my favorite stooping smile, and then he disappeared into the darkness.The game was still on as short as I walked through the front door I could hear the announcer rambling over the babble of the crowd.Bell? Charlie called.Hey, Dad, I said as I came around the corner. I held my arm close to my side. The slight wardrobe burned, and I wrinkled my nose. The anesthetic was apparently losing its effectiveness.How was it? Charlie lounged across the sofa with his bare feet propped up on the arm. What was left of his curly brown hair was humiliated flat on one side.Alice went overboard. Flowers, cake, candles, presentsthe whole bit.What did they get you?A stereo for my truck. And various unknowns.Wow.Yeah, I agreed. Well, Im calling it a night.Ill see you in the morning.I waved. See ya.What happened to your arm?I flushed and cursed silently. I tripped. Its nothing.Bella, he sighed, shaking his head.Goodnight, Dad.I hurried up to the bathroom, where I kept my pajamas for just such nights as these. I shrugged into the matching tank top and cotton pants that Id gotten to replace the holey sweats I used to wear to bed, wincing as the movement pulled at the stitches. I washed my face one-handed, brushed my teeth, and then skipped to my room.He was sitting in the center of my bed, toying idly with one of the silver boxes.Hi, he said. His voice was sad. He was wallowing.I went to the bed, pushed the presents out of his hands, and climbed into his lap.Hi. I snuggled into his stone chest. Can I open my presents now?Where did the enthusiasm come from? he wondered.You made me curious.I picked up the long flat rectangle that must have been from Carlisle and Esme.Allow me, he suggested. He took the gift from my hand and tore the silver paper off with one eloquent movement. He handed the rectangular white box back to me.argon you sure I can handle lifting the lid? I muttered, but he ignored me.Inside the box was a long thick piece of paper with an overwhelming amount of fine print. It took me a instant to get the gist of the information.Were going to Jacksonville? And I was excited, in spite of myself. It was a voucher for plane tickets, for both me and Edward.Thats the idea.I cant believe it. Renee is going to bald-faced You dont mind, though, do you? Its sunny, youll have to stay inside all day.I think I can handle it, he said, and then frowned. If Id had any idea that you could respond to a gift this appropriately, I would have made you open it in front of C arlisle and Esme. I thought youd complain.Well, of course its too much. But I get to take you with meHe chuckled. Now I press Id spent money on your present. I didnt realize that you were capable of being reasonable.I set the tickets aside and reached for his present, my curiosity rekindled. He took it from me and unwrapped it like the first one.He handed back a clear CD jewel case, with a blank silver CD inside.What is it? I asked, perplexed.He didnt say anything he took the CD and reached around me to put it in the CD player on the bedside table. He hit play, and we waited in silence. Then the medicament began.I listened, speechless and wide-eyed. I knew he was waiting for my reaction, but I couldnt talk. Tears welled up, and I reached up to wipe them away before they could plash over.Does your arm hurt? he asked anxiously.No, its not my arm. Its beautiful, Edward. You couldnt have given me anything I would love more. I cant believe it. I shut up, so I could listen.It was his m usic, his compositions. The first piece on the CD was my lullaby.I didnt think you would let me get a piano so I could play for you here, he explained.Youre right.How does your arm feel?Just fine. Actually, it was starting to blaze under the bandage. I wanted ice. I would have settled for his hand, but that would have given me away.Ill get you some Tylenol.I dont need anything, I protested, but he slid me off his lap and headed for the door.Charlie, I hissed. Charlie wasnt exactly aware that Edward frequently stayed over. In fact, he would have a stroke if that fact were brought to his attention. But I didnt feel too guilty for deceiving him It wasnt as if we were up to anything he wouldnt want me to be up to. Edward and his rulesHe wont catch me, Edward promised as he disappeared silently out the door . . and returned, catching the door before it had swung back to touch the frame. He had the glass from the bathroom and the bottle of pills in one hand.I took the pills he handed me w ithout arguingI knew I would lose the argument And my arm really was starting to bother me.My lullaby continued, soft and lovely, in the background.Its late, Edward noted. He scooped me up off the bed with one arm, and pulled the cover back with the other. He put me down with my head on my pillow and tucked the quilt around me. He lay down next to meon top of the blanket so I wouldnt get get downedand put his arm over me.I leaned my head against his shoulder and sighed happily.Thanks again, I whispered.Youre welcome.It was quiet for a long bite as I listened to my lullaby drift to a close. Another strain began. I recognized Esmes favorite.What are you thinking about? I wondered in a whisper.He hesitated for a second before he told me. I was thinking about right and wrong, actually.I felt a chill tingle along my spine.Remember how I decided that I wanted you to not ignore my birthday? I asked quickly, hoping it wasnt too clear that I was trying to distract him.Yes, he agreed, wary .Well, I was thinking, since its still my birthday, that Id like you to kiss me again.Youre greedy tonight.Yes, I ambut please, dont do anything you dont want to do, I added, piqued.He laughed, and then sighed. Heaven forbid that I should do anything I dont want to do, he said in a strangely desperate tone as he put his hand under my chin and pulled my face up to his.The kiss began much the same as usualEdward was as careful as ever, and my heart began to overreact like it always did. And then something seemed to change. Suddenly his lips became much more urgent, his free hand twisted into my hair and held my face securely to his. And, though my hands tangled in his hair, too, and though I was clearly beginning to cross his cautious lines, for once he didnt stop me. His body was cold through the thin quilt, but I crushed myself against him eagerly.When he stopped it was abrupt he pushed me away with gentle, firm hands.I collapsed back onto my pillow, gasping, my head spinning. Somet hing tugged at my memory, elusive, on the edges.Sorry, he said, and he was breathless, too. That was out of line.I dont mind, I panted.He frowned at me in the darkness. Try to sleep. Bella.No, I want you to kiss me again.Youre overestimating my self-control.Which is tempting you more, my blood or my body? I challenged.Its a tie. He grinned briefly in spite of himself, and then was serious again. Now. why dont you stop pushing your luck and go to sleep?Fine, I agreed, nuzzle closer to him. I really did feel exhausted. It had been a long day in so many ways, yet I felt no sense of relief at its end. Almost as if something worse was coming tomorrow. It was a silly premonitionwhat could be worse than today? Just the shock catching up with me, no doubt.Trying to be sneaky about it, I pressed my injured arm against his shoulder, so his cool skin would sooth the burning. It felt better at once.I was halfway asleep, maybe more, when I realized what his kiss had reminded me of last spring, when hed had to leave me to throw James off my trail, Edward had kissed me goodbye, not knowing whenor ifwe would see each other again. This kiss had the same almost painful edge for some reason I couldnt imagine. I shuddered into unconsciousness, as if I were already having a nightmare.