Hide & Seek

I was never a religious kind of person, I only went to church for Easter and Christmas. Mom was the same way. I don't know if God is real, or if he is just a fib - something to make man realize that we are not as superior as we think. I like to believe that there is somewhere greater than earth. I just hope it isn't hot - I've put up with enough heat in my life.

And if there is a heaven, the bliss that was given to us after living through hell and where we met up with our deceased family, then I hoped this wasn't it.

I had just wasted twelve years of my life in school, and I plan to finish it. I wasn't going to die just to be stuck in a big black blob of nothing for the rest of eternity!

It makes me think...

Back when I lived in Georgia I had one friend - Tobias. Everyone called him Tobi.

He had dark brown hair, naturally spiked up. We rode the bus together, we ate lunch together, we tried our best to have every class and group project together - Mom said that if we stayed for more than our usual twelve months that we would end up being high school sweethearts.

I just brushed off that and went on what I was doing.

After that school year, a few days after my fifteenth birthday, mom and I packed up and moved to Colorado. Tobi and I called each other at least twice a week, most of the time more. Even with our time difference, we were there to talk to one another.

And then one week, he didn't call.

And then another week passed with no call.

And finally, when the third week was coming to a close, I got a call.

It was Tobi's mother. She was bawling, and I couldn't understand a word she said - my heart stopped.

Missing. Dead. Those were the two words that I could make out easily.

I flew over there and went to the funeral. They had found his blood in the house, but he was never found. There were no ransom calls - nothing. Tobias Andrew Carpenter was dead in the eyes of everyone - everyone but me.

I didn't give up on believing he was still out there, somewhere, alive.

I questioned a few things: Who was the last person he talked to? His last thought? Was it about me and the day at the park that we accidentally shared out first kiss? Did he die instantly, or did he feel pain of whatever killed him? Did he see a light to the great beyond?

Maybe if he really was dead, then I could ask him - I could obviously answer my own questions. The Mason-Swan-Dwyers were not human, and I never got to find out what they were...

I saw a light. It was so beautiful, pure white against the blackness that surrounded me. It blinded me for only a moment, but then I could see it. There really was a heaven - there really was that big golden gate that awaited you. There really were angels.

One person stood under the golden archway, his hand stretched out for me to take. I took a step forward to get closer, but pain shot through my leg and then my entire being.

I screamed in agony, but I couldn't hear anything. It was almost like I had become deaf. I fell to the ground, reaching for the hand, but the light started to disappear... the person didn't seem to move, but it was obvious he was getting farther and farther away. Or was I moving?

No, no! I wanted to go to Heaven! I didn't care about the pain, please! I wanted to see Tobi, please!

Suddenly, another being appeared behind the figure that had his hand reached out.

"She can feel her legs! She can feel her legs! Carlisle, you did it!"

More pain came. It was as if I had been hit by a car. Or a train. Probably a crashing shuttle plane.

"Bella, hand me those braces, I need to set her legs."

The light disappeared; I was engulfed by blackness yet again. I cried out. I didn't want to be stuck here! Please, someone, bring back the light!

I continued to scream at the pain; it was unbearable. I wanted to die. I couldn't breath... something was crushing my lungs.

"We should just let her die!" one voice said through the pain and darkness. She sounded as if she was in tears. "She's going to get us all killed! If not by the Volturi, then by those filthy mongrels!" A feral growl followed the words.

"Rose, will you just shut the fuck up?"

Were we allowed to curse in Heaven?

I knew that voice... but it sounded so different from when I last heard it. It didn't have that boyish sound to it, or the hidden laugh always behind the words it spoke...

"Why are you so worried about her?! It's not like you know her!"

"Actually, Rosalie, he did."

There was a silence in the darkness around me, my knees buckled up, it was a sharp flash of pain before numbness.

I tried to catch my breath from all the screaming, but my throat felt like it was on fire - like a desert and the sun was only a few miles away from it. It hurt to breath, from both my throat and my lungs. I couldn't breathe - I kept coughing which made the pain even worse.

I heard a sickening crack from my shoulder, followed my pure agony to course through my veins down my arm and into my hand. My eyes snapped open as I screamed again.

Though my head was foggy and I was delusional, I noticed I was in a small living room that was old and worn, yet elegant. A vintage ottoman sat by the antique wood-burning fire place that was still burning, but I was still shaking from the iciness of the room and the alien hands now setting my arm. The ceiling exposed cobwebbed beams, but even though it was freezing cold in the room, it was cozy enough to suffocate me.

"Copper? Copper, can you hear me?" The room span, colors mixing together, but I knew that voice. It was that doctor... from the other night I freaked out... he said he was going to explain stuff... about people that weren't human... wasn't human....

The room suddenly stopped... I could see the combed back blonde hair and butterscotch eyes of Dr. Cullen. His skin was so pale... He looked so caring...

"Copper, say something, show me you hear me."

I tried to nod my head, but it felt like it would fall off if I did. I blinked both eyes once. My body felt so heavy, like I was fatter.

"...w...wat..er..." I barely got out, my eyes scrunching from the pain that I caused myself.

A glass of the clear liquid appeared on the other side of my head. I turned it the best I could, and looked into the butterscotch eyes (they had a red tint to them) of...

My breath caught in my throat.

Those eyes shouldn't be that color... they should be dark brown, like his hair.

What happened to his tan? He was so pale...

It couldn't be...

"Tobi?" my voice broke, tears slipped down my cheeks. No matter the pain, I raised a hand to rest on his cheek.

He was so cold... so dead.

His eyes were sad, like he knew he was sorry for something. I wasn't sure of that.

"Hey, my little copper penny."