Awareness, for Bella, returned slowly. There was the ceasing of tears first, the salty tracks drying, turning crusty in places. And then with time the accompanying buzz faded as well. The world became clearer and clearer, she felt the drizzle soaking into her skin, drip after drip. Finally then, she could focus, the trees loomed tall and forboding around her, the sky darkened with each passing moment. She needed to get out of here! She didn't know how long it had been but her father would be worried.

Her grief had made her foolish, she had drowned in it, moving without knowing and she didn't know the way out. She couldn't just stay here though, she would have to wander, find some way out. Maybe not out of the pain straight away, but definitely out of the forest. She walked in the first direction that she thought she could see light, trusting non-existent senses to get her out of the woods.

Her clumsiness prevailed as she clambered roughly over the uneven terrain. Wayward branches cut harshly into her legs, tearing sharp and wragged into tender flesh. And trees up above wreached down their knarled arms, taking bitter swipes at her face as she passed them by. Her arms were granted some reprieve by the thick material of jumper but with each unsure step the woollen material unravelled.

She had been so sure she had been following the light but there had been no sign of it for so long, the sky gradually darkened up above her as the day slipped into unforgiving night. Hunger started to claw like a caged animal at her empty stomach, her lips and mouth were like sandpaper, bereft of any sustenance to hydrate them. Slowly but surely she was losing her energy, depleted by both the exertion and the blood dripping down her legs, caressing her cheeks.

She allowed herself a moment of bitter introspection: It's probably best that they're gone. They would have had a field day with this. But of course that just brought the grief back to the forefront of her mind. The loss of those she had come to see as family but had left her at the drop of a hat. They had not even bothered a goodbye. But then again if Edward's words were to be believed then she didn't mean enough for that small mercy.

She didn't know how she could believe it, maybe Rosalie, the cold woman who had never shown affection for Bella, maybe Jasper out of some misplaced guilt, escaping the emotions that must batter him all the time. Maybe even Carlisle, whilst he had cared he would do what he thought was best to protect their coven, protect his vampires from discovery by Aro and the high kings. But that was where her belief ended. She couldn't believe it of Esme, the woman who had endured cooking human food just to make Bella feel more welcome. Who had worried over every bruise and scrape she had gotten, fighting her blood lust to ensure she was properly fixed up. She couldn't believe it of Emmett, her big brother, who had given her the warmest hugs despite his cold skin, who was so careful with her, who was the friendlist guy she had ever met, who could always put a smile on her face, but was the first to stand up for her honour. She couldn't believe it of Alice, her best friend who had taken her shopping, and made her laugh and cared so much. She couldn't believe they would just leave her without a goodbye. But they had.

And once she started to think, what little energy she had left was substituted with grief. Such a debilitiating emotion that gripped her heart and stole her effort. She crashed. She was still lost, she was freezing, and what had been a drizzle was starting to pick up. She wasn't going to survive the night if she wasn't careful. Searching aimlessly was just wasting precious energy, so she settled in the shade of a tree, the thick leaved above her shielded her shivering body from the worst of the rain. It was the best she could expect, she could only hope that rescue came sometime soon, to take her away from this forest and the creeping cold.

Once she was settle she hesitantly rolled the base of her trousers up. Her ankle was slightly swollen and there was more blood than she would have liked but it could have been worse. It could have beena damn sight worse. And so with that thought in mind she slipped into sleep.