Fork in the Road

Twenty-Six

"Where are they?" George asked stretching his back. It was nearly morning and Trey and Tony hadn't reappeared.

"They'll be back when they can," Brian said with a yawn.

"No!" Ray suddenly shouted.

They all turned and he was frantically digging at the sand.

"Ray?! What?!" Emily demanded.

"Isabella. She was right here! She just vanished!"

"Oh, God!" Emily gasped. "Does that mean they changed history?"

"Probably," Brian said. "If she lived and never became a vampire. She wouldn't be here now."

"No!" Ray said putting his head to his knees.

"Can we break the circle?" Emily asked looking at Brian.

"Just you. For now. Let me try get a reading on them."

Emily got up and went over to Ray taking her in her arms as he cried. "She's dead."

"You can't think like that," Emily told him.

"He's right," a voice called from behind him.

"Isabella's dead. Trey's dead. Tony's dead. They're all dead," the guy came walking down the path.

"Falco!" Raven said standing up quickly.

"Don't break it!" Brian called putting his hand up to her.

"It doesn't matter now, Brian. That's what I came to tell you," the guy said walking towards them but stopped a few feet away when his body slammed up into an invisible wall. "Nice," he said tapping on it with his knuckles.

"Who are you?" Brian demanded.

"I was...your worst nightmare," he said walking around the force field.

"Falco?" Raven asked looking at him puzzled.

"Name's Salvatore. Salvatore DeMarco," he told her with a smile. He looked at Brian. "I'm a changed man."

"I doubt that," Brian told him.

"Where's Tony, Trey and Isabella?" Emily demanded walking towards him.

"My dear, they died over five hundred years ago," he told them with a grin.

"I don't believe you."

"Believe it," another voice said from the other side of them. They turned. Massi walked over towards them.

"But he was dead," George said paling and pointing to him.

"What?" Massi asked with a frown.

"Remember? I supposedly killed you in their time," Salvatore explained.

"Oh, right. Thanks for not doing that again," Massi said rubbing his chest with a chuckle.

"No problem," Salvatore said with an amused smile.

"What's going on?" Jake demanded standing up careful not to break the circle.

Massi unwrapped a burlap bag under his arm and pulled out a box. He tossed it through the force field around them.

"What's that?" George eyed it suspiciously.

"Letters. From Tony, Trey and Isabella," Massi said and walked away.

Salvatore looked at them. "For what it's worth. I am sorry for what I did in your past timeline." he said shaking his head, "I can't even fathom it," and then turned to follow Massi his hands deep in his pocket, his head down.