Bella
"Bella? Bella!" My mother's voice broke through the haze of sleep. I peeled my eyes open and glanced at the clock on my bedside table. 3am. This could not be good.
"What's wrong Mom?" I croaked.
"Phil is gone!" She cried, clutching me to her. I could smell the alcohol on her breath.
"What? Why?" My brain was foggy.
"He doesn't love me anymore; he says I'm not the same person he married." Her words were starting to run together as she sobbed into my shoulder.
"I'm sure he was just upset," I told her, patting her back. "He loves you, you know he does."
I pulled her up off of my bed and helped her walk out into the kitchen. I poured a glass of water and handed it to her as she slumped down into a chair. She drank half of it, then when she set it back down it tipped over, drenching the table and dribbling onto the floor. I sighed, tearing off a swath of paper towels, and bent to sop up the mess. My mom's babbling was incoherent now.
"He's probably just out driving. You know that's how he calms down." I reminded her.
"You're right! I'll go find him!" She stood up quickly, then had to grip the table to steady herself on her feet. I rushed forward and held on to her other arm.
"Maybe you should just let him cool off," I told her, steering her toward her bedroom.
"No!" She screamed, wrenching her arm away from me. "Leave me alone! You don't understand anything!"
"Fine!" I shouted back, walking back to my room. I was glad that Phil had taken their car out driving so she wouldn't be able to follow him. But then a horrible thought occurred to me and I stopped dead, picturing my car keys hanging where I always left them by the front door.
I turned and ran back out to the kitchen, but it was too late. My keys were gone, and out the window I glimpsed the taillights of my '88 Buick as she drove it off into the night.
My hands were shaking so badly when I picked up my phone that I had to stop and redial Phil's number three times before I got through. Luckily he had his phone on him. I explained everything that had happened, my voice rising an octave in panic.
"It's okay Bella, I'll find her. I'm not far away now." Phil reassured me. "Just stay put and we'll be home soon, okay?"
"Okay," I agreed weakly. I paced a circuit around my room while I awaited their return. I couldn't stop myself from imagining the worst: she could have crashed already, or hit someone, or gotten lost. My fingernails were bitten down to the skin by the time I heard the garage door open.
They were in the middle of an argument. I hovered in the hallway, unwilling to interrupt.
"-has to stop, Renee, you could've killed someone!" Phil was yelling at her. "You need help."
"You just want to throw me in some loony bin! Just lock me away so you can go off and live your life!" Her tone was scathing.
"You know that's not what I want. I want you to get better. I love you, but I can't live like this anymore. Either you get help, or I move out."
She started sobbing hysterically. "No, you can't leave me, not now, not after everything that's happened, please don't leave me!" My heart was breaking to hear my mom in so much pain.
"Just go for a week, they might be able to help you." Phil pleaded.
"I can't leave Bella! She needs me! She's been through all of this too." I knew she was just using me as one more excuse for why she couldn't check herself into rehab, but her words struck me. I went back into my room and opened the drawer of my bedside table. The envelope I picked up held a one-way plane ticket to Forks, Washington. My dad had sent it to me after I told him how bad things were getting. I had hoped I would never have to use it, but now I knew I had no choice.
I checked the clock before I picked up my phone again. 5am. He would be awake. I dialed his number and tried to get my breathing under control before he picked up.
"Bella?" My dad's voice sounded worried when he answered. "What's the matter?"
"Dad," As soon as I opened my mouth to speak the floodgates opened. My throat closed up and tears were streaming down my face. I managed to choke out my question after the tears subsided. "Can I come and live with you?"
"Of course you can, but what happened?" He asked.
"Mom's gotten worse. A lot worse."
"Okay Bells, when are you coming?"
"Today." I told him. If I waited any longer my mom would talk me out of it.
"Sure, kiddo. I'll pick you up from the airport. Call me when you know what time you land, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks Dad."
"I love you Bells."
"Love you too."
I rode to the airport with the windows down, taking in my last breath of dry desert air. Eyes closed, I rested my chin on my arm that draped over the car door. As its beloved warmth soaked into my skin and turned my vision red, I said my goodbye to the sun.
Only when the plane took to the air and the ground fell away did I breathe a sigh of relief. I hated leaving without even a word, but I knew that she would have stopped me no matter what. This was the only way to make a clean break. Now that I was truly and utterly alone, I turned my head into the window and let the tears fall unrestrained, giving way to sobs that shook me to the core until I felt I would literally break apart. The release was exquisite, and when it was over I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
The loud bing of the captain's announcement jolted me awake. We were making our descent into Port Angeles, Washington. I hurriedly rubbed my eyes, hoping they weren't too red and puffy, and gathered my things. Charlie was waiting for me outside the gate.
"Hey, Dad." was all I could come up with on the spot.
"Hey there, kiddo!" He pulled me into one of his bear hugs and I let my breath out, easing into his comfort. Everything would be okay now.
I spent the hour-long drive from Port Angeles to Forks staring out the window at the rain. Charlie didn't press me for details and I was grateful. I had a feeling that if I tried to talk now the emotions would come flooding back.
The sun was setting when Charlie pulled the police cruiser into our driveway. Once inside, he sat me at the kitchen table and plopped a big serving of Hamburger Helper onto a plate for me. As soon as he pulled it out of the microwave I attacked it, realizing I had completely forgotten to eat in my haste to leave this morning. Charlie sat patiently while I scarfed, and as soon as I set my fork down he looked at me sympathetically.
"Bella, I know things have changed drastically for you this year. I was starting to worry when I didn't hear from you on Christmas. I know how hard it must have been for you and your mom. Honey, I am so sorry about your grandparents." He reached across the table and squeezed my hand, and I almost lost it again, but it seemed all of my tears had been shed already. "But are you sure this is what you want? Not that I'm complaining, you know how much I love having you here. It's just that I thought you hated Forks." I laughed at that because it was so true.
"I'm sure. I can't be there anymore dad. It's just… too much. And mom… she's not… coping. Christmas was… awful." I struggled to find the words to explain how things were spiraling out of control. But once I started the words just tumbled out and I told him everything that had happened since the car accident that killed Gram and Pop, up until the events of this morning. Charlie listened to my explanation attentively, and when I was done he pulled me into another hug. "You are always welcome here Bells, stay as long as you need to." I smiled gratefully. "But I'm still going to call Phil, he'll be worried sick you know."
"I did leave a note…" I started, but I knew he was right. I retreated up the stairs to my room while he dialed. It looked exactly the same as it always had, the baby blue walls, lace curtains, and antique rocker comforting relics of my childhood here. I hefted my bag onto the twin bed and sat at the chair in front of my dinosaur of a computer, contemplating my future of gray skies and small-town life. Knowing it was the right thing to do didn't make it any easier.
A while later Charlie came up the stairs and stood in my open doorway.
"I spoke to Phil. Your mother checked herself into The Meadows down in Wickenburg, she'll be there for six weeks." I sighed in relief. "He wanted you to know that she'll be okay. She won't be permitted any phone calls at the beginning, but he's sure she will call as soon as she can." I bit my lip at that. She was probably furious, knowing that I had deserted her at her worst moment, that I had condemned her to rehab. Charlie seemed to follow my line of thinking. "Bella, none of this is your fault. This is a good thing."
"What if she never speaks to me again?" I couldn't help but voice my worst fear aloud.
"She will. She loves you, no matter what. Trust me. Now, get some rest. Tomorrow I'll take you over to the high school to register."
"Wait, what? I thought I could just get my GED…"
"No arguments. If you want to live here you will go to school, end of discussion." He crossed the room to plant a kiss on my forehead. "I'm glad you're here, Bells."
"Thanks, Dad. For everything." He closed the door when he left, and I flopped onto my bed. Going to school was something I hadn't factored into my master plan. In Phoenix I had spent years cultivating my ability to fade into the background, invisible. Forks, however, was such a small town. The high school was bound be tiny, making it impossible for anyone to remain anonymous. What will happen if they discover my secret?
Other
I stood perfectly still, eyes closed, letting my other senses guide me. There! I heard it, a pounding heart. The deer was frozen just as I was, somehow alert to its impending danger. I had to act quickly. My muscles coiled slowly, tendons taut. I held myself there for what was, to my mind, an eternity waiting for my moment. Then I shot forward with all my force and was on the doe before she even had a chance to register my movement. The forest around me faded away until the only thing I was aware of was the animal beneath me. Her heartbeat drowned out all sound, even my own thoughts. I was no longer anything that resembled a human. I was a predator, triumphant. The warm flesh and the blood it contained consumed me. I bared my fangs and plunged into the carotid artery with ferocious abandon, draining my prey to the last drop.
