Family Ties
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Kindred or Vampire: The Masquerade, I'm just playing with them.
Ch.1: All Alone and On the Run
Bella
It's been four days, eleven hours and forty-two minutes since my world came crashing down. Life is just non-stop pain. Edward Cullen tore my heart out, crushed it, and then left me alone in the woods. The last words he said just before leaving rip and tear at my mind like razor blades. I don't want you. I don't love you. You're not good enough for me. You were nothing more than a trivial distraction. In time, you'll forget, it will be as if I never existed.
I was catatonic the first two days, then numb. My dad, Charlie, badgered me into going to La Push so that his friend, Billy Black, could keep an eye on me. Thanks to having gone to such an advanced High School back in Phoenix, I already have more than enough credits to graduate. So I was given the option to skip senior year, which I took. He's worried that I'll go all suicidal if I'm left alone to wallow, but that just isn't me. Charlie is too important to me to hurt like that.
Everything was going fine at Billy's. In fact, I didn't think about Edward or his family leaving once because he kept telling me stories about him and Charlie growing up. Then his son, Jacob, came home from school and ruined it. Jake is two years younger than me, but I always thought he was nice and would make a good friend if we took the time to really get to know each other. I hoped this would be a perfect opportunity for that, but Jake had other ideas.
His face lit up when he saw me on the couch, so he dropped his backpack and plopped down next to me. At first, things were normal as we caught up on what was going in town and on the reservation. You know the usual small talk. Then he stared crowding me and tried to manhandle me. I jumped up, attempting to leave, but he grabbed my wrist, spun me around and forcefully kissed me. I tried pushing him away but he was just too strong. On reflex, my right knee shot up into his crouch with as much strength as I could muster. That did the trick, Jake let go of me while doubled over from the pain.
I ran out the door and got in my truck. Seconds later I'm on the road, lead footing it as fast as the ancient vehicle can go. The nerve at that boy! What's worse is the fact that Billy did nothing to stop Jake. Charlie's going to be very ticked when I tell him. This might be the final nail in the coffin of that friendship.
Fifteen minutes later I pull up in front of the house. Charlie's cruiser was in the driveway. I remember he said something about picking up mom and Phil from the airport. Looks like there's going to be an Intervention in my near future. Resigned to my fate, I left the truck and headed to the front door. It was partially open and the nauseating scent of rust and salt hit me. I stayed on the porch, called 911 and waited for help to arrive.
It wasn't long before the entire police department of Forks, Washington, was on my doorstep – all four of them. The scene inside the house was horrific. My parents and Phil were torn to pieces and blood smeared over the walls. The killers even left a message:
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, we'll be back.
V & L
The cops didn't know what to think. Me, I knew who had done this and what the message meant. Victoria and Laurent were coming for me and there was no place was safe because they would find me. The only protection I had against them was long gone. I was scared and needed to get the hell out of Dodge, fast. One of the officers followed me upstairs and waited while I threw clothes, my secret stash of money, the laptop and my passport into a duffle bag. Then I ran across the hall into Charlie's room and grabbed the box of my grandmother's stuff that we had found while cleaning the attic.
Throwing the duffel in the passenger's seat, I climbed into the truck and headed for the bank. The branch manager had already been informed about the murders and ushered me into her office as soon as I arrived. Tobias Scrimm, Charlie's lawyer was waiting inside as well. Together, we closed out both mine and my father's bank accounts and I told Tobias that I'd call him once I found someplace to stay so that he could finalize the estate. I said my goodbyes to both of them and drove as fast as I could out of Forks.
My truck finally crapped out in Portland, Oregon. I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the closest Mickey D's and hoofed it over to the bus depot. I asked for a ticket on the next bus out of town, threw down some cash and got on the bus the ticket agent indicated. I settled into a seat and prayed that my vampire stalkers didn't realize I had fled yet.
The bus left the depot headed South, and I forced myself to stay awake until it reached our destination; San Francisco. I had never been there before, under different circumstances I would've enjoyed the prospect of going there. Instead, I'm freaked out. My family is all gone and I'm all alone and on the run from a couple of psychotic vampires. God, my life sucks.
We pulled into the city at 3 a.m. and I trudged my weary body to closest motel. It was one of those pay by the hour, no-tell, kind of places. I went up to my room and collapsed on the bed. Oblivion claimed me before my head hit the pillow. In the morning I'd figure out what I was going to do.
The sun woke me up bright and early the next day, so I decided to get as much done as I could before everything from the week hit me all at once. The first order of business was to secure a post office box until I found a place to stay, and then let Mr. Scrimm know. Next, I needed to find a job, which meant after I got back from the post office, I would need to sit down and write a resume as well as go shopping to get Interview/Work Appropriate clothes. Last, but certainly not least, was finding a place to live.
I went down the front desk and asked for directions to the nearest post office. An hour later, I had a P.O. Box and passed the information along to my attorney. He told me that it would take another week to finalize Charlie's estate and once that was done he'd be in touch. My stomach had been growling while I was on the phone, so Chinese take-out was picked up on the way back to the motel. The place looked worse in the daylight, but it would have to do until I could find something better.
With a mouthful of Kung Pao Chicken, I plugged the wireless card into the laptop and turned it on. Once on the internet, checking the classified ads was a breeze, you just got to love the Information Age. I found four possible jobs and wrote down the details. The painful part was typing up a resume and posting it on a couple of those job sites. The ads for the four jobs that I had singled out listed e-mail addresses for the contact person for each. It took a few more minutes to write out e-mails to them and include a link to the job sites where my resume was posted. After that, I fell into bed and switched on the television for some background noise and went to sleep.
Morning came and I knew that I would have to go shopping today. Grudgingly, I showered, got dressed then headed for the nearest consignment shop. I actually got lucky and found a Junior League Thrift Store. Each member of the League donated high-end clothing and accessories that were sold at very affordable prices. I was able to pick out two interview outfits and three business appropriate ones. All in all, it was a very lucky shopping excursion.
It was mid-afternoon and I decided to do some exploring of my new home. San Francisco was a very beautiful place. Eventually, I knew that once things settled I would love it here. My stomach growled as I passed a place called The Haven. The smells that came through the door each time it opened made my mouth water. The place looked nice, and I could use a safe harbor for a couple of hours, so I went inside.
The Haven was part bar, part restaurant and part night club. I found myself a booth in the far corner and signaled a waitress for a menu. She took my order for chicken and cheese tortellini with a coke and went into the kitchen. I used the time waiting for my food to examine the room. There were a grand total of seven booths and eight tables. A bar went the length of the far wall and along the adjacent wall to its right was a small stage. The colors were various shades of red and gold that gave the place both an intimate and elegant feel. I could see myself spending a lot of my free time in a place like this.
Before the food could arrive, the weight of everything that had happened hit me. I cried and sobbed uncontrollably. Somebody came to side and rubbed soothing circles on my back. The coldness of their hand caused my head to snap up. Next to me was the most beautiful female vampire I'd ever seen. "Drain me, please," I begged softly.