"Black Night"

By: Jessica Pattinson & Carla Kaye

Preface

Love, Life, Meaning… Gone. I was wasting away, an empty shell of my former self. It was difficult to imagine my life without Edward, I was forever changed…I would never be the same. So as I wallowed in self pity, I started to reflect on the past couple of months I'd spent with my best friend Jacob. I came to a stunning realization… if the world was the way it was supposed to be, no vampires, no werewolves, then Jacob and I would have probably been meant for each other. Edward...wasn't supposed to exist; he should have died a century ago at the age of seventeen. In reality, our love would have never have been possible. Maybe that's why I felt our relationship always teetered on an unbalanced scale. So, I came to this conclusion, if our world was the way it was suppose to be… Jacob and I would be soul mates. My Jacob. His Bella...

Chapter 1

(picks up right after Edward leaves Bella in the woods)

"Wait!" I yelled as the love of my life left me… forever. I wanted to run after him, to scream his name at the top of my lungs, but remained frozen where I stood. I felt numb as the tears started to roll down my cheeks. Then my stubbornness kicked in, I was determined to find him, to have him in my arms and never let go. I didn't want him; I needed him with every fiber of my being. I stumbled through the forest in search of him, I couldn't see clearly because of all the tears welling up in my eyes. Blinded by them, I tripped over an exposed tree root and fell on my hands and knees. I began to despair, he was gone and there was nothing I could do about it. So I curled up on the forest floor. Not caring what happened to me. If the one I loved didn't care what happened to me, then why should I?

The sky began to darken as I remained huddled on the moss covered ground. Time seemed to crawl by in an endless blur. As I stared into the dark oblivion around me, I succumbed to sheer exhaustion. It wasn't until early that morning when I woke up in my bed that I realized my dad had sent a search party for me. I knew that because it was 2:00am in the morning and they were still here. I couldn't open my eyes knowing more tears would come so I just listened to what was going on downstairs. My dad was on the phone, he was mad. I didn't know who he was talking to.

"It's true then? The Cullen's are gone?" He waited for the answer that I already knew. "Well they could've told me so I could prepare. Bella had a thing for Edward. I knew that boy was no good."

I gave up on listing after that. I didn't care about knowing the truth. Edward left because he didn't love me anymore. He didn't care if I lived or died. He wanted me human.

My dad hung the phone up and walked up stairs. When he walked in, without knocking, he sat on my bed. I knew he didn't want to be there because he hated anything emotional so I tried to pretend I was asleep. It didn't work.

"Bella?" My dad knew me well, and he knew I was awake.

"Dad?" My voice sounded horrible and really dry. "I'm so sor..ry."

"Bella I am just happy to have you home safe. When it got home from work and saw your note on the table it was around eleven o'clock at night. I got worried and went looking for you, when I couldn't find you I called some people in to help," he explained.

"My note?" I asked puzzled.

"Yeah, you said that you went for a walk after dinner, see?" He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket that looked tattered from being opened and refolded again and again.

"Oh, I must have forgotten," I lied. Edward must have snuck back in the house to write the note so Charlie could find me.

"What happened Bella? Were you upset because of the Cullens leaving?" He asked.

"No… I got lost in the woods… that's all." I evaded the second part of his question.

"Bella… Did Edward break up with you or something?" He probed.

That was all it took. I knew if he said his name I wouldn't be able to hold it in. I fell apart. I started to sob uncontrollably. Charlie's eyes grew wide; he ran his fingers through his hair nervously. I could tell he didn't know how to react to seeing me like this. He had missed out on all those trying times in my life after all. He scooted closer and wrapped his arms gently around my shoulders to comfort me.

"Bella, it will be alright. I know it hurts. Tell me what I can do to help, please?" Charlie pleaded.

I didn't answer, just continued to cry. In reality there was nothing Charlie could do for me. All I wanted was...him. I just laid there cradled in my father's arms and cried myself to sleep.

When I finally came to, it was still dark outside. A loud snoring sound startled me. It drew my attention over to the rocking chair where Charlie sound asleep. I rolled over to my night

stand to check the time. It was 3:00 AM…but what day was it? I looked down to see that I was still dressed in the same clothing from the night in the woods. I sat up so I could

read the calendar on my wall…

"What?", I shouted.

I had been out for a week. My sudden outburst woke up Charlie, who jumped to his feet so fast he knocked over the rocking chair.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he yelled. "Oh, thank god you're awake!"

"Why did you let me stay out that long?" I gasped.

"I didn't have much choice, whenever I tried to wake you up you would scream, cry or start throwing things at me," he stated nervously.

"What about school, work… I have responsibilities you know! I must have missed so much!" I was starting to hyperventilate.

"Bella… Bella calm down! I took care of everything." Charlie explained. "Your friends Angela and Jessica have been bringing by your schoolwork. As a matter of fact all of your friends keep calling and stopping by. Everyone's been very worried."

"Everyone?" I questioned.

"Yeah, especially Jacob…he comes by twice a day," Charlie said boasting his pride at that statement. "As a matter of fact he's been staying with you while I go to work."

" Oh my god, are you serious!" I was so embarrassed. "You let him see me like this!"

"Bella, I had little choice…they needed me at the station", Charlie defended his actions.

"Okay, fine. Can you please leave now Dad, so I can clean myself up and get dressed?" I growled.

Charlie nodded and almost seemed relieved that I asked him to go. As he reached the doorway he turned back toward me and said, "Good to see you still got some fight left in you. By the

way, Jacob's coming over for dinner." Then he left me to ponder that thought.

I sat in my bed, only for a moment and put all the pieces together. I had been out for a week, my dad was scared of me. I was throwing things at him. Then I thought of why I was like that. I didn't want to think about it. But it was to late. The tears came again but I didn't want anyone to see me like this. So I forced myself out of bed and took a nice hot shower.

When I was done and got dressed it was still early in the morning. Only about 4:00. So I laid back down and tried to pull myself together. I felt a sharp pain in my heart. A pain that would be there as long as I lived. And because I was human, who knows how long that will be. I was just about to start crying when I went back to sleep. Hoping I would die…

When I woke up again it was 6:30AM. I might as while go to school. It was going to be hard but I didn't care. It was a Friday. I could do one day with everybody starting at me, talking. I didn't want to go. But what choice did I have. Laying here wallowing was getting me nowhere. Might as well get on with my life… or what's left of it.