A/N –
Thank you for all the reviews! Sorry it took so long to update. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I made a HUGE feast for my family. We at it on Tuesday though and so today I'm dedicating to cleaning and writing on my two stories. I hope to write another couple of chapters for this story and a few for my other story as well. Gotta make-up for lost time!
Please read and review. The more reviews I get the quicker I update. I can't help but want to write more when people tell me they like the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Twilight; I'm just enjoying their company for a while, playing dress-up with Alice, working on their cars with Rosalie, and wrestling with all the guys.
Chapter Three
I stood in awe, my jaw hung open as I stare up at the impressive skyscraper in front of me. This building was the home of the Seattle-Post Intelligencer, my new home away from home. Looking at the grandeur of the building, I felt extremely intimidated. Was I good enough for this job? Was I prepared to do this job and not embarrass myself, those who had recommended me and the very newspaper that took a chance and hired me?
"Do you need some help?" A soft high soprano voice came from behind me, making me jump nearly out of my skin.
"No thank you, it's just my first –"as I looked at the person I was talking to my voice stopped dead in my throat. It was the smallest of the Cullens, Alice.
"Your first what?" Alice prodded me to continue.
"Today is my first day of work. I'm starting as an editor today."
"Cool, my name is Alice Hale. I work in the marketing department; let me take you to HR."
I nodded and smiled, "Hi, I'm Bella Swan."
Alice led me up an elevator, down a hall until we reached the door labeled Human Resources. I'm sure I would have been late if I had tried to find this place on my own. "Thank you Alice, you were a big help."
"No problem Bella, I'm sure I'll see you around. It was nice to meet you." Alice gave me a quick one armed hug and took off down the hall. I stared after her in shock. The way she had said that she would see me around came across like she knew something I didn't know. She was unlike anyone I had ever met and I really did not know what to think about her.
Gathering my thoughts, I walked into Human Resources. I was immediately swept up into the new hire paperwork and orientation process. Lunch came around before I knew it. A couple of the other new hires knew a good deli in the neighborhood and so we ran there, ate and then ran back.
Mr. Banner met me at the HR office and brought me to the editors department. He showed me around and introduced me to everyone. I was surprised at the small number of people in the department. He finally showed me to my desk and handed me an article.
"Let's throw you right into work Bella. This is an article that will be in tomorrow's edition. It's an investigative report on the recent disappearances in the area. The article is written by Edward Cullen, our top investigative reporter. If you have any questions about the article, please talk to him. Don't be nervous, I've seen your work, you'll do great. When you are done, e-mail me the article so I can go over your work and we'll go from there."
Mr. Banner must have seen the look of sheer shock on my face. It wasn't just that another Cullen worked for the newspaper. It was that Edward Cullen, the beautiful, mysteries man who had held me in an unbreakable stare just last night at the club. My heart started pounding at the idea of seeing him again. I quickly shook off the nervous excitement that his name had brought on and tried to focus on reading his article.
"Another mysterious disappearance in the Seattle-metro area has police baffled. When Diana Pappas failed to return home from work on Monday, June 4, 2007, her concerned husband contact the authorities and the search began. The twenty-eight year old mother for four works at a local Greek restaurant as the pastry chef and returned home every night around 10 PM. The Auburn Police Department found Ms. Pappas's car parked at in a QFC grocery parking lot sometime just after midnight."
"The Auburn Police Department have no immediate official statement, but sources inside the Department reveal that there was a small amount of blood found on the driver's side of the car and that there were some minor signs of a struggle, however no fingerprints, DNA, or other physical evidence was found. The Auburn Police department and the Seattle Metro Police Department are working closely together and, though unconfirmed, there is speculation that this disappearance is related to the twelve other mysterious disappearances plaguing the Seattle area in recent weeks."
"It's the lack of physical evidence at the scene of the crime. Other than the victim's blood there is nothing in the car, nothing of the victim or the perpetrator. There is quite a bit of blood, but nothing is conclusive. The linking element between all twelve cases is definitely the lack of evidence, of any evidence, and that each of the victims were taken while en route home from their work and their cars have all been found a few hours later," my source at the Auburn Police Department stated.
"The Seattle Police Department urges people to stay in pairs and to take the necessary preventative measures necessary to protect themselves. 'Do not stop to pick-up hitchhikers. In case of vehicular emergencies, such as a flat tire or mechanical error, do not accept help from strangers. Use your cell phone to call local authorities for help or if you do not have a cell phone and find yourself stranded, if approached do not roll down your windows down – ask them to proceed to a phone and call the police for you. We are more than willing to help in times like this and want to make sure you are safe. If anyone sees anything suspicious please report it immediately,' says Sergeant Emmett Cullen of the Seattle-Metro Police Department."
Edward's article was near flawless and left a chill on my spine. I corrected a few punctuation and grammatical errors and then forwarded the article to Mr. Banner for him to inspect.
A few minutes later, Mr. Banner sent me back an e-mail giving me a thumb's up and attached twenty more articles to proof before the end of the day. The rest of the day went really fast and before I knew it, it was time for me to go home.
I gathered my things and made my way to the elevator. The doors opened and I stopped dead in my tracks. The friendly face of Alice Hale met me but standing next to her was Edward Cullen and he looked more beautiful than I had remembered the night before. Our eyes met and I stood there frozen. Alice's voice jolted me from my trance, "Getting on Bella?"
Blushing furiously, I quickly stepped onto the elevator. Edward
stepped aside letting me in. Alice smiled warmly, "How was your
first day?"
"It was great. I got through more than 20
articles and Mr. Banner was pleased with my work, so I guess that
means it was a success."
"Let me introduce you to my brother. Bella Swan, this is Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen, this is Bella Swan. She is new to the editorial team."
Edward was standing at the far side of the elevator, his hands gripping the railing. He kept his head down and acknowledged the introduction only with a slight nod. Alice raised an eyebrow quickly and turned back to me. "Ignore him, he's had a long day and is more than a little grumpy. He's not usually this rude."
I swore I heard a slight growl come from Edward but dismissed it at being my imagination. "I actually reviewed your article on the string of disappearances. It was quite good, barely had any punctuation corrections at all."
Edward's head snapped up. The look of absolute fury was mixed with pain and confusion. His coal black eyes burned with hatred. I took a step back placing myself as far from him as I could get. Alice's eyes grew wide and she took a slight step in front of me. The tension in the air was palatable, and I felt tears of anger and fear welling up in my eyes. What had I done to deserve such a look of hatred?
The elevator doors slid open and before I could take a breath, Edward was gone and out of my sight. Alice and I stared after him; her body visibly became more relaxed. She glanced at me and gave me a worried smile. Alice pulled me off the elevator, "He had just gotten some really bad news. Please don't let him bother you, he didn't mean anything by that, I promise. I'm glad you had a good first day – do you want to go get some coffee and celebrate?"
I managed to put on a weak smile. My heart was still beating at a mile a minute and I was scared still. "Alice I think I want to go home and go to bed. This has been the longest and craziest day of my life. I'm exhausted. Can I get a rain check on the coffee though? Maybe for lunch tomorrow?"
"Sounds good. I'm on Floor 27, come get me when you are ready to go. We'll do lunch." Alice glided away from me, leaving me alone with the jumble of thoughts running at a million miles through my head."
