Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
Gone Girl
Chapter 3
Charlie stared at the wall across from his desk. The coffee Linda, the intake receptionist, set by his hand grew cold as the minutes ticked by. 12 hours had passed since he first started to worry about his daughter's whereabouts. He hadn't slept. His eyes were glued open. After hours of searching in the dark wet rain of the night, his deputy told him to go home and get rest.
Charlie couldn't rest. It was his fault. He wasn't around enough. He left her alone too much. He should have insisted that she go live with her mother again. He should have forced her to go. He was supposed to be the parent after all. It would have been good for her to get out of this depressing little town. Jacksonville was sunny and warm. Bella used to like those things.
He prayed that she didn't run into the forest.
When Bella went missing the first time. No, the second time. She headed into the woods. It had taken hours and finally one of the reservation boys had found her. It was a horrible night. A horrible week. Ever since then the months have been empty. Everything felt wrong.
The similarities were not lost on him. Didn't Bella and Jacob get into a fight?
When Charlie had pulled up to the house and seen Bella's car missing, he knew something bad happened. She didn't tell him she would be out. She was always very considerate that way.
He had telephoned Billy straight away.
"Now isn't a good time." Billy answered the phone tersely.
"It's me, Billy." Charlie spoke and his tone was anxious. "Is Bella there?"
"No." Billy hesitated on the other end. "Well, she did park her car in front of the garage for about 10 or 20 minutes but she left again. She didn't come in. She hasn't spoken to us in a week. You know that. Is. . . is something wrong?"
"She's not here. There's no messages. This isn't like her. If she's not there. . . " Charlie left off.
"Perhaps she's with her other friends."
"She doesn't have other friends, Billy." Charlie lashed out.
"I will," Billy breathed. "I'll check with Jake. Maybe. . . maybe he's seen something."
As soon as he hung up, he called around first to the Stanley's, then the Newton's. Ben's parents. Lauren's parents. Tyler. Eric. Ashley.
No one had seen her.
Charlie crashed the phone on the wall and he began to panic. It was just like before. Only last time, she had left a note saying she was taking a hike. The time before that she told him where she was driving off to, to Phoenix. Bella was a runner. How could he not see that? She was just like her mom.
He should have done something then. What that something was, Charlie didn't know. The guilt of inaction made him immobile all the same.
The woods. Bella went into the woods.
Maybe he didn't warn her enough about the dangers in the forest. Maybe she took to the woods again. Did she not understand how many people had died in the attacks? How many times did he tell her of the dangers.
Or maybe she went in there because of the dangers.
He did worry that after the family left, his daughter might be suicidal. Maybe she was hoping to run into those bears.
The phone rang on his desk and Charlie jumped with a start. The now cold coffee rippled from the movement.
"It's Steve." Linda called from up front.
Charlie grabbed the phone tightly to keep his hand from shaking. "This is Charlie." He greeted. His voice was dry and tired.
"Charlie, some kids saw Bella's truck at the trailhead on 14."
"The truck." Charlie nodded. "Is she there?" He knew she wouldn't be. If they had found her, Steve would have lead with that. Still he hoped.
"No. The car is locked. Looks like it's been sitting here since at least yesterday afternoon. The pavement is dry underneath.
"The #14 trailhead?" Charlie knew what had happened. Bella had gone into the woods.
Jacob nearly broke the door in. "Whoops. Man, still not used to that. Oh, hey dad." He closed the door behind him a little more softly. "It's been a day. You know that male we've been chasing. Get this. We got him. It was flippin awesome." He paused staring at his father. The old man was wringing his hands and his face was shrouded in worry. "Pop. Don't worry. None of us got a scratch. We were all working in sync. Man, it was great. I wish you could hav-"
"Charlie called." Billy interjected.
"Oh." Jacob huffed. "Again? Listen, you're the one that said I had to stay away."
"Have you seen Bella?"
That stopped Jacob up short. She was there. A sad mousy girl in the meadow. The bloodsucker ten feet away.
Jacob gulped and ran a finger through his hair. He was caught off guard once again that his head had been buzzed. "Um, well. There was a reason we were finally able to get him."
Billy's deep sage eyes pierced into Jacob's.
"She was there. She was in the woods. The bloodsucker was about to attack but he didn't see us coming." Then Jacob continued hurriedly. "She's okay though. We got there in time and chased him off. She got back to her truck. I checked after we got done with the bloodsucker. She was really scared. Of us or the bloodsucker I couldn't really tell." He shrugged. The way she had looked at him, him as a big monster. Was it fear in her eyes? Or was it absolution? He shook it off. "Why?"
"Bella's missing."
"What?" Jacob began shaking.
"I saw her come by. She went into the garage but she didn't stay. She isn't home and Charlie is worried."
Jacob started ripping his clothes off again as he ran out the door. He phased instantly outside. He was rolling with regret and worry.
-Woah, dude. I thought you were gonna get some rest.- Embry thought. He was still sitting in front of the fire and watching the last shreds of the blood sucker burn to a crisp. The rest of the pack had phased back and were getting some well deserved sleep as their reward. -Are you okay?-
-Bella's missing. I'm such an idiot. I saw her truck was gone and I thought. . . I thought she made it home. I should have followed her. I should have left you guys to make sure she made it back.-
-That's not good. Do you think maybe she and that bloodsucker were friends? They did seem to know each other. Maybe we spooked her?-
-Honestly, dude. She didn't look that afraid. She looked kind of resolute about something. I think he said something. I don't know, dude. I don't know. All I know is that Bella is missing and she saw some really weird shit today and she has no one to talk to and I'm supposed to be her friend. But I can't talk to her. Shit. Shit. Shit.-
-I'll help you look.- Embry promised. There was nothing but forest floor and heavy breathing for a few minutes.
Embry checked the trailhead again to start following her scent.
-Uh, dude. You said her truck was gone. It's still here.-
The red truck was parked in the same exact spot it had been earlier in the day. Jacob was floored. -It wasn't here. After we chopped up that vampire, I came back and she had gone.-
-Uh, dude. There's a lot of her blood around here. It's kind of creepy. It's like a trail.-
Jacob howled into the sky.
A stream of obscenities unleashed in his mind. -It's those damn Cullens. They messed with her brain or something. She wouldn't have been in that meadow if it wasn't for them. She wouldn't be sad if it wasn't for them. I wouldn't have to ignore her if it wasn't for them.-
An idea popped into his head.
-The bikes. Oh my god. The bikes.-
He started running towards the highway as fast as he could. He ducked under branches, jumped over logs, and punched through bushes. Eventually he was close enough to the road but far enough away that no one would see him.
Was that the sound of a dirt bike? Maybe it was a trick. He was only hearing what he wanted to.
What was going on?
-Embry? Have you found anything?-
-Nada. Sorry.-
It was an hour till twilight and Jacob heard the dirt bike again. This time he swore he could hear it. It was. . . it was coming from the Cullen's property.
-Dude, don't do it. Don't go there.-
-It's empty.- Jacob retorted.
-I don't know. There's some bad mojo around that place. Stay away.-
-But she's here. Embry. Look. She's here.-
He saw the house first and then the small frame shifted by the wall of the opened garage. He could see the bike propped up against the wall inside. Bella moved away and his heart dropped. Blood was smeared onto the side of the garage.
-Woah. That's nasty.- Embry commented.
Jacob didn't move. All he could do was watch as Bella ducked back into the garage. Something roared inside. Jacob moved closer. In the next moment an Aston Martin peeled into view and spun around.
It stopped suddenly. Bella had locked eyes onto Jacob. They gazed at each other for a moment. Neither knowing each other's intentions. Something was different. Bella was different. She didn't look in pain anymore. She didn't look lost anymore. She wasn't the sad girl that tried to smile while they worked on the bike now tossed aside. She wasn't the mousy scared girl in the meadow.
She was gone. He heard the car roar again. Bella screamed hysterically and the car whisked her out of sight.
-Are you going to chase after her?- Embry asked softly.
-No. No, Embry. She's gone- Jacob howled again, racked with grief. -She's gone. She has been for some time. I just. . . I just didn't know it. I didn't want to believe it.-
Later after Sam had gotten sleep, he and Jacob came back to the Bloodsucker's abandoned house. Bella was officially declared missing now. Sam was telling Jacob not to say anything until they could figure out what happened.
"They'll be combing the woods for her in the morning. But she's not in the woods." Jacob rubbed his head.
The other one. The red haired female had been nearby. Perhaps she had smelled the blood. . . or maybe she smelled the old remnants of a vampire coven. Of course she was gone now. They could never get close to her. She evaded and out maneuvered them every single time.
Sam stepped toward the letters written in blood. "Who's Victoria?"
The vase shattered in her hands. The shards scattered across the floor. The sound was almost deafening against the silence. She wasn't looking for it. She knew not to try.
A scarred hand reached out in comfort. He could feel her panic. "What's wrong?"
"Bella." Alice turned towards Jasper with horror in her golden eyes.