Chapter Three

I wake up when my alarm goes off at 5am with a groan. Even though I've been getting up at this time since we moved to Forks, rolling out of bed that early is never easy.

Once I've milked our two cows, fed the chickens and collected their eggs I head inside to make a quick breakfast. I want to make a nice breakfast for dad that will hopefully make up for last night... And make him more likely to answer my many questions.

Charlie enters the kitchen just as I'm setting the scrambled eggs on the table. That man always has impeccable timing.

I try to gage Charlie's mood while he eats his breakfast. He doesn't seem mad like he was last night but he doesn't really seem open to conversation either. Time to test the waters. I want answers and my dad seems to be the source. Despite what he said to me last night, he knows that I saw that light. And he definitely knows what it was.

"So, whatcha up to today Dad?" I say, trying to keep the tone light.

"Ahhh just the usual council business... You know how it is." he grumbled back. Obviously this was going to be like pulling teeth.

"Hey, dad?" I ask. Dad looks up at my inquiring tone. Obviously wondering what I'm up to, usually we just eat our breakfast in silence. Neither of us are really morning people.

He looks at me suspiciously, probably hoping I wasn't going to bring up our argument last night. "What's up Bells?"

"Well... You know I've been thinking lately that I never really asked you what it is you do at work. Maybe I could tag along with you one day to see if it's something I might like to do once I finish school? I finish school in just over a year you know. It's probably time to start thinking about what career path might follow. "

I look up from the table I had been starring at during my speech, trying to determine Charlie's mood. My dad was a man of few words so I've gotten quite good at deciphering his moods over the years.

Charlie looked visibly relieved, his shoulders relaxed and he had a slight smile on his face. "Sure thing baby girl, maybe tomorrow? I'm pretty busy today but I could show you everything tomorrow." He pauses to take a bite, "I think working in a quiet area of the council would suit you quite well. Maybe the library section? I could set you up with Mrs. Cope and she could show you our collection of books. She's quite proud of all the books that we managed to save."

This is where my whole plan could crumble. I needed to tread delicately here. "Oh but daddy, I was mostly interested in seeing what you do everyday" I say with a pout, trying not to over do it.

Charlie's forehead creases and I can see him trying to work out a way to appease me while also trying to keep me at a distance. This always seemed to happen when I asked dad something about himself. He gave me just enough information to keep me satisfied, but not enough for me to actually say that I knew him well. I had only really noticed lately.

"I guess you could follow me for a while. You would have to stay out of the classified areas though." He scratches his moustache, thinking. "You have to agree that I can take you to the library if I have a classified meeting." he looks at me, waiting for me to agree.

I smile at him and nod. Charlie had just given me way more information in that conversation alone than I had hoped for. I hadn't even known that there was classified information to hide in Forks, let alone classified areas. I knew that if my dad wasn't going to tell me anything, my best bet was to see where the secrets were held. I couldn't wait until tomorrow.

"Thanks daddy!" I say, pilling on the innocent act. " I'm heading to school now, I've gotta catch up with Angela before school to finish some last minute homework" I kiss him on the cheek, saying a quick goodbye and race to the front door, eager to tell Angela everything that had happened since I first saw that glowing blue light through my kitchen window.

I wait on my bike, tapping my fingers anxiously on the handle bars while I wait for Angela's bike to appear around the corner. Its times like these I miss cars. Charlie still owns his but gas is so hard to come by these days that I've only ever ridden in it once when Mike Newton fell down the well when we were 8. It was such a struggle to get him out that they called all the able bodied men to come and help. Charlie said the car was only to be used for emergencies though he keeps it well maintained just in case. I could be talking to Angela right now if I had a car.

I sit down and start to do the homework that I neglected last night. Algebra and calculus are still taught in school though God knows why. It's not like anyone is ever going to become a rocket scientist ever again.

Distracted, my brain focused on a jumble of numbers, I startle when Angela plops down beside me on the bench.

"Hey Bella," Angela greets me with a side hug. She seems happier and brighter than normal. "What's up?"

I really struggle with what to say to Angela. Usually we're so open about everything, she's my best friend, but I'm not sure how to approach the subject of what happened last night without her thinking I'm crazy.

"Ange, have you ever noticed anything weird around Forks?" I say, ignoring her question and deciding to go for a direct approach on telling her what happened.

"You mean besides the fact that Forks is one of the only surviving towns on the planet?" Angela says jokingly.

Even though I had never thought of that as odd before, I guess I had just taken the fact that Forks had survived for granted, I nod and she looks at me puzzled.

"What do you mean exactly?" Angela pauses, looking up into the sky seemingly in deep thought, "I mean, I've always wondered why we were lucky enough to survive the bombs let alone the radiation poisoning and I've even done a small amount of research but I don't want to look too far into it. I'm happy here and I kind of don't even care how we are protected I'm just kind of glad we are."

This is one of the reasons I love Angela. She's such a calm, honest and peaceful person but at the same time very aware of the world around her. She knows what I'm thinking even when I've only given her a few words to go by.

"I saw something... strange last night." I pause trying the think of how to word this. "It was almost like a healing light. It pulsed all around me, all around the street and it healed everything it touched." I'd thought about all this when I was riding to school this morning. Everything in the street was somehow improved, better. It had to be the work of the light, there is no way The Council could make that many improvements to a whole street overnight.

Angela looks up at me, something akin to wonderment. "You saw God?"

I shake my head kindly, I should have thought about Angela automatically thinking it was God's work. Her father was the town paster after all. It wasn't that I didn't believe in God, I just somehow knew that God hadn't created this light. It had an almost human feel, warm and controlled but living at the same time.

"I don't think so Ange. It felt magical but at the same time human if that makes any sense at all." I look down at the table, I wish I had of filmed the light. At least then I wouldn't be struggling so much to describe what it was like. "It was this blue pulsing light that gradually built up to a gold brilliance but under that it felt humble and weak like it was struggling to keep its power. I felt it go through my body and it almost felt like it was acknowledging me, greeting me or something" I look up at Angela's face, hoping she understood.

"So you think it might be magic or something?" Ange said sceptically.

"I don't know, maybe." I weirdly hadn't thought of that, this is why I was so desperate to share what I saw with Angela; it was always useful to have two minds working out a problem together. "All I know is that I want to find out."

The next day, after tossing and turning all night, I roll out of bed and quickly get dressed. I'm really excited about today. Today I might finally get some answers about what I had seen.

I run down stairs and quickly do my chores. I'm finished so early that Dad isn't even out of bed yet so I begin to make breakfast.

I look up when I hear dad whistle through his teeth. "Wow Bells, what's the special occasion?"

I look around at what I've cooked for breakfast. Okay, maybe I've gone a bit overboard but I'm just a smidgen excited for today. I've cooked a mega breakfast of fried spam, poached eggs, pancakes made from the tiny amount of flour I found in the food storeroom left over from the wheat crop from last year and honey. Cooking always calmed me and I guess I needed a lot of calming today.

I just shrugged, plated Charlie's food for him and sat down with my own plate.

"So I called the school yesterday afternoon and said you wouldn't be in today." Charlie said in between bites. "I'm afraid there isn't anything very interesting going on at The Council today but I'm hoping i'll get to show you around a bit, give you an idea of what goes on."

Huh, I beg to differ about there not being anything interesting happening at The Council if the radio conversation I overheard the other night was any indication but I just give dad a small smile and nod. I'm trying not to seem too excited.

Once we finish breakfast we head out. The Council is only located a few streets away from our house so we decide to walk instead of riding our bikes or horses.

While we are walking, Charlie fills me in on some of the history about The Council. Some of it we have learnt at school during history but some things are new to me. Apparently, The Council members are mainly people who originally lived in the town of Forks. It's very rare that they let anyone who came here to escape the wars to get a job in the building, let alone in a position of power. Charlie said that he was lucky to get a job because of his expertise in the Army. "They needed someone who knew how to operate all that fancy Army equipment and I was their guy." He says. "In the early days it was important that we monitored what was going on out there. These days, there's nothing to monitor so I just make sure we have no unauthorised trips in or out of the Forks boundary."

The Council's job is also to protect the town of Forks and its farms. I ask Charlie cautiously how Forks is can stay safe when so many other towns fell but he quickly changes the topic and says it's an old Forks secret. Charlie knows more than he's letting on, I can tell. I'm just wondering why he's being so secretive. Usually Dad is very upfront and honest with me. This is the first time ever I've noticed him keeping something from me.

Charlie further explains that nobody is allowed in or out of the town. If residents are caught leaving they are not allowed back in, they are exiled forever. Dad stresses that they make a point never to kill anyone if they try to come or go but if it comes down to the safety of the town... I tried not to listen to that part.

This is more information than I have ever heard about our town. I guess Charlie believed me when I said I was considering a career at The Council and thought this was the kind of stuff I would need to know.

After walking for about 15 minutes, we finally come to the entrance of The Council. The building is placed right on the edge of town. If you squint through the small forest of trees surrounding the back of the building, you can see some of the brown wasteland that the rest of America has become. I try not to look at that through. The lack of life, trees and animals, screams of destruction and death.

The Council is surrounded by a high black fence and the entrance is heavily fortified with both guards and a security system. We were taught at school that this was one of the first buildings built when Forks first heard of the threat of the wars. The giant fence was built to keep out the masses of uncontrollable people infected by radiation poisoning who tried to get into the compound for help. For the first few months, all the residences of Forks lived in The Council building so that they could be protected from the infected. Eventually, the humans who were infected died and the town protection was extended so that people could live their own lives on farms or homes. The Council then, by default, became headquarters where you were only allowed inside with permission. Its funny how we are taught all this at school but we never question how we are protected or why this building is forbidden. All these unanswered questions have really started to pike my curiosity.

We walk up to security and the guy scrambles to let us through the gate. He extends a quick and nervous hello to my dad and my dad just replies with a stern nod. Weird.

This building is even bigger when up close. It's easily the biggest building in town with it being at least 8 stories and, Charlie also informs me, its numerous underground levels. I can see the gleam of solar panels on the roof and the massive water tanks on the ground. This place is fully self sufficient, built to withstand any conditions.

There are people everywhere. Everywhere I look, I see someone cleaning the building, maintaining infrastructure or tending the gardens. There has to be at least 20 people outside alone. As we pass, each person stops what they are doing and stutters a short hello to my dad and he always returns the same stern nod. Again, weird.

As soon as we've walked through the door we're stopped by an important looking man dressed in a suit and holding a folder full of paper. I've never seen anyone wear a suit before outside of the few movies that we have at home that I'm allowed to watch on special occasions. He looks stiff and uncomfortable standing next to my flannel dressed dad.

"Sir, I know you didn't want to be interrupted today," Suit man's gaze quickly shifts between me and my father. "But I have a pressing matter that needs your attention."

As soon as suit guy finishes speaking, a loud alarm starts sounding and a mechanical voice starts shouting "code red, code red" over and over.

"Marcus! This is something you have me paged for! Why haven't I been informed of this sooner! Who is it?" my father yells.

Suit guy, or Marcus I guess, cringes and seems to try and shrink himself into his suit not unlike a turtle that hides in its shell. "You said you didn't want to be summoned, sir, you said you didn't..."

"Quiet!" My father shouts, sending a quick glance in my direction. He takes a deep breath and I can see him trying to calm down. "Bella? There's something I need to see to." Dad shouts loudly over the alarm that's still blaring and shoots a quick glare at Marcus. "Promise me you'll go straight to the library. It's down this hallway, all the way then turn left, got it? Once you get to the end of that hallway you'll see a large sign on the right that says archives. Go in there, find Mrs. Cope and stay there! I'll meet you there once this nuisance has been dealt with and then hopefully I can show you something interesting."

"I can't come with you?" it's worth at try.

Dad looks at me and sighs. "This isn't very important, Bella. You'll get bored and I don't want your interest in The Council to be diminished because the first thing you see is me dealing with such a menial task." The pulsing vein in his forehead and the blaring alarm are telling me differently but I shrug and nod. There would be no point pushing him.

"Good girl." Dad says, gives me a pat on the head and then runs down the hallway, Marcus in tow.

I can't hear my own thoughts over the piercing sound of the alarm but I try and recall dad's directions anyway. Maybe if I do what my dad says, he'll be more likely to give me more information about this place.

I head down the hallway until I get to the end of the hallway. I see a T- intersection and cant for the life of me remember if dad said left or right, this alarm is seriously messing with my thought pattern. I look both ways. The left end looks kind of dark and long, it looks to be full of office rooms and towards the end I can see a big sign that's labelled as a gym. I'm sure that dad had said I would see a sign that said archives so I go right instead.

This corridor is very well lit and looks to be used for storage. Storage and archives seem to go hand in hand so I keep walking. After walking for several minutes, I start to wonder how long this corridor could be. It seems like I've walked from one end of the building to the other. I want to stop and ask for directions but I can't find anyone around.

I stop and consider turning around when I start to hear a sharp tapping sound coming from the door on my right. A person maybe? Maybe I could just open the door and ask where I am.

I get closer to the door and listen to the tapping. There seems to be a pattern but I can't work it out. It might be Morse code but that's no help to me because even though Charlie had tried to teach me when I was young, I never really had an interest in a type of communication I never thought I would use.

I feel around the door to try and find a handle or latch to open it but can't find anything. The door's surface is as smooth as the wall next to it and I probably would have mistaken it for part of the wall if it wasn't painted a bright red that stood out against the off-white walls.

I'm ready to give up and turn around, when the tapping becomes more insistent. It now almost sounds like someone is trying to ram their way through the door. I look around the door again, trying to find a way to open it when I find a small key pad. Tossing my hands up, I sigh in frustration. I guess I'll just have to turn around, there's no way I can guess what number combination opens the door.

I turn my back to the door and take a few steps away, grumbling to myself that it's just like me to get lost even when I'm given specific directions.

I'm almost five steps away, making my way back towards the intersection where I'm now sure I was meant to turn right, when I near a weak voice.

"number... knocks..." the voice whispers.

I run back to the door. "What?" I almost shout in return.

"knocks... number... keypad" it seems like it's a great effort for this voice to speak, each word gets fainter and fainter until I can barely decipher the last word.

I'm almost about to say that I don't understand when I hear the tapping again.

Oh! Knocks, number, keypad! The voice is giving me the code to get into the room!

I listen carefully and then enter the numbers into the keypad, not even considering the reason why the door had no way in except a 10 digit long password or what could be behind such a highly protected door.

The door swings open and I gasp. Lying in front of the door, fingers outstretched so they almost touch my toes, is the most beautiful, damaged man I have ever seen. His naked form is pale, dirty and skinny, he has bruises all over his torso and he looks like he hasn't had a shave in a few months. Looking beyond that though, his skin seems to glow a faint gold almost shimmering in the dim light, his brown almost ginger hair standing out against the gold making him oddly beautiful.

He opens his eyes and stares right at me, his brilliant green stare making me gasp again.

"I knew you would come." He says, right before he passes out at my feet.