Chapter 10 EPOV: First Hunt

Alice and Bella walked back to the river, the rest of us following, staying just behind. We were all very curious about Bella, having not been around a newborn in many years. She was a bewilderment to us all, nothing we would have ever expected.

"How are we getting across?" Bella asked of Alice confused, which through Jasper I sensed.

"We're jumping" Alice responded to her. She knew Bella wouldn't have realized this, but she was trying to convey nonchalance and confidence in what she was saying, so she wouldn't question it as much.

"We're jumping? Over the river? Are you insane? How?" -it apparently didn't work as well as she thought it would.

"Bella, can't you feel it? The change in your body?" By pointing it out, leading her to the conclusion, Alice was telling Bella to pay attention to what was happening in her. Of course that worked, Bella was quiet for a few short moments, assessing herself.

Wishing I could follow her thought process I focused more on Jaspers gift as I watched her with Alice's sight. The acceptance, you could plainly see in her eyes, as she acknowledge what she'd been told.

"Watch me first, then you go. It's easy, you'll see."

Bella watched intently as Alice flew herself across the river, studying her movements with complete focus. She herself then took a few steps back, more than Alice had and more than was necessary, to follow the lead. She kicked off the silver pumps, and as she placed her feet onto the soft earth, she gently caressed the surface. I had never envied grass more.

She then grabbed the hem of her dress and slide the fabric up her thighs; allowing for running movement within the garment, and as she did this, an unfamiliar heat slide up inside of me, just as the dress had moving up her legs.

Crouching down, she lunged herself forward, launching herself over the river. She would have no idea how to account for newborn strength, so she ended up over shooting Alice and landing further in the forest. It looked all too natural for her; she was exquisite.

"Wow Bella! That was really graceful, even for a vampire!" Alice hollered at her as she ran to her side.

The response that Alice then received was one I could never hope to see with my own eyes, something I would never earn or deserve to witness.

Bella smiled for the first time since she had come into our lives; really smiled. The sight was breath taking and beautiful; she was beautiful. The ache in my chest that followed was tormentingly foolish.

As they left into the forest for her first hunt, the rest of us found ourselves back into the house and to the dinning room. Since bringing Bella into the house we had not been able to converse openly, having to take cautious measures so she would not hear anything we would say regarding her or the situation.

We had been going over everything since turning Bella, and what options we thought would be best for her permanent disappearance, cover stories and lies. The treaty for one was going to need to be addresses, we still weren't sure how we were going to handle that. We wondered if we should move somewhere else and where to go if we did. None of us really had any idea how she would respond to our plans, and we wouldn't make any final decisions without her, we all had agreed that she would get the final say for whatever was decided, after all, it affected her the most.

The story that we all hoped she would choose and go with was an unfortunate and unplanned event that would be a perfect cover.

About a day after bringing Bella here a body was discovered a few miles out of town. The woman was almost the same size and height as Bella, with dark hair and pale skin. She was a few years older, and didn't have brown eyes; the depthless chocolate brown eyes that Bella had once had, this woman's were blue. The body was so severely beaten that she was virtually unrecognizable, so with a pair of contacts and a DNA test she would be very easy to pass off as the body of the police chief's daughter.

Charlie Swan, Bella's father, had called Carlisle personally to request his help with the body. Carlisle normally didn't do the things that were being requested by the Chief, but because it was the Chief and because Carlisle was assuming his own guilt about what was happening within the Swan family, he agreed to help him. Carlisle told Charlie that he would run the DNA test himself as well as perform the autopsy. Carlisle working on the case had also the added benefit of time for us, giving us the space we needed to make sure everything was covered and taken care of as thoroughly as possible.

Emmett, Jasper and myself began to work on finding out the girls identity. We combed over thousands of missing persons reports, going back several years even, thinking maybe she had been a run away. Nothing had come up from far back or resent that would lead anyone to believe this body to be the one of their loved one. So to us she was still a "Jane Doe' and forever would be.

Carlisle's initial examination, not done for the police's benefit, but for ours, uncovered that the attacker was a human male, he had left such evidence behind. He was also, by murderous standers, a professional at what he did, methodical even, cleaning up all traces of himself from the body. Unfortunately for him, the investigators on this particular case were not human, and would not miss the same things he himself couldn't clean.

With his DNA we were able to get an identity on the degenerate. Alonzo Calderas Wallace; suspected serial rapist and murderer wanted in the states of Texas and Oklahoma. Having a name and face would make it easier to find him later.

We had been in heavy discussion about Bella, the body and Alonzo when I heard the car turn down the gravel road to our house. Much like his daughter, Charlie Swans thoughts are concealed from me, not silent like hers, but I could only make out the tenor, the tone of them…

"Charlie Swan is coming to the house." I told them.

"Is that who is coming up the drive Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes." I said with dread.

Being around Charlie was another tortuous add to my already overflowing and full self loathing plate.

The panic and constant concern emanating out of the man's mind were relentless. Since the moment she had went missing, he has been constantly emotionally berating himself; another blaming themselves for something I had done.

Wordless anxiety and guilt; a great swell of them; washed out of him; drowning out just about every other thought in the vicinity.

Washed out of him and through me, echoing and growing stronger and stronger with each passing day that she was not recovered.

My head bowed with guilt as I listened to him approach the house.

Carlisle waited for him to knock on the door before going to the foyer to greet him, while I scurried off to my room to hide like a coward.

"Charlie" Carlisle said to him while opening the door "please come in."

"Good evening Carlisle, sorry to barge in at such a late hour."

"It's no problem" He told him as he lead the way into the kitchen.

While Charlie was coming down the driveway, Esme had hurriedly made some coffee and set out a plate of cookies on the table.

"Charlie" She said while rising from her chair "Can I get you some coffee?"

"Thank you Esme, that would be fine."

"Please sit, help yourself to a cookie."

"Thank you, but just the coffee will do."

"Charlie, is there news that I should be aware of?" Carlisle asked him knowing he would want to get straight to business.

"Actually, that's why I'm here, I was hoping you had some news for me." The plea in his voice was devastating, he would take, at this moment, anything; any scrap thrown at him about his daughter that would help him.

"Here you go dear." Esme had set the coffee down in front of him on the table.

"Thank you." He acknowledge her, but never took his eyes from Carlisle.

"I'm sorry Charlie, I don't have any new information for you just yet. These are delicate matters that take time." He explained "I know that the last thing you want to give is more time, but to be very thorough it will take an incredible amount of patience on your part while we work through this.

Charlie didn't speak, he just nodded his head and looked away. Disappointment written all over his face and threading its was through his emotions.

I heard her words before I could register Alice's thoughts, they had come back and where standing on the other side of the rivers edge.

"But…..Charlie…"

(10/10/10)