Chapter 6: Lost and… Found?
Oops! I forgot the disclaimer because I was too impatient to post the new chapter for you to read it! xD Enjoy!
I don't own any of the characters or universe from Twilight, they're Stephanie Meyer's.
I stayed there for a while, puzzling over his last words to me. What did he mean by me, ''of all people''? Why did he leave suddenly, considering that I was clearly not afraid? Did I say or do something wrong? Questions continued to turn chaotically in my head for a while.
I lost track of time. When I came out of my deep thoughts state, my watch indicated past two o'clock. I needed to go back home. I crossed the meadow and went back on the trail. I walked about two hours to get here, so it should be faster to continue on the way to finish the loop instead of turning back. After so much walking, my stomach was starting to ache again, and I was growing exhausted. I wished I had drunk some more water before leaving the meadow.
About an hour and a half later, I started to worry. Wasn't I supposed to see the house by now, if not even be home? I didn't even come back to the place of the bifurcation from earlier, where I thought the loop was coming back. Was there a new trail now? If so, where was it going? Another half hour later, I decided to turn back. Pain was starting to be unbearable and walking was becoming laborious. Again, I lost track of time, but while the sun was starting to wake, I was back to where the trail lead to the meadow.
I was completely exhausted and pain was making me see stars. I couldn't see well where I was going and I had dizziness so I tripped often. Somewhere near the bifurcation, I tripped on a fallen tree, hitting my head in my fall.
Everything went dark.
I was back in the meadow with Edward. Contrarily to the last time I saw him, he seemed happy and he was smiling at me. The magnificence of that view took my breath away. Even the fairylike beauty of the meadow seemed pale in comparison. He was sitting with his feet in the brook, enjoying the unusually hot and sunny day without a shirt. Only his face could make me look away from his godly body. What a chance, because it was definitly more polite to fixe one's face, than one's perfect abs.
The myriad of questions came back to my mind, and suddenly, I wanted to know everything there was to know about him. I opened my mouth to ask him about the sun, and why he wasn't… you know… burning? But nothing came out. I tried again, but I really couldn't talk! What was happening?
The scene changed, it was night and clouds were covering the moon, making the meadow seem menacing. Edward was gone, but I could hear his voice, seemingly coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time, saying ''Why you?'' repeatedly.
Everything went dark again.
Charlie woke me up, looking worried. ''Bella? Bella, wake up. It's almost two in the afternoon… How do you feel? You look awful. Is your stomach fine?''
I was so confused. Two in the afternoon? And how was I in my bed? Didn't I lose myself in the forest?
''Wh-what? My stomach? Ehh, no everything is f-OWWWW!''
I tried to sit on my bed, and the pain went back full force, like a ton of brick falling on it while a truck ran over me. I wished I could have kept my scream of pain in my head, because Charlie now looked helpless and deadly worried. I tried to put on a calm face, but he stopped me short on my attempt, getting out of his short daze. ''Don't you even think of saying you are fine, Bella Swan. I am calling the ambulance. Stay down.''
He ran downstairs, calling for the said ambulance. I should have been more careful, I was sure it was nothing. Just overuse of my stomach muscles during last night's hike, it would probably go away on its own. I used Charlie's time on the phone to let myself think about last night's events. I think I fell unconscious when I fell on the tree, but then, how did I get here?
My question remained unanswered when the paramedics arrived, taking me to the hospital. I think I fell unconscious again when they switched me from the bed to the stretcher because I woke up in the ambulance without any memories of the in between.
It was difficult to answer the paramedic team's questions since I was so incredibly confused and distracted by my own flow of questions. Before I knew it, we were already to the hospital and they were rolling my bed in the corridors. I was feeling strange now; the voices all around me had turned to a constant buzzing murmur and the edges of my vision were blurry. They put a mask on my face and the questions in my head, no longer making any sense, went away, along with me.
I woke up in a bright room, feeling numb. I must have some drugs inside my system; I was used to the sensation now. I looked to my left and saw Charlie gently snoring on the uncomfortable looking chair next to me. I smiled a bit at the sight; Charlie could be such a caretaker sometimes. I didn't need it though; he shouldn't worry so much over me.
''Hey Bella, how are you feeling?'' Jacob's voice startled me, coming from my right. I turned around to see him, sitting on the sofa, smiling brighter than the sun at me. I couldn't help myself and smiled back at him, truly happy to see him. It seemed like an eternity since I saw him the last time. It could be, considering everything that had happen. ''Hey Jake!''
''You scared us all there, Bells! Again.'', he said with a cute corner smile. I made a sheepish face in return. ''What did I do to scare you this time?''
''The doctors said it was weird, that your operation scar opened, as if you had worn yourself out. That's why they think it's weird, since it happened while you were sleeping. Maybe you had nightmares and turned a lot in your bed. Anyway, your scar got infected, so they brought you in the OR again. You're fine now.''
Guilt hit me hard. It was entirely my fault that I was worrying them all, but I couldn't tell them that it didn't happen because of vivid nightmares. I had to lie and keep the truth to me. My night stroll in the forest had to stay a secret, I just knew that. I couldn't tell anyone about Edward.
Edward. I needed to see him, to talk to him. ''Can I see Dr. Cullen?'' I didn't specify which one on purpose. I didn't want Jacob to find my need of seeing Edward weird, and have suspicions. ''Hummm… The Cullens left town this morning, Bella. It was very sudden, but Carlisle said he received an offer he couldn't refuse in Los Angeles. But don't worry, they have plenty of competent other doctors that took your case. Dr. Thompson is supposed to check on you soon.''
I stopped to listen to him after he said the Cullens left town. So. They all left. My mind was running super-fast. The only plausible explanation, considering vampires actually existed, was that the whole Cullen family were vampires. As to why they left, maybe they thought I knew too much and I would reveal all their secrets. But then, why didn't they just kill me?
I stayed hospitalized for three days. The three longest days of my life. All I wanted was to search for the Cullens. They is no way I was going to accept Edward's desertion like that. I needed answers to my questions; curiosity was eating me. Plus, I hated to admit it to myself but I strangely… missed him. I know it was weird considering I didn't even know him, but I did.
When I did finally come home, I didn't know how or where to start. I found the Cullens' address in the town's phonebook. Unfortunately, Charlie was restricting me inside the house, not wanting to have my stomach infect again. He didn't know it only happened because I exhausted myself while hiking.
Once again, I felt like a caged lion. Jacob came every day as usual. At least he distracted me for a few hours. My friends from university came sometimes as well. Mike told me they didn't come before because Charlie forbade them to; he wanted me to rest more. Why Jacob could come before and not the others, I couldn't say.
A week after I came home from the hospital, I was in the laundry room, separating my clothes into different piles while making sure my pockets were empty. Once, I forgot a Kleenex in my jean's pocket; you don't imagine the mess a single Kleenex does in the washing machine… Since then, I always check before putting them in the washer. I was almost finished when I found something odd in my last pair of jeans, the ones I was wearing during that night. In the back pocket, in which I never put anything, I found a folded piece of paper.
Intrigued, I unfolded it, only to find five words, written in a calligraphy I didn't recognize. One that was really fancy. It said ''Questions? October 5th. My house.'' I didn't doubt one second it came from Edward. A twinge of adrenaline flowed in my body. I took a look at my watch; October 5th was three days ago. Shit! I never cursed, but then I couldn't help it. There was no way I was abandoning. Charlie would call in a half hour to make sure I was fine. I didn't have time… After that, he would come home an hour later. Too short of a time! I would have to go at night, sneaking out without him knowing. Again.
Impatience made me flounder the whole evening. Seconds felt like hours. Charlie peeked at me when he thought I wasn't looking. He didn't say anything though. Finally, Charlie told me good night, and went to sleep. I waited a full hour before taking my keys, and leaving the house. My truck would make an awful din when I would start it, so I needed him fully asleep. Just in case he would check in my room, I put some pillows under my blankets to make him think I was there if he checked. I felt like a rebelled adolescent…
I had printed the route's instructions in the afternoon. It was quite far from Charlie's house, quite on the north edge of Fairbanks, where the houses were rare. I almost missed the small way leading to his house, hidden by the trees. There were no lights along the way, so it was difficult to see where the house was. It was farther from the road than what I thought. Finally, I reached an exquisite looking modern house. All the lights were off and the place seemed uninhabited.
I turned off the motor, but I let the lights on, so I could see something. I took my flashlight with me and made my way to the front porch. I peeked through the window beside the door and I could see the living room. All the furniture stayed there. Didn't they leave with it?
All my hope plummeted. I was too late… If only I had found the note before!
''I told him you would come!'', a high pitched crystalline voice said, making me jump with a frightened gasp.