And here it is! Chapter 7!!
It took a long time for an idea to hit me- I was suffering some writer's block on how to end the chapter and then I was freaking out about whether the chapter was good enough. You know, all that jazz.
Anyway I hope you all enjoy this chapter!!
Chapter 7
Playing Detective
I stayed with Edward every night- until Charlie would call for me home- for the rest of that week. Everyday I visited him, everyday I sat in that visitor's chair, just watching him sleep. He did a lot of that; sleep.
Just last night had been the only night I didn't visit him after school. It was on his wishes that I not see him that night- specifically- and when I questioned him he had said an honest "I don't know" but I was more than willing to do anything he asked of me, however much it hurt. So I didn't go last night.
I never thought one night of separation from Edward could come to anything too bad.
Until Mr. Mason arrived at our doorstep with a weeping Mrs. Mason.
"Oh, Charlie, Bella, the most awful thing has happened!" Mrs. Mason cried.
Charlie led them into the living room. I followed closely behind, my heart beating with fear at what was coming next. I held back the tears- I might just be overreacting and I didn't want to make any unnecessary outburst.
"He's gone- disappeared!" Howled Mrs. Mason, throwing herself into Mr. Mason's shoulder.
Charlie remained calm, though his face did not hold back his surprise and concern. "What do you mean 'gone'?"
"Last night, he just disappeared- which is more than impossible as he is in too weak a state to do such a thing on his own." Mr. Mason explained.
Charlie narrowed his eyes. "You think he had outside help?"
"We can only assume so."
"And you think Bella-,"
Mrs. Mason cut him off, appalled at Charlie's accusation. "Heavens no! We know Bella would never. We're only telling you because we thought you deserved to know…"
"Then what are you saying," Charlie asked. "I don't understand."
Mr. Mason spoke then. "To be perfectly honest, we ourselves don't know. I'm actually surprised you weren't aware of this already."
Charlie looked at me pointedly. "I took a week off."
"Oh, I see," Mr. Mason said. "And they haven't called you in?"
"Edward, this is irrelevant." Charlie wasn't pleased.
Mr. Mason shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry Charlie. This is just a very…hard time for Elizabeth and me. You have to forgive that I am letting myself roam out of place. I'm very on edge lately."
Charlie smiled sympathetically. "I understand, Edward. Tell you what; I'll go down to the office first thing in the morning. I'll even ask them why such an important event has not been brought to my attention immediately."
"Thankyou Charlie, you are a good friend."
"We all need to be good friends at a time like this."
Mr. and Mrs. Mason left then, though the concern for Edward remained in the air. I felt sick.
I looked at my father. "He's really… gone?"
"It seems so. But we'll try our hardest to find him."
"Nobody at the hospital saw? What about his doctor?"
"I don't know any details yet Bella. I have to contact my colleagues to find out what they have."
I took in a heavy, shaky breath. "Do you think he's still alive?"
"I hope so." Charlie's voice was grave and flat and he seemed to stare into nowhere, but his face was calculating.
I didn't know what to do with myself. This past month just seems so surreal I couldn't keep up with things. I couldn't grasp the fact that my world had fallen apart in the time span of a few weeks.
Edward couldn't be sick.
Edward couldn't be dying.
Edward couldn't be missing.
What page am I on now?
With all the emotions running through me the one that stood out the most, ironically, was nothing.
Oh how I wish that was the only thing I was feeling.
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"Dr. Cullen," Charlie greeted Carlisle. "My name is Charlie Swan; I am the Chief Policemen of Forks."
"Ah, Charlie Swan, you must be Bella's father." Carlisle smiled politely, shaking Charlie's hand.
I was pretending to have a difficult time choosing between salted peanuts and sour snakes at a vending machine not a few meters away from where Charlie and Dr. Cullen were speaking.
"Yes, well, I take it you've met her?" Charlie was clearly thrown by Carlisle's pleasant manner and exceptional looks.
"Lovely girl," Carlisle answered simply but the way he had said it implied more than a conversation focused only on me could accomplish.
"Thankyou," Charlie said, still slightly surprised. "Um, you are Edward Mason's doctor are you not?"
"Yes, I was Edward's doctor."
Charlie realised his mistake and went slightly red. "Sorry, I didn't mean…" he cut himself off. "Shall we… shall we take this someplace else?"
"Why don't you step into my office, and we can discuss whatever it is you need to in there?"
Charlie nodded with a smile. "Yes, alright," he said, his hat in his hand, he followed Carlisle to his office down the hall… and around a corner
Damn.
I quickly, almost running but not quite, hurried to the end of the hall to the adjoining corridor where Charlie and Carlisle and gone down.
I got there just in time to see the corner of a white coat enter a room as the door closed behind it.
Careful not to let my footsteps be heard, I walked to the door on the tips of my feet and placed my ear against it.
I had the right room definitely, I could hear the voices, and however they were difficult to understand. I strained to make out what they were saying.
"-yourself comfortable, Chief Swan,"
"Thankyou," I heard Charlie's gruff reply.
"You have questions about my patient's disappearance. That is why you are here am I right?"
"Spot on actually."
Carlisle's next words were careful and calm. "Your colleagues questioned me yesterday. Were you not satisfied with their results?"
"Actually," I heard Charlie stand up, his voice rise. "I'm taking this case a little more personal. My daughter was very close to Edward you see. So please forgive my unnecessary prying, I just don't feel I can afford to miss any important details."
"I completely understand, Chief Swan," Carlisle's words were honest. He did understand. However, I couldn't help but trace some guard in his voice.
What could he possibly have to keep from the police?
"So," Charlie started. "You were not here on the night Edward disappeared, is that so?"
"Yes."
"Can you please tell me what you were doing exactly that night?"
Carlisle spoke as if he'd rehearsed this speech, but I was very aware of how paranoid I was so I passed much of my suspicions off as a ridiculous mistrust. I didn't know what I mistrusted here.
"I was at the Captain's Cabin with my family. We were there from around seven until nine. I can't be exact with the time I apologise."
"That's quite alright. Now," he paused. "Captain's Cabin… that's that new restaurant that was just opened around the corner from the Fork's Library isn't it? Just down the road from here?"
"Yes. Is there something wrong?"
"No, no. I was just wondering… What's the food like?"
"Appetizing."
"That's good, good to hear…"he trailed off and cleared his throat. "Now, um, about Edward… before his disappearance, on Thursday night, did you notice anything… strange?"
"He seemed himself until around Tuesday when he started asking his visitors to stop visiting him. Actually, Bella and his family were the only ones who he told specifically to not visit him on Thursday."
What? I leant back from the door. What does that say about this situation? I checked to make sure no one was coming down the hall and pressed my ear back firmly against it when I was convinced no one was around.
I had missed a bit of the conversation.
"- been said that the cameras were all switched off. How is this possible?"
"Please, Chief Swan, I'm just a doctor. You should speak with the security office about this."
"You're right. I'm sorry. What I'm trying to ask is, ignoring the impossibility to get to the cameras without being seen and to switch them off, is that was Edward in any sort of condition to manage this?"
"He was not in any condition to do such a thing, no. He is not even capable of walking by himself."
"This was all done in five minutes," Charlie said.
"Which means he will have needed a wheel chair," Carlisle said.
There was another pause. "There were no missing wheelchairs."
"That's because it was returned."
"That's impossible."
"They got out in five minutes," Carlisle reminded him.
Five minutes. That should be impossible.
But I didn't really care. What mattered was that now we had proof that Edward had help.
"Oh, one more thing, Dr Cullen, do you mind?"
"Not at all," he said.
"How long did Edward have left, before he was kidnapped?"
I feared for his answer though I strained to hear what it was. "Six days at the most, possibly three now if he's lucky," his voice was traced with sadness but he kept it sounding professional.
"Well, I guess that's all I can really ask you, Dr. Cullen. Thankyou very much for speaking with me, I hope I wasn't any sort of inconvenience to your schedule."
"You have no need to apologise, Chief Swan. Have a good day."
"You too," I would have assumed was Charlie's reply as they probably shook hands. But I'd never know.
I was already running.
I made it to the sitting area for waiting patients and sat down in one of the chairs, flicking through the first magazine on top of the pile. It was at the same time that I realised it was for early mothers when Charlie, hat still in hand, and Carlisle came around the corner.
"Bella Swan," Carlisle greeted me, but then his expression turned soft as he said, "My most sincere condolences on the loss of your friend."
"People usually only say that when someone dies," I muttered. Carlisle's eyes were sad.
He seemed to understand however. He gave Charlie hand shake and said goodbye again. His eyes were amused when he saw the magazine I had tried to discreetly put away. I knew I was probably red as a cherry.
We left the hospital in a hurry.
In the car it was my turn to play detective.
"Dad, would you mind telling me what you know?"
Charlie hesitated. "What would you like to know?" His voice was stiff. He was going to be careful, I could tell.
"Did Edward do this by himself?"
"It would appear not."
"Didn't they see him on the cameras?"
"No, the cameras were turned off." He was trying to tell me as little as possible. Too bad I knew enough already to step around this obstacle.
"No security guards? They didn't see him coming?"
Charlie sighed. "It's a complete mystery. I'm only telling you this because I know how much Edward means to you. I don't want you repeating this to anyone, understand?"
"Of course dad," I promised, still waiting for the information.
"The security guard claimed to have gone to the toilet during this time. We thought that was suspicious at first, except that another guard said he saw the same guard got to the bathroom. Their time's matched."
"You don't think it was planned? It is a little suspicious. And how would they both know to check what time they go to the bathroom?"
"Part of their job I suppose, at least for the guard who watches the cameras. If anything happened he would need to know at what times he was away from watching. It's more to protect himself and his job more than anything. The other one was probably checking his watch regularly in the first place- it was a night shift, he was probably just looking forward to the end of it."
"He didn't have someone to replace him while he was away?"
Charlie looked at me and rolled his eyes. "It was at two AM in the morning, Bella."
"The guard must have been in the toilet for a while."
"Well no actually. The cameras were only off from 2:03 till 2:08."
I pretended to act surprised. "But that's only five minutes!"
"Only exaggerates the mystery."
"Exaggerates?"
Charlie sighed. "It's just too surreal to be true."
I knew exactly what he meant.
The ride was silent for a while, my thoughts absorbing and processing all that I had learnt.
But nothing seemed to add up. The only important things I had learnt were that Edward had help and that whoever it was that had helped him escape was good. Better than pro.
But had he escaped? Or was he kidnapped, as Charlie had said.
It really didn't add up at all. Why would Edward want to run away if he was so close to dying? Why didn't he want to spend his last days with his family, his friends?
With me?
But then if he was kidnapped, why did he tell his visitors to stop visiting? Was it just mere coincidence? Another cruel twist of fate to make things even more complicated than before?
I had two questions on my hands. How had they escaped and why.
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Charlie wasn't home a lot of the time these days. I appreciated his efforts in trying to find or solve Edward's disappearance and I decided to make it up to him by cooking a roast. I had to run down to the shops quickly to pick up what I needed- chicken, potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, peas and some ingredients for nice gravy to go with it.
It took up a lot of time but the finishing result was in itself a reward. I hoped Charlie would come home soon so I would not be forced to put his dinner in the warmer- that always dries it out.
I had just served it when Charlie came through the door. He looked exhausted as he shrugged off his jacket and hung up his gun belt with it.
He walked into the kitchen and saw the roast; his eyes widened.
"Wow, Bella. Oh and it smells delicious too! I can't believe I didn't notice it when I walked in."
"That's alright dad. You came just in time- I was about to put it in the warmer."
He grimaced at the thought of a near perfect dinner being ruined in such a heartless way.
"That was delicious Bells, thanks so much I really needed that," Charlie said when he was finished. He stood up and stretched, then went to pick up his plate.
"Leave it dad, I'll do the dishes. You've just had a whole day at work, you deserve a rest."
He smiled warmly. "I appreciate that."
I grinned at the sound of a crowd screaming and two men speaking excitedly.
The smile left as my thoughts suddenly strayed to Edward.
His face, his laugh, his smile.
Things I would never see or hear again. Ever.
I missed him. Oh I missed him terribly!
I wished he was here so we could get through this together, so I could express my worries to him. So he could hold me and tell me everything will be all right.
That might work if it wasn't him that was missing, that was dying.
Or possibly dead.
I swallowed the last bit of food on my plate with difficulty. My eyes closed tight, I tried to fight back the tears. I wouldn't cry. Not now. Don't cry. Don't be weak. Be strong.
But I missed him.
What do I do now that he's gone? Who do I go to when I'm hurting?
There was so much I wanted to tell him. So much time we could spend just talking, sharing our secrets and our thoughts.
Now all I have are the memories.
But even I know that those memories will fade. Vague pictures in my mind of myself with someone that never got to leave their mark in the world.
No, I would not forget Edward. I will never forget Edward.
I will remember him.
And I will just deal with the pain.
It's better than forgetting completely.
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I didn't sleep at all that night.
I didn't even go to bed.
I sat under my window, my ring from Edward on my finger. My room was lit with a dim blue light, the blue streaks marked on my wooden floorboards. It was this light I used to see as I painfully went through pictures of Edward's and my childhood together on those rainy holidays in Forks.
His face was just as beautiful as ever, no matter what age he was. Seeing his face again helped the pain.
However the pictures weren't enough and I threw the album down in my fury. That's how I found it. The loose floorboard I mean. I crawled over to the book and pushed it aside. I tried to lift the floorboard up but I found myself clawing at the ground, accomplishing nothing.
Quickly I went over to my wardrobe and took out a metal coat hanger. I dashed back to where the floorboard was and knelt down beside it. I struggled to unwind the top of the coat hanger where it was twisted together to join, but when I was done I had a long thin metal stick.
I put pressure on the end of the loose floorboard and as I expected it rose slightly, but not enough to get a finger underneath to pull up. So I bent the end of the metal and stuck it sideways. It fit in and I rotated it to get a hook onto the board. Then I pulled it up.
I don't know why I was so eager to look under the floorboard. I didn't consciously expect something to be hidden underneath.
But there was something
An envelope actually .
A gentle, coffee-stained colour and dust covered envelope.
With a shaking hand I picked it up and looked at it, afraid to open it.
But I did.
Oh boy has curiosity killed the cat.
It was a picture of Edward and me in clown suites from his tenth birthday.
On the back, in Edward's elegant scrawl, were two words.
I'm sorry.
I clutched the photo to my chest and cried. Those two words meant so much to me yet I wasn't even sure what he was apologising for.
Was it for leaving me?
Was it for hurting me?
Or has this letter just been down there much longer than I thought?
Maybe I'm catching up on a two year old apology.
But he used the same envelope as last time.
I didn't know how old or recent this was. And I didn't care.
I would pretend it was what I wanted to hear.
Because it was all I needed to hear.
For now.
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Another week passed and I found myself in black attire. My hair curled, my mascara smudged as it ran down my face with my tears.
Charlie held my hand, his expression empty. He gave it a comforting squeeze. In my other hand I held a single rose.
Mrs. Mason wept into her frozen husband's shoulder. He didn't seem to acknowledge her. His eyes were glued to the man who read kind words.
A crowd from school and most of Forks attended Edward's funeral, everyone wanting to pay their respects.
There were speeches made by those closest to him. Each one was equally as beautiful but none could do his kind heart any justice.
I didn't have a speech. The Masons understood. I knew Edward would understand.
I couldn't stand up behind that microphone and read something I'd written. There were just too many words I couldn't say.
Finally, the empty coffin was lowered into the ground. Most people closed there eyes and lowered their heads. I kept mine open, watching the coffin sink deeper and deeper into the earth as people threw the petals of their flowers they'd brought in with it.
Oh Edward, where are you?
In quiet mourning people walked away to the comfort of their homes, their families, their friends, wanting nothing more than to put this grief behind them, where Edward would just become a memory of something that was good while it lasted.
I threw my rose into the hole and let Charlie put his arm around my shoulder and lead me away from Edward's empty grave.
Though these words were not engraved in stone, they were engraved in my heart.
Edward Anthony Mason
My Best Friend, My Boyfriend, My Life
Forever and Ever
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There it was at the tip of my fingers
There it was on the tip of my tongue
There you were and I had never been that far
There it was the whole world wrapped inside my arms
And I let it all slip away
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What do I do now that you're gone
No back up plan, no second chance
No one else to blame
All I can hear in the silence that remains
Are the words I couldn't say
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There's a rain that'll never stop falling
There's a wall that I've tried to take down
What I should've said just wouldn't pass my lips
So I held back and now we've come to this
And it's too late now
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[Words I couldn't say- Rascal Flatts
Well, let me know what you think!!
2 days until I go away- would you like another chapter?
Remember, I'm gone for 3 weeks after this!
