Chapter 8
January 1 2012
"Happy New Year, doll!" Alice Cullen's voice had always sounded to Isabella like a chirpy bird but over the phone it was more like an injured screech owl. She pulled the phone slightly farther from her ear hoping to lessen the blow of Alice's powerful vocal cords.
"Happy New Year, Alice. How was the party?" Isabella was jealous of her best friend. She was now at college in New York City experiencing life in a whole new world while Isabella sat on their old floral couch in her cramped living room. She hoped it wouldn't show in her voice.
"Oh God Bella! It was amazing completely otherworldly. You wouldn't believe all the people and the watching the ball drop was unbelievable. Just you wait doll, next year you'll be right here next to me," Alice replied reassuringly.
"I really hope so."
"Don't worry about a thing because I know so." Isabella trusted Alice because she was always right but something sounded off in her voice. "How are things back at home?" The subject change was quick erasing the previous doubt from Isabella's mind for the time being.
"Nothing special just our normal celebration with your family lots of drinking of cheap champagne, playing card games and watching the Stanley's fireworks from the back porch."
"Oh that's sounds so nice. You have no idea how much I miss Forks sometimes and you Bella. I miss you so much."
"I miss you too Alice," she croaked and swiftly cleared her throat of the lump that had settled there. "Have you been watching this sickness on the news? It's crazy huh? They are always using those fear tactics. It's so sick how they love to scare everyone so much," Isabella said with a humorless chuckle. The other line was silent but only for a moment.
"I've seen it but Bella… I have a really bad feeling about this one," Alice said quietly, almost a whisper, her usual quirky attitude absent from her voice.
"What do you mean?" Isabella questioned her heart pumping erratically in her chest. Alice waited another minute to respond.
"Listen I want you to go the supermarket, okay? Can you do that Bella?"
"Wait, Alice, what are you talking about?"
"Buy everything you might need canned goods, toiletries, batteries, powdered milk, matches, everything okay?" Alice sounded frantic, her breathing labored through the phone.
"Alice you're scaring me," Isabella pleaded.
"Just promise me you'll do it. I'm emailing you a list."
"A list, Alice this is crazy!"
"Just promise me Isabella!" Alice never used her full name not once since she had met her twelve years ago.
"Okay Alice I promise," she said her voice shaking. Isabella could hear someone else talking in the background just before Alice ground out one last thing.
"Listen, doll, I gotta run. Things to do, places to be, people to meet and all that. Tell Charlie I said "hi", I love you Bella."
"I love you too," Isabella whispered but the line was already dead.
AN: Okay so I promised to update like two days ago but it just didn't happen. With my schedule I won't be able to update as frequently as I would like too so I am breaking apart all the chapters so they are between 500 and 1000 words. It's a little different but I didn't change anything! I also want to thank everyone who came back to read this after all this time. Your support means the world to me! Also welcome to all the new readers!
~ Juliet
