Chapter Fourteen

Bella

I was still struggling to make sense of all this despite Aiysha's help as she pulled my lap top over and started pecking away on the keys. Then my phone rang, it was Charlie with one of his infrequent checking in calls.

"Hi Bells, hows College?"

"Fine thanks, still working hard".

"I hope you get time off to meet people, you know what they say about all work and no play"

"I'm not interested in play dad. I remember where it got me once before. I found someone and thought he was the one only to be betrayed by everyone."

I stressed the "everyone", it still hurt.

"Please Bella. I thought we agreed to drop that subject."

"Then don't bring it up dad. I'm not seeing anyone nor have I been or will I be. Hows things in Forks? Sue OK?"

He knew better than to continue the conversation on that topic.

"Same old same old. Still fishing, hunting, and working. Jake asked after you yesterday while Sue and I were at the Res."

"Say hi from me."

"He wanted your number to ring you himself"

"No, I don't want any connections with Forks dad other than you. Just tell Jake I said Hi. How's Billy?"

"Not so good, he's been getting chest pains and after Harry it spooked him."

"Did he get it checked out?"

"He's going tomorrow, Jakes taking him. How's your mother?"

"Fine I think. I don't speak to her that often, she's busy with Phil and the team. I'll tell her you asked. Dad I have to go now, I've got a girlfriend here doing some research with me."

"OK, speak to you soon Bells."

That went as well as usual but I forgot about it when I heard Aiysha's groan.

"No, nothing here about weird animal cults in Texas, unless you include bull riding as a cult?"

"Ah, no I don't think so. So it's a dead-end?"

"Looks like it for now. Let me see if I can get anything on the cult my friend told me about, the ones who used the symbol on your bracelet. Right, they were based in Mexico but I guess that's no help, no place called Mexico in Texas unless the bracelet refers to the border but I think that's a bit vague unless we're missing a clue."

She looked at me with curiosity but I shook my head,

"Sorry, that's all there were. I took it out of its wrapping paper myself."

"The wrapping paper. Did you keep it?"

I nodded my head smiling, a little embarrassed, I didn't want her thinking I was some kind of pack rat but she just smiled broadly,

"Go get in then girl, don't just stand there grinning like a lunatic."

I went into my bedroom and came back with the wrapping paper, box, and note, which I handed over a little reluctantly. She examined the wrapping paper while I made more coffee,

"Well it's not a lot of help but the paper does have hearts and stars on it so it reinforces what we figured out so far. The box was plain white so no help there."

She turned it over in her hands looking at the message printed on the bottom and I saw the gleam in her eyes brighten.

"Except...except...well, well, what do we have here?"

She held the box up to the light,

"There's something embossed on the lid, very faint but it's there,"

"What is it?"

She turned the table lamp on and held the box up to it and we could both see the mark.

"It's a number. A phone number maybe?"

"Nope not long enough Bella."

"A zip code?"

"Could be, or an address maybe, lets see".

She tapped the number in but got no hits on a zip code,

"OK so it's probably an address but where, somewhere in Texas, maybe near the Mexican border."

"Do you know anything at all that might help?"

I shook my head,

"No. There has to be more Aiysha."

"You're going to go find this guy aren't you?"

"I don't know, its been a really long time since I saw him. Hey, I never said it was a guy."

"You didn't have to. No girl set this up and it would be my guess that you still think of him don't you?"

I shrugged rubbing my arm absently then saw her look at me keenly.

"He's connected with that scar on your arm isn't he?"

"Yes, he saved my life."

"So why did you lose contact? From his present I'd say he's still sweet on you."

"The present is an old one and he didn't actually give it to me. I never saw him again."

"Why didn't you open it then?"

"Its complicated Aiysha, there was trouble with his family and I left to live with my mum again."

"Oh right. No more embarrassing questions Bella. So where do you go from here?"

"I have no idea, he may already have given up on me."

"Not if that's anything to go by."

"Well, I wanted to solve the problem anyway and like I said I'm not even sure it's from him."

"OK then, but it's from someone who thinks or thought you might want to trace him. So, back to the grind stone. I'll see if I can get anything else from my friend, anything that might help us. In the meantime can I ask what this guy is like?"

"Tall, blond, handsome, a fashion shoot dream".

"Wow, don't you have any photos?"

"No"

I thought about the photo I had torn up of Edward and myself at that fateful party. Edward, I hadn't thought about him in ages not without bitterness and the thought of running into Carlisle Cullen made my blood boil, his lies had cost me almost everything, my fathers respect, my mothers trust, and my own peace of mind. One day, one day, I vowed I would see an opportunity for revenge or at least so I promised myself in the dark hours as I lay awake in bed.

It was almost a week before I heard from Aiysha again, apologising madly for not telling me she was waiting for a call back from her friend with regards to the mysterious cult.

"I'm sorry Bella. My Mum was taken ill too but I really should have rung you."

"No problem Aiysha, I'll see you tonight and I hope your Mum gets better soon."

She turned up that evening with a huge pizza and as we sat together on the floor eating it I could tell by her expression she had good news.

"Right Bella, I think we might just have narrowed the search a little. I got all the info I could about that cult and it wasn't until I studied it that I saw something. Their name, Huastin.

"Right, Austin, of course."

"Or Houston"

"Oh right. Well that may have narrowed the search Aiysha but it's still two huge cities."

"What about his surname? That might help."

"Not necessarily, he was fostered so it could be Cullen or Hale or something else entirely."

"Well how about we try the phone books?"

"I don't think he'll have a land line."

"What about his foster parents?"

"No. Definitely not."

"OK, sorry I stepped on a raw nerve. Would our mystery puzzle setter expect you to contact his foster family?"

"No they wouldn't."

"Then he's left you another clue somewhere in the present."

"What about the wrapping paper, the stars and hearts."

"What like a clue to a street or area in the city?"

"Well its worth a try. I don't have any classes tomorrow afternoon so I'll see what I can find out. Meet you at Starbucks tomorrow evening 7pm and remember the coffees are on you."

I nodded and watched as she collected her books and left. I would never have worked all this out without her help...no I wouldn't...which meant whoever set this up knew I would be friends with the one person who could help me. I suspected Alice was involved in this somehow, was all this something she had dreamed up and if so why? What could she possibly want me to find Jasper for? Was this a kind of mind game? Should I stop now before the Cullens got me into even more trouble?

I didn't understand the meaning behind the gift but it must have been important for him to give it to me, or at least he thought it was but again had he been played as I was? Could Alice be behind it all? Had he even left the present for me or was it unconnected to Jasper? It didn't make sense but then nothing about that party or the aftermath did. I sighed, my life was uncomplicated and peaceful and I wasn't sure I wanted any ripples disturbing it. Was I really interested enough to find out where Jasper was? Was it important that I did so? Or was I doing exactly what Alice wanted and thinking about the painful past? I couldn't answer these questions and it was time for me to concentrate on studying so I pushed it to the back of my mind.