Chapter Twenty-One
Charlie was waiting in the parking lot of St. Bridget's that afternoon, standing outside of his police cruiser, a worried expression on his face.
"Hey Charlie, what's going on?" Nessie asked as she approached.
Charlie let out a long, deep breath, folding and unfolding his arms several times before speaking.
"I, uh... well, your mother didn't want me to tell you, but er... I didn't think it was right to keep things from you," he muttered uncomfortably.
"What?" Nessie asked, her heart beginning to pound.
"Another kid from the reservation's gone missing. Disappeared last night," Charlie explained.
Nessie's eyes widened, her heart skipping several beats. She could feel the terror rising in her throat as she spoke.
"Who?" she demanded.
"Leah Clearwater," Charlie replied.
"Oh no."
Nessie quickly leaned up against the cruiser, clutching to the hood so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She could see black spots flashing before her eyes.
"Hey kiddo, are you all right?" Charlie asked, quickly wrapping an arm around her waist.
"Who was the last person she spoke to?" Nessie asked. Charlie hesitated for a long moment.
"Jacob," he finally said.
Nessie let out a struggled, wheezing breath. Charlie quickly helped her into the passenger's seat of the cruiser, hurrying around to the driver's side.
"Ness, stick with me," he urged, reaching over and rubbing her back comfortingly.
Nessie forced herself to close her eyes, laying back against the passenger's seat. It could be worse, she kept telling herself. It could be Jacob.
"Bella said you wouldn't take this well," Charlie remarked, eyeing Nessie cautiously as she struggled to calm down.
"I'm sorry," Nessie uttered miserably.
"Look, Ness - I don't know what's going on with your family and the Quileutes. I've stayed out of it all ever since Bella and Edward were married. But when kids I've known my whole life start disappearing... I get scared," Charlie confessed. "I don't want the details of what's happening. But if there is anything I can do to stop this-"
"No," Nessie nearly shouted. "Charlie, you have to stay out of this."
"You're shaking," Charlie noticed, quickly reaching over and taking Nessie's hand in his own. She squeezed it tightly.
"Whatever's going on here... it's got you really shaken up, huh?" Charlie asked softly. The concern in his voice rang clear with every word.
"Yes," Nessie replied.
"Sue and I will take you in for as long as you need," Charlie offered. "Why don't you stay the night at our place?"
"I can't," Nessie insisted, shaking her head fervently. "I can't leave my parents, or Jacob. And we can't get you and Sue involved in all of this."
"When I said that I didn't want to know anything... I mean, if you're this scared, I'll step up. I can't watch my granddaughter go through this kind of fear and not try to help," Charlie said firmly.
"Charlie, I'm asking you - please, stay away," Nessie said, grabbing both of Charlie's hands in her own.
"That's exactly what your mother would say," Charlie sighed.
"If anything happened to you, or Sue, I couldn't bear it," Nessie insisted. "Sue must be so worried about Leah..."
"Seth is at the apartment with her now. He'll be glad to see you," Charlie said.
Nessie nodded, silently resigning herself to the passenger's seat as Charlie pulled the cruiser away from St. Bridget's Academy.
Just as they sped off, Nessie caught sight of Cody, standing on the stairs, staring after her curiously.
The minute Nessie stepped into Charlie and Sue's apartment, Seth's arms were around her. She hugged back eagerly.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Seth said, squeezing her small frame tightly.
"Me?" Nessie choked out, pulling away to stare at him. "Seth, you must be so scared."
Seth's young, boyish features were pale and sullen. He was no longer the bright, energetic young wolf Nessie had come to know and love. He was worried - worried sick. And he was scared.
"My mom isn't letting me go back to La Push," he said weakly, his huge eyes staring at Nessie sadly.
"She's doing what's best. We don't know what's out there," Nessie said.
"Well, we're not going to find out by sitting around hiding," Seth insisted.
"We can't afford to lose anyone else," Nessie countered. Seth sighed, clenching his fists for a moment in frustration.
"I know. I just hate not being able to help. I should be out there looking for Embry and Leah," he muttered.
"Don't worry, Seth," Nessie said, doing her best to keep a calm tone. She reached out, taking one of Seth's huge hands and squeezing it in her tiny, cold fingers. "They're going to find them."
"How do you know?" Seth's young innocence was back as he stared imploringly at Nessie, clutching her hand as though his life depended on it.
"The pack has never lost one of their own for good," Nessie replied weakly. It was killing her not to be able to comfort him.
Seth's face contorted into an expression of misery, and Nessie quickly flung her arms around him again.
"I'm so sorry, Seth," she whispered, leaning her face against his warm chest, and letting her weak body believe it was Jacob in her arms for just a moment.
"Don't be," Seth replied, beginning to trace circles around her back in gentle patterns. "This isn't your fault."
"You don't know that," Nessie pointed out.
"And you don't know that it is," Seth countered. "Don't blame yourself. You don't deserve that."
"I'm going to fix this. I owe it to everyone - to my family, to the pack, to Leah and Embry."
Nessie had almost fallen into a trance now, allowing Seth's warm, strong arms to comfort her, and hold her. In her mind, they were Jacob's arms. And she was safe.
"Nessie, if you ever did anything that might hurt yourself..."
"I can take care of myself."
Her words were almost meaningless as she allowed herself to fall into the calming trance of Seth's arms.
"If you got hurt, I could never forgive myself."
"I won't get hurt."
"I'm going to look after you, Nessa. I'm here for you."
"I love you, Jacob."
Immediately, the warm, comforting arms turned stiff, and Nessie jerked her head away from Seth's grasp. He was staring down at her in a mixture of shock... and longing.
"What?" he uttered.
"Nothing," Nessie said quickly, pulling away from Seth's arms and turning her face away. "I was just muttering."
"Did you just call me Jacob?" Seth asked eagerly.
"I wasn't thinking clearly," Nessie dismissed. "It was nothing."
"You said 'I love you'."
Nessie was cursing herself frantically for allowing that to slip from her mouth. Seth's eager young face was staring at her now, making her hate herself even more.
"I forgot who I was with," she confessed. "I'm sorry, Seth."
"Hey, no problem," Seth insisted, with a small grin. "Glad to know I was as comforting as Jake."
"Yeah. You wolves are just so warm and inviting," Nessie said, attempting to make light of the situation. To her relief, Seth chuckled.
"That's what we're here for. Personal heaters," he joked.
"Hey kids, how're you doing?"
Charlie and Sue, who had been conversing in the kitchen, finally emerged, eyeing Nessie and Seth carefully.
"We're okay, Charlie," Nessie assured him, with a weak grin.
"Nessie has a way of cheering people up," Seth said, his grin more convincing as he gazed at her.
"So does Seth," Nessie added, winking in his direction.
"I'm so glad you two are all right," Sue said, eyeing the two sadly.
"Sam and the pack will find Leah," Nessie assured her.
"I hope so," Sue said. "I just got her back..."
Nessie's heart ached as the truth of Sue's words slapped her in the face like a blow of cold wind. She stared at the woman before her with the utmost pity.
"Why don't we all watch a movie? Take our minds off of things," Seth suggested.
"I've gotta head down to the station to file some reports, see if anyone has any leads," Charlie replied. "But you three should try to clear your minds. Ness, I'll be back to get you around 7:00."
"Okay," Nessie squeaked pitifully.
Nessie, Seth and Sue sat down with some strange movie Seth had found on the television. They all made several attempts to acknowledge the movie, such as pathetic laughs, or pitiful jokes and comments about the plot. But none of them were actually paying attention, and after a while, Sue got up and began puttering around.
Seth wrapped a large, comforting arm around Nessie's shoulders, and though she knew she should not allow it, Nessie could not bring herself to push him away. She needed Seth right now.
She needed Seth because she could not have Jacob.