Disclaimer: I don't own it.
Death and Resurrection
Chapter 21
We're finally in Forks.
It's the first time since the funeral.
Charlie had insisted on a traditional Catholic funeral service even though he and Bella, along with the majority of their family, were nonreligious.
Didn't make any sense, but half the family readily backed him up when asked.
"So, how are we going to do this because the Chief still scares the crap out of me?" Em says, staring across the street to the house I had been in countless times in high school.
The house still looks the same with its white siding, dark red door, and police cruiser sitting in the driveway. Even Bella's Chevy sculpture still rests next to it.
Suddenly the front door swings open and Chief Swan is standing there. "I know you kids want to talk to me. Why don't you come in?" he calls out.
Thunder rolls across the sky, making the decision for us.
"So," he says once we're settled in the living room. Charlie's acting like he's been expecting us to come. Or at least me.
"Why are you here? I know you didn't come just to see little old me." He casually takes a pull from his can of coke and I nearly have a heart attack. I had been able to avoid it for a year.
It was Bella's favorite soda.
Alice is sitting next to me and, when it's obvious that no one is going to respond, she jabs her little elbow into my ribs.
"We came to ask you something…" I stutter out. I'm suddenly nervous, afraid of my would-have-been-father-in-law.
Afraid of what he may say.
"Well?" he asks.
I gulp. "We want to know…if there is the slight chance that Bella may not be dead." It comes out of my mouth like a rush of water from a waterfall but I know that he heard me. Charlie freezes and the empty can drops from his fingers.
He stares at us, eyes flickering from face to face.
"What do you know?"
I shake my head. "That's the thing, we don't know anything."
He stands and starts to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace. He stops suddenly, picking up a frame on the mantle.
I remember that day. The day we went to our senior prom.
One of the days he learned that his little girl wasn't a little girl anymore.
"I'm going to tell you something but you have to listen." His expression is fierce, almost scary.
We nod, attention focused on the Chief.
"What are you trying to tell us, Charlie?" Rose asks.
Charlie's expression softens as he takes in our faces.
"That nothing is as simple as we want it to be…and that she's closer than you think, but farther out of reach."
I blink at him.
I never knew that Charlie could be that cryptic.
Yeah, who knew? So what do you think about Charlie's little message?
More tomorrow.