Transcontinental Telecommunication

Tuesday 11-19-2011/6:37 p.m.

The Swan home Hauptsee, Switzerland

Elisabeth Swan's Pov.

When we had managed to push the bookshelf a couple of feet to the right, a piece of dark brown wood became visible behind it. Isabella laughed, and she sounded genuinely amused. Over the past few weeks, I had never heard her be this happy. And it wasn't like she hadn't laughed the whole time – she had always tried to keep up appearances, especially for Abigail – but her laughs had never been completely sincere, they had sounded forced. "This is the craziest thing I have ever witnessed" she whispered. We pushed the shelf a little further, until the whole door was free.

"It is pretty crazy. Your dad and I discovered it when you were nine. He wanted to put a desk between shelves 49 and 50, and when we moved it to the side, we found the door. I have never experienced anything like it. It was wild. We couldn't believe it!" I opened the door. Behind it, there was a narrow spiral staircase that went upstairs very steeply. I took my daughter upstairs. At the top of the stairs, there was another wooden door. "I should warn you, everything's pretty old up here. We cleaned up a little, set up a power connection and installed a lamp, but that's about all we did. We're guessing this room was built in the late 1800s, so don't be surprised" I informed her.

Carefully, I opened the heavy door. It creaked. I hadn't been up here in a few weeks – and everything was dusty accordingly. "It was too tedious to light up all the candles on the chandelier. That's why we connected the room to the power grid and replaced the candles with lamps" I explained as I flipped the light switch. The light was reflected in the crystals and the whole room was flooded with a warm light. The chandelier was probably my favorite thing about this whole building.

This room wasn't quite as tall as the others, but it was surprisingly big. There was an ancient sofa with dark green velvet upholstery and an old wooden table with a couple of chairs. At the other end of the room, there was a large old desk and a few bookshelves with thick tomes that were bound in leather – they were probably just as old as the room. I loved those books and wouldn't give them away for any amount of money. Bella looked around and smiled. "That's a really nice room. I had no idea…." Her eyes gleamed for just a split second, then they went back to their previous state of reserved coolness – but at least for that little moment, she had looked genuinely happy. That was a start, at least.

I sometimes thought about Bella as my most difficult patient. Of course, she was my daughter and I realized that that made the situation slightly more complicated and put me in a position where I could not help her – at least not in a professional manner. But still, the therapist in me couldn't help but keep a close eye on her and watch for signs that she wasn't doing well. And over the past few weeks I had spotted an armada of bright red flags. I knew that she was doing considerably worse now than before, but I just didn't know why – it wasn't like she made it particularly easy for me. She was good at hiding things she didn't want others to see. Somebody who didn't know her very well probably wouldn't even suspect anything. She very tediously kept up that happy façade, but I knew better.

I was aware that I was probably not the only one who realized that Bella was going through a rough time. Her dad was worried too, and I knew that some of her closest friends suspected that things weren't going well at the moment. It was just that nobody dared to ask her about it. That was understandable – Bella could be surprisingly forceful in shutting down those types of conversations. Usually, my daughter was a very considerate person, but I had seen her get pretty nasty when she was put in a position where she didn't exactly know how to react.

By now, Bella had crossed the room and was looking at the covers of some of the old books. There was something reverent in the way the treated the old tomes. If I didn't know better, I would have been sure that she really was Charles' daughter. They were very similar in a number of ways, although they looked almost nothing alike. Both of them were extremely enthusiastic about learning and experiencing new things, they shared a deep passion for science and nature, and a rather surprising interest in cars – although I was pretty sure that that was solely Charles' fault. Bella had grown up with an adoptive dad who could talk about cars for hours on end and who owned whole shelves of books and magazines about them. It was almost ridiculous.

That naturally had rubbed off on Bella, and although she didn't actually know very much about cars, she still found pleasure in talking about them. Even when she was just a little girl, she would sit next to her dad on the sofa and watch TV series about cars with him. Generally, neither of them spent a lot of time watching TV, but those shows were an exception. On the weekends, Charles would sometimes take her to museums or car shows. They had spent a lot of quality time together that way. It made me smile.

I glanced at my watch and groaned. I hadn't been aware that it was 6:50 already. "Bella?" I asked. "Yeah?" she responded. "I'll have to go pick up Abby now. I'll leave the shelf where it is because I highly doubt that Abby would notice. As soon as she's in bed, I'll come back, and I'll bring your dad and some food, also. Is that alright?" She nodded. "Sure, I'll see you in a little bit then. I'm so sorry." What exactly was she apologizing for? "I… I shouldn't have come here, mom. I'm sorry" she added. It was barely more than a whisper, but I could still understand what she was saying. It worried me. "Don't be, sweetie. Whatever is going on, I am sure we can figure it out somehow. Never stop believing in that."

I gave her another hug, just to make sure that all of this was really happening, then I went back downstairs, walked across the garden and got in my car. It was still raining, even harder than before. I wasn't usually a very emotional person, but I had a hard time keeping myself together, so I just sat there for a moment before driving to the ballet school. The fact that this entire situation had changed so quickly was deeply concerning. Seeing Bella in the state she was in now hurt my heart. I still wasn't sure what she was trying to apologize for, but it troubled me. She had struggled with self-blame for a long time and I had believed that she had overcome it. Evidently, I had been wrong.

It seemed like, for some reason, she had fallen back in a sort of limbo. Now it was up to us to help her back on her feet and I would do whatever it took to help her. After all, she was my daughter and she in no way deserved to suffer like that, but somehow it seemed like she had a personal rain cloud following her wherever she went. Leaving her all alone in that room made me feel horrible. Maybe, all the years I had spent being a therapist had made me a little paranoid, but I had seen many truly awful things happen. But I trusted Bella – she was mature and responsible person and I was sure that she wouldn't make any rash decisions.

I stared in the pouring rain for a few seconds, then I started the engine. The drive to the ballet school would take me approximately 15 minutes. That was just enough time to make a much-needed phone call. Never before had I been so thankful that Charles had convinced me to install a hands-free set in my car. If there was one thing I couldn't stand it was people being on their phones while driving. I knew I had added the school's number to my contacts when Bella first decided she was going to go there, and I was so glad I had done it.

It was almost 10 am in Forks, so I didn't have to worry about waking anybody up. I dialed the number and waited. It took a few seconds until I heard the dial tone. "Esme Cullen, how can I help you?" a friendly female voice asked. Bella ha told me that she was a wonderful lady and just listening to her answer the phone made me think that that was probably true. I had rarely ever heard so much goodness and kindness in a voice. It calmed me down a little bit.

"Uh, this is Elisabeth Swan. I'm Isabella's mother. Good morning" I replied in tried to hide my nervousness as much as I possibly could.

Esme's Pov., Forks, a few minutes earlier

The bell rang, second period had just ended. All the students were almost frantically packing up their things and it looked almost like they were trying to escape my classroom. I thought that my lesson on Shakespeare's Macbeth had been pretty good but seeing them all run off made me chuckle. At least they didn't look unhappy. The kids were all laughing and talking to their friends, so it couldn't have been too bad.

Over all the students' voices, I heard my cell phone vibrate in my purse. Suspecting that it might be important, I picked it up and looked on the screen. It was the number Bella had told me was her mother's – I had expected her to call me today, as Bella had thought it to be very likely. "That would be very like her" Bella had told me. She had obviously been right. I pressed the answer button on my cell phone. It wasn't a particularly new model, but it still worked perfectly fine and I had been resisting Alice' pleas for me to buy a new one. I just didn't think it necessary.

"Esme Cullen, how can I help you?" I answered. I quickly wrote a message for my students on the blackboard – "I will be back soon, continue reading until page 137" – so that they would be at least a little productive while I was on the phone. I had been planning to let them read for a few minutes anyways. "Uh, this is Elisabeth Swan. I'm Isabella's mother. Good morning" the voice at the other end of the line said. She most definitely sounded nervous and a little worried.

"Oh, good morning Mrs Swan. What can I do for you?" I tried to sound at least a little surprised to hear form her. I also attempted to sound as calm as I could. I didn't want to alarm her in any way and I was aware that I was good at comforting and soothing people. This was a fantastic opportunity to make use of that skill. I left the classroom right as the first students entered it. The hallway was packed with students and quite noisy, so I swiftly made may way towards a quieter place. Luckily, the students moved to the sides when they saw me coming towards them. As the principal of the school, I was still an authority figure and most of the students respected that. I also suspected that my face looked pretty serious and that nobody wanted to bother me in that situation.

"I really hope I am not bothering you, Mrs Cullen" Mrs Swan said, clearly more insecure and nervous than before. The poor women seemed to be all washed up. I empathized with her. If one of my daughters suddenly showed up on my front step without any notice even though she was supposed to be on the other side of the globe, I'd be pretty shaken. That was just natural.

"You aren't at all, I promise. You're always welcome to call me. Did Bella make it to Switzerland safely?" I tried to reassure her. "Uh, yeah…" she replied pensively. "She seems so overwhelmed and confused…" It sounded like Bella had at least let down her guard a little bit. That could only be a good thing in my opinion. Now I just had to hope that her parents would take the news well – if there was such a thing – and that she wouldn't end up feeling even worse than she already was. I wasn't too worried. From everything I'd heard, her parents were fantastic people with only the best intentions, so I was confident that they would be able to figure things out alright once they got over the initial shock.

"I am very glad to hear that. Is there anything I can do for you, Mrs Swan? Why did you mean to talk to me today?" I asked. She sighed. "Well, that's a good question actually… I am not completely sure, and I don't think I've really thought about that yet… It just seemed to be the right thing to do. I am probably just as confused as Bella and she refused to tell my anything. She wanted to wait until her father gets home and it worries me. I guess it all just doesn't make much sense to me, this whole situation. Bella always tries to be very though, and she does a very good job of putting up a show and making it look like everything's fine. She's so cold sometimes, even though that's nothing what she really is like. You know, deep within, she's just a helpless little girl. And today, something is different – I just can't tell what it is. I don't know what to do. I don't want her to suffer, but she does, and she has been suffering for years now. It's not a new thing, but it somehow seems to have gotten worse… I just want her to be happy. Isn't that what any mother would want for her daughter?"

Bella's mom sounded so incredibly desperate. Her voice broke at the end of her little monologue. Those were the words of a loving mother and I was sure that that was exactly who she was – a mom who loved her daughter more than words would ever be able to express.

"I really don't know what to tell you Mrs Swan. I don't know Bella very well yet, but I can understand very well what you are trying to say. I've seen it with my own children and I think I see it a little bit in Bella as well. Now, I don't want to sound pretentious and I am in no way an expert, but we, too, have noticed that Bella is … having a hard time at the moment. In all honesty, my son Jasper was the first one to notice it. He's a very… sensitive young man and it didn't take long until he saw that something wasn't quite right. If he hadn't pointed it out to us, we might not even have realized it. She really does hide it very well. At first sight, one would think that she was a perfectly normal girl – although, that's probably not quite true. She is almost enchanting in a way. One would think that she is absolutely perfect" I replied.

Mrs Swan sighed. "That certainly sounds like Isabella" she said. "I should probably mention that the first time we really saw that something is wrong was when my husband accidentally startled her on Saturday morning. He just meant to bring her something to eat and she didn't see him approach her and it surprised her and, um… she had a bit of a breakdown. At first, Carlisle, my husband, was a little worried about her heart, but be had it checked out and I assure you that everything seems to be perfectly fine." I felt like I should probably tell her about it, but I also really didn't want to unsettle her any more. Mrs Swan sighed loudly.

"She had another breakdown? I thought that it had finally stopped… It'd been such a long time since it last happened, and I really hoped that attempting a fresh start would end those episodes once and for all. It almost seems like I was completely wrong." She sounded crestfallen. "Oh, Mrs Swan, don't we all sometimes hope in vain? I am sure the fact that it hadn't happened is a good sign. You should focus on that. We're all just human, we all sometimes are mistaken" I tried to reassure her.

"Oh, you're probably right. It's just very hard not to worry. Bella just isn't doing well at the moment and I am not sure what there is I can do to help her." She sighed again. "As I said, you know your daughter much better than I do and I am no expert, but I will dare to agree with you. Over the past few days, it had become increasingly clear to us that something isn't quite right. Carlisle, my husband, had a hunch that she might have moved here to escape… well, something… But of course, we really don't know enough to figure out the whole story. It sounded plausible to me."

Mrs Swan didn't speak for a moment. "You know, that's the conclusion I have come to too. Very suddenly, Bella wanted to get as far away from here as possible. I told her that distance alone is never really a solution, but she just couldn't wait to get away…" she explained. I nodded and bit my lip. "My main concern is that whatever she was trying to escape from might have caught up with her already. I just really hope that she will open up to someone and get some help. Bella seems like a very strong young woman, but she might be trying to do too much on her own – at least as far as I can tell."

"Do you know why she came back to Switzerland so suddenly then?" Bella's mother asked, sounding almost hopeful. "I do, but you will have to ask Bella yourself. She told me that it was likely that you would call me to ask and asked me not to tell you anything. She has my word and I don't think it would be right for me to lose her trust so early on. I do not break my promises if I can somehow help it" I said apologetically. Mrs Swan chuckled, but it sounded resigned.

"Well, that does sound like my daughter… I hate to be so persistent, but could you at least tell me if it is something terrible? Not being in the know makes me incredibly nervous and I imagine all sorts of horror scenarios…" she asked. I sighed. I felt awful for the poor lady, so I decided to tell her as much as I could reconcile with my conscience. "Frankly, that's a little complicated. I really don't know what you would think to be terrible. It's difficult to categorize. Bella's life isn't in immediate danger, but I won't lie – you probably won't like it very much. I'd say that, objectively speaking, it's probably not a … joyous … occasion. In all honesty, I find it hard to tell, but I imagine that some more issues will arise in the long term. But, as I already said, I just met Bella a few days ago, so I find it difficult to assess the situation."

I was pretty sure that everything I'd just said hadn't made much sense, but it was the best I could do. "You are cryptical, Mrs Cullen. But thank you for at least trying. I appreciate that you want to honor Bella's wishes and I am sure that she will appreciate that as well. I'll try to think back to your words when Bella tells us what's going on. Who knows, I might find them helpful. I'll see" she thanked me. For a second, neither of us spoke, then Mrs Swan gasped.

"Good lord, I am still stealing your time!" she sounded shocked at herself. "Oh, don't you worry. You have a reason to. God knows, if my child suddenly showed up at my doorstep, I'd probably try to do anything I could to find out more. I also want to apologize for letting Bella shock you like that. I suggested warning you, but she wouldn't give in. You also don't have to worry about bothering me. My students were supposed to do some individual reading anyway. They can absolutely do that without me – I'd expect they're old enough. And sometimes it's just nice to talk to somebody, even if they can't tell you much, isn't it? And frankly, I had almost expected you to call. After all, Bella had told me you would" I reassured her.

The phone call really hadn't bothered me in the least. On the contrary – it had helped both of us to understand the situation better and this seemed to be a very exceptional situation. "Sometimes it really is amazing how well my daughter knows me, even though she seems so reserved most of the time. I certainly won't complain" Mrs Swan muttered. "Oh, I'd agree. She seems to be much more attentive and sensitive than it seems at fit sight" I agreed – Bella's personality was mesmerizing in a way and was keen on getting to know her better.

We both were quiet for a moment, until Mrs Swan interrupted the silence. "Do you think there is something I can do for Bella at the moment? How should I act towards her? I find it so difficult to decide what I should do because I know so little, but I have a feeling that this is a crucial moment in all of our lives, so I don't want to make it harder for her than it probably already is" she wanted to know. I thought about it for a second. "No," I said, "I don't think there's much you can do. I suspect that Bella might even prefer if you treated her like you always do. Stay calm, give her the support she needs. She'll be glad if she has someone who has her back. It'll make it much easier for her. But besides that – no, I don't think there is much you can do in this situation."

"Well… Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. I can't even tell you how thankful I am. I'll have to hang up in a second. You have helped me tremendously, Mrs Cullen. Thank you for your patience and grace." Bella's mom sounded honest and far less confused than just a few minutes ago. "I assure you that it was a pleasure to speak to you. Feel free to call me at any time of day – or night, for that matter – if you need somebody to talk to. I am always to help where I can" I replied.

"I appreciate that. Goodbye Mrs Cullen" she said. "Yes, goodbye. It was a joy to talk to you. I wish you all the best – don't be too hard on Isabella. I am sure that she deserves all the support she can possibly get." Mrs Swan sighed. "God knows, we'll do our best. Goodbye." She hung up.

What a nice lady. I liked her, even though I very obviously didn't know her at all. The past few minutes had made me understand why, as Carlisle had told me, the Swans were so well-liked. It had also become very clear why Bella seemed to adore her mother. The two of them seemed to have a very close bond. In any case, I'd be glad to talk to them again. I sighed and started walking back to my classroom. After all, I still had a class to teach and leaving the students alone for an entire hour probably wasn't an option. I opened the door and was pleased to see that almost all of the kids were actually doing their assigned reading.

"Good morning everybody. I apologize for being late, but there was a very important phone call I had to make." When they heard my voice, most of the students looked up from their books. Those were the teens Bella would have English with – I had put her in my third period class. It would be a lie if I denied that they were my favorite class. I liked all of my students – well, almost – but I absolutely loved this group. They were reliable and genuinely interested in literature, which made classes so much more fun for everybody involved. I was sure that Bella would enjoy it as well.

"Alright, I'll give you guys a couple more minutes to finish, then we'll talk about some of the important passages I asked you to prepare for today." The students mumbled something and nodded then they continued reading. I went over to my desk and sat down. It was time to return back to reality. I glanced at my lesson plan and waited for the kids to finish their reading. It felt like a weight had been taken off my shoulders. Talking to Bella's mom had given me hope that they would be able to figure everything out somehow.

Maybe, everything would be alright after all. I really hoped that Bella would be able to find a solution that allowed her to live her life to the fullest.