Authors Note; Hey! Yeah so um a new chapter is up, let me know what you think!?
Remember
Chapter 3
There's nothing on the news, it's like there's something being covered up and it's driving me insane. No one will tell me what's happening. Not knowing is probably the worst of it, I think I could handle things a bit better if I actually knew.
Maybe I wouldn't be so jumpy either.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" My mom asks a millionth time.
I nod, "Yes, I'll be fine; Dad will be waiting on the other side." I lie to her, sort of, for the millionth time.
I notice a couple of kids playing a few feet away; their mother can't get a handle on them it seems. My mother is still telling me something but I'm not paying much attention, no I'm stuck watching the kids play, they're chasing each other around, they can't be older than six and there are two of them. Then the younger one, probably around four, falls down and a high pitched scream fills the air.
I gasp as the scene in front of me changes in my mind.
I'm pressing myself into a wall next to a dumpster, hiding as I hold my breath and then I hear it. The pressured swoosh of air, a thud, a woman's cry, loud and heartbroken.
"Isabella!" My mom shakes me, nearly yelling at me.
I close my eyes and lean back against the wall. Phil has a hand on me as well and I finally open my eyes to look around, there's no darkness, no dumpster, nothing to fear.
I look to the two little kids, the mom is holding the youngest one, the older one is trying to see if she's okay.
"Isabella, are you okay?" my mom asks me. "Where'd you go?"
"I-I don't know what happened, I'm fine though, I'm okay." I tell her, I lie again; I've been doing that a lot lately. It's better than telling the truth, than admitting out loud that I think I'm losing it.
My mom rubs my back soothingly. "Okay, well, if you're sure then we need to get going so that you can catch your flight on time." She says.
Phil lifts my bags for me now and I nod, "Alright, I'm sure." I tell her with a deep breath.
~oOo~
I was restless on my flight but now I'm in Seattle and it's time to go and find my bag and then my dad who just text me that he's running a little late and wants me to wait outside for him, just great, thanks dad, ugh.
I see my bag heading in my direction and I step up to reach it but just as I'm about too someone else's hand reaches out and grabs it. My heart starts to pound as I look up at the man who's grabbed it. He's looking at it strange like and then he's looking for the information tag.
I see another bag coming around that looks just like mine, but I know it's not mine because I know where I placed my tags. I grab that bag and lift it up to read it.
Jasper Whitlock, please don't be a weirdo, dangerous or anything. I walk over to him just as he picks up the tag.
"Isabella M. Swan." He mummers, confused, "That's not me."
"That's me." I say, stepping forward a little, "You must be Jasper Whitlock?" I ask.
He gives me strange look and then looks down at my bag, "Holy… oh, um, yeah, that's me." He says.
I hold up his bag and he gives me this full on boy-grin. "I believe this one is yours, that one is mine." I tell him, nodding to the bag in his hands.
He looks down at it and then back up at me, "Yeah, sorry about that." He says handing it over.
I hand him his as well, "It's no problem." I tell him. "Good bye, Jasper Whitlock." I tell him slinging my bag over my shoulder.
"Bye, Isabella Swan." He says still smiling at me, he's really not bad looking, his blond hair is long, probably to his shoulders when loose, it's tied up right now, the bottom half of it is shaved. He has pretty blue eyes, like the ocean on a clear summers day and his eyes light up when he smiles; he's quite the looker actually.
I walk past him and head for the exit, once outside I decide to wait further off to the side away from everyone but not too far. I plop my bags down and take a seat on the ground to wait.
I can't get that scream out of my head, how sad it sounded, how heartbroken and terrified. I close my eyes and I see that brilliant green color still, bright and lively, I hear the soft spoken words of concern.
"Hey, Isabella Swan." I hear above me, I look up to find the young guy who took my bag.
My stomach knots, "Hey, Jasper Whitlock, what's up?" I ask him.
No need to freak out, not everyone is bad, I y try to remind myself.
He shrugs, "My driver isn't here yet, apparently there was a wreck and traffic is backed up." He says.
I nod, "Yeah, my ride isn't here either." I tell him.
"Mind if I join you?" he asks.
I shrug now, "Sure, if you don't mind sitting on the floor." I tell him.
"I don't mind at all. I'm from the south I'm used to getting down and dirty." He winks at me and I smile, easing up a little around him. "So, if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing here in Seattle? You live here or something?" he asks pulling out a pack of smokes.
He offers one to me and I shake my head no, "Um, actually my dad lives nearby." I sigh, "I just felt like getting away for a while so I'm coming to stay with him."
"That's cool, vacation." He says around his smoke. Somehow he makes smoking look pretty cool. "I'm here on business. I'm supposed to check up on a contract, see how she's doing and if there's any trouble." He says.
"Well I hope you find your contract not in trouble, smooth sailing and all." I tell him.
"And I hope your stay with your father goes over smoothly." He tells me.
I nod, "Me too, I haven't stayed with the man since I was fourteen. I put my foot down on the visitation rights and what not." I tell him.
"Oh man, I don't blame you kid, I'd hate that. My parents are still together, happily married for over twenty years now." He says. "They've been together through everything, the good stuff and the hard stuff, thick and thin." He says with a slight southern accent now.
I smile, "That's nice, I want that someday." I tell him.
He nods, "Me too."
He reaches down and touches my jacket and hums, "Man that soft." He says, "Cashmere?"
I shrug, "I don't really know, it…um it was a gift." I tell him.
"It's pretty, I like the color, it goes good with your skin." He says and then laughs, "Not to sound creepy or anything." He smears the last of the cig out on the concrete beside him.
I pull the sweater closer to me and take another deep breath of it in, the smell still strong, it comforts me. "It is pretty." I mummer to myself, really.
"Oh hey, my driver is here." He says nodding in the direction of a sleek black SUV. He holds out his hand to me, "It's been a pleasure Miss Isabella Swan." He says.
"Yeah." I tell him, giving him a small smile and shaking his hand.
He stands up and dusts off a bit, "You don't want a ride?" he asks.
I shake my head, "I'll be fine here." I tell him.
He nods, "Alright, Bye kid."
"Bye Jasper." I tell him and watch as the driver gets out and takes Jaspers bags from him. He opens his door and turns around, gives me that boyish-grin again and waves before turning and climbing in.
Not too much later my dad finally pulls up. "There was a big accident." He says stepping out to help me out. Ugh, I can't believe he brought his cruiser, I hate riding in the thing, nothing slows traffic like a damn cop.
"It's okay dad, I had company." I tell him.
"Oh yeah?" he asks, "Who was she?"
"He, his name was Jasper, some southern guy, really nice. He almost took my bag; we had the same looking one." I tell him as he closes the trunk.
My dad frowns, "You should be careful who you talk to Bells." My dad says, maybe that's where I get my paranoia from. "You never know when you're talking to a bad person."
I climb into the passenger side before I say, "Nah, Jasper gave me a good feeling, he was nice."
"Well, I guess I'm glad you had company." He says before we both go silent.
~oOo~
My room looks almost the exact same. The same purple walls, three light purple one dark, the same dark grey bedding that looks freshly washed, the same old computer and desk, the same nightstand that is now empty. The only thing new in the room is my few boxes that just got here this morning.
I unpack my stuff without any interruptions from my father and I don't see him until he comes up to my room hours later. "Hey kid, you hungry?" he asks.
"You telling me you learned how to cook?" I ask, half-jokingly.
He shakes his head, smile in place. "No, I was talking about the diner."
"Yeah, sure dad." I tell him and I follow him out of the door.
"I still have the food money jar, I just don't put much in it since you left, you're the only one who really knows how to cook in the house, and I burn everything." He says with a laugh.
"Well, you can start putting money in it again, I don't mind the cooking." I tell him.
He nods, "What I wouldn't give for a home cooked meal." He smiles back at me and I roll my eyes.
Everyone knows everyone in this town and well they all remember me. "Isabella, it's so good to see you." They all gush, it's all lies I'm sure, and they couldn't care less if I were here or not. I put on my fake smile and nod at them all, making polite talk and remembering my manners.
The lady who's been our waitress since before my mom left my dad is still working here and she waddles her way over quickly. "Look at you all grown up." She tells me and I just nod. "Oh, Charlie, after you left this morning a few men came in here, they're from out of town but I don't know where, they're staying at the motel down the street." She says.
I tense up at the same time my dad does. "Did they say what they're doing here?" He asks.
She shakes her head, "No but they don't sound like they're leaving any time soon either. There was a big fella, like really big and there was a tall scrawny looking fella with long hair that was kept tied back. They were both dressed in suits, looked almost important." She says.
Charlie nods, "I'll check it out tomorrow if they're still here. Maybe you should give a call if they come back in here?" he asks her.
She nods, "Yes sir." She says before turning to take our order back to the kitchen.
"So, have you um, have you remembered anything yet?" My dad asks.
I shake my head, "Not really, nothing that is big or important." I tell him.
"Mom called and said you blanked out earlier before your flight." He says.
"Rat." I mumble and he laughs. "It was nothing, just the kids screaming and I don't know." I shrug.
He nods, "I don't know how I feel about keeping you in the dark much longer, it bothers me not letting you know what you've been through but I've promised Renee that I wouldn't open my mouth just yet." He says leaning back.
"But you won't keep it from me forever, right? You'll ease this paranoia in me?" I ask him, hopeful.
He leans forward again, "You've been paranoid?" he asks.
I nod, "Wouldn't you be if you didn't have your memories but you know you've witnessed something bad?" I ask him.
"Yeah, I guess I would be, I'm sorry baby girl but I promise I won't keep you in the dark forever." He says just before the lady is coming back with the food.
A loud car door shuts and I look out the window to see a big black truck outside, two men get out but they're not really what the lady said they'd be, the guys are dressed nicely but they're both average height with short cut hair, almost like military style.
The waitress comes back and leans next to me, "That's not them." She says lowly.
My dad looks from them to me to the waitress, Gloria, I think is her name.
"Who are they then?" My dad asks.
"Not a clue." Gloria says staying by my side.
They walk in and both at the same time look over in our direction.
"Have a seat wherever you want, I'll be with you in a moment." Gloria calls out to them.
I watch them as they walk to the other side of the diner but they stay in view and take a seat. I catch the eyes of one of the men and he gives me this sinister smile and I realize, with fear in my heart, he's the same guy from the diner in Phoenix.
AN; so Jasper Whitlock... What do you think? Two different sets of guys in the diner, who is who? I'm going to start working on the next chapter so tell me what you think!