Hello! Little author's note: I've created a Pinterest for this story, so if you've ever wanted to see things like what Bella's promise ring looks like, to the outfits she wears, be sure to check it out! Find it by searching The Right Kind of Monster or therightkindofmonster on Pinterest!
"Are you sure you can't come?" Bella asked, tossing her bag into the cruiser. "I'm gonna miss you!"
"I'm gonna miss you too," Jake replied, folding Bella into a hug. "But it's only four days. And I'll be there to pick you up from the airport when you get back. There's also been some activity around Forks so I need to be on call." He said the word like it was something to be excited about.
"Don't make it sound so fun," Bella said. She didn't like the idea of vampires encroaching on her life again, much less when they could hurt Jake.
"We'll be just fine," he reassured her, running a hand through his shaggy, dark hair, which was due for a trim. "Most likely just a couple of nomads passing through. And we don't recognize the scent, so it's not...you know."
Bella sighed and shut the car door, trying to maintain composure, when in reality she was freaking out. A million questions were swirling around in her brain. What if they hurt Jake? What if this is the last time I see him? She shook her head to clear the negative thoughts and tried to focus on something else.
"I'm glad I get to see my mom before we head off to University. Plus I could use a tan," she said laughing. She held her arm up to Jake's and laughed harder at the contrast between their skin tones. Jake was a velvety russet color, and she was so pale she was almost translucent. He pulled her in for another hug and planted a kiss on the top of her head.
"I should probably let you go," he said reluctantly, pulling away. "I'll see you soon. And hey, I left a little something in your suitcase," he said with a wink. Bella was instantly curious.
"I'll be back before you know it, and be safe. That's an order," she said sternly. Jake smiled his sunny smile and then took off toward the forest, leaving Bella alone with her thoughts. She was flying out of William R. Fairchild International Airport which was about one hour away from her house, but wanted to get there early in case of any complications, as there always seemed to be at airports. Bella sighed, thinking about Jake already, and wrapped her arms around herself against the wind that was picking up. She stared at the place in the trees where he had disappeared for a moment until Charlie interrupted her reverie.
"Ready to go Bells?" he asked, plodding down the front steps of the house.
"Yep," she replied, sliding into the passenger seat of the cruiser.
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A crackly voice came over the intercom.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight 4B7 with service from Port Angeles to Jacksonville. We are currently third in line for take-off and are expected to be in the air in approximately eight minutes time. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure all baggage underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments. We also ask that your seats and table trays are in the upright position for take-off. Please turn off all personal electronic devices, including laptops and cell phones. Smoking is prohibited for the duration of the flight. Thank you for choosing Mountain Airlines. Enjoy your flight."
Bella sighed and looked out the window. The seat beside her was empty, and she hoped it would stay that way. She wasn't really in the mood to make awkward small talk with someone for seven hours. God. Seven hours. Bella thought. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat, already bored out of her mind.
"Uh, hi," a voice said suddenly. "I don't mean to disturb you but I think this is my seat." Bella's eyes snapped open and she looked up to see a boy around her age standing in the aisle. He had an angular face, brown, curly hair, and round glasses. He was gesturing to the seat next to Bella's. Great. Bella thought begrudgingly, but she smiled and replied, "Of course!"
The boy stuffed his bag into the overhead carriers and then slid into the seat next to Bella. They sat in awkward silence for a moment, before the boy looked over at Bella and held out his hand.
"I'm Cooper," he said. "Cooper Curran." Bella eyed his waiting hand and reluctantly took it, giving it a light shake and then retracting her hand.
"I'm Bella," she replied, looking down, not offering her last name. She was cut off by the intercom again.
"Ladies and gentleman, our flight from William R. Fairchild Airport to Jacksonville International Airport is departing now, please take your seats."
"So," the boy said. "Do you live here or are you just visiting?"
Bella looked up at him and noticed he had striking brown-yellow eyes, the kind that were hard to look away from. She panicked for a second, but then realized that his hand had been her temperature when they had shaken, and relaxed a little.
"Uh…" Bella stumbled over her words. "My dad lives here, my mom lives in Jacksonville."
"Oh, I gotcha," Cooper said with a smile. "So are you in college or what?" he asked.
God this boy is persistent. Bella thought.
"I'll be a freshman in the fall," she replied.
"Oh! Very cool, me too!" he said. "That's the reason I'm here actually. I'm from Jacksonville but I was visiting my college."
"Oh…" Bella said, trailing off. "Washington State?" she guessed.
"How did you know?" Cooper asked, astounded.
"What campus?" she asked.
"Vancouver," the boy replied.
"That's….that's where I'm going too." Bella said, but she doubted they would ever run into each other.
"Oh wow! Awesome!" Cooper said, a little too excited. "Now I'll know someone!"
"What made you decide to go to school so far away from home?" Bella asked.
"Well, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and I always loved it here. My family moved to Florida when I was nine but I knew I wanted to come back for college."
"Nice!" Bella said with fake interest.
God, this is gonna be a long flight. She thought. She rifled through the seat pocket until she found what she was looking for: a sleep mask. Casually, she gave Cooper a polite smile as she pulled it over her forehead and leaned into the window. She actually was quite tired from her early morning, and she yawned, pulling the mask over her eyes. That seemed to shut him up, and Bella slipped off into a dreamless sleep.
It seemed like it had only been mere minutes when Bella was abruptly awoken by a loud voice coming over the speaker.
"Ladies and gentleman, we are experiencing some slight turbulence which we should be coming out of in about five minutes. The cabin crew will be making their second round with the drinks cart, so please let them know if you need anything else! I'll be checking in with you again before we descend."
And with that, the intercom clicked off. Bella blinked a couple of times and looked over at Cooper who was already staring at her, and looked away when their eyes met. Weird. Bella thought, and hoped he hadn't been watching her sleep. She missed Jake already, and wondered what he could be up to. Only the worst came to mind, and she couldn't shake the words he had said that morning about the strange scent trails the wolves were picking up around Forks. She pulled out her phone to see what time it was. They had departed at approximately 7:10 am and it was now 12:30 in the afternoon, which meant one more hour and a half. I can do that. Bella thought, sliding her phone back into her pocket. She was beginning to feel the aforementioned turbulence but she had a strong stomach (except for when it came to blood) so it didn't bother her much. She could see Cooper looking at her from the corner of her eye and decided to break the silence by asking,
"So, do you live in Jacksonville, or around it?"
Cooper smiled, happy to be engaged again and answered,
"I live in Lakeside. Say, how long are you visiting for? We should hang out!"
Bella inwardly cringed, but she didn't want to come across as rude.
"I'm gonna be there for four days," she said flatly, hoping he would take the hint. Instead he said,
"Great! Can I have your number?"
Wow. Bella thought. This boy has no shame. "Um..I have a boyfriend," she replied, playing that card. Cooper's face fell and he masked it quickly, but not before Bella saw it.
"Oh, sure," he said. "No problem." And let the subject drop.
Though Bella tried to fight it at first, they fell into surprisingly easy chatter and talked for the better part of an hour. They talked mostly about school and their hobbies, and Bella was extremely tempted to casually start talking about vampires and werewolves to see if it would scare him off, but she held herself back. As they talked, the boy became more tolerable to Bella's relief, and she was even enjoying herself a little. Before Bella knew it, a soft chime came over the speaker, followed by a message from the captain.
"Good afternoon passengers. This is your captain speaking. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet at an airspeed of 400 miles per hour. The time is 1:39 pm. The weather looks good and with the tailwind on our side we are expecting to land in Jacksonville approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. The weather in Jacksonville is clear and sunny, with a high of 75 degrees for this afternoon. If the weather cooperates we should get a great view of the city as we descend. I'll talk to you again before we reach our destination. Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the flight."
As they began to descend, she and Cooper fell into an easy silence which Bella was grateful for, and she spent the last ten minutes of the flight admiring the city from above.
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When the plane finally made contact with the runway, Bella sighed. It felt good to know she would see her mom soon, and she was excited to have a change of pace, weather wise. She pulled out her phone to see that a text from Jake had come through.
Everything is fine. Text me when you land, love you.
Bella doubted that everything was fine, as Jake had a tendency to downplay
things for her sake, but she quickly typed back:
Hey, just landed. Weather looks good! I miss you, let's call tonight.
She sent a purple heart and then clicked off her phone. She peered over the top of the seat in front of her and could see that the rows ahead of her were beginning to exit the plane. Cooper was already standing up in the aisle, grabbing his bag from the overhead carrier.
"Hey, can you grab mine?" Bella asked. "It's purple."
"Sure, sure," Cooper replied, and the sudden familiar phrase made her miss Jake even more.
"Thanks," she mumbled as he handed it over. When the plane was finally empty ahead of them, Cooper and Bella got up and started filing off the plane. They had been seated near the back so they had quite a few rows to get through before they reached the front of the plane. The captain was standing near the door, and wished the two of them safe travels before they entered the passenger boarding bridge. Bella had been flying back and forth from Phoenix to Forks for most of her childhood, and as a kid she had imagined that the boarding bridge was what the inside of her intestines looked like. She laughed at the memory, and Cooper gave her a quizzical look but didn't say anything. They walked together to baggage claim, and after picking up his luggage, Cooper said, "Well, this is where we part."
Bella gave an awkward laugh and replied,
"It was nice to meet you." She was about to turn away when he stuffed a crumpled up piece of paper into her palm and then briskly walked off in the other direction. She looked after him but he was already getting swallowed by the crowd. Bella looked at the note and was about to open it when she heard an excited voice.
"Bella!" her mother called, waving her down. Bella shoved the note into her pocket and weaved through the crowd towards her mother.
"Mom!" Bella cried, dropping her bags and grabbing her tiny mom up into a bear hug.
"Oh, you're here! It's been so long! You haven't even seen the new house yet!"
"I know!" Bella replied, letting her mom go and picking up her luggage.
"Phil is waiting in the car at arrivals," Renee explained, herding Bella towards the exit. The two of them walked out into the sunlight and Bella sighed. She loved the misty rain that Forks always promised, but there was a piece of her that craved the warmth of Florida.
"Damn, it's muggy," Bella remarked, breathing in the uncomfortable moisture in the air.
"You'll get used to it, don't worry," Renee promised, helping Bella load her bags into the car.
"Phil, hi!" Bella said, greeting him as she slid into the back seat of the car.
"Hey honey, how was your flight?" he asked, putting the car in drive and pulling out of the queue.
"Normal, boring, I slept most of the way."
"That's good!" Renee and Phil said simultaneously, and then laughed. Bella loved seeing her mom happy, but in a way she felt like she had been replaced. She loved Phil and all, but he and her mom had only been married for a year, and Bella felt she didn't know him that well.
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When they pulled into the driveway, Bella had to say she was pretty impressed by the house. It had a big, lush lawn out front, was two stories high, and the exterior was beautiful. There were a couple palm trees planted in the front yard that swayed gently in the passing breeze.
"Wow guys, it's beautiful," Bella commented, opening the car door and stepping onto the driveway. The air smelled of salt and Bella couldn't wait to get to the beach. Once she got inside she could see the full grandeur of the house. She wondered how her mom and Phil had pulled this place on a kindergarten teacher and a minor league baseball player's salary, but she didn't ask questions.
"The guest room is all designed for you, it's on the second story!" Renee explained, enthusiastic. "Let me show you."
Bella followed her mom up the carpeted stairs and into a hallway. There were pictures of Bella as a youngster hung up on the wall, along with pictures of her and her father, and other family members. As Bella was looking over the photos she noticed a small one hung in the middle of the collage of her and Jacob when they were about six. Bella and her mom didn't talk as much anymore, and she hadn't updated Renee on the Jacob situation at all, which she dreaded. She smiled and pulled out her phone to snap a picture of it for Jake; he would love it. Renee opened a door on the left side of the hallway and announced,
"Here it is!"
Bella stepped into the room wheeling her small suitcase behind her as Renee sat down on the bed eagerly awaiting her reaction. The walls were painted a seafoam green, there was a horizontal painting of palm trees above the bed which was a queen with a cream comforter and seafoam accent pillows. There was a pale green chair in the corner with a basket of books beside it. The large window looked out to the backyard which was spacey as well, and there was a big, potted dracaena plant in the corner.
"Wow, it's big," was all Bella could say. Green wasn't really her color but the room was cute.
"I'm glad you like it! Come sit, we need to catch up," Renee said, patting the spot next to her on the bed. Bella dropped her bags near the brown dresser and wandered over to sit down next to her mom. She reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear when her mom gasped.
"Bella! Who's the ring from?"
Bella hesitated and then quietly said,
"Jacob."
"Jacob Black?" her mom asked, incredulous.
"That's the one," Bella replied, looking down. She honestly wasn't sure how her mom would react. Renee had really liked Edward. She knew the two of them had broken up but didn't know as much as Charlie.
"Wow, this is new to me!" Renee said, but she sounded excited. "How long has this been a thing?"
"Probably since about March," Bella admitted. "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"Well, show me some pictures!" Renee said, nudging Bella excitedly.
Bella smiled at her mom's enthusiasm and pulled out her phone to open her camera roll. Her lock screen was a picture of wolf-Jake sticking his tongue out and Bella laughed.
"What's that?" her mom asked.
"Oh, I just really like wolves now," Bella explained. "I found the picture on the internet."
"Wow," Renee commented. "It looks huge! I wonder how the photographer got the wolf to make a face like that!"
Bella couldn't hold in her laugh this time. The answer was easy: scratch the wolf right between the ears.
She started swiping through a couple of her favorite pictures. Jacob and her on First Beach, Jacob across the table from her at the Carver Cafe, smiling with a waffle stuffed in his mouth. A mirror picture of them in their formal wear from the dance.
"Cute!" Renee said in a high pitched voice. "Well, I hope he's making you happy."
"Very," Bella assured. After a pause she said, "I think I'm gonna try on a swimsuit and head to the beach."
"Oh, sure honey, I'll leave you be," Renee said, standing up to leave and closing the door behind her. Bella walked over to her suitcase and knelt down to unzip it. There, on the very top of her clothes, was a piece Bella definitely didn't pack. Jake. Bella thought, holding up a skimpy, red swimsuit. Oh my god. She thought. Well, there's no way I'm wearing this to the beach, but might as well try it on.
As she stripped off her hoodie, something fell to the floor. Upon closer inspection, Bella realized it was the note Cooper had given her in the airport. Curiously, she unfolded it and read it.
Bella, I couldn't tell you this on the plane because he might have overheard me, but there was a weird guy staring at you almost the whole flight. Just thought you should know. And here's the creepy part, his eyes were red.