1
Bella Swan tapped her nails against the steering wheel while looking down at the paper in her other hand. The long list of needed groceries had her groaning. Being Friday, the market would be packed with shoppers wanting to get home before the cold front whipped through overnight, plunging temperatures from the upper sixties to the bitter thirties. For mid-February in North Texas, the weather had been unseasonably warm, yet the cold that made sure they knew winter was still around had been acrimonious.
A quick glance at the clock had Bella shoving her list into her purse, turning off the car, and scrambling out before she got lost in the crowd that always gathered outside of Grover Hills Elementary. She hated their dismissal system, but understood the need. With so many students from the age of five to the age of ten, or eleven, it was easier for the teachers to lead the students out and release them to their parent or guardian. Those who rode the bus were taken separately, and those who walked, waited inside the building until those who were picked up left and there wasn't any danger of them being hit by a car.
The front doors opened and Mrs. Grey led the kindergarten students out, gesturing for students to head to their parent as she spotted them. She paused as she placed her hand on the shoulder of the small, raven haired girl at her side. Her blue eyes wide with worry. She was an anxious child, a worrier just like Bella. Mrs. Grey smiled when she spotted Bella.
"See you next week, Charlie. Stay warm, okay?"
"Okay, Mrs. Grey," Charlie replied, her lips curving into a beautiful smile that showed two missing front teeth. She took off running toward Bella, her long hair bouncing against her back. "Mommy!"
"Hey, sweet girl." Bella scooped the girl into her arms, knowing she was getting too big to be held and carried. Yet, she couldn't resist. "How was school?"
"Boring," Charlie stated as fact. "I'm hungry."
Bella laughed and carried her to the car. "Well, it's a good thing I stopped and picked you up a little snack, isn't it?"
"What'd you get me?" Charlie asked, her excitement level doubling.
"Hmm, well, I might have stopped by the bakery," Bella hinted as she opened the back door to her car and set Charlie down. The girl's eyes shifted to the seat next to her booster chair and widened when she spotted the small box from Doc's Bakery next to it. "Cookies or cupcakes?"
"Guess you'd better get in the car if you want to find out."
Charlie scrambled into her seat, waiting while Bella buckled her inside before reaching for the white box. She pried the lid open and cheered when she saw the shortbread cookie decorated like a monkey.
"Thank you, Mommy!"
Bella smiled. "You're welcome, sweet girl. We have to stop by the market before we head home. I'm thinking chicken nuggets and mac and cheese for dinner."
"Yummy!" Charlie cheered, her mouth full of cookie and icing covering her lips.
The trip to the market was insane. Most of the shelves had already been stripped bare by shoppers who had been smart enough to come early. All of the bottled water, toilet paper, bread, and eggs were gone. Bella managed to get the last three cucumbers, a bag of carrots, a package of turkey breast for sandwiches, and some tortillas. She also added two boxes of matches, some extra batteries for their flashlights, and a couple of candles. Last time a storm this big rolled into town, they lost power for three days. That was not an experience she hoped to have again and was grateful that she had spent the morning chopping firewood. Better safe than sorry, she thought. It was a lesson her father had taught her when she was a little girl.
"Hey, Bella." A squeaky voice from behind had Bella's shoulders tensing as she turned, finding Mike Newton, the owner of Newton's Market standing a few feet behind her. She'd scanned the parking lot in search for his truck, but hadn't seen it. Clearly, it was time to get her eyes checked again. "I thought you might be coming in, so I put a couple cases of water in the office for you."
"Oh, well, thanks, but I've got plenty," she said, trying to keep her calm.
Mike wasn't a bad guy, just clingy. She had gone on one date with him, mostly out of pity and self-loathing, and he had made it clear he wanted more. More than she could give, more than she'd ever want with him. He called constantly, had made it a habit to stop by her house, and, followed her on more than one occasion through the store while she shopped. It was one reason she avoided the market, opting to drive to the next town to do her shopping, but she hadn't had time before the storm was due in.
"Oh, yeah, of course." Mike shrugged his shoulders, his eyes traveling down to Charlie, who had perched herself under the shopping cart, before looking back at Bella. "If it gets too bad, you and Charlie can come over to my place."
"I'm sure we'll be fine," she said, gesturing to the front of the store. "But it looks like they need you up front, so . . ."
Mike nodded before he turned and hurried off. Rolling her eyes, Bella pushed her basket further down and added some crackers, cookies, and a package of honey buns, causing Charlie to start cheering. Bella laughed and joined the que of people waiting to check out.
A few hours later, and a hot meal in their bellies, Bella carried Charlie down the hallway to her bedroom, laying the girl down gently before she pulled the covers up. Charlie's eyes fluttered open.
"Mommy, tell me the story."
"It's late, sweetheart," Bella whispered, sitting on the side of the bed and draping her arm over the little girl's legs.
"Please, Mommy!" Charlie whimpered, as she did every night when she asked for the story.
Bella sighed. "Okay, okay." She took a deep breath before saying, "Daddy and I met on our first day of high school. He was new and all the girls had crushes on him. I did too, even if I didn't want to admit it. A month after school started, he asked me to tutor him in biology. Said I was the smartest girl on school and I was the only one who could keep him from failing."
"Tell me what he looked like," Charlie whispered, her blue eyes filling with tears.
"He was so handsome. He was tall and strong. He had dark hair, like yours, and the brightest blue eyes. Just like yours, sweetheart. For weeks, we would meet in the library and we'd go over whatever lesson we had that day. He always seemed to know the right answers for someone who claimed that he needed help. One day, he asked if I would go with him somewhere, somewhere secret. I wasn't sure I should, but found myself agreeing, so off we went on an adventure. He took me through the woods, up the mountain until we were standing on the banks of a small lake. There was a small waterfall, and the water was as clear as ice. He told me it was his favorite place in the world, and looked at me as he said he wanted to share it with his favorite person in the world."
"You, right, Mommy?" Charlie asked as a tear slipped down her cheek.
Bella nodded. "He said I was beautiful and he wanted me to be his girl. He kissed me and from that moment on, I was his and he was mine."
"And you loved him, didn't you?"
Once more, Bella nodded. "With everything I had."
"And he loved you, too."
It was a statement, not a question, but Bella found herself nodding. "And you. He loved you so much, Charlie."
Charlie rolled onto her side, tucking her stuffed puppy dog against her chest. "If he loved me so much, why'd he have to die?"
Bella didn't have a response. It was the same question Charlie asked every night, every time Bella told her the story. "I don't know." She leaned down and kissed Charlie's cheek. "Go to sleep, sweetheart. I love you."
"I love you, too, Mommy," she cried, her voice thick with emotion.
Bella left Charlie's door cracked open and the light on in the hallway as she made her way down to the kitchen. She settled at the table and began to sort through the mail, tossing the junk mail in one pile and the bills in another. It was the last envelope that had tears welling up in her eyes, though. She should have realized it would be coming. It was almost the end of the month. Turning it over, her finger slid beneath the fold and she pried it open, pulling out the card. On the front, there was a beautiful flower, a rose. Bella's fingers shook as she flipped the card open, once again finding the messy scrawl that haunted her.
"Happy Anniversary, my love. We'll be together soon."
A scream filled Bella's throat, though she managed to keep it inside as she scrambled out of her chair and rushed across the kitchen. She yanked the shoe box off the top, prying the lid off and letting it drop to the floor. Inside the box were sixty-three cards, each one saying the same thing. As Bella added the new one to the box and picked up the lid, tears fell down her face. She placed the box back on top of the refrigerator before sliding to the floor, her knees bent in front of her and her arms wrapped around them. Sixty-three cards, sixty-three months, and he still tormented her. The only solace Bella had was that Charlie would never know what kind of man her father really was — a monster, who would stop at nothing to destroy the world Bella had built for them.
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