AN: I can't believe how quickly summer has gone! I've been so busy, I've neglected my writing, so I'm really sorry for not uploading sooner! Therefore, thank you so much to everyone who is still keeping up with this fanfic, and a particular thank you to my reviews; Guest, serenity1006, Anony, sarahmicaela88, and April-Showers82. As always, I shall address some of the comments, as I believe its only fair and polite to do – plus, I love getting to talk to my reviews and get your views, so here goes; to Guest, I really hope Sam doesn't appear to be an asshole as I don't intend to make him one, nor do I want Emily to be a bitch, or for Leah to be a villain, though you'll just have to wait and see how that aspect of the story pans out ;) and to sarahmicaele88, I'm really sorry that it was a little bit of a filler, sadly they're a little necessary for parts, but hopefully I'm making up for it with this instalment. Speaking of which, enjoy! And thanks for all of your reviews!
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Chapter Thirty Nine: Lost Findings.
After circling the party several times in search of Sam, Bella located Leah and Emily chatting with a couple of seniors who had just arrived from the prom at the Reservation's high school. The two cousins were good naturedly teasing the newcomers for their formal wear. The guy was quickly dressing himself down, while his date kicked off her glittery heels and shook out her heat treated curls.
"So, where's Sam tonight? He's not working, is he?" The guy asked, and I realised it was Lee, one of Sam's friends.
"No, he's around here somewhere." Leah responded and glanced about the beach in search of him, "He went to get drinks…Oh, Bella, hi!" She smiled on spotting me eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Hey." I nodded back awkwardly, my cheeks beginning to redden in embarrassment for being caught spying on them, "I was just looking for Sam." I explained, trying not to let my guilt show, or my concern for Sam's absence.
"He just went to get drinks." She replied simply, gesturing to the table that was laid out with an assortment of drinks further down the beach, hidden by the crowd of students partying along the shore.
Leaving the girls to continue their socialising with the couple, I pushed around a group of chattering girls and rolled my eyes at one of the senior boys making model poses in an effort to seduce the girls. Through a parting in the gathering of people, I glimpsed Jake lunging to tackle the soccer ball from Quil, a laughing smile was lighting up his face, before the crowd blocked my view once more. Dodging around a pair of boys who were dripping wet from a stupid decision to take a late night swim in the freezing Pacific Ocean, I scanned around the happy faces, as worry began to gnaw at my stomach.
Sam hadn't disappeared so obviously in months. He was always subtle when he slipped out into the night, as if he could pretend no one noticed his strange habits. But to vanish during the party, where people who didn't know he liked to disappear would be expecting to see him, it was out of character. It made my old fears creep into my mind; would he come home safe again? Would he ever get over his obsession with the forest? What was wrong with him?
With my thoughts preoccupied and my eyes continuing to search the crowd, I didn't notice I had reached the drinks table, until I stumbled into the corner of it. Clutching my now bruised hip, I tripped back a step and tried to ignore my humiliation fuelled red cheeks. Tears of frustration burned in my eyes and I glared angrily at the forest, as if it were the cause of this situation.
When I looked back at this moment later in the evening, it was an illogical and potentially dangerous idea, but with my emotions tying a knot around my stomach, it felt like a rational idea to stomp to the forest edge. I stood in the shadow of the tall tree trucks and leafy canopies and screamed his name. I screamed and yelled and called for Sam, tumbling over roots and ducking under low branches as I searched the woods for him. I shouted his name until all I could hear was my own voice echoing back at me.
Pausing to regain my breath, I leaned against a tree and rubbed at my face irritably. Shouting into the forest would do nothing, I knew that. When Sam had initially gone missing, I had spent hours and hours calling for him to return, to no avail. It only made me hoarse and more hopeless. Scrubbing a tear from my eye, I held my face in my hands helplessly. I took deep, soothing breaths and tried to rationalise that Sam was probably still at the party and I had stormed into the forest on this ridiculous errand to scare away all of the local wildlife with my cries.
Feeling like an idiot, I let my fingers slide down my face and I stared at the forest floor for a second. A flash of colour caught my eye and I crouched down to examine the strange red plastic out of place in this natural environment. It was a cup from the party crushed under my foot, its contents saturating the dead leaves coating the ground. I pulled it out from under my shoe and examined the shredded cup. It looked as if an animal had run its claws over it, splitting the cup into strips of red, useless plastic. Looking around, I found a second cup a few feet away. Scurrying over, I realised this one looked more like a human hand had squashed the cup in on itself. Sniffing the nearly drained contents, I recognised the odd scent - Wine and cola - Leah's favourite drink. Sam had constantly teased his girlfriend about her odd taste in beverage, but he always provided her with it when requested, with no further judgement than the required "You're a strange woman" comment he made every time she asked for it.
I looked around the nearby trees; looking for other clues Sam had left, desperate to have an insight to his weird new lifestyle. Scrapping leaves and branches out of my way, I searched the undergrowth, but I found nothing but the expected insects and moss. The stupidity of my actions ate at my sanity and I pressed my forehead against my forehead against the heels of my muddy hands and groaned in frustration. Biting my lip to prevent myself making any further noise, I felt like I was losing my mind. I could even hear a distance voice calling my name, which was ridiculous in the mind of this forest. But then I realised I recognised the voice, and though not one I would have expected, I turned to acknowledge it.
"Bella!" Jake appeared, crouching at my side, "What happened?" He looked at the empty cup still gripped by my fingers and he asked in a concerned tone, "Have you been drinking?"
"No…" I mumbled and dropped the cup. But I knew he didn't believe me. Only a drunk or deranged person would find themselves in the mind of the woods, away from the party and the safety of other people.
"Come on, let's get you home." He hauled me to my feet and wrapped a supporting arm around my waist, "Come on, honey."
"I'm not drunk, Jake." I tried to insist, but my shivering and subsequent stuttering did little to prove my statement.
"I know." He tightened his arm around me as we broke the treeline closer to the car park than where I had originally entered. I knew I wasn't drunk on alcohol, but the insanity I called my life with supernatural creatures and a mysterious, disappearing brother made me feel drunk on madness, but with Jake by my side felt safe and more human, as he tugged me away from the wild party and towards the sanctuary of home.