Twenty Eight.
Adswood clings to the edge of civilisation by its fingertips.
If Shelton is sinking, Adswood is already under.
When Cullen doesn't turn up to school, and no one will tell me what's happened, I get the 57 bus that drops me off outside the Blossoms.
It's four in the afternoon. I give myself until six, when the sun goes down. Then the vampires come out, and I need to be out of reach of their fangs.
I'm already gathering looks from the patrons of the seedy pub. I hurry away, aiming for the estate. The last thing I need to do is look like I don't belong.
I figure if he's staying with his aunt, she might be known around the neighbourhood. I dip into the local newsagents and grab a bar of chocolate for a valid reason to talk to them.
The woman behind the counter is happy enough to witter away once I let her know I'm happy to listen. We go through the weather, the price of milk, the rumours of Charles and Diana's marriage crisis splashed across the front of the Daily Mail. My cheeks are hurting from holding up the small talk and fraudulent smile. "Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with something. I've got some work from school I need to drop off for my friend who's been off sick. He's new to town, lives around here with his aunt."
"Oh dear, that's a shame, what is his name?" She's all heart and gossip. I can see the spark of excitement behind her tortoise-shell glasses.
"His surname is Cullen but that might not be hers. I'm sure he told me but I've forgotten, and I'd really like to get these books to him so he doesn't fall behind."
"That's kind of you." She smiles down on me. "Now you mention it, that name does ring a bell. I think someone with that surname might live in Yew Tree. Yes, yes, she sometimes come here for magazines and cigarettes. You could always go and knock on. Won't do any harm now, will it?"
I use the last of my fuel to spark a smile. "Thank you, I'll try that. Which one is Yew Tree?"
"Sharp left out of here and to the end of the street. You'll see the playground out front of the block. It's the building on the left." She finally takes my coins and rings up the sale. "Hope you find your friend."
"Thank you."
I'm out the door, its bell ringing behind me before she can start up another conversation.
It doesn't take long to find the playground. It's filled with kids who should have grown out of slides and swings a long time ago. They sit, sprawled across the climbing frame, smoking and making too much noise. I hesitate but push on, walking past them. There's a noticeable moment of silence as they spot me, eyeing me up, deciding how far to push their luck. A gobby one shouts over. "Alright, love. Need something?" He grabs the crotch of his tracksuit and all his mates laugh. How predictable.
"Crabs? No thanks," I bite back to a round of hissing and laughter. "I'm looking from someone called Cullen. Know him?"
They all exchange glances, but the resounding answer after the uneasy silence is no. "Can't help you with that."
"Thanks for nothing," I say and they laugh again and start to rip into their leader. I try and put as much distance between me and them as I can. Though they're harmless, their noise might draw out others who aren't.
I find a bank of letter boxes in the stairwell, scanning the names for the one I recognise. Brown. Smith. McDonnal. Goodchild. Parry. No Cullen. But some are just numbers, so I head up to the next floor and knock on the first door I come across with signs of life coming from under it.
It swings open revealing an old lady with a cat slinking around her ankles. The warm smell of cabbage makes me flinch.
"I'm not interested," she says, eyeing the bag on my shoulder before I can get a word in edgeways, already closing the door on me.
"I'm not here to sell stuff, I'm looking for someone - Cullen? He's about my age, just moved here."
She leaves the door open a crack. "I don't know anyone around here by that name."
"Please, do you know anyone else who could help?" I'm not beyond begging now I'm so close.
"Try Tanya on the second floor, flat 4B. She runs the resident committee." She closes the door in my face.
"Thank you!" I yell with a slice of sarcasm.
Turns out Tanya knows exactly who I'm talking about. I only have to tell her my name, and of course, she knows my mother. They're gin and bingo buddies, so she's bursting to tell me everything she knows about Mary Alice Cullen, now Alice Brandon, who lives a couple of levels up. A single Mum with a deadbeat ex-husband, who works late shifts cleaning at the hospital, who keeps to herself, but will have a smile, or a scowl, for you depending on the day of the week. But Tanya's blue-shadowed eyes and frosted pink lips are blank when I mention a teenaged boy. Still, I thank her profusely and race up to Alice Brandon's floor.
A sallow-skinned, hollow-eyed woman opens the door. A pink, chubby baby sits on her hip. She jiggles him up and down while she eyes me up. "Can I help you?"
"Hi, I'm looking for someone. A friend from school."
Hollow-eyes narrow into a question. Nerves steal my voice.
"I … um … I'm looking for Cullen? Does he live here?" My hope is draining as fast as her patience.
"No, he doesn't."
My heart trips over itself. "You know who I mean?"
"Yeah, I know." She speaks softly to the baby fussing at her side. They have matching round, brown eyes like buttons. "He's not here."
"Do you know where he is only I … brought some work for him. Maybe—"
"He's not here. Hasn't been for a while." The baby starts to paw at her, whimpers turning to wails. "If you find him, tell him I need to talk to him." And with that, another door is slammed in my face.
The back of my eyelids start to burn. I knock again.
"Are you serious?" She swings the door open again ready to yell, but I hold my hands up.
"Please, I need to find him."
"You and everyone else."
"Do you know where he could be? When did he last come home."
"Look …"
"Bella," I fill in for her.
"Bella, Edward hasn't been here for weeks. I've no clue where he would be. That kid does whatever he wants when he wants, but he always turns up eventually. Out of his nine lives he's gotta have at least two left."
I don't focus on what that means, and this other name that doesn't fit, skipping to the next question pushing its way in front of the hundreds of others. "Why isn't he living here with you?"
She flushes red. "We came to an arrangement." It's clipped with annoyance.
"An arrangement?"
"You can ask him when you find him. I gotta go. And you should, too. I'm sorry I can't help you more." With that, she disappears again, leaving me standing in the cold, confused and lost at the end of the trail with nothing to show but a chocolate bar.
It's getting dark outside. As dark as the parts of my mind where Cullen has taken up too much space. A boy I know nothing about. A stranger whose shadow I can't shake. Whose kisses are the light I use to keep me going. But the longer he's away, the more I stumble. It won't be long before it's too dark to remember why I'm out looking at all.
AN: Thank you, as always, for reading and reviewing. I'm away for Easter so there will be a mid-season break. I won't be too long though. See you on the other side. x
Love as always to vampireshavelaws and chocaholic1234. My superstars.