Chapter 31
The Hunt For the Last of the McKinnons
Charlie's POV
March 19th, 2003
Timestamp – 2:43pm
"They'll be okay, Charlie." Billy patted Charlie's arm. "They're tough girls. They'll pick their sister up and be back here in no time."
Charlie grunted, but didn't take his eyes off the road. It didn't matter that Billy was probably right. None of it mattered. Not until he knew his girls were okay.
None of it made sense. Who were they running from? Who had them so terrified they'd gotten him to pack his bags and run? And to not call the station?
His fingers tightened around his phone. Alice had just messaged to say they were on their way back with Bella, so he wasn't expecting a call or to even see them for at least another twenty minutes—he wasn't a fool, he knew the Cullens drove at speeds that would make a racecar driver swoon—but he was on edge. He had been since Bella's call that morning, and he knew he would be until his daughters were in eyesight again.
Suddenly, the phone rang. The sound broke through the tense silence of the house, and Charlie almost dropped the phone in his haste to answer it.
It was Alice.
Why is she—?
His thumb pressed down on the button to answer, when the phone went silent. The screen was dark, and no matter how many times he jabbed the buttons, it didn't turn back on. He swore.
"Does anyone have a charger? A charger, I need a charger!" He spun around to look at the boys crowded in the kitchen behind him. They scattered into action, and Charlie swore again. "This goddamn crapshoot. It's older than the both of us combined—I should have gotten a damn new one."
Billy tapped his hip with his own phone. "Use mine. Call her back."
Snatching it up, he dialled in Alice's number. But all he got was a dial tone. Maybe she was leaving him a message.
Bella will answer.
But she didn't. And neither did Rosalie.
Panic clawed its way up his throat. No, no, no. Not again. He dialled their numbers again. Not again. Answer, answer. Come on, pick up the damn phone.
No one did.
Charlie distantly thought he heard Billy say something. Moments later he heard the distinct howl of a wolf, and it sounded awfully close. His head jerked up. "I didn't know there were wolves on the rez, is that safe?" he asked. He didn't want his girls to be attacked by wolves when they came back, and they had to come back…the alternative wasn't worth thinking about.
He gripped the phone, squeezing it tightly, even when he distantly heard it crack.
Billy rested his hand on Charlie's arm. "They never attack anyone on the rez. Your girls will be safe with them around. They protect our people."
At any other time Charlie might have questioned whatever the hell Billy was spouting, but right now his mind was entirely taken up with concerns for his family.
~Scene~
Timestamp – 6:04pm
No one answered. No one ever answered.
Suddenly his phone rang and Charlie jumped up and rushed to answer it. "Hello?" he asked worriedly.
"Charlie, it's Alex from Port Angeles PD."
Charlie went cold. No, no, no. Please, gods no. His mouth was dry, and when he opened his mouth nothing came out. "What?" he whispered. "What is it?"
"I'm afraid this isn't a social call, Charlie. Look, I don't know how to tell you this but about two hours ago one of my officers responded to a call just outside of a cafe on Main. The waitress was leaving for her shift when they found three bags scattered across the car park."
He was already shaking his head. No, no no. Please no. No, I can't hear this. No, no please gods no. Tell me it's not true. Tell me!
"Charlie, I'm sorry, the bags belonged to your girls and there are signs of a struggle. My guys are collecting the evidence now but I have to tell you it's not looking pretty. Right now this is looking like the work of the same sicko that's been taking girls. And if it's him…this would be his thirteenth grabbing."
His legs gave out. Someone let out a sound of alarm near him, but everything felt distant, underwater.
I shouldn't have let them out of my sight.
"Your daughters are missing, Charlie. I've—"
Charlie threw up.
Emmett POV
Timestamp – 6:16pm
Eddie scowled, but there was no heat in it. The hunt had done wonders for his emo-ness.
Though perhaps that wasn't fair. His mate had just had a heart attack. But still, I'd dragged him—and Jasper who was even more moody than usual—out on this hunt to get his mind off Bella and it'd worked.
We were almost back at the house now and I was using every weapon in my annoying-brother-arsenal to draw them into more positive moods. Apparently tripping Eddie off a cliff had been the perfect tool to do just that.
Jazzie snorted. "You say that like it's news. I'm fairly certain his ability is to leave all brain cells behind at any given moment."
I went to shove him but he merely ducked out of the way with a smirk.
The hunt had done wonders for his mood too. Jazzie had been a moping teenager after his first break-up since Ali had told him to fuck off and not come back. Though he'd gotten better since she'd taken him shopping, there was still something off about him. Like something was on his mind and nagging at him.
Even when he'd gotten back a few hours ago from dropping the sisters back at their house—after escorting them to pick Bella up from the airport—even then he'd been weird. Well, weirder than normal anyway.
And Eddie…well, since he'd followed Bella to the edge of wolf territory—where she'd stayed—he'd spent half of his time sitting at the border, sulking.
Okay, that's not fair, I conceded silently whilst starting to recite Shakespeare in Italian to keep him out of my head. She's his mate, and she basically told him to go fuck himself, before heading for the mutts who actively want us dead. And then had an actual heart attack.
As much as I wanted to give him shit for his moping, I figured I probably wouldn't be any better if I were in his shoes. Same with Jazzie.
I went to shove Edward again, but when he ducked out of my way with a satisfying grin, I narrowed my eyes at him. Time for some fun.
Without letting him mentally see anything but Shakespeare, I grabbed Eddie's arm and launched him at Jasper like my own personal frisbee. Neither of them were expecting the assault and so collided in a cursing jumble of limbs. They were up in seconds and ran at me in unison, but we froze at Esme's frantic yet distant voice.
"Boys! Where are you?"
I didn't have to be a mind-reader or a moody bitch to know something was wrong. She sounded so worried, for half a moment I frantically wondered if Victoria and her duo of assholes were back, but I shook the thought away. No. Impossible. We'd know. Between the paranoid moody twins, no one can get past us.
The house was still a mile or so off so we sped up, our light moods dissipating with unvoiced worry.
There's nothing to worry about. They'll be fine, I thought, dropping the internal Shakespeare cover. You've been on the edge of the rez territory every second you can, and Jasper and I have been at the sisters' sides whenever they're out of the house. No one can get past us.
"None of us are with them now," Edward murmured and I couldn't hide the panic I felt rising in me.
"Jasper just got back from being out with them," I said, switching to outloud. I turned to him. "You left them safely back at their house, right?"
He'd joined us a few hours ago on the hunt, and we'd all been safe in the knowledge that no one could get through Bella's wards if she didn't want them to.
He hesitated for a fraction of a second, frowning, like he was unsure of himself before his face smoothed out and he nodded. "Of course. Charlie met us at the door."
"There you go," I said, panic easing. "They're safe. This probably has nothing to do with it."
"What's Esme thinking?" Jasper asked Edward softly. "I can feel her panic and fear from here."
But Edward shook his head frustrated. "She's thinking of chocolate cake recipes. She and Carlisle want to tell us together."
"Easy," I said, finally calming down. "If the sisters were in danger, she wouldn't be so chill. It's probably just more deaths in Port Angeles or signs of Vicky or something. Stressful, sure, but not as terrifying as you worrywarts are stressing over."
I tried for some humour, some positivity to lighten their moods, but they were set on the stressing route.
Pessimists, I thought, ignoring the fact that there was a small kernel in me beating the same pessimistic terrifying beat as theirs.
Please be safe, Rose. Please. I promise I'll stay by your side so much you'll get sick of me, just please, please be safe.
The house came into sight and we were through the door in seconds, just in time to hear Carlisle say, "We'll be looking in every crack and crevice of the Olympic Peninsula, Chief Swan, you have my word. We're experienced hikers so we'll take the woods south of us. And while relations between us are tense, we are more than willing to work with the Quileutes in searching the woods. The more of us there are, the sooner we'll find them."
No…
"Find who?" Edward demanded as Carlisle hung up the phone. "What's going on?"
Carlisle sighed heavily. "Bella, Alice and Rosalie—they're missing. The Chief of Police in Port Angeles called; their things were found scattered outside a cafe and a waitress remembers seeing them there before she found their items."
Everything went cold. No. No. Please, no.
Carlisle continued. "Chief Swan is organising search parties. He's going to divide his officers between the main roads in and out of Port Angeles and then call the Mayor to organise a city wide meeting… There will likely be large groups of search volunteers."
Please—whoever's listening—please let this be a mistake. Tell me that they're truck broke down and they have no service. Tell me they're in the woods dancing naked around a campfire. I don't care. Just anything but this.
"The Port Angeles police think it was the same people who took that girl a few days ago, which could only mean…"
Somehow I'd ended up on my knees, indents in the floor where I'd landed, but I couldn't feel anything except the panic clawing at my throat. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I couldn't think.
Rose, baby, please by okay! Whatever's happened, I'll find you. I don't care if I have to scour the earth, I'm gonna find you, baby. I swear it.
"—know for a fact the girls were taken right after they left the cafe. So we need to go there and follow their sce—"
"They were safe," I croaked. I looked over at Jasper, not even listening to Carlisle. "You said they were safe!"
"They were!" He frowned. "They had an argument at the cafe, and Bella stormed out, but I made sure I got them home!"
"Then where the hell are they?" I snapped
"Jasper—recall the cafe again!" Edward demanded.
His eyes flashed, but he did as asked. "We left in the same car, and I. Got. Them. Home!"
"Stop! Stop right there! In your memory when you're leaving the cafe Bella is wearing a yellow sun shirt. She doesn't own a yellow sun shirt; she hates yellow."
Jasper shook his head. "No, she was wearing a black top. Not yellow."
"Then why is it yellow in your memory?"
Jasper went to argue when suddenly he hissed in pain and clutched at his head. A moment later he held his breath as his eyes widened and his legs gave out beneath him.
"What the hell?" I looked at Edward, terrified as he wore the same expression on his face. "WHAT?!"
"Victoria," Edward whispered, and that one word was enough to cave my heart in. "Victoria has them."
No. No. No! I told Rose she'd be safe, that I'd keep her safe.
How the hell is Victoria involved?
"Edward," Carlisle's voice was the only calm thing in this room. "Tell us what happened."
"How the hell did this happen?" I yelled.
"I did it." Jasper's voice was like a gaping chasm of pain and heartbreak. "I'm the one who betrayed them."
He sat down on the floor in a heap, eyes wide and vacant as he stared at his hands in horror.
I wanted to wrap my hands around his throat and demand he tell me what the hell he meant by that, but Esme pushed me back with a hand on my chest and a hard look.
"It was Victoria, she cast some sort of mind control spell on him. He was to poison the girls and forget about it just like he forgot about ever seeing her," Edward said, pain lacing his voice and tremors racking his frame.
"They trusted me, and I just stood there," Jasper whispered, looking like he wanted to throw up. "I watched as she poisoned them and gloated."
"Well, we have to save them!"
"Emmett. Jasper was only supposed to remember when the sisters died…"
"So? What's that got to do with us saving them and ripping that bitch's head off?"
Jasper closed his eyes. "It means we're too late. I killed them.
Everything went cold again and I had to sit down. "Oh gods, I didn't think of that."
Charlie's POV
Timestamp – 11:47pm
"Thank you, Mayor." Charlie hung up, staring blankly at the phone in his hand.
There was a coldness in his chest. One that wouldn't go away. Growing colder with every second his daughters weren't home. It had been almost six hours since he'd first gotten the call that his girls were missing, almost twelve since he'd missed Alice's call. He felt like he hadn't breathed since.
Chief Alexander Lucas of the Port Angeles PD shook his head and sighed at what his deputy had just told him. He turned to his friend.
"Charlie," he said solemnly. "They have a body; female, mid to late teens, brown hair. That's all the information I have so far, but…do you— Can you come to the coroners with me? It might not be one of your girls but it also might be the work of the bastard we think took them."
Charlie's hands trembled. "It's not them. It's not—" He swallowed, closing his eyes. "It's not. It can't be. They can't be dead. It's not possible. It's no—"
But what if they are? an insidious voice whispered in Charlie's head. What if it's Bella in the morgue and the other two are lying in some ditch somewhere, yet to be found? You saw those other victims. What if that's happened to your girls already? What if they're dying in some ditch somewhere, and you're just standing here useless?
"It probably isn't, and it's only one body, most likely it's the poor girl that was taken a few days ago, the body matches her description as well." Chief Lucas felt he was probably a horrible person for doing so, but he sincerely wished that the body wasn't one of Charlie's girls and was in fact the Meadows girl. At least then he could inform strangers, rather than a good friend that their daughter was dead. "The person we're looking for isn't like other killers as far as we can tell. We've only found the bodies of some of his victims and the brutality of each killing varies for some reason, but the most brutal of them are always done in a similar fashion. Yet we can't make a connection, the victims who were the most brutalised seemingly have nothing in common."
He sighed.
Was he even doing this right? Charlie was a grieving terrified father, but he was also the Chief of Police here in Forks. He knew these things better than any other parent could. So how the hell was Alex supposed to do this?
Charlie sank to the couch, his legs giving out. A hand settled on his shoulder, and beside him, a gruff voice said, "Maybe instead of giving him nightmares you could be telling us what you plan to do to save them?"
Alex sighed. "Mr Black—"
"Don't 'Mr Black' me, young man. There is no way on this green earth that the lady in your morgue is any of his daughters, so instead of terrifying him, try coming up with solutions," Billy snapped.
"Bill…" Charlie murmured. He swallowed down his fear as best he could and looked his friend in the eyes. "He's doing the best he can. And he's right. I do need to identify the—" He closed his eyes as his whole body shuddered. "For my own sanity at least."
"Char—"
The door suddenly slammed open and Jacob and some of the other boys from the reservation stalked through.
"It's not them," were the first words out of Jacob's mouth and Charlie folded with relief. "The body they found isn't Bella or her sisters."
Alex straightened in indignation. "How could you—"
One of the other reservation boys cut him off. "We heard you had a body and we thought we'd save Charlie the trouble. We know what the girls look like, so it saved time." He shrugged. "Easy done. And now we can all focus on finding Bella and her sisters."
"Thank you," Charlie murmured.
When Alex went to argue, Billy cut him off too. "So what is being done to find them? Besides harassing their father with the idea that they're already dead."
Alex scowled. "Mr Black, I understand that this is hard for Chief Swan, but the commissioner is doing him a huge favour even allowing him to be part of the investigation, maybe it's not the right way to go about it but i'm trying to jar him into his cop mindset, because he's not going to find them thinking like a worried father, he's going to find them by thinking like the Chief of Police!"
At that moment an officer came in practically dragging one of the female detectives. "Chiefs! Detective Biez has information that could be relevant to the case!"
She snatched her hand out of his. "It's also not my place to say! I could also be completely wrong and nothing would have been accomplished from sharing it," she hissed at him.
"I think she's right," the officer asserted.
"Tell me." Charlie stood up, his hand resting heavily on Billy's shoulder.
"I don't—"
"I don't care. Tell me."
"I refuse to say anything on the record—"
"Then it's off the record," Chief Lucas interrupted before this could drag out any further.
Detective Biez sighed. "I was looking over the coroner's reports when I noticed all the brutalised victims had tattoos of pentagrams. They're pagan symbols of protection; my family is involved with the community and when the families came to identify bodies I recognised some of them. They were almost all members of the pagan community here in Port Angeles, and one was from Seattle."
She paused, taking a breath. "My family will probably murder me for telling you this but there's a witch hunter going around. According to my aunt he started in northern Canada and made his way here. If you checked in with departments between here and Canada you'd probably find a trail of unsolved cases." Then, hesitantly she added, "I don't know anything else but the high priestesses might."
Charlie's heart stopped. "A hunter…"
That was what Bella was talking about. A hunter coming after them. Charlie sank back into the couch. The hunter got them.
"Yes, sir. The brutality of the killings is quite common for hunters…albeit this one seems especially vicious. Usually they don't rape their victims—" she cut herself off at the look on Chief Lucas's face and rightly guessed Chief Swan didn't know that bit of information.
…rape?
The coldness spreading through his veins froze into a kind of fear he'd never felt before.
"I'm sur—"
"I need the number of whoever's in charge of the pagan communities nearby," he interrupted.
She baulked. "I don't have the high priestesses' numbers. My grandmother might but it would be the equivalent of trying to get a celebrity's personal number from a protective manager. I can give you my family's address but nothing more."
That would have to do. He'd found criminals with less. How hard could it be to find a high priestess of a pagan community he knew so little about?
Emmett's POV
March 20th, 2003
Timestamp – 10:02am
Like any human-centric area, the cafe was a mess of smells. It had been almost sixteen hours since we learned the girls were missing, but it was instinctual to pick out my Rose's scent through the mix. I followed it out to the parking lot, my brothers following what I assumed were the other sisters'. We reached the edge of the lot and I bristled at the new scents. I hadn't spent much time around Victoria during the fight, but I recognised it mixing with the sisters'. And Jasper's. Objectively I knew it wasn't his fault, but that didn't make me want to throttle him any less.
Rose was my mate. My everything. The only thing stopping me from biting Jasper's head off was because he hadn't done it voluntarily or even known he was doing it, and I also knew he hated himself right now more than anyone else ever could.
Jasper's scent trailed off to the right, but we knew from his gradually recovered memories that he'd left the moment Victoria had ordered him to. The other four scents converged and headed for an empty parking spot before their scents vanished entirely. I snarled and wanted to hit something.
"There's a fainter trail over here. Laurent's," Edward snarled, stalking towards the edge of the forest.
"Then we follow it," Carlisle murmured. "It's the only lead we have."
I definitely wanted to hit something now. I hated this, this feeling of absolute uselessness. Rose was missing and I couldn't do a damn thing but follow faint trails of possible leads. Every hour since had been spent uselessly following dead ends. We hadn't even been able to get into this crime scene until the cops had released it, and that had only pissed us all off even more. And still the precious hours ticked by.
I just wanted to hit someone, to make someone pay for my girl's pain. But the bitch had disappeared into thin air and taken the sisters with her. And then she'd sent her lapdogs in random directions to send us on countless wild goose chases. We'd already followed James's scent almost to Seattle a few hours ago when we'd come across it. It had been mixed with a small scent of Bella's which had sent Edward into a frenzy, but it had only ended with an old shirt of Bella's with a smiley face drawn into it in blood.
Rose. Please be safe.
Charlie's POV
Timestamp – 11:45am
Charlie and Chief Lucas quickly discovered that finding the high priestesses of a pagan community was much harder than anticipated. To say that the witches had no interest in speaking to the police would be an understatement. Detective Biez's family was furious with her for giving up information and the three of them had been all but thrown from the house with their ears ringing from the scolding Biez's grandmother had given them.
Charlie and Chief Lucas now sat in the Port Angeles police station going over the case files in detail before Charlie headed back to Forks to organise larger search parties. Charlie scrubbed his hand over his face.
"Charlie," Alex said suddenly.
He straightened. "What—did you find something?
"No, but you've read that page three times. Go back home and get some sleep. You might be able to look at this better with fresh eyes when you wake up."
But Charlie was already shaking his head. "I can't. My girls—"
"Need you to be performing at your best to save them. You aren't going to find them practically dead on your feet, go home and sleep."
"But—"
"No buts. Go to sleep or I'm having the commissioner take you off the case," Alex said sternly.
~Scene~
Timestamp – 11:52am
He slumped into his car and dropped his head against the steering wheel. Every cell of his body ached to fall into bed and never move again. And yet at the same time it thrummed with a frenetic energy to find his daughters. But he couldn't do either. There was no way in hell he could go to bed while they were missing, and he couldn't actually do anything about finding them. He was practically useless.
He pulled his phone out, but only stared at it when he realised there was no one he could call. Anyone he did would just press him for new information he didn't have about his daughters. He sighed and went to throw it on the passenger seat when it buzzed in his hand. Despite knowing otherwise, his heart leaped in his throat. Was this his girls? Were they safe? Were they messaging to tell him where to pick them up?
But it was just a reminder message that he had a voicemail waiting. His head dropped back against the headrest and he closed his eyes. He didn't know what was worse; that instinctual false hope, or knowing nothing at all. But either way it was better than the fear crawling in his throat right now. Because he knew who the message was from. It was Alice, when he'd missed her call earlier.
At best it would be a voicemail telling him they were on their way, after which he'd sink into a well of grief and awful thoughts that they'd never come home. And at worst he'd listen to the sounds of his daughters being abducted and probably brutalised.
May as well listen to it, he thought, knowing it would torment him either way. Maybe it will give us something new to go on.
He followed the prompts and dropped his head against the steering wheel as the recording began.
"What is the pixie one doing, you imbecile?"
He froze. He didn't know that voice.
"Why…are you…doing this?"
Alice! Charlie thought, his heart hammering. He sat up, staring at the phone as he waited for more.
The woman scoffed. "Why? You should know why! Your empty kind shouldn't breathe, that's why! Oh, you little witches have been a thorn in my side since I first laid eyes on you. Because of you my life was ruined! Why couldn't you just stay dead the last time I killed you, hmm?"
His heart stopped. What?
"But that hardly matters now," the woman continued. "No, now I'm going to accomplish what should have happened years ago. I'm going to end the McKinnon line…for good!" she cackled madly.
There was a scuffling sound on the other end and Charlie couldn't breathe.
The woman laughed; a menacing and hateful sound. Charlie wanted desperately to kill this woman, whoever she was.
"Come on, little seer. Surely you can do better than that."
For a moment, everything went distant and hollow, like they'd moved away from the phone and Charlie's throat closed up thinking this was all he had to go on.
"Victoria—you, James and Laurent…will never get…away…with…this."
Charlie's heart ached at how weak and quiet Alice sounded. And he knew he'd have nightmares of this for as long as he lived. But he also felt a slow mixing of pride with that terror. His beautiful, brilliant daughter had one-upped her captor; she'd just given him their names.
"Oh, but I already have," the woman—Victoria?—said darkly.
There was a soft thud and Charlie knew the phone had dropped to the ground. No one said anything for a long time, and he knew in his heart—and from doing this damned job for so long—he knew whatever had been done to Alice to make her so weak had finally knocked her out.
Another moment of silence passed before that bitch spoke again. "Thank you for your help. I couldn't have done this without you. Good luck in your search."
BEEP! To delete your message—
He hung up. He needed to get this to the tech guys at the station. They had the best equipment to listen to this. If they could enhance the message, maybe they could discover something new to find his daughters.
Without a second's delay, he opened his daughter and darted back into the station. He'd never left the parking lot—despite Alex's warning—and he was glad. Because now he was filled with a determined energy he hadn't felt in hours. He was going to find his girls, and he was going to make sure the bitch that had taken them would rot for this.
Angela's POV (3rd person)
Timestamp – 12:07pm
"I forbid you from leaving this house."
Angela clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, but she didn't turn around.
"If you walk out of that door you will never be allowed to return! Are you prepared to throw your life away for some heathenish sluts who most likely are getting exactly what they deserve?"
"Barry—"
"I am speaking, Rachel. Do not interrupt me." Angela didn't have to turn to know her father was glaring at her mother, and that her mother was practically curling in on herself again.
"The Swan girls are her friends if you just—"
Angela's mother's voice cut off as her father backhanded her across the face. "I am the authority in this house, do not dare contradict me!" he bellowed.
"You hypocritical ass." Angela curled her lip and finally turned to face him. She ignored the way her mother frantically shook her head in warning and focused instead on the ugly red smeared across her face. She was done. "You preach about loving thy neighbour and turning the other cheek, and then turn around and disparage my best friend for being better than you ever could be. You're a bully and an asshole."
It was everything she'd dreamed of saying to him for years. But she'd never dared. Not until Bella. Because Bella would never stand for this kind of treatment of anyone. And so neither would she.
"How dare you speak to me like that, you ungrateful little bitch! You are just like your whore of a mother!" he turned on his wife. "Don't think I don't know the ungrateful bastard isn't mine! I generously overlooked your infidelity but no more, there are going to be changes in this house! Stricter curfews—"
SMACK!
Pastor Webber stood, staring at Angela in astonishment, unable to believe she had actually slapped him. "Now you listen to me, you pathetic excuse for a man; you are going to shut up and leave me and my mother alone. I'm going to go look for my friend and be back to get my things whenever the hell I feel like it, and if you have a problem with this well maybe you'd like the entire town to know you beat your wife. I'm pretty sure old Muriel still remembers how to deal with your kind. And before the word police ever crosses your lips, maybe the tired and angry Chief Swan ought to hear what you've been saying about his missing daughters."
It was strangely like a weight off her chest. Everything she'd been holding back, all for the sake of not making things worse. And to see the look on his face, as he bit back everything he clearly wanted to scream at her. Because his reputation in this town was more important to him than anything—he wouldn't jeopardise that. He spun on his heel and stalked to his office. The door slammed behind him like the full stop at the end of a long chapter.
"You should go," her mother whispered to Angela. "Give him time to cool down. Everyone said things they didn't mean, and he knows it." Her mother smiled weakly at her. "This will all blow over. You'll see."
Angela just shook her head and walked out.
~Scene~
Timestamp – 12:32pm
"They're missing?" Mike sat up. "Seriously?"
Lauren rolled her eyes. "Who did you think we were looking for, idiot?"
"I don't know. Some drunk idiot?" he looked out the car window like his sudden attention could find them.
"What were you doing during the meeting at town hall when they told us who was missing?" Jessica asked incredulously
He shrugged. "I was asleep. I just figured it was someone's dog or something."
"Yes, Mike because the entire police department is going to cancel leave for a dog," Ben said sarcastically.
"Where do they have you guys searching?" Angela interrupted, before it could turn into an argument.
"Nowhere, we're just handing out fliers in town, like everybody in Forks doesn't already know." Eric grumbled.
"Yeah a few of the groups are walking all over each other too. You'd think they'd try to be a bit more organised, especially considering Bella's pregnant," Jessica lamented
"What?" Lauren snapped, lurching forward in the backseat to poke her head into the front. "Since when?"
"I don't know." Jessica glanced at her weirdly. "I heard it from mom, who heard it from her book club, who heard it from Mrs Green's neighbour who spoke to Renee—that's Bella's mom. Apparently she was telling anyone who'd listen."
"She's a little over a month along," Angela broke in far more helpfully.
Lauren paled so much Angela half-worried that she was about to faint. She pressed her hand to her stomach and the other to her mouth like she was going to throw up. "Oh my god."
"Wait, but if they were kidnapped and Bella's pregnant, she could miscarry right? Something about stress?" Mike asked.
Lauren's eyes had a distant look to them. "We need to find her."
Jessica raised her eyebrow. "That's what we're doing."
Lauren didn't blink at her tone. "No, we need to find her now." Then she did blink at everyone now staring at her. "What are you looking at? Every second counts! The sooner we can get Bella home, the more likely she is to keep the baby." She clapped her hands, snapping at Angela who was driving. "Chop chop! We don't have time to lose!"
As confusing as the sudden personality change was, Angela wasn't going to turn down any help to find her best friend. Especially help this enthusiastic. She ignored Mike as he said he thought Lauren hated the sisters, and she tuned out whatever Lauren snapped back. "Where should we put out fliers then? The whole town is already covered in them."
But Lauren was shaking her head. "If we join everyone we'll just end up being muddled up with everyone else again. We need to drive out to Port Angeles or further and put up flyers out there. Everyone here either already knows they're missing or they will soon, so putting up flyers here is useless. We need to go somewhere they aren't known. Knock on people's doors if we have to."
Angela could have melted with relief. Lauren was the last person she'd expected such violent help from, but she was sure as hell not going to turn it down. Particularly not when she was giving out decent ideas too. She pressed on the accelerator of Mike's van and sped towards Port Angeles.
~Scene~
Timestamp – 1:24pm
"Hey, we should document ourselves putting up posters and stuff." Mike pulled out a video camera from his bag, wiggling it around. They'd just arrived at the town centre of Port Angeles and were getting their fliers and tape out.
Ben frowned. "Isn't that a bit…morbid?"
"Nah, not for the Swan sisters." Mike shook his head. "Bella loves that kinda stuff. When they find her and her sisters, we can edit it into like a documentary and give it to them. They'll love it. It'll be like their very own true crime episode."
Angela sighed. "He's right. Bella would die of happiness from having her own crime episode."
"She's not going to want a reminder if she loses the baby!" Lauren hissed.
"You don't think it'll like, trigger her or something?" Jessica worried.
Mike shook his head. "No trust me, they are like supper into this occult stuff."
Angela frowned. "Mike, it's not occult stuff, they're pagan."
"Well whatever." Mike flapped his hand. "Plus, this'll make them feel good when they see how many people looked for them."
Lauren scowled. "Fine, but only if the baby's safe. Bella would probably sooner kill you than watch that if she loses the baby."
With that, she stormed off down the street with a handful of fliers and the others were left staring at each other, thinking the same thing: Who's this caring person, and where did bitchy Lauren go?
~Scene~
Timestamp –1:37pm
Mike held the camera aloft as he adjusted the lens and pressed record. "Day one of searching For Bella, Rosalie, and Alice Swan, we're here in Port Angeles where they went missing. We're putting up posters along main street then we're going down the side roads," he said for the sake of the camera.
Ben looked down at his phone as it beeped. "Update from my brother. There's nothing along the southbound highway. They're considering whether the kidnappers are keeping the girls in the immediate area since there's no sign of them leaving anywhere past Seattle."
"Is that good?" Jessica asked hesitantly.
"Maybe? I mean if they're still in the area, we have to find them, right? All of Forks and basically the entire departments of Forks, Port Angeles, and Seattle are looking. So we have to find them sooner or later?" Mike said, looking up from the camera.
"Yeah, but we want to find them alive. Remember, Bella's pregnant, she could miscarry from the trauma," Lauren snapped.
Mike rolled his eyes. "Good to know your priorities are straight."
Angela rejoined the group before they could continue arguing. "That couple over there owns a bakery. I gave them a stack of fliers, and they agreed to put it in their windows and counters."
"That's cool—woah, get a load of those two," Mike said, stunned as he pointed the camera at two women walking down the road. They wore floor length gowns with high necks and bangles on each wrists. Around their necks were heavy tree of life pendants as hanging pentagrams adorned their ears. "That looks like something Bella would wear," he laughed lightly.
Lauren slapped his arm. "Will you be serious? Actual lives are at stake here, you know!"
Angela's eyes lit up. "I know them! Alvira! Orchid!" she shouted.
The two looked up and immediately began walking towards the teens as Angela waved them over. Alvira's eyes softened. "The soulmate. How can we help?"
Bella didn't want to involve them, but I don't have a choice, Angela thought. We need all the help we can get to find them before it's too late. "Something terrible has happened—"
Alvira glanced at their fliers and froze, grabbing her daughter's hand, before striding forward and gripping Angela's wrist. "The McKinnons. They are missing?"
"Ah…yeah," Jessica said hesitantly, before Angela could answer. "Do you know them?"
The woman nodded stiffly. "They are patrons of my shop. Sisters of the soul. We are all sisters under the banner of the gods. I am Alvira, and this is my daughter, Orchid."
Mike and Jess shared a glance, but Lauren stepped forward, her eyes narrowed. "They've been missing for 26 hours and Bella is pregnant."
Alvira sucked in a sharp breath. "She is with child? That greatly increases the severity of her situation. She will only want to protect the babe and will not be able to protect herself."
"Will you help us?" Angela pleaded. She hadn't met the witches for long, but she knew from Bella how close-knit the community was. She just hoped Bella was wrong and the sisters hadn't been kicked out for bad manners.
Alvira's grip on Angela's wrist softened. "Of course we will. We are all bound by Mother Earth to help our soul family when in need."
"Who's in charge of the search?" Orchid glanced over the flyer.
"Their dad," Jess supplied. "He's the Chief of Police in Forks, and he's got all the other departments and towns involved."
"We will call the others first," Alvira said firmly.
The others? Mike mouthed at Jess who shrugged as Lauren nodded. "Good. The more hands the better."
Alvira's eyes sharpened as she gazed at the group having caught the words Mike mouthed. "Young ones, there are quite literally hundreds of witches in Port Angeles alone. More in Seattle. I will call the high priestesses and within the hour there will be hundreds of witches ready to assist."
Angela could have melted with relief. Bella had been wrong. They really would help.
"You might want to speak with Chief Swan then. And Dr Cullen and Mr Black," Eric said. "They've been in charge of coordinating search parties."
"We search differently than you," Alvira said. "However I will let the Priestesses know who to contact about our assistance."
"Perhaps we would not be out of step to talk to the doctor?" Orchid murmured to her mother. "His family was the one who came to your shop for cures of ailments on the last full moon, were they not?"
Alvira nodded. "You are right, sweetling. The priestesses shall handle speaking with the father, and this Mr Black. Our coven shall meet with the doctor. Do you know anything of the girls' captors?"
Should I say something? Angela worried silently. I know Alvira and Orchid would appreciate it, but am I allowed to say it in front of the others? Would that be breaking Bella's confidence?
Jessica shook her head. "They think it might have something to do with the recent disappearances…"
Alvira's gaze turned sharp. "It seems the priestesses were right. They are getting bold."
"Mother, you cannot seriously be meditating on the idea that this was a witch hunter's work?" Orchid murmured, thinking the humans could not hear.
"What are you talking about?" Lauren demanded. "Do you know something?"
Alvira was surprised the humans had heard, perhaps she had underestimated their hearing? She sighed. "Recently within the community there have been disappearances. The girl before the sisters was not the first. All of them young, all of them witches, and all of them bearing the mark of a witch hunter's execution. The throats were torn apart, their torsos mutilated. Witch hunters do this because they believe we are children of a devil that we do not believe in. they seek to trap our souls in eternal agony."
"So it's true?" Eric's eyes were wide. "All that pagan stuff they talk about, it's actually true?"
"Eric!" Angela admonished. How could she have ever had a crush—even one so brief and when she was twelve—on someone so dense?
Orchid cocked an eyebrow. "Did you think it wasn't?"
"No, I just mean, it's not like some weird phase they're going through. Like when Jess decided she'd have good luck if she always wore blue."
Alvira rolled her eyes. "No, the girls come from a long line of witches, powerful ones at that. Their name was originally McKinnon. If the hunter knows this, that might be why he took them all. The McKinnon line is well known. And well-feared."
"Particularly if he heard she was with child," Orchid murmured.
Alvira's face darkened. "Yes, they would be eager to commit such a crime against mother earth."
"Look, that's good and all, but how does any of that help find them?" Lauren's fingers drummed against her crossed arms.
"We will scry for them. If any much used personal items are available we will be able to determine, at the very least, the general area they are in—within a fifty mile radius. More or less," Orchid said.
"Let's just hope you find them before that hunter guy kills them," Ben murmured.
Bar Angela they were all a bit sceptical of the witch stuff, but if it helped find the sisters they were willing to try anything.
As Orchid continued to field their many questions, Alvira drew Angela to the side. "Child, why did you not come to us immediately when you found out the McKinnons were missing? We could already have been helping."
Angela sighed, glancing back at the others to make sure they weren't in earshot. "I wasn't sure I could. Bella spoke to me a few days ago about being in danger, from something she couldn't explain without putting me in danger too. And I told her to go to you, to ask for your help, or even just advice." She shook her head. "But Bella believes that that would be completely rude and out of the question. That she has no right to ask for your help when she's all but ignored your community for years." At Alvira's sharp look, Angela raised her hands. "Her words, not mine."
Alvira sighed. "Foolish girl. We would have understood and helped. But she was raised during the age of fire; of course she would be reluctant to announce to the communities that she and her sisters had returned. We would not have condemned her for it."
Angela shrugged. "And that's why I didn't come straight to you. I didn't want to cross that line and get her in trouble or ruin any chance she has of being accepted into your community."
"I understand. Due to your bond you feel it within yourself, the wish to protect your friend, especially her feelings. You intuitively know that she needs more emotional protection than physical. I shall not chastise you, however I do not believe that the Mckinnons would be so weak as to be overpowered by a single hunter. Perhaps you are unaware but it takes at least two or three to take on a single witch. Now either there are at least nine hunters in the area—which is unlikely given the evidence—or the sisters were betrayed. Have you any idea of someone within their sphere who could have done it?"
"No…not that I can think of."
"Are you quite sure? Have you listened to your bond, you should have been getting signals from it, new as it is."
Angela glanced again at the others before lowering her voice even more. "I don't know if this is part of our bond or… but I can feel her, or at least I think I can? I half convinced myself I'm just being paranoid." She shook her head. "Bella's weak. Like really weak. And it's like she's so far away I can barely feel her. I didn't even notice it until it was suddenly barely there, but it's almost like how it was before I even met her." She swallowed. "And it happened about ten minutes after I left her at the airport with her sisters…and Jasper."
Alvira's expression hardened. "This Jasper, he is part of the doctor's family, yes?"
"Yeah."
"Good." Her eyes narrowed. "We are long due for a conversation with this doctor and his family."