Updating a little earlier than usual, morning here in Ireland rather than this evening as I'll be busy. Not much else to say, except enjoy!
I awoke on Wednesday morning extremely nervous. What the hell was I doing? I was heading off on a journey to find people that are experts in staying hidden. I really wished that Leah was able to come with me, but I completely understood that her mom needed her and she had responsibilities to the wolf pack.
Leah was coming over this morning to help me finish packing and then Charlie was driving me to Seattle for my flight this afternoon. I had showered, dressed and was sitting at the table having some breakfast when Leah arrived, bounding straight through the door after knocking briefly.
"Well, how are you feeling?" she asked, sitting down beside me and grabbing a piece of toast off my plate.
"So nervous," I groaned, putting my head down on top of my arms on the table, "I don't know if I can do this!"
"Of course you can," she said, "I know it might not be easy to find him, but you have somewhere to start. Plus you can always come back home if you really want. You would regret not trying more than you'll ever regret trying."
I knew she was right. He was worth trying for, even if I ended up back home with nothing to show for it, and I did have a major clue to go on.
"How'd the research go?" Leah asked.
"Not bad," I replied, lifting my notebook off the table to show her. I'd spend a lot of time yesterday on the internet searching up hospitals and high schools in Rochester. I'd narrowed my search down to ones that were on the outskirts of the town, near forests or other areas for easy access to wildlife. Unfortunately, there were no staff or class lists online so I couldn't see if any of the Cullen's worked or went to school there. I had also been making a list of everything I knew about the Cullens. Where they were from, where they had lived, their original surnames etc. anything that might help me in my search.
"This isn't a bad list," she commented, "If anyone is going to find them, it's you. They may be good at hiding and keeping off the radar, but they let their guard down with you. You got to know them. I bet they don't do that everywhere they go."
"I know," I said, "But if he really doesn't want to be found, then I'll never find him. He has the means and money to just disappear."
"If he really didn't want to be found, then he wouldn't have sent those letters," she replied, "He's not stupid. He'd know you would want to look for him after reading those."
We headed upstairs after that to finish my packing. I was almost done and wasn't planning on taking too much anyway as it would be difficult to carry with me all the time. Just one backpack containing some clothes, toiletries, money and of course, the letters, pictures, CD and the plane voucher I still had left.
After we had finished, we hugged and said goodbye. I promised to keep in touch everyday and she promised to keep her cell phone on her at all times in case I needed her. By the time, Charlie arrived home from work to take me to the airport we were both crying. I was really going to miss her.
The journey to the airport was quiet. Charlie wasn't one for idle chit chat and we were both feeling a little emotional about me leaving. As we reached the gates where he had to leave me, he pulled me in for a hug.
"You be safe, you hear me," he mumbled into my ear, "And if you need anything, anything at all you ring me."
"I will, Dad, I promise," I said, wiping a tear from my eye, "I love you, Dad."
"Love you too, kid," he said, ruffling my hair as he pulled away from me.
I'd flown on my own plenty of times before, ferrying back and forth between Renee and Charlie, but this flight felt different. I knew there wasn't going to be anyone waiting for me at the airport on the other end. I tried to put that out of my head and leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes and thinking about what I might say to Edward if I ever found him.
When the plane finally touched down in Rochester, I made my way out of the airport towards the buses that would take me into the city. I had booked a private room in a cheap hostel so I would have somewhere to stay while I was searching.
When I arrived at the hostel, I grimaced at the outside of the run down building. I had known it wasn't going to be luxurious; it was very cheap. I had a good bit of money saved, but I had no idea how long it would take me to look for him and I needed to use it as sparingly as possible, though I had paid a little extra for a private room as I couldn't stand the thought of sleeping in a room with strangers.
Thankfully, the room was clean, though very basic. Very small, not a lot of floor space, with just a bed and a small table at the side of it. There were communal bathrooms and showers down the hall and a laundry room in the basement. It wasn't perfect but it would do. I wasn't planning on spending to much time in the room anyway, apart from to sleep.
It was getting late, so I sent off a few texts to Mom, Dad and Leah to let them know I had arrived safe before gathering my things and heading to the communal bathrooms for a shower. I showered quickly, dressing in my pyjamas before running back down the hall and into my room. There were a few people milling around, mainly students and young people. Once in my room, I made sure the door was securely locked and slipped into bed.
I woke the next morning, still tired. I hadn't been able to sleep well in my new surroundings and it was very noisy. Doors banging, people shouting and drunkenly singing late into the night.
I quickly dressed and headed outside, with just a small bag containing my valuable items – money, letters, plane voucher, photos and CD. The only things I left behind were clothes and toiletries.
It was a dull, overcast day. Perfect for a family of vampires, I thought. My plan was to head to some of the hospitals that Carlisle might be working at. I wasn't really sure what I would do once I was there. Maybe check out the hospital parking lots. I knew all their cars and registrations so I thought maybe I might spot one of their cars. Or I thought I might ask for Carlisle in some of the hospitals, but I didn't know if he was still using the name Cullen or if they would even give out any information about doctors who worked there, but I had to start somewhere.
I worked out the bus routes and made my way to the first hospital on my list, Rochester General Hospital. Public transport wasn't the best way to get around, as it took me so long to get there, but I didn't have any other choice. I arrived at the hospital and headed to the staff parking lot first, taking my time to search through all the cars looking for Carlisle's Mercedes. Not surprisingly, I had no luck and headed into the front desk to try asking about him.
"Hi, how may I help you?" the receptionist asked, barely looking up from her computer.
"I'm looking for a friend of mine," I began, "He's a doctor, Carlisle Cullen?"
"Hmmm," she said, finally looking up from her computer, "I can't give out any information about doctors, unfortunately. If he's a friend of yours, can't you just call him?" She looked me up and down, a look of derision in her eyes.
"We lost touch," I said, "I heard he had moved to the area and thought he might be working here."
"Well, I'm sorry I can't give out any information," she said, going back to her computer.
I headed back out of the hospital, trying not to feel too disappointed, reminding myself that I knew this wasn't going to be easy. It was only the first place I'd tried, but I had a feeling that the receptionists in all the hospitals would be the same. I wasn't going to let it defeat me though, and I headed to the next place on my list.
Things went the same way at the next hospital. No cars I recognised in the parking lot and the receptionist was just as helpful, though she was, at least, a little nicer. By this stage it was well past lunch time so I called into a small cafe and ordered a sandwich, whilst I called Leah to let her know how things were going.
"I have a feeling this is all going to be a waste of time," I complained, as soon as she answered the phone.
"Hi, to you too, Bella," she said laughing, "I mean, you've been looking for half a day. What were you expecting?"
"I knew it wasn't going to be easy," I mumbled, "But I don't even know if he definitely doesn't work at either of those places because no one will tell me anything. I'll probably have to go back to those hospitals, in case it was his day off or he was working nights or something."
"It's gonna take time, you know this," she said, "Edward's worth it, right?"
"Of course," I said, "I'm just frustrated. I want to find him now. We've already lost the last nine months and I know he's hurting so much."
"I've got a good feeling about it," Leah said, "You'll find them soon, I just know it!"
"I hope you're right," I replied, "I suppose I better go check out another few hospitals. Having to travel by public transport is making everything take so long. I'm only gonna get a few done each day. I'll call you again tonight when I'm back at the hostel."
As I finished my sandwich, I pulled out my maps and bus timetables to try to plan my next move. I worked out that I had time for one more hospital before it would be getting late and I didn't want to be travelling on the bus too late at night. It was just as helpful as the rest and I arrived back at the hostel in time for dinner, so I picked up some snacks I could eat in my room.
After eating and showering, I called Leah again and we chatted for a while trying to come up with any other ideas for my search.
"The schools are all finished for summer," I complained, "So I can't even check there for the younger Cullens. I don't know what else to do."
"You said Alice loves to shop," Leah said, "I know it's a long shot, but maybe hanging out in the mall in case she goes shopping. Or ask any kids the same kind of age if they recognise their names or descriptions. Maybe you could narrow down a school they might go to."
"Yeah, maybe," I said, "They always did stand out, so if they were at any school, everyone would know them. Maybe I'll check out the school website for any sign of them. They are usually good at keeping out of photos etc, but you never know, one of them might have slipped up somewhere."
"Oh, what about summer school?" Leah exclaimed.
"They are vampires, Leah," I snorted, "They have excellent memories. I can't see any of them needing to go to summer school."
"That's not what I meant," she scoffed, "Maybe you could ask some of the students as they are leaving summer school if they know them. As you said, they stand out so someone might know something."
"Hmmm, maybe," I said, "These are all really long shots, but I don't have any better ideas."
Over the next few days, I checked out the rest of the hospitals in the city, hung out at a few malls and worked up the courage to talk to a few high school students all to no avail. I checked out which schools had summer school and asked a few students if they had heard of Alice, Jasper, Emmett or Rosalie.
I spent days in an internet cafe. I spent a whole day searching through school websites, scouring photos from football games and pep rallies trying to find any sign that the Cullens went to that school. I spent another day searching every one of their names, including all variations I could think of and looking up their names on every official website there was. Another day was spent searching all social media platforms, I'd ever heard of. There seemed to be no sign of any of the Cullens anywhere on the internet, though I wasn't really surprised.
I was now almost three weeks into my search and I had no leads and no idea what to do next. Leah and I talked every night and we hadn't come up with any other ideas. It was looking like I'd hit a complete dead end and I spent every night reading his letters and crying myself to sleep, wondering why he had sent them if he was so impossible to find.
I decided to give the hospitals another go, since no one had actually confirmed that Carlisle didn't work at any of them. Another few days of checking out the parking lots for cars, then I was going to have to give up for now. I wouldn't give up completely, I could never give up knowing he loved me and was out there in so much pain, but I couldn't afford to stay here with all these dead ends. I would go home and try to continue my search from there.
I was searching through the parking lot at Strong Memorial Hospital, hoping and praying that I might find some sign of Carlisle's car, when I heard the most amazing familiar voice from behind me.
"Bella, is that you?"
I spun round to see Carlisle's beautiful face staring at me in confusion and disbelief. He barely had time to register that it really was me, before I leapt into his arms.
"Oh, Carlisle!" I exclaimed, "I can't believe it's really you!" He put his arms around me, kissing me lightly on the top of my head.
"What are you doing here, Bella?" he asked, pulling away to look at me.
"Actually, I was looking for you," I told him, looking up at him sheepishly.
"I see," he muttered, "I suppose we better head back to the house for a chat. Esme would kill me if I didn't bring you to see her. She's missed you terribly. We all have."
"I've missed you all too," I gushed, "Will the whole family be there?" I asked, hoping beyond hope that he would said yes, though I thought I already knew the answer.
"Except...Edward," he answered, "He's been living apart from the family for a while."
"I thought you'd say that," I said, disappointment colouring my tone, "That's okay. Let's go see the rest of the family. Are you finished work?"
"Yes, I was just headed home," he replied, before leading me towards his car at the back of the lot.
So, she has found Carlisle and we'll get to see the rest of the family in the next chapter, but unfortunately Edward isn't with them, as I'm sure you all expected anyway. Keep your reviews coming! I'm enjoying hearing your theories!
I'm reading a fantastic fic at the minute. I just can't put it down!
The Foreign Papers by Javamomma0921
AU - Bella Swan is an expert in antique documents. When the paper trail she is following leads overseas and she finds herself enamored with an enigmatic man named Edward Masen, will her training be enough to help her solve the mystery surrounding him?