MIKE NEWTON, THE KING OF EMBARRASSMENT

All copyrights go to Stephenie Meyer ©

Name: Isabella's Unhappiness II

Rating: Tiny swearing by Mike

Summary: Mike goes on a failed search-party in the forest to find his lost "love".

Author's note: I managed to upload this chapter, so I guess I was lucky this time. Meanwhile, I've pruned away all the childish parts, so it's all good now.

-8-8-

Character Point of View: Mike Newton

"Bella?"

The word was out of my mouth before I knew it.

Mom and Dad exchanged a worried look.

"Charlie wants us to find her," Dad explained shortly. "You're free to come if you want to."

-8-8-

"Any sign of her?" asked Charlie, anxiously.

Mr. Sheldon shook his head. Charlie's face fell for a moment before he looked away quickly.

Meanwhile, a bunch of guys from La Push had offered to join the search –and I suspected that Charlie's friend, Billy Black had something to do with it. Billy Black didn't come, but his kid Jacob did. Jacob was a tall dude with long, stringy hair and a set of pearl-white teeth. He offered a shy, albeit nervous grin when Charlie introduced him to us in a vague manner.

Sam Uley was the leader of the gang. You could tell that just by looking at him, and the way his fellow gang members treated him. I'd met him over a year ago on the beach, and he didn't look so threatening then. Each member of his gang all looked identical in an odd sort of way. They had the same light copper skin, and closely cropped black hair, and the same gigantic height.

Charlie was outlining the routes each search group would take. It was kinda complicated for me, so I zoned out instead.

Mom tapped me on my shoulder, and asked whether I had my torch. I confirmed this by waving my torch at her. She glowered at my flamboyant reply, and hissed a furious warning about behaving in public.

Blech. Like I give a rat's fart about behavior. Why the fuck should I care, when Bella could be lost right now in the forest?

Charlie and Dad decided to co-lead our group, which consisted of me, Mom and Dr. Snow. Dr. Snow was a nervous looking man, with a ferrety face and watery-blue eyes. Jessica hated him.

We searched and searched the forest.

Sometime later, we tripped away from the tangle of trees that marked the entrance of the forest. Dad stank like hell, so as a result Mom was groaning on and on about how it would take ages to clean the stench out when the bleach was in such a short supply now. At least, that's what I think she said.

I swatted at a mosquito hovering near my ear. Jessica told me that when she was ten, she once swallowed a mosquito. Cool, ain't it?

Dr. Snow sniffed –like a ferret, if I may say so- and took out his handkerchief to wipe his glasses, while Charlie fiddled with the battery of his torch.

Mr. Sheldon and Charlie's deputy –I think he was called Mark- were already waiting with their groups at our starting point.

"Did you find -?" Charlie trailed off when he saw Deputy Mark shake his head somberly.

A minute later, Sam tramped from the forest, carrying a bundle of yellowish orange clothing. His gang followed behind him, all wearing perfectly mastered poker faces. When Sam came closer, I saw that he wasn't carrying a yellow bundle of cloth…it was Bella.

Bella did not look well. Her skin was pale –pale to the point of vampirism- and her teeth was chattering, while her hands clung to Sam's neck like a lifeline.

"Bella!"

The inhuman cry came from Charlie, who dropped his shotgun and sprinted towards the shivering mass in Sam's arms. When he tried to tug her out of Sam's arms, she wouldn't let go. Sam's face was grim as he unlocked her stiff hands, and handed her to her near-hysterical father. Charlie stifled a grunt as he felt the brunt of Bella's weight on his arms.

I moved closer, and that was when I heard her barely audible sobs. It reminded me of Cullen somehow.

Speaking of Cullen… where was he? Wasn't he supposed to be at her side, as always? He'd gone with her on the walk to the forest, hadn't he?

"Mom, where's Edward?" I asked, trying not to attract attention. "Wasn't he supposed to be with Bella this evening?"

Mom's eyes snapped towards mine. "Edward-?"

"Yeah, Edward," I said impatiently. "Edward Cullen."

Mom let out a shocked gasp, and whispered something in Dad's ear. Dad looked distressed and passed the whisper on to Dr. Snow who in turn passed on the question. Soon, everyone but Charlie and Sam's gang knew about Edward Cullen's absence.

It was Dad who decided to make the move. He tapped Charlie on the shoulder awkwardly, and whispered in his ear about Edward. Charlie's eyes widened as the grisly truth set in, and he told Dad that he would deal with Edward Cullen's disappearance later. Dad nodded grimly, and herded Mom and I back to the car.

"Wait –where are we going?" I protested as Mom put her seatbelt on. "Hang on –we're going home, aren't we?"

Mom twisted around in her seat, so that she was facing me. "Well, what did you expect, Mike? We can't intrude on the Swans' privacy all night."

"But I didn't even get to see Bella!"

"Mike, quit behaving like a spoiled baby," snapped Mom. "Bella is not some animal in the zoo you can gawp at all the time. She's in a very bad condition right now."

"What happened to her?" I asked curiously. "And where was Cullen?"

Mom and Dad exchanged that stupid look again. "Should we tell him -?"

Dad nodded stiffly, so Mom sighed and turned to me.

"Isn't it obvious?" she said softly. "Edward Cullen left her."

-8-8-