Chapter Eight Notes: This is the never-ending chapter, my longest so far. Also, it's a necessary evil to move the story along.
CHAPTER EIGHT: Missing
In sixth grade, girls at my junior high school scrawled the names of the boys they liked on their notebooks, usually using red or pink ink and dotting the "i's" with hearts. They giggled incessantly when the object of their affection passed by and blushed if he looked in their direction. In my case, I was a senior in high school, all my pens were blue, and I vehemently opposed girly giggling of any kind. But the blushing… the blushing I was familiar with.
Each time Edward Cullen even crossed my mind, my face flushed. I knew it was normal to have crushes; I'd just never had one on a real person. Actually, I convinced myself that this one wasn't really on Edward at all; it just manifested itself in his direction because of the way his voice captivated me as he uttered the most romantic lines in all of literature. For five brief minutes in English, he'd been Romeo Montague and I an awestruck schoolgirl, staring at his lips as if watching them long enough would cure cancer. And then the damn bell rang, he bolted from the room, and I realized that I was nothing to him. Which, I reminded myself, is at it should be. Just like how, in the real world, he's nothing to you.
Edward was nothing, and Jacob was everything. That was reality. I was happy in reality. The remaining days of the school week reminded me of that fact, as Jacob continued to wait for me in his Rabbit at the end of the day, a lovable grin on his face at the mere sight of me. Edward, on the other hand, never spoke to me again. I even attempted to be civil on Thursday, mumbling a hello in English, but he didn't respond. I didn't make the same mistake on Friday, and as the day drew to a close, I was fairly certain that couldn't even recognize the sound of his voice had I wanted to.
At three, I eagerly climbed into Jacob's car. Labor Day weekend had officially begun, and Jake and I excitedly discussed the fish fry scheduled for that evening at the Clearwaters' place.
"So, Embry got a hold of some fireworks from one of the seniors at school," he began, eyes flashing, "and I think he's planning some sort of experiment for later on tonight. You know how he loves anything related to fire…"
I laughed. "Make sure we've got the fire department on speed dial, then. I'm rather fond of my eyebrows."
Jacob playfully nudged me as he moved his hand to the gearshift. As we exited the parking lot, my smile faded. A silver Volvo shot out of the student lot to the east and sped past us.
"Wow," Jake murmured breathlessly, "now that is a nice car."
"I guess."
"Are you kidding? Bells, that's a S60R! I wonder if it has the six-speed manual transmission…"
I stared out the window and hoped he wouldn't notice the sour expression on my face.
"Whose is that, anyway?"
Here we go. "That would be Edward Cullen's car." I braced myself.
"Oh." He smiled sheepishly. "I guess that's what you get when your dad's a doctor."
"That and a horrible personality," I muttered under my breath.
"What?" Jake turned to me, confused. I instantly regretted opening my big mouth.
"He and I don't get along all that well." And then, once in awhile, I get along with him too well, I thought ruefully.
I watched uneasily as Jacob mentally connected the dots. "Wait—he's not the new guy from the first day of school is he? The one who made you cry?"
"Uh, yeah, sort of."
Jake's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "And you didn't think of telling me this when I was whining about how it was so unfair of my dad to hate the Cullens? And what do you mean by 'sort of'?"
"It's not a big deal. He's just a little… arrogant sometimes. I was stressed out my first day of class, and I overreacted." I knew Jacob was already plotting Edward Cullen's demise. Jacob wasn't really the overprotective type, but I knew that he wouldn't soon forget the look on my face two weeks ago as I stood in his driveway with a tear-stained face. I needed some sort of damage control, and I was certain that describing the alluring magic of Edward's voice as he read Shakespeare would not do the trick. Finally, making sure I sounded rational, I said, "Look, Jake, it was nothing. Since then, he's been pretty decent to me." When he's not blatantly ignoring me or annoying the hell out of me.
Jacob bit his lip. "But why didn't you tell me it was him? I mean, you tell me everything." He paused while his expression twisted into wounded confusion. "It's just weird, that's all."
"I guess I didn't think it was important at first. And then with whole thing with your dad, I didn't want to add fuel to the fire, you know?" I stared at the rubber mat at my feet. "I'm so sorry."
He shrugged. A few moments passed, and then the corners of his lips lifted into a small smile. "Speaking of fire, did I mention that Embry's fireworks are illegal in both Washington and Oregon?"
I grinned and grabbed his hand, knowing I was forgiven. I just hoped I deserved it.
I remained secluded in my own thoughts all the way to La Push. Jacob drove straight to the Clearwaters' house, likely motivated out of hunger. I laughed and shook my head at him. "You know, we're not supposed to be here for another two hours. Harry's probably not even home from work yet."
He feigned innocence. "What? I just wanted to help them set up."
"Sure you do."
Our smiles faded as we reached the porch. Through the window, we saw Leah at the kitchen table, her dark hair disheveled, tears streaming down her face. Behind her, her father paced nervously back and forth.
Jacob knocked hesitantly. Seth answered the door, his chubby face glum.
"What's going on?" Jake asked in a hushed voice.
When we didn't follow Seth through the door, he motioned us inside. Leading us into the small but quant living room, he whispered, "Sam's missing. He hasn't called Leah in three days and then he didn't show up this morning at his mom's like he was supposed to."
It wasn't like Sam and Leah to fight, but I had to ask, "Are you sure he's not just avoiding her for some reason, that he's still at school?"
Seth swallowed. "No. I thought so too at first, but Dad just got off the phone with Sam's roommate. Nobody's seen Sam around the dorm since Monday." His young face grew more distressed. "Leah's been freaking out for days, but we all kinda blew her off… I mean, she tends to overreact sometimes."
"Charlie," I choked out. "Has anyone called Charlie?" For once, I didn't regret being the police chief's daughter.
Harry's booming voice sounded from the doorframe. "I just did. He's on his way."
"Is there anything we can do?" Jake sounded as helpless as I felt.
Harry frowned. "I don't know what any of us can do. We need to start a search, but he could be anywhere between here and Seattle."
Leah let out a wail from the kitchen. Harry moved to return to her side, but I cut him off at the door. "I'll go. You should wait for Charlie." I wanted to spare Leah from hearing the blunt observations Charlie usually spouted off while in cop mode.
As I rounded the corner, my stomach tightened at the sight of Leah, her head in her hands, shoulders trembling. I placed my hand lightly on her back. "It's going to be okay, Leah. Charlie will find him. He has connections; he can call the university police department and get them to look for him, too. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding." I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt. I had no idea why Sam would run off, and I refused to allow myself to consider any other possibility.
Slowly, she lifted her head. My breath caught as I saw her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen, with dark circles evidencing a recent history of sleepless nights, but what really shook me was the faint scab in the center of her lower lip, as if she'd been biting it to keep her worst fears at bay. "Bella, something's wrong. He would never do something like this." Her words came out strained and hoarse. "We talk everyday. And, then on Monday, he said he was sick, like with a fever or something. I h-haven't heard from him since. He'd never not call, unless—" She broke off mid-sentence, clamped her lips shut, and began rocking back and forth.
If it were me, I'd want to be alone, so I gradually backed out of the room. "I'll be right around the corner if you need anything, Leah. Anything at all."
Jacob and I moved to sit on the porch while Harry paced in the yard. None of us spoke, which left me all too aware of the terrified thoughts that raced through my head. I didn't know Sam Uley well, but what I did know of him told me something very, very bad had happened. He would never put Leah through this, not if he could help it. I impulsively grabbed Jake's hand.
I didn't have to say anything; Jake read my thoughts. "I know," he whispered. As if trying to convince himself, he continued, "We'll find him, though."
When the cruiser finally pulled up, we were on our feet immediately. Charlie didn't waste any time; within five minutes, he got the details out of Harry and was on the phone with the station, organizing a statewide search.
"I could drive to the university," Harry offered. "They might need some help. The university police may not know where to look…"
Charlie put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Stay here, with Leah. Seattle PD's getting involved, too, so there are plenty of eyes on the lookout for him near the school."
Harry's eyes shifted over to Jake and me on the stoop. He lowered his voice but underestimated our hearing. "We should send a group to look up north, past Forks, by the river."
Charlie looked confused. "That's not even near the highway. If he was headed to La Push, that's 20, 30 miles out of his way."
"As a precaution." Harry cast another quick, nervous glance at Jake and me.
"If that's what you want, Harry…" I could tell that Charlie was just pacifying him, that he remained just as clueless as I was.
I turned to Jake. "What is he talking about? Why does he keep looking at us like that?"
"Big secret with the tribal elders," Jake murmured humorlessly. "He doesn't want us asking questions."
"Okay?"
He rolled his eyes. "He wants to send a search party over by Dr. Cullen's place."
Surely I hadn't heard him right. "So Harry thinks that the Cullens drove to Seattle, kidnapped all six-foot-four inches of Sam from his dorm room, and are now keeping him tied up in the woods?"
"Well, his theory might involve Sam being chained up in their basement, but, yeah, pretty much." Jacob let out an exasperated sigh.
"So it's not just Billy, then? Do they think the Cullens are mass murderers or something?" I was floored that other people apparently spent time worrying about the Cullens, maybe almost as much as me, even if their worries were galaxies apart from my own. Edward Cullen, serial killer. Well, he certainly wouldn't have problems luring in his victims…
"The tribal elders are the only ones who put much stock in it. I don't know why they hate them." He hid his face from me behind his long black hair, but I could tell he was embarrassed. "My dad told me that he'd tell me 'when the time is right.' Whatever that means."
We sat in silence until people started arriving for the long-forgotten fish fry. Soon, as word of Sam's disappearance spread, the Clearwaters' house became headquarters for the various search parties Charlie and the tribal elders dispersed all over Clallam County. Even though Charlie suspected Sam was still somewhere in Seattle, that didn't stop people from feeling the need do something. Jake, Quil, and Embry headed off into the forest to the south of the reservation, and, because crutches weren't wilderness friendly, I stayed behind to fry fish with Sue, Leah's mother.
After the food was prepared and gobbled up, I sat on the couch next to Leah, who kept to herself in a catatonic state except for the handful of times the phone rang. Hours of no news took its toll, and despite my worry, I eventually fell asleep.
I awoke with a start at 4AM, the front door banging open amongst a sea of concerned, rushed voices and a single, anguished moan. My eyes were still unfocused, but I saw a flash of skin as Harry and a few others struggled to carry a large, tan body up the stairs. Next to me, Leah erupted with a cry of "Sam! Sam!"
She sprinted to the hallway. I followed her at a distance and watched as she rushed up the stairs with such desperation that she slipped several times on her way to the second floor landing. Before she could reach the bed on which Sam's shaking, naked body writhed in pain, a hand reached out and slammed the door in her face. The distinct clicking sound of the lock catching sent her into hysterics. Moments passed before Harry emerged, taking his daughter by the arm and practically dragging her down the stairs.
"Sue!" he called for his wife frantically in a voice that left no room for questions. Ignoring Leah as she struggled to escape his grasp, he barked, "Take Leah over to Mrs. Uley's. I called her from the car, let her know you'd be coming. She knows Sam's fine." Sam's violent, blood-curdling screams from above contradicted him, but Harry continued, "Stay over there until I call. Seth's staying over at the Calls' place tonight."
His tone left little room for Sue to argue. She nodded slowly, noticing me for the first time in hours. "Bella, would you mind gathering up some clothes from Leah's bedroom?"
"Sure." I limped up the stairs, past the closed door where panicked voices and the hollow bang of limbs thrashing against the wall sounded from within. Grabbing a bag off a hook on Leah's wall, I opened her dresser and tossed various articles of clothing inside. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Sue had returned with a bag of her own, and Leah remained trapped in her father's arms, her eyes enraged. New to the group was Charlie, sporting a deep gash on his forearm and a disgruntled look on his face.
"Let's go home, Bella." His voice was cold and controlled. I handed the bag to Sue and wordlessly followed my father to the cruiser.
Charlie's expression was so intimidating that we were halfway back to Forks before I opened my mouth. "What happened to you arm? Where was Sam? Were you there when they found him?" I prayed he wouldn't shrug off my questions in the name of some sort of police confidentiality.
He inhaled deeply before he began, "He was in the woods, almost fifty miles from town. We wouldn't have even known he was there if not for the screaming. Some campers in the area heard it and called the park ranger. Dispatch put two and two together and gave me a call."
He glanced at my face, knowing his answer wasn't enough to satisfy me. Keeping his eyes on the road, he continued, "We found him naked as the day he was born, grasping a tree trunk for dear life. Poor kid looked like something was ripping him apart from the inside."
"Why didn't they take him to the hospital, then? Instead of to the Clearwaters'?" I couldn't figure out why Harry would bring Sam to his house when he obviously didn't want Leah nearby.
Charlie's lips drew into a tight line before he spoke. "That was my question, but Harry informed me that it was none of my business… wouldn't even let me drive the kid back to his mother."
I had been soundly asleep less than forty minutes before, but now I was wide awake. "Your arm is bleeding pretty bad, Dad."
"Yeah, well, Sam's got a bit of a temper when he's in pain. Kept struggling with us as we loaded him into the car. I don't think he even knew what he was doing."
I waited in vein for further details. When none came, I leaned over to get a closer look at Charlie's wound. Even in the dark, the cabin of the police cruiser lit only by the reflection of the headlights off of the highway, I could see the gash was actually a series of impossibly deep scratches. "You know, Dad, I'm no doctor, but having seen more than my fair share of flesh wounds, I think you might need stitches."
He groaned, but five minutes later, we pulled into familiar parking lot outside of Forks Community Hospital. "This better be fast," he moaned. I could tell by the way he carried himself through the sliding glass doors that he'd been downplaying his pain.
We endured the predictable "like father, like daughter" jokes from the staff while we waited for a doctor, me propped up by crutches and Charlie grasping his arm and wincing. Because fate refused to let me go more than twelve hours without thinking of Edward, Charlie's attending physician was Dr. Cullen. I practically rolled my eyes when I saw his perfect, smiling face round the corner.
"Chief Swan," he noted as he eyed Charlie's arm, "what have you done to yourself?"
Charlie, forever gruff, responded, "Let's just say, don't cross a Quileute when he's angry."
I couldn't see his face, but Dr. Cullen's jovial voice was tinged with irony. "You know, I do believe I've heard that somewhere before."
Chapter End Notes: I know it's a bit soon after the Cullens' arrival for all of this to be happening, but I look at it as Sam should've turned much sooner, given his age, so his body's not wasting any time in adapting to the new vampires in town. Poor guy. Also, this was really difficult for me to write for some reason. Maybe I'm just suffering from Edward withdrawal. Or maybe I can't compose a coherent sentence at one in the morning. As for Edward, we'll see him again soon enough, though, I promise.