Jasper never felt so disoriented in his life. Confused, panicked, tired…he couldn't decide what he was feeling.
One emotion seemed to shine through the most, though, and that was fear. He wasn't sure exactly what he was afraid of. The spirit chasing after him? What his future would be now? Still, he couldn't shake the emotion off even as he sat in Rosalie's speeding car.
"Where are we going?" he asked. It was the first words he'd spoken since meeting Rosalie back at the diner to be picked up.
"The bus station," Rose replied. "It isn't safe for you here, Jasper. You'll have to go somewhere else for a while. I'd take you to the airport, but the bus station's closer. Plus I think things are processed quicker than in an airport, anyway. I mean, I wouldn't know. Never really tried travelling by bus before."
"You aren't coming?"
"No, there isn't a need. The spirit won't bother me."
"Where should I…I mean, I don't have any family I can stay with."
"Don't worry about that. You'll head to New York," Rosalie answered. "My aunt has a condo there that you can stay in until it's safe to come back."
"Okay." And then silence engulfed the car again.
Rosalie kept driving until they were in front of the Greyhound terminal. After parking, she dug through her purse, and pulled out her wallet, a small notebook, and a pen.
"I don't have much cash on me right now, so ten thousand will have to do," she said, shoving the bills into Jasper's hands. "Anyway, if you run short, you can just call me and I'll wire you more."
"What? No, I can't take your money," Jasper protested. "I have some of my own."
"Just take it," Rosalie insisted. "We don't know how long you're going to be gone, so just keep it for contingency's sake, alright?"
"Alright," Jasper replied quietly.
"Here," she quickly scribbled something on the pad, tore the paper off, and handed it to him. "This is the address of the apartment. It has a landline so that's what I'll be calling when it's safe for you to come back."
"Won't your aunt mind me staying there?"
"My aunt passed away a couple of months ago," Rose's tone didn't waver. "She left the place to me, so technically, it's mine. And I don't mind you staying there."
Jasper nodded, and stared at the new contents of his hand. "Um, Rosalie?"
"Yeah?"
"I just wanted to say…thank you," he looked at her with gratefulness in his eyes. "We were never close in high school, and we just saw each other again hours before, but you're still helping me. Just…thanks."
Rose's responding smile was warm. "You're welcome. I just want to see you safe, Jasper."
"I'll be careful. You stay safe, too."
"I will. Do not to trust anyone, alright? I'm the only person you can really rely on now."
"Yeah," Jasper nodded before he reached down to grab the bag at his feet. "I guess this is goodbye, then?"
"For now," Rose said as Jasper opened his door and stepped out of the car. She continued to watch his figure until he disappeared completely into the building.
"And there you have it. It's over, Edward," she chuckled to herself. "I win."
…
"This is bad," Scheduler stated as she paced. "This is really, really, bad."
"You've said that five times already."
"That's because it is!" She turned to Edward. "How could you let him just get away?!"
"I was in shock!" Edward threw his hands up. "And I'm not as fast as I used to be, so I couldn't even chase him."
"Shit," Scheduler muttered. She bit down on the nail of her thumb as she contemplated.
"Can't you do anything, though?"
"Like what?"
"I dunno – track his scent or something?"
"Do I look like the type of creature who can sniff out a person?" Scheduler raised an eyebrow. "And it's not like Jasper has a tracking collar or something. Are you sure you don't know where he went?"
"I know he went with Rosalie," Edward offered. "But I have no clue where the hell she tricked him into going. I don't even know how she duped him in the first place!"
"That doesn't matter now," Scheduler said. "What's important is we get Jasper to come home."
"Well, since I'm without a body to possess at the moment, maybe you should be the one who's seen this time," Edward suggested. "I mean, you've done it before. Just transform yourself into someone people can see, and once we find Jasper, you can convince him to come back."
"That would work, but think about it. Jasper isn't just going to believe some random stranger telling him to return to his haunted apartment."
"Then transform into someone he does recognize – yourself. Maria."
"Maria is dead, Edward," Scheduler said coldly. "And I'm pretty that he won't react well to his dead ex-girlfriend showing up. I think you're more than enough to fill his quota of paranormal activity."
"Sorry, sorry," Edward quickly apologized. "And you're right. He's not going to listen to just anyone…but maybe he will if it's someone he knows. Someone trust-worthy."
"Who are you referring to?"
"Bella."
"What?" Scheduler turned her head swiftly to face him. "How can Bella even…?"
"She knows, Sched," Edward told her softly. "She knows I've been possessing Jasper – that…that I'm the one she's been interacting with all this time."
"How is that even possible?" Scheduler asked, astonished. "Did you tell her?"
"Of course not," Edward shook his head. "I didn't say anything to her. Bella's just…really, really observant. And smart. And she knows me better than anyone."
"Huh. So you found a loophole."
"I guess I did."
"Will she really help, though?"
"I know she will. She's a good person, and…" a smile formed on Edward's lips as he continued. "She still loves me."
"About time you finally realized it," Scheduler chuckled, but her tone turned serious quickly. "So can you can guarantee one-hundred-percent that Bella will be fully on-board to helping us?"
"I'm positive."
"Good. Come on, then. We're going to pay Miss Swan a visit."
…
A banging noise interrupted Bella's morning routine. A glance at her clock revealed that it was only quarter to eight in the morning. Still in pajamas, she left her bathroom, and cautiously went down the stairs that led to the café below her apartment.
Nothing seemed out of sorts as far as she could see. The lights were still off, the chairs were still turned over the tables, and no one seemed to be inside the kitchen. Bella was about to check the back alley until the noise startled her again, and this time, she saw its cause.
It was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties. She was loudly slamming her fist into the closed front door, and when she saw Bella finally notice her, she waved her hands about.
This is not how I expected to start my morning, Bella thought as she cautiously approached the door. Though it was probably a stupid move to do, she opened the door slightly so she could be heard.
"Is there a problem, miss?"
"You're Bella, right?" the woman asked in lieu of an answer.
"Um, yeah. Can I help you?"
"Yes, you can," she smiled a brief, yet eager smile. "It's Edward, Bella. He needs you."
"Edward?" Bella gasped. "Is he…? Should I go to the hospital?"
"No, not Edward's body. Just…Edward," the woman stared at Bella as if trying to convey a telepathic message, which Bella got in an instant.
"Who are you?" she asked quietly.
"My name's Maria. I'm a friend of Edward's." She reached for Bella's hand. "He really needs your help."
The sincerity in her tone rang so clear that Bella couldn't deny it. Without saying a word, she opened the door wider in invitation for her strange guest to come inside.
…
"Do you have any idea where he could've gone?" Bella asked as she drove aimlessly through the streets.
"No," Scheduler shook her head. "We didn't hear his call, and he was gone before we could catch him."
Bella hummed in response. She was already having trouble grasping everything Edward's friend had told her about Rosalie's plot to prevent Edward from going back to his body, and with the added problem of finding Jasper, she wanted to pull her own hair out because of the craziness of it all.
She didn't, though, and instead, tried to think rationally.
"Okay, let's try to be logical here. If Rosalie wanted Jasper away from here, she probably instructed him to go somewhere that requires a mode of long-distance travel."
"Like a plane," Scheduler said. She glanced subtly at the backseat of Bella's car where Edward was sitting quietly."You think he's at the airport?"
"Could be, but what if his flight's left already?"
"We'll never know if we don't check."
"And we'll never get to check if the traffic going to the airport doesn't ease up," Bella gripped the steering wheel frustratingly as she glared at the long line of unmoving vehicles in front of her. "You know what, screw this idea. I have a better one." She started manoeuvring the car so that it would do a U-turn.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
…
It didn't take long for Bella to arrive at Cullen Architecture. With her anger, worry, and determination all boiling inside her, she managed to drive faster than ever before, which was a very good thing. Time was of the essence, and if she wanted to succeed, she had to move fast.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," she told Scheduler through the passenger window.
"Why are we here?"
"I'm getting answers from the source itself," Bella declared. "Just…stay in the car, okay? I'll be out as fast as I can."
"What is she doing?" Edward asked his tone panicked as Bella walked away. "Sched, go stop her! Or go with her. Do something!"
"No," Scheduler shook her head. "You heard her – she's going to go get answers, and she wants to do it alone."
"Are you crazy?!" Edward demanded. "She's going to see Rosalie. She shouldn't be on her own. Fuck, I'll go after her myself."
"Ed, stop," she placed a restraining hand on Edward's arm. "Look, I don't want Bella going after that she-devil any more than you do, but she'll be fine. I can sense it."
"You can sense it," Edward repeated with a scoff.
"I'm serious," Scheduler said, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Besides, I have a feeling Bella's going to do something she's been itching to do for ages, and I doubt she'll want anyone interfering."
…
Knock-knock-knock.
"Come in."
Bella opened the door without hesitation. It appeared her courage hadn't left her yet, and for that, she was thankful.
After all, she was going to need it if she was going to speak to the cause of everyone's problems.
"Bella," Rose's face registered her surprise, but she smoothed it out to give way to a fake grin. "I wasn't expecting to see today. What can I do for you?"
"Cut the crap, Rosalie," Bella was all business. "Where is he?"
"Where's who?"
"You know who I'm talking about. Where's Jasper?"
"Jasper…oh, you mean Jasper Whitlock," Rose pretended to have a revelation. "Why, his bus must be far from Chicago by now."
"Where is he going?" Bella demanded.
"Now why would I tell you that," Rosalie had the gall to laugh. "It's over, Bella. Edward won't be waking up from his coma, so you can save yourself the effort and just give up."
"Don't say that," Bella growled. "How can you be so cruel? To do that to your own fiancé?!"
"Oh please. I think we both know I never really loved Edward," Rose rolled her eyes. She stood from her seat, and began stalking towards her. "But you did. And since you're standing in front of me now, you still do."
Bella said nothing.
"Your story has quite the making of a cliché, really," Rosalie continued. "A girl desperately in love with a boy who couldn't return it. I bet you thought that would change after high school, but he still chose me over you, didn't he?"
"Shut up."
"Face it, Bella. You can never have him. You missed your chance in high school, and now you missed it again. Such a shame there won't be another to come around."
"You're wrong," Bella's voice was quiet, but fierce. "It isn't over yet. I'll find Jasper. And once Edward wakes up, he'll expose you as the monster you are, and you'll be ruined."
"That's cute," Rosalie smiled dryly. "Little Bella Swan actually trying to intimidate me."
Before she could say any more, Bella let go of any hold on politeness, and punched Rose square on the nose. Hard.
"How's that for intimidation?" she asked in the same saccharine tone before walking out of the office.