Chapter Nine.
I sit on the grass and put away my jeans into a plastic bag; hopefully I can stop by a gas station later and wash them. Dana had found me a pair of Capri's and I was grateful since it was warmer outside now and I didn't have to wear my jeans that I've had since I was homeless. They were falling off of me anyway.
Milo walks up and takes a seat next to me, "Hey."
"Hi. Did you find anything?"
The look in his eyes tells me it all.
"No, but we can go later. That diner on the corner of Dale St. is always tossing out food. Sometimes I get real lucky and other times..." he doesn't need to finish. We know.
"Yeah, I'll go with you later. Help me up." My body is pretty weak from all these months and I need the support. Dana is almost as bad as I am.
"Hey, I'm going to try and get some food. You guys stay here." Dana smiles.
"It's not your job." I say knowing she won't listen.
"Oh who cares? Look, I'll go that diner Milo always goes to and see if they through anything out okay? I have to head out that way anyhow. Word on the street is some old lady died and they are throwing stuff away. It's been about a day so I don't know what's left but I'll check. You two stay here and rest." And with that she walks away with Danny wrapping his arm around her waist.
"She needs the rest just like you do Bella, but you're both so damn stubborn."
I give him a grin and lie down on our blanket and close my eyes. I listen to the guys make jokes and I can hear them play fight. It's nice but it immediately reminds me of Edward, Jasper and Emmett. They were always wrestling and Esme would always tell them to take it outside in the forest. She didn't want her children to mess up her gardent hat she had worked so hard on.
Man, those were the good ol' days. Too bad it was all fake. Edward didn't have to use me as his pet and string me along. Why would he keep up the false pretenses and pretend to love me? Jasper obviously knew feeling his emotions and he never kept anything from his wife. Alice was my best friend. Did she really want to see me hurt? Apparently so. I don't see any vampires around.
Well... I really don't want to jinx that.
I look up into the sky and give a small soft prayer for my parents and Phil before I shut my eyes again. I hope they can hear me and I hope they know that I deeply love them.
'I'm sorry Charlie for being so rough on you when Edward left" I murmur. I swear I saw the clouds shift as I said that but it was most likely coincidence. No miracles occur here in 'Homeless' land.
I don't know how long I laid there with my eyes closed buy I awoke to Danny going hysterical.
"Danny, Danny, you need to calm down." Jimbo grabs his shoulders while Danny struggles against him. His eyes are big as saucers and he has tears running down his face. Jimbo finally releases him and Danny falls to the ground on his knees sobbing into his hands.
I stand up and walk over to Milo is with a concerned look on his face watching him.
"Where's Dana?" Pat whispers.
Danny looks up at his through tear stained cheeks and whispers, "she's gone."
"What do you mean she's gone?!" I shout!
"I went to go look for some food while she rummaged through that old lady's stuff and when I came back... her... her...B..B...Body was mangled and it looked like something attacked her neck. She was bloody all over and... oh my god..."
Before he can get any more hysterical and have stroke, Jimbo cradles him on the ground and soothes him. Pat leans down and pats his shoulder to comfort him also and I know we're all thinking the same thing, 'what the fuck now?'
II stand there frozen in fear knowing this wasn't any regular attack. Someone has come for me. I know it; but who?
If only I had told Charlie I loved him more and didn't become a zombie after everything that had happened. If only I appreciated living a bit more. I wish that death took me instead of him and Renee.
If I never got involved with vampires... god if only I did something different and now because of me Dana is dead. I can feel it. Whatever that is coming is coming for me and soon.
I bury my face into Milo's chest and cry. I stroke the hair at the top of his neck and sooth him as much as I can. I know he hurts from her death also.
I have to know something, though.
"What did you do with her body?" I ask.
Danny looks up at me and frowns, "What should I have done? I had to leave her there. The police will arrest me if they see me, Bella. They won't take me in and ask questions. They will think I did it automatically and it wouldn't even matter to them anyway. She's homeless too. In their eyes we're not worth it."
An uncomfortable silence is heavy upon us and I try to shake the uneasy feeling that I have.
"We have to move." Jimbo says standing up. "If they find her body, they will come looking. They will find us out here and take us in. They've seen you with her Danny. We have to move."
We all nod and pack up our things but Danny stays motionless.
"C'mon, Danny. We have to go." Milo says staring at him on the ground. He hasn't moved.
"I loved her" he whispers.
"We know" we all say in unison. We did. We all knew that they were together and in love. As much as they denied it, we knew.
"I can't leave her; dead or not. I can't do it." His voice is pleading with us to let him stay. We have no choice. We can't force him to go but we don't want him stay.
Pat drops his bag and takes a deep breath, "I'll stay with Danny."
"What?" we all say. He can't be serious.
"Look, Danny is suffering and I can't leave him alone. I know what its like to lose someone you love... Look, we will meet up some day. I know it."
We all know we are fighting a losing battle against them. Jimbo, Milo and I give pat each a hug and give one to Danny as well.
Jimbo, who looks to have tears in his eyes grabs his friend once more in a tight hug, "You are like my brother. Never ever forget that." He cries.
"Right back at you, brother."
I turn away from their private moment and look into Milo's eyes and I see the same pain we all feel.
"It will be okay, Bella."
Walking again and looking for a place was like deja vu. I haven't done this in a long time and I wonder if we find something soon. I don't know what time it is but I know that it's been dark for a few hours.
We are all sluggish from the season and sick from the drastic changes in the weather. I don't see anyone of us improving.
We find a park and sit on a bench to rest our body for a while, hopefully the night but what would that bring me? Luck; No such thing for me since Jimbo insists we keep on moving.
After walking for more hours he lets us take a rest in an alleyway. They have become very familiar to me since I entered this world. I don't think he cares that people could possibly see us with keen eyesight but I know I don't care and Im sure Milo doesn't either.
I haven't had a bath or shower in so long that I know I must reek. Gas stations don't offer much service these days. My hair must remind Jimbo and Milo of Medusa. When was the last time it was washed?
Im drained. I wish I could just die. Maybe if I lay against this wall long enough, pigeons will come and eat me away... dramatic... I know, but there is nothing else. Im tired of trying. Im tired of trying to live. There is absolutely nothing to live for.
I lean against Milo's shoulder while Jimbo is on the other side of me tying his shoe. I close my eyes and try to block out the noises of car horns in the distance and try to regain some strength for my next journey. Milo notices my exhaustion and rubs my frail arm in a comforting manner.
I close my eyes feeling the dizziness make way and see spots, but im sure that it just my mind playing tricks on me.
"I wonder if they will give us food." Milo murmurs.
"What?" I barely open my eyes and see him smile down at me trying to hide the worry behind his eyes. I know I will be fine...eventually.
"I said I wonder if they have food. We're leaning against a hall you rent out. I saw some people in tuxes coming and going down the street so... I wonder if cooks come out the back door and throw food out."
"Oh" I mutter lamely feeling exhaustion once again. I close my eyes and drift off into the darkness.
All of a sudden I hear a door swing loudly and Milo stands to shield my body instantly. He gives me the protectiveness a big brother would and I know when to keep mute. Im too tired to see what all of the commotion is about and I know it's somebody we're not supposed show ourselves to.
"Oh my god, Bella?!"
My eyes pop wide open and I let out a raspy gasp from my mouth. Jimbo and Milo give me curious gazes as I stare into the topaz eyes of Rosalie Hale.
Dunh dunh dunh duunnnnh.....
Here's what you've been waiting for...well, next chapter... finally, right?! lol.
I'm so sleepy. 1:23 am and now i'm going to sleep. GN.
