THANK YOU! I knew the locket and ending would get a reaction, but it was beyond amazing! I'm glad you guys enjoyed it and thank you so much for leaving long reviews. They help me update faster! And a special thanks to my best friend and reader, Ale, for texting/calling me to make sure I update!
Missing Piece of the Puzzle
Chapter 8:Lying
E.P.O.V.
Ugh. Come on, come on. What's taking her so long?
I checked my watch for the twentieth time in thirty minutes. Bella didn't come to our session yesterday and now she's late today. Actually, she didn't show up to school at all yesterday.
I sighed and went over the notes I type in my laptop.
Her mom left when she was five, Charlie practically forgot about her at the age of nine or ten. She's in the gang for money. She's really smart but her grades aren't able to get her into a good college. Her birthday was on Wednesday, two days ago. I already know all of this stuff. I already know everything about her.
I sighed again and closed my laptop. Is she sick? Did something happen? Or is she just ditching.
Oh. God.
What if she found out what Te Quiero means and doesn't want to ever see me again? No, that couldn't be. Frustrated, I got up and went out to the main office. Mrs. Cope was at her desk, her back facing me.
"Excuse me?" I tried to call her attention. Maybe she knew where Bella was at.
Mrs. Cope jumped up at my voice and spun around in her chair. "Yes, Mr. Cullen?" She smiled and looked over my body.
I've heard her and many other students and teachers talk about how….what was the word again? Yummy I am. I don't know how I could possibly look edible, but I've heard girls call me that all my life. I'm not conceded about it, and it definitely doesn't boost up my ego or anything, but it does make me a feel better. Just a little bit.
Mrs. Cope stayed staring at my body and I started feeling even more uncomfortable. She even lightly tilted her head to the side and her jaw went slack in awe. Okay, this is getting creepy, and isn't she married?! That's the whole point of the Mrs part.
I loudly cleared my throat to get her attention. She tore her gaze from my body, but not without stealing another glance at my chest. Maybe I should stop leaving the buttons unbuttoned at the top of my shirts.
"Yes, hon?" She asked in an all too nice voice.
I cleared my throat again. "Do you where Bella Swan is at? She's late for her session." I gave her a small smile to be polite.
She smiled back at me and forgot all about my question. "Bella who?" Then she shook her head and her eyebrows scrunched up together behind her glasses. "Oh, you mean Isabella Swan?"
"Yes, ma'am." I nodded my head once.
"Oh please," Mrs. Cope batted her mascara covered eyelashes. "Call me Alicia."
"Umm…" Why do all the teachers want me to refer to them as their first name? It only makes things more awkward for me. "What about Isabella?" I asked. Saying Bella's full name sounds weird.
"Oh!" Mrs. Cope – Alicia – snapped out of her freaky trance and turned around. I heard her fingers tap against the key board, and then she turned around. "Isabella wasn't present at any of her morning classes. Would you like me to call her house to see if she's absent?"
"Yes, please." I nodded again.
Mrs. Cope turned around and brought her face closer to the computer screen. "Um...Isabella doesn't have a home phone and her, nor her father, have cellular phones." She turned around and gave me an apologetic smile.
Where could she be? "Well, thank you anyways." I smiled and went back to my office.
I'm so stupid! The school doesn't have Bella's number, but I do!
I got my cell phone and pushed the number 1, speed dial for Bella's phone. It rung about five times before someone answered.
"Hello?" A tired voice said. Was that Bella?
"Bella? Is that you? Are you okay? Where are you at? Why aren't you here?" Every question I had escaped through my lips at that moment.
"Wai-what? Edward, is this you?" She sounded sick.
"Yes, Bella, it's me. Are you okay?" I got up from my chair.
"Yhea, yhea," You can tell she was trying to sound better. "Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Bella," I was worried. She sounded really ill and tired and I don't know, just not well. "I'm coming over. Do you want me to bring you anything?" I started putting my laptop – not bothering to turn it off – in its messenger bag.
"No, no! I'm fine, please don't come!" Bella's scratchy voice had a hint of panic in it.
I stopped what I was doing and switched the phone from my left ear to my right ear. "Why not?"
"Because….I'm not home." She sounded unsure. Definitely lying.
"Oh yhea? Then where are you at?" Why is she lying to me? She's never hid anything from me before.
"I'm….just here….somewhere." There was a pause and I heard her take in a deep breath. "Don't come looking for me, Edward. Okay? Please, just…don't." Bella begged.
I narrowed my eyes. "Fine, I won't go. But if you're not here on Monday, I'm checking up on you."
I heard her sick, tired voice sigh. "Thank you. Bye."
"Bye." I said into my Blackberry and hung up.
Yhea right. As if I was going to wait three more days to see if Bella was alright. Of course I'm going to check up on her right now. I put my phone in my pocket and logged off the school's user from the computer. My laptop was already in its bag, so I slung it over my left shoulder and walked out the door.
"Leaving so soon, Mr. Cullen?" Mrs. Cope asked as I was almost out of the front office. "Classes aren't even out for the day."
I let go of the handle and turned around to see her smiling. "Yes, well, I have no more sessions today. So, if you'll excuse me." I smiled and waved at her before I finally exited the office.
Just as I made my way to my Volvo, the lunch bell rung. I looked over at the small amount of students, trying to find Bella just incase. But there was no sign of her.
I sighed for the tenth time today and entered my car. I started the engine and speed off to Bella's house.
B.P.O.V.
I groaned and threw my phone on the bed. I had a massive headache and nothing for it. No aspirin, no Tylenol, nada. To make matters worse, Charlie wasn't even home yet and he said he would only be gone for a day. Of course he wouldn't do anything to help me feel better if he were here, but maybe I could annoy him enough to get him to buy me some medicine.
Or maybe Charlie wasn't coming back at all. Maybe he's just like my mom and left me. I didn't really care at this moment. All I wanted to do is stay in bed and get better.
Not that I could get up, anyway. I felt as if every ounce of energy I've ever had faded away. I guess that's what happens when you lose a lot of blood. I barely had enough of energy yesterday to throw away by blood-filled clothes and bed sheets.
I only changed into short shorts so my new scars could get air and a black tank top to let the cuts on my shoulders and arms feel free. I hated wearing long sleeve shirts and long pants all the time because they always rub against my cuts. God and its still hot in this house! Since when is Forks hot?
And why did I have to go overboard with my new blade Wednesday night? Why did the razor blade have to be so sharp and shiny? So, so, shiny…
Ugh. I think I'm going to be sick. I'm so thirsty. I wish I was able to walk down stairs to get a glass of water. Heck, I wish could be able to walk to the bathroom across the hall to drink out of the faucet if I had to!
My headache is starting to turn into a migraine. I've never felt this sick from loosing blood. Well, only once when I first started when I was thirteen or fourteen, I think. Still, I've never felt this weak and so tired. I don't even want to think about Edward coming over. I'm so glad he finally let it go, I would die if he came here and saw me like this…literally. I think I need to call 911 for help.
I spent the entire night by the toilet throwing up, so I don't have anything in my stomach. All I've had this week was the cake I ate two days ago that Alice made because the girls wasted their money over the weekend for drugs and some fake ID's. I don't want to know why they even needed fake ID's. Just the thought of them makes my head spin even more. And I'm so hungry; I haven't been able to buy groceries for the house.
I'm no doctor, but I don't think only eating a cake two days ago, throwing it up and not having any liquids in your body is very good.
I brought up my hand against my forehead. I'm burning up, but the skin on my hand looks so pale and breakable. And the room feels like 100 degree's, but I'm wearing shorts and a tank top. What's going on?
My hand suddenly dropped to my side and everything was closing up on me. Not to mention my eye lids felt like 10 pounds each, so hard to keep them open. Breathing seemed harder now than any run I've ever had and my heart felt like it was going on over load. Everything else went black and the only thing I could hear was my heavy breathing and my heart pumping.
After a while of trying to hold up, I just couldn't take it any more. I stopped forcing my self to take the ache in my body and I let go, stopped trying.
My breathing and heart beat eventually faded away.
E.P.O.V.
Why doesn't she answer her phone? I asked my self as I closed the car door behind me. I called Bella ten times on my way to her house and no answer. I sent her five text messages and no reply.
As I walked up to her front door, I noticed Charlie's truck wasn't in the drive way. I thought Bella said that he told her he would only be gone one day? Is he up to something? Or maybe Bella's sick and he went to the store to get her some medicine. Hah! Yhea right.
I knocked on the wooden door but nobody answered. I know I probably should've waited or gone away, but the anxiety was torture. I reached down to the mat – as I've seen Bella do plenty of times – and found a key. I stuck the silver item into the door look and turned the handle. The door opened.
"Bella?" I called out. No answer.
I've never been inside Bella's house before, but I do remember her telling me her bedroom window was on the second floor. I carefully climbed up some old stairs and found my self on the second floor.
"Bella?" I felt stupid, and probably am, if she wasn't here, but that's not important right now.
"Bella, are you here?" I walked to the right and found a bathroom. There was some vomit in the toilet that didn't look to old. I held my breath and walked over to flush the toilet. Growing up with a dad as a doctor and going to his office a lot had its advantages. I'm practically immune to grossness.
Wait, vomit, Bella, Bella's sick! I rushed to the stairs, but as I was about to go down, a light at the other end of the hall caught my attention. A window! I ran to the room where the little light was coming from and pushed the door open. My heart dropped to the floor and my mind went blank.
There on the rusty old bed was Bella, covered in cuts. She was wearing shorts and a black top that exposed her varies cuts perfectly. I walked closer to her and noticed her stomach was too flat to be healthy. Has she eaten lately? She looked so fragile and her skin looked pale white against the unusual sun light for Forks.
I carefully – scared that I might break her – placed my hand on her head. She's hot! Okay, that's sounds weird. How about…she's burning up? Yhea, that sounds better. But how? She looks too thin. I walked around her bed but stopped in my tracks. Something from the corner of my eye glistened against the sun light. I turned around and found a blood-covered blade against Bella' night stand.
The blood was dried but definitely fresh. I hurried to Bella and laid my head on her chest. Her heart beat was beating way faster than normal. Oh, no.
The vomit, not eating, cuts all over her arms, shoulders and thighs….and Charlie not being here. What a coincidence.
I snatched the phone from my pocket and dialed the hospital.
"Forks Medical Hospital." A secretary said.
"Hi, yes, this is Edward Cullen." My voice was a mix of hysteria, anger, and disbelief.
How could I miss this? It's so obvious! I should've been focusing more on my job and less on liking Bella. I should've asked more questions, get more details, get the background info and try to understand the message behind every sentence. No wonder I can't figure out her puzzle, I've been throwing away all the valuable pieces.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Cullen. How have you been?"
"Uh, fine, fine, thank you. Can I speak to my father?" I asked in a rush.
"Good and I'm not sure. Dr. Cullen is very busy at this moment, would you like to leave a messa-"
"No!" Anger conquered my emotions. "I won't like to leave a message. It's an emergency! Someone might be dying as we speak!" I know it was a little over the top and dramatic, but also very true.
"Oh! Alright, let me pass you to Dr. Cullen."
The line was quiet for a while, and then my dad picked up. "Hello, Edward? Are you okay? What's going on?" He sounded worried. Good, he can get to Bella faster.
"Dad, Dad, I'm fine, but its one of my patients you have to worry about. I came to her house and found vomit in her bathroom, her dad left three days ago and she's sweating like crazy! Dad, she looks too thin and her kin is so pale but she has a very high temperature and I checked her pulse, her heart is going into over drive! I don't think she's eaten or dank anything in days! She's sick! What do I-"
"Edward, Edward, calm down, son! I'm calling the ambulance. What's her address?"
I gave him Bella's address and tried to calm my self. Of all the nerve! And those stupid gang girls should've helped Bella out! Wait, what if it was them? When I get my hands on-
"Edward, they're on their way. Now, I need you to pick her up and take her to the front door so the procedure of getting her in the ambulance truck is faster, okay? Try to pour some fluids down her throat, but make sure she doesn't choke." My dad's tone was half father and half doctor.
Even though he couldn't see me, I nodded my head to every order. I was about to hang up when my dad told me something else. "And Edward, whatever you do, make sure she's keeps breathing!"
I gave one quick nod and hung up the phone without another word. I put my cell in my pocket and reached for Bella's body. She so much lighter than when I carried her last week. I can't believe the difference in just seven days!
I finally got Bella down the steps and placed her on a couch that smelled like beer. I didn't want to leave her there, but it was either that or the wooden kitchen table. I raced to her cabinets and found a plastic cup, and I filled it with water.
Making sure she won't drown, I gently sat Bella up to lean against me and carefully poured the water into her mouth. I could hear the sirens from the ambulance not too far away, getting louder and louder with every second. They must be really close. I put the cup down and carried Bella's thin and cut up figure to the front door. A heart beat later, there was knocking at the door.
"It's open!" I yelled over the blasting sirens.
Two paramedics came in and grabbed Bella from my arms. They went outside and strapped her to onto a bed and rolled her to the ambulance truck. "Wait, wait, I have to go with her!" I told one of the paramedics as they were about to close the back doors.
"Sir, only family members are allowed. Now excuse me, we have to get her to the hospital, Mr. Cullen."
Damn! That's one of the crappy things about being the doctor's son, everyone who has to do with the hospital knows you - even if you don't know them.
I backed up and let them take Bella away. The truck speed off into the streets and I watched it go. How could this happen? So much blood. And why isn't Charlie back yet like Bella said he would be? Wait, who was that person out side of Bella's house? My eyes widened at the possibilities.
I ran to my Volvo and jumped in. I grabbed my phone and dialed Emmett's cell as I drove to my destination.
"Yo, Em here." Emmett's loud voice answered.
"Emmett, it's me, Edward." I said in a hurry.
"No, really?" He said sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes. "Em, this is serious. Bella got taken to the hospital!"
I heard him get up from wherever he was sitting at. "Wh-are you sure?!"
"Yes, I'm sure! I was the one who called the ambulance and saw them take her away!"
"Dude, are you going after her?!" It's amazing how close and how well Bella got along with my friends just after a couple of gatherings. Emmett sounded really worried.
"No, I have to take care of other business. That's why I called you, I need you and Jasper or whoever else will go with you to check on Bella. My dad should be handling her."
I heard him get his keys. "On my way, I'll go alone. Jasper's on a date with Alice and Rose is working on a paper about God knows what."
I nodded and hung up the phone. I always go above the speed limit so I got there twice as fast. I finally got here, Forks High. I got out of my car, slamming the door behind me. There were still a couple of minutes left till lunch finished and I needed to find them.
I practically ran to the back of the cafeteria and there they were. The girls Bella complained so much about. There were only about five or six of them there. I could see the rest on the football field and track. "Hey, excuse me." I called the one who was leaning against the building on the floor and smoking. Yup, she's definitely in a gang. Wow, there's so many of them. About ten were at the field and another six or seven were on the tracks. That's more than twenty counting the girls back here.
Smoke escaped her lips. "Yeah?" Bella's right. Her voice is cat-like, this must be Karina.
"I want to know why the hell you beat up Bella so badly on her birthday!" I've haven't cussed or used profanity in a long time so I wouldn't let it slip out since I met Bella, but I'm so angry right know, I don't care.
Her dirty eye brows knotted. "What are you talking about?" She looked at me like I was some freak. Hah! Look who's talking!
"Please, quit the act. I know you beat up on Bella. I saw someone, one of you," I pointed my finger to each one of them as they were all watching my outburst. "Going to her house the night of her birthday. Today, they had to take her to the hospital and I think it was because of blood loss and not eating healthy."
"Wow," The girl who I think is Karina said and kept nodding her head. "'Bout time."
"What?" How could she say that! Is she happy Bella might die!
"Chill," She flicked the burned part of the cigarette. "I meant that it's about time she lost blood." I guess she saw the rage boil in me because she continued to explain. "Bella's been cutting her self since like, what, she was fourteen. And I don't mean little scraps and scratches; I'm talking about serious cutting. Deep, bloody, wounds. Sometimes, she goes way overboard with it and gets tired easily, but she's never fainted. Well," Karina tilted her head up, trying to remember. Then she blew out another puff of smoke. "I think she only fainted once when she was sixteen, but that's it." Karina paused for a second. "So she finally lost too much blood, huh? Man, I was starting to think she was a vampire and stole blood from innocent souls at night." She smiled at she stuck the lung-killer in her mouth again.
"You're lying!" I screamed at her.
She tossed the cigar away as she got up in front of me. "I'm no liar. Why, did wittle, pwetty Bewa lie to you?" She looked innocent for about five seconds before she went on with her tough act. "Look, I don't know what she tells you, but Bella is the only one of my girls who doesn't do drugs. She is in love with cutting, okay? She has problems, that's how she deals with them. Like it or not."
I was about to tell her Bella would never do that when another girl spoke up. "Wait, she's telling the truth."
Karina backed away and let the other girl speak. She had bags under her eyes, even worse than Bella's. I could see a bag with a yellow smiley face in her battered coat. Is that coke? Or meth? Maybe even – Oh! She's Sarah, the only girl Bella likes. Weird.
"How do you know?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest.
"I was the one outside her house. I gave her a birthday present and," She started to look guilty. Did she beat Bella!? "And, well, I gave Bella a sharp, new blade."
"So?" I looked back at both of them. Karina was sending a glare at Sarah, while Sarah looked ashamed. "That doesn't mean she used it."
"She did! And now she might die 'cause of me!" Sarah's voice cracked at the end and her eyes got filled with tears.
I shook my head and backed away from them. "You're lying! You're all liars! Bella would never do that! She would've told me, she never lies!" I turned around and sprinted to my car.
Bella wouldn't do that. I told my self as I speed off to the hospital. Forks Medical Hospital was at the other end of town, near La Push, since they don't have hospitals over there. Of course she wouldn't and if she did, she would've told me. Charlie. I know its Charlie. If those skunk bags didn't hurt Bella, then Charlie did. It all makes sense. He said he would be gone for one day, but when he saw that he might've killed Bella by making her bleed too much, he got scared and left. He ran away from his problems. He's just like Bella's mother, a coward.
After many creepy – and possibly insane – conversations in my head, I reached the hospital. I parked in the visitors section and ran to the front door. Looking all over the place, I headed to the front desk.
"Excuse me; do you how Bella Swan is doing?" I asked the lady in the front desk.
She was new and young, and looking at me. Well, more like checking me out. Great, first Mrs. Cope and now this chic. I suddenly felt proud and bad for my dad.
He has to go through stares and glances like this from nurses, patients, and secretaries all the time. That's what makes me fell sorry for him. But I fell proud of him because, even with all these looks from the opposite sex, he's still true and in love with my mom. I realized how lucky I am to have parents like them and not like Bella's. Poor Bella…BELLA!
"Excuse me!" I yelled at the lady's face, though she could pass for a teenager. "I want to know where Bella Swan is at!" Could she please stop staring at me and answer my question!
"Ed!" A booming voice called. I turned around, leaving Ms. Stunned behind, and caught up to Emmett. He also ran to me and stopped in front of me. "Your dad is still with her. I got here just as they were racing her to the emergency room, she was awake."
I felt a spark of hope go through my veins as my eyes widened. "Really?"
He nodded sadly. "Yhea, she saw me and asked for you."
I gave him a questioning look.
How could he go through the emergency section of the hospital? I can't even do that without being thrown out. "I might have, sort of, flexed my muscles and they kind of got scared." I sighed. Of course, his 'guns' can get him anything. "Anyway," He switched the topic. "She said she was sorry and she kept crying as she told me something like 'I knew I cut in too deep, I knew it.' But I think she was saying it mostly to her self than me."
No. No, she wouldn't. "What else did she say?" You could hear the anger in my voice.
Emmett shook his head and had a sad look on his face. "Your dad got me to get out of there after that. Sorry, man."
I nodded my head, letting him know it was okay. I went to the waiting area and sat down with my hands in my head.
Bella's cutting her self. She's been doing so since she was fourteen.
She lied.
Maybe, just maybe…she's addicted.
I want to go on so badly! Curse my one-hour-on-the-computer limit. Ugh. Review and let me know if you liked it. (p.s. the reason I updated so fast was because I got A LOT of long reviews)
Love, Mayface!
