Chapter Fourteen
Bella
I was quite expecting to see Edward but it was Alice.
"I just wanted to say goodbye".
"Why. Where are you going?"
"Not me silly, you. You'll be leaving with him won't you?"
"Leave? I hadn't really thought about it".
"Are you going to introduce him to Charlie?"
Now that would be an interesting meeting!
"I don't know. I haven't spoken to Jasper about it".
"He's a nomad Bella and he's been here too long already".
You think he'll want to go?"
"I think he's only still here because of you Bella. He wants to go but he needs to know what you decide first".
"How can I leave Alice? Charlie will send out the armed forces if I just disappear".
"You have to tell him Bella. Decide what you want and do it. What should I do Alice? What do you see?" "Oh no, you asked me not to look at your future again".
"OK but what have you already seen in it?"
"Choices Bella, that's what I see. If you go you make a choice to leave this world behind, including Charlie and Renee. If you stay, you leave his world behind with him. How do you feel? You can only go by how you feel. What seems right to you. You already know that if you watch him drive away you'll never see him again. Can you live with that? Can you live with never seeing your father again? You win something and lose something whatever you decide".
"You know more than you're telling Alice, don't you?"
She nodded very serious now. "Yes but I can't tell you until after you make your choice".
"So I will see you again?"
"That's for you to decide, I have to go now. I think he's on his way".
She looked up the road,
"I envy you Bella".
"Why?"
"Because you are at a cross roads, there are endless possibilities until you take another step. Then the possibilities diminish".
"What about you Alice? What will you do?"
"My fate is mapped out Bella. I stood where you are once, a long time ago, or rather where he stands. I waited for someone to make a decision before knowing where my destiny lie".
I remembered what she'd said to me before, "I almost met him".
"We're talking about the same man aren't we? You waited for him to make a decision and you lost a future". "Yes I did but another opened up for me Bella. There are always options. Anyway I must go, good luck Bella".
She turned and ran down the drive, lost to view almost immediately.
I heard tires on the road and looked up to see his truck waiting at the entrance to the drive, the driver's door still missing. I stood hesitating, my human life with perhaps Jake or even Edward? Or an adventure with the Major? It was no contest in the end and I walked slowly to the truck as he leaned across and opened the door.
"You done in there?" I nodded.
"Hop in then".
I did and he looked at me, I could see he was worried.
"So Bella where do you want me to take you?"
My stomach was knotting into one lump.
"Home please"
He sighed and nodded, then took off down the road. He pulled up outside Charlie's the engine ticking over. "Could you wait a few minutes only there's something I need to do".
I could see him thinking. "OK, ten minutes then I need to be moving. This truck is too noticeable since you used the door for a shield".
I smiled and touched his hand, "Ten minutes" I promised looking at my watch.
He laughed, "I won't hold you to the exact second. I'll know if its worth waiting longer."
I nodded, "OK".
Charlie was in the kitchen when I got in. "You're early Bells, everything OK?
I took a deep breath and worried my lip.
"What's up?" He'd caught my mood.
"I'm finishing school Dad".
"What? You're dropping out? Why? It's that Cullen boy isn't it? I told you he was trouble".
"No Dad it's not".
"Then why? Who?" His eyes narrowed.
"I can't explain Dad, you wouldn't understand".
He grabbed my arm. "Well try me Bells. If you think I'm just going to stand here and let you drop out of high school without some kind of explanation you are wildly mistaken".
I tried to break free of his grip but it was too tight.
"Dad, I have to leave. There's someone I need to be with"
"Someone? Who Bella? Have you been seeing someone behind Edwards back? Who is he?"
"I can't tell you Dad but I'm fine and I'll be safe".
"Oh yeah? Well were not going to find out Bella because you aren't going anywhere".
"You can't make me stay".
"Oh really? You stay here until school finishes and I find out who it is you want to run away with".
"I can't Dad you wouldn't understand even if I could explain and I can't".
I looked at the clock and Charlie saw me. "He's waiting for you isn't he?"
He pulled me over to the window. The truck was idling by the kerb.
"Too chicken shit to come in and speak to me is he?"
"No Dad. Please don't do this".
He dragged me out to the kerb and banged on the door. We both jumped when a voice came from behind us. "Chief Swan you wanted to talk to me". Jasper stood there looking huge in the dusk light.
Charlie let go of my arm, and I rubbed it.
"You OK Bella?" He asked me over Charlie's head.
I nodded, "Yes I'm fine".
"Shall we go inside" he said to Charlie, walking towards the porch.
Charlie followed, looking suspiciously at the man in front of him.
"Bella come on" my Dad said grabbing my arm again.
"I wouldn't do that" came the cold voice once more and Charlie let my arm drop.
In the house Jasper looked even larger and more menacing.
"Chief Swan, Bella wants to go with me and I think its her choice".
"No its my choice, she's my daughter. Anyway who are you and where do you come from? How did you two meet?"
I looked at Jasper thinking good luck answering those questions.
"My name is Jasper Whitlock sir and I come from Texas although I haven't lived there for some time".
"So how did you meet Bella?"
"That's a long story and it wouldn't be helpful to tell you. Lets just say I helped her out of a tight spot".
"So where do you intend taking my daughter and how are you going to live?"
"I'll take her anywhere she wants to go. Money isn't a problem".
Charlie looked at Jasper's well-worn clothes.
"No, but a lack of it is, and it looks to me like you are short of it".
Jasper smiled coldly and pulled out his wallet. He threw it on the table "Look for yourself and by the way its mine, not stolen just in case you were thinking..."
Charlie looked at the open wallet. There were bills in there, quite a few and a platinum credit card in Jasper's name.
"OK so you have money. Where will you live?"
"That is up to Bella, I don't have a fixed base".
"So you intend to drag her around the country like a gypsy?"
"If she wants to".
"Well you just listen to my suggestion for a moment. If you have nowhere to go and quite obviously no job why don't you hang around until she finishes school and graduates? It's only a couple of months and that way you can try to convince me that you'd be good for her."