Chapter Two

Bella

I sent application forms to every College in the South, as far from Forks as possible. I'd decided to try for a degree in Literature, preferably leading to a job in a College Research Library where I wouldn't have to interact with many people. I liked books, they didn't want conversation or friendship, didn't judge you and your responses to their messages were private. Getting into College in Phoenix was a plus because I knew the city while not having any friends there. I had to apartment share because all my money went on the College fees and books. Charlie sent me money for rent each month for which I was grateful, Renee and Phil topped it up as often as they could and I got a part-time job in the College Library, so work experience too.

My room-mate was very friendly but soon got the message that I wasn't interested in any friendships. We lived together and that was it. We didn't share interests, meals or Lectures so hardly ever met except at breakfast, when she wasn't staying over at her boyfriends place. He also tried to be friends, even to match me up with his best friend but I just failed to show up for the double date, staying in the library until late, hiding I guess but I didn't care, I knew they'd get the message eventually and they did. So I did my time at College and graduated but didn't go to work in a Library. I'm not sure how it happened but I got a job writing short stories and book reviews for a magazine in Montana.

Montana was good, no associations, no friends, and at last enough money so I could get a small apartment all to myself. My work mates, when I had to call in the office, were all much older so no one tried to hit on me thank God. I made a few acquaintances and went out a couple of times for a drink but I never made a habit of it. I needed no one else and I wanted no one else, no ties, no dates, no men in my life. I liked my own company and lived through the characters in my stories. Let them have all the heartache and pain instead, I already had the tee-shirt and scars of heartbreak so I could write about it as an expert.

Charlie was always asking me to visit but I wanted nothing to do with Forks or the people there, too many memories, so he visited me a few times. On one memorable occasion he brought Jake with him, as a surprise! That visit lasted one night before Jake and I had a terrible row and he left. If he'd just left me alone I could have coped with his presence but he had to push me into talking about the past and that just made me angry. I'd chained up the past, my memories, and locked them all away, never to see the light of day again until he started. Then I had to go through it all again, all the pain, all the questions, Why had Edward lied? Why couldn't it be as if he'd never existed? Why was my life shit now? All down to him. After Jake left Charlie started on me for being so cruel to a friend trying to help. This caused a rift between us and although I rang him occasionally he didn't visit again. According to him I'd become, cruel and bitter, as if that were news to me!

"That Edward ruined my sweet Bella and I don't like what's left behind. You never used to be so rude, so cruel to people who love you."

"Yeah well Dad I found out that just because people say they love me, it isn't necessarily true and I wont go back to that again. I'm happy as I am, on my own, knowing what's coming next and that if anyone lies to me it won't hurt."

After a year the magazine asked me to take a vacation to Mexico and write about it. I baulked but they insisted, an article about a single girl travelling around Mexico. I told them it would be boring for the readers but they supplied the money and flight so with bad grace I turned up at the airport for my flight to find I wasn't going to be alone, they were sending a photographer along too. I groaned but at least it was a female around my own age, maybe she could do the article too and I'd just stay on the hotel for the three weeks. By the time we landed I'd found out a few things, her name was Sam, she never stopped talking, her Daddy owned the magazine and quite unexpectedly, I liked her. The hotel was mid range and we'd got a small suite, courtesy of Daddy I imagined. That was fine by me, I had my own space, separate bedrooms so I could rest my ears!

She persuaded me to go out for drinks the first night and I ended up giving her an abbreviated version of my romantic disaster.

"So that explains the Bella angst."

"The what?"

"Well there had to be a reason you were so unreachable. Why don't you write about it? Could be a best seller."

"Yeah right. lay my soul on the line. I don't think so Sam. I'll just carry on doing what I do best. Make up stories."

"Not this assignment. You get to enjoy yourself. Tomorrow we take a Jeep ride to some small Mexican towns, get the local colour."

I groaned

"You go catch the local colour with your camera and show me when you get back."

"No way Bella. Where I go, you go. We're a team this holiday."

I hate to admit it but I enjoyed myself. Our Driver was taciturn but Sam made up for his silence and the countryside was pretty. She took photos of me with 'colourful' locals and outside Cantinas, Churches and anywhere else she thought might look good in the magazine. We even sampled the Tequila although I didn't like the taste or the messing about with slices of lime and salt. It was more like a meal than a drink! I stuck to sodas, just as well because it was hot and we drank constantly. Sam was so pleased with the days work that she hired our Driver and Jeep for another day and we left at the crack of dawn.

When I questioned the early start she explained she'd heard of a very quaint old-fashioned and remote village in the hills some distance away and wanted to get some more photos. The only good thing was that we travelled most of the way before it got too hot. The Driver however, decided he was ill before we got there and we were forced to leave him at another village and drive ourselves, navigating with the aid of his directions spoken in broken English and a dog-eared map. How we found the village I will never know but we did and decided to celebrate with a drink at the tiny bar in the central, well only, square. As we sat in the shade of a huge tree I started to feel uneasy and looked around for the reason. Then I got it, the villagers were nervous, they seemed to scuttle from place to place, not stopping to chatter like everywhere else we'd been.

There didn't seem to be many women either, only the very old and mainly old men. No children at all that I could see or hear, even the livestock was missing. Normally there were goats, dogs, and pigs wandering round the village and out into the countryside unhindered, but not here. Only chickens were roaming free. I pointed this out to Sam who just shrugged so I asked in the bar but the old lady who served me just crossed herself and muttered. It was all a little creepy.

"I think we'll get out of here before sunset"

Sam laughed at this but we were in the Jeep and on the toad by mid afternoon never the less.

"That was weird"

"Not as friendly, they seemed scared of something"

We hadn't got far when the Jeep's engine died, so there we were, stranded in the wilds of the Mexican countryside with no transport and no cell phone signal!