Chapter Six
Bella
Jake knew where he was going so I just gazed at the scenery, reminiscent of the drive here from the airport with Charlie, except I was much more comfortable with Jake. We went down an overgrown dirt track and came out at the side of a huge derelict building. He looked at the map again and smiled,
"I was right. This is an old lumber mill, but its been empty for years"
"Was it still in use when Renee lived here?"
"Not as far as I know. It closed down years ago".
"Then why would she mark it on a map?"
"Maybe she and Charlie came here to make out, nice and private"
He put his arm round me and laughed as I wriggled out,
"Jake, be serious"
"I am, why else would she put it on the map?"
"But it was after they got married she drew the map".
"Memories maybe?"
I didn't think so, at least not good ones. The place was creepy to me and I was glad when Jake drove back onto the main road.
"Where now?"
"Could we go to the Reservation and ask your Dad if he knows why she'd draw a map with the Res on it?"
He shrugged,
"I'm not sure that's a good idea Bella. I told you he was unhappy when I asked him about the Cold Ones and I thought I'd heard him mention them."
I persevered and he turned in the direction of the reservation.
Jake
I wasn't sure what Bella hoped to achieve but I was happy to help her so when we got to my place I took her hand and led her in to the cabin.
"Dad, Bella's here. She's wants to speak to you"
Billy wheeled himself through from the bedroom and smiled at her,
"It's always a pleasure to see you Bella. Sit down, Jake make her a drink".
Bella
Jake went out to the kitchen and Billy looked at me intently,
"So what brings you here pale face?"
"How well did you know Renee, Billy?"
He looked startled and unhappy,
"If you need to know anything about your Mother I think you should ask Charlie"
"I do but I wanted to ask you something. Do you know of anything that happened to Renee that would have scared her into leaving Forks?"
"That's a strange and loaded question Bella. What makes you ask?"
"I cant tell you that yet but I know something happened before she married my Dad and it made her leave soon after I was born"
"Your mother was ill Bella, I think she thought the sun might help her"
"No, Charlie would have taken her away if it was that simple. He loved her and she loved him but something happened"
"Bella, I think you should leave things alone. Your Mother is dead and Charlie is dealing with it. Don't drag up the past".
"So something did happen? Why would she be interested in three places in Forks? Three specific places".
"Which three?"
He leaned forward, interested now
"The Reservation"
"She had friends here, so does Charlie"
"The old lumber mill"
He tensed but shrugged,
"No idea"
"And the house where the Cullens live now"
I knew he had an answer but I knew equally that I wasn't going to get it.
"I don't think anyone lived there when Renee was here. Leave the past in the past Bella. Its never a good idea to rake it up, it hurts people, innocent people".
"Like Charlie?" I asked quickly but he never replied.
As Jake came in with the mugs of coffee Billy excused himself,
"I'm very tired. I'll leave you two to talk".
"Well?" said Jake eagerly
"He knows something, something did happen but he wont discuss it, he just tells me to leave it alone."
"Which of course you will do"
We smiled at each other.
"I'm going to see if any of the other doodles are something".
Jake had an idea
"Hey you know you said Renee had left something here for you"
"Possibly, not definitely"
"Do you think she might have hid it in one of those three places?"
"I don't know but I doubt it. The mill could have been pulled down and the Cullen house might have been occupied or renovated and whatever it was, might be found".
"Yeah and she was hardly likely to leave something here if it was a secret".
That night I thought about the map and the three places, they must have been significant to her at one time, but after whatever had happened, was one of the places where it happened? I looked at the other doodles and saw a pattern in another. It wasn't a map but when I turned it round and round I spotted that it was a plan of this house but with all the rooms shown on one floor so it looked like an abstract picture of straight lines. I copied it and labelled all the rooms, she appeared to have switched a few of them but I worked it out after a while. In one room was another red dot. It was this room, now had she marked it because it was my room or had it been their room when they first moved in? Or had she hidden something here? I looked round the room, it hadn't been changed since I was a baby except for the bed and the carpet. I tried to think of possibilities, the closet, behind a picture, in the air vent or...under the floorboards. I nearly jumped up and pulled the ones I'd nailed back down up, until I saw the time. How would I explain to Charlie why I was taking floorboards up in the middle of the night?
Having hammered them down myself I knew I'd need help to get them up again so before school the next day I rang Jake to ask him to bring his muscles over this evening. He agreed eagerly,
"I spoke to Billy last night after you left and I'll tell you all about it when I get there".
I drove to school frustrated that I had a whole day before I could find out if I was right about the hiding place. Still thinking about Renee's book I walked through the swing doors straight into someone. Looking up I saw Emmett Cullen grinning down at me,
"We have to stop meeting like this Bella. Someone's going to talk".
I groaned "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going"
"I'd have said you weren't here at all, mentally"
I turned at the new voice and saw Jasper Hale standing behind me. Excusing myself I made a run for English where Alice and Edward were already seated.
They turned to look as I crashed down into my seat beside Angela. She looked at me quizzically,
"What's happened Bella? You're blushing"
I hung my head and groaned
"I did it again Angie, I walked straight into Emmett Cullen, and his brother was standing behind me".
She grinned,
"Well if you're going to walk into anyone I guess one of the gorgeous Cullen boys is a good choice".
"Don't Angie please, I dread to think what I'll do for an encore, still they kept me upright so that's something".
"Bella I've noticed something weird"
"You mean apart from my ability to fall over invisible objects?"
She laughed,
"Yes apart from that. The Cullens seem to watch you"
"What? They're probably just trying to figure out how to keep a safe distance from me".