Chapter 7: No…
-x-x-x-
"I can feel the darkness coming.
And I'm afraid of myself.
Call my name and I'll come running.
Cause I just need some help…"
Hurts – Help
-x-x-x-
When Alexis awoke that Saturday morning, she felt an overwhelming sense of dread wash over her; sending chills down her spine the moment her eyes fluttered open.
She could see the rare glimpse of sunlight filtering in through her bedroom curtains, suggesting that the day was actually going to be one of the limited bright days in Forks; a day that anyone would expect to be great.
But there in the pit of her stomach, was a feeling that she couldn't quite place. She hadn't felt it before that day, but she knew that it meant something. She knew that it wasn't just some random feeling that held no meaning in the long run, something bad was going to happen - and it was going to happen soon.
Glancing around her room, everything seemed to be in its place, the same as always. Nothing was out of the ordinary, not even the book that she'd drifted off reading; it was still in her lap, proof of the first peaceful sleep since her arrival in the rainy town.
Lex was surprised that she hadn't had nightmares throughout the night. When she'd closed her eyes, she could see them fighting to make an appearance, but perhaps they had stayed in the back of her mind for a reason, perhaps the nightmares were kept at bay with the knowledge that a real-life horror was going to happen whilst she was awake.
The slight buzzing of her phone on her bedside table drew her from her thoughts.
Are we going for a run or what? - Ty x
Tyler. She suddenly remembered their agreement to run together on the weekends. Realising that there was no reason to stay in bed, she chose to believe that if something were to happen today, then it would happen regardless of what she personally did in the next few hours.
Quickly rising from the mattress, she sent a short reply to her friend to let him know where to meet. It thankfully didn't take her too long to get changed into a sports bra and some leggings for a morning workout.
Making her way downstairs towards the front door, her feet stopped short as a crash was heard from the kitchen.
"Mum?" She called, jogging through to check out the sudden noise.
"Hm?" Her mother mumbled in return, picking up a frying pan from the floor in a daze. "What is it, darling?"
It wasn't like her mother to be scattered, not once before in her life had she ever witnessed her drop or misplace a single thing. "Are you alright? You seem a bit off this morning?"
Lex's words seemed to do the trick, the older redhead shaking her thoughts away before sending her daughter a bright smile; though it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm fine, dear. Go on out for your run, I'll see you when you get home later."
"Okay…" Hovering in the doorway, Alexis wasn't overly sure about leaving her while she was like this, eyes scanning over her mother to see if she could pinpoint anything that was causing her trouble. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Of course I am, Lex." She stressed, walking over to rest her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Now go on out, I'll see you later when you get back."
"Alright… I'll be going to the library with Bella for a little bit afterwards. I don't know if she's expecting me to go back to her house for dinner, but I'll be coming back in to get changed beforehand."
Already on her way to finish what she'd been doing before Alexis came downstairs, Maeve called over her shoulder "That's fine, love. Just send me a message when you're out to let me know what you're doing and I'll keep your father in the know."
Hesitantly leaving her house, Alexis looked around until she could faintly make out Tyler at the end of her street. The boy already looked out of breath from the journey there, she genuinely wondered if he had any chance of making it further.
"You okay, bun-bun?" He asked as he came to a halt beside her. "You look paler than usual."
"Please stop calling me that." She whined, coming up from her stretches to face him. "It's a ridiculous name, it makes me sound like a toddler."
Tyler's shoulders shook with laughter as he moved to copy her poses. "Not a chance, my friend. Seriously though, is anything wrong? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I guess." She replied with a sigh, contemplating her next words. "Do you ever just get the feeling that something is going to happen? Something bad?"
The boy at her side paused for a moment, eyebrows scrunched in thought at her question. She could tell that he already had an answer but was trying to think of a way to put her mind at ease. "No, not really. I don't think so anyway? Maybe you're just ill, I'm sure everything is going to be fine. You've probably just thought too much about it to the point you're panicking for no reason."
"Maybe." She muttered, knowing full well that she wasn't ill and that such a thing was a completely different feeling from the rock that had formed in her stomach. However, there was no point in trying to explain such things, so she decided to try and take her mind off of everything and do what she had planned to do the other day. "Are you ready to run?"
"Of course." Tyler grinned, swinging his arms back and forth to hype himself up. "How long are we running for, anyway? Do you have a route in mind?"
Starting with a light jog, Alexis headed towards the direction she'd mapped out the previous day as she tried to remember the way. "Well, I have about an hour and a half before I'm meant to meet up with Bella, so I'd say about an hour?"
"You're going to regret that."
Giggling at the smirk she could hear in his voice, she immediately quickened the pace at the thought of a challenge. "Oh, we'll see about that."
-x-x-x-
"Doesn't this place just make you feel alive?"
An hour after their departure, the pair found themselves back at the forest behind Lexi's house, the redhead basking in the cool breeze as it blew through the trees; a light sweat had formed on her brow that reacted wonderfully to the wind.
Tyler gasped, falling to the grass at his feet as he clutched at his knees for support. "You're insane. You're genuinely bonkers."
"I thought it was me that was going to regret going for a run?" She grinned, arms folded in triumph whilst she watched her friend gasp for breath. "Were you wrong?"
"That was before I knew you were bionic."
Rolling her eyes, Alexis turned to enjoy the view in front of her, taking deep breaths to inhale the sweet scent of the pines. Energy seemed to flow through her in Forks, as though life itself was seeping into her skin through the slightest touch to the bark of the trees.
"It's the only way you can't be exhausted right now." He continued, almost to himself, panting like a dog without water. "Seriously, how are you not even a little tired?"
It took her a moment to think about it. Back in Phoenix she most definitely would have been tired by that point, remembering the amount of times she'd had to stop her brother on the side of the path so she could down a bottle of water half way home. But Forks was different, it brought her back to life and made her feel like she could do anything; as though anything was possible.
"I don't know what to tell you, Ty." She shrugged, smiling at her surroundings. "I just feel better in Forks."
Rising to his feet, he shuffled over to her side. "I think from now on we should keep it down to a half hour run. Either that or you've got to let me rest for five minutes every now and then, you monster."
"To be fair, I feel like I've warned you enough times that I'm just better than you. You have nobody to blame but yourself for challenging me all the time." Her limbs finally started to feel a slight ache, hand reaching down to rub gently at her calves. "Think about it this way, if you keep going at my pace then maybe one day you might actually be level with me."
"I can't wait till we play basketball, I'm going to ruin you." Tyler scoffed, beginning to stretch before his journey back home.
"Is that a promise?"
Choking on air, his eyes widened as his movements stopped and he glanced her way. "Don't get all flirty now if you're not going to do anything about it, bun-bun. It's not nice to break a guy's heart."
"I would never dream of it." Giving him a quick hug goodbye, she laughed at the mere idea of such a thing. "I'll see you on Monday, okay?"
"Yeah, don't think for a second that I'm going to let the Cullens steal you away from our group."
"Hey, we had a deal!" She called out to his retreating form, the sound of his laughter all she got in response. "I almost made it through a full morning without that family being mentioned."
-x-x-x-
"Hello, Bella." Maeve greeted the girl kindly as she walked through the front door. "How are you doing, love?"
Bella shuffled awkwardly in the entry to the living room, running a hand through her hair as she nodded. "I'm fine. How are you finding Forks?"
Lex's mother moved over from her seat next to her daughter to usher Bella into the room, a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Oh, we're doing just lovely. You should see some of the artwork that I've done since we got here, it's absolutely beautiful."
"I'm sure it is." The girl smiled fondly at the older woman, nodding her head as she glanced towards the backyard. "I'm sorry I haven't been over much, I should really try to visit more. I'll try not to steal Lex so much."
"Don't you worry about that, love." Maeve waved her off, coming to a halt at the entry to the kitchen. "You need to reconnect with your father, we completely understand. You know you're welcome to come round whenever you want."
Alexis took that moment to stand up and make her way to stand by her best friend. "She'll never forget it. You ready to go, Bells?"
She knew that if they stayed for even a few more seconds that her mother would offer to make a pot of tea. If that happened, then Bella would be incapable of saying no with the fear of being rude; even though they both knew that she didn't actually want any tea. Then they would have to stay for at least another half an hour before they could continue with what they'd actually planned for the day.
"Yes." Bella seemed obviously grateful for the interruption, already making a move to leave.
She'd always loved Lexi's parents, willing to spend countless hours with them and join them for holidays over the years, it's just that Maeve had a knack for asking the questions that you were trying to avoid.
Lexi knew that if she managed to get a mug into Bella's hands, then Edward Cullen would be brought up within a matter of seconds; which was the last thing that Bella wanted while they waited for the boy's return to school.
Kissing her mother on the cheek goodbye, Lexi called back "I'll see you later, I love you."
"Okay, dear, I love you too." Her mother responded, eyes suddenly focused on the house phone as her eyes glazed over.
As the two girls hopped into Bella's truck outside, the brunette turned to her best friend with a worried expression. "Hey, is your mom alright?"
"I don't know…" She trailed off, glancing back at the house as they peeled out of the driveway. "She's been a little out of it today, I don't think even she knows exactly why."
"What do you think is wrong with her?"
"I genuinely have no idea, Bells. I'm sure that if anything bad had happened to anyone then they would have told me by now, they wouldn't leave me in the dark." Her hand shifted over her stomach as the dull ache throbbed once again. "But I can't get over this feeling like something bad is going to happen… Maybe my mum is having the same feeling."
The two of them fell into silence for a moment, the subtle clunks of the truck moving the only noise before Bella tried to calm her best friend down. "Well, hopefully it's nothing. It's not really possible to actually know when something bad is going to happen anyway, right?"
Sighing, the redhead leant her head against the window as she put her sunglasses on. "I don't know. I'm starting to think a lot of impossible things are possible now."
It was obvious that neither one of them wanted to continue with the current conversation, so the Swan girl decided to take the initiative. "It's crazy that there is actually a bit of sunlight today, huh?" She asked, looking around before focusing on the road again. "I never thought I'd see the sun again while we lived here."
"I think you're forgetting who you're talking to." Lex lightly chuckled, running a hand through her hair. "I already miss the dull grey clouds, the smell that comes with the rain is so calming to me."
"How can you miss that? Seriously? It's still way colder than Phoenix." Pulling into the side of the road, it had only taken all of ten minutes to drive to the small bundle of shops in town. "You've got to learn to appreciate it while it's here, the sun is good for you."
"It can also burn you and give you cancer, so I wouldn't exactly use that argument too strongly."
Bella simply snickered at her friend, holding the door open to the library for them to walk through.
"There are like… 10 books here, Bells." Lex grimaced, wiping a bit of dust off of one of the shelves inside. There was a possibility that nobody in town ever set foot in the place with how decrepit it looked. "The librarian is literally asleep."
The brunette looked around, trying to find anything worth salvaging but came up empty handed. "I think we're going to have to travel to get books. Maybe we could go to Seattle soon or something? I don't understand how people survive here."
"It probably helps if you've lived here your entire life, you don't realise the simple things you're missing." Wiping the dust onto her jeans, she grimaced at the marks left behind as she glanced back at the snoozing worker at the front desk. "I mean, we could probably just take these, I honestly believe that she'd thank us."
"Yeah, I'm sure that my father, the chief of police, would be thrilled if we did that."
Raising her hands in defeat, Lex started to make her way towards the exit. "Point made. What do you want to do now, then? This trip was a lot shorter than I thought it would be."
"We could take a look around? See what stores they actually have here? So far it seems like we're going to travel to do anything; I think the only thing we can really do is go to the diner."
The old heavy door creaked as they left, slamming shut behind them, though Alexis was certain that the librarian wasn't woken by the noise. Although, she was amazed that someone visiting the building wasn't exciting enough for her to be shocked awake.
"Well, maybe now you can understand why Charlie goes there so often." Lex shrugged, eyes scanning the different store signs. "It's still a cute little town though, I think it's a nice place to live."
"Because you're insane."
"Why do people keep saying that to me today?"
The few shops that they'd managed to find in the area weren't exactly the shops that they could see themselves frequenting throughout their stay there. One of them was a shop designated to selling fish, a shop that Alexis had found revolting and had to leave quickly. It didn't take long before the pair decided to hop back into Bella's truck and head off to the diner. It was only midday and Charlie wouldn't finish work until 5pm, so they figured they may as well eat out for lunch instead of hanging around the house for the rest of the day.
They spoke about what weekend would be best to go to Seattle, deciding to plan a full day there; so they would need to leave as early as possible to get as much time there as they could.
"I think I'm going to have to find somewhere to buy some new clothes." Alexis thought out loud, eyes focused on the trees as they pulled up outside the diner. "Maybe some new dresses."
"Why would you buy dresses? It's freezing here."
"I don't know, I just feel really in the mood to dress all flowery and green?" She had felt that way from the moment she'd passed the Welcome to Forks sign. "Not bright green, like a deep forest green."
Bella's eyebrows scrunched in confusion towards her best friend. "Are you away to tell me that you want to become one with nature?"
What's so wrong with that?" Lex laughed, following the brunette out of the truck towards the diner's door. "Not completely, I just feel so connected here, you know?"
"Not in the slightest. I'm pretty sure I can feel myself getting clumsier by the day here."
"I don't think that's Forks' fault, Bells."
The diner was quaint, the odd person or couple scattered around the tables in quiet conversation amongst the dark interior. Sizzling could be heard from the kitchen through the open section of the wall, the scent of cooking food wafting through the air.
"Lex, you have to admit that there are some faults with this place." Bella pushed, picking at a loose nail on her finger.
"Well, if my food here is awful then I'll agree with you." The redhead offered, trying to see if there was a menu on display at the entrance. "I think you need to try and focus on the positives, Bella. WE've only been here for a week and we've already managed to make an entire group of friends; back in Phoenix it was just us. Can you really not see how amazing that is?"
She looked at her feet, mumbling in response. "I guess, it's just so small and wet, there's hardly anything here." Her words faded into a whisper as a kind looking waitress walked over to welcome them into the small establishment.
"Bella, it's good to see you again." The woman grinned, eyes shifting over to Lex. "You must be Alexis, Charlie mentioned Bella was coming over to Forks with a friend. I heard you used to come with her on visits when you were children?"
"Yeah, I did. We mostly just stayed at the house or went down to the reservation though, so I never managed to go anywhere like here." She smiled in return, shaking the waitress' hand in greeting. "It's Lexi, by the way. Nobody really calls me Alexis."
As she showed them to their table, she explained that she'd be back in a few moments to take their order. Lex watched her walk away with a feeling of content. She remembered what it was like going out to eat in Phoenix, the places so busy that you could hardly say two words to the servers, never mind have them learn your name. Forks may be cold in the sense of the weather, but the people were warm and kind; welcoming.
"How can you hate it here, Bells?" Lexi whined, pleading with her best friend to understand the charm of the small town. "Can't you just realise that this place is amazing and stay until we go to college?"
"Lex," she scoffed a laugh, shaking her head fondly. "You know that we don't share the same opinion on everything, right? We'll be reunited when we find somewhere to go together."
Sighing as she searched the menu, the girl mumbled. "And I'm sure it'll be a beautiful moment, but I still think you should stay." The menu was large enough, yet she was disheartened to see that the only vegetarian option available for her was a salad. "Well, I guess I know what I'm having."
"A mental breakdown if you think I'm staying here." Bella grumbled, gasping in pain when her best friend threw a spoon at her.
-x-x-x-
That night, Lex sat on the kitchen counter in the small kitchen of the Swan household as Bella worked away to prepare dinner for the three of them, her legs swinging back and forth as she continued their conversation from earlier that day.
"You'd love it if she stayed until graduation, wouldn't you Charlie?"
"Lex." Bella hissed, prodding her best friend with a fork as her eyes widened.
"What?" Of course Lexi knew that Bella wouldn't want to talk about it in front of her dad, he was just as awkward as she was and they tended to avoid any conversation about the real topics of life. "He would!"
The brunette turned back to the food in the pot, eyebrows raised. "I'm sure my mom would love to hear all of this."
Folding her arms across her chest, Lex pouted with a sigh. "If Renee really cared about me as much as she says she does then she wouldn't take you away from me."
"She cares about me."
The redhead gasped dramatically, hand held up mockingly to her chest. "How dare you? I am like family to you both."
"Lex," Charlie finally chimed in, already sensing that the back and forth could potentially last for at least another ten minutes or so. "Bella is a big girl, I'm sure that she can make her own decisions." With that, he made a noise of discomfort and went back to reading his newspaper as though he hadn't spoken at all.
"You Swans, always so awkward and emotionally unavailable." Lex shook her head in humoured disappointment.
Bella laughed and nudged her knee, hoping that the topic would change. "Shut up, I'm sure you'll do just fine with a year away from me."
Mocking a glare, the redhead chose to pick her battles and hopped down off the kitchen counter to take a seat next to the chief of police. She would continue to try and pick at Bella's resolve over the next couple of months in the hopes of her changing her mind, but for now she could give it a rest.
"So, Charlie, how is work going?"
The man's shoulders visibly relaxed at the new topic, relieved that they were back in his comfort zone, folding up his newspaper to set it down on the table. "Not much is going on just now to be honest with you, Lex. A bit boring for me and the boys down at the station, but at least it means that the people are safe."
"Either way it's a win-win then, yeah?" She beamed, checking her phone for any missed calls or messages from her brother before she focused on dinner. "Oh, by the way, do you happen to know of any part time jobs going anywhere?"
Charlie's eyebrows raised at her question, humming as he tried to think of anything he'd heard. "Part time jobs? Are you interested in one?"
"Yeah, I figured since I'd be here for at least another year and a half that it would be worth getting something. It's good to get any kind of experience working and it might help me fit in with the townsfolk a bit more, don't you think?"
"I think that's a great idea, Lex." He responded, lip twitching up at the corner. "I'll ask around for you tomorrow and see what I can find for you. Anything in particular you'd be interested in?"
She put her finger on her chin as she tried to think of something, trying to figure out what would be best for her future goals. "I'm not sure, anything would be fine. Nothing I can do just now would help with my plan to become a doctor I don't think so I'm open to whatever."
"No problem."
Lexi simply smiled back, thankful for his help, before her attention was stolen by Bella walking over to the table with their food. "Smells good, Bells. Aren't you a lucky one, Charlie?"
"Always have been."
-x-x-x-
"You realise that you don't need to walk me home when I literally live right across from you, right?"
The two girls were approaching the redhead's front door after dinner, the brunette laughing awkwardly as she fidgeted with a strand of her hair.
"I know that, I guess it's just a habit at this point." Bella responded, coming to a halt behind her best friend. "Lex? Are you alright?"
Alexis had come to a firm halt at her front door, hand suspended mid air on the way to the doorknob. The feeling from that morning had come back tenfold, every fibre of her being screaming at her to turn around and walk away; as though if she were to even take one step through that door then something awful was going to happen. Her breathing became more laboured as the seconds passed by, the rock in her stomach now akin to an atomic bomb that almost had her doubling over in indescribable pain.
"Something is wrong, Bella." She whimpered, eyes welling up with tears from the dread that washed over her. "I can feel it."
Why was she starting to cry? As far as she was aware, nothing had actually happened.
As her hand finally wrapped around the brass knob, images swiftly flashed through her mind in quick succession. She could see her mother crying, could see the back of her brother's form looking over a cliff, her father appearing lost and in despair as he cradled his wife in his arms.
Her hand recoiled as if burnt, a sole tear cascading down her cheek as fear overwhelmed her. She was afraid of what was behind that door, of what could be waiting for her. Whatever it was, she knew that it was something she wanted absolutely nothing to do with; it would be something that she would want to ignore.
Lexi was frozen.
Finding the will to reach out for the doorknob once more, her hand gently rested on the metal without making a move to open the door. What was about to happen? What was she away to see? What was she going to hear?
"Lex, what's wrong?" Bella asked, a soft hand on her best friend's back in support.
"Just…" Alexis tried to force herself to calm down, to force herself to believe everything was alright. "Just stay with me for now, okay?"
The brunette paused, still trying to figure out what was wrong with the trembling girl. "Okay."
When Lexi managed to open the door, she felt her heart stop.
Her mother was sobbing into her father's arms, shoulders shaking violently as she struggled to control her emotions. It was exactly like what she'd seen in her head.
"Dad?"
His eyes met her own, worry and heartache deeply etched in his irises. He looked lost, just as she'd predicted. "Lex… It's Adam."
Her heart shattered into splinters that laid all around her, unable to feel as Bella wrapped her arms around her, unable to feel as her knees buckled and she collapsed to the floor. She couldn't breathe, couldn't register anything that was happening around her.
"No."
-x-x-x-
A/N: Oop, finally back on my bullshit. Covid hit my creativity a lot harder than I thought it would, but I'm finally back.
Also, if anyone is interested, you can search hollowedfantasy on youtube and I've actually made a short video of Jasper and Alexis on there! I'm really glad with how it turned out and it really got me back in the mood for writing!
Thanks so much for reading, I should be updating a few chapters over the next couple of days around work.
~ fawningfantasy x