Hey, guys!
Decided to post this a few days early since I'll be out of town this weekend. Enjoy!
Maybe I really am supposed to die.
Why else would I move to the one town in Alaska with vampires? Maybe the universe had decided I was taking too long to die, or maybe it wanted insurance to make sure I actually went this time. Whatever the reason, I suddenly felt nauseous. Dread weighed down on my shoulders and pulled my stomach all the way to my feet. I was worried the lovely lunch I just had was about to make a reappearance.
It was unnecessary to describe her as pretty. They were all beautiful, and she wasn't an exception. Her skin was flawless and pale. Her long curly hair was a lovely shade of strawberry blonde that wasn't too red or too light. She was just a little taller than me and lean. Her gold eyes shimmered in the lights of the shop, and I could have sworn they sparkled like an anime character's.
The woman's smile widened as she stepped towards me and held out her hand in greeting. "I'm Tanya. Tanya Denali."
I glanced down at her hand and gulped. I took a slight step back and forced a smile. "Sorry, I don't like shaking hands." I had a terminal illness, after all.
She didn't even look offended as she dropped it. "Oh, of course."
"Bella's staying in Tom's cabin," Jerry spoke up from the register, and I instantly wished he would shut-up. "It's her first time in here. She'll be hooked now, though." He shot me a conspiratorial wink as he finished bagging the books.
I smiled tightly and quickly fished my wallet from my bag. I forced a half-decent laugh out of my throat. "I guess we'll see." I was absolutely not coming back.
I was just about to insert my card into the reader when a pale hand suddenly blocked it. I hoped my recoil wasn't too obvious as Tanya smiled, "Fifty percent off for your first purchase with us."
My eyes widened in disbelief. Jerry even looked taken aback at her offer. "Oh, that's…that's not—"
"I insist," she interrupted. "We have to make sure you'll come and see us again, don't we?" She winked, and I hated that I instantly blushed. She told Jerry to create the discount before I could protest again.
The man did as she said as he gave her an odd look. "Alright…your total's gonna be thirty bucks, Bella."
"…thanks."
"Of course." Tanya removed her hand from the machine and tilted her head. "Are you related to Tom at all? He's never mentioned a niece as pretty as you before."
My cheeks darkened even more, and I ducked my head to put my card on the reader. Fucking vampires. I willed the machine to work faster than it ever had before. "No. We're not related."
She leaned her hip against the counter and crossed her arms. "Ah, a friend of the family, then. Tom would never let anyone else stay there without him. He treats that place like a shrine."
"Yeah…sort of." I tucked my card into my wallet and shoved it into my little backpack. "Thanks for the discount."
Tanya chuckled as I reached for the bag. "Of course, Bella. We'd love to have you back any…" Her voice faltered, and my eyes darted towards her. She was focused on the wrist now partially exposed from reaching across the counter. My heart stuttered, and her gaze shot to my own.
I snatched my arm back instantly. "See you around, Jerry." I spun on the ball of my foot and fled the store. Charlie was parked out front behind a brand-new Mercedes G-Class that I clocked as her car in the back of my head. I threw open the passenger door and jumped in.
Charlie nearly dropped his phone as I slammed the door. "Shit, Bells!"
"We need to call the Pack."
"You're sure, Bella? You're positive she was—"
"I know a fucking vampire when I see one, Billy!" Charlie had contacted Billy as soon as I told him what happened in the store. It took only ten minutes after we got home to set up a video call with the Council and the Pack. They were about as thrilled as Charlie to hear the news.
The man held up his hands immediately. "I believe you. I'm sorry." He sighed and shook his head. "I just can't believe you managed to move to the one town with some bloodsuckers in it."
I snorted and crossed my arms. "Ditto."
Charlie dragged his hands down his face in distress. "You said she wasn't a human killer, right? She was like the Cullens?"
My jaw clenched, and I nodded. "Yeah. Her eyes were solid gold."
Part of me was comforted to know she wasn't a human drinker, but the other half was filled with anxiety. There weren't many animal drinkers in the vampiric world from what the Cullens had told me. They only knew one other family who was like them—in Alaska, now that I remembered. I didn't doubt she was part of that family.
Edward had run away up here when he first met me. How long had it been since he—any of them—were last here? Were they here now? Did they tell their friends up here about what happened in Forks? Did they know about me? About Charlie?
"That's a positive for us," Charlie said hopefully.
"Maybe," I said unsurely. "I think they know the Cullens."
Billy frowned. "And why is that?"
"I didn't remember until now, but Edward told me about some 'extended family' he stayed with in Alaska," I explained. "They only knew one other family that was like them, and I'm guessing there aren't that many other vampires around here."
The man sighed and shook his head. "That is less than ideal, I must admit."
"Maybe it isn't," Sam spoke up off-screen. There was some slight shuffling before he appeared over Billy's shoulder. The older man adjusted his camera to make Sam visible. "Would they know about us if they knew the Cullens?"
I pursed my lips. "I don't know, honestly. Maybe? The Cullens never told me anything else about them, really. Not that I remember, at least."
"I bet they would have. In case their bloodsucker friends wanted to visit them near our turf. It wouldn't make sense for them to not have warning," he thought aloud. His mouth dipped in that way it did when he was thinking. "If they know about us, then they know about the treaty we have with the Cullens. We could create a similar one for you up there."
Billy shook his head. "Going on their land would only make it worse, Sam. They would see it as trespassing."
"Not if it was only a few of us."
Charlie frowned. "I don't know, Sam," he said. "We don't know how many of them there are, and Billy has a point. Your deal with the Cullens was by chance more than anything."
Sue spoke up off screen, "If they're established enough to own a business, I'm sure they don't want anything jeopardizing that, either."
"Exactly," Billy agreed, "but we can keep that as an option if it becomes necessary. Most likely, they won't cause problems for Charlie and Bella without reason. As much as I don't like them being there, it would be best for us not to give them one."
I winced as I remembered Tanya's eyes on my wrist. She had seen my scar. Even if it had been partially hidden under my sleeve, there was no way a vampire didn't recognize another's bite. I had seen the look on her face, too. She knew what it was.
I hadn't told Charlie or the others that she'd seen my scar. Partly because I was embarrassed that I hadn't thought of it when I reached for the bag, and because I didn't want to give them more reason to worry. Even if Tanya knew what the scar was, she didn't know if I knew. If she was as mindful of the vampire laws as Rosalie was, then she wouldn't risk possibly outing herself to a human. At least, that was what I hoped.
"We'll keep you up to date about what's going on," Charlie promised. "If anything else happens, we'll let you know."
Billy smiled tightly. "I hope it doesn't come to that, my friend."
There was some scuffling over the speaker, and the top half of Jacob's face appeared upside down on the screen. Despite the serious topic, I wasn't able to stop my snort at his goofiness. "Are you okay, though, Bella?"
I shrugged. "I'm not happy about it, but I'm okay. Nothing bad happened, at least, and it's not like we can leave since I was approved."
His eyes widened the same time everyone else cheered in excitement. "You got approved?!"
Charlie nodded as the heaviness evaporated from his shoulders. A bright smile replaced his constant frown. "She did! We have our first appointment early next week, so we'll see how it goes, but Dr. Ford said it should be promising."
"That's great, Bella!" Seth yelled.
Several congratulations and calls of relief followed his, and I smiled. "Thanks, guys. I'm not looking forward to feeling like crap but hopefully it will be worth it."
"It will be," Jake said firmly. "I'm speaking it into the universe."
I genuinely laughed. "Thanks, Jake."
"Anytime, Bells."
A large hand grabbed his forehead and pushed him away from the camera. Sam took his place and smiled softly. "I'm really happy for you, Bella, and don't let these vampires concern you. You've got a room full of vampire-slayers here who have your back."
Several barks followed the statement, and my chest filled with warmth. The wolves had had my back from day one, and they had never once given me a reason to doubt it—even when we hadn't always seen eye-to-eye. I loved them for it deeply.
"I won't, Sam. Promise."
Charlie and I agreed after our talk with the wolves that it would be best for us to continue as we were. The coven had no real reason to be interested in us besides our newness to the area, and it was best to not draw any more attention to ourselves by actively becoming reclusive.
So, Charlie took the position at the police department. It took a little convincing from me that I would be alright, but ultimately, he decided it was a good way to fill his time and bank account. It was also a source of extra protection should anything happen with the local family.
I struggled to not be reclusive, though. While Charlie was out of the house getting acquainted with his new duties, I was holed up in the house. I had thought about going into town a few times, but the reminder of the vampires always made me decide against it.
I had sworn off vampires after the bullshit the Cullens had put me through. I had hoped to go the rest of my life (which, come on, appeared like it was going to be rather short) without ever encountering another one—no matter how slight. Now that I had had one dropped in my path so suddenly, I had no idea what to do.
I tried to keep my anxiety to myself, but Charlie had become far more perceptive about my moods. I could see the worry on his face every time he asked me about my day. I had gotten better at lying to my dad over the last few years, but there was only so much I could hide from him after he'd seen me at my worst multiple times over.
It was almost a relief when my first chemotherapy appointment arrived. I had no love for the side effects that were to come after the treatment, but I felt safer in Anchorage. It was an hour away from Denali, and the distance helped calm my nerves when we entered the hospital.
Chemo was never an exciting affair. First, they had to test your white blood cell count to make sure your kidneys weren't shot from the treatment. If you passed, then you were given your first bag of chemotherapy drugs that took about an hour to fully drain along with a bag of immunotherapy. After the bags were drained you got a second bag and so on. All the while, you had to sit patiently in a chair and try to pass the time with some activity or another.
It was quite boring, honestly.
It didn't take long for us to be escorted back to the treatment room after we arrived. It was a slightly duller version of the one I had been in as a kid. The line of comfy recliner chairs around the room was the same, but there were no murals painted on the walls or brightly covered curtains over the windows. It made the room feel too sterile, and it depressed my mood a little more than I wanted to admit.
Charlie grabbed one of the regular chairs and pulled it to the side of my recliner opposite of the IV drip. The nurse—Audrey, I believed—started to prod at my port. It was located on my left shoulder just under my clavicle. I winced a little as the needle was inserted.
The nurse caught it and glanced up. "You okay, hon?"
I nodded and chuckled reassuringly. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "I'm just a little tired of my dad watching me like I'm about to explode."
We both turned to Charlie who, indeed, had leaned forward with his elbows on his knees to watch the process like a hawk. He smiled bashfully and tried to look innocent as he leaned back in the chair. "What? I'm just sitting here."
"I can feel you breathing in my ear."
Audrey chuckled. "He's just being a good dad. Can't miss a step of the process," she said as she finished with the port. "I'll set the timer here, and then you'll be all set to start." She went to the monitor that I was hooked up to and pressed a few buttons to set it for thirty minutes. "And we're off!"
I smiled and wished I had her enthusiasm. "Thanks."
"Sure, hon. If you two need anything, just call me over."
We both nodded as she walked off to go help another patient. Charlie took in a deep breath, looked around, and then let it out with a huff. "So…" He raised his hand. "Want to thumb wrestle?"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. What's wrong with thumb wrestling?"
I glanced down at his hand and shrugged. "Why not?" I took his hand in mine and lined up our thumbs. "One, two, three, four…"
"Crap," I muttered as my character fell through a gap in the trail. The picture of my character falling from a cliff popped up as it read: Missed it by that much.
Charlie chuckled evilly beside me. "Die again?" His thumb still swiped away at the screen.
I grumbled and dropped my phone into my lap. We had been competing for the highest score for the last five minutes. "Yes."
"How much did you get?"
"Almost a million," I grumbled. I leaned forward to peak at his phone screen. "What about you?"
He smirked. "Still going."
"Oh, fuck off."
He chuckled before his face suddenly turned panicked. "Shit, no," he growled. He jerked his thumb viciously and then groaned. "Damn, I was so close that round."
I crossed my arms impatiently. "Well, what did you get?"
"Six thousand."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You restarted, didn't you?"
"…maybe…"
"I knew it!" I shoved my finger into his chest. "You always cheat when we play each other. No matter what!"
He swatted my hand away. "Hey, my thumbs are not as nimble as yours!" he protested. "I need the edge, Bella. My thumbs don't have the advantage of your youth." He huffed and stood up from the chair. "I'm gonna make a trip to the little boys' room."
"Yeah, run away, you coward!" He waved dismissively and walked towards the exit. I huffed and took the opportunity to nudge his seat to the side with my foot. Once I had enough room, I pushed the button on the side to recline the chair. I instantly felt more comfortable as I readjusted myself in the seat.
"Hello, Audrey, how are you this morning?"
I looked up at the new voice. It was a man at the front desk speaking with the nurses. He looked familiar to me, but I couldn't place it until I saw the backpack stuffed with crafts over his shoulder. It was the grandkid guy. I glanced around the room curiously. I hadn't seen any young children in that day—a lot of people older than me, but no one younger. Who was he visiting, then?
I turned my attention back to him just as they finished their greetings. The man's eyes swept the room and almost automatically connected with mine. He tilted his head and offered a friendly wave. I hesitantly returned it. He smiled and walked over. "I haven't seen you in here before," he said. "Is today your first day?"
I nodded. "It is, yeah."
His smile dampened a bit. "Pretty nerve wracking, isn't it?"
I shrugged. "It's not my first treatment ever. I went into remission a couple years ago, but it came back." I motioned to the IV connected to my chest. "Obviously."
He winced and shook his head. "That's a load of rotten luck if I've ever heard it. I'm sorry." He extended his hand. "The name's Frank, friend. Frank Simmons."
I took his hand and was surprised by how warm it was. "Bella Swan."
"It's nice to meet you, Bella." He smiled and pointed at Charlie's abandoned chair. "Would you mind if I joined you for a while? It's sort of my self-appointed job to come in and entertain you while you're getting treatment."
I thought for a moment and then shrugged. I had little else to do while Charlie was away, after all, and he seemed genuine so far. "You can if you want. That would be my dad's seat, though, so you'll have to hunt for your own."
"Not a problem." He looked around, spotted another chair, and brought it over. He set it on the opposite side of Charlie's, shrugged off his bag, and sat down with a heavy thud. "So, what's your story, Bella Swan? If you don't mind me asking, of course."
"Are you asking for my life story or my cancer story?"
"Aren't they one in the same?"
I smiled dryly. "Fair enough. I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at seven but went into remission with chemo. It popped up again when I was eighteen, and I had my ovaries removed. Now, it's decided to go for a third try with endometrial cancer. Not great news since I'm doing this trial, obviously."
He nodded sadly. "Endometrial is what my wife had," he said. "Ford was her doctor, too. He gave us a few more months with her before she passed a few years back."
"I'm sorry."
Frank smiled bitterly. "Me too. She was a good woman, and she put up with all of my stupidity like a saint." He laughed lowly in his chest. "She's in a good place now, and she was ready when she left. I couldn't have asked for any other result with what she had."
"So, why do you come here?"
He shrugged. "I just visit with the people—give them someone to talk to if they need it. I generally talk to people who are here alone, but sometimes I talk to people in groups. It's kind of nice getting to know people," he said.
"That's very kind of you, actually."
He smiled at me. "Thank you, but I really think it's something Grace would want me to do, too. She loved when the entertainers came in during her treatment. You might see them sometime. They have guitars and a keyboard to play song requests." He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "So, what do you like to do, Bella?"
"As in hobbies?"
"Sure."
I snorted. "Well, I hate to admit I'm a fairly boring person as of late. Most of my days have been spent reading or watching TV. Maybe a little crocheting if I'm feeling adventurous."
"Oh, I didn't realize you were a sixty-year-old woman."
I burst into laughter. "Ouch."
He grinned and shrugged. "I'm sorry, but you really had me fooled for a twenty-something. I thought you'd be out raving or something." He vaguely moved his arms in the air like he was at a concert.
I scoffed and waved my hand. "Please, I'm not a raver. I've had my fair share of adventures, though."
"I doubt that for some reason, now."
I laughed again just as Charlie came around the corner. He looked at the newcomer in surprise. "Hello, sir," he greeted.
Frank smiled. "Hello, how are you today?"
"I'm doing fine. Yourself?"
He shrugged. "Getting old, but besides that I'm fine."
Charlie gave a small smile and held out his hand. "The name's Charlie. I'm Bella's father."
Frank took it. "Frank Simmons. I was just pitching a small conversation with Bella here," he said. He glanced at me and leaned conspiratorially towards Charlie. "I believe that my eyes might have confused her for a young lady, but everything she's told me says she's at least sixty."
Charlie actually snorted, and I protested. "I'm boring not old."
"You do have the hobbies of an old lady, Bells."
"Oh, shut-up."
Charlie laughed and sat back down in his chair. "All in good fun, Bells. All in good fun."
"Says the cheater."
Frank sat and talked with us for quite a while after that. He told us more about his life along with how he had met his wife. Grace had known she was a carrier for cancer, so she didn't want to have kids and risk passing on the gene. As such, since her death, he had a lot of free time on his hands and had chosen to spend it with the patients at the hospital.
He was a very kind and funny man. He made me laugh more in the fifteen minutes we spoke to him than I had in a very long time. Charlie enjoyed his company as much as I did, and I had to admit I was hopeful he would visit again during my other treatments.
Frank's bubble of positivity lasted throughout the rest of the session. By the time my last bag was done, I didn't feel as downtrodden as I thought I would. I was definitely ready to go back to the house and curl up in bed for a long nap, but I hadn't hated the day. It was a nice feeling to have—even if it was only temporary.
