Chapter 8: 100 days

Charlie stood with his arms crossed as his living room filled with people.

The Cullens were on one side and the wolf pack was on the other. In the middle of them sat a map on a table.

"you sure this is a good idea Charlie?" Leon asked as the two of them stood in between the supernatural creatures.

"This is the only option. As much as I don't want to, we must work with them. They are our only chance to find our kids and keep them safe."

Leon nodded and both men turned to Dr. Cullen who seemed to be in deep thought.

It took Esme tapping her husband on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Thank you, Esme. My apologies everyone. It's been 100 days and my family and I have been to three countries. Currently, we are trying to interrogate Veronica and Verona to see what information they may hold. However, Edward and Jasper are still working on them. In the meantime, Alice, Rosalie, and I will continue the search for Bella. On that map are all the places we have searched and the places we are going ."

"it's a waste of time." A voice said maliciously behind Carlisle.

The wolves growled and even some of the Cullens hissed but all eyes were on Rosalie. She sat on the edge of the swan living room window, looking forlorn.

"look we have to be realistic here, Victoria is a vengeful person, and Bella has been her target for a whole year. Well, she has who she wants now and there's no telling what Victoria has done to Bella already. For all we know she could have killed her or changed her. Why waste the resources?"

Before Carlisle could reprimand his daughter Seth Clearwater was in front of her with his hands around her neck.

"ITS YOUR FAMILIES FAULT SHE'S OUT THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Seth roared.

"SETH! OUTSIDE GO FOR A RUN NOW!" Sam Alpha ordered. His deep baritone shook the house.

Once things settled down and Seth ran outside, Sam and Carlsilse spoke simultaneously.

"I apologize-" both leaders began but stopped until Carlsilse relented and spoke again.

"I apologize, my daughter had no reason to speak like that. Most of us think of Bella as a part of our family despite the way we have wronged her. We just want to find her safe and happy. Our end goal is to bring her home."

Sam nodded and apologized as well.

"That was not like Seth, he's dealing with a lot of trauma at the moment."

Leon snorted causing everyone to look at him. He shook his head and went to the swan's kitchen. Charlie followed him.

"what's on your mind, Leon?" Charlie asked as he put on a pot of coffee.

"Paul," Leon answered as he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "no offense to you Charlie but it just seems as if my son isn't as important as your daughter when it comes to this search. I mean I know he's a supernatural creature so his advantages of surviving are higher but when a vampire bites a wolf it's a death sentence. The only reason why Seth is alive is because of my son. He sucked the venom out. That alone should have killed him."

"but it didn't." Charlie reminded him as they both sat at the kitchen table.

"We don't know that. All we know is that my son went after your daughter and no one has heard from them since. I'm angry and I am scared and im full of regret. Paul and I got into an argument the last time I saw him and I regret the words I said to him. "

Charlie opened his mouth to speak but the house phone rang.

"Charlie Swan" he answered.

"charlie! It's Renee! I have been calling Bella for weeks and she hasn't been answering. I've emailed her on multiple occasions and she not answering. Is something wrong Charlie?"

Charle cussed internally as he listened to his ex-wife rant and rave about thier daughter.

"hey Renee no, nothing is wrong. Bella is on vacation with the Cullens at the moment." He began as he saw Carlisle step into the kitchen and nod in his peripheral.

"tell her she took a girl's trip to a spa in Switzerland," Carlisle whispered.

"Really? Why didn't she tell me?" Renee whined.

"I think she was just a little anxious. She went with the girls and took a girl's trip to some kind of spa in Switzerland."

"Oh, I see! Ok well as soon as she gets back tell her to call me!"

With that said, Renee hung up the phone.

It was then, that a scream was heard from Alice's lips.

"no! No! No! Bella!"

"What is it, Alice?" Esme asked in a panic. By now everyone had gathered back in the living room. Everyone looked at Alice with bated breath.

"It's Bella! Victoria has her tied to a tree! Victoria just bit her! NO!"

Alice suddenly went still, her body slumping to the floor. Dry sobs falling from her lips.

"it's black. Her future is black. I can't see her. Victoria bit her! She bit her."

If Charlie could have screamed he would have, instead the normally stoic man stepped out onto his back patio, panic setting in his body.

No.

His daughter wasn't dead and she wasn't a vampire.

It wasn't true. Something else was at play here. It just had to be.

"Charlie." A voice whispered.

Charlie looked up to see a teary-eyed Seth walk out of the woods.

"seth. What's gotten into you boy? This is unlike you." Charlie scolded as he put a hand on Seth's shoulder.

"I'm just so angry. I failed to protect Bella and then Paul had to save me. Not to mention my hate for vampires has gone through the roof. I used to see them differently but now. All I see is an evil walking corpse. Golden eyes or not. And I don't trust that Alice, or anything she says. Think about it, Charlie. She kidnapped Bella, lied to us about it and now she saying that Bella's been bitten. I don't think any of that is true. I think she's trying to manipulate us. Since the time Bella went missing, Alice hasn't been able to see Bella's future but now that we are looking for her, all of a sudden she can see clearly. It not adding up. Alice once admitted she can't see past us when it comes to visions and Bella's future is tied with our own, so why now?"

Charlie scratched the back of his neck and sighed.

"yeah, maybe you are on to something Seth. Maybe you're on to something."

...

"She needs to drink," Dini told his granddaughter.

"I'm trying but she won't come out of this corner." Sofia groaned. Ever since the white woman awoke, she had seemed skittish and afraid, pushing herself into the corner of the medical hut.

"you keep working on her and I am going to check on your brother ."

"he's not my brother and we don't even know if it's him." Sofia sneered.

Dini sighed and rubbed his cheek.

"It's him Sofia. The birthmark on his foot is in the same place it was when he was born. Not to mention he has the same tattoo of the leopard as our other warriors do. "

"what's his name?" Sofia whispered sadly

"Paulo."

...

Dini walked through a side door to another medical hut where his firstborn grandson was.

Guilt hit him hard as he thought about his actions. He lied to his daughter, he lied to his ex-son-in-law, and his current son-in-law. How would the people of his tribe look at him now?

"How is he?" he asked the tribal doctor. His daughter sat next to Paulo running her fingers through his hair and whispering quiet prayers.

"dehydrated and malnourished but other than that, his wounds have healed. Practically invisible. He does waver in and out of consciousness though, he tends to call out a woman's name."

"and the prognosis on the women?"

The tribal doctor sighed.

"she's been through a lot. She has a lot of bruises some healed, some fresh, she has pneumonia and has fluid in her lungs. Not to mention she is dehydrated and malnourished. She has vampire bites on her as well. But it seems as if the venom was sucked out. Thier is no telling the tortures these two have been through."

A sudden blood-curling scream made the occupants of the hut jump, but nothing could prepare them for the growl that emitted from Paulo. With cat-like reflexes, he was standing and running to the next room.

...

Bella screamed as the women touched her and the cold water sloshed all over her sheet-covered body. It wasn't the woman's touch that spooked her, it was the fact that her hands were cold on top of the cold water. Feeling the cold took her back to Victoria and Riley's hands on her. Squeezing her eyes shut, Bella rolled herself into a fetal position.

Before she could panic even more, the sound of a growl reached her ears and soothing warmth was feeling her body.

"Minha Linda, open your eyes we are safe. No one will hurt you."

Bella opened her eyes and cried out in relief when Paul's electric blue ones stared into hers.

"Paul? Oh, Paul thank god! Is this real? Please tell me this is real!" she cried.

"Shhh, it's real. Were safe. Now you have to rest and drink this water." He told her as he took the cup from the woman's hand.

"but you have to drink too! Your lips are white." Bella admonished hoarsely as she touched his chapped lips.

Paul licked his lips and smiled.

"fine. You drink first and then I'll drink."

A clearing of the throat made the couple look up. Standing in the hut were four people. A man approached them and said something that Bella didn't understand. To her surprise, Paul responded.
He then turned to her.

"the doctor says you need more rest. You have pneumonia just like I thought. It's going to take some time for the fluid to leave your lungs. He has some medication for you, food, and some clothes might be helpful." He chuckled. Bella blushed as she realized she was stark naked under a sheet and yet so was Paul except well, he didn't have much to cover ALL that he had.

"clothes." A woman offered shyly in broken English.

Bella was grateful for the clothes offered as was Paul. Once they were dressed in tribal clothing, the women whose hands were now warm, helped her sit down.

"Paul have they told us anything? Do you know where we are?" Bella asked

"I haven't had the chance to ask, I just woke up myself. Let me find out."

He then turned to the woman who had sat across from them and asked her something in the language that she had no clue was being spoken.

...

Paul allowed his body to be as close to his female as much as he could without making her uncomfortable. His eyes strayed to the older woman who sat across from him. She had long black hair and a facial structure that matched his own. Why did she seem so familiar?

"where are we?" he asked her.

"Guyana Brazil. We are the Makushi tribe. A small fraction of them anyway. We left the main tribe to start a coffee farm. The proceeds help our surrounding brothers and name is chieftess catia. Can I ask how you two became lost in the rainforest?"

"My friend was taken by a vampire from North America, I followed her here. We've been traveling the rainforest for a while. Something led me to this land. But I must ask have we met? You look very familiar."

The woman stiffened and tears emerged in her eyes as she looked at him.

She then turned to the others in the room.

"leave us, please. Sofia come back with food."

Once the hut was empty, the women moved closer to him. Her scent wafted over to him and once again familiarity set in. But where? Where did he know her from?

"you mentioned that something led you to this land. I have to ask are you a shapeshifter."

"yes, mam. I am, the moment I set foot here, it felt like a pull. Why?"

The woman took a deep breath, wiping a few tears away.

"can you tell me what you phase into?"

"Why do you need to know?" Paul asked.

"It's important that I know so I can answer your other questions."

"I shapeshifted into a wolf but when I came upon this land, I changed into a leopard and I couldn't change back until last night."

"Have you always had that tattoo?" she questioned as she gestured to the leopard tattoo on his ribcage.

"had a dream about a leopard when I was sixteen. Got the tattoo the next day. Now explain." He commanded harshly becoming impatient of the women's stalling.

"When I was seventeen, I fell in love with a man named Leon lahote. I was born to lead the Markushi people but I didn't want to. I wanted to travel with the man I loved. Sooner than later I became pregnant with a son and I got to marry my love. When I gave birth to my son it was the night of a horrible, horrible storm. Thunder and lighting in the air and when he was born thier was a black birthmark right on his foot."

She paused as she looked at him.

Pal held his breath because this woman couldn't be who she was saying she was. His hand shot out to rub the black birthmark on his foot. He had it since the day he was born.

"I didn't get to hold him for long because a storm came sweeping into our village. Our huts were flooded and mudslides came. When I woke, I was told my son and my husband were dead. That was a lie."

Paul looked at the woman with furrowed eyebrows. He didn't know what to say, or what to feel.

This woman was his mother. He knew that much to be clear but that was all. It was a fact, she was his mother. But what does one do when faced with someone you thought was dead your entire life?

"ok. So what do we do now? Do you have a phone where we can call the proper authorities?" he questioned.

"I am sorry but no. no phone for days. We do a lot of mail and messenger transport around here. But didn't you hear what I said? I am your mother."

"I understand what you said but at this moment, I don't know what to do with that information. Since I was a child, I was told you were dead. My father taught me multiple languages which is why I understand what you are saying, however, other than that I do not need some emotional reconnection. Yes, you are my mother but I have no ties to you and at this moment her health and getting home are our only priorities." He said sternly as he gestured to Bella.

His mother, if he could even call her that, looked stunned and rejected but Paul couldn't think with his emotions right now. They were trapped in Brazil with no way to get home at the moment. His female needed to heal so that they could leave.

"very well. I will send someone in with food, and then leave you two to your rest. "

With that said his mother stood and left the hut.

"Paul? What did she say?" Bella asked.

"Well for one, she's my mother. My father told me she was dead and I guess she thought we were dead as well. It explains why I was so drawn to the lands when we got here. It also explains why I shapeshift into a cat. However, I couldn't care less about any of that. I just want to get us both back home."

"Do you want to talk about your mother? We don't have to if you don't want to. I can't imagine what you are going through but I can listen."Bella told him kindly.

It was at that moment that Paul's heart grew just a little more towards Bella Swan. In all of their interactions, she kept surprising him. Even when a normal human would have run away from him, Bella ran towards him. And when she came face to face with a vampire, not once, not twice but three times, the woman in front of him stood her ground.

She truly was beautiful even if she couldn't see it.

"not quite yet, but I will when im ready, I promise."