The Walkers (Twilight Fan Fiction)

Chapter Five

Chapter 5

I spun around with my hands up, ready to face my attacker and fight for my life, but stopped when I came face-to-face with Nora. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes silently questioning my sanity, when I let out a strangled cry of relief. While I was relieved it was her, I was also slightly upset. Why on earth was she in the parking garage—she had said she was parked in the other garage on the other side of the mall—and why had she snuck up on me?

I bent over at the waist, exhaling heavily and trying to regulate my pounding heart. However, as I glanced up at Nora’s apologetic face, I growled, “Oh my god—you scared the hell out of me!”

“I’m so sorry, Bella!” She responded seriously, but I could tell she was fighting back laughter. Did she really think it was funny? For goodness sake, I felt as if I were on the verge of a heart attack! Sure enough, as I continued to suck in mouthfuls of oxygen, she started openly snickering. I eventually felt my scowl crumbling in response to her infectious laughter, and after a few seconds, I started laughing.

“Why are you here?” I asked when I finally stopped chuckling long enough to speak. “I thought you said your car was on the other side.”

“It is,” Nora confirmed. “I had to run back to the store for something, and when I did, I found this.” She extended her hand, and in her palm was my wallet. I hadn’t even realized I had left it behind on the counter. “I hated to think of you possibly getting pulled over and not having your license.”

“Wow,” I said, cradling it in my hands. “Thank you so much!”

“No problem,” she replied, her eyes wandering around the darkened garage. “You shouldn’t park down here, Bella. Forgive me if I sound like a worry wart, but you can’t see very well. There’s no telling what riff raff is hiding in the shadows. From now on, I recommend you use the one on the other side of the mall. It’s just… safer.”

The garage I’d chosen to park in was closer to the store, but I decided it was a poor reason to put my life in danger. I also reminded myself that Nora had been living in Jacksonville longer than I had, and she probably had a firm grasp on what should be avoided. So, I made a mental note to park in the other parking structure the following afternoon.

“All right,” I answered with a smile. “I’ll start parking there tomorrow.”

“Good.” She reciprocated my smile and started walking away from me. With a wave over her shoulder, she headed in the opposite direction. “I’ll see you tomorrow then… have a good night, Bella.”

After hopping on the freeway and navigating the side streets, I pulled up the familiar driveway, grateful that Renee’s house wasn’t far. The lights inside were still on, but I knew they would be. Seeing how anxious Mom and Phil were about my integration into Jacksonville, I could only assume they were waiting to ask me how my first day went.  

Sure enough, as I crossed the threshold, I found them both sitting at the table, smiling brightly at me.

“Hey, Bella,” Phil said and held a bowl out to me. “Ice cream?

I really didn’t want any, but I knew that if I was going to keep my mother from hovering, I had to perpetuate my happy façade. I graciously took the bowl, mentally cringing when I noticed it was mint—I hate mint—and took a seat at the table. I pushed it around, hoping it would melt, and took small bites while Renee and Phil watched.

“So, how was your first day at work?” Renee asked, trying to look uninterested and failing miserably. The desperateness was practically pouring from her eyes. “Did you have a good time?”