Scourge // Felix Volturi

Chapter 7: Guess Who's Back

Whoever said that time heals all wounds, was onto something. I had my doubts, as did Dad, but time truly seemed like the medicine that Bella needed. Granted Dad might have sped up the healing process by threatening to either send Bella back Jacksonville to Renee, or to the psychiatric ward in Seattle. That seemed to put a fire under her ass. 

She was back in school and her grades were steadily improving. Angela came over three times a week to tutor her, to get her back up to speed, and Bella was appreciative of her friend's help. When Angela came over to tutor, I always made sure to make too much for dinner. And every time, she would stay longer and eat with us. It was a calculated move; I wanted Bella to spend time with her friends, and if that meant playing dirty then so be it. 

When Bella wasn't being tutored or at the house, she was with Jacob, helping him fix the motorbikes she had boughten back in January. At first I had been against it, especially after I learned she had dipped into her college funds to pay for them. I had been angry at first—furious even, but then I remembered the time I had purchased NHL tickets for the Arizona Coyotes. 

I had purchased the tickets after finding out Josh, my first boyfriend ever, had cheated on me. He loved the Arizona Coyotes and I bought front row tickets out of spite. That ticket had been over six-hundred dollars. And the kicker was that I had never been interested in hockey before. But the men on the team had me quickly changing my mind, especially after the goalie had tossed me a puck with his number on it. 

The motor bikes were to Bella as the hockey tickets had been to me; an impulsive purchase that stemmed from an uprise in emotions—ones that we didn't know how to process and internalize. We were always impulsive when we were upset. We took after Renee in that aspect. 

Bella's nightmares gradually lessened until they stopped all together. Dad began picking up night shifts once more and I stopped picking up overtime night shifts. I had only picked them up so that Dad could stay home and look after Bella. But now that her nightmares were over, there was no reason to keep picking up shifts. 

With Bella actually living again, I began looking at apartments. There wasn't much available in Forks. There were a few private in-law apartments for rent, but the competition was fierce. At least twenty applications per apartment. And every apartment I had applied to was denied. I was beginning to think I would never find a place. 

Finally, on the first Friday of February, I had managed to secure it an apartment. It was a small studio above a florist's shop, but it was mine. It was just shy of 500 square feet, and the kitchen was only big enough for a stove, sink, fridge and small island. The bathroom was surprisingly a decent size; it was big enough for a claw foot tub, toilet and pedestal sink, but that was it. 

I didn't have much to move in, just a few totes of clothes and boxes filled with books. I was able to find a coffee table and dresser at a second hand store, and after sanding them down and staining them ebony, they actually looked pretty decent. And seeing how the apartment was so small, I decided on a full size mattress with a platformed bed frame that allowed me store things underneath it. 

Bella helped me move in, and she ended up bringing Jacob, who in turn ended up bringing Embry and Quil. The teen boys lifted the furniture with ease, and with Jacob's skilled hand, they were able to assemble my book case, nightstand and entertainment system within a few hours. To thank the boys, I bought them Chinese food and gave them each a hundred bucks. Bella got nothing; she was my sister, that in itself was payment enough. She didn't think so, but I thought it was fair. 

During the second week of February, Bella called in tears. Apparently Jacob had been ghosting her. She ended up spending the weekend at my place. We were watching the Titanic when Bella brought up the Cullens. "Edward can read minds."