The Walkers (Twilight Fan Fiction)

Chapter Twenty Three

WARNING: Devastating cliffhanger ahead! 

Chapter Twenty Three

I didn’t faint—not really, anyway. My vision spun, and I felt sick, dizzy, and claustrophobic at the same time.  Instead of falling to the floor, I moved to the right and collapsed into the chair with the weight of all my choices nearly crushing me. I heard the chair legs screech and groan against the floor, but I didn’t care. My eyes were locked on the note in my hand.

I know what you did.

Never before had five, simple words filled me with so much dread and anguish. All my fears were slowly coming to fruition, and I felt helpless in my attempts to prevent them. Not only did someone—I was pretty confident that it was Steven—know that Collin had broken fuil aimsir, they knew where my parents lived. I shuddered in horror, realizing that Steven could have killed my mother right then and there. I wasn’t sure if the fact that she had been spared made me feel relieved or even more frightened.

“Are you all right, Bella?” Renee touched my shoulder, and I quickly closed my fingers around the note. There would be no way to adequately explain the note, so I wouldn’t.

“I’m fine,” I said robotically, my eyes still focused on the paper trapped in my fist. The quizzical look in my mother’s eyes did not diminish, though, and I knew what I had to do. I had to lie. I had to lie well. “I know who it was that gave you this. I … uh … forgot that I have a project due today. I need to get to school and see if I can get an extension.”

“Oh. All right. Do you need me to drive you?” Renee sat beside me and rested her palm on my shoulder.  “I have an early day at the elementary school anyway. If it’s important, you should get there as soon as possible.”

“Yeah,” I said slowly, still operating in a fog of disbelief and fear. “That sounds perfect. Can we leave right now?”

She and Phil shared a look of concern.

Renee pointed to my plate. “What about your breakfast?”

My lips tightened into a line as I struggled to maintain my reasonable demeanor. “I can eat at school.”

“Come on, Bella,” Phil interjected, motioning to me with his mug of coffee. “You’re a great student. I’m sure your teacher will help you even if you’re ten minutes late.”

Had I actually been telling the truth and not lying to keep them from finding out about the supernatural underbelly of Jacksonville, he would have been right. If, instead of spending copious amounts of time training to be a Walker, I had been dedicating my time and energy to school and my educational future, this would not have been a problem.

Unfortunately, it was a problem. It was a big problem.

“It’s really not a big deal,” I insisted, glancing toward the front door nervously. Was Steven still outside? Was he waiting for me? Would he accost my mother and me should we try to leave? “The food there isn’t bad.”

“Well, I need my breakfast,” Renee replied with a huff. She reached across the table, grabbed my plate and started devouring the eggs, bacon, and biscuits that had been meant for me.

She and Phil started chatting idly, and I slipped away to the living room to think. What do I do? In the past few weeks, at least one of the Walkers was perched outside my house. Steven’s presence, however, told me that Collin and the others were nowhere close. I paced back and forth, my hands massaging my temples, but I stopped as a thought came to me.

Sitting next to the television was my parents’ landline telephone, and nestled next to it was the phone book. I flipped through the wispy pages, found the number I needed, and proceeded to punch it into the phone. I waited while it rang once. Twice.