Gemma and Bella leave the Swan residence later on a January afternoon. Charlie is taking to one of his and Bella's neighbors, Bob Marks.
"Hey, Bella!" Bob greets.
"Hi, Bob!" Bella greets.
It's been a couple weeks since Christmas. Bella has grown happier. Mainly because of her new inseparable, best friend / sister relationship she's built with Gemma... a friendship Bella never expected.
"How you feeling?" Bob asks her.
Bella hesitates to answer because she has never spoke to Bob before. "Better," she responds after a moment, being honest. "Cha... Dad, Gemma and I are going to PortAngeles with Jessica."
Charlie nods. "Alright. You two be safe."
"You and my mom be safe," Gemma warns, and she sees Charlie's cheeks turn cherry red. "We're meeting Jess at my place."
Bella gets into her truck and Gemma gets into hers, and they drive to the Newton house. Mile and Karen are sitting in the front porch, embracing the cold.
"Hey, Bella!" Mike greets excitedly, and Bella waves awkwardly at him.
"How's your dad?" Karen asks.
Bella smiles. "He's good. He wants you to come over."
Karen blushes when Mike cat calls. Gemma and Bella laugh as Jess pulls up. The bid farewells to a tense Mike and a happy Karen and they pile into Jessica's car. Jess drives them to the shopping center in Port Angeles before they go to watch a zombie movie at the marquee.
🌚🌚🌚
"I don't get why there are so many zombie movies," Bella claims as she, Gemma, and Jess leave the marquee.
"It's, like, a a metaphor? For crass consumerism or something," Jessica claims and Bella glances at her. "Not that you'd know anything about consuming. You didn't buy anything today."
"I bought something," Bella defends.
"Socks don't count," Jess comments.
"How 'bout a ride girls?" A man from across streets cuts Jessica's rant about Gemma's brother only wanting to be friends.
Some men at the dive bar across the street, One Eyed Pete's, are sitting in the shadows to where their faces vent be seen. Bella thinks the recognizes them from that time they went dress shopping and Edward saved her from four drunk boys. The same ones who knocked on the window when Jessica, Angela, and Gemma were all trying on prom dresses.
'Move Bella," Bella heads and she sees an illusion of Edward.
Jessica steps in front of Bella, erasing the illusion. "Come on."
"I know them... I think..." Bella claims, stammering.
"Can we just go..." Jessica grabs Bella's arm but Bella shakes her off.
"I want to see something," Bella says.
"Bella!" Gemma exclaims in frustration when Bella crosses the street to go to the men. "Really!?"
Jessica and Gemma grab each other's hands when the motorcycle Bella gets on lurches forward and takes off out of sight. Gemma feels her stomach twist in discomfort and Bella soon returns. The girls storm up to her.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Jessica exclaims.
"I... saw something," Bella claims, but more to herself than to Jessica or her new sister figure, Gemma.
"You - are inside... or suicidal," Jessica claims.
"The more dangerous..." Bella murmurs, trying to figure out the illusions she's been seeing about Edward. "The more real it was."
"So, what, you're like an adrenaline junkie now?" Jessica exclaims. "Go hang-gliding or bungee jumping. Don't be a complete freak."
"Bella," Gemma says gently as she grabs her best friend's face and looks her in the eyes. "What's going on?"
"He wasn't real," Bella murmurs.
"Who was..." Gemma stops. "You're seeing Edward?"
Bella nods. "I wanna bring those bikes Bob's throwing away and bring them to Jacob. You can help him work on them."
"Tomorrow," Gemma says. "Jess is driving us to mine."
Bella nods and Gemma releases her face. The two get into Jessica's car and they go back to Forks.