Chapter 24: The Visitor
"Dad," I called over my shoulder towards the living room where Charlie was glued to the television. "Dinner's almost ready!"
"Be there in a minute, Bells," he responded, sounding more far away than ever before.
If I was being honest with myself, I was happy that my dad was somewhat back to normal. After seeing him stress out over whatever was happening south of town, it was refreshing to see him kick back and enjoy the holidays.
My stomach knotted up as I glanced outside, suddenly suspicious, and I shut the curtains with a quick tug. After my talk with Avarice, Lazarus, and Eric, I no longer felt one hundred percent safe in my own home. Apparently, the cloaker—who was sent to find the McRae family—had been lurking around my home as well as the McRaes'. The thought of my father, being here alone, made me uneasy and fearful.
Charlie appeared in the kitchen doorway, grinning from ear to ear, and shook me from my worries, putting me back in the Thanksgiving spirit. I had gotten up very early—seven a.m. to be precise—and began cooking the extravagant feast. Normally, I wouldn't have gone all out for only two people, but Charlie had mentioned Billy, Jacob, and the Clearwaters might stop by later on, so I whipped up something for more than two.
"That smells great!" Charlie inhaled deeply, as he took a seat at the table, and eyed the potatoes and green beans hungrily. As I set down the chicken in front of him, he smiled, almost apologetically. "Bella, I want to say sorry for a few things."
"What do you have to be sorry for, dad?" I laughed a bit, wondering what my dad could think he was guilty of now. That was another area where Charlie and I were alike—we both took the weight of the world on our shoulders. "I thought we're supposed to be thankful today."
"Well, these past few weeks," he replied, setting down his fork and lowering his eyes, "I've been putting my job ahead of you, and I'm sorry."
"It's okay, dad," I insisted and took a seat across from him. "I'm fine, really."
Charlie's face didn't relax and he didn't look up at me, so, in a sympathetic gesture, I reached out and touched his hand. My dad's fingers tightened around mine and I could've sworn I saw him smile a bit. We stayed like this for a few seconds before the awkwardness set in, and we separated.
"Now," I said, feeling a strange streak of energy course through me, "how about we cut this poor bird?"
"Allow me!" Charlie grasped the carving knife and cut the gigantic chicken.
The next half an hour was spent in silence, as we ate and enjoyed the fruit of my all day cooking spree. The roasted chicken was, thankfully, perfection. Charlie's continuous groans of praise made me giggle internally, and I softly chided him that he should save some for the others.
Then again, I had returned to the store the day earlier and purchased another chicken for our guests, so he could have all he wanted. I had just jumped up to grab one of the pies I had made when a quick knock came from the front door. Charlie hopped up, telling me that Billy said they might be late, and disappeared around the corner. Smiling softly and looking forward to seeing Jacob again, I put down the knife and waited to hear Billy's laughter. However, what I ended up hearing made my skin crawl.
"Can I help you with something, honey?" Charlie asked with a cautious voice, signaling that the Blacks and the Clearwaters were not at the door.
"Yes, sir," said an unfamiliar, haunting voice. "I'm afraid I'm lost; could you tell me how to get to the highway?"
There was something morbid about the sound of the stranger's voice, something eerie. I couldn't really place my finger on it, so I got up and moved slowly to peer around the doorway. As I turned the corner, my eyes widened and my hand flew to my mouth at what I saw.
The girl in the doorway was dressed in well-tailor black slacks and a black turtle neck, which clung to her body flawlessly. Her already pallid skin seemed to glow in contrast to the color of her ensemble; however this was not why I stared. The girl's hair was pulled up into a ponytail, all of her white-blonde hair. The stranger—the scout—was standing inside my house. As I continued to gawk at her, she turned and stared at me, black sunglasses covering her eyes, and smiled wickedly in my direction.
"Here you go," Charlie said as he tugged something from the desk in the hallway. "I have tons of maps, you can go ahead and have this one."
"How very kind of you," the girl remarked, without tearing her eyes away from me.
"Just follow our street down to Main Street," Charlie continued instructing, completely unfazed by the fact that she wasn't even looking at him. "When you come to the fork in the road, go ahead and take a right, it'll take you right to the highway."
"Thank you, sir," she answered after returning her attention back to my father. "I'm sure I have everything I need now."
"Well, good luck," Charlie chuckled awkwardly and shut the door as she turned and disappeared into the night. "Humph, tourists."
"Everything okay, dad?" I inquired, knowing that everything was not okay. The scout had come into my home and made a point of singling me out by smiling malevolently in my direction. I had to tell Eric.
"Yeah, Bells," Charlie responded as we headed back to the kitchen. "People get lost back here all the time. If I had a dime for every time someone stopped for directions…"
He trailed off as he began shoveling food into him mouth, and I smiled nervously at him. Slowly I began picking at my food, no longer hungry but still wanting to keep up the pretences that I was. However, as the moments ticked by, I couldn't help but fear the scout was outside, planning on killing my father and me. Part of me was curious why she hadn't made that attempt when she was inside, and it was that unknown that made me nervous. As that fear seeped deeper and deeper into my mind, I shot up from my seat and headed for the phone.
"Everything okay?" Charlie's eyebrow quirked as sped through the tiny kitchen.
"Yeah," I said slowly, trying to think of a good lie to tell him. "I…uh…forgot about an assignment…that's due after the holidays."
"Your teachers gave you homework for Thanksgiving?" Charlie asked in disbelief, and, after I nodded, he shook his head and grumbled, "that's just plain wrong."
"Yeah," I replied, feigning a smile as best I could, while letting my eyes glance back towards the phone in the hallway. "I'm going to call Eric; he's in my class. I'll be right back."
"Hold on there, Bella," Charlie called, his voice taking on a stern tone. As I turned around, exasperated by his hindering my attempt to possibly save our lives, I noticed he had a serious look of his face. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that boy."
Oh no, not now!
"Dad," I said slowly, trying not to let the anxiety fill my voice. "Could we do this another time? This is a really important assignment."
"This'll only take a minute, have a seat," he said and gestured to the chair I had been sitting in. I reluctantly rejoined him at the table, the fear creeping in me rapidly with each passing second. Charlie took a sip from his glass of water, and raised his eyes to meet mine. "Bella, I haven't been around these past few weeks, so, you can understand my shock when you had a boy show up at the house."
"Yeah, dad I—"
"Let me finish." He held his hand up to silence me, and I hung my head bleakly. "After everything that happened with the Cullen boy,"—my head shot up— "do you think it's wise to jump back into a something so soon?"
"Dad," I replied, my voice thick with restrained anger. "Eric is good for me."
Never was there a truer statement; Eric was one of the reasons I wasn't turning into a zombie over Edward's departure. He made me happy and reminded me that I was more than a distraction; Eric loved me. Of course, the question was, did I love him?
"I know that's what you think, Bells," Charlie answered with a soft grimace and refocused his attention on his hands, probably feeling as awkward and embarrassed as I was at the moment. "But, right now, I think you might just be using him as a crutch—and that's not fair to him."
My jaw dropped and Charlie accused me of using Eric for my own personal benefit. I will admit that he was partially right; I had started off allowing Eric's presence to soothe the inner turmoil over the Cullens leaving, however things were different now. My feelings for Eric had grown so much since then. I no longer fixated on Edward and Alice, I thought only about Eric and worried about Ary.
"I'm just saying you should really think about what you're doing," Charlie continued, his voice growing a bit apologetic. "Ask yourself if this is what you really want, if he's who you really want."
My eyes lowered and I frowned. "Is that everything?"
Charlie sighed. "Yeah."
"Okay," I responded with no emotion and rose from my seat. "I'm going to call Eric."
"All right, kiddo," Charlie sighed and went back to eating his pie.
I found his concern over me a little endearing but still very annoying—and a little insulting. It's not every day that a father accuses his daughter of using a boy; usually it was the other way around. Why couldn't we go back to the way things were, when I first moved to Forks? Back then, Charlie let me do things on my own with minor interference and he never hovered or showed much interest. As I headed towards the phone, I quickly snapped myself out of it, remembering that there was a vampire somewhere around my house, and moved a bit quicker.
I rushed around the corner and began dialing rapidly, hoping that Eric would answer. As I listened to the ringing on the other end of the phone, I jumped every time I heard a sound in the house. From floor creaks to the branches hitting the window outside; I was on edge. Luckily, after the third ring, Eric picked up, filling me with relief.
"Good evening, Bella," he answered in a pleasant and slightly surprised voice. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?"
"Eric, I saw the scout," I replied urgently, letting all my fear spill out in my voice, while still remaining quiet, just in case Charlie was eavesdropping.
"Where, when?" he demanded frantically on the other line.
"She was inside my house," I answered and felt myself quiver in fear. "Someone knocked at the front door and, when my father answered it, there she was."
"Is she still there?" Eric asked, and I thought I heard voices in the background while he spoke.
"No," I said and glanced around the corner to the front door. The hall was empty. "Eric, I'm scared, what should I do?"
"Absolutely nothing," Eric growled through the phone. "I should be there in about twenty minutes, but until then, don't you or your father go outside, do you understand?"
"Yes."
The line went dead.
I set the phone down and let my eyes trail around to the windows, feeling the uncontrollable anxiety wash through me. The darkness seemed to reach through the windows and grasp me, filling me with dread and worry. What if the McRaes were wrong; what if the scout was really here for me?
"Bells?"
I jumped and let a small yelp exit my mouth as Charlie rounded the corner, which earned me a confounded stare from my father. He narrowed his eyes and I immediately smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, dad," I replied, my voice sounding like I was out of breath. "I didn't hear you coming."
"You alright?" Charlie's eyes narrowed in suspicion and concern. "You look as white as a ghost."
"Dad, I always look as white as a ghost," I pointed out and Charlie smirked. "I'm just worried about the assignment; I think I might need to go over the McRaes house and get Eric's help."
"Oh no, young lady," Charlie challenged and crossed his arms. "This is a holiday; you're not going to go bothering that boy on Thanksgiving."
"Uh, dad," I answered with a moderate level of hostility. I was getting very irritated with Charlie relatively quickly; first he accused me of using Eric and now he was calling me a nuisance. This was going too far. "It was Eric's idea."
"Oh."
"Yeah," I said and crossed my arms defiantly, “and I said I'd be happy to."
"Look, Bella," Charlie sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not trying to hurt your feelings or anything. I'm just looking out for you."
I took a deep breath and reminded myself that Charlie was telling the truth. He wasn't like Jessica Stanley or Lauren Mallory; he loved me and was looking out for my best interest. When I raised my head, I smiled softly at him and nodded, letting him know that I understood.
"I know, dad," I answered and, after an awkward moment of silence, I added, "I'm going to go head up to my room. Let me know if Billy and the others show up. I really want to say hi."
"Sure thing, kid."
As soon as I got to my room, I let the panic overwhelm and consume me. Instinctively, I ran to all my windows and pulled the curtain shut, not wanting anyone to be able to see me, and curled up on the floor beside my bed. I had only turned on the lamplight, so the room was still relatively dark, which I had debated on to begin with.
The silence was almost deafening as I waited for Eric's arrival. I started to wonder how long it took him to leave. Was he just going to get up and go, or would he check with the others first? My many questions were abruptly interrupted by the sound of an engine just outside. When I peeked outside, I spotted Eric's familiar Mercedes parked in my driveway.
I flung my body towards the bedroom door, stopping briefly to grab my jacket, and was down the stairs in a matter of seconds. Surprisingly enough, I only missed one step, which caused a slight stumble, when normally I would have fallen down the entire staircase.
"Hey, where's the fire?" Charlie called from the living room as I scurried past him. "What are you doing tonight again, Bella?"
"Uh, stopping a vampire from killing us," I called back, not remembering to put a brain filter on. My body came to a sudden halt as I realized what I'd just told Charlie, and I waited in silence to hear his response.
"Well," he chuckled lightly from the next room. "Just wait til college, kid."
He didn't believe me.
I didn't necessarily have time to point out the irony, but I did allow myself a small, nervous giggle before opening the front door. Eric was standing on the other side, glancing around me to see inside my house.
"How long has she been gone?" he asked softly, his face serious.
"About thirty or thirty five minutes," I answered, letting my eyes roam around the outside of the house. I couldn't help but feel that the scout was watching us, then again, maybe it was just paranoia.
"Alright," he said and pulled me forward. "Are you ready?"
"Where are we going?" I asked, suddenly unsure what the McRaes would do. Their normal course would be to leave; was Eric planning on taking me with them?
"To my house," he answered as locked the door behind me and followed him. "You need to tell Avarice and Lazarus everything."
"Eric," I stopped and tugged on his sleeve, forcing him to look at me, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
He sighed and smiled at me endearingly allowing his fingers to entwine with my own. "I don't blame you for anything, Bella."
I nodded, relieved that he wasn't holding me responsible, and followed him to this car. As I climbed in the passenger seat, I let my eyes trail along the shadows surrounding my house. Even though I wasn't remotely religious, I said a silent prayer for Charlie and hoped I would see him again in the morning.
The drive to the McRaes' house took much longer; not because Eric was going slowly, but because I was so anxious to get there. I wondered what Lazarus and Avarice would decide to do after I told them. Would the entire family get up and leave or would they do something about the scout? My stomach turned and I momentarily felt like throwing up, but Eric's soft smile soothed the pain immediately.
We finally made it to the house and found the entire family, minus Ary of course, sitting in front of the fireplace. They all gave us curious looks as we entered, everyone except Lazarus, who stared at me with a bewildered grimace.
"We have a problem," Eric growled as we stopped in front of the McRaes.
"What is it?" Avarice asked and offered me a smile, which I promptly returned.
"The scout visited Bella," Lazarus answered for Eric and everyone turned to him.
My jaw fell slack as he smiled in the same lopsided manner that Ary did. I still didn't get any answers on how he was able to read my thoughts—especially since Edward could never do it.
"Goodness," Avarice exclaimed and shot off the couch. "Where and when?"
"She came by my house," I responded and added, "about an hour ago, I think."
"What should we do?" Eric eyed Avarice intently and tightened his hold on my hand. "We can't leave the scout here; there's no telling what she'll do."
"I agree," Argos said and we all turned to look at him. "Left alone, the problem will grow worse."
"So, what do we do?" Dante asked from where he sat next to Ira on the sofa. "Another hunting trip?"
"We've already tried that, Dante," Melena said and moved away from Argos. "The scout is also a cloaker, which means we can't find her scent, which renders a hunting trip pointless."
"Why don't we send Avarice out, then?" Ira suggested and the remaining McRaes raised their eyebrows in interest.
"Wait," I stopped them, still a little confused. "Why would Avarice being there make a difference?"
The McRaes stopped and turned in my direction, letting their eyes trail from my face to Eric's. After a few seconds, they all smiled and chuckled, which confounded me even further.
"Remember our discussion, Bella?" Avarice asked and crossed the room towards me. "When I told you about my abilities as a shield?"
I tried my best to remember, but that day was filled with memories of Ary. She had missed school because Lazarus had sent her a letter explaining his reasons for leaving. As I shook my head, I noticed Lazarus cringe and turn away from the others, and I could only wonder if he was reading my mind.
"Avarice can repel attacks and abilities," Skye said and wrapped her arms around his waist. "He protects the family, that's why it takes the pure bloods so long to find us."
"I don't understand."
I was telling the truth; I really had no idea what they were telling me. How could one vampire prevent the detection of an entire family? I tried to wrap my brain around the concept, but found it too bizarre to think of.
"We'll have to discuss that later," Lazarus said quickly, a worried expression on his face. "We need to leave now."
"What—" I started to contest their decision but Lazarus cut me off.
"Erickson, take her home," he commanded, suddenly very stern and shifted to face the others. "Argos, Melena, and I will head south, attempt to draw her to Seattle. The rest of you, take the northern pass, try to lead her up north. Whoever finds her first, don't waste any time."
My mouth was wide open as I heard Lazarus's orders; the McRaes were leaving Forks, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. As I turned to Eric, who was slowly leading me towards the doorway, I threw him a pleading look, silently begging him not to leave.
"Let's go, Bella," was all he said.
Eric drove faster than he ever had, with me in the car anyway. The trees were dark green blurs, illuminated by the moon and the headlights of the car. My stomach was a tight knot as we grew closer to my house, and I wondered what would happen when we reached our destination. Would Eric simply kick me out of the car; or would he actually make an attempt to say goodbye?
"Bella." I almost didn't hear Eric's voice as he whispered my name.
Turning my body hesitantly, preparing myself for the worst, I was shocked to see Eric was gazing at me directly, instead of the road.
"Eric, maybe you should watch the road," I suggested, a little nervous under his intense gaze.
"I am," he breathed and laughed before his face grew serious again. "I have to leave."
"I know," I said, hearing my voice break, and turned away. "You have to do what you have to do, I guess."
"Bella," he murmured and I looked back to him, "stop."
"Stop what?" I lowered my eyes.
"Stop thinking that you're not important," he said gently and let his palm cup my cheek. "I'm coming back."
My eyes shot up. "You are?"
"Yes," he answered and turned back to stare at the road. "As soon as the scout's been taken care of, I'll be back to get you."
"You will?"
He looked over at me and smiled at me with a lopsided grin. "Yes, Bella."
"Where will we go?" I asked, suddenly curious what I'd tell my father.
"I don't know yet," Eric sighed and his brow deepened. "There's a possibility I might leave the family. If that's the case, then we'll be free to go wherever we like."
"But, what about Ary?" Eric was only part of my reason for wanting to join the McRaes; Ary was my best friend.
"Like I said," Eric said with a bit of reluctance in his eyes. "I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen. But, I promise you, Bella, I will come back."
He turned to me, his golden eyes pouring over me, and, overwhelmed by the intensity of this moment, I turned away. My cheeks flushed a bright red, and, as I took a deep breath to clear my thoughts, I glanced up to the road, and the oncoming object in the middle of the road.
"ERIC, WATCH OUT!"
My cries were too late; the front part of Eric's Mercedes slammed into a pale figure standing in the middle of the road. The speed we were going forced the car to flip midair, spiraling over the head of whatever had crashed into us, and hit the pavement with a chorus of crashes. As the compact car rolled around, my neck snapped to the side and made contact with the side of the window.
As I lay against the hard pavement, my vision and hearing now damaged, I could vaguely hear what sounded like muffled growling and snarling. However, as I was lifted off the ground, my body failed me and I slipped into unconsciousness.