Jackson's story

Chapter 3

"Your house it is then," more like her mansion. The Coleman family was a rich and well off family and practically lived in a mansion.

"That's where my dad is, he has to be there. I wonder what he'll say when we get there and he sees you. He'll probably thank you for watching over me and keeping me safe. Weren't you guys friends or something?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"He's going to be there, right? He won't be one of those blood eating things? You told me that he was in the woods."

"Yeah."

"Yeah, what?"

"I, um, I'm sure he's alive. I mean, I might have seen him. I mean, I did see him tonight, it's just a little hazy..."

The walk from the Mayor's to Bella's house is a short one as we have already arrived at the front door. Bella unlocks it and then runs inside. I let myself in and she starts to shout for her father.

"Dad! I'm home! Dad?" she repeats it.

Nothing is heard, meaning that he isn't here. I mean, it's not like I expected him to be. I knew what really happened to him, but I just didn't know how to break the news to Bella, who was now frantically searching each room for her father.

She takes one look at me and says, "well don't just stand there, help me look for him!"

"Bella..."

She stops, "what, what is it? It's my dad, isn't it? He's d-dea-"

She starts crying and I motion her into her living room so that she and I can sit down and talk. "Bella, your dad. Well, I did see him in the woods."

"He didn't look like the Mayor's family, did he?" she starts to cry and my heart falls.

"No," the words leave my mouth before I have time to react, "he's alive."

What am I doing? "He's alive?" She sniffles and then gets very excited.

"Yeah... he left me in charge of you, since we used to be friends. He knew I would take care of you. He told me that...he was going to go to California. And he wanted me to take you there too. So that you would be safe with him. He said something about going to Disneyland." The lies fell from my mouth like a waterfall, but at least she had stopped crying.

"He said that? And you're telling me this now? We have to go!"

"Yeah, but how are we going to get there? We'll go, but we have to make a stop at my house first."

And with that, she got ready to go out the door.