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Chapter Ten: Zombie

Zombie

With the Cullen's gone Sam and Jared no longer had to worry about the lines that separated Forks from La Push. Though the territory was bigger to protect against other vampires it was now up to them and the recently transformed shifter that now followed Sam. A week had barely passed after the Cullen's up and left, living a destroyed and zombie like Bella behind them.

I was handling it better then my sister with the Cullen's being gone. Even though I had made Sam angry enough for him to storm out of the house that morning after he found Bella he had returned a few hours later with a coffee, though I was the one to actually apologize. Now that he wasn't worried about running into them so much and not losing his cool over them behind around Sam came over to the house more often.

Sam wasn't the only one who kept me company and helped me stay distracted from thinking about the pain that came with Jasper disappearing without so much of a goodbye. Mike also appeared at the house, coming over after school when he didn't have work or practice and deciding that it was now his job to pick me up in the morning. Sometimes when he wasn't around like at lunch, I would think about how it felt like he was trying to take the place that Jasper left.

That was of course impossible as I was pretty sure that Mike still liked my sister. And he knew that even hanging around me more then before he didn't have a chance with her. More of a chance then Tyler who had almost killed my sister at the beginning of the year with his van.

Sam and Mike weren't the only ones in my life that I had around and no matter what I knew I could sink into the darkness like my sister. The darkness that had appeared long before the Cullen's decided to suddenly leave without a reason.

I still had to worry about and take care of my son, a role that I couldn't just give up because someone decided they no longer wanted to be part of our lives. Geoffrey wasn't about to have an empty shell mother walking around. I just couldn't allow it.

The same couldn't be said about Bella though.

The days passed and she didn't look any better. The light that was once in her eyes disappeared. It looked like my sister was no longer in her own body and went through the motions just because that's what she was used to.

She didn't talk to anyone anymore. She didn't try and join the conversations with anyone at school. She simply stared at her lunch taking a bite or two before giving up on the rest.

Mike had tried to get her to go to La Push with him and everyone else but she didn't agree. Jessica had tried to get her to agree to go shopping or to go to the movies but she didn't agree. Even Angela tried to get Bella to agree to do something Friday night but once again my sister didn't feel up to it.

That was only the first week and I was afraid to see how long my sister could resemble a lifeless corpse. Each day that passed my worry for her grew but even when I tried to talk to her Bella simply brushed me off. I was the only one that she wouldn't talk to or even acknowledge.

Even now when I had Angela, her boyfriend Ben, Jessica, and Mike over for a day of movies my sister didn't try to engage with us. I didn't know how much time to give her or if she would remember that life was worth living and that she didn't need a vampire to go about being normal. I had been the one to suggest my house as my father, with some protest, went fishing with Billy for the weekend.

Charlie didn't want to leave Bella when she wasn't acting so not like herself but I told him I would watch after her. I was hoping that she would join us as we watched non-horror movies that day as I didn't have John watching my son. There wasn't a point in being around people who did't like my son or that I had one before I became a married women and graduated high-school.

While everyone else settled on the couch and floor I claimed the arm-chair so that it would be easier for me to get to Geoffrey if I needed to. I had just put him down for a nap a few minutes before the movie we were watching came to an end.

"Alright, I vote that we watch Saw." I said grinning at the group.

"No way!" Jessica said. "I thought we agreed to no horror movies."

"It's not even night, Jessica. Learn to live a little." I said stretching my legs out as I stood up. "Oh votes for saw?" I asked hoping to have more on my side.

Angela shook her head. Ben looked like he was torn.

"I brought National treasure. We should watch that." Mike suggested, looking as if agreed with Angela and Jessica. "It's really awesome. I saw it in theaters when it came out last year."

"I'm with Mike on this." Jessica said as she smiled at him.

"It's supposed to have Nicolas Cage staring in it." Angela said as she looked more ready to watch that then my own suggestion.

"You guys suck." I mumbled shaking my head at them. "Ben? Come on. Wouldn't it be fun to watch Saw?" I said knowing there was no point when it was clearly in Mike's favor.

"Sorry I'm all for it." Ben said picking the other side.

"You are clearly a traitor to all of human kind." I stated turning for the kitchen. "I'm making popcorn. Anyone else want something from the kitchen? We have water and juice."

"Water if you would't mind?" Angela called after me.

"Make enough popcorn for all of us!" Ben called out.

"I'll help." Mike said as he jumped to his feet. "Jess you don't mind starting the movie right?" I heard him ask as I walked through the hallway and into the kitchen.

I was hoping that Bella would've been in there but no such luck. She hadn't left her room all morning and I was once again growing worried. I didn't know if she had even eaten anything that day.

Grabbing the last two bags from the box I tossed it into the trash can before opening one and putting it into the microwave. The fridge door opened before getting shut once again as Mike grabbed three waters from it and returned to the living-room to pass them out. I knew for sure that Angela had asked for one but I didn't know who was getting the others.

Mike didn't say anything when he returned to the kitchen and waited for the popcorn. I didn't know why he wanted to help if he wasn't going to ask whatever question seemed to be bothering him that day. When the first bag finished I passed him the bowl.

"Tell them to start the movie. I'll be there in two minutes time and shouldn't miss to much." I said, raising an eyebrow as Mike looked like he wanted to say something about it. "I can't read minds, you know. That's something only Edward can do."

I stopped realizing that I had his name, my eyes snapping to the door to make sure that Bella wasn't there to hear it. With how Bella was I had came to an agreement with everyone else that talking about the Cullen's when Bella was around was a big no-no. Something that I found hard to do myself as I was use to making small jokes like I just did.

Their disappearance hadn't only effect me and Bella but Mike as well. Even if he didn't like them because they were vampires and all the encounters he had with a vampire weren't good, he was used to them around. Even if he wasn't part of the Swan family and wouldn't normally have anything to do with them, Mike spent his fair amount of time with them.

Mainly because I didn't want to feel like a third wheel when I was around Edward and Bella or when I went to visit the Cullen vampire. I was a human and no matter how comfortable it might've been for me to be around Jasper I still needed my own kind around every now and then. Plus, it got old only being able to talk to Bella about vampires when another person with a beating heart knew.

"It's strange with them being gone." Mike said finally.

"Ya." I agreed running my good hand through my hair. "Now hurry up and get that popcorn to everyone else before it turns cold and Ben demands my hot one."