Lola Swan 2: Looking closer

9 Aftermath

'Is there frosting on the cake?' Lola asks them when she walks inside.

Emily nods. 'Did something happen?'

Lola takes a seat: 'My sister had a paper cut.'

'And...' Paul asks.

'In a house full of vampires.' Lola finishes her sentence: 'Nothing happened. I prevented it.' Jonah lays a hand on her back. Sam tells Emily to cut the cake.

'Is everything...?' Jared asks. Kim looks at Lola.

'I'm fine. Actually, I have something for Kim and Emily.' Lola takes the packages from her bag and hands them over.

'Aren't we supposed to give you a present?' Kim says, and Paul laughs. They both open it, and inside are the two simple bracelets with dried vervain.

'Oh, that. Lola told me she was going to give that.' Jonah says.

'What makes them special?' Sam asks.

'There is a special herb in. It will protect them.' Lola says: 'I have something similar.' She shows them the bracelet she started wearing in Mystic Falls.

Kim looks at Jared. He gets up and takes a present from his bag. 'Kim bought this for you.' He says while he hands it to Lola.

She opens it, and inside is a dark blue book. 'Thanks, both of you. You remembered, Kim?'

'Yes, you wanted to write down what has been happening. And that you are out of notebooks.'

Lola smiles and gives them both a hug before returning to the table. They eat the cake. It's a fun night.

Jonah gave Lola a simple silver bracelet that she could wear alongside the one holding the vervain. She parks her car on the side of the store of Mike's parents.

'Lola!' Mike's mother says while she walks Lola's way: 'That's a long time since I saw you here!'

'How are you?'

'I'm good. It's so nice of you to help out.'

Lola smiles: 'It's no problem. I always like working here.'

'Mike is in the back. He'll help you get started.'

'Thank you.' Lola walks towards the back and sees Mike sitting on a crate. 'I can see that unpacking the raincoats is very difficult. Do you need any help?'

'Lola! No, I can finish this later.'

'We can do this first.' She looks at the box that is still more than half full and then back at Mike.

He sighs. And he starts taking out coats. Lola takes them and puts them on their hanger. 'After work, I'll help with your new radio.' Mike promises.

'You know how to install it!'

'Yeah!' he says: 'At least I think I do!' They finish, and he shows her to the break room. She puts her bag in a locker.

'We'll start with restocking.' He says: 'After that, we need to check in the back what needs to be ordered again, ok?'

'Lead the way.' She says. He hands her a badge, and they get to work.

Work was ok, and Mike was able to install her radio. It is almost time for dinner when she arrives home. She opens the door and sees her father sitting on the couch.

'Have you seen your sister?' he asks. He looks worried.

'No, I was with Mike after school. What's wrong? She isn't home?'

'No, can you call Edwin?'

She nods, and if she wasn't worried about Bella, she would have found it funny. She picks him in her contact list. It doesn't work. Did he change his number?

'He doesn't answer!' Lola shouts to her father.

Her father puts a hand in his hair and looks around. 'We have to find her.'

'I'll call some of my friends. If she is in the woods, they'll find her.' He nods, and she takes her phone.

'Hello.'

'Jonah, Bella is missing.'

He sounds surprised: 'Can we do something?'

'Can you guys help us search for her? We think she is lost in the woods.'

'Of course. Are you ok?'

'I'll be better when we find her.'

'I understand; we come immediately.'

While everyone is searching, Lola is pacing back and forth around the house. Her father didn't want her to help. 'What if you get lost as well?' She walks outside and sees that there are a lot of people. Her father is talking with someone, but he keeps looking in the way of the woods.

'Lola, are you ok?'

She looks at her other side: 'I think so, Mike. What would have happened?' She holds her arm with her other hand and looks up.

'I don't know.' He says and hugs her. When he lets her go, he says: 'She'll be fine.'

'You don't know that!' Lola says: 'You don't...' She sees someone coming out of the woods. It's Sam, and he is carrying... her sister. Her eyes widen, and she makes her way towards them. Her father takes Bella over. It takes all his efforts, but he carries her inside.

The doctor examines Bella, and Lola thinks about what Bella said: 'He is gone.' Her sister could only mean one person, Edward!

Jonah comes to Lola and holds her close. 'She is back, and she is ok?'

'For now!'

He holds her shoulders so he can look at her. He raises his eyebrows.

'I think Edward and his family left. I'm afraid this is only the beginning.'