Folktale

Chapter 32

Edward's P.O.V

"Daddy, fish." Toby points at the fish that swims under our boat excitedly and follows him to the other side, squealing in delight when he sees him again. "Fish, fish, fish!"

"Okay, Buddy, let's not lean over." I pull him back to a safe distance where he can still see the fish. "You keep leaning over like that and we're going to be swimming with the fish."

Toby giggles, pointing back at the fish and clapping his hands together.

"Edward!" I turn back to the edge of the lake where Esme stands. She waves her hand and yells, "Come back, the food is ready!"

I wave back to let her know I heard her and mess with Toby's hair. "Alright, buddy, fun is over. We can come back and look at the fish later." I row us back to the edge and carry Toby back to our picnic table where Esme, Carlisle, Charlie, and Esme are waiting for us. "Where's everyone?" I ask as I sit Toby on his high chair.

"Uh, Jacob went to help Emmett with the beers. Rosalie and Alice went inside looking for Bella," Esme said as she set the plate full of cooked meat on the table.

Charlie chuckles. "This house of yours is so big, kid, we had to send in a search party for Bella."

I chuckle to myself and lean down to kiss Toby on his head.

"The party is here!" Emmett cheers as he carries a carton of beer with Jacob following behind. "Where're the girls?"

"Went inside looking for Bella," I said, taking a beer from him.

Jacob sets his box on the ground and frowns. "She went back inside? Last time I saw her she was by the lake."

Esme shrugs. "I haven't seen her in a while."

"She's not inside." Rosalie walks out of the back door with Alice following behind. "Couldn't find her."

"Where else could she be?" Jacob asked.

I pull out my phone and quickly call her. But her phone starts buzzing on the table. She doesn't have it. I hang it up again and say, "are you sure she's not inside?"

Rosalie nods. "We looked everywhere, including under the beds. She's not inside."

"But where else could she be?" Alice asked.

"Relax, she's on her property," Carlisle said. "She probably went out on a walk to see her land, she'll show up."

He was right. Bella was on her property and given this was private property, no one outside of us could be here, but that didn't stop the uneasy feeling I had in the pit of my stomach. I did see her by the lake when I was on the boat with Toby, but being so concentrated on him, I didn't see whether she went on a walk or back inside.

And that uneasy feeling becomes worse when we hear an echo of what can only be described as a gunshot coming from the woods.

"Was that a-"

"Gunshot," Charlie finishes for Esme. "It came from over there." He points behind us.

"Esme, stay with Toby," I quickly say before I take off in the direction we heard the gunshot. Everyone else follows behind me. "Bella! Bella, where are you?"

Everyone starts shouting her name as we go deeper into the woods. Five seconds later, there are two more gunshots.

"BELLA!"

I hear Charlie calling a dispatch behind me, but we all come suddenly to a stop when Bella emerges from the trees. She has a gun in her hand. Her face looks paler than usual and her eyes are wide and in shock, but that's the least of my worries. It's the blood on her white shirt and skirt.