The Little Things

10. Missing

The day after Bella's birthday was long and hard. The least of the problems was a surprise quiz that our math teacher put out for us. When I got home from school I immediately flopped on my bed and closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes I realized that I had fallen asleep and that it was almost six o'clock.

"Dad? Are you home?" I called. "Bella?"

I called again but there was no sign of Bella. She wasn't in the house.

I went to the window and looked out. Dad's cruiser wasn't home yet but Bella's truck was in the driveway.

I made my way to the kitchen and found some leftovers to heat up. By six thirty no one had shown up yet. It was almost seven when dad got home.

"Hi Dad. Hard case today?" I asked as he hung up his gun belt.

"Very hard," he sniffed the air, "Something smells good."

I nodded, brushing aside the compliment. "Dad. Bella left school around when I did but I haven't seen her since I got home. Her truck is here but I don't know."

Dad rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at me. "Did she tell you when she was going?"

I shook my head. "I was napping and didn't see her."

Dad sighed, "Well, if she isn't back in half an hour then we'll call around. Maybe she went to study at a friends house and forgot to call us."

The half hour went by with us eating in a tense silence. At seven thirty Dad called the houses of Bella's friends but came up empty.

"Maybe she went for a walk," I suggested. It was a possibility and maybe she had gotten hurt.

Dad frowned, but thought about it for a moment. "Well she wasn't at anyone's house and her truck is here so it seems likely. I'll call Billy and see if he can get some guys to come help look. If she went out and isn't back, then she either got lost or hurt."

"Billy says he'll get some guys from the rez to help look for her. He and Jacob are coming over now," Dad said as he hung up. I assumed that meant that Sam, Jared, and Paul would be out looking for her. I had no doubt that they would be able to find her.

Ten minutes later Jacob drove up with Billy, but Dad didn't comment about him driving like he usually did.

Jacob hurried over to me. "How are you doing?" He asked.

"Fine, but I'm a little worried. Bella is very clumsy. What if she tripped and knocked herself out?" I said. A sinister thought entered my head. What if Edward had been with her and killed her, even if by accident. I didn't know for sure that she was with him but it wasn't unlikely.

"Dad said that there are guys out there looking for her," Jacob said, putting an arm around me. "They'll find her."

I nodded. I wasn't worried about them finding her. Paul and Jared liked to brag about their superior sense of smell, eyesight, and hearing. But what if Edward had killed her. Or changed her. That's what I was worried about.

We sat on the porch for a long time. Dad paced back and forth, looking at the woods and frowning every minute. Jacob tried to distract me from thinking about Bella, and even though his attempts didn't work they still made me smile.

It was nearly ten thirty by the time Bella was found.

"Bella!" Dad shouted, jogging over to where Sam was carrying Bella out of the woods. I leaped up and ran over, with Jacob following behind.

"Is she okay?" I asked Sam.

He passed her over to dad's waiting arms and nodded. "She is a little cold but she seems to be fine."