chapter 12 at the ice hole

The silence that followed Charlie's attack was a shock, to say the least. Bella would have thought that the nomads would have tried a few more times to kill her, or at least someone else. Then again, Julie did elect herself to keep a watch on her and Charlie, who finally woke up after the third day of being in a slight coma. She stayed at the hospital as much as she could, but Charlie's nagging at her to go to school finally took its toll. So, grudgingly that Sunday night – after being out of school for almost two weeks – she was escorted home by Julie in her black truck and told to get a good nights sleep. She was also told to lock her doors and windows; though it was true that a vampire could not enter a dwelling unless invited in, it was fairly possible that a human under the control of said vampire could enter a room or house without so much as a blister. The meeting between Carlisle Cullen and Billy Black appeared to go over well, despite the tense temperaments of the two after meeting. It seemed as though the nomads may have moved on. Bella almost didn't believe it at first. The hate of the Cullens and their new found anger at Bella couldn't have died so easily. Carlisle must have felt the same, for Edythe still had not returned to school.

Bella was used to the spontaneous disappearances by her lab partner by now. The days she didn't come to school probably had something to do with the fact that those days had a good amount of sunlight attached to them. It was odd, however, to come into biology to an empty desk. The vanishing act of the vampire had a much different feel to it now that Bella knew the entire story. She wished she could have done something to help the situation. Edythe seemed terribly broken up about it when Carlisle told her she couldn't go to school anymore. Then again... why was she worrying about her? Or even bothering to think about her? It was obvious by the way she acted the night Charlie became injured that she was naturally a pushy, pig headed creep. She looked out the window, barely paying any attention to what Mr. Tesler was saying. Instead, she reassessed that night. True, what she said was insensitive, but she seemed genuinely worried about her. Perhaps she shouldn't have been so harsh? She rubbed her tired eyes and looked back up to the teacher, scribbling a few notes down. The mundane week passed without much a du, except that Charlie was soon allowed to go home that Friday afternoon. She spent that entire weekend making sure he was alright. Part of it was out of love for her father, the other part had sprung from her own guilt. It got to a point to where Charlie actually offered her money to just leave him alone for a few minutes. His intentions weren't ill at heart, but in fact, just the opposite. He was worried that Bella was spending too much time and effort on his behalf, and he in turn was feeling guilty.

It was amazing just how alike those two were.

Bella had awoken that Monday morning to the bright snow outside her window. It caked the panes on her glass, a thick layer down below on the ground. Looking out, she couldn't even make out the road, her hand leaving a fading print as she pulled away. She got dressed and went downstairs to the static of the radio. Charlie had pulled himself out of bed and gotten into the kitchen before Bella could aid him in any way she thought to. Charlie smiled at her, his crutches leaning against the back of his chair.

"Mornin'," he said brightly. "Hope you don't plan to go to school today." He leaned over and tilted the antenna of his radio a bit. It was old, and Bella wasn't sure why he even still had the thing.

"Why?" Bella asked curiously. "Do you need some help with something?" She stopped, however, when the announcer on the radio declared that schools had been closed because of the snow. Charlie turned off the radio, laughing a bit and standing on his crutches, moving about the kitchen to get himself something to eat. "Oh..." Bella watched her father and walked over, pulling a box of cereal from the cupboard, which he had been reaching for. "You seem happy about it."

Charlie shrugged. "Maybe it'll give your friends an excuse to kidnap you for a day," he said, smiling. Bella cocked an eyebrow as she poured two bowls for the both of them.

"You didn't put an idea in someone's head, did you?" she asked, walking to the fridge and grabbing some milk.

"Possibly," said her father with a happy face. "You've been so busy with me... I think I can survive if you go out and have some well deserved fun."

Bella smiled up at him and poured the milk into both cereal bowls before returning it to the fridge. "Right. And what exactly would this fun include?"

"Dunno," Charlie admitted as Bella put the bowls on the table. He hobbled his way to the table and sat, putting his crutches to the side. "I just talked to Mrs. Newton. Mike's mom? I happened to mention that you were becoming an old woman too fast, so I figure word got around to your friends. They should be calling in a little bit with something to do."

Bella laughed at that as she got the two of them spoons. "I'm an old woman? Oh gee, thanks a lot, Dad."

"I meant it in the best possible way." Bella kissed her father's head before sitting down and eating. Their conversation was light for the most part, the both of them enjoying one another's company. After everything that had happened, after the attack and the fear and the uncertainty, the two still managed to return to normalcy. Their smiles became familiar, and their jokes were once more easy. Just like the relief she felt when her friends had come to visit, Bella felt secure, she and her father back to their comfortable ways. Sure enough, once Bella had started to clear off the dishes, she got a phone call, and was told to dress warmly by Mike. She did so, and was soon whisked away by her friends.

Bella sat in the back of Tyler's van, her head resting up against the glass as she watched the others talk loudly over one another. It was funny to see the way they all tried to out talk each other, laughing through the entire process. Bella wasn't quite sure where they were going, but in truth, she was glad that she was getting to stretch her legs a bit. That, and the fact that Julie requested that she stay and watch Charlie while she was out to give her some peace of mind. She closed her eyes for a bit, the cool window of the van clearing her muddled thoughts. Finally, the van stopped, Tyler announcing that they had arrived. Jessica smiled at Bella.

"I'm guessing you don't ice skate?" she inquired. "You know... not much of that going on in Arizona."

"Ice skate?" Bella repeated, her insides squirming. Her on a slab of ice wearing nothing but sharp, deadly blades to keep her balance. Oh yes. That sounded absolutely wonderful. She looked wryly out to the small lake that was frozen over due to the cold. It was a small lake, to say the least. Bella even doubted that it was on the Washington map. She had probably zoned out during the drive, as she saw no buildings or hints of a town anywhere near the lake. All around the ice sat pine trees, glistened over with frost. The snow bank that sat below was curved and soft, stretching along the ground and crawling up the base of trees. Bella looked back to Jessica, a possible excuse coming to mind. "I don't own a pair of skates," she said, in hopes she could just watch instead.

"We figured," came Mike's voice. He treaded over through the snow and handed her a pair of aged, white skates. The blades looked good enough, but the leather above it was worn, creases moving up and down the sides of the boot. "Here. They're your size, right?" Bella took them and nodded, seeing that they were a size nine. She looked to the ice.

"I'm going to fall on my face," she pointed out.

"Don't worry," said Jessica, taking her arm. "I'll help you, ok?" Bella sighed but nodded, sitting in the snow to put on her skates as the others did. Tyler and Mike got out there immediately, where as Angela took her time in gliding along the edges of the ice, Eric following and working on his turns. Once things were laced and in their proper position, Bella wobbled up to her feet, leaning on Jessica for the majority of her support. When they got on the ice, Bella's breath clutched within her, her feet scrambling this way and that. Jessica seemed to find this quite amusing, and laughed a bit at her expense. Finally though, she was able to stand on her own, though just barely. Jessica still got a hold on her arm, and slowly began to ease her onto the ice. Soon, she was able to move a little bit, unaided. But even during those times when she was on her own for the most part, she kept close to Jessica, just in case. For indeed, just as she predicted, she had fallen quite a few times during her learning process, her backside now numb from the cold that she kept dropping to. Jessica smiled proudly as she separated from her. "That's it!" she praised, easily moving around Bella. "Now you're getting things..." Jessica moved outward in front of Bella, going to the middle of the ice. The boys had since started up a high speed snow ball fight, chasing each other around the pond. Jessica stood in the middle, waiting for Bella to join her. She held out her mitt covered hands. "Come on!" she urged. "You can do it! Just push with the sides of your feet to go forward."

Bella stared at her unsteady shoes before looking back up to Jessica. She was about ten – maybe fifteen – feet away. It wasn't that much of a skate. Bella took a breath, praying she didn't fall, and gently pushed herself forward. She almost lost her balance a couple of times, but soon, she had inched herself to Jessica's side. Bella took on a bright smile. "I did it..." she said breathlessly, a bit of excitement in her voice. Jessica nodded.

"Now let's work on speed." She turned and moved forward, gliding along the ice and swerving a bit. She made a full circle and came back around to Bella in the middle of the lake. "Sound good?"

"Maybe we should take it one step at a time?" Bella asked weakly. Jessica laughed and took her arm.

"Ah, come on! Let's see what you're made of!" She moved forward, but suddenly fell over forward, as though she tripped on something. This caught Bella by surprise, not expecting Jessica to fall instead of her. She shook out her head and looked to her ice skate. The tip had jammed itself slightly into a bit of the ice. "Ah... caught a nick." She moved to get up, Bella helping her the best she could. "Thanks," she said kindly.

Just as she got up to her feet, she was yanked downward and into the ice, dark water splashing out from the opening along with a bubbling scream.

Bella dropped to her knees and peered in, yelling Jessica's name. Through the dim water, she could see the girl struggling, large froths of bubbles shooting from her mouth. She reached for the top of the water, eyes wide with terror. Almost as though she was being weighed down by something. Bella looked passed her and saw something near Jessica's foot. It was a pale face, dark eyes glaring intently at her. Jessica's movements began to slow as she was starting to be dragged down into the depths of the water. Without a second thought, Bella dove in after her. The cold water stabbed every inch of her body with a cruel intensity. Bella ignored it, forcing to keep her eyes open. She kicked frantically until she was down by Jessica's leg. The girl had stopped moving all together by this point. The water pressure squeezed her ear drums as she fought to go down further. She reached Jessica's pant leg and started pulling. She realized then that a white hand had grabbed her ankle. Bella looked down to who was holding her. Through he azure shadows of the dark waters, Bella could make out the twisted features of James, smirking as he held the girl underwater. Bella ripped off her cross and pushed it to his skin. It sizzled in the lake, but James refused to let go. His face twitched in pain, his body tensing. It was as though Bella was holding a cigarette to his hand, but he was too stubborn to submit. Finally, he released her and darted away, disappearing into the midst of the lake. Bella then grabbed the heavy form that was Jessica and started to swim up towards the hole. There was only two problems – Jessica was dead weight and Bella was loosing her breath.

Her lungs seemed to be caving in on her, her mind panicking. Get to the surface! Get to the surface! was the only thought in her mind. The light that shown through the face of the water was like a strange, angelic ray, shimmering down from above. Welcoming her. She reached up, Jessica limply weighing down against her arm. It was useless... She'd never make it. Her vision began to blur as a bit of air escaped her lips. Her heart was the only thing she heard. It thumped slowly against her, her body starting to freeze over like the water top of the lake. However, she kept her conscious a little bit more, begging herself to stay awake.

A splash interrupted the water. Seemingly out of nowhere, Mike sored through the lake, in nothing but his undershirt and pants. He grabbed Jessica first and then offered a hand to Bella, who took it without question. She helped to kick until they reached the surface, the two of them gasping for breath. Through the steam of air that came to her, Bella saw as Mike dragged Jessica to the ice and felt for her breath. Tyler helped her up just as Mike began to give the girl CPR. He breathed into her and pushed on her chest, begging her to wake up in between actions. Bella, her mind returning to her, shivered and gripped her arms, pleading in her mind for the girl to awaken. Finally, after almost a half minute, Jessica sputtered, water spitting from her mouth. She gasped and coughed, shaking on the ice. Mike pulled her into a firm hug, thanking God. Bella shivered violently, her teeth chattering and her hair sticking to her face and neck. She felt Tyler's thick jacket drape around her shoulders and she thanked him.

Quickly, the three wet teens were escorted off the ice and into the back of Tyler's van, where the heat was turned up and they were given blankets. They also had to strip themselves of their wet clothes. Bella was a littler nervous and kept the blanket around herself for the most part. It didn't seem to bother the couple beside her. In fact, she doubted that they registered that she was even there. They snuggled together, sharing a blanket. Jessica looked up to him, sniffling and shaking against his body.

"Thank you," she said softly. "You saved my life, Mike..."

Mike kissed her a couple of times and let her tuck her head beneath his chin. He spotted Bella and smiled. "You know... Bella dove after you first." Jessica looked to the brunette, who smiled meekly, curled under her blanket.

"Really...?" She smiled, tears almost coming to her eyes. "Oh God... I can't thank you both enough." She sniffled and Mike held her closer. "But... I still can't understand what happened. One minute I was on the ice... the next I was under it..."

Bella looked to her bare feet, the skates laying beside them. What on earth could she say? Now more then ever, she was terrified of anyone finding out the truth about what went on in the background of Forks. "The ice must have been weak," she heard Mike suggest, Bella relaxing about the open ended question.

"But it looked so solid... I don't get it." She let her eyes close, resting into Mike's chest with a sigh. "It was weird... almost like someone was pulling me. I was scared..."

"Well it's all over now," said Mike kindly.

Bella smiled grimly at herself, looking away. Oh how wrong Mike was. If he only knew...

Tyler had called one of the deputies and told them what happened. He then drove them all back into town, the story of Mike and Bella's heroic rescue having spread like wild fire. Whey they arrived, they were given fresh clothes and looked over by a few medics on hand. However, none of them had gotten sick, and so all the focus was put on their adventure that afternoon. A small welcoming party had come to see them as they arrived, all crowded in the sheriff's office. A good portion of them were reporters and photographers for the local paper and the high school paper. Charlie had been picked up by Billy and Jacob, who had been visiting while Bella was at the lake. They all praised their bravery and called them heros. Mike seemed to wade in it, insisting with a bright smile that it was the right thing to do. Opposite of Mike, Bella felt uneasy every time someone asked a detail. She was running out of lies, and it was difficult to keep even the simplest story straight. Thankfully, Julie caught on quick and told the questioners that Bella was too shook up to answer anything else. They and their fathers then escaped the office to head home, Charlie booming about how he would have to give Bella some sort of hero party.

"It's ok," said Bella quietly. "I don't really want a party..." Attracting attention to a large group of people that she cared about in one place... It was like advertising a meat whole sale.

"Why?" Charlie asked. "You deserve it, Bella. Jumping into the ice to save her like that."

"I just don't want one..." Bella looked to her feet and Julie put an arm around her shoulder.

"Please, Mr. Swan," she told her father. "Bella's not feeling to well right now. She's really tired..."

"Right, right." After that, nothing else was said. When they got home, Julie took her straight to her room. She shut the door and locked it, and then turned to her as she fell to her welcoming bed.

"What happened?" she pleaded. "Was it the nomads?"

Bella nodded, clinging to one of the pillows. "One of them anyway," she sighed. "James." She shuttered, the vision of his smirking face still in her mind. "He scares me more then the other two."

Julie sat down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Dad's going to have a cow," she said with a sigh. "I think he and Dr. Cullen are going to have an open meeting this time."

"Open meeting?" Bella repeated, at a loss of what it might mean.

"He's going to require the entire Cullen clan be present," said Julie, folding her arms. "And then he'll want me there... and Sam, maybe." She rubbed her neck. "And then... he'll probably ask for you too..."

"Me?" She sat up, pulling a pillow to her stomach. She was getting tired of this. It was like going back and forth between reality and a dream. She just wanted it all to go away. Julie sighed.

"It's obvious that you've been turned into their target," said Julie with a frown.

"But why...? What have I done to them?"

She shook her head. "Who knows? Nomads can choose their targets for any reason... But that's why you'll be needed at the open meeting. So we can figure this whole thing out and figure out why the Cullens aren't doing their damn jobs..."

Bella looked to her cross, which was once more hanging around her neck. She felt like it was the only peace of comfort she had. She clutched it and shuttered. Without thought, she leaned into Julie, gripping her tightly. She did the same and the two sat there, her slow breathing softly coaxing Bella into a deep sleep.