Midnight Sun(66)

beginning to return, drifting in from the west. I could only catch glimpses of them through the thick
trees, but I could see how they would hurry the sunset. I welcomed them, craved them more than I had
ever yearned for their shadows before. Tomorrow I could sit beside Bella in school again, monopolize
her attention at lunch again. I could ask her all the questions I'd been saving up...
So, she was furious about Tyler's presumption. I'd seen that in his head-that he'd meant it literally when
he'd spoken of the prom, that he was staking a claim. I pictured her expression from that other
afternoon-the outraged disbelief-and I laughed. I wondered what she would say to him about this. I
wouldn't want to miss her reaction.
The time went slowly while I waited for the shadows to lengthen. I checked in periodically with Jessica;
her mental voice was the easiest to find, but I didn't like to linger there long. I saw the place they were
planning to eat. It would be dark by dinner time...maybe I would coincidentally choose the same
restaurant. I touched the phone in my pocket, thinking of inviting Alice out to eat... She would love that,
but she would also want to talk to Bella. I wasn't sure if I was ready to have Bella more involved with my
world. Wasn't one vampire trouble enough?
I checked in routinely with Jessica again. She was thinking about her jewelry, asking Angela's opinion.
"Maybe I should take the necklace back. I've got one at home that would probably work, and I spent#p#分页标题#e#
more than I was supposed to..." My mom is going to freak out. What was I thinking?
"I don't mind going back to the store. Do you think Bella will be looking for us, though?"
What was this? Bella wasn't with them? I stared through Jessica's eyes first, then switched to Angela's.
They were on the sidewalk in front of a line of shops, just turning back the other way. Bella was no
where in sight.
Oh, who cares about Bella? Jess thought impatiently, before answering Angela's question. "She's fine.
We'll get to the restaurant in plenty of time, even if we go back.
Anyway, I think she wanted to be alone." I got a brief glimpse of the bookshop Jessica thought Bella had
gone to.
"Let's hurry, then," Angela said. I hope Bella doesn't think we ditched her. She was so nice to me in the
car before... She's really a sweet person. But she's seemed kind of blue all day. I wonder if it's because of
Edward Cullen? I'll bet that was why she was asking about his family...
I should have been paying better attention. What all had I missed here? Bella was off wandering by
herself, and she'd been asking about me before? Angela was paying attention to Jessica now-Jessica was
babbling about that idiot Mike-and I could get nothing more from her.
I judged the shadows. The sun would be behind the clouds soon enough. If I stayed on the west side of
the road, where the buildings would shade the street from the fading light...
I started to feel anxious as I drove through the sparse traffic into the center of the town. This wasn't
something I had considered-Bella taking off on her own-and I had no idea how to find her. I should have
considered it.
I knew Port Angeles well; I drove straight to the bookstore in Jessica's head, hoping my search would be
short, but doubting it would be so easy. When did Bella ever make it easy?
Sure enough, the little shop was empty except for the anachronistically dressed woman behind the
counter. This didn't look like the kind of place Bella would be interested in-too new age for a practical
person. I wondered if she'd even bothered to go in?
There was a patch of shade I could park in... It made a dark pathway right up to the overhang of the
shop. I really shouldn't. Wandering around in the sunlight hours was not safe. What if a passing car
threw the sun's reflection into the shade at just the wrong moment?
But I didn't know how else to look for Bella!
I parked and got out, keeping to the deepest side of the shadow. I strode quickly into the store, noting
the faint trace of Bella's scent in the air. She had been here, on the sidewalk, but there was no hint of
her fragrance inside the shop.
"Welcome! Can I help-" the saleswoman began to say, but I was already out the door.
I followed Bella's scent as far as the shade would allow, stopping when I got to the edge of the sunlight.
How powerless it made me feel-fenced in by the line between dark and light that stretched across the
sidewalk in front of me. So limited.
I could only guess that she'd continued across the street, heading south. There wasn't really much in
that direction. Was she lost? Well, that possibility didn't sound entirely out of character.
I got back in the car and drove slowly through the streets, looking for her. I stepped out into a few other
patches of shadow, but I only caught her scent once more, and the direction of it confused me. Where
was she trying to go?