The First Drop Of Rain

Chapter Twenty One

Sam was missing? I shook my head in disbelief, hanging up the phone and staring at the floor. When the timer for my oven finally went off, I got up and walked to the kitchen. How could Sam go missing? I was in such a daze and lost in my thoughts, I forgot to put an oven mitt on, and burned a thin line into my palm. The scream that ripped out of my throat only rivaled the sound of the cookie sheet slamming into the stove. My fingertips and thumb had burns as well, though not nearly as bad. Quickly I placed burn cream all over my palm, waving it through the air to allow the wind it created to cool it down.

Once the initial pain eased I cut my deep dish pizza that was the culprit of my demise, grabbed a Ginger Ale, and settled back onto the couch. With a satisfied smile, and the burning on my hand subsiding, I flipped on the television. The first thing to hit the screen was Sam's face. My heart clenched at the sight, his young face was one I had known for years, we had gotten close when I was younger. Leah, Sam's girlfriend, babysat me until my father felt comfortable leaving me to my own devices. I was a bit old so we didn't call it babysitting so much as we called it "hanging out" but we both knew she was getting paid to make sure I didn't die. Sam and Leah had been getting close around that time, and she would gush to me about how much she adored him. Even after my dad trusted me to be on my own, Leah and I would hang out on occasion. She often hung out with Jake's older sisters, as did I, so we had become friends that weren't as close as we were old.

Before I knew it I was calling Leah. "Hello?" Her voice sounded broken.

"I just heard." I whispered, unable to make my voice louder.

"Oh I don't know where he's gone off to! If he's hurt! We had search parties looking but when we couldn't find him we had to call Charlie!" Her words were pouring out of her mouth. "Ari, I'm so worried about him!" A sob broke her voice as she spoke.

"I know Leah, I'm so sorry."

"All of this and the Elders just keep mumbling about the Cullen's! I don't understand." She began crying horribly again. We were on the phone for probably an hour before she said her cousin Emily was calling. "I have to go, but I'll keep you updated, I hope they find him before the end of tonight, it's supposed to snow again." Her voice was raw but she seemed to be doing slightly better. At least as well as one could do given the circumstances.
By now it was 8:30pm, I had only a little longer to wait until I left to meet Gi. I ran upstairs to take a shower, straightening my hair after blow drying it. My hair had grown so long, I couldn't believe it. It was easy to forget exactly how much my hair would shrink when it was curly, but now it hung down to the small of my back like a curtain of fire.

I did my makeup, something simple and understated. My eyeshadow had golden flecks and my eyeliner was pitch black, but it was a thin line and tiny wing that only gave the slightest lift to the corners of my eyes. After dawning a nude lip I checked the time again- 9:45pm. Time to go. I threw on my hiking boots and my thick winter jacket that made me look like the Michelin man, with my phone deep in my coat pocket and zipped away and gloves covering my hands, I was out the door.
Sure enough, once I passed through the edge of the forest Edward stood in my path. "Arabella. Please."

"Edward. Move." I pushed through the ankle deep snow and kept moving. I heard a slight growl, and if I didn't know any better I would think it was an animal, but I knew it was Edward. "Don't get all huffy with me. I told you not to even bother coming here tonight."

"Please, it's too cold for you!" He was in front of me again, now I realized he wore winter clothes himself, likely to blend in.

"It's fifteen degrees. I've been outside in colder for more time in less." I gave him a pointed look, earning a confused one in exchange. "Edward I was literally left outside at the beginning of October in the rain in the middle of the night as a baby." I snapped, marching around him again.