Chapter Text
I’ve been having a hard time adjusting
I had the shiniest wheels, now they’re rusting
— Taylor Swift, this is me trying
Since Edward left me in the forest ten years ago, I have gone through all the stages of grief. Denial that he was gone. Anger that he had left. Bargaining, when Renee and Charlie shipped me back to Jacksonville to finish my senior year. Depression lasted the longest, days and nights where I couldn't move, as if a weight had settled permanently in my chest.
But eventually, there was acceptance. I wasn't sure when exactly it happened, somewhere between my graduation ceremony and the flight to Boston for my first semester at BU, but one day, the weight simply wasn't there anymore.
I started my classes, majoring in English Literature, and I made new friends. I even spoke to people from Forks sometimes. The pain didn't disappear, but it dulled into something distant enough to live with.
Since then, my life became something I could describe in neat, unremarkable sentences.
I got an internship in my final year at one of the top publishing firms, which turned into a job after graduation. A few years later, I moved into an Associate Editor position at the Vancouver office. I had a small list of authors I worked with, and it grew slowly each year.
I lived in a nice apartment on a nice street. Charlie visited for the holidays. Everything was, objectively, fine.
It was all perfectly nice. Very... human.
Every day was the same. Every moment blurred into the next.
I once mentioned this to Sophie, a friend from work, and she told me I needed to date. So she set me up with her friend from college, Dylan.
He was nice. A banker from a good family. He met Charlie over Thanksgiving, and they bonded over fishing.
It was all very nice.
But it wasn't him.
It wasn't Edward I missed anymore. That had faded over time. It was everything else. Most days, I woke up and didn't think about it, but sometimes, like today, I woke in the middle of the night, and I just felt wrong. Like I woke up in a reality that isn't my own, that I shouldn't be here. I stared at the cracks in the ceiling until the light from my window started to lighten. I rolled over, checking my phone, a missed text from Renee. She was unhappy that Charlie got to meet Dylan before she did, but she had also up and moved to Europe when I was in my sophomore year of college, and her visits were few and far between. She had moved from anywhere from Newcastle to Cardiff at seemingly random whims. Last time I spoke, she was considering moving to Geneva. I didn't understand how she found the energy. My move from Boston to Vancouver had been stressful enough that I thought I might stay in this city till I died. I rolled out of the bed, trying not to wake Dylanup as I padded to the bathroom. He often slept over at mine, but I rarely stayed at his. I had also avoided meeting any of his family, despite his clear disappointment at my reservation. "I knew if I woke him this morning, he would want to bring up the whole meeting-his-parents topic again, which I just didn't have the energy for today. I had been this way with all my boyfriends since Edward. Safe to say I had had some... attachment issues after he left.
I got ready for work and headed out the door before Dylan woke and got to work early enough to make the coffee for the office. I was always the first in and the last out. I liked my job. It kept me busy, and I liked my coworkers. Sophie was the first to get in, carrying a physical newspaper. She had to be the only person our age who didn't get their news from the phone. She claimed any slander against her morning paper was sacrilegious, seeing as we all work in print media. 'Hey, Bella.' She said, looking slightly distracted.
'Hey Sophie.' I said cautiously, 'You okay?'
'Yeah.' She said, putting her coffee and paper on her desk. Her eyes were shifting around nervously. 'My neighbour is missing.'
'What?'
"That pilates girl, from down the hall. Apparently, she's missing.'
'Oh my god.' I said, sitting up straighter. Sophie lived on a small block just off Main Street in Mount Pleasant. It was supposed to be a good area, quiet, safe enough, the kind of place people moved to when they wanted city life without the chaos.
Sophie pulled up her desk chair next to mine. 'The police came over to ask if I knew anything late last night. Apparently, she left her night class and was meant to meet up with a friend, but never showed. No one has heard from her since.'
'Who haven't we heard from?' April, the receptionist, said coming in through the doors. She must have caught the tail end of our conversation.
'My neighbour.' Sophie said, staring at the carpet. 'She's missing.'
'No shit.' April said, her bag landing heavily on her desk. 'Think it's got something to do with that cult?'
'No,' Sophie scoffed. Apparently, what April said was enough to snap her out of her dark mood.
'Cult?' I asked, confused. 'What cult?'
'There is no cult.' Sophie said, rolling her eyes, pointing her finger at April. 'Stop getting your news from comment sections.'
April ignored Sophie. 'People think there is a cult living up in the Grouse Mountains. Kidnapping and murdering people.'
Sophie shook her head at me in disbelief. 'She's being ridiculous.'
'Yeah, well, how do you explain all those people being murdered recently?' April pointed to Sophie's paper. 'Even the " traditionally " news is saying there is a serial on the loose.'
'Wait, what?' I said, surprised. This was the first time I heard about this.
'How have you not heard about this?' Sophie seemed more annoyed at me than at April now.
'They're calling them the Mountain Vampires.' April said, raising her eyebrows, obviously joking. I felt the blood drain from my face, and I tried not to react, even though I'd felt the chill down my spine that I always did when someone brought up vampires
'Don't scare Bella with your tin foil hat stuff, April.' Sophie said, at least seeming in a better mood. 'She's scared of vampires.'
I felt rigid in my seat. 'No i'm not. What are you talking about?'
'I mean, you totally are. Dylan tried to put on Interview with a Vampire the other day, and she totally freaked out.' Sophie explained to April.
'I just don't like Tom Cruise.' I said, which wasn't a lie, just not necessarily the truth about why I didn't want to watch the movie.
'And yet you sat through, Rock of Ages.' Sophie pointed out.
'Oh, that movie is terrible.' April said, shaking her head.
'You made us turn Lost Boys off, too.' Sophie pointed out.
'I--'
'It's all good.' Sophie said. 'I'm not judging, I can't watch ghost movies.'
'I hate E.T., ' April said, with a suprising amount of passion. 'The little finger.' She said before gagging.
'Just.' Sophie said, putting her hand on my shoulder. 'Ignore April, they think we might have a serial killer. People are going missing, a few weird murders. Just stay alert.' She pointed at April. 'And you, stay off the internet. There is no cult, and there are no vampires.'
April laughed, but my feet felt like frozen blocks of ice. I opened up my browser, typing in Vancouver murders, and was horrified at the news articles.
Two Dead, Six Missing in North Shore Area
Police say they are increasingly concerned about a possible link between recent cases.
Andrew Wilcock brings the total to eight cases in the last three weeks, prompting growing concern among investigators.
Georgia Fenwick was the first of the reports that began after she went hiking around 4 pm in Grouse Mountain on January 4th. Search and rescue was deployed around 8 pm that night. It wasn't until the next morning that her body was recovered from Glenmore Reservoir in Calgary, Alberta.
Police say the circumstances surrounding how the woman travelled from North Vancouver to Calgary within a short timeframe remain unclear and are under investigation.
Vancouver Police have confirmed that while some of the cases remain classified as missing persons, others are now being treated as suspicious deaths. Investigators say they have not ruled out a connection between the incidents, but stress there is currently no confirmed suspect or established pattern.
Authorities are urging the public to exercise caution in the North Shore area and surrounding trail networks while enquiries continue.
From Grouse Mountain to Calgary was about an eleven-hour drive. That's a quick turnaround for someone to murder, travel and dump a body. Unless you're a vampire. I thought. I remember how fast Edward moved when running with me on his back after visiting the meadows. It would probably only take Edward a few hours to travel that far, or someone of his kind. It definitely seemed plausible.
I shook the thoughts out of my head. Since Edward left all those years ago. Anytime there was a weird murder, a suspicious accident, someone too pale or still on the SkyTrain. But it never turned out to be the case. It seemed impossible for supernatural creatures to be out there, but to never see any sign of them. I closed down the browser and went about the rest of my workday, trying not to think about it too hard. I finished work and started walking home. The streets were busy and crowded downtown. Streetlights were already reflecting off the wet pavement as I made my way toward my apartment. It was getting dark earlier now, only just past 5:30 pm, but the grey clouds made everything feel even darker. I was almost back to my place when I felt a chill go down my spine, which wasn't from the freezing winds that had picked up. Something about the city felt... off. Not wrong enough to name, just enough to notice. I told myself it was the article. The missing people. The stories April laughed about. I turned and saw people rushing home from work, or dressed up, ready to go out for dinner, but I had the feeling like someone was watching me. I scanned the faces, feeling the anxiety press down on my chest. No one was looking in my direction. I scanned the concrete office building windows and rooftops, but still couldn't see anything. The rain picked up, and I had stupidly forgotten my umbrella in my rush to get out the door this morning, so I turned, hurrying home. There are no vampires. I heard Sophie's voice play in the back of my head. If only we could all believe that.