Mike Newton

Author’s Note

Tell me what you think! I want to hear more guesses…! Give me your theories!

-Page Break-

Bella smiled as she stepped into her car. She ran her hand along the dashboard, “Really, J, you out did yourself one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten.”

Bella pulled out of her parking spot and headed over to the local diner to get some breakfast, she was in no mood to cook for herself. Bella grinned as Angela’s name flashed across the screen on her stereo. She didn’t think she’d still find it so cool that her car did that. She reached over and answered the call. “Hey, Angie.”

“Hey, Bells.” She replied simply a happy tone in her voice as always. “I was thinking since today is your day off we could head to the mall? I really want a new dress for that fundraiser that’s coming up. You know I have to play with the band and I really want something different to wear. I’m getting tired of the same black dress for every event.”

Bella smiled, “That sounds good, what time you want to head out?”

“What do you say in about an hour?” Angela said, “I have to shower first.”

“No problem. I was going to get something to eat right now anyway. I’ll pick you up when I’m done.” Bella said with a grin as she thought about being able to use her car for the whole day.

“Right, you have the bat mobile.” Angela said with a light laugh. “I love that car more than I love Ben right now.”

Bella laughed, “I’ll see you soon, Angie.” Bella hung up the call and continued on her drive. She had told Angela that she had won the car in contest. It was the only reasonable thing Bella could think of to explain the expensive car. Luckily, she wasn’t a liar so everyone believed her and they really couldn’t be happier for her.

Bella pulled into the diner she thought about eating inside, but really didn’t like the idea. She ordered her food and took it to her car. She drove all the way out to a small abandoned spot that was covered by trees. She couldn’t reach this spot with her truck before, but now that was different. She leaned back in her seat and slowly ate her breakfast sandwich.

-Flashback-

“Dad…” Bella groaned out as Charlie forced her onto the boat. “I’m going to fall! I always do! You always say that I won’t, and by the end of the trip I’m in the water.”

Charlie rolled his eyes, “Just get in the boat Bells. We need to talk.”

Bella shook her head but did as she was told and got on the boat. She looked to her dad curiously. “What’s your fascination with fishing?” She questioned curiously.

“Nature is a beautiful thing, Bells. Sometimes you just have to take some moments to appreciate it.” Charlie replied simply as he started the boat and headed out further to where he knew there would be fish.

“Really deep stuff there, dad.” Bella teased with a smile. “So, do I really have to fish or do I just sit here and try not to imagine Jason from Friday the 13^th sitting at the bottom of all this water?”

“Look, just try to make at the very least one catch today.” Charlie said as he set things up, he handed Bella a fishing pole. “Try to make this count, okay.”

Bella laughed, “Dad, this is the last fishing trip we’re going on before I leave, not the last one will ever go on.”

“I know, kid. I just want to remind you of the simple things, you’re becoming an adult and I just want you to remember this place. To remember that not everything is as big as you think.” Charlie said he casted his fishing pole and looked to Bella. “You have to remember how beautiful the simple things are, especially nature. The last thing I want for you kid is for you to only remember the inside of a classroom.”

Bella smiled fondly at her dad. “I’ll remember that dad, I promise I’ll fall into a water fountain every once and a while just to remember these fishing trips.”

Charlie laughed, “That sounds good, kid.”

-End Flashback-

Bella smiled at the memory. She had practically shut herself away after they announcement that he had passed away. It took her months to get back inside her home, even longer to pack everything away. It was then she realized who her friends were, because in the end it was only, Angela, Ben and Alan had all been there to help her pack and move on.

Bella smiled as her phone rung, “Hey, Angie. I’m on my way, I’ll be there in five.”

“I was just checking to see if it’s okay if Ben joins us? Turns out he needs a new suit.” Angela replied.

“I’m okay with it, just as long as Jessica doesn’t tag along. I get that you live in the same building, Angie, but we should’ve stopped seeing her as our friend after we graduated.” Bella replied as she pulled out and headed over to Angela’s.

“Well, you try saying no to her when you have to see her every day. Not to mention if we’re friendly she keeps her and Mike’s alone time to herself. Our walls are as thin as sheets!” Angela said with a laugh. “We’ll be outside, if we get in the car right away she won’t notice. Besides, I think she has a class or something today.”

Bella smiled, “Last time she went on and on about Mike and how close he was to proposing to her. I feel like every time she talks about Mike she thinks she won some sort of battle. It’s as if she believes I’m supposed to be jealous over it.”

Angela laughed over the phone. “If only she knew Mike thought of you when they were in bed.”

“ANGIE!” Bella yelled in disgust. “That’s the last thing I ever want to hear!”

Angela laughed, “Sorry, you know it’s true. Mike never really got over that school boy crush he had on you.”

“Don’t remind me. The last thing I want is an overgrown child chasing after me.” Bella said, she pulled up to Angela’s house. “I’m outside.”

“We’ll be out in a minute.” Angela assured as she hung up the phone.

Bella tapped her fingers against the steering wheel. She smiled when she saw Angela and Ben jogging towards the car, she started it up and as soon as they were inside and drove away.

Angela took in a deep breath as she tried to calm her breathing. “She was there with Lauren. We told them we were late for a band practice and ran down the stairs and out the door. I’ve never been so out of breath.”

“Really, I can remember a time or two when you were out of breath.” Ben said from the front seat with a large smirk.

“Gross.” Bella said shaking her head. “Let’s not talk about your guy’s sex life or Mike’s.”

“Mike… did you two know he’s going to break it off with Jessica this weekend?” Ben said with a smirk as both girls perked up at the news.

“You didn’t tell me this!” Angela said as she wanted to hear the news.

“He told me the other day. He saw Bella and I guess he realized that he didn’t want to be with Jessica anymore. Then, he met this girl, Amanda, and I guess he’s sort of into her. He’s breaking up with Jessica on Friday, and he has a date with Amanda the next day.”

“The asshole.” Bella said with a shake of her head. “I can’t believe he’s going to do that to her. Granted I don’t really like Jessica, but not even she deserves that sort of treatment.”

“Wait, who’s Amanda?” Angela questioned curiously.

Ben shrugged, “All Mike said about her is she’s a really good looking girl. Brown hair, brown eyes, you know, just like someone else we know.” He hinted as he gestured over to Bella.

Bella grimaced. “Gross.” She said a wave of disgust passing through her face. “You can’t tell me that’s the only reason he’s dating her.”

“He doesn’t even know her last name.” Ben said with a shake of his head. “Trust me, I know Mike and the only reason he’s dating her is because you’ve turned down his every proposal ever.”

Angela shook her head. “Hey Bells, do you mind if Ben and I sleep over at your place for a while I don’t want to risk the chance of having to speak to Jessica directly after the breakup.”

Bella laughed, “Knowing this breakup is probably the real one, you can move in.”

-Page Break-

Bella hummed as she put away a few CDs and books in her bookshelf. Her trip with Angela had consisted of critically looking at clothes for two hours. And then another hour to help Ben choose his new outfit. After that she had insisted on heading to bookstore and the music store right next door. She was glad that she was able to find a few things she had been really wanting as of late. She stilled as she heard the phone in her apartment ring. With an anxious hand she stepped forward and grabbed the phone, putting it to her ear. “Hello? She answered, hoping in the pit of her stomach that this was J calling her.

“Hello, little Dove.” His smooth voice rang through the phone.

Bella smiled, she set down the pair of books she had in her hand and walked over to the couch and took a seat. “J. I was momentarily afraid that you wouldn’t call. I thought you had somehow forgotten about me.”

He chuckled made a twinkling in her stomach come to life. “How could I ever forget you, little dove?”

“I have been told before that I’m easy to forget.” Bella said she took in a deep breath. “Why do you only call so late in the day? I’ve never received a call from you in the daytime.”

“I feel more comfortable when it’s dark. You’re also always alone at night. I prefer to have all your attention to myself. You’ll find that I really don’t like to share things.” J replied softly, his voice washing over Bella like a warm blanket. She leaned into the couch and looked out of her window, it was as if she could almost feel him outside.

“It’s surprising that I really don’t find that hard to believe.” Bella responded with an amused tone. “What are you doing right now, J?”

“I’m doing what I love to do the most.” He responded easily.

Bella smirked, “And what is that?” She questioned curiously.

“Watching you.” He replied simply.

“Do you watch me often?” Bella questioned as she continued to look out the window hoping any sort of movement would cause her to see him to finally catch a glimpse of who he really was.

“Yes. Does that make you uncomfortable?” He questioned in return.

Bella sighed, “It should.” She responded with a sigh. “But it doesn’t.”

“Why?” He questioned.

“I have no answer.” She responded honestly. “Can I ask when the first time you saw me was?”

“Several years ago. You had just moved to Forks, I believe. You were in Seattle at the time, with your friends.” He replied softly.

Bella nodded. “You’ve been watching me since then?”

“No.” He responded. “I couldn’t watch you properly with that pathetic excuse of a vampire hanging around you at all times. My temper is far too strong, and I’m sure I would’ve ripped him to pieces.”

Bella took in a deep breath at the mention of Edward. “You knew about him?”

“Of course I did, little dove.” He replied in assurance. “I was the one to lead that mutt to you when he left you in the woods.”

“You did that? How?” Bella questioned.

“He thought he was retracing Edward’s scent when he was really getting mine. I needed him to get to you in time. I wasn’t going to allow you to just lay there in the ground. I couldn’t carry you out myself as there were would be too many questions and I’d be inevitably putting you in danger by being too close to you.” He responded, “You cannot imagine how painful it was for me to have to lead someone else to help you.”

“I can only imagine.” Bella replied with a yawn. “Who are you?”

“Do you really want to know the answer to that?” He responded.

Bella nodded, “I feel like it’s something I need to hear.”

“You’ll know when the time is right, little dove.” J assured. “We’ll speak tomorrow. Goodnight, little Dove.”

“Good night, J.” She replied as the line went dead. She hung up the phone and put it back to where it belonged. She stood and walked to her bedroom. She slipped under the covers of her bed and yawned greatly as she really hadn’t realized how tired she had become from the day she had.

-Page Break-

Bella walked into the store and stilled as she saw Alan was nowhere in sight. “AL!?” She shouted as she headed further into the store. The worst possible thing rushed into her mind and she stilled as the last thing she wanted was to find Al hurt in some way. She let out a breath of air as she found him in the break room staring up at the T.V.

“Hey, something wrong, Al? You’re not watching over the store.” Bella said as she set her bag down and looked at him and the back to the T.V. She saw the flashing light of a police car and that yellow caution tape that just sent a shiver down her spine.

“They found a boy pinned to a wall in an alleyway. He was beat to death and his insides were all destroyed. The cops don’t know what happened. They’re just about to identify who it is. Poor child…” Al said with a slight shake of his head as his eyes were glued to the screen.

Bella became intrigued and leaned against the wall waiting for the news to declare who it had been that was found dead.

“Seattle Police have identified the victim as being Mike Newton. Mr. Newton is a university student here in Washington. Our hearts go out to the friends and family of Mike Newton who are suffering at the loss of this young boy.” The reported said.

Bella reached over and turned off the television as her hands trembled. “Oh God…” She said in despair. “I can’t believe it. I know him, Al.” Bella said as she couldn’t wrap her mind around it. “I knew him.”

Alan stood up and wrapped his arm around Bella giving her a light squeeze as he tried to make her feel better. “Go on, get out of here. I’ll close up early After this I’m not in the mood to keep it open for the rest of the day.”

Bella nodded she sighed a she hugged Alan a final time and went out of the door. She got into her car and stared at her hands on the steering wheel. She jumped slightly as her cell phone rang, with shaking hands he answered. “Hello?”

“Bella!” Angela’s voice rang through. “Did you hear the news? Mike’s dead! Someone killed him!”

Bella nodded her head, “Yeah, I heard. Where are you?”

“I’m in my apartment, I was watching the news when they announced it. I can’t believe this is happening, Bella.” Angela said practically weeping through the phone.

Bella nodded knowing that this was the worst thing to ever happen for the kids coming from Forks. They might’ve not been the best of friends with Mike, but he was still their friend. “I’m going to come over.”

“Yeah, I’ll be waiting for you.” Angela said, she sniffled.

-Page Break-

Bella walked to her apartment and fell on the couch. Her eyes were red and puffy she never realized how much she would feel for Mike when he passed. The worst of it all was how it passed, he was mutilated and left out in the open for the world to see.

Bella reached over and grabbed the phone. She pressed it to her chest as she really needed more than anything to talk to him. She felt an ache in her chest that was making her want to hear his voice at the very least. Her eyes batted as she was falling asleep on the couch.

Bella trembled as she felt a rush of cold run through her body. She opened her eyes and sat up on the couch. She looked around her apartment and couldn’t see anything, but she knew there had to be someone there. She could feel it in her gut that something was off in her apartment.

Bella immediately answered the phone as she knew who it was. “J?”

“Something wrong, little Dove?” He asked immediately.

“Are you in my home?” She questioned as she stood cautiously off the couch.

“No, I haven’t stepped a foot inside your home. Do you think someone is there?” He questioned his tone sounding more alert than before.

Bella shook her head. “J, can you see inside my bedroom window?”

“Why do you ask?” He replied.

“It’s just… If I leave the window open can you just make sure I’m okay?” Bella said as she walked into her bedroom.

“You know I’d never let anything hurt you, little Dove.” He replied.

Bella nodded, “Did you kill Mike?” Bella questioned. “It’s just…”

J chuckled darkly. “As much as I would’ve enjoyed killing the man that fantasies about you daily, no I didn’t kill him.”

“Do you know who did it?” Bella questioned as she rested her head against the pillow.

“Yes.” He replied simply.

“Who?” She responded wanting to know who killed her friend.”

“Does it matter?” He questioned curiously.

“Yes, he was my friend.” She responded.

“Little Dove, your friend’s killer isn’t human. Leave this to me.” He instructed hoping she would understand where he was coming from.

“Are you a murderer, J?” Bella questioned as she was falling asleep again.

“I’m the worst kind of murderer, little Dove, I kill for my own enjoyment.” He replied honestly.

Bella felt a pinch of fear swell within her but she pushed it back. “Will you kill me?”

“You won’t die permanently.” He replied as he stayed on the phone and heard her fall asleep.

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