Empty Heart
chapter 1 meeting
bellas POV
"Are you gonna eat that hot dog?" Paul asked Jacob, his eyes locked on the last remnant of the huge mealthe werewolves had consumed. Jacob leaned back against my knees and toyed with the hot dog he had spited on a straightened wire hanger, the flames at the edge of the bonfire licked along its blistered skin. He heaved a sigh and patted his stomach. It was somehow still flat, though I'd lost count on how many hot dos he'd eaten after his tenth. Not to mention the supersized bag of chipsor the two-liter bottle of root beer "I guess," Jake said slowly. "I'm so full I'm about to puke, but I think I can force it down. I won't engoy it at all though." He sighed again sadly. Despite the fact that Paul had eatenat least as much as Jacob, he glowered and his hands balled up into fists "Sheesh." Jacob laughed. "Kidding, Paul. Here." He flipped the homemade skewer across the circle. I expected it to land hot-dog-first in the sand, but Paul caught it neatly on the right end without difficulty.
Hanging out with no one but extremely dexterous people all the time was going to give me a complex. "Thanks, man," Paul said, already over his breif fit of temper. The fire crackled, settling lower toward the sand. Sparks blew up in a sudden puff of brilliant orange against the black sky. Funny, I hadn't noticed how late it had gotten. I'd lost track of time completely. It was easier being with my Quileute friends than I'd expected. While Jacob and I had dropped off my bike at the garage --- and he had admitted ruefully that the helmetwas a good idea that he should of thought of himself --- I'd started to worry about showing upwith him at the bonfire, wondering if the werewolves would consider me a traitor now. Would they be angry with Jacob for inviting me? Would I ruin the party? But when Jacob towed me out of the forest to the clifftop meeting place -- where the fire already roared brighter than the cloud-obscured sun -- it had all been very casual and light. "Hey, vampire girl!" Embry had greeted me loudly. Quil had jumpd up to give me a high five and kiss me on the cheek. Emily had squeezed my hand when we'd sat on the cool stone ground beside her and Sam. Other than a few teasing complaints -- mostly by Paul -- about keeping the bloodsucker stench downwind, I was treated like someone who belonged. It wasn't just kids in attendance, either. Billy was here his wheelchair staitioned at what seemed the natural head of the circle. Beside him on a folding lawn chair, looking quite brittle, was Quil's ancient, white-haired grandfather, Old Quil. Sue Clearwater, widow of Charlie's friend Harry, had a chair on his other side; her two children, Leah and Seth, were also there, sitting on the ground like the rest of us. This suprised me, but all three were clearly in on the secret now. From the way Billy and Old Quil spoke to Sue, it sounded to me like she'd taken Harry's place on the council. Did that make her children automatic members of La Push's most secret society? I wondered how horrible it was for Leah to sit across the circle from Sam and Emily. Her lovely face betrayed no emotion, but she never looked away from the flames. Looking at the perfection of Leah's features, I couldn't help compare them to Emily's ruined face. What did Leah think of Emily's scars, now that she knew the truth behind them? Did it seem like justice in her eyes?
Little Seth Clearwater wasn't so little anymore. With his huge, happy grinand his long, gangly build, he reminded me very much of a younger Jacob. The resemblence made me smile, and then sigh. Was Seth doomed to have his life change as drastically as the rest of these boys? Was that the future why he and his family were allowed to be here?
The whole pack was there: Sam with his Emily, Paul, Embry, Quil and Jared with Kim the girl he imprinted upon. My first impression of Kim was that she was a nice girl a little shy, and a little plain. She had a wide face, mostly cheekbones, with eyes too small to balance them out. Her nose and mouth were both too broad for traditional beauty. Her flat black hair was thin and wispy in the wind that never seemed to let up atop the cliff. That was my first impression. But after a few hours of watching Jared watch Kim, I could no longer find anything plain about her. The way he stared at her! It was like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. Like a collestor fiding an undiscovered Da Vinci, like a mother looking in the face of her newborn child. His wondering eyes made me see new things about her -- how her skin looked like the russet-coloured silk in the firelight, like how the shape of her lips was a perfect double curve, how white her teeth were against them, how long her eyelashes wrre, brushing her cheek when she looked down. Kim's skin sometimes darkened when she met Jared's awed gaze, and her eyes would drop as if in embaressement, but she had a hard time keeping her eyes away from his for any length of time. Watching them, I felt like I better understood what Jacob had told me about imprinting before -- it's hard to resist that level of commitment and adoration. Kim was nodding off now against Jareds chest, his arms around her. I imagined she would be very warm there.
"It's getting Late," I murmured to Jacob. "Don't start that yet," Jacob whispered back -- though certainly haf the grouphere had sensitive 4enough hearing to hear us anyway. "The best part is coming." "Whats the best part? You swallowing an entire cow whole?" Jacob chuckled his low, throaty laugh. "No thats the finale. We didn't meet here just to eat through a week's worth of food. This is technically a council meeting. It's Quil's first time, and he hasn't heard the stories yet. Well, he's heard them, but this will be the first time he knows they're true. That tends to make a guy pay closer attention. Kim and Seth and Leah are all first-timers, too." "Stories?"
EHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH
I heard a slight ruffling of the trees and all the werewolves turned to look, followed by everyone else includling me, I saw a dim light followed by a rush of footsteps followed by a figure coming from the forest. I was close enough to see possibly the most beautiful woman i have ever seen i wondered if she could be a vampire, i spoke my question aloud to Jacob "Hey Jake, is she a vampire?" I whispered to Jacob, He looked at me i wondered if we were thinking the same thing "nope doesn't smell like one." he breathed i heard her voice then "Damn, of all the luck no wonder..." she barely spoke after that i thought i heard her mumble an apolagy. she grabbed what looked like a pair of headphones and scrambled up a tree to a thick low branch and layed down. I wasn't sure how much time we spent staring at her but then Paul and what looked like Embry and Quil started to approch her, thinking she was asleep slowly Jacob got up so I followed him. As we got closer Jacob suddenly stopped I finally got a good look at her. -- She had the most beautiful black hair about the length of my waist she was wearing sunglasses so I couldn't see her eyes she was wearind a pair of black skateboarding shoes, a pair of light blue flared jeans and a long strapless black shirt -- I wondered why such a beautiful person would be doing in the middle of nowhere the sad part was there were leaves stuck in her hair and large grass stains on the knees of her jeans. as we all surronded the tree i heard Paul say "Damn why can't I imprint on her." Embry started laughing but quicly covered his mouth when she twitched. Paul started leaning in to kiss her i stifeld a giggle, but her eyes flashed open she turned and fell out of the tree she screamed and screeched "Shit! SHIT!" she got on her knees and stood up. her jeans were covered in mud she went to Paul and said " First of all make sure a girl is asleep before you try to kiss her," after I heard her mumble "I'm the klutziest person alive." then. Jacob burst out into laughter soon followed by Paul, Quil and Embry and me, then the most un expected thing happened she started laughing. After a few minutes we stopped laughing and everyone execept me and her went back told her something "You know you're not the klumziest person alive I am." she sighed and pondered aloud "Have you ever fell from a tree?" I told her the truth "Well no but..." "See told you so." she cut me off "Hey wanna come with us." she looked troubled but she answerd anyway "Sure sounds like fun." she smiled a beautiful smile but her eyes looked worried I voiced my concern "Whats wrong, are you okay?" she thought about her question
before answering "Nothing its just my boyfriend oops I mean ex-boyfriend was the one who ditched me." I felt so sorry for her. but i had to ask her something. "Hey, you never told me your name what is it?" she looked embaressed "Oh i didn't my names Crystal whats yours?" "Isabella but please call me Bella" "'Kay Bella" the look on her face was satisfaction probably from winning. We were sitting on a rock it seemed like she was excepted even quicker than I was but Billy didn't start the stories again. I was grateful 'cause I wanted to ask her some questions "So you have a boyfriend?" "I had one," Crystal corrected "But I think when he ditches you in the middle of nowhere it's over." she laughed without humor "So do you have one?" I thought I heard Jacob growl but I hope Crystal didn't hear I was wrong she laughed "What you're jealous?" For the first time in a while Jacob spoke. "Yeah." he grumbled she giggled "So... who is he?" "His name is Edward and he's very nice." "Is he cute?" "Very cute." We started giggling, than something sunk in "You don't have anywhere to stay do you?" she look nervous "Well umm... no." I could fix that she seemed really nice. The down side was Edward couldn't 'sleep' over for a while but it waould probably be worth it and my dad would be happy with me beig wth someone other than Jacob or Edward. "Not anymore." Crystals shocked face was halorious i allmost laughed "ZOMG thanks sooo much!" she was ecstatic "zomg?"
"Don't diss my word and don't ask what's with the Z 'cause i won't tell." "I wasn't going to ask." and it was true because i know it didn't mean anything Billy told the stories but I wasn't really listening I was talking with Crystal and Jacob through the whole thing I found out that her favourite colours are red and purple how she's almost constantly travelling and considers herself a globe trotter, she told me since her parents died she feels she's never had a real home. I think I fell asleep agaist her and Jake becausewhen i woke up we were on the Blacks front porch, I looked up at the sky and it was pitch black with only the tiny stars as lights and the cloud covered moon. Crystal and Jacob were talking or rather arguing about something I couldn't hear about I heard Jacob give up something about the word uber being a word or not I decided it was time to intefere i asked Jacob a question that was very important "Hey Jake I need to call Edward and Charlie to tell them..." Jacob looked smug when he answerd "Already taken care of Edwards coming to pick you up but he doesn't know about your friend," his smile became more pronounced "I told Charlie you had something to ask him he sounded kinda worried." I was extremely upset "Jacob!" "I'll give you a ride to the border." The questioning look on her face made me know her queston before she asked it. "nothing." she eyed me but nodded we got into Jacobs car with Crystal and Jacob in the front. We drove to the border line and I saw the most glorious thing a silver volvo my smile brightened and Crystal looked very curious. "Well come on then." I was extremely inpatient whenver it came to Edward. Crystal looked at me than at Jacob than at me with a look that could only be decribed as suspision, and she mumbled "I think I want Jacob to give me a ride there, okay?" I didn't know what to say did she feel threatened or nervous so I responded the only way I could "Umm. sure meet you there kay." Before I practicly jumpoed out of Jake's Rabbit I heard them whisper let's race then laugh. I almost ran to the volvo but I thought better of it, when I got into Edwards car he scowled at me "What?" I asked the curiosity getting the better of me "Well two things," Hearing his melted honey oice was like my own personal heaven "First you smell like dog," he then pinched his nose as if to exxagerate "Second when were you planning on telling me about your new 'friend'." wow i had no idea that he was so uptight about me have new friends "Well I just met her today and she's really nice." I hated it when he critiqued my new friends first Jacob now Crystal "And it's really none of your buisness." I had to defend my new friend especially if she was going to be staying over for what I hoped to be a while because i really like her and I feel I can talk to her about almost anything. He shoots anothe question at me it reminds me of when we first met endless questions about nothing in particular. He fired another question at me "Is she a vampire?" "She has a name and it's crystal and I don't think she's a vampire." he was contemplating something "Is she a human?" "I'm not intirely sure." I had the strangest feeling of Deja-Vu like I've already said it before but i don't remember when or if I'm going to say it some time in the future I don't know why but it bothered me so much. "What colour are her eyes?" Edward seemed to be full of questions tonight "Dunno I didn't get to see," "You were with her all night and you didn't notice her eye colour?" "Wait i wasn't done I didn't see her eye colour because she was wearing sunglasses." he was being so stubborn today "Didn't you wonder about that at all?" he must of seen something on my face because he suddenley looked worried "I'm just worried about you thats all." he must of heard my heart react to what he just said because he smiled my favourite crooked smile. I decided to change the subject "I was wondering can you read her mind?" his voice was sarcastic "no, of course I can." I couldn't hold it any longer "Well, what is she thinking?" he laughed "Wow I never thought I'd here you saying that." It was so embaressing to tell him this but it's the only way to find out "It's only because she's so quiet and doesn't talk much and it's bothersome because it seems she has something to say but she doesn't say anything!" I practicly was shouting by the time I was finished. The way he said it was very taunting "Hmm. I wonder what that's like being driven insane because you can't read there mind and they won't tell you what they were really thinking, must be annoying hmm." it took all my self control to resist sticking my tounge out at him "I have no idea what you're talking about and anyways you'll be meeting her soon so you'd do better to hurry up and tell me." maybe it was the sound of a threat coming out of my mouth but he was suddently laughing. "Fine I'll tell you but you better pay attention her mind is so complex because she's changing her mind very quickly alright?" i was so anxious I answerd the same way jacob would "Sure sure. now tell me." "Well she's trying to decipher what I look like she's altering me so fast it's hard to keep track on what she's thinking, she's decided," what, what has she decided I hate when he doesn't tell me stuff like that "What?" I could tell he could hear the impatience "What she thinks I look like apperently you didn't give her much to work with just that I was really cute. She thinks I'm blonde with blue eyes she compared me to a character in an anime called Ouran High School Host Club named Tamaki. Also she's thinking about how awkward it would be being in the same car as us." wow and I thought I had a lot on my mind. I just now realized how awkward it really would be I remember when I wasn't able to be in the air when I saw Sam and Emily together without Edward. I had to look away to much love. I tried picturing Crystal and us together and it was 100 times worse than seeing Emily and Sam.
Edward interuppted my train of thought, saying "We should get going soon." I wondered why, Edward was almost always interested in what i was thinking "Why?" he thought about it for a second before answering "Well i would like to keep my car in one peice and i figured you'd like to keep your friends in one peice as well."