CHAPTER ONE

So Real It's Terrifying

"This is Melissa were talking about here! The same person who put our Chief's mind at ease when the English men came and tried to steal our land, The same woman who was a mid-wife to your own granddaughter. And the girl you claim you're favorite when she was all but a child. And now you want to have her disowned because of who she is married to!"

"Not WHO young Samson WHAT! She is not the same Melissa anymore. She neglected her tribe when she married into that wild one across the river. I can't even recognize her, she's out-spoken and out of control like those inhumane men her nigger hangs around!"

"I knew when we let that Quileute nigger marry our Melissa all hell would break loose." Mary Ann pitched in with an angry, cold voice.

"They had animalistic, evil, barbarian, and mutant ways since they first set foot in our America." She snapped loudly.

"I agree with Mary Ann with this one. Since the Quileute tribe has been here it's been nothing but mayhem. Letting those beast run among us was the worst mistake our Chief has ever made!"

I heard Samson growl viciously, from behind the door my ear was pressed up against.

"And I will not take that back .And since that BLACK SCUM! Has been on our part of the land, along with his pack of mutts, and mutant, half-breed nigger children-"

I couldn't help but let out a low snarl.

" It's been nothing but chaos! We are better off without them, we always—"

"Don't even go there Esu! You were not saying all this when those pale-faced demons almost wiped our whole tribe off the face of the earth. You were all but grateful for those beasts then!" Samson shouted.

And for once Esu was speechless

."Now. Melissa is a daughter of this tribe, even though she's married into the Quileute. Cherokee blood runs deep in her veins, just the same as you and I. But if she decides to leave, certain ceremonies have to be performed before she becomes an official member of our sister tribe—"

"Answer me this young Samson" An old crackly, raspy, voice said.

"What about their children. What if they grow up just as . . . animalistic as their father? And when they grow into men, do we just let them steal all of our women-"

"Abigail if they do grow into their fathers ways our tribe will be one of the best protected tribe's there is."

I heard a loud obnoxious snort.

"And when they do grow into men who are we to stop them from falling in love with another daughter of this tribe! But have any of you honestly thought of this, one's not even 7 years old and the other not even born yet!" He explained.
"We will bring up this situation with our elders; they will know what to do. But until then she will not be allowed to walk around here like she still belongs—"

"But what about her family, mother, sister, Sapphire!" Samson shouted. My heart pounded as I waited for Esu's answer.

"Fine." He said tightly." She will be able to see her, mother, her sister's, The Outsider and other relatives she wants, but other than that she is band for the time being. I will expect—"

I couldn't listen anymore. I just couldn't. I dashed away from the porch and into the forest. They were practically my family each and every one of them. And now they want to kick me out of my own home! I couldn't control the tears from cascading down my cheeks, as I ran through the wilderness.

I thought they loved and cared for me, will always have my back when I need it, and be there to help guide me on my walk through life. They are my blood , a part of my own heritage and now they want to rise up against me because who my heart belongs too. Well fine then! I don't need them, any of them! I already have my family, even if were not joined by blood. The ones who were there for me when even my own mother wasn't, giving me their shoulder to cry own, or trying to put a smile on my face. To hell with that whole tribe! . . . My tribe.

I slowed down my pace, those unwanted feelings of being lost, alone, and homeless slowly creeping themselves inside me. No matter how much, I would always love them, and know if it came down to it give my life for the sake of theirs, but if they think I'm just going to leave my soul mate , my family, my children , because of their crazy traditions and prejudice there crazy. It was a sort's love hate thing going on with my tribe.

Like having a first love, you will always love them no matter what, remember how they made you part of the person you were to day and how you will never forget them because they were that special being who taught you how to love, but as you get older, stronger, and wiser you find out that you're not that same person you were before and what you need or what you have now if far greater than anything your first love could do or make you feel.

I turned around before I crossed over to the Quileute boundary line and took one longing look at the Cherokee tribe, my home up until the day I turned was a new chapter of my life, a chapter that nothing or no one should have any right to hold me, or slow me down.

I looked forward and confidently crossed over the boundary line, this is my tribe now, my home where my children will reside for the rest of eternity. But as this historic moment occurred and the realization of this might be the most memorable moment of my life, somehow I couldn't shake the dread and the pain in my heart. I shook my head almost bitterly, break ups are hard no matter how historic they are.

-
Suddenly my body shook harshly; to the point of shrieking I stopped, checking out my surroundings. An unfamiliar sweet scent spiraled and circled around me, filling my nostrils, making me feel wobbly and light-headed. My eyes flutter closed, softly on their own accord. An icy gust of wind filled the area around me creating Goosebumps on my skin.

The hair on the back of my neck rose and a cold, heart-skipping chill ran down my spine. I took in a sharp, intake of breath, my eyes flashing open and I whipped around, almost falling over my feet. When I felt something bone-chilling and hard brush up against my cheek.

"Who's there?" I shouted. But mentally. The iciness around me closed my throat making it hard for me to release my words. My eyes searched every detail of the forest. It was silent, nothing but the swaying of the trees and the critters of the night creating sound. Something was watching me. Have been for the last month or so. I couldn't deny the fear slowly gripping and filling my body as my heart pounded wildly in my chest.

" Commmmeee toooooooo meeeeeeeee Melllliiisssssssssaaaaaa."

ThatVoice.

The same one that soothed my muscles and eased my tension, The same one that I shamefully felt came close to second and sometimes first to my husband's heavenly deep baritone voice. And yet the same one that haunted my dreams every night.

It was a other-worldly voice, so soft, so velvety, so cold, but pleasant, so terrifying but oh-so-easily accepting. It was so low and feathery that at times I felt that the wind was trying to speak to me, or that I imagined the whole thing up entirely.

" Myyy beautifullllllll . . . "

My eyes closed yet again with each passing word, and I absentmindly turned in the direction of that alien- alluring voice.

"Come tooooooooo meeeeeeeeee . . . "

I sighed feeling drunk with these overwhelming emotions, thoughts glazing over to incoherent sounds, while I made my journey. It felt like I was floating rather than walking to the hypnotic noise. I was in a daze so deep I couldn't feel the twigs and sharp rocks under my bare feet.

There was a rumble inside me , getting more precise and painful as a unknown force began to pull me closer. I winced and staggered as the pain grew – and grew – and grew . . .

" Ughn!" I cried out in agony falling to my knees, on the harsh rough forest floor.A hard, strong sharp kick from the inside, woke me from my trance, almost - cationic state. Reality was beginning to force itself on me one blow after the other until I was crying out.I gasped loudly hearing the voice again more sweet and alluring than it ever was before, another kick assaulted me more traumatizing than the others sending me falling onto my side. I grabbed the overly, large, bulge jutting out of my body.

"It's okay, I'm – I'm here!" I choked out. "Mommies here" I whispered out of breath and between sobs. The powerful being inside me relaxing along with the thoughts in my head.

I laid there for what seems like hours cradling and caressing my child to calm oblivion, praying that, that voice wouldn't come back and take a hold of me again. After a long 20 something minutes, I carefully looked around my surroundings, pulled myself onto my knees and from there stood up. I swayed a little, muscle's soar from lying down in one place. I took one hesitant glance toward the dark, unknown part of the wilderness in-front of me, turned my back on it and walked the other way . . .

I woke up with a loud, violent gasp. My chest rose and fell rapidly as harsh, out- of- control breaths escaped my throat. Sweat clung to me like a second skin and I shivered all over. My mind pounded painfully, as my stomach did flip flops.

I gripped the sheets underneath me for support, feeling at any minute I would be sucked back into that other far away world. The sudden reality of being back in my room, instead of hidden behind trees watching a pregnant woman wither in agony on the forest floor made me seriously overwhelmed and claustrophobic. My pale room walls seemed to be caving in and the celling seeming to come closer. My breath came in loud, uneven pants.

There was a fierce ringing in my ears then a loud moan/scream tortured and tormented. I jumped at the sound, franticly searching the room for any sign of weirdness, but soon realized, that fearsome noise escaped my chest, pushed its way up my throat and out of my mouth, I watched the door ready to bolt in Charlie's arms if he came in.

He never did.

Whimpering, I yanked the covers off me, literally falling out the bed, grabbed the closet thing in front of me, pulled it over my legs, slipped my feet into sandals and ran wildly out the room.

I stumbled into a tree- my ankle stinging from twisting, and landing on it wrong- when I made to the forest. I stopped for a millisecond trying to steady my breathing but as much as I tried I couldn't shake the feeling of being trapped and suffocated.

I broke into a run again . Running dangerous and anguish-filled, running away from all the stuffy, tense and painful things in my room , like the gorgeous pregnant woman did in my dreams.

I've never been so shaken, confused, so anxious, and curious yet terrified in my life. Not when James manipulated and bit me, not when I lost every one of my beautiful, golden eyed parents and brothers and sisters not when Ed—HE ripped my heart out and took it with HIM. Or when I thought I lost Jacob forever to Sam's- I thought- occult. And defiantly not when I plummeted to my death, when I jumped off that cliff. None of these things measured up t even a half of what I feel now. How can a dream be so real, and vivid? I felt everything she felt. Her tears , her love then disdain. It was like we were one mind and one body.

My legs were burning now from my constant running. I was long away from home, spending time with Jake made me somewhat of a "Wilderness Ranger" In Embry's words, but where I was now, -I took a deep breath looking around- I had no idea. My whole body was sore and tired. I was never one for running. Well unless I was getting chased by seen and unseen enemy's(which happens to much in my young life, if I say so myself) but something like running was to graceful for a pathetic, accident prone, danger magnet klutz like me. But in those fatal moment's in my room the last thing on my mind was my athletic retardation, it was either run or die trying. The more I tried to search for the right path back home-getting more lost in the process- I began to hypervenalate. My still hazy mind began to play tricks on me. Had me thinking I was hearing, feeling, and seeing things I wasn't.

Like three minutes ago.

I had the strangest, strongest feeling that I was being watched , I twirled around looking behind trees, in trees, in bushes , running away from no one but myself (I didn't know it at the time) looking behind myself the whole nine yards! And I could've sworn I saw large amounts of thick, fiery, curly, strands of red hair. But I knew for certain that was impossible since the pack took her and her evil minions out not even a month ago, I seen it happen even.

Though in these woods, at times your very sanity can be tested and it's hard to decipher reality from the supernatural.