Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga characters and plot lines used in this story belong to Stephenie Meyer.
This is my first FanFic. I'm not one of those people who demand reviews, although they would be appreciated. I'm simply putting this out there because this was a story I wrote a couple of years back, and I thought "What the hell? Why not?" So, here it is!
Chapter 1: Shattered
I stare up at the stars longing for some of their magic to come fluttering down and fix my fucked up life. Two months. That's it. Just two more damn months until everything begins to…
"What's wrong?" Jake's voice echoes through the forest pulling me out of my trance. He's the only one who could simply tell I was thinking destructive thoughts. I happen to have an excellent poker face. How else was I going to try to keep my thoughts and emotions to myself with the kind of family I have? With the exception of my dad, of course.
I look over at him, his face dark with sharp angles since the soft glow of the moon isn't present tonight. "What isn't? That's the better question to ask." The words tumble out of my mouth, hastily and unnecessarily rude. I immediately regret my tone. It's not Jake's fault my world is shattering around me. He does his best to ensure I'm happy as a best friend should. In fact, Jake doesn't even know about one of my major problems. That's my fault, not his. I push the regret down anyway. I mean it's not like I have time for things like regret and apologies anymore. Two months. This sucks.
"Ness, I know-" Jake gets cut off by a serious bout of coughing. His body shudders in a way no man's should. The cough rakes through his body, eating at his life force. I can almost see him disappearing before my very eyes…. That's it! My anger roars up like a lion defending his territory, hotter than before. With my hands gripping a branch above me, I swing my legs out in front of me and let go. I enjoy the sense of free-falling for a sweet moment then brace myself for the landing.
Shit! Sharp pain shoots up my shins faster than I thought possible. I sway a little, but the pain is too much to stay standing. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a tough nut to crack, so I typically don't cry at any pain, physical at least. Give me a Nicholas Sparks book, and I'm a wreck by the end. But that's not the point. I once broke my collarbone and three ribs jumping around playing tag within the trees with my uncles, Emmett and Jasper. And guess what? I barely made a sound, let alone shed any tears.
But tonight? Tonight, I lost it. Bring on the tears, baby!
Maybe it was because I'm about to lose my best friend to some stupid, life-destroying, unknowable disease. Maybe it was because Sonny promise (read threat) to kill everyone I know whose even fractionally human if I don't help with his "experiments" and "problems." He gave me until December to decide. It's September. School just started a couple of weeks ago, so I have three months until the deadline. Great. Something else to look forward to. (Note the sarcasm) But maybe the tears begin to slide down my cheeks because both of these events lead to the loss of my sanity and brings me eternal damnation.
By the time, Jake finally climbs down from our perch in the tree and comes to stand next to me, I'm on my knees, tasting the saltiness from my tears slipping through my pursed lips. I feel his weight shake the ground slightly as he drops to his knees as well and pulls me close.
That's when I completely give in to the emotional turmoil. My breaths come out in heaving sobs as I clutch the soft cotton of his shirt. I bury my face in his chest while he cradles my head with one hand and strokes my back with the other. My body shakes against him. I feel him place a gentle kiss on my hair.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he whispers in my ear and then places his head on top of mine.
The only thing I'm aware of before everything fades is how weak his arms feel now and the baggy shirt that used to cling to his once muscular chest.