Snatching my car keys from the worn wooden ledge and donning a large tan trench coat, I headed out into the downpour. I felt no need to write Charlie a note; he'd guess where I was. I pressed the beeper, unlocking my car swiftly in the pouring rain. My rusted old Chevrolet had recently carked it, forcing me to bite into my college fund in order to replace it with a 1979 Pontiac TransAm. Though decades newer, it was still a lump of old, aged American muscle, and took a good ten minutes to start in the cold weather. The only thing that worked quite well was the central locking system that Jacob had installed, and even that took a few presses of the button occasionally. "A fine piece of car" he called it, "a really classic". Jacob intended to slowly restore it to its former glory, insisting it would run like a dream when it was complete. Why I had listened to him, I had no idea.
It started first turn of the key for once, and as I reversed, I fumbled with the radio tuner. Nothing but static, until I felt a sudden jolt. Slamming on the brake, I noticed what I'd backed into. Unexpectedly, his face was free of any traces of horror, and he half smiled at me as I tore open the door.
"I'm so so sorry!!" I gushed, rushing over to where he stood, tall and slim, his face shadowed by a foreboding black fringe. His smile bugged me, as if it was for show. I had just backed my rather large and rectangular car into his body, which I'm guessing would hurt a great deal.
"It's ok, you weren't going all that fast." His English voice rang over the sound of the downpour, his eyes were the grey of the clouds overhead, with a touch of green and vibrant blue. My stomach felt suddenly queasy as I stared into them indiscreetly, for a reason unbeknownst to me.
"Who are you?" I blurted out, rather embarrassingly, and I felt my cheeks redden.
"Vincent, and you are?" He had now switched to leaning against the boot of my car, nonchalantly, as though the rain, now easing, didn't bother him in the slightest.
"Isabella Swan." Isabella? I thought to myself, cringing.
"I think this uh, fell off your car." Handing me a small piece of metal, almost like a nut or bolt, it was evident he was trying not to laugh.
"Oh, huh well. Thanks." The heat consequently returned to my cheeks, as I shoved it furiously into my jacket pocket.
"Well perhaps I'll see you around." His reply was finished with a grin, as he turned and continued down the thin road. Standing in place for a few seconds, I realised what I was doing, and made a dash for the car.
"What'd you do Bella, drive here all the way with the windows down?" Jacob commented, surveying the amount of water my interior had received. I playfully shoved his hard stomach as I ducked under the umbrella he had met me at the car with. His wide, white grin made me feel as though I was made entirely of nerve-endings, though nearly everything about him had that effect on me. I waited until we were safely in the house out of the rain before I told him what had happened.
"Billy
not home?" I asked of Jacob's wheelchair-bound father.
"Yeah
he's down at the Clearwater's place. They just bought a new
plasma tv and cable." He replied, shaking the umbrella free of
droplets before leaning it against the door. I chuckled and replied,
"So I'm guessing he wont be home much for the next week then?" I leant against the worn wooden kitchen counter, watching Jacob shut the door.
"You could say that. So it looks like we have the house all to ourselves this afternoon." Jacob was in front of me in a flash, his wide arms wrapped like snakes around my waist. The small house was cosy, and the smell of the open fireplace was distinct underneath Jacob's woodsy scent. While the house was cosy compared to the outside rain, it was nothing compared to the heat resonating from Jacob's body. Shoving my long brown tresses from my face, I tilted my head up for a kiss. He responded by softly kissing my lips, then moving his way down my neck. As he nudged my collarbone, he cracked his head up suddenly and sniffed the air. Gazing into his mahogany eyes, I tried to decipher what was wrong.
"Jacob?" I slowly released my grip on his neck, and peered past the dark hair that had flopped in front of his eyes. A strong tanned hand reached into my jacket pocket and retrieved the chunk of metal that had fallen from my car. Smelling it, he frowned in disgust.
"Bloodsuckers." I jolted at the sound of the word, both puzzled and curious.
"Who gave you this?" He questioned barely a breath later, eyes burning with curiosity.
"Um Vincent, I think he said his name was. I backed into him as I reversed down the driveway…It fell off my car.." I began to explain as he gazed intently into my own chocolate eyes. "Is he a…." My question was promptly answered with a nod and a reply.
"I'm guessing so. It sure smells like it. Revolting actually." He grimaced, willingly handed it over as I snatched for it. It didn't smell like much, just vaguely of oil and an underlying aroma of something floral.
"So the Cullens must have friends in town?" I guessed, running a finger through his hair. His mouth remained tight-lipped, and his brow furrowed. "He didn't kill me, so Im guessing he's like them." I added, in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"Doesn't matter. I've gotta go find Sam, should let him know, seeing as though our darling bloodsucker friends the Cullens hadn't thought it necessary to let us know." Taking my hand, Jacob towed me towards the door.
"I don't need to come Jake.." But there was no real use in arguing, as when it came to my safety, threat or no threat, he was serious. Sam's house was a street and a half away, the lights were all lit, curtains drawn. Jacob rapped anxiously on the door, for all of half a second until Sam yanked it open.
"Jacob?" His long hair was tucked behind his ears, expression curious.
"Smell this." Jacob reached into my pocket again for the metal and shoved it in Sam's waiting hand. Sam frowned at the scent and opened his mouth to speak.
"We should gather our brothers, strange vampires in our land means danger." I glanced at Jacob, who wore an expression identical to Sam's, one that was not at all my Jacob. The natural werewolf instinct to protect the tribe overrode them.
"Bells, I gotta go, you right to hang at my house until we've figure out the game plan?" He asked, his eyes scanning my face rapidly, huge hands gripping my forearms. I shook my head, and clasped his head in my hands.
"No chance of leaving me out of this." Sighing in defeat, he twirled his fingers in mine, as we followed Sam into the street.
EdwardThe pictures suddenly disappeared. I shot a quick glance at Alice, whose expression reflected her own confusion at the sudden disappearance of today's events.
"Damn mutts. What are they planning? My whole day is blank!" Her tiny eyebrows furrowed in frusturation, fingers massaging her temples. Jasper flitted to her side, offering help in a comforting shoulder pat.
"I guess we're about to find out, can you smell that!?" Emmett winced, as all sets of eyes looked at the doorway.
"I wonder why they've decided to pay us such an unexpected visit." Carlisle mused, as Esme finished,
"We haven't hunted on the lands, we've been careful to stick to the treaty lands."
Cullen, tell your family to come outside. It had appeared that the Quileutes had decided to come in wolf form.
"They're, err, waiting for us outside." I alerted my family, who proceeded towards the door. Carlisle looked to me and I responded quickly with an abrupt shake of my head.
"Its not an ambush."
"I'll act as translator." I stated flatly, as my family came face to face with the ever-expanding pack of wolves before them.
Anything you need to get off your chest? The large russet wolf questioned, standing protectively in front of a pale, petite girl I recognised from school. I glanced uneasily at Carlisle as he noticed the girl.
Why is she with them?
Who is that girl?
Why is Bella Swan hanging around with werewolves?
The treaty!
The worried thoughts of my family swirled around my head, momentarily distracting me from the question the wolf had asked.
"Uh," I cleared my throat and translated on his behalf. "They ask if there is anything we need to uh, get off our chests." The looks I received from my family conveyed my own confusion at the question.
"We don't think so," Carlisle stepped forward. "What are you referring to?" He was interrupted by Emmett, who dashed forwards, which caused the wolves to snarl and lurch forward defensively. Jasper and I shook heads, whilst Rosalie cursed the silly fool.
"Who's the girl? Isn't that a breach of the treaty?" Emmett bared his large pearly teeth in a half grin.
As soon as the question left his lips I knew the answer, and relayed it to him.
"One of the wolves has imprinted on her." I had found that the myths of their tribe held more truth than we had anticipated, and the myth of 'imprinting' to be particularly fascinating. Bella shifted her weight onto her other foot uneasily, at the mention of her situation. I frowned in frustration, as I had every lunch time since we had arrived here from Alaska. Her mind was like a giant blockade. I could not read a single whisper of a thought from her fragile brain, nor could I stand to resist the smell of her blood. I wanted nothing more than to tear her neck to fragile little ribbons right there on the wet ground…
So were you ever going to find it necessary to let us know about your little visitor? The russet wolf snarled again, as the girl inched closer to his huge mass. Immediately I snapped out of my yearning for bloodlust, and regained concentration. She was nothing. Just a silly little girl, whose blood appeared to be particularly appetising, though clouded by the wet dog smell.
Jacob, enough. The leader of the pack scolded the wolf and asked me a question.
Do you have any visitors staying with you at present? Bella came across what we believe was one of you this afternoon.
"Visitor?" I repeated, earning puzzled looks from those behind me. I searched through Alice's mind, retrieving visions of a visit I was yet to make to Denali, of an upcoming Biology test and a pack of mountain lions arriving in the next few days, but nothing else.
Do you recognise this scent? The leader pushed a chunk of metal towards me with his paw. I dashed swiftly for the fragment and breathed in its scent, shaking my head.
"I don't recognise it at all." I turned to Carlisle. "Do you know who this might be?"
Taking it in his long pale fingers, he repeated my action. He shook his head apologetically. Once it had passed through the hands of the whole family, with no one recognising the scent, Bella stepped forward. The huge russet wolf followed her protectively, a low growl rumbling deep in his throat. She patted the soft fur of his chest comfortingly and looked at me nervously.
"Do all vampires have eyes the colour of yours?" She was gripping a strand of his fur now, for courage perhaps. I shook my head in reply.
"Only those with similar diets to ours. Otherwise their eyes take on a shade of red." I pursed my lips, wishing I could know what the purpose for such a question could possibly be. She paused, perhaps deep in thought, I couldn't tell.
"Well maybe he wasn't a vampire." Her statement was answered with shocked glances by my family, and the werewolves feelings of unease, though they were already distressed at her apparent lack of pure hatred for the 'bloodsuckers'.
"Why do you think that?" Alice asked, stepping forward lightly and almost silently. Her sudden appearance at my side sent the werewolves off in growls, yet Bella barely flinched.
"Well, uh, his eyes" She began, her brown eyes flickering from one vampire to the other. "They weren't your colour, they were a deep blue/green. Like the ocean I guess." "Definitely not red." She added.