F E V E R
ONE
It was two weeks from Halloween when I received my first dream. It came with heat and fire, and an emotion so powerful that my body was paralyzed between the sheets. My breath came out hoarse and dry, and beads of sweat gathered across my forehead. Beneath my lids, my eyes traveled from side to side, trying to gather sights from a dream that had none. A dream that seemed so vivid in my minds' eye, but so obscure at the same time. The images were weak and blurry, and the sounds were loud and sharp. I couldn't understand anything but the chaos that seemed to travel across the tingling skin of my body.
A low, wild growl was the only thing I could comprehend in the abyss of shapes and streaks. I tried to see past all the confusion, but I was too afraid to move. I couldn't speak or scream, or try and call for help. I wanted to wake up from whatever hellish dream I was having, but it felt so real I was unsure whether or not I was unconscious. The growling was constant, wavering in and out, surrounding me in a wave of terror. There was something out there among the darkness, something that was circling me. My chest heaved as I planted a hand across it, caving in and then rising rapidly.
The heat only intensified, but the source was still missing. And soon my hoarse heaves turned to something sharp and terrified. I couldn't tell if the fear prickled at the corners of my eyes, or if I was trying to douse the flames with my tears. I continued to breathe erratically, gripping at the bed sheets as I tried to find myself, until finally, the film was disconnected and my room was brought back into plain sight.
I gasped loudly, startling my mother as I sat up in bed, panting and trembling. Her face was concerned, only until her hand gingerly reached out for my face. Once she felt the state of my body, her eyes widened in alarm and my father was woken up as well.
"Ed! Get the truck! Get the truck!" she screamed, running out of my room quickly.
"Mm, Denise? What's goin' on?" my father mumbled as he wandered in tiredly. "What's wron'?"
"She's on fire! My god, you're temperature is probably running off the thermometer!" she cried, running back.
"I-it was just a nightmare," I breathed heavily. "I'm fine."
"The hell you are!" she shouted. "Ed, go start the truck! We've got to get her to the hospital!"
"You're over reactin'," he chuckled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Get her a cold cloth and get back to bed."
"Thanks Dad," I smiled, still trying to catch my breath. "And maybe some water while you're at it."
She rushed out of the room, muttering wildly to herself as she tried to find a small cloth, passing the doorway more than once. My father chuckled to himself and winked at me, bidding me goodnight before he went to usher my mother to bed.
"G'night slugger."
I fell back to the sheets, not at all surprised to find them damp and my skin still prickling. I could hear them mumbling in the hallway, and soon enough, my mother returned with a glass of water and a cloth, pressing it to my forehead.
"Get some sleep, I'll check your temperature in the morning."
"Thanks Mom, 'night."
I closed my eyes and tried to recollect the dream that I had had, but it was difficult. I didn't understand what the importance of the animalistic sounds were, nor did I understand why I couldn't see anything. The dream consisted of nothing but fear and heat, something I would never come to terms with until I would meet Jacob Black.
"Kay, did you get your costume yet?"
-[0]-
I looked over at my friend with a sheepish grin, knowing very well that I had nothing to fall back on. With Halloween only days away, I had been fighting with myself whether I was going to support my parents' wishes and hand out candy to the small population, or whether I would throw away my responsibility and go to the only party Forks' was having. I was never the rebellious child, but I liked to keep my parents happy and myself satisfied.
"Kayla," Jasmine whined, "you know you have to look hot. Almost everyone here is going, and I hear that James is going to be going."
She made a subtle motion in the direction of the table that a small group of young men sat, all put together and talking in loud voices. Rumor had it that James, the most eligible bachelor in our year, had been keeping tabs on me since the beginning of the school year. He was rowdy, loud, athletic, and confident - everything that I didn't care for.
"I don't know, I don't really want to put him in a situation there," I mumbled lowly, pushing my food around on the tray.
"Or you don't want to be in a heated situation with him, right?" she grinned.
In fact, she hit the nail right on the head. The thought of being intimate with any male in school almost repulsed me. I had seen most of these boys eat dirt and rub sand in girls hair. And given the day and age, I had seen hearts broken and confidence falter. Boys were a topic that I was tentative about, no matter how thick their lashes were or how smooth their lines were.
"You're never going to fall in love if you don't take a dip in the pool," she grinned. "Make yourself available. Who knows, you could end up marrying him if your luck plays out right."
I made a face as she winked at me, her long dark lashes batting against her pallid cheeks. Her bright blue eyes were trained on my faltering expression as I longingly absorbed all of the things I had to be envious of. True, the two of us might not be the center of attention, but there was something about Jasmine that made everyone take a second glance. In my eyes, she was the epitome of beautiful. She had long blonde hair, baby blues, and the perfect complexion that made her seem infallible. I was envious of her every move, even down to her carefully chosen words. But there was a large difference between Jasmine and I. Forks was her home, and she had made no move to release her position on the overcast town. I, on the other hand, I didn't think I could last among these people.
I had always imagined finding someone who was never raised in this small forlorn town, someone who would show me adventure and discovery. I had met the selection that Forks' had to offer, and I found no excitement in what they had. I never saw myself staying in Forks, but it wasn't because I hated it, it was because I never fit in.
My mother was full-blooded Quileute, born and raised on the reservation in La Push. In the photos I had seen, she was a stunning bronze goddess that many of the boys had fought for in her youth. But my mother had never been the kind for settling, and she found herself falling for Ed Harris, who used to fish around the beaches on his weekends in Forks. But their love wasn't as wholly accepted as most societies would have done. Rather than open their arms at the prospect of true love, my grandparents had disowned her as an ultimatum. They went to the elders and they agreed that she was never to set foot on the reservation with her child.
Of course, over the years they had toned down their resentment of the residents of Forks, but there was no room for my mother to reside in La Push. I knew she felt betrayed and returning to La Push was something she was far too stubborn to face. And so I had grown up in a community I never belonged in, with copper skin and a muddled family history.
The Quileute didn't want me and the community of Forks had been reluctant to accept me. Although now most of us are well on our way to becoming adults, and the past is the past. But I can't help but notice the distance behind their eyes. Jasmine was probably the only person I could confide in, for her eyes held nothing but warmth and refuge for my insecurities. But although she was my best friend, I still couldn't help but feel empty.
"I'm sorry, I'm just looking out for you girl," she smiled, breaking the frown that was etched onto my face.
"It's okay," I sighed. "I just don't know if I want to go to that party."
"Come on! That would be social suicide!"
I laughed, "Oh really? And being seen with me isn't?"
Jasmine knew how I felt alienated in this town, but she never really touched the subject. I wouldn't say it was tender, but there was nothing new to follow it up with. The bottom line was that I was unsatisfied with my life. I wanted to ease the feeling of loss that I had grown up with, and I wanted to belong. Jasmine was wonderful, and I wouldn't trade her for the world. But I always wondered what it would be if I lived in La Push, and I didn't stand out so strongly in a crowd. I wondered what it would be like to escape my life, and live in another pair of shoes. I wondered and wondered, but wondering only worked for a while.
I do not own any of the Twilight characters,
although Jacob seems to be tweaked a little bitto my own fancy.
I own all the other characters that aren't
from Twilight. And hopefully this story
turns into my own plot.
Feedback always appreciated.
INTIMATEGROOVE.
