It was a Saturday. So that meant doing my favorite thing; relaxing and hanging out with Jake. It really wasn't even about seeing him anymore. Jake was my best friend and I genuinely enjoyed hanging out with him. I always went and left his house with a grin on my face. When I was with Jake or even just talking to him on the phone, I was at my happiest. Which was why when I heard my truck start to smoke, sputter, and cough, I felt my heart drop to my shoes. Then, I got angry.
Is this really happening now?
I snarled and hopped out of my truck and slammed the door as hard as I could. I yanked my phone out of my pocket and dialed Jake's home phone. Instead of Jake though, it was Billy who answered.
"Hello?"
"Oh, hey, Billy. Where's Jake?" I asked, calming down a bit at his soothing story-tellers voice.
"He's busy at the moment. You need me to get him?" Billy said.
"No, no. I was just wondering. Um, hey, could you tell him I can't make it today?"
"Sure. But, may I ask why?"
"I was on my way there and my truck broke down." I explained.
"Oh! Sure. I'll call Sam and have him take you home, while I call a tow."
"Billy, you're an angel. I owe you one." I said, relieved.
"I'll hold you to that after you get your car fixed, when I need a ride somewhere, Bella." Billy half-joked.
"I would expect nothing less. Thank you, again."
"It's no trouble. Bye, now."
"Bye, Billy." I hung up.
I leaned against my car's hood and blew my hair out of my face, annoyed. I still couldn't believe that this was happening to me today. It's always something! I slammed my fist into my truck's hood and was surprised when it didn't hurt, and also when it left a fist-sized dent in the hood. That surprise quickly dissolved into anger. This truck was completely worthless! With my measly strength, I could leave a giant dent in the hood? My anger was accumulating more and more by the second.
I waited for around ten minutes before Sam showed up.
"Hey, Bella." Sam said, rolling his window down.
"Hi, Sam." I said, still a little annoyed.
"What are you waiting for? Hop in!" He said, gesturing for me to jump in the car. I smiled and jumped in the passenger seat.
"So, Billy called me since I've been needing to speak with you." He said, starting to drive.
"Wow. Straight to the point, huh?" I said, my anger coming back full force.
He ignored my obvious anger, "See, when I found you in the woods those few months back, I decided to read up on you a little. I mean, it's not every day that I'm called to help rescue a pale face." He said, glancing slyly at me. I glared at him. He smiled, broadly. "But, while I was researching. I found something very interesting." I noticed he had stopped the car on the side of the road. There were no houses or people around.
I started to get nervous. "Uh, Sam? Why'd you stop the car?" I said, fidgeting in my seat.
"Don't worry so much, Bella," Sam said, coolly, trying to ease my nerves, "I'm not going to hurt you or anything like that. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you in a serious manner and I didn't want to have to focus on driving at the same time." He turned and looked at me.
I nodded, feeling more at ease. "Okay, so you said you found something interesting?" I said, urging him to continue.
"Right. Well, while researching, I found that apparently, you have Quileute in you on your father's side. He was one of the most important members of the Quileute council, as well. But, he was banished from the tribe for falling in love with a pale face." He glanced at her. "Anyway, he changed his name, and took on his wife's last name and lived as a pale face. His wife named their son Charlie. Your grandfather never got to see Charlie, though, because, when your grandmother's town found out she was pregnant by him, they lost it. See, they were still lost in their racism and, after their patience was tried with them being married, they couldn't take it. They came after him in a frenzy. He, in his surprise, was overcame and murdered. A few months later, your grandmother married again and, the kind man he was, raised Charlie as his own."
"Oh, wow." I said, in awe.
"That doesn't even begin to cover it." He agreed, "But, wait. There's more. So I trust that, by now, knowing Jake for so long, you've heard our tribe's stories?"
"Yes?" I said, recalling Jake talking about them.
"Well, do you remember the ones about the Spirit Warriors? And how eventually they became, basically, werewolves?" He asked.
"Yes…" I said, getting annoyed he wouldn't get to the point.
"Well, your grandfather - Tama-Aki, I believe his name was - was one of the tribe's few remaining Spirit Wolves. They were passed down through generations, and the Spirit Wolf was triggered by the appearance of, well, vampires." He looked at me, nervously, trying to gauge my reaction.
My anger rose. "How dare you, Sam! Spinning lies about the 'grandfather' I never knew. I cannot believe you would do that! I thought you were better than that, since Billy speaks so highly of you. You're just a lying creep." I huffed in anger and started walking away.
I felt a large hand grab mine. I was surprised with the temperature. As of lately, all hands were like ice in mine. His felt about the same temperature. I looked up shocked, feeling my anger dissipate. He had a solemn expression on his face. I felt my mouth close and open like a fish. I eventually gained enough control to close it. I studied his face some more. He was either a master manipulator, or he was telling the truth.
I shook my hand free. "Fine. So, you're telling the truth. What does this have to do with me?" I asked, fearing the answer.
He stepped back and began undressing. I was too shocked to look away. So, I kept my eyes fixed to his, which were locked on my eyes. Once he had tied up his clothes on his ankle, something shocking happened.
His face elongated, and grew fur, and his whole body shifted, and suddenly there was a massive black wolf standing in front of me. I was too shocked to feel anything. And then Sam shifted again, and he was standing before me in his clothes.
He put his hands on my shoulder, "Bella, I know this is shocking to accept, but I am the Alpha of the current pack. And, you are going to become the newest member of my pack."
My anger reached a new height, shattering my cold shock. I threw his hands off and my face broke out into a cruel sneer. "Yeah, right. Like I'll ever join into some crazy murderous werewolf cult. I won't! You can't make me! How dare you? I will never join you." I was so angry, I felt I was about to burst out of my skin. I felt my fury reach a new height and it burned. Literally. I screamed and fell to the ground. The fury burned up from my chest and out of my body. I felt it surrounding me and the flames licked at my skin, making me burn more. I tried to thrash but there were cruelly placed restraints on my body and I screamed louder than ever from the sheer agony of my rage and torture. Just when I thought the fury would kill me, I felt a blissfully cool release. The restraints tore away from my body and I was looking at the ground breathing heavily. The ground came into such sharp focus. I gasped, and it sounded oddly like a dog's whine.
Then I noticed something.
There were giant, pure-white wolf paws on the ground where my hands should be. I cried out in shock, and I heard an odd, dog's yelp. I looked up panicked, wondering what happened to me, and I saw Sam standing naked in front of me. He phased and there was the black wolf again.
"Bella, calm down. It'll be okay. You phased. You're now the female wolf of the pack. You'll be my second in command. And my pack sister. I'll look out for you. Bella, it'll be okay." I heard Sam's voice in my mind.
This was all too much. I couldn't handle it. I had heard when people come into contact with stressful situations there are three options. Option one; fighting back, option two; running away, and option three; fainting. I liked to believe I was option one, and I usually was. I always considered that running away was cowardly, so I hated that option. Option three was even more cowardly.
But, I was in a situation I knew nothing about how to fight back to, and I couldn't find enough emotional turmoil to faint. So, I did the logical thing.
I ran.