Chapter 1
Those damn werewolves...always destroying a perfect moment. I glared at Jacob as Emmett released his hold on me. He sighed, thinking the same thing as me. Jacob just shrugged and continued in his barging in.
"Alesia, you know I would never interrupt your "alone" time," he said sarcastically "but Leah needed help with dinner and I didn't know who else to turn to." I stared bug-eyed at him, trying to figure out if he was serious or not. When he didn't let up a grin, I sighed again.
"Emmett, babe, I got to help her. Knowing the help the boys give, their house is liable to be burned down." I said jokingly. Emmett snickered and gave a short nod, allowing me to go.
"But when you get back, you're getting a serious lecture." At that I smirked and Jacob made a gagging noise. Guys could be so juvenile at times. I rolled off Emmett's bed and shuffled around the floor looking for my other sandal. His room was so small but held so much junk it was hard to maneuver around in. With the bed pushed up against the left wall, it left him room enough to put a desk and dresser in his room, which was covered in baseball items. The heavy black drapes kept out the sunlight just the way we liked and matched the bed set that Esme had so graciously repaired after every night Emmett and I shared together. The only light came from a fluorescent lamp on the desk, but that was enough for me. Still, I loved being in his room even without him. The essence of him lingered in his clothes, his books, his bedspread and it made me love him even more. Just when I was about to give up the search, Jacob cleared his throat and in his hand he held my missing shoe. I glared at him again and snatched it up. I shoved him through the door and blew a quick kiss at Emmett. He lay propped up on his pillows and for a second, I actually thought his name was Adonis. After sneaking through the Cullen house (They hadn't forgiven Jacob for the last party he crashed), we finally made it out to the garage. I opened the garage door and Jacob's beat-up truck greeted me with a sorrowful look.
"Jake, you really need to get a new car. Retire that poor beast already." I laughed. He stuck out his tongue and got into the driver's seat. Revving his engine, he hurried me impatiently. I got onto my Ninja and started it as I put my helmet on. Safety first was my motto on this thing. My second motto was Speed is my only friend. With that in mind, I pulled out behind Jake's truck and revved my engine back. Jacob kicked up gravel as he shifted in gear and took off down the long and winding driveway. Laughing, I peeled out and took off after him. After 20 minutes of weaving cars and Capture the Leader, we finally arrived on the reservation. As we passed Jacob's house, I saw Billy sitting on the porch, drinking iced tea. After the whole fiasco with the Volturi, Billy suffered a minor heart attack and seemed more fragile now that he was confined to the reservation. Charlie, Bella's father, came to visit him often with a 6-pack, but he could tell too that Billy would never be the same. I slowed the Ninja as Jacob pulled into up next to Leah's house. I figured leaving it on the path would make for a better escape if things got out of hand. Jacob flashed his pearly white smile before giving me a playful shove.
"You almost had me back at the diner, Alesia. I didn't think I would be able to stay in front for long." I returned the gesture with a little more power. "I don't know where you learned how to drive like that. If I didn't know better, I would think you learned from Edward." But I did know better. Jacob and Edward weren't on good terms right now because Jacob supported Renesmee's dream of having a baby one day and Bella was horrified by the idea. Of course, Edward sided with her on the matter. Jacob just scowled. Thankfully, Seth came running from inside the house and greeted us both with intense bear hugs. "Hey Little Brother, how's it hanging?" I asked, returning his hug.
"Leah's in desperate need of a good cook, Alesia. Know where I can find one?" he covered his mouth and Jacob laughed. I stuck out my tongue and started for the house. Poor Leah was in the kitchen, standing over a smoking pot on the stove. She tried unsuccessfully to fan the odor outside and finally the smoke alarm stopped with a mournful decrescendo into nothing.
"I was never much of a cook anyway." she said with a sigh and I hugged her.
"There's always culinary school." I said cheerfully. We took some time to clean the stove and the surrounding area before I told her to go put her feet up. Besides, what could she do in the kitchen that was any good? Jacob had already settled on the couch beside Seth and they were arguing over the remote. Leah pushed Seth over and lounged in the middle of their fight. As I put a pan of pork chops in the oven, I got out my cell phone and called the Cullen house. One ring, two rings, and finally she picked up.
"Rose, its Alesia. Does Esme's pork chop recipe call for sage or cinnamon?" Rosalie, not much of a people person, scoffed into the phone but answered,
"Cinnamon. Is that all?" Before I could answer, she hung up. Rose's relationship with Demetri was rocky at times and I knew deep down that she wanted Emmett back. Too bad, I thought to myself. She couldn't have him. She had dragged him through the wringer and he made it out alive and I was his grand prize. Shaking my head, I returned to the present and rummaged through the cupboards looking for the cinnamon. After adding a few dashes, I let it simmer and went into the living room. The television dispute was over and Leah had fallen asleep on Jacob's shoulder. If Jacob hadn't imprinted with Renesmee, anyone would think that Leah was his mate. It was cute for a second. Seth caught my drift and chuckled quietly. I plopped down in the armchair right next to the sofa they were on and instantly started to doze.
"Seth...watch the...food. Make sure...don't...burn" was all I could get out. I was out in a few seconds. I started dreaming immediately after and I welcomed it. It was nice. I floated on a cloud with Emmett. We stared into each other's eyes, just us on this cloud and we just sat there. Suddenly, the cloud thinned out and I fell a few feet onto the grass below. Emmett had disappeared and the sky had gone black. I fidgeted in my sleep. I didn't want this nightmare but I couldn't stop it. I screamed for Emmett, but there was no response and I started to cry. I had a good reason too. On the horizon of my dream, a figure stepped up. It was a man with long, flowing black hair that waved in the breeze that surrounded us. His figure was typical of a man his age: well-toned stomach, muscled arms, and chiseled facial features. Though these things made me uncomfortable, they didn't strike terror in me. It was his eyes that spread through me and made my soul shiver in horror. They were piercing things, amber with flecks of red in them. I struggled to get up from the ground, crawling at times. He caught up to me in seconds and I sat on the ground, helpless. I covered my eyes with my arm and waited for the pain to come. When it didn't come, I moved my arm and Seth was looking at me weirdly. I sat up and looked around frantically. The guy was gone and I was back in Leah's house. Jacob and Seth were leaning over the chair, feeling my head and cheeks. Leah still slept on the sofa. I waved off the boys and remembered the food in the oven.
"Seth, did you check the food?"
"The food? You were whimpering and moaning in your sleep and you're asking about food?"
Jacob laughed and sat back on the sofa, positioning Leah back onto his shoulder.
"That's just like her. Worrying about something totally random in a crisis."
I glared at Jacob and he was quiet again, flipping through the channels. I looked back at Seth and he seemed genuinely concerned.
"What are you talking about Seth? What was I saying?" I asked, afraid I had given away what was not real.
"You were mumbling about a demon spawn or something. That and 'red speckling...like blood'. That's an exact quote too." he nodded.
"Okay, just forget about it. I already have and you should too. Aren't you starving?" I tried to change the subject and it worked. Seth's eyes lit up. I laughed and went to prepare dinner. Seth went back to wrestling around with Jacob, waking Leah up in the process. It was moments like this that made me wonder why Bella gave up her human life so easily.