Well, sorry this took so long. I had this chapter finished a LONG time ago, but my phone deleted the whole damned thing, so I had to rewrite it :D Here it is now though~
Disclaimer- I don't own Twilight. Stephanie Meyer does though.
Once again, I apologize for the intense wait. A little thank you to my only reviewer: devious . scribe
I only rewrote this chapter because of her encouragement. ;-;
ONWARD!
"There's miles of land in front of us
And we're dying with every step we take
We're dying with every breath we make
And I'll fall in line"
- "March to the Sea" by Twenty One Pilots
Chapter 2
As I was heading home, I became horribly aware of the fact that I had no idea where I was going. I was lost beyond belief, and I was beginning to think I should've just stayed at school and waited for Bella to realize she left me. It was too late though; I didn't know the way back, and my mood wasn't exactly improving. As if to add to my troubles, it started raining.
It wasn't the sort of refreshing, warm weather rain that I was accustomed to either. This rain was cold. I could feel it seeping through my clothes and to my skin. The cold traveled to my bones, chilling me to the core. It felt like Jack Frost was breathing down my neck.
The rain compromised my vision as well. I could barely see five feet in front of me. Mud caked itself to my shoes and jeans, and my hair clung to my neck like a noose. It was getting hard to breathe. Somewhere in the distance, it seemed like I could hear waves crashing against the shore. I didn't realize Forks was that close to the ocean... I'd never actually seen the ocean before either. Maybe I had been walking for too long.
Suddenly, I felt that I could no longer hold myself together or even work up the strength to move forward. I began to cry. I was so cold, and I never seemed to have the best judgment. I sunk down onto my knees. Icy water bit at my knees, and I felt strangely warm. I couldn't feel my toes or finger, but deep within, I was magnificently warm. As a passing thought, I felt that the rain was wonderful. But I cried. I still wanted to go home.
I wanted to go home.
A car came into my field of vision, and slowed down beside me. In the car, there were two people: the woman had scars that contorted half her face into a frown, while the man was intimidating. I stared up at them, shaking profusely. The woman suddenly looked half-way concerned, and I found that I could barely look at her because those scars scared me.
"Are you lost?" I heard a distinctly feminine voice ask me. I looked up at the scarred woman, mentally blocking out half her face.
"Y-yes, I'm trying to get to Ch-Charlie Swan's house, but I'm afraid I can't seem to find my way there," I answered with a forced smile. Don't worry about me please.
"Well, you're definitely headed in the wrong direction," the man pointed out. I smiled nervously, feeling even more so embarrassed than before. The woman looked at the man with a frown.
"I have some friends who could help lead you there, just head down this road..." I listened intently to her words. She seemed quite helpful and kind, something I found strange. I was more accustomed to people like the man. Aloof.
"The house belongs to Billy Black. I'm sure he'll help you out," the woman smiled. I nodded.
"Thank you!" I replied, feeling relieved. I waved and walked off in that direction. After a little while I realized that I was blindly following a total stranger's directions, and even if they were telling the truth, I had no way of identifying who had helped me. I was so thoughtless. There was no turning back at that point though.
I trudged through the heavy rain, shivering in the cool wind. My clothes were doing nothing for me at this point. I was such an idiot. I walked up to the house that the woman had described, stepping up onto the old, wooden porch. Water dripped off of me, splattering onto the wood. I couldn't help the intense shivering that I was doing at that point. Man, this really wasn't one of my best days. I stood in front of the door to the house for a long time, working up the nerve to knock. It was such a simple action, yet I couldn't get myself to do it. It was like asking someone who didn't have a gymnast background to participate in Cirque du Soleil. I was so deathly shy sometimes.
I knocked.
The door swung open after a few moments of shuffling about within the house. I stood there, waiting patiently despite the dread that was swallowing me whole. I was going to have to talk to them, wasn't I? Fear gripped my body. I didn't know these people! They knew Charlie though... They knew Dad. I swallowed my fear and looked up into the face of a handsome boy. Great. Now I'm officially screwed. I smiled nervously at him, a puddle gathering beneath my feet.
"What are you doing out in the rain at this time of day?" he asked me through narrowed eyes. A shiver racked through my body, and a man pushed the guy to the side from his wheelchair.
"Jacob, show some kindness. You'll scare people away acting like that," he said. I then feared that I'd messed up somehow and gone to the wrong house. I crossed my fingers, hoping I had the address right. Otherwise, this would be incredibly embarrassing.
"Um, are you Mr. Black?" I asked in a tiny, broken voice. The shivering was not helping me at all. He looked at me with a concerned expression.
"Jacob! Get her a blanket!" he yelled in the direction of the boy, "Come in, it's too cold for you to keep standing outside. Especially in your condition." I smiled gratefully, some of my fear fading away in the presence of kindness. He wheeled backward, allowing me to enter the warm house. My fingers tingled painfully at the sudden influx of heat. I ran my palm over them; I probably had minor frostbite. I was very lucky that Mr. Black was so nice. A blanket was suddenly draped over my shoulders.
"Here you go," Jacob said, his voice softer. It was no longer harsh and suspicious. I nodded to him. My hair looked like Bella's when it was wet. Stupid Bella, leaving me behind at school. She knew how directionally impaired I was! I wished I'd stayed at school and waited for her... She and Charlie were probably up in arms looking for me.
"Th-thank you," I whispered, pulling the blanket tighter around me with my slightly responsive fingers.
"So what do you need me for?" Mr. Black asked. A black cowboy hat sat atop his head, reminding me of Phoenix a bit. I smiled slightly.
"I was wondering if you knew how to get to Charlie Swan's house... I've gotten myself terribly lost. Someone told me how to get here to ask … wh-where it is," I said, my knees buckling slightly under my weight. I struggled to remain standing. I knew the signs well. I was close to losing consciousness. One of the downfalls of having a weak immune system.
"What do you need Charlie for?" he asked me, but his voice was beginning to sound distant.
"D-dad is..." I fell to the ground, my vision disappearing into static then total darkness.
.
I awakened to hear Mr. Black talking loudly to someone I couldn't hear.
"I don't know her name. All I know is she came here asking for directions to your house," he said calmly. It seemed that the person on the other side was frantic. I blinked slowly, holding my aching head with one hand. I attempted to push myself up, but lacked the strength to perform such an action. My throat was incredibly dry, and it hurt. It sounded like someone was pacing in the doorway nearby.
"Wa-water..." I croaked in an inhuman voice. The pacing stopped, then footsteps moved away from me.
"Well, whoever she is, she has a fever and is currently unconscious," Mr. Black replied to the unknown other person.
"She's awake. I think, she asked for water," Jacob said to Mr. Black. I assumed they were related through blood in some form or fashion. I really wanted some water right then. I groaned softly, reaching blindly for the edge of the bed. I couldn't find it though. My fingers passed over air or blankets, but never the solid curve of the edge.
"She's awake. I'll see if we can get her name now, but I don't think she can be moved anytime soon," Mr. Black told the third person. I wondered why I couldn't hear them. Maybe this was some part of my illness hallucinations. I still couldn't find the edge of the world.
"I've got you some water," Jacob said in a soft voice. It was sort of comforting. I reached up, touching his face lightly. He didn't pull away. My fingers found his shoulder, then his arm, then the cup. I happily attempted to take it from him, but my grip was too weak. So I opted for keeping my hand on his to feel slightly competent. He helped me sit up and drink from the cup. The light coming from the doorway made my head hurt. When I finished off the water, I felt better.
"What's your name?" Jacob asked. I pulled my lips apart and tried to remember. What is it again? I nodded to myself slightly. I looked over at the doorway, then tried to find Jacob.
"Maddie... Swan," I whispered, my voice sounded a bit more like my own again, which I took to be a good sign. Although, I didn't remember much of what happened afterward, and at some point, I fell asleep again. I was rather delirious with a fever, I suppose.
Please review! I do adore those things ever so much~
~Minatu
/Edit: Changed a few things here and there, mostly grammatical or to fix the flow.
