I hurried out of the Port Angeles rain and into the greasy, truck-stop-like diner where I washed dishes, running a minute behind. The job sucked, but paid under the table, and the lowlife boss didn't care about the fake information I had to put on my application. The boss yelled at me for being late for my eleven am shift, though it hadn't happened before, as I shoved my sweatshirt and large, battered backpack – which held the only things I had left in the world – in the locker and hung up my jacket.
I apologized quickly, not wanting to risk losing the job, while I tied on the ugly vinyl apron, then started working where the previous washer stopped, the dirty plates, bowls, cups, and utensils piled high beside the row of commercial sinks. Gladys, my boss, gave me the usual don't-let-it-happen-again speech, and then left to play bingo at the senior center like she did every Tuesday. This was my life now: get a crappy job under a fake name to pay for a little food and another ticket out of the city the next time Stalker shows up.
I started washing dishes and busing tables in this particular dive nine days ago. I convinced Gladys, an overweight, bad-tempered harpy with a cheap dye job and cankles, to pay me at the end of each day; this way, I would have money to buy food, and I could leave suddenly without losing an entire paycheck.
Today was a bad day. Two kids threw food at me, an older man claimed I was trying to steal his french fries, a couple of teenagers at least two years my junior kept trying – and failing – to hit on me, and only one person left a decent tip. Then I somehow managed to trip and drop a tubful of dirty dishes all over the floor. I silently thanked whichever god was listening – not that I thought one existed anymore – for Gladys being too cheap to buy anything other than plastic.
It was 5:50 – ten minutes until the end of my day from hell – when it happened. I stepped out to the dining room to gather my last dishes, and sitting there at the middle-most table, was my living nightmare. His disturbingly dark black hair mocked me from across the room as I stood frozen, the grey plastic bin braced against my hip. He had not yet seen me. I recovered in a few seconds and began to back out of the room. I dropped the bin on a counter and managed to make it to the storage closet in the kitchen before I started hyperventilating. Yeah, that's what panic does to me.
I got myself calmed down in a few minutes, and left the closet, knowing I had to move quickly and immediately. I had a head start on him; he didn't know I had seen him and therefore wouldn't know I was leaving. I untied my apron and dropped it heedlessly on the floor as I rushed through the kitchen to find the manager. Hurry, hurry. Gladys was out, so I had to see Randal to get tonight's payment. Luckily, he was in the small, dirty office and not in sight of the dining room.
"Randal, I have to go, I need my money." I was shaking and panicked, and I sounded as frantic as I felt. He looked up in surprise at my sudden entrance and subsequent demand before glancing at the clock.
"You're off in five minutes. You can't wait that long?"
"No, now! Please!" I was not above begging anymore. My panic was showing but I was desperate to get out of there as soon as possible.
"Okay, okay, calm down." He said, not unkindly. He dropped his book on the desk and stood up, headed for the door. Randal was a decent guy; Gladys would never have let me off early. "The usual, right?" He clarified. I nodded quickly and he paused in front of me.
"Is something wrong, Jenny?"
The use of the fake name I had given them threw me for a second in my distraction. "Oh...no – well, yes, but I'll be fine." I doubt it.
"Alright," He hesitated and I could see the disbelief in his eyes. Please don't ask anymore questions, I silently pleaded. To my relief, he didn't question me further. "Why don't you go get your stuff and I'll bring your money to you?"
I gave another quick nod and nearly ran to the break room. Hurry, hurry. I wrenched my things from the locker with unsteady hands, twice almost dropping my backpack, and Randal joined me as I pulled on my sweatshirt.
"Here you go." He handed me a thick white envelope, which I accepted with thanks, folded, and shoved into my pocket. I turned away from him and yanked my jacket off the hanger. I looked back when I didn't hear him walk away, and found him watching me worriedly.
"You're not coming back, are you?" It was more a statement than a question. I zipped up my jacket and looked him in the eye.
"No. Tell Gladys, please?"
Randal nodded in assent.
"Thank you." I heaved my backpack over my shoulder. Hurry, hurry. "It's been a pleasure." I put out my hand and he shook it.
"The pleasure was all mine, Jenny." He replied.
"Laney." I told him. The kind man deserved to know the truth.
"Laney." He repeated, not surprised at all. "It fits you." I managed to give him a small smile, in spite of the adrenaline and panic still running through me, then turned and trotted to the back door.
"Take care of yourself, kiddo." Randal called out as I opened the door. I just half-smiled and nodded, waving back at him. I'm trying. I stepped into the late twilight and rain, pulling up the hood of my jacket as I put my mind back to my escape. Hurry, hurry. The bus station was, unfortunately, nearly on the other side of town, so I had quite a walk ahead of me. I headed to my right, trying not to break into a run. I passed two businesses and turned down a side street to get out of the visual line of the diner.
"Hello, Laney."
I stumbled to a stop and froze in terror when the voice I loathed and feared came from my left as I was halfway down the street. I blinked and Stalker appeared in front of me, grinning at me manically, his teeth unnaturally white even against his colorless skin, his red eyes glinting in the dim light.
"Miss me?" He asked, just like he did every time he saw me again, as I stared at him with wide eyes and tried to remember how to breathe. He moved to my side and whispered in my ear.
"You're not getting away this time."
He had never said that before. His cold breath tickled my ear and I shuddered, my fight or flight reaction finally kicking in. I chose flight. Clutching my backpack straps, I ran toward the brightly lit street in a desperate attempt to reach some small amount of safety. I heard a chuckle to my right and when I looked, he was jogging easily beside me, a mocking sneer marring his face. A fresh wave of panic hit me and I tripped over my feet and went down. I know I skinned my hands and knees, and possibly an elbow, but the adrenaline kept the pain at bay. His laughter increased as he stopped beside me and I quickly rolled face up and scrambled away from him. My breath came in short gasps as he followed me until my back hit the building behind me, and then I could only watch as he leaned over me, reaching for my neck.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, something large and fast slammed into him from the side, knocking him off his feet and through the air, landing some twenty feet away. Chunks of asphalt flew as he and another man tumbled across the road, leaving a deep furrow in the blacktop. I watched in disbelief as he threw off the other man, a tall blond, who twisted in the air and landed on his feet in a crouch. Stalker snarled at the man, a loud feral sound that reminded me of a cougar and made my hair stand on end.
"Laney!" A high, musical voice called out to me. I started in surprise and tore my gaze from the circling men, looking to my left. A tiny and beautiful, yet somehow frightening woman I had never seen before was standing several feet away, and she smiled when our eyes met.
"My name is Alice. I'm here to help you. I have a safe place I can take you, where he won't be able to come near you. No one will hurt you there. Will you trust me?"
I stared at her, trying to comprehend what she was saying, but my fear-frozen mind couldn't wrap around it. I sat there against the building, shaking and gasping for air and still completely terrified, and I focused on her words until finally they made sense.
"H-How do you know my n-name?" I stuttered out between breaths. A sudden screech came from the fighting men and I whipped my head around in time to see the blond man land on Stalker's back, pinning him to the ground and his arms behind his back. He fought for release but couldn't seem to get up.
"That is not important right now." The woman named Alice said gently . "Will you trust me, Laney?"
"Why should I trust y-you?" My uneven breaths were still messing with my speech, but the crippling terror receded a little with him held captive.
"Because you don't have anyone else." The words were harsh, but gently spoken and I took no offense. It was true, after all. I thought it over quickly as Stalker growled and hissed and struggled beneath his superior captor. The captor who would release him if I said no to the offer of help. This Alice made me nervous, but she had nothing on Stalkerin the scary department. What did I have to lose, anyway?
"Okay."
Alice's smile widened and she walked up to me and held out her palm. I noticed for the first time she wore black leather gloves. I grasped her firm, steady hand with my trembling one and she pulled me easily to my feet. My knees were weak and I swayed but Alice moved to my side and put her arm around my waist, holding me upright. She was very short; I doubted she cleared five feet, making me nearly a foot taller than her.
"Alright, here is what is going to happen." Alice said. "Jasper," She nodded toward the man holding down Stalker. "And I have a car around the corner and our brother Emmett is going to keep an eye on him over there while we leave." As she spoke, a huge man appeared from the shadows at the back end of the side street and headed for Stalker and the blond Jasper. My fear spiked again at the sight of him and I took a step back.
"Don't worry, Laney, he won't hurt you." Alice tried to reassure me. She didn't. "As soon as we're gone, Emmett will take him to the police so he will not be able to bother you anymore. We're going to take you to our house until we know he can't get to you. How does that sound?"
"Away from h-him is good." Anything these people did to me could not be worse than what he had planned.
"Perfect. Alright, Emmett?" She called to the giant man. Emmett, in the midst of switching places with Jasper, gave Alice a grin and a thumbs-up. The second of distraction was enough. Emmett was thrown back by a vicious kick as Jasper was launched in the opposite direction, tossed away by Stalker's strong arms. Alice gasped at the same time the world suddenly tilted and I found myself scooped up by her, our surroundings blurry as she sped past them at an unbelievable pace. My stomach churned and I hung on to her neck as tightly as I could, afraid of falling at this speed. A scream ripped from my throat as I realized that whatever Stalker was, Alice was also, and probably her companions as well. I knew I should be fighting but I couldn't make my limbs move.
Abruptly, she stopped in front of a sleek black car and somehow opened the back door before quickly sitting down inside, with me still locked in her steely embrace. I whimpered in fear as she shut the door after her, and then the blond man, Jasper, appeared in the driver's seat and the car started with a low purr. I couldn't seem to remove my arms from Alice's neck even though I was scared stiff of her and shaking like a leaf. A soothing wave of calmness washed over me unexpectedly, slowing my racing heart, and gradually the tremors wracking my body ceased. I dropped my hands to my lap as my breathing evened out. I could still feel the fear simmering below the surface, but the calm kept it at bay.
Alice spoke, her voice very quiet. "Laney, I'm going to put you down on the seat and then get in the front, okay?" I managed to give a nod, but I couldn't help tensing as she shifted me from her lap and onto the seat behind Jasper. I struggled out of my backpack and left it by my side, then let Alice buckle the seatbelt for me. I pulled my legs up and hugged my knees to my chest protectively.
"Call Jacob." Alice said to Jasper as she smoothly climbed into the front seat. She didn't put on the seatbelt. "Tell him we need a place for Laney to stay on the reservation. She is too frightened to stay with anyone even resembling us."
I watched in the dim light from the dashboard as Jasper dialed on a tiny cell phone, but the following conversation was fast and too low for me to hear. A moment later he snapped the phone shut and placed it back in the center console.
"He said she can stay with the Clearwaters'. They have an extra room and someone is always there. He is calling Leah to let her know and will meet us at the line to pick her up."
Alice didn't respond and instead spoke to me. "Laney, I know you don't trust us right now, but we are taking you to the safest place possible. The people there are able to protect you, and they would never hurt you. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"
"Yes." I replied, still calm.
"Good. We will be there in 20 minutes."
"Okay."
"Let me tell you about the Clearwaters." Alice continued. "Leah lives with her younger brother Seth on the Quileute reservation by La Push. La Push is a small town by the ocean. Their father died about twelve years ago, and their mother, Sue – who I'm sure you will meet – remarried two years later, to Charlie Swan. They live in Forks, which is about twenty minutes from La Push. Sue lived there with Leah and Seth before she married Charlie. Now, just so you know and won't be surprised, both Seth and Leah are quite large. I believe Seth is about six five, and Leah is just over six foot. You're pretty tall too, though, so maybe they won't seem like such giants to you. Most of the Quileutes are tall, actually. So you should fit right in!" The tiny Alice leaned around the seat to beam at me, her white face bright in the dim light.
I'll be staying with huge fat people who apparently can't maintain a relationship long enough to move out of their family's house. Wonderful.
"They are really nice people though, so you don't have be afraid of them. And Jacob Black will be meeting us and will take you to the Clearwaters'. Jacob is also a Quileute Indian, and he's even taller than Seth. But he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, so don't worry about him either. You probably won't see much of him. He lives on the reservation, but spends most of his time with his wife, Nessie. I hope you get to meet her; she's great."
"Oh." I couldn't think what else to say.
"Do you have any questions, about them or anything else?" Alice asked, hopefully, I think. Strange.
Yes, but I don't want to talk to you because you still scare the crap out of me. "No."
"Are you hungry or thirsty? Do you want to stop and get anything?"
"No."
She finally got the hint from my monosyllabic answers and fell silent. I closed my eyes and pressed my face into my knees, trying to think of an escape, but I couldn't see a way out. Despair welled up in my chest. This is it; I can't get away this time. Say goodbye, Laney. Tears welled up in my eyes, but before they could spill over, another calm wave washed over me, stronger now, followed by a foreign emotion. It took me a moment to identify it, because it had been so long since I felt it, but I realized it was hope. Hope for what, I wasn't sure, but it was nice to experience it again. It felt almost artificial, but the fear and despair receded again, and that was a relief, so I didn't fight it.
No one said a word for a full ten minutes.
"Are you sure you don't need anything?" Alice asked in the same soft tone.
"Yes." I stated. She sighed, almost as though she were disappointed, which confused me. Why would she bother if she is just going to kill me eventually? I wasn't brave enough to ask the question aloud.
A few minutes later Alice spoke again. "We're almost there, Laney."
"Good." I said. It was rude and I knew it, but I didn't care and she didn't reply.
A couple minutes later I felt the car slow to a gentle stop and Jasper cut the engine.
"Jacob is already here." Alice said as she exited the car, rising gracefully. "I will take Laney to him, Jasper, you can stay here." Jasper nodded and settled back in his seat. I tensed as Alice came around the car and opened my door.
"Ready, Laney?" She asked, holding out her gloved hand to me. I gave a shaky nod and unfolded myself, then released the seatbelt buckle and rose quickly, ignoring her hand. I grabbed my backpack and clutched it to my chest before stepping from the car. The cold, humid air hit me with a shock after the warmth of the interior. We were standing on the left side of a long road, dark forest lining each side. A small car was parked several yards ahead of Jasper's sedan. The sky was overcast, so it was too dark to see much else. Alice clicked on a flashlight and pointed it at my feet.
"This way." She lightly grasped my elbow and led me forward. On our approach the little door of the dark car opened and an enormous man stepped out. How on earth does he fit in that car? My feet froze in shock and yes, fear, because the guy was huge. I do not want to be trapped in a sardine can with that giant! But Alice urged me on and I was forced to follow. I watched our surroundings, waiting for Stalker to come out of the forest now that there was no one around to stop him. It's only a matter of time.
"It's okay Laney, he won't hurt you. He's like a cuddly puppy." She giggled, the sound like tinkling bells, apparently amused by an inside joke. I didn't understand what was so funny. Puppies were unpredictable and didn't know the difference between playing and being too rough.
"I heard that, shorty!" The man, Jacob I supposed, boomed across the shortening distance between us. I flinched involuntarily, startled by his loud voice.
"Lower your voice, Jacob Black, you're scaring her!" Alice returned, seemingly annoyed. I almost believed her. We were closer now and Alice aimed the light at his face so I could see him. He squinted against the shine and raised his large hands in surrender and, presumably, apology. I didn't know what to think of him yet, but I definitely wasn't ready to trust him.
"Sorry, kid." He said to me as we reached his car where he waited by the passenger door. I was confused to see him in cut off jeans and a black t-shirt. Why isn't he wearing a jacket? How is he not cold? Alice interrupted my thoughts.
"Laney, this is Jacob Black. Jacob, this is Laney Watson. Be nice; none of your jokes. Laney has had a rough time of it for a while now, so try not to scare her." Alice gave Jacob a hard look that had me shaking in my shoes, but Jacob only laughed; quietly, to his credit.
"I know, I know; Jasper told me everything on the phone. You don't have to worry." Then he turned to me. "And neither do you, kid. You'll be safe with me, and even safer when we get to Seth and Leah's place. They're both there, so no one will be able to come near you. All right, enough chit-chat. I can see you don't like to be out here in the dark. Want to get out of here?" He asked as he opened the car door for me.
I stared at him, surprised yet again. Of all the many people I had met in the year and a half I had been in exile, no one had ever noticed my fear of the dark. Without meaning to, I went from completely distrusting this man to trusting him enough to walk the two paces toward him and sit down in the passenger seat. Jacob shut the door after me and went around to the driver's side. I resisted the urge to flip the lock as Alice gave me a little wave and what looked like a sad smile before turning and moving gracefully back to her car. The inside of Jacob's car was warm, yet smelled of the outside and the sea. Maybe he goes swimming in the ocean a lot. But I couldn't imagine it ever being warm enough here to actually go swimming.
Jacob rocked the little car as he folded himself into it and shut the door behind him, looking surprisingly comfortable in the small space. He started the engine and pulled back onto the road, picking up speed as we left Alice and Jasper behind. The artificial calm that had been holding me together disappeared quickly, but fortunately by now I really was calm, so I didn't go into another panic attack. The fear returned too, but it wasn't as strong; I actually felt a little safe with Jacob, which confused me. I hadn't trusted anyone in a long time. Why would I start now? I had no idea.
"So, it's Laney, right?" Jacob's voice broke through my musing. He glanced over at me and I nodded in answer.
"Well, you can call me Jake; no need for the full title."
I decided to reply verbally. "Okay."
"She speaks! Glad to hear it; I was starting to worry for a minute there." He flashed a grin at me, his teeth bright against his dark skin. I tried to give him a small smile back, but I think it came out as more of a grimace.
"Oh hey, I was only kidding, I didn't mean to offend you." He looked at me with concern and I shook my head.
"You didn't, it's fine. I'm sorry; I don't have much humor left these days." I couldn't believe I said so much at once. It was easy to relax around Jake.
"No need to apologize. I'm sorry you've had to deal with that. But you don't have to worry anymore; my friends and I will take care of him if he shows up. He'll never touch you again."
I wanted to believe him; I almost did, he sounded so sure of himself. But Jake didn't know Stalker or of what he was capable.
"...you don't have to worry anymore; my friends and I will take care of him if he shows up. He'll never touch you again."
I wanted to believe him; I almost did, he sounded so sure of himself. But Jake didn't know Stalker or what he could do.