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"The human heart has hidden treasures, In secret kept, in silence sealed; The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures, Whose charms were broken if revealed." - Charlotte Bronte
"What is that?" Bella asked, peering at the tangy, dark sludge. "That's not—"
"Yeah, it is," said Jacob, standing up, pulling her up, and away from it. His nose was wrinkled in distaste, and Bella's mirrored it, but with a greener tinge.
"Was it—?" she started.
"No, not vampires," he answered, letting his eyes glance at her, seeing the play of fear and disappointment.
Fricking vampires, he thought, a small sigh escaping him.
"Anything else you recognise?" she ventured quietly.
"No, and it's strange—there are no smells of anything else," he finished, his nose to the air.
"Maybe someone got hurt, and they left to get help?" she wondered aloud.
"I don't think so," he said quietly. "That's a lot of blood. You don't lose that much and walk away from it. There's a body, somewhere. I don't think nearby, but somewhere," his hand gestured, he realised, vaguely to the east, away from the coast.
She shuddered, "Let's call my dad from your place," and turned to walk back to where they'd left their bikes.
"Uh," said Jacob, looking at her, "you sure about that?"
"Yeah, why?" she said, squishing her eyebrows together.
"Well, what are you going to tell him?"
"That we came across a giant pool of blood—that it's pretty suspicious." she tilted her head forward, eyebrows arched.
"And he's going to ask how we know it's human. And why we were here."
"So? They can check to see if it's human. There are tire marks all over the place here—it isn't like it's a stretch that we would think it's human, and not an animal."
"Sure, but this place is known for people coming to ride bikes and ATVs. He's going to have some questions." The thought of Charlie's disapproval, and worse, his forbidding Bella to see him lurched uncomfortably, somewhere deep in his gut.
"Right," she sighed, pausing to consider this implication. "But, we can't just leave this Jacob—someone is hurt, or dead. I can't just—no, we need to tell him. Doesn't matter if he finds out anything else."
The vision of Charlie's inflamed face, yelling at Jacob for endangering his only child, became a little clearer in Jacob's mind.
"Why don't we take a look around, then," he said, trying to stave off losing Bella's company, "see if we can find anything. You know, play Sherlock for a bit." He grinned widely, imagining this could extend their time together.
"OK," she said, biting her lip, one arm clenched around the other, the perpetual grip she kept on herself tight as ever. "Why don't we ride up a bit further into the woods there—where the curve begins," she said, her chin pushed up to the north-east, where the road slipped in between the trees.
"'K," said Jacob, pulling the bikes up and walking them to Bella, "here, try not to crash again," he grinned, "not that I don't enjoy playing the knight in shining armour." He realised his mistake as soon as he began saying the words. Her face had lost its form, an amorphous sadness sweeping up it as she swallowed.
"Sure," Bella mumbled, trying to put her features back together, head down, as she pretended to check her bike.
"Join me when you're ready," Jacob offered, kicking down the starter, and moving slowly up the road. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the answer of Bella's bike behind him.
She'd arrived at his place one day, the bikes in the back of the truck. Her presence an unexpected gift. But a broken one. Any mention of anything romantic—or vampire-related—sent her scuttling back into her cocoon.
Definitely cocooning, he thought, glancing back to see her slowly set the kickstand of her bike, one arm casually wrapping around her midsection as she walked towards him, her eyes carefully avoiding his.
"So Sherlock," he said, "where to?"
She gave a small smile at this. "I thought we might split up. Cover more ground that way?"
"No way," came Jacob's reply. Too fast, he knew, from the furrowing of her forehead. "If someone has been hurt, by someone else, I don't want us alone. Let's look around together."
"You know, they could be gone," she said, jerking her head the way she wanted him to follow. "Could have been a bike or ATV accident, and someone took them to the hospital." She glanced back to see his reaction to this idea.
"That blood is pretty fresh, Bella, no more than a few hours old," he said, tapping his nose. "Trust me."
"What, are you like an expert on that now, too?" she muttered, but good naturedly. "Middle-aged man." She retorted to his eye roll.
"I'd say we're getting closer on the age and experience front here," he grinned back.
"Hmph," she grunted, without commitment.
They passed the next few minutes in silence, ambling through the few remaining ferns that braved the pacific winter, under the deep protection of the forest canopy. Waxy salal, and prickly oregon grape leaves rasped at their clothes as they pushed through the bare openings in the foliage.
A sharp scent brought Jacob up short, his hand gripping firmer than it should, over Bella's forearm. "Hold up," he said, trying to keep his tone neutral. "Let me get a better whiff of whatever that is." He raised his nose, trying to understand what he was smelling. The picture became sharper.
He swallowed, not sure it could be.
"I'm going to change," he said, his tone no longer the even calm he'd managed, a tremor sliding up it.
Bella looked at him sharply. "What is it?" she demanded. "Is it—"
"No—I—" he sighed. "I don't know, and I want to be sure. Stay here," he added firmly.
He slipped quietly behind a tree, and emerged as quickly in his other self.
Tense, Bella tried to make herself part of the tree bark she could feel behind her. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to memorize the intricate patterns of the rough texture. It can't be. She told herself firmly, holding down the tremulously hopeful but what if it is that answered back. Several long, and deep breaths later, she dared to peek. Jacob was now a wolfy shadow in the dark of the wood, and her body felt more like her own again.
"See," she said to herself, "nothing."
Except, another voice answered. One that rung like a crystal, and chilled the answering flush in her cheeks.
"I wouldn't say I'm that," it said, several trees in front of her.
She swallowed the shudder that was building.
"Jacob," she whispered, feeling her hands beginning to tremble. Was this real? Were the visions...extending themselves? Moving beyond, just...Edward? She flinched at the name.
She hadn't realised she'd closed her eyes again, until she opened them when the fur of Jacob's side brushed against her, trembling with his growl.
"I mean you no harm," came the voice, this time its speaker moving into the lesser shade of the sparser canopy. "I was...curious. Your smell," he added, nodding, as if this clarified things.
Bella froze.
"No," he said, shaking his head slightly. The clouds thinned at this point, revealing a head of pure white hair, and a pale face that put vampiric pallor to shame. He was utterly colourless, except for his eyes. They were a buttery amber, framed with startlingly white lashes. The whiteness was made more shocking by the black clothes that covered him—hood, long coat, and gloves. "You have known my kind," he said. "Your hand," he gestured, pointing lightly.
"Yes," said Bella, carefully silencing the many voices that wanted to be heard inside her.
Jacob's growl grew louder.
"I don't think he'll hurt us, Jake," she said.
Jacob answered with a snarl in the direction of the newcomer.
"You're not safe here," Bella said, not knowing why she cared to warn this stranger. She tilted her head in Jacob's direction.
"I do not harm humans," he said.
"They won't ask if you do," said Bella.
"They?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"They," she replied, folding her arms.
"How remarkable."
They stood, watching each other, Bella with equal parts curiosity and nervous bravado.
"I'm Godwin," he said. "And you are?"
Jacob's growl morphed into a loud, snarling roar.
"I'm Bella," she answered. "Your eyes—they're not red," she said, wondering, hoping.
"I am not like the others you've met. I do not harm humans," he repeated, "I live on the blood of animals." He paused, waiting for a response. When Bella remained silent, he added, "your hand—you are not one of us. Yet, you were bitten. Did you—how did you retain yourself?" The tone of his voice was wistful, and Bella could almost feel the longing behind it.
She tried not to think of him as she said the words, but the grief was making foot holds in the lining of her stomach, crawling up her windpipe. "Another," her voice broke, "another...of your kind, he saved me—before it could spread." She swallowed, the folded arms becoming a desperate grip around herself.
"You're in pain," Godwin said quietly. "Great pain." It wasn't a statement of pity, or empathy, but a plain observation, made with the same polite conversationality that one would use to comment on a colleague's choice of sweater.
She said nothing, but slid fractionally closer to Jacob.
Jacob was pushing Bella gently with his body, trying to nudge her back, away from the threat he saw. There'd been enough show and tell for this afternoon, and the pack would be here soon. He wanted her out of the way—of this extra pale pale-faced freak, who was additionally freakish for smelling like almost nothing, and seemed to be able to sense feelings. He wasn't going to find out if he was trustworthy. The only good vampire was a dead one.
"He might know something, Jacob," said Bella, trying to shove him back from pushing her away, "and seeing as you have no plans to talk, then I need to." She raised her eyebrows, and set her lips in a grim line. She meant business.
"There's human blood, down by the foot of the hill," she said, gesturing in the direction they'd come.
"Yes, there is," replied Godwin, still and composed, gloved hands loose at his sides.
"Do you know what happened to the person?" said Bella, feeling a bit flustered by his nonchalance.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"If you know our kind, I'm surprised you have to ask."
"Few of your kind are above the temptation," she replied tersely, holding up her hand by way of illustration.
"This is true, but no, it wasn't me. And," he added, "I do not know who did. I have not scented others of my kind near here. Recently, anyway."
Jacob had finally stopped growling, but was impatiently swishing his tail at odd intervals, and at this statement, gave the wolf equivalent of an eye roll, and a snort.
"Your companion is most...entertaining. And, I think, amused by me," he smiled shyly. "I so rarely encounter….others. It is...novel," he said.
"You don't have a coven?" asked Bella.
"No, I am not...welcome….with my kind." And the vast array of unhappy memories of his encounters swirled to the surface.
"Why?" Bella asked, unable to hold back. She knew it was rude...but somehow, it didn't seem to matter right now.
"Do you not have eyes, child?" here he gestured to his face and hair. "Can you not see a curse when it is laid?"
"You're an albino, right? That's hardly cursed," said Bella.
"Ah, I'm sorry to leave this conversation, but I believe 'they' are here." And he was gone. A whisper in the ferns where his feet had rested was the only clue to his presence.
Other eyes and forms were appearing in the dim recesses of the woods.
Whoa. I saw him...where'd he go?...I know! Crazy hey? And you couldn't really smell him Jake? Crap. How are we going to tell when he comes back? Or if he's really gone...and those eyes, dude, creepy! No coven, I guess that's good...wow man, Bella looks hot.
Bella didn't understand the sudden snarling and yipping between them, but knew to jump back when she felt Jacob's fur bristle.
"Could someone please tell me what's going on?" She asked, her voice rising in an unwanted panic. "Not everyone reads minds around here!"
Sam's stiff stride out of the treeline identified him.
"We gotta check for others, Bella. Jake—go change, get her home. We need to make sure we're clear….somehow," he muttered, shifting back as he moved behind a scrum of alder saplings.
"C'mon Bella, I'll get you back." His grim smile was close-mouthed, and a bit sheepish. The order didn't sit well with him, and he felt the pack's priorities could be better served by splitting up to look at both mysteries. But, he hold himself for the umpteenth time, he wasn't the Alpha. And he had himself to thank for it.
"Jake, no—the blood." She said, not moving as he went to extend his arm behind her, carefully not touching, but herding her. She stood her ground. "We can't just leave—what if someone's hurt? Or there are clues?"
He shifted his weight to rest on one leg, folding his arms in front of himself. Why would convincing Bella to leave be easy? I mean, really, he thought to himself. She's not STUBBORN or anything.
"I'll ask Sam if we can keep our eyes open on that front too. If you're really that concerned we can come back tomorrow," he added, frankly hoping she would let it go by that point.
"You promise?" She asked, her voice firm.
He nodded, accepting the relief of at least being able to get her to safety.
"Come on," he said, "I'll race you back. Loser gets to clean up the lunch dishes!" Then he took off at an impossible run, assured in the safety of the pack around her.
"Jake, you suck!" She yelled after him. "And I don't agree to your deal!"
For the sake of peace, they'd agreed that while Jacob was the winner, Bella was definitely the better towel whipper. After a few rounds of getting his shoulders snapped by a well aimed dish-towel, he'd joined her at the sink.
"You sure you don't want to join them?" asked Bella, worrying she was keeping him from his idea of 'fun': hunting deadly creatures. She knew, intellectually that he and his pack had not ever been harmed, and were likely safe, but still, the thought of him going out to hunt for them still terrified her.
"Ow!" He yipped, as she landed a well place whip to his backside. "That's for leaving me alone to do it for the first five minutes," she said. "So much for equal rights around here," she muttered.
"Equal rights, shmeaqual rights," he said through a grin, "privilieged white woman," ducking another towel snap. He grabbed the towel from her and held it above his head. "I think I'm good without more abuse from the invading colonial powers, pale-face."
This, of course, left Jacob's underarms dangerously open to attack, and Bella grinned, and bit her lip, launching her fingers knuckle deep into his ticklish ribs.
All was going remarkably well for Bella, until Billy turned the corner in his wheelchair, just as Bella had launched another attack on Jacob's already tender sides. They were suddenly, all three tangled together amidst a chorus of "Oof," "gnah!" and a loud "shit!" from Jacob.
"Alright. If you two are done, you might move Dwayne's bags into your sister's room," said Billy, throwing the dish towel, that had landed on him, into the laundry hamper by the door.
"Sure Dad," said Jacob, dusting himself off, and helping Bella up. He could see a bruise forming where she'd landed on her arm. She seemed fine though, similarly whisking dust-bunnies of her sweater. "Where is Dwayne, anyway?"
"Went for a walk after he got here. Said he was goin' up to Black's road."
Bella and Jacob stopped their movements in synchronized silence.
"Black's road? You sure?" asked Jacob.
"Yeah, why?" asked Billy, rolling himself to the counter, and pouring coffee into a cup, keeping a careful eye open for any sudden movements from Bella.
"We were just there, and we didn't see him," answered Jacob. "And...well, there was a big pool of blood—human blood. Did he say when he'd be back?" he asked.
"Dwayne? Ha! No, he wouldn't hold himself to a time—and no, you don't need to worry about him. He's a blessed soul. Hasn't so much as smelled trouble in his entire life. No one would want to hurt him," said Billy, casually waving a hand at Jacob. "He's probably stopped at Clive's for a soda."
"When did he leave," asked Jacob, checking the clock.
"'Bout two, I'd say," said Billy, sipping at his coffee.
"It's five now," said Jacob to himself, looking at Bella, "he'd of had time to get there before we did. It's a long walk, though. Someone must've seen him. He went through town, right?"
Billy nodded, eyes closed, nose deep in his coffee.
"He's fine, you two. He'll pitch up later. And if it isn't later. It isn't late enough. Dwayne's like that. He comes and goes. Ask his wife."
"Sure dad," said Jacob, but he didn't sound convinced.
Bella didn't seem convinced either, and felt her mouth twist to the side.
"I should get you home, hey?" he said, "so Charlie doesn't miss you?"
"Yeah, guess so," she answered, pushing forward from the counter.
As they parked in front of her house, she turned to him in the cab. "Tomorrow, right? We'll go look again," she said, not breaking eye contact.
"Yep," he said. "I promised. If the others don't find anything."
"I'll call you in the morning, 'K?" They parted at the door, Bella heading inside to get dinner started, and Jacob disappearing into the woods, his other self ready to watch for the pale stranger far too interested in the friend he had, and the woman he hoped would love him. Someday.
The night brought itself, frigid and clear, a rare frosting on the stubborn green of the coast. His coat joined in the frosting, Jacob remaining as still as the plants around him, eyes trained on the window, whose thin panes guarded Bella.