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"In the name of Hippocrates, doctors have invented the most exquisite form of torture ever known to man: survival." – Luis Bunuel

Ch. 2

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It wasn't the cool force against his cheek, or the fire currently ravaging his body that woke Jacob up. No, it was the delicate staccato of pacing footsteps that were almost too quiet to be noticed. To Jacob it sounded like the metronomic tick of an analog clock that was pressed against his ear. His eye twitched as the sound continued. Before long it started to feel like a drilling in his brain. He opened one eye hesitantly.

"Ahh," a familiar voice instantly cooed, "you're awake."

Jacob opened both his eyes and stared, half-lidded at the chilled metal floor beneath his face. He raised his gaze a little higher in an attempt to search for the owner of the bell-like voice before he noticed the thick steel bars. A cage. The knowledge alarmed him greatly. Even if he found a weakness with these creatures, he knew that he could not break through the iron bars.

"I don't believe we had a chance to formally introduce ourselves," the voice continued. Jacob briefly noticed that his captor had stopped moving as the crisp tapping of heeled boots had ceased.

He put his hands on the floor and pushed in an effort to upright himself. His body protested as his muscles ached and a scorching fire rushed through his veins. It felt like he had done copious amounts of weight lifting…in a volcano. He managed to get to his knees before noticing that his face burned with a much different kind of pain. Jacob vaguely noted that, though his left eye was open, could hardly see out of it. His eyes wandered back to the blurry figure in front of him that had gone silent upon noticing Jacob's distraction.

"My name is Otho and my friend is Galba," he said simply, as though expecting pleasantries to be exchanged.

Jacob snarled as the memories rushed back into his mind. His fury offered his body the strength to stand up. He only swayed briefly before steadying himself against the bars.

"I must say," Otho said coldly, "we are very pleased to have you here," his eyebrows shot up in mock surprise, "And my! What a transformation you have undergone!"

Jacob's curiosity briefly outweighed his apparent fury. He quickly looked down at his formerly lanky body. Jacob heard himself gasp but it was a muffled, distant sound, muted by his surprise. His shirt had been removed at some point and now his formerly long wiry limbs were fully displayed. They were now thick and strong. Muscles protruded from everywhere, emphasized by the deep definition in his light russet skin. His hands were huge. This man, Otho, appeared shorter than last night meaning that Jacob must have grown impossibly taller too. He lifted his head to once again glare at his captor and he realized that he could no longer feel his long hair tickling against his back. He lifted one of his enormous hands to touch it and become conscious of the fact that it had been cropped shorter than it had ever been before.

"Your face too," Otho said in a voice one might use when commenting on the weather, "it's sharper, masculine…you no longer look like a young boy."

In Jacob's bewilderment regarding his new body and his disgust of Otho he failed to notice that he could suddenly see out of his formerly swollen eye until Otho let out a gasp of surprise.

"And healing power too! You certainly are quite the find." Otho stepped closer to the cage, a cold, calculating look in his blood red eyes. Jacob hissed in shock. How could he have missed the fact that they were red last night?

"Tell me," Otho said, wrapping one long finger around a bar on the cage, "What is your name?"

Jacob felt a growl rising in his throat. Vaguely, he noticed that he was constantly compelled to make beastly, primal noises when showing his anger. Lucidly, Jacob was focused on the creature in front of him.

"All right, Jacob," the creature smiled.

Jacob nearly stumbled in surprise.

"Tell me how old you are," he continued, fully aware of Jacob's look of horror.

Jacob stared uncomprehendingly. His mouth bobbed opened and closed like a starving fish. What powers did this creature have?

"Sixteen? Interesting," Otho stepped closer again.

Jacob fought the intrusion of his mind, throwing forth random memories from his childhood.

"Don't worry…I do have powers but mind reading is not one of them."

At Jacob's questioning glare Otho continued with his cavalier explanation.

"Your friends showed up about an hour and a half after Galba brought you here. I stayed to listen to more information about my latest catch."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, "my power is accurately reading body language."

He was now right against the cage, both his hands gripping the bars and Jacob fought the urge to move away.

"Yes," he continued, his face peering through the gaps, "you look every inch a man now but you really are still a boy. Vespasian will be pleased, it is so rare that he gets one untouched."

Jacob flinched at Otho's evaluation, sensing a vague discomfort building in his stomach. Otho seemed encouraged by the reaction.

"Oh yes," he smirked, and in a fluid motion that seemed inhumanly fast, he had opened the cage and locked Jacob's wrists into a pair of manacles, that had gone unnoticed, attached to the ceiling of the cage. The movement was instantaneous yet Jacob realized that he could see every motion.

"And you don't even understand your power yet," Otho laughed cruelly as Jacob squirmed in discomfort from his arms being yanked cruelly above his head.

"You could have stopped me, you know," he explained.

Before Jacob had a chance to retort, Otho began speaking again.

"Hmmm, but back to your innocence," he stepped up against Jacob who shivered in disgust.

"You've clearly never been touched, even your lips have never felt another's against them."

Jacob whimpered, the words dissolving into meaningless sounds, as Otho's cold, disgusting fingers moved against the bare skin of Jacob's stomach. He could feel bile rising in his throat, burning like an indomitable acid.

Jacob held his breath, fearing Otho's next move when the caresses suddenly halted just before a resounding knock was heard at an unseen door.

Otho smirked gleefully.

"That will be your new master, slave!"

He flew to the door to open it but Jacob's attention wavered as his body began to shake in anger. It felt, once again, as if all his organs, bones, and muscles were rearranging themselves into an inhuman shape. He forced himself to breathe, he knew he must look strong in front of this new opponent, not like a shivering weakling.

"My dear Otho."

Jacob heard another tinkling voice, though it sounded much more aged than the creatures that had captured him,

"You have not disappointed me as I expected after your last find," the new creature noted in a thin, cold voice.

"My Lord Vespasian," Otho murmured pathetically, "my only aim is to please you."

"Tell me."

"Shape-shifter. Sixteen. Potential Alpha. Completely untouched." Otho crooned as their steps neared toward the cage. Jacob started at the strange evaluation.

Alpha? Shape-shifter?

The creatures reached the light and Jacob bit back a yelp as he saw the newest villain. Vespasian was taller than him, large in an elegant way, and covered in hundreds of crescent-shaped scars. He, too, had blood red eyes and long blonde hair trailing down his arms and back. His skin, like the others, was unnaturally pale – almost fragile looking - but Jacob knew not to be fooled. These creatures were lethal.

"Has he ever fought before?" the new creature asked, not removing his eyes from Jacob's body for a moment.

"No, my lord," Otho smiled, "all he needs, I dare say, is some incentive."

They shared a knowing look.

Vespasian then snapped his long, spidery fingers and a dozen of the pale creatures moved out of the shadows.

"Make our guest comfortable."

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Bella POV

Captured? My Jacob? My sun? I thought Edward's departure had been the worst pain my heart could feel. I was wrong.

Maybe it's because I knew Edward was happier without me, he had made the choice to leave and unburden himself. Jacob didn't get a choice. The purest, happiest boy I had ever met could be dead. He could be in pain. And if we find him, will he also be broken? Will none of his smiles reach his eyes again? Will his heart feel enormous in its emptiness? I felt hot tears spring to my eyes. I wouldn't wish this fate on anyone. I was the living dead but I couldn't bear to see my saviour become the same.

My head slumped to my pillow, but it felt like a block of ice against my face. I stared sightlessly at my blank walls, feeling a familiar numbness consume my body.

I watched the sun rise against my walls. Naturally, on one of the most horrifying days of my life, the sun would shine brightly and ironically. My sun was stolen, so the real one taunts me.

I rose from my bed, not even feeling my body. The drive to LaPush seemed like a nightmarish daze. As I entered the Reservation I noticed Sam and Embry waiting for me. Their enormous figures were perhaps the most intimidating visions I had seen in a very long time. I pulled over and hopped out of my truck on to the gravel. Sam motioned with one enormous finger for me to follow them to a small wooden house down the unpaved road.

Sam turned to me in a fluid motion once we walked through the door.

"So what do you know?"

His eyes looked desperate. Jacob's disappearance seemed to affect Sam strongly. He looked haunted, as though it had been someone he loved that had been taken.

I began hesitantly, "well, uh, you guys are…werewolves and the cold ones are vampires…and you think that Jacob was kidnapped by these vampires."

Sam nodded wordlessly.

"Jacob was starting his transformation last night. God knows what unnatural things those parasites are doing to him."

I felt my stomach fall at his words as I staggered to sit down. Sam ignored me and continued speaking.

"Because of this recent attack we have two new transformations happening today. You know them, I believe – Quil Ateara and Leah Clearwater." Sam frowned minutely at Leah's name but my worry for Jacob far outweighed my curiosity.

"How are we going to get him back," I gasped out, my heart felt like it was being slammed by a mallet.

"Jared and Paul are following the leeches' scents right now. We're hoping Jacob phases soon so that we can contact him, maybe he can give us some information," Embry spoke at last.

"What do you mean?" I asked. How could they contact him if he's a wolf?

"We share thoughts and communicate wordlessly in our wolf forms," Sam explained, "Jacob is going to have a hard time understanding what's going on since there's no one to help him." Sam shuddered, perhaps remembering his own lonely transformation.

"Let me help in any way I can," I begged, not knowing what good I could possibly do.

I looked them both in the eyes, disliking their obvious hesitation

"Please."

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A/N - Originally this chapter was about 10 pages but I cut it down to 5 and put the other stuff in the next chapter...sorry! I was being lazy with editing....

Let me know what you think!!!! I have so many ideas of where to go but I want to see what you guys want to see...

Thanks again reviewers...all 2 of you LOL!